Chelsea and Arsenal played out a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge as David Luiz was shown a straight red card late in the game.
Arsenal were seeking to build on their successes over the Premier League champions in last season's FA Cup final and August's Community Shield, but they began the match with Alexis Sanchez among the substitutes, while Mesut Ozil -- who Arsene Wenger said was nursing an injury -- missed out on a place in the squad entirely.
There were clear chances for both sides in the first half, with Danny Welbeck heading wide for Arsenal and Chelsea's Pedro unable to take his chance when through on goal.