Arsenal secures dramatic win over Chelsea
Arsenal secured a tense 2-1 triumph over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, with manager Mikel Arteta confessing his “heart almost stopped” during the dramatic conclusion to the match, reports BritPanorama.
The Gunners demonstrated their set-piece prowess as both goals originated from corner kicks. William Saliba broke the deadlock midway through the opening period, before Piero Hincapie’s own goal brought Chelsea level.
Jurrien Timber then netted in the second half to restore the hosts’ lead, once again capitalising on a corner delivery.
The victory represents a crucial test passed in Arsenal’s pursuit of a first league championship in 22 years. Pedro Neto received his marching orders just four minutes after Timber’s decisive strike, leaving Chelsea to battle on with 10 men.
Despite their numerical superiority, Arsenal endured anxious final moments as the visitors threatened an unlikely comeback. David Raya produced a superb diving stop to deny Alejandro Garnacho, whose curling effort looked destined for the net, and Liam Delap even managed to find the back of the goal, only for the linesman’s flag to cut short Chelsea’s celebrations as offside was confirmed.
Both incidents occurred during stoppage time, ensuring Arteta’s side took a significant step towards ending their lengthy wait for the title. The Arsenal manager admitted: “The save that he (Raya) made in the last action, from what ended up being an unbelievable shot, I got the right angle and my heart almost stopped. But David’s hand was there to bring it back to life.”
Arteta added: “I try to stay calm, but obviously, we weren’t getting the dominance and the sequences of play that we wanted and would expect against 10 men.” He further pointed out, “You have to navigate through that, and it’s a big part of the game. Everybody’s suffering because the margins are so small.”
Timber’s crucial 66th-minute winner marked Arsenal’s 16th goal from a corner this season, equalling a record shared by Oldham and West Brom for a single Premier League campaign with nine games still to go. The set-piece goals led Arsenal to a second win in a week in which they were drawing at half-time.
Arteta noted, “I reminded the players that we were in exactly the same position against Tottenham seven days ago in that dressing room. They said: ‘Look what happened in the second half! So we’re going to do it again, but we’re going to have to go through some difficult patches to earn the right to win the game’. And we certainly did that.”
Chelsea’s hopes were scuppered by Neto’s dismissal, which marked their seventh red card in the league this season, their second in as many fixtures, and ninth across all competitions. Neto talked his way into referee Darren England’s notebook as he protested against Timber’s goal before scything down Gabriel Martinelli four minutes later.
Manager Liam Rosenior expressed disappointment, stating, “It is disappointing for Pedro, but it’s not just him; as a group, me as a leader included, we have to take accountability for some of the decisions we are making in terms of our discipline.” He added, “You can fine players (for red cards) but it is not about the punishment. It is about finding the reason why.” Rosenior acknowledged their record is concerning and stressed the urgency for improvement.
This enthralling encounter not only reinforced Arsenal’s title challenge but also highlighted the pressing need for discipline at Chelsea. As with every league battle, it’s these fine margins that will ultimately determine the fate of clubs in pursuit of glory.
