LONDON — Under normal circumstances, a point against a Chelsea that looks more like a serious team would be nothing to sneeze at for Arsenal. With Martin Odegaard once again pulling the strings, the visitors looked much more like themselves, a team whose final third came with a little more incision.
Then again, few Arsenal fans would say they have had normal circumstances since Declan Rice lobbed a timid 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 his full potential.
If they weren’t there at Stamford Bridge, they were turning in that general direction. This was not a game in which either team necessarily dominated, but Arsenal at least made sure to play it where they wanted, 156 attacking third touches to 122, a bit more possession, even if, in that familiar way, the territory did not result in as many stops. -Quality shots in touches into the penalty area as he could have done. The margins were fine, distressingly so in the case of three offsides.
A moment of genuine genius from Declan Rice, quickly sliding Kai Havertz behind a free-kick, did not come quickly enough. Twice in the last 10 minutes, Leandro Trossard was able to thank his lucky stars for having denied almost open goals when his teammate had moved too early. Nine points behind leaders Liverpool seems like a huge gap, but it is defined by fine margins.
“There is nothing we can change today about it,” Arteta said. “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, problem after problem, not just the ones who can’t play but those who can only play certain times or certain days cannot train.
“I’m just asking that. The team, the desire they have and how much we want them, there’s no doubt about it. It’s going to come. We just need that on our side to be more consistent.”
In that sense, Arteta’s irritated response to questions about Bukayo Saka and Rice, who limped off 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,” Arteta said – Odegaard’s services would surely be sought after by Norway. His coach has not yet discussed whether the Norwegian should play in two crucial Nations League games.
When Arsenal have such a gap on the leaders, how could they justify letting another team get hold of their superstars for a fortnight? Arteta seems desperate to get his team back home. You may feel inclined to mock them for how they squandered a hard-won advantage.
Second balls from set pieces tend to lead to scrambling defences, but Arteta saw no excuses for the line of six stretched along his 18-yard line, no one advancing or retreating to cover the chasm that opened up for Pedro Neto. His low shot into the corner was the latest in what have been some recent moments of genuine quality to ruin the impeccable David Raya’s clean sheet.
“I’m very disappointed with how we conceded their goal,” Arteta said. “That’s nowhere near the standards of our defensive habits as we allow it. The moment you give space and time to any of their players with the quality that they have, you’re going to be punished, so it’s not bad luck.”
That frustration would be even more pronounced given the superlative quality with which the Gunners had opened the scoring, Odegaard’s elegant ball from his clinic in the right corner finding Gabriel Martinelli in space to take a touch and pass to Robert Sánchez. Had that been the winning goal – an eminently plausible scenario for such an effective team out of possession – then this might have been the moment to revive Arsenal’s title challenge.
Instead, it feels like the last piece of evidence in a case file marked “It’s just not going to be your year.” Liverpool may not be the force that previous English champions have been, but they don’t have to be in the next 27 games. They have a lot of space to work. If Arsenal is anything like the team that started this year 16-1-1, then this race is far from close. But they can’t be much less than that, as Arteta knows. “Win, win, win, win, win, win, win and win,” was his prediction about what needs to change.
“These guys don’t stop winning. That’s what we have to do.”
