4 Talking Points From Chelsea's Goalless Draw With Arsenal In The Carabao Cup

4 Talking Points From Chelsea's Goalless Draw With Arsenal In The Carabao Cup
22:04, 10 Jan 2018

Chelsea and Arsenal played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.

Below are four talking points from the game.

1. Both sides tighten up after 2-2

The 2-2 draw between these sides at the Emirates Stadium last week was one of the most enjoyable matches of the Premier League season so far. Both Arsenal and Chelsea were excellent going forward and somewhat vulnerable at the back, which produced a thoroughly entertaining encounter under the floodlights.

This was not quite the same, with defences coming out on top in a tight scoreless stalemate. Arsenal missed Mesut Ozil, who was brilliant against the Blues last time out, while both teams’ attacking moves often broke down in the final third. Chelsea probably had the better of the game, but 0-0 was not a particularly unfair outcome.

2. Azpilicueta key to Chelsea’s attacking efforts

Cesar Azpilicueta has spent most of the campaign playing as the right-sided centre-half in Chelsea’s back three, from where he’s provided a remarkable six assists in the Premier League. Most of those have come in the form of a cross from deep towards Alvaro Morata, and that was a move he tried to pull off on a regular basis here.

Azpilicueta was key to his side’s attacking efforts, repeatedly trying to loft balls in behind the Arsenal defence. This looked like a general tactic from Antonio Conte’s men – particularly in the first half – but the visitors managed to hold out and keep a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge for the second time this term.

3. Glimpse of life without Ozil and Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez began the game on the substitutes’ bench on Wednesday, while Ozil was ruled out with a knee injury. The former did enter the fray in place of Alexandre Lacazette in the second half, and although he produced a couple of flashes of quality, the Chilean did not have much of an impact on proceedings.

Sanchez has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City this month, with both his and Ozil’s contracts due to expire at the end of June. It will be extremely difficult for Arsenal to replace their star duo without spending significant sums of money, and this rather flat attacking display was a glimpse at what life may be like without them.

4. Everything to play for in the second leg

Arsenal will be the more satisfied of the two teams at the midway point of this tie, with Chelsea scheduled to visit the Emirates Stadium in two weeks’ time. The Gunners have generally been strong at home this term, although they have struggled to win matches against fellow big-six sides – although Tottenham lost at the home of their north London rivals, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea themselves all escaped defeat.

It would not be a surprise if the scores remained level after 120 minutes of action in this semi-final, in which case extra time and penalties would determine the winners. There is everything still to play off.

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