Arsenal down London rivals Chelsea to renew five point lead at the top

Set pieces were the difference once again for the Gunners as they saw off Liam Rosenior's 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal's Jurrien Timber (centre left) celebrates

Arsenal 2 Chelsea 1

Pundits writing off this season as dull might want to reassess their criticism. For, if the title race continues like this for the rest of the remaining ten matches it will go down as an all-time classic.

A dramatic second half featured a Jurrien Timber winner to restore Arsenal’s slender lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points from Manchester City and Pedro Neto’s crazy red card soon after to mark Chelsea’s NINTH sending off for the season. Bar a brilliant injury-time save from Arsenal keeper David Raya it could have been a draw or Chelsea win.

The fourth and not necessarily final meeting of these old London rivals this season – they could feasibly face each other in a Champions League final in May – was the best yet. Liam Rosenior’s side most recently left as losers in the League Cup semi-final but came back with hope renewed as they fight for European qualification with a more positive approach.

And, for a while, they looked like they could defeat Mikel Arteta’s side for the first time in nine attempts. The result also marked Rosenior’s first league defeat in his seven matches since replacing the sacked Enzo Maresca.

Neto’s red, after a yellow card for dissent and a scathing trip on Gabriel Martinelli three minutes later, clearly helped Arsenal see it over the line, but ultimately the best team won with or without equal sides.

Arsenal had taken a 21st-minute lead when William Saliba headed in from a Gabriel headed pass from a Bukayo Saka corner. A pretty trademark Arsenal set piece and one Chelsea were not robust enough to repel. It was also no more than Arteta’s side deserved at that stage and they used it as a launchpad to dominate the rest of the first half.

That was until a kamikaze back pass from Martin Zubimendi left his previously untroubled goalkeeper Raya needing to make a desperate last-ditch clearance with Joao Pedro bearing down on him.

Aside from that and a few semi-threatening breaks from Arsenal attacks, Chelsea failed to threaten the home goal with an attempt on until a near post from Jarel Hato in time added on at the end of the first half. Raya reacted superbly to tip over the bar. Seconds later from the ensuing corner Reece James curled in another to the near post and the ball bounced into his own net off the head of Arsenal defender Hincapie.

Chelsea's Pedro Neto (left) leabes the field after receiving a red card. Pic: Nick Potts/PA

Out-muscled, out-Arsenaled? Whatever way you look at it Chelsea were back on level terms having been totally outplayed. Now it was time for Arteta to come to the fore with his half-time team talk and his players to respond to in the manner of genuine title challengers.

A draw would not have been a bad result for Rosenior, leaving his side tucked in just two points behind fifth-placed Liverpool after a fixture they traditionally lose. Before the match the Opta supercomputer predicted Chelsea will finish sixth and miss out on Europe’s elite competition, with the club facing the toughest run‑in of the final 11 Premier League matches. It also had Arsenal tow win this match and the Premier League title. Maybe it will be right after all.

Chelsea looked relatively comfortable with how the match was going and dangerous when they broke forward. Arteta reacted by replacing a misfiring Leandro Trossard with Gabriel Martinelli for the final half an hour or so.

Rosenior cynically added to Arsenal’s tension by getting his players to commit fouls in and around the Arsenal area on a few occasions as the home team tried to break quickly when Raya had the ball in his hands. Only Cole Palmer, however, was booked for one such foul as bewildered-looking referee Darren England struggled to keep up and maintain 

A second goal from a corner, after 66 minutes, was the most emphatic answer to Chelsea’s tormenting tactics. Declan Rice, later to hobble off with an injury, curled it in from the left and the often flappy Robert Sanchez lost his footing as the ball sailed over his arms to where Timber headed in.

Neto was booked for complaining and took his and Chelsea’s hopes of a comeback down the tunnel with him when he saw red four minutes later. Chelea battled on manfully and a curling Alejandro effort required a reaction finger tip from Spanish shot-stopper Raya. Another stop from Joao Pedro was needed to.

On the day Arsenal fans celebrated St Totteringham’s Day (the moment relegation threatened north London rivals Tottenham can not finish above them) for the earliest ever time in a season, it was St David’s Day (possibly renamed for their keeper) that they might have left the stadium honouring too.

Arsenal: Raya 8, Timber 6, Saliba 7, Gabriel 7, Hincapie 6, Zubimendi 6, Rice 6 (Norgaard 76), Saka 6, Eze 6, Trossard 5 (Martinelli 55), Gyokeres 6. 

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Jesus, Madueke, Havertz, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly.

Chelsea: Sanchez 6, James 7, Chalobah 6, Sarr 6 (Adarabioyo 90), Hato 6 (Gusto 75), Santos 6 (Lavia 75), Caicedo 7, Fernandez 6 (Delap 86), Neto 6, Palmer 5 (Garnacho 86), Pedro 6. 

Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Acheampong, Guiu. 

Ref: Darren England 3