6 duels won: Rio Ferdinand says Arsenal star is "unplayable" after Chelsea draw

Arsenal played out a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Gunners had a slow start at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues were the better side in the opening half until Moises Caicedo’s sending off in the 38th minute.

Trevoh Chalobah scored shortly after the interval for the Blues, but the Gunners managed to salvage a point through Mikel Merino’s header before the hour mark.

Arsenal should have won the game with a man advantage. Despite the result, the club are five points ahead of second-placed Manchester City after 13 games played.

Speaking on his podcast, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand discussed the result, focusing particularly on Bukayo Saka’s performance.

The former United defender said that Saka looks ‘unplayable’ on his day and praised his assist for Merino’s goal. He believes Saka’s form could be key to the club’s success this season.

He said: “When he’s on it he looks unplayable. He’s got that strength like Mohamed Salah. He’s small in frame and size when you look at him, but do you ever see him get pushed off the ball?

“Especially when he’s got his back to play and get the ball side-on. You don’t really see people take the ball off him or put him on his arse. He’s a strong little guy.

“He makes the right decision at the right time 99 per cent of the time.

“He passes it when he should, he passes it longer when he should, he shoots when he should, he creates a one-vs-one when he should and he crosses when he should.

“He’s very efficient and very effective and it’s a very nice assist.

“He’s one of those players that if he starts coming into form at the right time of the season, anything could be possible with this Arsenal team. I think he’s that important because he’s that impactful.”

The 24-year-old has been hampered by a couple of hamstring injuries over the past year.

Saka has still impressed on his comeback. He has registered six goals and two assists from 17 games from the right wing this term. The assist against Chelsea was his first in the league in 12 months.

Aside from his goal contribution yesterday, Saka also won six duels alongside four recoveries. He was far from his vintage best, but the Englishman still delivered a top-class performance.

Arsenal will be in league action against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether Saka will get the nod in the starting XI for the London derby.

The Gunners have an early Saturday kick-off against Aston Villa on the road, and this could influence Mikel Arteta’s selection in midweek. He may want to manage Saka’s workload.

If Saka were to start on the bench, Noni Madueke is the natural replacement on the right wing.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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