Chelsea 1 - 1 Arsenal

 Chelsea 1 - 1 Arsenal: Che holds on for draw despite Moises Caisedo's first-half red card in stormy London derby.

Report and free match highlights as Chelsea and Arsenal play out a fiery 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge; Moises Caicedo was sent off in the first half for Chelsea but Trevoh Chalobah put the 10 men in front; Mikel Merino equalised for Arsenal

Chelsea held on for a 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal despite Moises Caicedo's first-half red card in a fiery London derby at Stamford Bridge

Caicedo had a yellow card upgraded to a red following a VAR check for a studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino as he became the fourth Chelsea player to be sent off this season.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Enzo Maresca's side went in front straight after half-time when Trevoh Chalobah flicked a Reece James corner beyond David Raya with a near-post header.

Arsenal found a leveller when Bukayo Saka twisted and turned on the right-hand side of the Chelsea box and dug out a cross for makeshift striker Merino to head into the corner.

At that point, with half an hour still to play against 10 men, it seemed Arsenal were well-placed to go on and win the game but they struggled to carve out clear chances.

They went closest to a winner through Merino, who drew a sharp save from Robert Sanchez from the edge of the box, but that was one of only eight shots to Chelsea's 11 as the hosts defended resolutely.

The Gunners were without both first-choice centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for only the second time in 162 league matches and risked going down to 10 men themselves, receiving six bookings, including four in the stormy first period.

Chelsea continued to pour forward on the break in the latter stages, with substitute Liam Delap forcing a save from Raya, but the home fans celebrated the hard-earned point at the final whistle, albeit ruing what might have been had Caicedo not been sent off.

The draw means Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League is cut from six to five points, with Manchester City having moved above Chelsea into second thanks to their win over Leeds on Saturday.

Caicedo's rashness costly for Chelsea

It was clear from early in the game that Caicedo was fired up. There was a shove on Merino after he prevented a quick free-kick. He was fortunate not to be punished for a shoulder barge into the back of Jurrien Timber not long afterwards.

Caicedo was on the edge, perhaps with his hotly anticipated midfield battle against Declan Rice in mind, but Chelsea needed cool heads. His overenthusiasm spilled into downright recklessness when he went studs up into Merino's ankle for his red card.

The sending-off left Chelsea in a familiar position. At least they had got some practice in playing with 10 men. But they were the better side before it. A battling point draw might have been a win had it not been for Caicedo's rush of blood to the head.

The ill-discipline undermined them. And not for the first time this season. Maresca needs to eradicate the issue quickly.