James Benge

I think until tonight I'd have been somewhat skeptical about that but yeah, I think you're right. Cherki aside, you'd say Pep probably made his most let's slow the game down subs as well and it didn't achieve a great deal.

Obviously their comeback was predicated on Fulham scoring some worldies but it was really remarkable the extent to which City couldn't shut this game down with possession. The old ways haven't been their gameplan this season but you'd have thought they'd have been able to play that way when needed.

City games just feel so different this season to what your brain has established as how City should play against lower midtable Premier League teams. How are they only having 53% possession? Why are they giving up 60 final third touches in one half? Where's the control? All good, they have Haaland.

At Craven Cottage (shortly) where Emile Smith Rowe starts only his second Premier League game of the season. Sasa Lukic also in the Fulham XI.

Manchester City unchanged from the side that scraped past Leeds at the weekend.

Really wouldn’t know from some of what I’m seeing that in the past eight days Arsenal have added a point to their lead over their likeliest title rivals and delivered two of their best performances in years.

And I’m not just seeing it on the idiot fringe.

Yes, and?

Did Moises Caicedo's red card vs. Arsenal cost Chelsea a title-challenging win? The Ecuador international was sent off in the first half for a horrific challenge on Mikel Merino

Chelsea were excellent. Would they have been as excellent if Moises Caicedo hadn’t been sent off?

Nice line from Arteta on the sense of disappointment at not winning today "The spirit, the hunger and how much we want it is so incredible. We will overcome everything."

Arteta says Saliba has further tests tomorrow on the knock he suffered in training

Chelsea have played this brilliantly down to 10 men, well enough that you'd imagine their dab hands at it. Level for shots at four to four, kept enough threat up high that Arsenal can't just throw bodies upfield in pursuit of a winner.

Whoever you want to hold responsible for it, this has turned into a game of foul hunting. And Chelsea just don't look like a team that knows how to toe the line. Sloppy errors taking them out of a match they were edging. Fofana, for instance, fouling Merino with his back to goal on half way.

Arsenal repeating their trick they used so effectively agaisnt Bayern. Merino dropping back nearer to Eze to make the midfield box, Saka and Martinelli staying high and wide. Interesting to see Timber darting into the CF space. Bet we'll see Calafiori do it too.

James picking up some nice positions for Chelsea to allow them to break through the first line of Arsenal pressure. Rice is his nominal man but pushing up as Arsenal try to steal the ball high.

Gabriel Heinze has the Arsenal defenders in a huddle before they break off for their warm up. He is, to put it mildly, intense. So are his training exercises.

Arsenal haven't had third and fourth choice CBs on the level of Hincapie and Mosquera in that time but they've rarely ever had world class defenders on the level of Saliba and Gabriel. For starters you're losing two of the three leading passers, maybe four or five progressive passes per 90.

Since William Saliba's debut Arsenal have played four games without both him and Gabriel. Three were EFL Cup ties, the only one in the Premier League a 2-1 win over already relegated Southampton, one of the worst teams the division has seen.

Chelsea XI: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Estevao, Fernandez, Neto; Joao Pedro

Palmer on the bench

Arsenal XI: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Hincapie, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Eze, Martinelli; Merino

Saliba suffered a knock in training

Gyokeres, Jesus, Odegaard all on the bench

No sign of him with the squad

Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus have arrived with the Arsenal squad here at Stamford Bridge.

Everton have a budget of £13m on FM…

Arsenal are best team in the world, and win over Bayern Munich was latest evidence The Gunners thoroughly outplayed the visitors on Wednesday, and 'they are just getting started'

Arsenal are the best team in the world right now. As Kompany said “no one wants to be the best in November”.

A lot could change come May. For instance Arsenal could have more than one Gabby, a fit centre forward, their captain and technical leader available. www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/...

Arsenal are best team in the world, and win over Bayern Munich was latest evidence The Gunners thoroughly outplayed the visitors on Wednesday, and 'they are just getting started'

Arsenal are the best team in the world right now. As Kompany said “no one wants to be the best in November”.

A lot could change come May. For instance Arsenal could have more than one Gabby, a fit centre forward, their captain and technical leader available. www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/...

Bayern Munich, who twice went 20ish minutes without getting into the Arsenal penalty area, ended this game with 0.68 xG.

That is the third *most* xG by an Arsenal opponent in Premier League and European games this season.

Obviously this only makes me more intent on stating the blindingly obvious.

Interesting press conference from Arteta. Really intent on not allowing anyone to get carried away, those of us in the room as much as anyone. Said Bayern are "the best team in Europe" and really didn't want to engage with the idea of what that might make Arsenal.

FT Arsenal 3, Bayern Munich 1 - Not much I can say beyond fucking hell, this lot are decent

A lot of me thinks Arteta should take off Saliba, Zubimendi etc and get the rest playing walking football to preserve energy for Sunday.

But another two goals really would make for a particularly delicious narrative treat.

3-1, Martinelli

2-1, Madueke