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Arsenal moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-1 draw at ten-man Chelsea on Sunday, with Mikel Merino cancelling out Trevoh Chalobah’s opener.
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Arsenal are set to receive a £25,000 fine from the Football Association (FA) after receiving six yellow cards during Sunday’s fiery match at Stamford Bridge. Martin Zubimendi, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres were all booked.
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That has led to the automatic FA fine, as teams are issued a financial punishment when they hit six bookings in a single game. Arsenal are familiar with this rule, having been fined previously for accumulating six cards during their 3-1 win over Liverpool in February 2024.
Although Arsenal’s discipline was rash in this fixture, Mikel Arteta’s side still hold one of the lowest yellow card totals in the Premier League this season with 18. Only Newcastle United (13) and Manchester United (16) have fewer. Meanwhile Bournemouth (35), Tottenham (32), Brighton (32), Sunderland (27), and Fulham (26) lead the league for most cautions.
Should Arsenal again reach the six-card threshold this season, the fine would double to £50,000, and increase by £25,000 for every further incident.
Despite their ill-discipline on paper, Arsenal escaped without picking up a red card — unlike Chelsea. With the game locked at 0-0, Moisés Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute for a late challenge on Mikel Merino. Initially booked, the incident was upgraded to a straight red following VAR review.
Chelsea surprisingly took the lead with ten men, as Trevoh Chalobah headed home from a Reece James corner just after half-time. Arsenal responded in the 59th minute through Merino, setting up a tense finish. Arsenal pressed to find a winner and had opportunities, but were unable to convert a second goal and had to settle for a point.
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Reflecting on the contest, Arteta said:
“First of all, I think it was a really proper London derby. Really intense, you could sense from the beginning that every duel, every action had something on it. Two teams very willing to win and not much football. It was a lot of restarts, free-kicks, stops, and yellow cards, so not a lot of fluidity.”
He further explained that after Caicedo’s sending off, Arsenal aimed to settle the match, but instead accumulated even more bookings — prompting at-half-time instructions to calm the approach.
Arsenal remain top of the Premier League, five points ahead of Manchester City, six above Chelsea in third, and seven ahead of Aston Villa in fourth.
Arsenal fined £25,000 after Chelsea draw as Caicedo red sparks officiating debate
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