We stunned the Blues on Saturday by rallying from a 2-0 deficit with only 14 minutes left to earn a draw against Chelsea, continuing our unblemished start to the season.
Adrian Clarke has analyzed the game statistics and action to identify four crucial factors that contributed to our ability to come back and secure a point.
Our flow was disrupted by Chelsea’s aggressive style throughout a fragmented first-half performance. Only 41% of our duels were won, yet the home team held a 7-2 shot advantage at halftime. Thankfully, that pattern started to shift after halftime.
Mikel Arteta’s team was more strong and confident, handling hostility considerably better, winning 55% of their duels in a significantly improved second half. This assisted us in regaining match control, which was essential in our effort to come back from a 2-0 disadvantage
Even though we had less of the ball after halftime, Chelsea’s territory was where the majority of the game was played, as you can see below:
initial half
During the first half of our match against Chelsea, action areas
The second half of our game against Chelsea featured Action Areas.
With the help of this change in territory, we were able to challenge Mauricio Pochettino’s back line with 11 shots as opposed to Chelsea’s four after the break.
We successfully forced the Blues back towards their own goal by playing 10 to 20 yards higher up the field than they were. This prevented their twin false nines from having any room to maneuver. This still image from the 52nd minute shows Gabriel and William Saliba participating in the build-up while they are positioned deep within Chelsea’s half. The Brazilian frequently found Gabriel Martinelli’s feet down the left side of the field in the second half.
Wingers settled into a rhythm
During the first 45 minutes of the game, Chelsea effectively restricted our wide players by occupying their space, but as the game continued, we found greater success down the sides.
In the second half, I thought our full-backs made a conscious effort to avoid getting on top of Bukayo Saka, Martinelli, or Leandro Trossard by tucking inside and staying a little deeper. This forced Chelsea’s wide strikers toward the middle of the field, giving our wingers more room to put Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella in 1v1 situations.
Leave a Reply