Mikel Obi Blames Early Red Card for Chelsea’s Draw with Arsenal

Former Super Eagles and Chelsea midfield star, John Mikel Obi, has claimed that the primary reason Chelsea was unable to secure a victory against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday was the early red card issued to midfielder Moises Caicedo.

Dependable NG reports that the two fierce London rivals played out an intense 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. The game’s pivotal moment occurred in the 38th minute when Caicedo was sent off following a lengthy check by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) for a dangerous tackle.

Despite being reduced to ten men, Chelsea managed to take the lead shortly after the break through a header from defender Trevor Chalobah. However, the Gunners eventually found an equalizer later in the second half, scored by Mikel Merino.

Mikel Obi, speaking on his popular podcast, voiced his frustration with the team’s persistent disciplinary issues. This season, the club has accrued seven red cards across 20 games in all competitions.

“That’s four red cards this season; it’s not good enough. I’ve spoken about it; the manager needs to talk with the players, because it’s costing us games as well,” Mikel Obi stated.

He strongly believes the outcome would have been different if Chelsea had played the full match with their complete squad. “If you look at that game, if we finished with eleven men, I think we could’ve won. Maybe not easily, but comfortably, we could’ve secured a win,” he concluded.