YOU'RE GUNNER REGRET THAT

Arteta's men miss chance to tighten their grip on top spot as they fail to see off 10-man Blues

- JOHN CROSS AT STAMFORD BRIDGE

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 because 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 absence.

It was a moment of madness from Caicedo who, more often than not, is Chelsea's best player and still Arsenal did not take charge of the game.

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.

Arsenal are still five points clear of second-placed Manchester City but this was a chance to pull away from the chasing pack.