Arsenal 2-2 Chelsea: Five things we learned

Arsenal and Chelsea played out a 2-2 draw, thanks to Hector Bellerín's well-taken equaliser in stoppage time.

It was the two London rivals' first Premier League fixture of the new year and there was plenty of pre-match motivation for both sides to prevail on this occasion.

It certainly looked that way in a first-half filled with an equal display of enthusiasm as both sides took the game to one another, producing 13 goalscoring chances. Álvaro Morata missed two golden opportunities, while Thibaut Courtois was forced into an excellent save to deny Alexis Sánchez inside the area.

Despite this, it surprisingly remained goalless until the 63rd minute. Jack Wilshere's thunderous effort broke the deadlock, although the hosts' lead did not last long at all. Chelsea were awarded a spot-kick just four minutes later, with Eden Hazard making no mistake from 12 yards to level the scoring.

Marcos Alonso converted from close-range after a probing low delivery by Davide Zappacosta late on, and it seemed as though the Blues would snatch all three points. However, Bellerín's well-placed effort midway through stoppage-time ensured both sides had to settle for a point.

An entertaining spectacle for the neutral, here are five things we learned from the thrilling encounter itself:

Sánchez and ?zil's heads are in the game

With the winter transfer window having opened at the start of this week and transfer rumours continuing to do the rounds on two big names within the Arsenal camp, it probably would not have come as much of a surprise if the players themselves looked distant in this encounter.

Thankfully for Gunners fans, both Alexis and Mesut ?zil did not display such worries on Wednesday evening. The attacking duo, who have both been linked with moves away from the club this month, simply went about their respective jobs and did so in typical fashion.

Sánchez and ?zil pulled the strings for their side with quality attacking passes and a few goal-bound efforts of their own, combining for a decent enough performance overall.

Based on this evidence, it's fair to say the two attack-minded players remain committed to the Arsenal cause - albeit for now at least.

Lacazette's goal drought continues

Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette has been enduring an unwanted run of six games without a goal for the north London side and Wednesday's encounter made it seven.

This is a statistic that is undoubtedly placing the Frenchman under some pressure and he did not make it any easier for himself, having been denied by Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois three times across the match. One of the chances in particular, he should and probably would have converted, had he taken the initial effort earlier.

Either way for a striker who cost the Gunners £52m (add-ons included), the striker will be expected to end his drought sooner rather than later.

Morata wasteful in front of goal

Chelsea striker Álvaro Morata may not have been under as much pressure as Lacazette to score during this fixture. However, the Spaniard will surely be under scrutiny as he will attempt to make up for the multitude of squandered chances, which could have won his side the match on this occasion.

He could have scored a hat-trick on his first visit to the Emirates, but was let down by poor finishing and a lack of composure as he failed to add to his current tally of ten league goals this season.

Shooting practice in the Blues' next training session, perhaps?

Wilshere continues positive comeback with superb goal

It’s been a very pleasing return to regular first-team football at Arsenal for Jack Wilshere.

The English creative midfielder has played all 90 minutes in his side's last five Premier League matches to date and added a sixth to the list, during which he netted a great finish to open the scoring against Chelsea.

Although it did not yield a much desired three points, Wilshere's first goal in over two years will count as a huge positive as he continues his return to form for his boyhood club.

Consistency required for Arsenal in chase for top four

A 2-2 draw may have been a fair result, but Arsenal would be disappointed not to have prevailed in a second successive match having initially taken the lead.

They now remain sixth in the league standings and their top-four aspirations seem to be increasingly difficult as five points separate themselves and fourth-placed Liverpool.

A run of consistent results should now be the main focus if they're going to break into the Champions League places once again, as not doing so could see them record yet another frustrating season under Arsene Wenger.

As for Chelsea, they continue to place pressure on Manchester United in second place but many already believe that this year's title is City's to lose. Antonio Conte is right to be disappointed too, but a point is ultimately better than none, so it's back to the drawing board for them.

Edited by Mosope Ominiyi