Advantage Arsenal At The Bridge  (Sky Sports)

Chelsea 1 Arsenal 1

Chelsea drew 1-1 with Arsenal in an entertaining UEFA Champions League quarter final first leg tie between the London rivals at Stamford Bridge.

It all fell apart for The Blues, as they squandered a lead given to them by Eidur Gudjohnsen early in the second half and saw captain Marcel Desailly sent off for two bookable offences after Robert Pires had netted a leveller.

The Gunners had the first real chance of the match on six minutes when Lauren played the ball across the Chelsea area for Dennis Bergkamp to shoot at Marco Ambrosio from range.

Four minutes later and Bergkamp was involved again, as his free kick from the left was met by an unmarked Sol Campbell at the far post, but the header sailed wide of the post.

The lively Scott Parker had a sight of the Arsenal goal on 21, receiving a good knock down outside the area from Gudjohnsen, but his shot rebounded against Campbell and Jens Lehmann gathered.

Parker again threatened in the 21st minute, receiving a nicely chipped ball from Claude Makelele but Lehmann was alert enough to smother the former Charlton midfielder's cutback.

Both teams seemed to let the tension of the occasion get to them and consequently the ball was given away frequently.

Bergkamp had a good chance to open the scoring on 33 as he received a slick pass from Edu but he could only shoot straight at Ambrosio.

Chelsea went down the other end and Gudjohnsen saw a shot cannon off Lauren from a deep William Gallas cross from the right.

The half ended all square, but it was Chelsea who came out fighting in the second half and Frank Lampard saw a long-range effort cannon off Campbell's head and drift inches past the post.

And their efforts were rewarded with the opening goal on 52 minutes, when Lehmann hoofed a speculative Wayne Bridge pass straight into the onrushing Gudjohnsen, who rounded the keeper and slotted into an empty net.

Arsenal almost fell further behind when Lehmann was called upon to make a double save from Lampard and Gudjohnsen but it was The Gunners who were to find an equaliser on 58 minutes.

Ashley Cole crossed in perfectly for Robert Pires to race ahead of John Terry and head past the helpless Ambrosio.

Chelsea substitute Hernan Crespo, on for the ineffective Adrian Mutu, saw a shot from outside the area cannon off Toure and out for a corner.

The increasingly influential Duff then delivered a telling cross from the left that brushed off Toure's head and into the path of Gudjohnsen, but his shot was blocked by Pires.

The home side were reduced to ten men on 83 minutes when Desailly was shown a second yellow card - his first coming minutes earlier for knocking the ball out of Lehmann's hands - for a late challenge on Vieira.

The game drifted away from The Blues after the sending off and Arsenal will be much the happier side ahead of the second leg in two weeks' time.

Chelsea  Ambrosio, Bridge, Desailly, Gallas, Terry, Duff , Lampard, Makelele, Parker (Cole 72), Gudjohnsen (Melchiot 86), Mutu (Crespo 72)
Subs Not Used  Sullivan, Huth, Geremi, Gronkjaer
Booked  Makelele
Sent Off  Desailly
Goals  Gudjohnsen