Arsenal used some good set-pieces to earn a 2-1 victory over 10-a-side Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, re-extending their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
The Gunners were under pressure to win after Manchester City’s win over Leeds on Saturday, with William Saliba and Julian Timber scoring their 15th and 16th goals of the season from corners to seal Liam Rosenior’s side a third successive win.
Chelsea scored from a corner kick between the two goals, with Reece James’s wicked pass deflected into Chelsea’s own net by Piero Hincapie in first-half stoppage time, but any hopes of a second comeback were dashed when Pedro Neto was shown a red card.
The Chelsea winger became the seventh Chelsea player to receive a red card in the Premier League this season, receiving a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Gabriel Martinelli just three minutes after being challenged.
Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez struggled in goal after appearing to duck under Declan Rice’s cross in the Timbers’ goal, but Arsenal were helped by important saves from David Raya, including in stoppage time when he sent Alejandro Garnacho’s cross shot wide.
Just before Chelsea’s equalizer, Raya took a goal-bound corner kick near the post, but then James’ shot appeared to hit Rice, who had his arm around his marker, and Chelsea were disappointed not to be awarded a penalty.
Arsenal overcame some tense moments in the closing stages as 10 visitors looked for another equalizer, but in the end a one-goal advantage proved to be enough to keep them a nose ahead of Manchester City in the title race.
Arsenal’s William Saliba (second from right) celebrates with his teammates after scoring his first goal for the team
Having played more games than City, Chelsea have regained a five-point lead at the top of the table and remain just three points behind fifth-placed Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.
Arteta “delighted with big win”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports:
“It’s a big win. I’m very happy. It was a great performance at an important time.
“The difference at half-time should have been bigger. It hurt when we conceded, but that’s Chelsea’s quality.
“After the red card, we should have managed the situation better.
“Our reaction after the disappointing result against Wolves was great.
“We learned something about ourselves. The way we handled it was great. Let’s keep going.”
Rosenior: This is the story of our season.
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior told Sky Sports:
“The last three games have played out in the same way. We need to perform to get a result, but it has been the same.
“We are together because I will never start criticizing the players, win or lose the game.
“But it’s clear what we need to improve on. It’s not just our football or our attacking play, we need to make sure we’re ruthless in both boxes.”
“Conceding two goals from corners and getting another red card, that’s the story of our season.”
Arsenal’s deadly corner statistics
Arsenal’s total of 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season are tied for the most by any team in a single season, alongside Oldham in 1992/93, West Brom in 2016/17 and the Gunners in 2023/24. It was the ninth time in this Premier League season that Arsenal have scored the winning goal from a corner, the most for any team in a single season. (More than Manchester United’s eight in 2012-13) Arsenal have scored 1-0 from nine corner kicks in the Premier League this season, tying Southampton for the most in a single season, along with Southampton in 1994-95. Gabriel Magalhaes has been directly involved in 25 goals in the Premier League (20 goals, 5 assists), the most ever for an Arsenal centre-back. He overtook Laurent Koscielny on the 24th and won the competition.
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Chelsea equalized with Piero Hincapie’s own goal from a corner kick.
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William Saliba scores from a corner to give Arsenal the lead.
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Julian Timber scored the decisive goal from another corner.
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Pedro Neto sent off after 3 minutes with 2 yellow cards
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David Raya makes a stunning 90+2 minute save to keep Arsenal ahead against Chelsea.
