Mikel Arteta praised his Arsenal side for their resolve after the Premier League leaders battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against title rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Gunners salvaged a point through Mikel Merino's header in the 59th minute, after falling behind to Trevoh Chalobah's 48th-minute strike. Chelsea had earlier been reduced to ten men when Moises Caicedo was shown a red card in the 38th minute, but the hosts refused to let the numerical disadvantage hinder their push for the lead.
Arsenal's performance was particularly impressive given the defensive absences of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, along with key players Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, and Leandro Trossard being unavailable or limited to the bench. Arteta highlighted the challenges of navigating a physically and emotionally taxing week, which included a 4-1 victory over north London rivals Tottenham and a Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
