Arsenal came from behind twice, despite playing down a man, to draw Chelsea 2-2 on Tuesday in Premier League play. Two goals in the final 10 minutes (one from each side) led to a frantic finish, but the Gunners were efficient, scoring on both of their chances to rescue a point and keep their slim top-four hopes alive.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
It's time for Arsenal to move on from Mustafi
The Gunners need to give up on defender Shkodran Mustafi. Sell him and cut your ties. Yes, the club spent around $40 million to get him from Valencia in 2016, but he's more known for his errors than quality of play.
The World Cup winner gifted Chelsea the opening goal in what was a double blow to his side. Before the half-hour mark, he tried to play a ball back to goalkeeper Bernd Leno but instead fed Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham. The young Blues star got by Leno and was taken down by David Luiz, who was shown a red card. So one bad pass led to a penalty kick Chelsea would score and saw his teammate ejected.
Jorginho then put away the opening goal 28 minutes in:
Arsenal grew as match went on
The Gunners were not very good, but they deserve serious credit. A man down for most of the match, Arsenal players worked their tails off and that will please Mikel Arteta, despite not earning the win. To come from behind twice with 10 men is not easy, and it's something to build on.
Gabriel Martinelli looked like a contender to be subbed off in the first half to fix the Arsenal defense, but credit Arteta for keeping a player with so much pace. His goal came after a slip from N'Golo Kante at midfield. Take a look:
After more poor defending from Arsenal that gave Cesar Azpilicueta an easy goal in the 84th minute, the Gunners showed that fight again. Hector Bellerin produced a brilliant strike, capitalizing on lousy defending from Emerson and an injured Tammy Abraham to snatch a point in the 87th minute. Take a look:
Arsenal will take that considering the circumstance. The Gunners finished with two shots and scored them both.
Result is OK for both sides
Chelsea will rue the fact they didn't win that one, but a point at least sees them maintain a 10-point advantage over Arsenal in the table and a six-point lead over fifth-place Manchester United. The Blues are in a good spot moving forward but do need to find a way to close out games.
As for the Gunners, a loss probably would have ended any hopes of reaching the top four. Those hopes are still slim, but a run of good form could could get them back in it. The fact that they have life after winning just six of their first 24 matches in the league is unbelievable.
Chelsea 2, Arsenal 2 (FT)
⚽ Chelsea - Jorginho (P - 28')
⚽ Arsenal - Martinelli (63')
⚽ Chelsea - Azpilicueta (84')
⚽ Arsenal - Bellerin (87')