Former Chelsea captain John Terry has delivered a pointed assessment of his old club's dramatic Premier League draw with Arsenal, taking a familiar swipe at the Gunners' perceived lack of ambition while accepting Moises Caicedo's controversial red card.
Terry's Verdict on the London Derby
The ex-England defender, speaking after the match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, insisted that Chelsea were "by far the better team" despite playing the majority of the game with ten men. Terry claimed Enzo Maresca's side were the only ones showing the aggression and desire needed to win a crucial London derby.
"I thought the first half, there was only one team on the front foot looking to win the game and showing aggression," Terry stated in a video posted on his TikTok account. "It’s a London derby and that’s what we want to see from our players."
The Pivotal Red Card Incident
The game's major flashpoint came when Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was sent off for a heavy challenge on Arsenal's Mikel Merino. Initially shown a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to a red following a VAR review.
Terry offered no defence for his former club's player, stating clearly: "No arguments with the Caicedo one, I think that’s a red card, and unfortunately he’s going to be a big miss for us." He did, however, criticise the referee's early game management, suggesting three yellow cards in the first 15 minutes took the sting out of the contest.
Chelsea's Resilient Performance
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Chelsea took the lead through defender Trevoh Chalobah, highlighting their threat from set-pieces. Terry praised the team's resilience and tactical execution.
"I thought we were very good going forward, we were direct, really quick on the counter as well," he analysed. "We were solid defensively. That can be tiring for the boys when you’re down to 10 men, especially after a big week."
Arsenal, who lead the Premier League table, struggled to create clear chances for long periods. They eventually found an equaliser when Merino headed in from a Bukayo Saka cross to secure a 1-1 draw.
A Familiar Critique of Arsenal
Terry's comments echo a long-standing criticism sometimes levelled at Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in major fixtures – a perceived caution. While the Gunners have largely silenced such talk this season with their table-topping form, Terry believes it resurfaced at Stamford Bridge.
He concluded by emphasising the positive message the result sends for Chelsea's ambitions: "We have to be delighted with that today because Arsenal have been rolling teams over week after week... I think today, we’ve shown we can compete with the very best in the league."
The result means Arsenal do not extend their lead at the summit, while Chelsea demonstrated significant grit to earn a point against the league leaders in challenging circumstances.
