Chelsea captain Reece James says Arsenal performance is warning to other teams

Chelsea's captain Reece James has said that their performance against Arsenal was a declaration of intent, as they showed the rest of the Premier League that they could compete with the best. 

The Blues had an impressive performance against league leaders Arsenal, despite going down to 10 men for more than half the contest. They scored first, even with the numerical inferiority, with Arsenal needing an equaliser later in the game to rescue a point. 

Chelsea are an emerging team. With their transfer policy in the last few seasons focusing on unproven prospects, there has been an understanding that they were yet to reach contender status. 

However, recent success in the Club World Cup and their performances in big matches this season show that they are on the right track. The performance against Arsenal was the latest indicator. 

"Disappointing to come away with only one point. We went down to 10 men pretty early in the game and that made it more difficult,” he said, per the BBC. 

"I think everyone can see where we are and what we are fighting for. I think today was a big statement. Even though we wanted to win, there are lots of positives to take.

"We worked hard; there is a lot of analysis and hard work from the staff that sets us up in the right way and makes us play in the right way that he thinks will hurt them."