ENZO MARESCA'S MASTERCLASS: 10-MAN CHELSEA HOLDS ARSENAL, TITLE RACE ON
Enzo Maresca's tactical bravery, coupled with a dominant Reece James performance, allowed 10-man Chelsea to hold Arsenal to a 1-1 draw and keep the title race alive.
Just ten weeks ago, Wayne Rooney criticised Enzo Maresca's substitutions after Chelsea's loss to Manchester United when they were down to ten players.
Rooney felt that taking off Estevao, Pedro Neto, and Cole Palmer at Old Trafford let United control the game and weakened Chelsea's attack, even after Casemiro was sent off for the home team.
Chelsea fans might have worried about a repeat when Moises Caicedo was red-carded for a bad foul on Arsenal's Mikel Merino in their 1-1 draw.
Caicedo is the sixth Chelsea player to get a red card this season—seven if you count Maresca's for celebrating too much during their win against Liverpool at home.
While Maresca needs to sort out this lack of discipline, he didn't back down this time. Facing the league leaders with ten men for over 50 minutes, he showed bravery, and his players matched it.
Maresca didn't hesitate. Instead of playing it safe, he took a chance, bringing on Alejandro Garnacho at halftime and Liam Delap before the hour mark.
Kweku Afari says the title race is still alive after Chelsea drew with Arsenal while playing with ten men.
This bold approach paid off when Chelsea surprisingly scored first with Trevoh Chalobah's header from Reece James's corner in the 48th minute.
It was Chelsea's tenth goal from a set piece this season, second only to Arsenal.
If you can't beat them, join them!
Even though Merino equalised just 11 minutes later, keeping Garnacho and Pedro Neto on the field, with Delap as the main threat, meant Arsenal couldn't relax or commit too many players forward to find a winner. A win would have put them seven points clear at the top.
In the end, Arsenal's coach, Mikel Arteta, was happy to get a draw, just like Maresca, after a big week for Arsenal, having already beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.
Chelsea wasn't going to be as easy to push around as Spurs were in the north London derby last weekend.
Joao Pedro set the tone for what Arteta called a proper London derby by fouling Cristhian Mosquera right after kickoff.
From that point on, Arsenal couldn't get into their usual flow, even with an extra player.
Everyone expected the battle between Caicedo and Declan Rice to be key, but it was captain Reece James, playing in midfield again, who led the way.
James was the best player on the field, stopping Rice from controlling the game and threatening Arsenal's defence with his great passing.
James's perfect corner led to Chalobah's goal.
It's no surprise that England's coach, Thomas Tuchel, really wants his former Chelsea player to be fit for next summer's World Cup.
If James can keep playing like this after struggling with injuries for three years, he'll be important for both his country and his club.
James's determined performance showed everything good about Maresca's confident Chelsea team, who will at least keep Arsenal under pressure in the title race.
What a difference ten weeks can make.
XAVI OPENLY DECLARES INTEREST IN CHELSEA JOB DURING PERMANENT MANAGER SEARCH
With Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola on the shortlist, explore why Xavi Hernández wants to take over the Chelsea hotseat next.
Xavi has openly said he’d love to manage Chelsea, and now the Blues are hunting for someone to replace Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior got the sack last month after a rough patch just three months into his huge contract that was supposed to last six and a half years. Calum McFarlane is filling in as interim head coach until season’s end, but Chelsea are actively looking for a permanent boss for the 2026/27 campaign.
They're considering some big names. Xabi Alonso’s been mentioned; he’s been out of work since leaving Real Madrid in January. Andoni Iraola, who’s about to leave Bournemouth, is also on the shortlist.
Cesc Fabregas has been linked after his strong run at Como, and Frank Lampard’s in the mix too, fresh off winning the Championship with Coventry and securing promotion.
But Xavi really stands out. He’s already made it clear he’s interested in the Chelsea job. Back in 2019, before his Barcelona return, he said, “I don’t hide it; my goal is to come back to Europe and to Barca. It's my challenge, but I’m enjoying this current project. For me, training a team in Barcelona would be a privilege, the biggest privilege.”
He didn’t just talk about Spain either. “Honestly, who doesn’t love the Premier League? The atmosphere, packed stadiums, everyone says it’s incredible,” Xavi admitted. “If I had to pick, I’d go for a big team: City, United, Chelsea, Arsenal, or Tottenham. Klopp, Pochettino, and Unai Emery are doing amazing work there.”
After returning to Barcelona in 2021, Xavi led them to a La Liga title and the Supercopa de España before Hansi Flick took over in 2024. He’s been out of work since.
Now, Chelsea seems seriously interested in the Spaniard. According to The i, the club wants someone who can embed a strong football identity across their teams, something Enzo Maresca started.
Getting Xavi won’t be easy, though. Morocco’s national team reportedly sees him as a top candidate to replace Walid Regragui, and Manchester United is eyeing him too as they weigh options beyond Michael Carrick.
Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Chelsea role, but word is he’d want more control over club decisions if he moves to west London.
COLE PALMER MISSES PENALTY AS CHELSEA SUFFER HISTORIC SIXTH CONSECUTIVE LEAGUE DEFEAT
Chelsea matched a 1912 record with their 6th straight loss, falling 3-1 to Forest as Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice at the Bridge.
_1777913525.webp)
Chelsea hit rock bottom again, losing 3-1 to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. That’s six Premier League defeats in a row now, something the club hadn’t seen since 1912. Just when you thought the season couldn’t get any worse, Forest showed up with a makeshift lineup and absolutely stunned them. Taiwo Awoniyi scored twice, one barely a minute into the match, and then Igor Jesus put away a penalty, and suddenly Forest was six points clear of the drop zone.
Chelsea hadn’t scored in five games, and it looked like that streak would go on forever. Then, in stoppage time, Joao Pedro finally managed an overhead kick to break the drought. That run was made even more ridiculous earlier when Cole Palmer missed a first-half penalty. Matz Sels, Forest’s backup goalkeeper, saved it.
Honestly, the crowd in the Shed End probably barely recognised their own team. Pereira swapped in seven new outfield players, most of them with almost no league experience; he was clearly thinking about the upcoming Europa League semi-final. But it looked like Chelsea was the stranger out there.
Things only got worse for interim head coach Calum McFarlane. He lost Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho to late injuries, so 18-year-old Jesse Derry had to make his Premier League debut. Then, late in the first half, Derry collided heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott and had to be stretchered off after getting oxygen. It was brutal to watch.
The match itself? Chaos. Less than two minutes in, Chelsea messed up their own throw-in and let Forest stroll through midfield. Dilane Bakwa beat Marc Cucurella with little effort and crossed to Awoniyi, who was completely unmarked and headed it in.
Fifteen minutes later, Chelsea conceded again. Bakwa whipped in another cross; Malo Gusto pulled Awoniyi’s shirt, and VAR handed Forest a penalty. Jesus hammered it right down the middle.
The first half was hopeless, and by the end, serious concern set in after that nasty head clash between Derry and Abbott. Abbott, playing just his second league game, left on his own, but Derry needed serious treatment and was stretchered off.
After a nearly ten-minute stoppage, Palmer’s penalty was stopped by Sels. At halftime, Levi Colwill returned from a major injury he hadn’t played since tearing his ACL in August. He tried to restore order, but nothing changed.
Forest’s third goal came just seven minutes into the second half. Gibbs-White crossed, and Awoniyi tapped in from close range, just managing to stay onside. Chelsea’s keeper, Robert Sanchez, took a knock and left with a bandaged head after colliding with Gibbs-White.
Pedro’s late goal barely counted for anything. The few Chelsea fans left in the stadium cheered, but it was more out of irony than joy.
Must Read
