Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea – Match Report

Jurrien Timber’s second-half header was enough to edge victory against Chelsea and restore our five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

In a breathless affair, we got ourselves in front when William Saliba nodded in his first league goal of the campaign, however we were pegged back in first half stoppage time when Piero Hincapie inadvertently diverted a header into his own net from a corner.

But set pieces continued to dominate proceedings and we got back in front through that method with Jurrien Timber next to profit, but after Pedro Neto was red-carded with 20 minutes to go, we required some outstanding saves by David Raya to get over the line and extend our unbeaten run against the Blues to 11.

Corners come to the fore

Having had seven days to savour our north London derby day triumph, Mikel Arteta rewarded the same 11 players with starts against the Blues – the first time we’d named an unchanged team since November – and they showed in the early stages they were still buzzing from their exploits at Tottenham.

We aggressively pressed the Blues backline in the opening stages and Viktor Gyokeres nearly dispossessed Robert Sanchez on the edge of the box but the keeper hacked away, and after Martin Zubimendi scuffed an effort over and Ebere Eze tried to catch the visiting custodian out with a shot from halfway, we got in front on 21 minutes.

Bukayo Saka whipped a corner across a crowded penalty area which Sanchez couldn’t get near, and Gabriel did brilliantly to keep the attack alive by heading the ball back inside. It found his defensive partner Saliba who craned his neck enough to nod it goalwards, and found the net via Mamadou Sarr.

But as has been the trend in the Premier League this season, set pieces continued to be a problem for both sides, and despite us enjoying plenty of promising moments in the final third as the half progressed but unable to seriously test the shaky Sanchez, Chelsea got back level before the break.

The warning signs had been there a minute earlier when David Raya was forced to make a superb save to prevent Declan Rice deflecting in a Reece James corner, but as the first half crept into stoppage time, the resulting delivery by the Blues captain was flicked backwards by Hincapie and looped into his own net to split the scoreline at the break.

Timber’s winner

Boosted by that, Liam Rosenior’s team came out positively after the break and Raya was twice called into action in the first eight minutes of the second half – firstly getting down low to push away a drive from Enzo Fernandez and then after another corner was dangerously flicked on at the near post, he was well placed to save Joao Pedro’s central header.

We needed something to get back on track – let alone in the lead – but we managed to dip back into our box of tricks to do both on 66 minutes. Another corner did the damage which Rice sent into the area, and left unguarded was Timber to head us back in front.

It was our 16th goal from a flag kick in the Premier League this season, equaling the divisional seasonal record with nine games still to play.

Raya’s rescue act

The crazy encounter’s next twist came on 69 minutes when Neto received a second yellow for attempting to chop down Gabriel Martinelli as he galloped down the left, and with the extra man advantage we looked to try and seal the win when Eze and Saka linked up nicely to create a chance for the former but Sanchez saved well to keep his team in it.

As the clock ticked down into the final five minutes, a thunderbolt from Moises Caicedo thankfully whistled over the corner of post and bar and into the North Bank, and then we required more heroics from Raya when Alejandro Garnacho whipped a dangerous cross into the box when evaded everyone and crept towards the corner of our net, but the Spaniard flung himself across his line and clawed it out.

Then with two minutes of stoppage time to go, we breathed another sigh of relief when Liam Delap put the ball in the net after Raya had saved a bicycle kick from Pedro, but the Brazilian was correctly flagged offside as we clung onto the three points we desired to go back to five ahead at the top with nine games left to play.

FACTS AND STATS

We are unbeaten in our last nine Premier League games against Chelsea (W6 D3), while we Gunners have never lost against the Blues in the competition when facing them as league leaders (W5 D1). 

This was the ninth time in the Premier League this season that we have scored a match-winning goal from a corner, now the outright most by a team in a single campaign (overtaking Manchester United’s eight in 2012/13). 

We have gone 1-0 up from a corner on nine occasions in the Premier League this season, the joint-most by a team in a single campaign, along with Southampton in 1994/95 (9).

Our 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season is the joint-most by any side in a single campaign, alongside Oldham in 1992/93, West Brom in 2016/17, and ourselves in 2023/24.

There have now been more goals scored from corners in the Premier League this season (138 in 281 games) than in the whole of last season (135 in 380 games). 

Gabriel has been directly involved in 25 goals in the Premier League (20 goals, five assists), now the outright most by an Arsenal centre-back in the competition, overtaking Laurent Koscielny (24).

What’s next

We head to Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, during a round of midweek Premier League matches, and then we turn our attention to two other competitions – the FA Cup fifth round visit to Mansfield Town on Saturday, March 7, before we travel to Bayer Leverkusen four days later in the Champions League.

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