The Blues earned a well-deserved point at Stamford Bridge, thanks to Pedro Neto’s impressive second-half goal, which equalized after Gabriel Martinelli’s opening score. ..Continue Reading
After starting three consecutive Premier League games post-injury, James was left out by Enzo Maresca for the match against the Gunners in West London.
Instead, Marc Cucurella started, while Malo Gusto retained his spot on the right after being substituted at half-time in the previous game against Manchester United.
With the score tied, Maresca brought on James in the 82nd minute in hopes of securing a win.
Though James didn’t have much time to make an impact, he delighted Chelsea fans with a memorable moment.
A social media video captured James showing his strength against former Chelsea forward Havertz, sending him to the ground.
After his cross was deflected back to him at the edge of the box, James passed it to Moises Caicedo and appeared to shove Havertz aside, knocking him down.
Havertz, who transferred from Chelsea to Arsenal in June 2023, received a chilly reception from the home crowd on his second return to Stamford Bridge, and it was clear Chelsea fans enjoyed seeing James’ interaction with him.
One said: “That was for leaving,” followed by a laughing face emoji. A second wrote: “Captain had a reason, the reason he shares with all of us.” A third added: “Am I toxic? Because I celebrated this like its a goal.”
Although Chelsea didn’t win, the point moved them into third going into the international break and Maresca was pleased with his team’s display.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Maresca said: “I think the performance was good.
“We played in the way we want to play on and off the ball. The game in some moments was open – anything can happen in both sides but for sure, 100%, we deserved a point and this is important.”
