After securing a point against Chelsea, Arteta praises Arsenal's "phenomenal character."

Mikel Arteta lauded Arsenal's players for their "phenomenal" mental toughness after they rallied from being down two goals to draw with Chelsea and retain their Premier League undefeated streak at Stamford Bridge since 2018.

The hosts took a 2-0 lead thanks to a penalty kick from Cole Palmer in the first half and a cross-shot from Mykhailo Mudryk that shocked Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. Declan Rice then scored with 13 minutes left by capitalizing on a mistake by Robert Sánchez. Leandro Trossard, a substitute, sealed the comeback with a volley, and Eddie Nketiah nearly gave the visitors all three points late on.

In the first half, "we didn't play with enough purpose and clarity, but the way we reacted was phenomenal," remarked Arteta. "I am confident in our character. We knew we needed to perform significantly better at halftime, as I could see. I cherish that about the group. We are what we are.

"Even though we lost in a scenario like Mudryk's goal, we kept going and they did exactly what we asked of them, that you never give up, and we continued to go and go," he said. The squad was always there to fight to the very end, even if we should have scored a goal sooner and didn't. After a tough outcome, given the way it began, we ultimately earned a point.

After nine games, Arsenal is now tied for second place with champion Manchester City after the draw cost them the chance to move up to the top for the first time this season. Since defeating Luton at the end of August, Chelsea is yet to triumph at home in a Premier League match. But Mauricio Pochettino is certain that his team will improve moving forward.

"I'm disappointed because up until the 77th minute we had the game under control against an amazing team," he remarked. Errors can occur. Because Arsenal's opening goal gave them hope, it was unfortunate. Knowing when to remain calm and when to take chances is important. We are still a very young squad so it will happen. There is plenty to be proud of, and we must focus on the good.

Since joining the club for £62 million in January, Mudryk had not scored at Stamford Bridge, and Pochettino stated that he had seen Raya leave his line when Mudryk's goal was scored.

"He tried to score," the Chelsea boss remarked. "He knew a goal was feasible because of the goalkeeper's position. It's crucial since he still has a long way to go and needs to get his first goal here. He will have greater confidence in the future if he achieves this aim.

This site uses Google AdSense ad intent links. AdSense automatically generates these links and they may help creators earn money.