Arsenal restored their five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as set-piece specialists William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both scored from corners.
Arsenal went ahead in the 21st minute, with Gabriel Magalhaes meeting Bukayo Saka’s corner to set up his fellow centre-back William Saliba, whose header found the net via a deflection from Mamadou Sarr.
Chelsea caused Arsenal problems of their own from corners, though, and after David Raya had made a superb save to deny Jorrel Hato, Piero Hincapie scored an own goal to restore parity on the stroke of half-time.
The decisive moment came in the 66th minute when Timber’s header from Rice’s pinpoint corner proved decisive at Emirates Stadium, where all three goals came from corners.
Pedro Neto was booked for dissent in the aftermath of Timber’s goal, and he saw red less than three minutes later when he scythed down Gabriel Martinelli, becoming Chelsea’s seventh player to receive a red card in the Premier League this season.
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 tipped an Alejandro Garnacho cross-shot wide.
The victory represents Arsenal’s dominance from dead-ball situations this season. 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).
Arsenal’s 16 goals from corners this season equals the Premier League record set by Oldham in 1992-93, West Brom in 2016-17, and Arsenal themselves in 2023-24.
The win keeps Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City, though Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand. For Chelsea, the defeat leaves them three points outside the top five in the race for Champions League qualification, with their persistent discipline issues continuing to undermine their campaign.
Arsenal’s title charge now faces a crucial run of fixtures as they seek to end a 22-year wait for a Premier League crown, with their set-piece prowess proving to be a decisive weapon in tight matches against top opposition.
