Mikel Merino has shared his opinion on Moises Caicedo's red card offence in Arsenal's 1-1 draw away at Chelsea on Sunday. The Spaniard slammed Caicedo for what he felt was a "horrible challenge". Head referee Anthony Taylor originally gave the Ecuadorian a yellow card, but after being asked to review his decision by the VAR, he sent Caicedo off in the 38th minute.

Chelsea battled to a well-deserved point in their top of the table clash against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were the better side until Moises Caicedo saw red for his challenge on Mikel Merino in the 33rd minute. Despite losing their talisman, Chelsea took the lead early in the second half thanks to Trevoh Chalobah's glancing nod, but were quickly pegged back by a Merino header.

Moises Caicedo has set himself the challenge of becoming a deadlier defensive midfielder by adding goals and assists to his game, despite shouts that the Chelsea superstar is the best player in the world in his position. The 24-year-old has started justifying his £115 million price tag after becoming a destructive ball-winner and one of the leaders of this young Chelsea team.

This time last year, the narrative around Chelsea's meeting with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge focused on whether Cole Palmer had reached Bukayo Saka-levels of stardom. He had taken west London by storm during his first year with the Blues and was spearheading an unlikely title charge through the autumn. Now, though, the debate between the two rivals has shifted to midfielders Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice.

Enzo Maresca has revealed that star midfielder Moises Caicedo was forced to start from the bench for Saturday's Premier League tie against Burnley due to the player's late arrival in London after the international break. The Ecuadorian played every minute of his country's two friendlies against New Zealand and Canada, reporting back to the west London club on Thursday evening.