"Between a cross and a shot" - Mykhailo Mudryk opens up on his sensational goal in Chelsea's draw against Arsenal
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has indicated that his goal against Arsenal was somewhat pre-meditated.
The two teams met in a Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, October 21. Cole Palmer handed the Blues the lead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute after William Saliba handled Mudryk's header towards goal.
The Ukrainian then doubled Chelsea's lead three minutes into the second half with a speculative effort. After receiving the ball from Conor Gallagher, Mudryk raced down the left wing before clipping a cross-cum-shot from the flank.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was some distance in front of his goal-line and caught out by the ball's trajectory. This left him helpless as the ball looped over him and nestled in the back of the net.
Speaking after the game, Mudryk opened up on his strike. The forward claimed that it was between a shot and cross, and said Raya's positioning was an area he had discussed with his team's goalkeeping coach beforehand.
He said (as quoted by @TheBlueDodger on X):
"It was something in the middle, between a cross and a shot.
"Before the game, our goalkeeper coach told me to look at their keeper because sometimes he is trying to read things and he can just lose the goal, so I can chip him. So it was something I knew, and I kept it in my head."
The 22-year-old concluded:
"I went for something between the cross and the shot, and it was a good decision."
The strike was Mudryk's second Premier League goal in eight games this season after failing to score in 15 league games last term. It's worth noting that he was linked with a move to Arsenal in January this year before eventually joining Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of around £88.5 million.
Arsenal claw back to draw with Chelsea after Mykhaylo Mudryk's goal
Mykhaylo Mudryk's 48th-minute strike seemed to have put the Blues in firm control of the match. Mauricio Pochettino's side had kept Arsenal down to just two shots, neither of which were on target, in the first half.
The Gunners attack continued to misfire for much of the second half, with Chelsea's defense keeping them from testing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. However, Sanchez handed the visitors a lifeline when he misplaced a pass straight into the path of Arsenal's Declan Rice in the 77th minute.
Despite being several yards outside the box, Rice took it first time and found the bottom corner with a shot that went over Chelsea's defense and goalkeeper. Having gotten themselves into the game, Mikel Arteta's men pushed forward for an equalizer and got it just seven minutes after Rice's strike.
Bukayo Saka beat Marc Cucurella on the right flank before whipping a ball towards the back-post. Substitute Leandro Trossard met it on the volley and slid it in across Sanchez to make it 2-2.
The result meant Arsenal remain unbeaten after nine Premier League games (six wins and three draws) this term. They sit second, level on points with leaders Manchester City, who beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 earlier on Saturday. Chelsea, meanwhile, are 10th with 12 points.