Arsenal put in a gritty display to earn a 0-0 draw against Chelsea.

A rock solid Arsenal performance helped them come away from Stamford Bridge with an excellent point.

Arsenal stuck with the back three and the conventional tactic of playing players in their correct positions. Mesut Ozil missed the game with a knee injury, while Alexis Sanchez returned to the bench. Alex Iwobi was handed a surprise start alongside the in form Danny Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette.

The Chelsea team had no such surprises. Cesc Fabregas partnered N’Golo Kante in midfield, while Alvaro Morata lead the line. That pest, Eden Hazard, was only fit enough for the subs bench.

Nearly three minutes gone, Chelsea had the first strike on goal. A sideways pass from Bellerin was seized upon on the half-way line. Chelsea’s quick break saw Pedro with space on the edge of the box, but he shot tamely at Cech. They continued their early pressure with a short corner routine that got Fabregas free in the penalty area, but his driven cross was blocked by the crowd of Arsenal players.

15 minutes passed without any major scares for Arsenal. The game was being played at a slow tempo, with Chelsea struggling to play out of defence. Their forwards briefly threatened with flashes of sharp interplay, but nothing that the Arsenal defence couldn’t handle.

Arsenal then had their first major chance of the game. Lacazette dropped short to collect the ball and found Bellerin on the right. Bellerin played a give-and-go with Iwobi to get in behind Alonso. He produced an excellent cross for Welbeck, who’s glancing header went just wide of the post. Bellerin proved to be a threat again moments later, as he got to the byline and found Lacazette with a cutback. The Frenchman got scruffy contact on it, though, and hit it straight at Courtois. With cautious optimism, I took that period of play as a sign that we were there to compete and not be pummelled into the dirt.

20 minutes gone and Arsenal came forward again. Kolasinac brought the ball forward down the left and fizzed in a cross-shot that Courtois had to beat away. Then, in a blink of an eye, Fabregas lofted the ball over the top of Arsenal’s defence and Pedro raced away. While Arsenal fans everywhere were having fashbacks, the Spaniard took too long to get a shot away and was put off by a recovering Koscielny. Chelsea then had another chance, as Moses’ cross found Morata in the centre of the box, but he he headed it over.

With half an hour gone, the game was still goalless and, while firmly touching wood, Arsenal were doing well. Xhaka stepped forward and decided to try his luck from distance. His well-hit shot went just wide of the post, though it looked like Courtois had it covered.

Five minutes before half-time, Arsenal should have been a goal up. Ramsey managed to stumble his way into the Chelsea penalty area and dig out a shot that struck the post. The ball came out to Lacaztte, in prime poaching position, and he, quality striker that he is, got under the ball completely and put it into row z.

It was 0-0 at half-time, and the plucky underdogs Arsenal not only played well, they should have been winning. Who’d have thought?

But never fear. There was still plenty of time for us to screw it up in the second half.

Chelsea made a change at half-time, bringing on Tiemoue Bakayoko for Pedro. A testament to the control Arsenal had in midfield, perhaps.

The change saw Fabregas positioned higher up the pitch. It was him who received the ball on the edge of the box and played in Willian. The Brazilian got a shot away from a tight angle, but it was a comfortable save for Cech. In the space of a few seconds, Morata got away from Mustafi for the second time. Fortunately, Monreal was on hand to bail the German out. These were warning signs for Arsenal.

Morata continued to be a threat, especially when he got at Mustafi. Monreal was forced to give-away a “smart” free-kick. The free-kick was lofted into the box and David Luiz attempted an overhead kick that made more contact with Koscielny’s face than it did the ball.

With Arsenal temporarily down to 10-men, they had to scramble to deal with a strong Chelsea break. Bakayoko showed his power by wiggling free of Ramsey and surging up the pitch. The ball came out to Alonso, who opted to cut inside and shoot. The shot was blocked, and Arsenal’s sheet remained clean.

With 65 minutes gone and the game’s tempo dropping to a pleasantly slow pace for Arsenal, Alexis Sanchez was thrown on for Lacazette, who hadn’t gotten much joy out of Chelsea’s back three. A couple of minutes later, Chelsea responded by brining on Eden Hazard for Willian. Two game winners sent on for a delicately poised final twenty minutes.

Welbeck’s involvement came to an end when it looked like he tweaked his groin in a coming together with Luiz. Giroud took his place, still on 99 Arsenal goals. He couldn’t, could he?*

75 minutes gone, and Arsenal got a free-kick on the right. Xhaka swung the ball in and found Mustafi unmarked at the back post. The German’s header beat Courtois. He set off celebrating, I stood up celebrating, and then swore loudly as the linesman’s flag went up. Replays showed it was the correct decision.

With Chelsea pushing for a winner, Hazard managed to get free down the left hand side. He backed Arsenal’s defence up to the edge of the box, cut inside, and then shot straight at Cech. Perhaps recognising Chelsea’s growing threat, Wenger took off Iwobi and put on Mohamed Elneny.

The final ten minutes was a lot more frantic than Arsenal would have liked. As Arsenal tired, more gaps began appearing in midfield, and they were forced to scrap. With no pace on the pitch, Arsenal also struggled to get out, and invited Chelsea pressure onto them.

With just minutes to go, Chelsea had a player sent off against us for the third time in three successive games. Luiz and Kolasinac went in a for a 50-50, but Luiz went in high with his studs. Michael Oliver was in no doubt and showed him the red. Kolasinac got up and walked it off like the tank he is.

Suddenly, Arsenal had the chance to win the game in the late stages. Four minutes were added on, and of course it would be just like Arsenal to let it slip there and then.

Today, though, was a day of subverted expectations, and Arsenal held on to the point.

*He couldn’t.