Ten-man Chelsea hold off Arsenal in tetchy 1-1 London derby

VIDEO SHOWS: STILL PHOTOS FROM PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH BETWEEN CHELSEA & ARSENAL WHICH ENDED IN A 1-1 DRAW / POST-MATCH COMMENTS FROM CHELSEA MANAGER ENZO MARESCA & ARSENAL MANAGER MIKEL ARTETA RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 1. STILL PHOTO OF AFTERMATH OF MOISES CAICEDO’S CHALLENGE ON ARSENAL’S MIKEL MERINO DURING CHELSEA'S PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH AT STAMFORD BRIDGE  2. STILL PHOTO OF REFEREE ANTHONY TAYLOR SHOWING CAICEDO A RED CARD FOR HIS CHALLENGE ON MERINO  3. STILL PHOTO OF CAICEDO REACTING TO HIS RED CARD  LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 4. STILL PHOTO OF TREVOH CHALOBAH SCORING TO PUT CHELSEA 1-0 UP WITH A HEADER 5. STILL PHOTO OF CHALOBAH CELEBRATING HIS GOAL  LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (AGENCY POOL – Access all) 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ENZO MARESCA, SAYING: “I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point. For sure, the target was to win the game. Again, 11 v 11, I think we were better team than them. We managed the game, we controlled the game, we created chances, and we didn't concede nothing, and then the red card changed a little bit the dynamic, but even with that, I think the way the players dealt with that has been outstanding.” 7. WHITE FLASH  8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ENZO MARESCA, SAYING: “Arsenal, they are top of Premier League, top of Champions League, best defender in the Premier League, probably, best defender in Champions League, so, in this moment, they are the best team, and I think 11 v 11, we were better than them, and then with 10 players, again, it changed the dynamic. So, the effort from the players has been outstanding.”  LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 9. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF ARSENAL’S PIERO HINCAPIE CHALLENGING FOR A HEADER WITH CHALOBAH 10. STILL PHOTO OF CHALOBAH RECEIVING MEDICAL ATTENTION AFTER CHALLENGING FOR A HEADER WITH HINCAPIE 11. STILL PHOTO OF TAYLOR SHOWING A YELLOW CARD TO HINCAPIE FOR HIS CHALLENGE ON CHALOBAH  12. STILL PHOTO OF CHALOBAH WITH SWELLING UNDER HIS EYE AFTER THE CHALLENGE FROM HINCAPIE LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (AGENCY POOL – Access all) 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ENZO MARESCA, ON THE RECENT INCONSISTENCIES, IN HIS OPINION, IN REFEREES’ RED CARD DECISIONS, SAYING: “We struggle to understand why they judge in different way. Mo(ises Caicedo), it’s a red card. Yes. (Rodrigo) Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur player, who escaped a red card during Chelsea’s match against them at the start of November), it’s a red card. Yes. Why don't they give them a red card? So, it's just that, that we struggle to understand. Then it's a red card. The reality is that it's a red card. But why they judge in a different way? And the Trevoh (Chalobah) one, I asked the referee, he said to me that it was not an elbow (from Piero Hincapie). So, this is what they said.” LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) (MUTE) 14. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF MERINO DRAWING ARSENAL LEVEL WITH A HEADER 15. STILL PHOTO OF MERINO CELEBRATING HIS GOAL WITH TEAMMATE EBERECHI EZE IN THE BACKGROUND LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (NOVEMBER 30, 2025) (AGENCY POOL – Access all) 16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER, MIKEL ARTETA, SAYING: “And I think overall, it's been a really positive week because the difficulty was immense, but I have this flavour that today we should have and we could have won the game and we haven't, and that's the learning point from it.”  17. WHITE FLASH 18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER, MIKEL ARTETA, SAYING: “So, today was a great learning match for all of us, and as well gives you the assurance that whoever is there is going to perform.”  19. WHITE FLASH 20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ARSENAL MANAGER, MIKEL ARTETA, ON A WEEK THAT’S SEEN THEM BEAT TOTTENHAM & BAYERN MUNICH AT HOME BEFORE DRAWING AWAY TO CHELSEA, SAYING: “That's the beauty of it as well. Not many clubs had the opportunity this week to play the games that we have played, and I'm extremely proud of the team.” STORY: Ten-man Chelsea held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in a highly charged top-of-the-table London derby on Sunday (November 30), with Mikel Merino cancelling out Trevoh Chalobah's opener to spare the Premier League leaders' blushes. The result means Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the table on 30 points ahead of Manchester City with Chelsea third on 24. Chelsea were already a man down when defender Chalobah flicked a header into the net from a pinpoint corner by captain Reece James three minutes after the break. Chelsea had been growing in confidence and were edging Arsenal going forward until Moises Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute after a VAR check for landing a crunching tackle on Merino's ankle. Arsenal replied when Merino rose to meet a Bukayo Saka cross in the 59th minute. They pushed for a winner with substitute Martin Odegaard going close twice and Merino forcing an outstanding save from Robert Sanchez in the dying moments. The game was a real derby scrap from the outset with some bad-tempered clashes and referee Anthony Taylor, rarely slow to reach into his pocket, also brandished seven yellow cards – six for Arsenal and one for Chelsea's Marc Cucurella, who spent the match snapping at Saka's heels. (Production: Matthew Childs, David Klein, Stefan Haskins)

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