Following an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Emirates a week ago, Arsenal and Chelsea locked horned again at Stamford Bridge in leg one of the Carabao Cup – with a very different outcome.
Both sides came off unfortunate clashes away from home in the FA Cup: Chelsea failed to overcome Norwich City while Arsenal got knocked out by Nottingham Forest.
But despite a tense 90-minutes at Stamford Bridge, the result was a boring 0-0.
Following the draw, we draw conclusions from the stats of the game.
Shots on target: Chelsea – 6; Arsenal – 5
No surprises here. The Blues had more efforts on goal as they shot six times inside the frame of the Arsenal goal.
Arsenal had one less.
Wth the returns of Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morato to the starting eleven, Chelsea looked sharper. The Blues pulled a performance which needed a solid defensive organisation from the Gunners. Fortunately for Wenger, his men did it in a stellar fashion to deny oppositional goals.
Shots off target: Chelsea – 15; Arsenal – 3
The statistics say it all. Chelsea were the more resolute team throughout the game.
The Blues pushed in bid to find victory at home but were denied by steady defensive structure by the Gunners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m7qJgeiDHA
Possession: Chelsea – 54%; Arsenal – 46%
The statistics here indicates that Chelsea won the battle for the centre of the park.
No suprises. Conte had opted for a five-man midfield against Arsenal’s four with N’golo Kante Cesc Fabregas and Danny Drinkwater coming out on top against Jack Wilshere and the less-dynamic Granit Xhaka.
Corners: Chelsea – 10; Arsenal – 4
The match was an intense affair as both sides tested the opposing goal repeatedly.
This led to several corners-kicks as both sides sought to utilize the set-piece to break the deadlock.
The Blues had 10 corner-kicks over Arsenal’s 4 in total due to their overall superiority in the match though the final score ended 0-0 (goalless).
Fouls: Chelsea – 7; Arsenal – 15
The match produced an end to end strive as both sides competed effectively in the game.
This led to some physical challenges as rivalry was kindled on the playing turf. The host committed seven fouls as compared to Arsenal’s 15. Referee Martin Atkins was lenient, showing a yellow card each side.
