Arsenal fend off 10 man Chelsea to restore five-point lead

Premier League

Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Arsenal scored from two trademark corners to beat 10-man Chelsea at Emirates Stadium and regain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Manchester City had heaped pressure on the Gunners by cutting their lead to two points with victory at Leeds on Saturday.

But after a cagey start with few chances, Arsenal opened the scoring from a corner in the 21st minute.

Centre back Gabriel Magalhaes headed Bukayo Saka’s corner back across goal to his defensive partner William Saliba, whose header struck Mamadou Sarr on the arm before going into the net.

Chelsea grew into the match after going behind and threatened with their own set-pieces – scoring from a corner themselves just before half-time as Piero Hincapie flicked Reece James’ delivery into his own net.

Chelsea started the second half better than their hosts – creating a nervy atmosphere inside the stadium – before Jurrien Timber headed in Declan Rice’s corner.

Timber’s goal, Arsenal’s 16th from a corner this season, secured three crucial points in the title race.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had introduced Gabriel Martinelli from the substitutes bench and when the winger looked to launch a counter-attack, he was brought down by Pedro Neto.

It meant the Chelsea forward, who was already on a yellow card, saw red with 20 minutes left to play.

Liam Delap thought he had snatched a point late on for the away side when he bundled the ball in but Joao Pedro was well offside in the build-up and the goal was ruled out.

The win puts Arsenal on 64 points, five clear of Manchester City, having played a game more than their rivals.

Arsenal’s set-piece threat is nothing new. Their rivals go into games fully aware of it – and yet cannot stop it. And that is the most impressive thing about the Gunners’ ongoing success from dead-ball situations.

This was not Arsenal’s best performance of the season. But they displayed the character of potential champions by finding a way to win when things were not fully clicking.

Their set pieces were crucial, as they have been throughout the campaign. Arsenal tally of 16 goals from corners equals the most by any side in a single Premier League season, alongside Oldham in 1992-93, West Brom in 2016-17, and the Gunners themselves in 2023-24.

The Gunners have also gone 1-0 up from a corner on nine occasions in the top flight this season – in Premier League history, only the Southampton side of 1994-95 can match that. It shows how important their corners can be to unlocking a game. And no matter what the state of a match, their set-piece expertise always gives them a chance.

The battling nature of the win will please manager Arteta. His team showed they are ready to deal with the pressure of the title run-in.

David Raya had to produce a couple of excellent saves to keep Chelsea out – but the win was secured. And it allowed Arsenal supporters can celebrate a crucial three points as they look for a first title since 2004.

Today’s other Premier League results:

• Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Nottingham Forest
• Fulham 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace