A Moises Caicedo red card in the Chelsea vs Arsenal Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, November 30, altered the course of the clash.
Chelsea were the more dominant team for the first 40 minutes or so. However, the Moises Caicedo red card reduced them to 10 men, which meant they were on the back foot thereafter. Chelsea still managed to take the lead in the second half, but Mikel Merino equalised for the Gunners to take home a vital point.
The Chelsea vs Arsenal game ended in a 1-1 draw, and Arsenal stayed at the top of the league table with 30 points from 13 matches, while Manchester City and Chelsea have 25 and 24 points, respectively.
Moises Caicedo Red Card Changes Flow
Merino proved to be the most influential Arsenal player on the pitch, as it was he who was fouled by Caicedo for the latter’s red card. Caicedo went studs-up on Merino, with VAR then intervening to send the Ecuadorian off.
Prior to that, Chelsea had few scoring opportunities, with Estevao cutting in from the right flank repeatedly, but then lacking finesse and refinement inside the penalty box. His final passes and shots taken at the Arsenal goal were wayward, mostly.
Joao Pedro also had a good chance, but wasted too much time and failed to take the shot as a result. Right-back Malo Gusto started going into overlapping runs down the inside-right channel as the first half progressed, thereby combining with Estevao to trouble Arsenal considerably.
Arsenal were without both Gabriel and William Saliba, and hence, it was a great opportunity for the Royal Blues to apply pressure on their makeshift centre-back pairing. However, it was not until the beginning of the second half that Chelsea managed to find the net.
After the Caicedo red card, Enzo Maresca threw on Liam Delap in place of Joao Pedro. Chelsea thus had a typical No. 9 upfront. However, Bukayo Saka, who had a tasty battle down the right flank with Marc Cucurella, dodged the latter to send in an inch-perfect cross for Merino to head in and equalise.
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A Great Opportunity Gone by for Chelsea
The Royal Blues could have taken the lead in the first half had it not been for the profligacy of their forwards. Had Caicedo not had the moment of madness, Chelsea could have probably put it past Arsenal.
Even after taking the lead, it was an uneven battle for the home side, as the Gunners had that one-man advantage. It was only a matter of time before the visitors equalised ultimately. Winning the match would have taken Chelsea tantalisingly close to Arsenal’s tally.
Had Chelsea managed to win the match, they would have been on 26 points, with the Gunners on 29. However, the Moises Caicedo red card spoiled the show for Maresca’s men. Caicedo has been one of the best players for his team this season so far.
However, Sunday’s reckless tackle undid a lot of good work that the Ecuadorian had done prior to that. Arsenal now have leads of five and six points, respectively, over Manchester City and Chelsea, and remain the favourite to win the title for the first time in over two decades. The Moises Caicedo red card will be a key incident in Arsenal’s Premier League title chase.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Action Plus
Recording Date: 30.11.2025
