LONDON — Arsenal fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw and preserve their unbeaten start to the Premier League season on Saturday, with late goals from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard.
Chelsea had gone ahead in the 15th minute through a cool Cole Palmer penalty after Arsenal defender William Saliba rose to hold off Mykhailo Mudryk and the Ukrainian's header glanced off his opponent's hand. The referee awarded the spot kick after a VAR check.
Chelsea were awarded a penalty and went 1-0 up on Arsenal after William Saliba was called for handball. #CHEARS pic.twitter.com/mwoEVvNggd
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 21, 2023
Mudryk scored Chelsea's second three minutes after the break, lifting the ball into the top right hand corner of the net over the stranded Raya.
MYKHAILO MUDRYK!
2-0 CHELSEA.@NBC & @peacock pic.twitter.com/sIHgbNHomo
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 21, 2023
Both Raya and Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez made errors in the high energy encounter, and it was Sanchez's sloppy distribution that led to Arsenal's 76th minute strike from Declan Rice, who won the ball and sent it past the keeper into an open goal.
Robert Sanchez fail vs Arsenal
Declan Rice pulls one back from LONG range!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 21, 2023
Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard silenced Stamford Bridge with a neat finish from a fine Bukayo Saka cross in the 84th to earn his side a point and keep them in the running at the top of the table.
TROSSARD!
ARSENAL ARE LEVEL.@NBC & @peacock pic.twitter.com/iAnMRGaWz1
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 21, 2023
(Reporting by Clare Lovell; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
