“Absolutely invisible” - Frank Leboeuf says 2 Arsenal superstars looked like ‘shadow of themselves’ in draw with Chelsea

Pundit Frank Leboeuf has pointed out that two Arsenal stars were kept completely quiet in their 1-1 draw against the ten men of Chelsea on Sunday. The Gunners failed to stretch their lead atop the standings as they were held to a draw at Stamford Bridge for a third successive season.

Leboeuf was on ESPN to share his thoughts on the London derby, stating that Arsenal's key attacking players Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze were below-par. He singled out Eze for having been 'invisible', justifying his claim by pointing to the fact that Mikel Arteta took him off in the second half.

"I think the leaders, and I’m talking about (Bukayo) Saka and (Eberechi) Eze, they were only a shadow of themselves for me today. We didn’t really see them do what they had to do and what they normally do. Eze was absolutely invisible up to the point that Arteta substituted him. And defensively, other than Declan Rice, who is always is the right guy in the right place, the others not so much", he said (via metro.co.uk).

Arsenal found it difficult to get going against a Chelsea side that were fired up from the first whistle in front of their fans. They were handed a massive boost when the Blues were reduced to ten men in the 38th minute following Moises Caicedo's red card, but they ultimately failed to take advantage.

Saka was effectively shackled by Marc Cucurella for most of the game, but he managed to record his first assist in the league since November 2024. He completed 90 minutes, briefly switching to the left flank to find some respite after getting very little change from Cucurella.

Eberechi Eze was in fine form ahead of facing Chelsea, having scored a hat-trick in the North London derby a week earlier. The England international was barely seen in the game, creating just one chance and failing to attempt a shot in 72 minutes before Viktor Gyokeres was sent on for him.

Pundit objects to Chelsea red card against Arsenal

Gary Lineker has defended Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo following his sending off in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal. The Ecuador international was given his marching orders in the closing stages of the first half following a reckless challenge on Arsenal star Mikel Merino.

Lineker spoke on The Rest Is Football podcast, revealing that slow-motion replays from the VAR often distorts reality for the referees. He disagreed with the red card but pointed out that he understood the reason for Anthony Taylor sending off the midfielder.

"I don’t think they should have slow motion for things like that. It’s the same when you see still shots of peoples’ feet. His foot wasn’t raised, it was on the ground, he was a millisecond late for the ball and slow motion makes it look terrible. I understand exactly why they possibly overturned the decision but, I mean, really?!", he said (via metro.co.uk).

An aggressive ball winner for Enzo Maresca's side, Caicedo received his first red card in his third season with Chelsea. The former Brighton & Hove Albion man will now miss games against Leeds United, Bournemouth, and Everton in the Premier League.