Mikel Merino expressed that Moises Caicedo deserved his first-half red card during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea. Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute at Stamford Bridge for a studs-up tackle on Merino.
Initially, it was a yellow card, but after a VAR review, referee Anthony Taylor upgraded it to a red. Despite being a man down, Chelsea took the lead after halftime.
Merino described the challenge as “horrible” and believed the officials made the right call. “I felt my ankle go all the way, but luckily, I have very mobile ankles and body. I knew it was a horrible challenge, and it was going to be a red card,” Merino told Sky Sports. This incident marked Caicedo as the seventh Chelsea player to receive a red card against Arsenal in Premier League history.
Trevoh Chalobah scored for Chelsea by heading Reece James’ delivery past David Raya. Arsenal responded just before the hour mark when Merino connected with Bukayo Saka’s cross to level the score. Neither team managed to secure a winner despite several attempts.
Merino had an opportunity to win it late for Arsenal but was denied by Robert Sanchez. Arsenal couldn’t capitalise on their numerical advantage, recording an expected goals (xG) total of 1.26 from eight shots compared to Chelsea’s xG of 0.79 from 11 attempts. This match marked the first time since August 2010 that Arsenal failed to win when their opponents received a first-half red card.
Reflecting on the game, Merino said, “On one hand, disappointed because we didn’t win. When you wear this shirt, you want to win every game.” He acknowledged that playing at Stamford Bridge is challenging and noted areas for improvement such as game management and patience with possession.
Arteta’s Reflections on Team Performance
Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts on how intense the match was from start to finish. “Right from the beginning, you could sense how much was at stake,” he said. Arteta expected a different dynamic with Chelsea down to ten men but acknowledged that once they scored, it became difficult for Arsenal.
Despite dropping points for the fourth time this season, Arsenal remain favourites for the Premier League title according to Opta’s supercomputer simulations. They also have strong prospects in Europe following their midweek victory over Bayern Munich.
“I’m disappointed obviously with not getting three points against ten men,” Arteta stated while expressing pride in his team’s overall performance given recent challenges and tough opponents faced during the week.