Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Arsenal: Same Old Problems Haunt the Blues

Chelsea’s disciplinary issues cost them once again as Pedro Neto was sent off in their 2–1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.

The first half was defined by set pieces at the Emirates Stadium. William Saliba headed Arsenal ahead from a trademark corner initially met by Gabriel, but Chelsea responded on the stroke of half time as Reece James’s near-post corner was flicked into his own net by Piero Hincapié—just moments after the Blues felt they should have been awarded a penalty for a Declan Rice handball.

It was a similar story after the restart, Chelsea seeing a penalty appeal waved away at a corner after David Raya made contact with João Pedro, before Jurriën Timber headed home Arsenal’s second from yet another set play.

Any hopes of a second equalizer for the Blues were dashed by Neto’s red card with 20 minutes remaining. The winger was booked for dissent shortly before receiving a second yellow for a late challenge. Unsurprisingly given their numerical disadvantage, Chelsea failed to mount a comeback, although they did see an effort ruled out for offside in the last seconds of stoppage time.

The result leaves Chelsea in sixth and three points off Liverpool above them as their Champions League qualification hopes take another hit.

Heroes and Villains

Hero

Reece James celebrates for Chelsea — James caused Arsenal issues with his deliveries. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Chelsea’s was by no means an inspired performance in north London but there were still one or two encouraging individual displays. As is so often the case when he steps foot over the white line, Reece James energized the Blues throughout.

The Englishman was not only a commanding defensive presence up against Leandro Trossard and then Gabriel Martinelli, he was Chelsea’s leading creator. James’s set pieces wreaked havoc on the Arsenal defense and there were several gorgeous crosses from open play that were begging for a decisive touch.

Villains

Pedro Neto — Neto was needlessly sent off in the second half. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Traveling to their London rivals in an encounter of grand consequences, the last thing Chelsea needed was a self-destructive goalkeeping performance from Robert Sánchez. Only three teammates boasted more than his 36 touches in the first half but he convinced with very few of them, spreading a nervous energy across the pitch far more effectively than his passes.

Things didn’t get much better after the break. Sánchez claimed a foul as Timber headed Arsenal back in front from a corner, but the Spaniard was simply not strong enough as he failed to take control of his penalty area.

Fortunately for Sánchez, his incompetence was overshadowed by that of teammate Pedro Neto. Two foolish yellow cards were deservedly punished with his dismissal shortly after Arsenal retook the lead, ultimately putting a realistic end to Chelsea’s ambitions of sneaking a point.

Neto is now the ninth different Chelsea player to be sent off this season, following in the footsteps of Wesley Fofana after last weekend’s red card against Burnley. Seven of those dismissals have come in the Premier League as Chelsea continue to set fire to promising positions.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Robert Sánchez—7.5: Inexplicably avoided gifting Arsenal an early goal after getting away with several dreadful errors. Utterly pathetic when attempting to command his area before Timber’s header.

RB: Reece James—7.2: The skipper’s teasing delivery forced Chelsea’s equalizer and he continued to terrorize Arsenal’s backline with excellent cross after excellent cross.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah—6.9: Impressed during his one-vs-one battles with in-form Viktor Gyökeres, using his athleticism and physicality to great effect.

CB: Mamadou Sarr—5.9: A first Premier League start couldn’t have come in tougher circumstances and the youngster never commanded much confidence at the back.

LB: Jorrel Hato—6.7: Endured some sticky spells up against Bukayo Saka as Chelsea continue to struggle without the injured Marc Cucurella.

DM: Moisés Caicedo—6.8: At the heart of a frenetic midfield battle and produced some vital defensive interventions to thwart Arsenal.

DM: Andrey Santos—6.6: An unspectacular performance form the Brazilian, although it was certainly not a poor one. Covered plenty of ground and was fierce in the challenge.

RW: Pedro Neto—5.5: Booked for whinging after the Timber header and received his second yellow shortly after for a brainless lunge. Unbelievable idiocy from the Portugal international.

AM: Enzo Fernández—6.8: Came to the fore after the restart as he began to take up positions of increasing danger. Stung David Raya’s fingertips with one great drive from range.

LW: Cole Palmer—5.9: Floated across the forward line but after some encouraging early signs, Palmer drifted into anonymity as the match progressed.

ST: João Pedro—6.2: Feeding off scraps as he sought to continue his stellar goalscoring streak, Pedro proved an almighty handful for Arsenal’s defense despite not etching his name onto the scoresheet.

SUB: Roméo Lavia (75’ for Santos)—6.0: A welcome returnee for Chelsea on another dim day against Arsenal.

SUB: Malo Gusto (75’ for Hato)—6.3: Rarely troubled as Arsenal took their foot off the gas.

SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (86’ for Palmer)—N/A

SUB: Liam Delap (86’ for Fernández)–N/A

SUB: Tosin Adarabioyo (90’ for Sarr)—N/A

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Benoît Badiashile, Josh Acheampong, Marc Guiu.

What the Ratings Tells Us

Cole Palmer was ineffective against Arsenal. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Cole Palmer threatened to cause issues for Arsenal in the opening 15 minutes but his influence waned thereafter. Shunted to the left wing but regularly taking up central positions, he struggled to share the attacking midfield space with Enzo Fernández. Liam Rosenior must find a way to get the best out of both of them.
It was another difficult outing for Jorrel Hato at left back, who found life challenging up against the speed and intelligence of Saka. Still without Cucurella, Rosenior must find a solution to Chelsea’s left back problems.
Despite Chelsea conceding twice and coming away with nothing, Trevoh Chalobah can hold his head up high after a strong performance. The center back was certainly not to blame for defeat as he kept Gyökeres under control.

The Numbers That Explain Chelsea’s Frustrating Defeat

Frustration for Liam Rosenior. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images.

Despite boasting 59% possession and creating as many big chances as Arsenal, the Blues struggled to make much from open play for the second game running at the Emirates.
Chelsea have now had seven players sent off in the Premier League—three more than any other team in the division and their second against Arsenal this term.
The Blues conceded from 40% of the corners they defended on Sunday, struggling against this Arsenal set-piece juggernaut once again.

Statistic	Arsenal	Chelsea
Possession	41%	59%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.13	1.05
Total Shots	12	9
Shots on Target	5	3
Big Chances	2	2
Passing Accuracy	82%	88%
Fouls Committed	11	14
Corners	5	10