Arsenal's chance of staging an even battle with cross-town rivals Chelsea was dealt a massive blow in its preliminary stage with the Gunners losing summer signing David Luiz to a red card. The 32-year-old Brazilian center-back was made to take an earlier shower following a mistake by teammate Shkodran Mustafi which led him to tackle Tammy Abraham in his side's penalty area.
The unfortunate plight of Luiz unfolded after his German partner failed to find Bernd Leno with a sloppy back pass. The attempt which barely made its way into Arsenal's penalty area was then latched onto by Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham. However, the Blues' academy graduate who successfully rounded the Gunners' goalie was tangled to the ground before he could score.
David Luiz was subsequently shown a straight red card for the foul before Jorginho slotted home the resulting penalty kick to hand Chelsea a first-half lead at home. Watch the incident below:
Nightmare return to Stamford Bridge for David Luiz, who is sent off following Shkodran Mustafi's error
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 21, 2020
Chelsea lead 1-0 thanks to Jorginho's penalty... pic.twitter.com/tkJeqZtXCd
Interestingly, the first half red card received by David Luiz against his former club was his second-ever in the English Premier League. The Brazilian defender's first was coincidentally against the Gunners back in September 2018.
So far, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain defender (3) has conceded more penalties than any player in the Premier League this season.
