“His brain farts are unacceptable,” “I will never back you” – Chelsea fans slam 25-year-old after Blues blow two-goal lead in Arsenal draw
Chelsea fans slammed Robert Sanchez after his error enabled Arsenal to come back from two down to secure a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (October 21).
The Gunners came into the contest high on confidence after beating treble winners Manchester City 1-0 prior to the international break. But it was Chelsea who looked the better team in the opening stages.
Mykhailo Mudryk's header in the 12th minute struck William Saliba's arm in the box. Despite the referee initially refusing to give a penalty, VAR intervened a minute later following a break in play, giving the Blues a spot-kick.
Cole Palmer made no mistake from the spot, giving Chelsea the lead in the 15th minute. Palmer nearly doubled their advantage in the 29th minute, with the ball just trickling wide off the post.
Mauricio Pochettino and Co.'s dominance paid off in the 48th minute. Mudryk mis-hit his cross from the left flank and found the back of the net from an acute angle, catching David Raya off balance at the near post.
Despite Chelsea cruising to three important points, Robert Sanchez carelessly played a simple pass into the path of Declan Rice. The latter made no mistake from a distance, finding the back of the net in the 77th minute.
Arsenal used their newfound momentum to find an equalizer seven minutes later. Bukayo Saka crossed the ball into the box, finding Leandro Trossard who timed his run to perfection. The Belgium international got the better of Malo Gusto, finishing past a helpless Sanchez.
Chelsea fans blasted Sanchez for costing the Blues two points following the draw. The 25-year-old summer signing made just one save and made a massive error. He also had woeful distribution with an accurate long ball rate of 28 percent and a passing accuracy of 53 percent.
One fan posted on X (formerly Twitter):
"Hugely disappointing. Hugely. Were the better team, but Robert Sanchez let them back in. His brain farts are unacceptable."
Another fan wrote:
"We had 100% control and a single player let us down. Naaah I will NEVER back you Robert Sanchez, piss poor goalie."
The Blues are now ninth in the table with 12 points from nine games, whereas Arsenal are second with 21 points.
Chelsea vs Arsenal: Exploring the stats from London Derby
Despite cruising for most of the game, Chelsea were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw against rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
Arsenal dominated possession with 57 percent of the ball. They also completed 558 passes with an accuracy of 84 percent. In contrast, the Blues had 43 percent of the ball and registered 433 passes with an accuracy of 81 percent.
Mauricio Pochettino and Co. had 11 shots in total with five being on target but weren't able to make the most of their chances. On the other hand, Arsenal had 13 shots in total but only three were on target - making the most of their momentum towards the end of the game to make a thrilling comeback.