Set-piece goals and Raya saves: How Arsenal beat Chelsea
We look at how the Gunners secured a vital victory against the Blues to restore a five-point lead at the top.
Football writer Alex Keble analyzes a hard-fought victory for Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in which their defenders and goalkeeper played a pivotal role in both areas.
If Arsenal win the Premier League title this season, it’s games like these that will have defined their charge and will be remembered as classic examples of Mikel Arteta’s side in their wake.
They delivered a resilient performance and secured a deserved victory against Chelsea – but it wasn’t a game without moments to make the fans’ stomachs drop.
In the end, another opponent was crushed by set goals: classic Arsenal, the version that will live on in the public imagination if this year ends their 22-year wait for a Premier League title.
The simple fact is that every Arsenal game between now and the end of the season will be weighed down by tension. Crossing the finish line for the first time in decades requires nerves of steel and, inevitably, fans will be subjected to a roller coaster of emotions.
Today there was a bouncing confidence in the first half undone by Piero Hincapie’s own goal just before half-time, after which Fear crept in, retreated and reared its head again for a frantic finale which saw David Raya produce a spectacular save.
Arsenal show champions’ resilience after emotional roller coaster
It was just after Joao Pedro headed a glorious chance past the post, ten minutes into the second half, that the atmosphere changed and a familiar tension fell over the Emirates crowd.
Within a quarter of an hour, the cheers that greeted Pedro Neto’s second yellow card, moments after Jurrien Timber had restored Arsenal’s 2-1 lead, told a very different story.
Watch: Raya’s INCREDIBLE late saves against Chelsea
And yet, it was time for Arsenal to get into trouble again. There was Raya’s big save from a cross from Alejandro Garnacho, then Liam Delap put the ball in the back of the net after another incredible save from the goalkeeper, this time from Joao Pedro.
For a moment, Arsenal fans had flashbacks to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ equalizer a fortnight ago.
But the offside flag went up and Arsenal held on – just. The muted celebrations from the full-time players spoke volumes. It was a grueling match, a hard-fought victory that nearly led to another late collapse.
The slim margins in football mean that although Arsenal came so close to another desperate night and several days of recriminations to follow, by hanging on they emerged with renewed confidence and were applauded by pundits for their determination.
It is these victories that are referred to as “champion performances”, especially under pressure from a title rival that arises.
“It’s never easy when the team you’re playing for the title plays first on a Saturday, they win, they get their points and then you have to respond,” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports.
“It adds pressure and you have to cross the finish line. It’s hard work to win a Premier League title and Arsenal are finding that out.”
The objectives set will remain crucial as the confrontation with the Etihad approaches
The way they achieve this is so often through set goals, and two more today took their tally to 19 in the Premier League this season, along with five games in three against Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea, having exposed the flaw in both legs of their EFL Cup semi-final.
Arsenal have scored 16 goals from corners alone – the most in a season in Premier League history along with Oldham Athletic (1992/93), West Brom (2016/17) and Arsenal themselves (2023/24) – and with nine games remaining, they are well on course to break it.
Watch: Arsenal equal their own record for goals from set pieces
Corners and free kicks will undoubtedly continue to be important in Arsenal’s three-match series leading up to the deciding away game at Manchester City on April 18.
Before that, they face Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Everton (H) and AFC Bournemouth (H), three clumsy mid-table opponents more than capable of slowing down Arsenal. Dead balls could be needed to ensure the Gunners secure maximum points and stay five points ahead of their rivals when they arrive at the Etihad.
Judging by Man City’s sudden uptick in form, Arsenal will need to be perfect to continue to overcome anxious occasions like this and rise to the challenge with those goals set.
Each victory brings Arsenal one small step closer. Every time they hang on after a late attack, they become a little more resilient. But Arsenal fans know they have to prepare for an emotionally draining few months.
Chelsea face a turning point in their season after a three-game winless run
Liam Rosenior will take plenty of positives from his players’ performance, but an all-too-familiar problem when it comes to defending set-pieces (at the start of the weekend, their 14.05 xG conceded from dead balls was the highest in the Premier League) has left Chelsea on a three-game winless run in the Premier League.
The honeymoon period is over for Rosenior and it is vital that Chelsea quickly recover from this setback, as in three days they travel to Villa Park for their biggest game of the season so far.
A defeat at Aston Villa would open up a nine-point gap to Unai Emery’s side and, quite possibly, a nine-point gap to the Champions League places with just nine games remaining.
Only one of these nine matches is against one of the six relegation-troubled clubs – and that is the penultimate game of the season against rivals Tottenham Hotspur – while Chelsea still have four of the top five to play.
A tough run of matches and a growing gap to the Champions League places mean now is not the time for Chelsea to be stuck in a winless run. Villa’s game on Wednesday could define the season.