A BRIDGE TOO FAR IN ART OF WAR

Draining run catches up with weary Gunners as they miss a big chance

- BY JOHN CROSS

THIS must go down as a big opportunity wasted for Arsenal.

And a battling point for 10-man Chelsea who once again showed their resilience and determination under Enzo Maresca.

Arsenal's players looked disappointed at the final whistle, unsurprisingly given a victory would have really strengthened their grip on the Premier League title race.

But Mikel Arteta’s men were a long way from their best, did not create enough chances and conceded Trevoh Chalobah’s opener from a set piece.

And the biggest miss for the visitors was they played against 10 men for more than an hour - including added time - and still could not take advantage of Moises Caicedo’s moment of madness.

Mikel Merino's equaliser salvaged a point and in the grand scheme of things it is not a bad result, bearing in mind that it was a hard-fought, tricky and passionate London derby.