Pedro Neto's second-half wondergoal saw Chelsea hold Arsenal to a draw on Sunday, with the Gunners unable to close the widening gap to their title rivals.

Defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle have seen the Gunners drop back behind Liverpool and Manchester City. The latter's own struggles in the past two weeks opened the door for Mikel Arteta's men to work their way back into contention.

But in a largely scrappy first-half affair at Stamford Bridge, there was little to pick between the two sides. Gabriel Martinelli was able to open the scoring with a brilliant finish at the near post on the hour mark.

But hopes of cutting Liverpool's lead at the top of the table were dashed when Neto fired in a fantastic long-range shot into the bottom corner. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from Sunday's draw.

Arsenal falter again

Heading into Sunday's clash, Arsenal had been 10 points behind leaders Liverpool. That gap looked to have been brought down to a more manageable seven thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's crucial goal on the hour mark.

But after a week that had seen the Gunners lose two successive games, boss Mikel Arteta will be frustrated to have seen his side falter once again. They allowed Pedro Neto too much space and time, with the Chelsea star duly banging in a shot into the bottom corner to equalise.

The Gunners are now nine points behind Liverpool and while Manchester City are also struggling for form, Arteta will be left scratching his head for answers. It seems like a long way back for Arsenal in the title race now.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who was man of the match in Arsenal's clash with Chelsea? Comment below.

Rice call backfires

Declan Rice pushed through the pain barrier to line up in midfield against Chelsea. But Arteta's decision to take a gamble on the Englishman did not pay off, as he once again failed to make an impact.

He made just one accurate cross, won only two tackles and lost six of his 11 defensive duels against the Blues. Rice was hauled off just a minute after Neto's goal, with Mikel Merino replacing him.

The Spaniard was much more lively than the man he replaced and Arsenal may have been beter served by playing him from the off. Rice's disappointing season continues.

Palmer goes cold

Cole Palmer has been Chelsea's dangerman ever since arriving in the summer of 2023. Few teams have been able to deal with the Englishman, who has already notched seven goals and five assists this term.

Mikel Arteta clearly saw Palmer as the Blues' key player and so directed Thomas Partey to sit on him. Partey frequently sought out Palmer before he even had a chance to pick up the ball.

That close attention effectively nullified Palmer's threat and he was kept quiet for most of the game. Palmer's disappointing day was summed up at the end of the first-half when he sent two successive free-kicks smashing into the wall.

Odegaard's welcome return

Martin Odegaard has missed 12 games through injury but finally made his first Premier League appearance since September in Sunday's game. Odegaard was judged fit enough to start from the off for Arsenal.

While the 25-year-old had a similiarly quiet day to Palmer, the Gunners will be delighted to have their skipper back. He did keep the visitors ticking over in the middle of the park, ending up with a pass success rate of 93 percent.

Arteta will now be hoping the Norwegian can use the international break to get his sharpness back. Odegaard is clearly finally ready to play, but Arsenal were desperately missing his usual decisiveness going forward.

Questions for Sanchez

Robert Sanchez has struggled ever since arriving at Chelsea from Brighton. He came under fire last week after giving away a penalty against Manchester United by bringing down Rasmus Hojlund.

He was back under the microscope seven days later after Martinelli squeezed the ball home at the near post. Sanchez's positioning was questionable, with the keeper leaving too much room for Martinelli to shoot into.

He was also slammed by Gary Neville for punching a free-kick clear rather than catching it. Sanchez certainly seems to be a player lacking in confidence.

Neto answers his critics

Before his stunning strike, the Chelsea faithful could be heard becoming increasingly frustrated by Pedro Neto. Pundit Gary Neville also picked up on that mood as he urged the winger to stop passing the ball backwards and start taking Arsenal players on.

Neto had the perfect answer for his critics though when he picked up a return ball from Enzo Fernandez, having played a square ball to the midfielder. Neto carried it forward before lining himself up for a long-range shot that flew into the bottom corner and earned his side a draw.

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