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.

Player ratings: James excels

Chelsea: Sanchez (7), Gusto (7), Fofana (8), Chalobah (8), Cucurella (7), James (8), Caicedo (3), Enzo (6), Estevao (6), Joao Pedro (6), Neto (6)

Subs: Garnacho (6), Delap (6)

Arsenal: Raya (7), Timber (8), Mosquera (7), Hincapie (7), Calafiori (7), Zubimendi (6), Rice (7), Eze (6), Saka (7), Merino (7), Martinelli (6)

Subs: Lewis-Skelly (6), Odegaard (6), Madueke (6), Gyokeres (6)

Player of the Match: Reece James

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.

Merino: It was a horrible challenge

Arsenal's Mikel Merino told Sky Sports of Moises Caicedo's red-card tackle: "I felt my ankle go all the way.

"Luckily, I have very mobile ankles and body so I wasn't concerned about myself.

"But I knew it was a horrible challenge and a red card straight away."

He added: "On one hand, disappointed because we didn't win. When you wear this shirt, you want to win every game.

"But on the other hand, this is going to be a long season. It's a really tough stadium to come to. We'll take the point."

James: Result is a big statement

Chelsea captain Reece James to Sky Sports: "It's disappointing to come away with only one point.

"We went down to 10 men pretty early and that made it difficult. We had a lot more of the ball when it was 11 vs 11.

"Everyone can see where we are and what we're fighting for. Today was a big statement, even though we wanted to win, there's positives to take from that."

Chelsea's red mist - Opta stats

Chelsea have received four red cards in 13 league games this season. It is twice as many as any other team and the earliest into a Premier League campaign they have had four players dismissed.

Arsenal's total of eight shots is their lowest in a Premier League game since October 2024 at Bournemouth (six). Meanwhile the Gunners faced more than 10 shots (11 today) for only the second time in the league this season.

Arsenal failed to win a Premier League game in which their opponents received a first-half red card for the first time since August 2010 against Liverpool, when Joe Cole was sent off for the Reds in a 1-1 draw.

Teams

Chelsea Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James (c), Caicedo; Estevao (Garnacho 46), Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro (Delap 55)
Subs Not Used Jorgensen, Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Santos, Palmer, Gittens
Booked Cucurella
Sent Off Caicedo 38
Goals Chalobah 48

Arsenal Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori (Lewis-Skelly 46); Rice, Zubimendi (Odegaard 57), Eze (Gyokeres 72); Saka, Martinelli (Madueke 57), Merino
Subs Subs Not Used Arrizabalaga, White, Norgaard, Nwaneri, Jesus
Booked Zubimendi, Mosquera, Calafiori, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly, Gyokeres
Goals Merino 59

Attendance 39,820

Referee Anthony Taylor

VAR John Brooks