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Pundit Frank LeBouef has noted that two Arsenal players were kept entirely quiet in their 1-1 draw against the ten men of Chelsea on Sunday. The Gunners failed to stretch their lead atop the standings as they were held to a draw at Stamford Bridge for the third successive season.
Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze's average performance vs Chelsea
LeBouef was on ESPN to drop his opinion on the London derby, saying that Arsenal's key attackers Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were average. He signaled Eze for having been 'invisible', clarifying his claim by pointing to the fact that Mikel Arteta took him off in the second half.
"I think the leaders, and I’m talking about (Bukayo) Saka and (Eberechi) Eze, they were only a shadow of themselves for me today. We didn’t really see them do what they had to do and what they normally do. Eze was absolutely invisible up to the point that Arteta substituted him. And defensively, other than Declan Rice, who is always is the right guy in the right place, the others not so much", he said (via metro.co.uk).
Arsenal struggled to double the lead against a Chelsea that were up from the first minute of the game. They were given a big boost when the Blues were restricted to ten men in the 38th minute after Moises Caicedo's red card, but they ultimately failed to take full advantage.
Saka was pocketed by Marc Cucurella for majority of the game, but he managed to register his first assist in the league since November 2024. He completed 90 minutes, briefly switching to the left flank to find some respite after getting very little change Cucurella.
Eberechi Eze was in red-hot form ahead of facing Chelsea, having produced a hat-trick in the North London derby a week earlier. The England player was majorly absent from the game, creating just one chance and failing to attempt a shot in 72 minutes before Viktor Gyokeres was sent on for him.
Gary Lineker questions Caicedo’s sending-off in Arsenal clash
Gary Lineker defended Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo after his sending off in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. The Ecuador international was slapped a red card in the dying moments of the first half after a reckless challenge on Arsenal star Mikel Merino.
Lineker spoke on The Rest Is Football podcast, saying that slow-motion replays from the VAR often changes the reality for the referees. He disagreed with the red card but pointed out that he understood the reason for Anthony Taylor sending off the midfielder.
"I don’t think they should have slow motion for things like that. It’s the same when you see still shots of peoples’ feet. His foot wasn’t raised, it was on the ground, he was a millisecond late for the ball and slow motion makes it look terrible. I understand exactly why they possibly overturned the decision but, I mean, really?!", he said (via metro.co.uk).
An aggressive ball winner for Enzo Maresca's team, Caicedo received his first red card in his third season with Chelsea. The former Brighton man will now miss his game against Leeds United, Bournemouth, and Everton in the Premier League.
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