Merino strikes to earn Arsenal bruising 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea

Chelsea’s captain Reece James told Sky Sports that he was “disappointed” not to come away with the three points, and that the sending off limited his side.
“Arsenal have been on the top for the last few years. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Their midfield is tough. We’ve done what we could today to play our game and hurt them off the ball,” he said.
He added: “[Maresca] changed the formation slightly, and he knew they were going to come at us. So we tried to soak up the pressure, and then try to catch them [on the counter].
“I am proud of the boys. It was electric at the Bridge today. We are happy to take the point.”
Merino said Arsenal were also disappointed not to get the win.
When you wear this shirt, you want to win every game,” he told Sky Sports. “This is a really tough stadium to come and take a point. We could have done things better, but the team showed good mentality.”
Elsewhere on Sunday, Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions earned a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United.