We had to settle for a share of the spoils at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, after we played out a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta addressed the media following the final whistle, discussing the result, performance and latest on the fitness of our squad including that of William Saliba, who was a late omission after picking up a knock in training.
Read every word below…
On whether we should have won three points…
First of all, I think it was a proper London derby. It was really tense, and you could sense from the beginning that every duel, every action, has something on it. Two teams very willing to win, and not much football. A lot of stops, free-kicks, yellow cards, so not a lot of fluidity. But obviously after the sending-off of [Moises] Caicedo, we wanted to settle the game. We didn’t manage to do that – we had four more yellow cards, and those players were obviously targeted in order to even the game in terms of numbers. And at half-time we said, let’s push it now, get what we have to do, and we were very clear on our intention and how we were going to dominate the game in the first action. Long ball, free-kick, corner, and we concede from a set-piece. So then, the momentum shifted, and ultimately the team have to react to that. We managed to get some good spells without having too much momentum and we score a great goal, and after that, we had two or three big chances but lacked certain detail, especially in the manner we attacked, and especially in certain positions, Robert [Sanchez] had the ball in his hands.
On players at the back learning from the match…
It’s been a big week, starting with the derby, with how emotional and the intention we had to win it, then to play Bayern Munich three days later. We lost players in those games and today, for example, we had to play a partnership we hadn’t played before in a really difficult match. The captain is still not here, the No. 9 is still not here, Kai [Havertz] is still not here, and we lost Leo [Trossard] in midweek as well. But the team had to react to that, and overall it’s been a really positive week, because the difficulty has been immense, but I have this flavour that today we should’ve won the game, and we haven’t. That’s a learning point for me.
On whether a tiring week took its toll…
We played every two-and-a-half days, so we had one less day than Chelsea to prepare, and on top of that, we lost players. But this is the schedule – now we’re going to have to play Wednesday, for sure. It drives you on, there was a lot at stake and we had two very intense matches. But, that’s the beauty of it as well. Not many teams have the opportunity to play the games we have played this week, and I’m extremely proud of the team.
On taking positives from a good away point…
That’s the feeling that we have, and the standards that we set to ourselves. Probably it’s because of the spirit, the hunger and how much they want it, that it’s so incredible we’ll overcome everything. So many things have happened, but we have to prepare very well for Wednesday, and try to be better than Brentford.
On the impact of losing both Saliba and Gabriel…
It’s been a headache, because we’ve had to have a lot of options and changes over the last few months for different reasons. That one is very unexpected and it happened yesterday, but the beauty of it is that you have players so willing to play, so willing to connect with each other, and it makes their relationship even better. So, it was a great match for all of us, and it gives you the reassurance that whoever is there is going to perform.
On how squad depth was tested at Stamford Bridge…
To be fair, [our depth] has been tested since pre-season, because we lost six or seven players constantly out of the squad. But I have no doubts with the squad we have and the mentality every player has.
On the conditions of Saliba and Gabriel…
I don’t know. I think [Wilo] has another test tomorrow to see the extent of that feeling, that sensation that he had, then we’ll know more. With Gabi, there are still some weeks to go.
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.