Neto cancels out Martinelli's first goal as Chelsea and Arsenal share the spoils | first division

There were people in the field Chelsea substitutes to be precise, the joy of everyone linked to the club overflowed. Pedro Neto had achieved the equalizer with a fierce low shot from distance and if it did not turn out to be the victory that Enzo Maresca and his players wanted (the first against a rival from the so-called Big Six) they could see the merit in a hard-fought draw.

For Arsenal, this was a better performance than some of their last ones and yet it was not the result that Mikel Arteta had asked for, the one that would silence the noise that has been created around his club. It was another example of how they lost the lead in an important match, after the draw against Manchester City and Liverpool, and that meant they are winless in four Premier League games, a sequence that has given them two points. They are now nine behind the leader, Liverpool. Is it too much to recover?

At least they stopped the rot outside the house after the defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle; Also in the Champions League against Inter on Wednesday night: they lost all games to zero.

Arteta had claimed his team was playing better than during last season's difficult four-week period, which began in early December. But, as he added, for “it to be clear and relevant we have to win… especially to answer certain questions.”

Gabriel Martinelli gave them the promise of something glorious, finishing powerfully after a pass from Martin Ødegaard, who returned to the starting eleven in impressive style. The captain's physical condition was something; He pushed and probed until the last moment. Neto, however, would take it all away.

Chelsea have focused on national team consistency in the league under Maresca, although he had a decision to make at left back. He opted for Marc Cucurella instead of club captain Reece James and kept Malo Gusto at right back. Maresca does not respect reputation.

Cucurella versus Bukayo Saka was box office; It would end with Cucurella catching Saka with a late tackle in the 79th minute to force him off. Cucurella was reprimanded. More broadly, he was a symbol of Chelsea's tenacity, which emerged with honours.

It was a fight for the right to play, with fierce challenges throughout, including Levi Colwill's scathing foul on Saka in the 21st minute, which sparked angry words from the benches. Colwill was reprimanded. Moisés Caicedo had a “welcome” barge for Ødegaard. Ben White received a yellow card for an off-ball hit on Neto.

Cole Palmer was a mixed bag, but he made one of his signature moves twice in the first half, allowing the ball to run across his body and turning on the afterburners. He did it to Ødegaard early on before extending David Raya with a diving shot. He did it to Thomas Partey before releasing Neto, whose cross was headed high by Noni Madueke.

Chelsea's big chance in the first half came in the 24th minute, when Neto went one way and then the other against White, leaving space to cross. Gusto got ahead of Martinelli but couldn't direct the header.

Arsenal, who returned to 4-3-3 after mainly being in 4-4-2 without Ødegaard, had their moments before the break: two huge ones, the first seeing Arteta beside himself with frustration. Saka forced a big turnover, blocking a Colwill pass out of defense. Ødegaard returned to Saka and when his shot was blocked, the ball broke perfectly for Martinelli. He only had to score to weakly deflect Robert Sánchez.

The good margins came against Arsenal in the 33rd minute. Declan Rice saw Kai Havertz in meters of space while taking a free kick and took it quickly, sending the pass to him. Havertz maneuvered in front of Caicedo and pushed home only for the VAR to see that he was slightly offside.

Havertz had been treated after the head cut he suffered against Inter and needed further repairs early in the second half, the wound reopened. He was booked for not leaving the field quick enough for them, but returned to score the big goal, and Martinelli atoned for his earlier mistake.

Ødegaard made it happen, crossing deep towards the far post, after which Martinelli returned inside to widen the angle before firing inside Sánchez's near post. It wasn't a good look for the goalkeeper or Chelsea's offside trap, Colwill too deep and playing Martinelli.

Wesley Fofana had volleyed wide in the 53rd minute but, with Jurrien Timber shooting wide, Chelsea needed to get back on their feet. Maresca introduced Enzo Fernández and Mykhailo Mudryk for Roméo Lavia and Madueke, the latter heading into the tunnel.

Fernández would be involved in the equalizer, launching a high and cross pass for Neto but, in reality, it was all about the winger's desire to seize the moment. His touch allowed him to lengthen his stride and he was too fast for Timber and Gabriel Magalhães, who tried to get out. The shot was too much for Raya.

The final stages were frenetic, with chances on both sides. Arsenal thought they had achieved victory only when substitute Leandro Trossard fired high; the offside flag was up. At the last moment, Trossard touched a William Saliba cross wide, taking the ball away from Havertz, who was there to score behind him. Arteta fell to the ground in distress. The offside flag had been raised again. It was tremendously tight.