Arsenal boss claims tactical fouling followed Caicedo’s red card as 10-man Blues hold league leaders at Stamford Bridge.
Mikel Arteta claimed his players were deliberately singled out after Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient 10-man Chelsea on Sunday, a result that prevented the Gunners from extending their lead at the Premier League summit.
The Arsenal manager pointed to a pattern of challenges after Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was sent off for a “horrible” first-half tackle on Mikel Merino. “We had four players with yellow cards, and you could see they were targeting those players,” Arteta told Sky Sports following the fiery London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Despite Chelsea’s numerical disadvantage following Caicedo’s VAR-upgraded red card, the home side took a shock lead through Trevoh Chalobah’s header early in the second half. Merino, the victim of the sending-off challenge, leveled the score just before the hour mark with a powerful header of his own.
Arteta accepted the intensity of the clash between title contenders but stood by his claim of targeted tactics. “A really tough one. Two teams that play with a lot of intensity and aggression, you could sense it in every tackle,” he said. While disappointed not to win, he conceded that Caicedo’s dismissal was justified, stating, “I think it’s the right one.”
Merino, who confirmed he escaped serious injury, described the challenge as “horrible” and revealed he had not spoken to Caicedo after the match.
The draw leaves Arsenal’s title rivals with a chance to close the gap, while Chelsea’s defiant performance with ten men salvaged a critical point in their own campaign.
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