How Reece James single-handedly cost Arsenal £25,000 thanks to midfield masterclass

Chelsea’s draw with Arsenal meant a lot because the Blues were down to ten men at half time. Against the most physical team in the league – and perhaps in the world – Enzo Maresca’s team lost their midfield machine Moises Caicedo before the break and still were able to compete in the middle.

Reece James’ masterclass performance costs Arsenal more than 2 points

Reece James battles in midfield, (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

That’s in huge part thanks to Reece James, who was used in midfield and then suddenly had his work cut out against Arsenal’s team of giants. The academy product was superb, and the praise for him after the game has been well earned.

He was fouled four times in the game, more than anyone else on the pitch. It was the only way that the opposition players were able to stop him surging forward with the ball. Incredibly, he alone drew 3 yellow cards for those fouls on him.

Arsenal will be fined £25,000 for picking up six yellows in the game, and given that half of those were for fouling James, it’s fair to say he’s pretty much single handedly cost them that money.

The very fact that Mikel Arteta’s team kept feeling like they had to bring the midfielder down to stop him despite having a man advantage showed how spooked they were by his powerful running – and they’re now paying the price.

In other news…

With Cole Palmer and Dario Essugo now back in the squad, Chelsea have the deepest group they’ve had in a while, and it could prove crucial in the busy weeks to come.

The bad news from the presser was that Enzo Maresca confirmed that Reece James wouldn’t be able to play against Leeds next week. His 180 minutes this week have pushed him to the limit.