Report By Dr Talal osman
Premier League leaders Arsenal restored their five-point cushion at the summit thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win over 10-man Chelsea.
All the goals at Emirates Stadium came from corners on Sunday, as Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header proved decisive, with all of Sunday's goals at Emirates Stadium coming from corners.
Arsenal went ahead when William Saliba turned in, but Chelsea gave the Gunners a taste of their own medicine as their corner caused Piero Hincapie to score an own goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
But another bit of set-piece magic from Arsenal made the difference, with Pedro Neto being sent off after picking up two bookings in the space of three minutes.
While Mikel Arteta’s side kept themselves out of Manchester City’s reach for now, Chelsea round off the weekend in sixth.
How the match unfolded
The north London side were almost gifted an opener when Robert Sanchez’s loose touch was pounced on by Viktor Gyokeres, but Chelsea’s goalkeeper just managed to recover.
Yet Arsenal’s opener arrived in the 21st minute, from a familiar scenario. Gabriel Magalhaes met Bukayo Saka’s corner at the back post, and Saliba was on hand to nod home, via a deflection from Mamadou Sarr.
David Raya’s fantastic stop from Jorrel Hato’s header seemed to have preserved the Gunners’ lead heading into half-time, yet Arteta's side failed to heed the warning, and from Reece James’ next corner, Hincapie turned into his own net.
The Gunners' nervy set-piece defending continued in the second half, with Raya connecting with Joao Pedro when attempting to clear, before Chelsea’s Brazilian striker saw a header saved on the line.
But a corner at the other end again saw Arsenal’s proficiency come to the fore. Sanchez was in no man’s land as Timber met Declan Rice’s brilliant cross to restore the Gunners’ lead.
Having received a booking for dissent in the wake of Timber’s goal, Neto then lunged in recklessly on Gabriel Martinelli and duly received his marching orders.
Despite their disadvantage, Chelsea would have equalised if not for Raya, who parried Alejandro Garnacho’s cross wide, while Liam Delap saw a goal disallowed for offside in stoppage time.