Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Gunners lose further ground in Premier League race as fine margins have created big gap

LONDON — In normal circumstances, a point at a Chelsea side who look altogether more like a serious outfit would be nothing to be sniffed at by Arsenal. With Martin Odegaard pulling the strings again, the visitors looked altogether more like themselves, a side whose final third occupation came with a little more incision.

Then again, few Arsenal fans would claim they have had anything like normal circumstances since Declan Rice swung a diffident boot in the direction of a yet-to-be-taken Brighton free-kick. Too much time with 10 men, too many injuries: it had been two months and change since anyone had seen this title contender at anything like full tilt.

If they weren’t quite there at Stamford Bridge they were swinging in that general direction. This was not a game that either side necessarily dominated but Arsenal at least made sure they played it where they wanted, 156 attacking third touches to 122, slightly more possession, even if in that familiar fashion the territory did not particularly result in as many high-quality shots on penalty box touches as it might have. The margins were fine, agonizingly so in the case of three offsides.

A moment of genuine ingenuity from Declan Rice, quickly slipping Kai Havertz in behind off a free kick, didn’t come quite quickly enough. Twice in the last 10 minutes, Leandro Trossard could thank his lucky stars that he had spurned near-open goals when his teammate had moved too soon. Nine points off leaders Liverpool feels like an almighty gap but it is defined by fine margins.

“There’s nothing we can change today about that,” said Arteta. “What I’m just praying is that after the international break, I have the team fully equipped physically. That they are available and fit because it has been an absolute nightmare for eight weeks. Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only the ones that are not able to play but the ones who are only able to play for certain moments or certain days, not able to train.

“I’m just asking that. The team, the desire they have and how much we want it is no question about it. It’s going to come. We just need that on our side to be more consistent.”

In that regard, Arteta’s spiky response to questions over whether Bukayo Saka and Rice, both of whom limped out in the second half, spoke volumes. After a full 90 minutes of remarkable quality — “I don’t know any other player in the league who is capable of doing that after six weeks out,” said Arteta — Odegaard’s services would surely be wanted by Norway. His manager has yet to have a conversation over whether the Norwegian should play in two crucial Nations League games.

When Arsenal have such a gap to make up on the leaders, how could they justify letting another team take hold of their superstars for a fortnight? Arteta seems desperate to get his team back in-house. Perhaps he is inclined to give them a rollicking for how they frittered away a hard-won lead.

Second balls off set pieces tend to lead to scrambled defenses but Arteta saw no excuses for the line of six stretched across his 18-yard line, no one pacing forward or dropping back to plug the chasm that opened up for Pedro Neto. His low strike into the corner was the latest in what have been a few recent moments of genuine quality to spoil a clean sheet for the faultless David Raya.

“I’m very disappointed with how we conceded their goal,” said Arteta. “That’s nowhere near the standards of our defensive habits how we allowed it. The moment you give space and time to any of their players with the quality that they have you’re going to get punished, so that’s not bad luck.”

That frustration would be all the more pronounced given the superlative quality with which the Gunners had opened the score, Odegaard’s elegant ball from his clinic on the right corner finding Gabriel Martinelli in the space to take a touch and drive past Robert Sanchez. Had that been the game-winner — an eminently plausible scenario for a team so effective out of possession — then this could have gone down as the moment to revive the Arsenal title challenge.

Instead, iy feels like the latest piece of evidence in a case file marked “It’s Just Not Going To Be Your Year.” Liverpool might not be the force that past English champions have been but they don’t have to be over the next 27 games. They have plenty of headroom to work with. If Arsenal are anything like the team that started this year 16-1-1, then this race is far from run. But they can’t be much less than that, as Arteta knows. “Win, win, win, win, win, win, win and win,” was his prognosis on what needs to change.

“These guys don’t stop winning. That’s what we have to do.”