{"id":423,"date":"2026-03-02T14:28:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=423"},"modified":"2026-03-02T14:28:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T14:28:47","slug":"arsenal-2-1-chelsea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/?p=423","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal 2 – 1 Chelsea"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Arsenal reopened a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as their set-piece prowess helped them to a 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.<\/p>\n

Under pressure to win following Manchester City’s victory over Leeds on Saturday, Arsenal scored their 15th and 16th corner goals of the season through William Saliba and Jurrien Timber to beat Liam Rosenior’s side for the third time in six weeks.<\/p>\n

Chelsea scored from a corner of their own in between those two goals when Piero Hincapie flicked a wicked Reece James delivery into his own net in first-half stoppage time, but their hopes of fighting back for a second time were hit by a red card to Pedro Neto.<\/p>\n

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Player ratings<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

Arsenal:<\/b> Raya (8), Timber (8), Saliba (8), Gabriel (7), Hincapie (7), Zubimendi (6), Rice (7), Eze (6), Saka (7), Trossard (6), Gyokeres (6)\n<\/p>\n

Subs:<\/b> Martinelli (6), Havertz (6), Norgaard (6)\n<\/p>\n

Chelsea:<\/b> Sanchez (5), James (8), Chalobah (7), Sarr (6), Hato (6), Caicedo (6), Santos (6), Enzo (6), Palmer (6), Neto (4), Joao Pedro (6)\n<\/p>\n

Subs:<\/b> Lavia (6), Gusto (6), Delap (n\/a), Garnacho (n\/a), Tosin (n\/a)\n<\/p>\n

Player of the Match:<\/b> Jurrien Timber\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Chelsea winger was shown a second yellow card for a cynical foul on Gabriel Martinelli just three minutes after being booked for dissent as he became the seventh Chelsea player to receive a red card in the Premier League this season.<\/p>\n

While Robert Sanchez struggled in goal for Chelsea, appearing to duck under Declan Rice’s cross for Timber’s goal, Arsenal were indebted to David Raya for some vital saves, including in stoppage time, when he brilliantly tipped a Alejandro Garnacho cross wide.<\/p>\n

Raya also clawed a goalbound corner around the post shortly before Chelsea’s equaliser, although Chelsea were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty after that James delivery appeared to strike the arm of Rice, who was grappling with his marker.<\/p>\n

Arsenal experienced some nervy moments in the closing stages as the 10-man visitors pushed for another equaliser, but in the end their one-goal advantage proved sufficient, allowing them to keep their noses in front of Manchester City in the title race<\/p>\n

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\n \"Arsenal's\n <\/div>
\n Image:<\/span>
\n Arsenal’s William Saliba (second right) celebrates with his team-mates after scoring his sides first goal
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As Arsenal restore their five-point lead at the summit, having played a game more than City, Chelsea are left three points behind fifth-placed Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.<\/p>\n

Arteta delights at ‘big win’<\/h3>\n

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta<\/strong> to Sky Sports<\/em>:<\/p>\n

“Big win. I am very happy. We performed in an excellent way for big periods.<\/p>\n

“The margin should have been bigger at half-time. The moment we conceded was painful, but it is the quality of Chelsea.<\/p>\n

“After the red card we should have managed the situation better.<\/p>\n

“The way we have reacted after that disappointing result against Wolves has been top.<\/p>\n

“There are things we have learned about ourselves. The manner we have dealt with that is top. Let’s keep going.”<\/p>\n

Rosenior: It’s the story of our season<\/h3>\n

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior<\/strong> to Sky Sports:<\/em><\/p>\n

“It’s been the same story for the last three games. You have performances to get results but it’s the same story.<\/p>\n

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Chelsea’s red mist<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

Only Sunderland in 2009\/10 (8) and Leicester City in 1994\/95 (8) have had more different players receive a red card in a Premier League season than Chelsea in 2025\/26, with Pedro Neto being their seventh.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“We are together because what I never do, whether we win or lose games, is start pointing fingers at players.<\/p>\n

“But it is clear what we need to improve. It is not our football or attacking play, we need to make sure we are ruthless in both boxes.<\/p>\n

“To concede two goals from corners and get another red card, that has been the story of our season.”<\/p>\n

Analysis: Arsenal’s corners are a game-breaking weapon<\/h3>\n

There was a palpable sense of anticipation inside the Emirates Stadium when Timber won Arsenal’s first corner against Chelsea. Moments later, they were ahead. One corner, one goal. Their mastery of set-pieces continues to reward them.<\/p>\n

Saliba’s opener, nodded home after Saka’s back-post delivery had been headed across goal by his centre-back partner Gabriel, was their 15th corner goal of the season and their 16th followed when Timber forced home Rice’s centre.<\/p>\n

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Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


\n \"ARSENAL\"
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William Saliba and Jurrien Timber speak to Sky Sports after Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Chelsea at Emirates Stadium<\/span>
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“The first goal is top,” conceded Rosenior to Sky Sports<\/em> afterwards. He said Chelsea had spent extra time on set-piece preparation in the lead-up to the game but they are not the first side to be undone by Arsenal’s corners and they will not be the last.<\/p>\n

Arteta was eager to point out that most of Arsenal’s goals have come from other sources lately. All four against Spurs were scored from open play. But their set-pieces, and specifically their corners, continue to be a game-breaking weapon.<\/p>\n

Saliba’s header was Arsenal’s ninth opening goal from a corner in the Premier League this season. Timber’s was their ninth match-winning goal from a corner. The set-piece emphasis is not for everyone but there is no doubting its value to Arsenal in marginal games.<\/p>\n

Their Premier League rivals are still struggling to find solutions.<\/p>\n

Arsenal’s deadly corners in stats<\/h3>\n
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  • Arsenal’s total of 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season is the joint-most by any side in a single campaign, along with Oldham in 1992\/93, West Brom in 2016\/17, and the Gunners themselves in 2023\/24.<\/li>\n
  • This was the ninth time in the Premier League this season that Arsenal have scored a match-winning goal from a corner, now the outright most by a team in a single campaign (overtaking Manchester United’s eight in 2012\/13).<\/li>\n
  • Arsenal have gone 1-0 up from a corner on nine occasions in the Premier League this season, the joint-most by a team in a single campaign, along with Southampton in 1994\/95.<\/li>\n
  • Gabriel Magalhaes has been directly involved in 25 goals in the Premier League (20 goals, five assists), now the outright most by an Arsenal centre-back in the competition, overtaking Laurent Koscielny, on 24.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    WATCH: The key moments<\/h3>\n
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    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


    \n \"GOAL\"
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    Chelsea equalised through Piero Hincapie’s own goal from a corner<\/span>
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    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


    \n \"GOAL\"
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    Arsenal opened the scoring when William Saliba scored from a corner<\/span>
    \n <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


    \n \"GOAL\"
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    Jurrien Timber scored the decisive goal from another corner<\/span>
    \n <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


    \n \"RED
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    Pedro Neto was sent off for two yellow cards in three minutes<\/span>
    \n <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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    Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player<\/p>\n


    \n \"SAVE\"
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    David Raya pulls off magnificent 90+2′ save to maintain Arsenal’s lead against Chelsea<\/span>
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    Story of the match in stats<\/h3>\n

    What’s coming up in the Premier League?<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Arsenal reopened a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as their set-piece prowess helped them to a 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arsenal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipsport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}