Gabriel Magalhaes poked home a corner into the roof of the net to take Arsenal back to the Premier League summit with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The best chance of the opening half fell to Gabriel Jesus around the half-hour mark. His Brazilian team-mate Gabriel Martinelli brilliantly got past Cesar Azpilicueta before curling a pinpoint inswinging corner to the far post towards a completely unmarked Jesus.
The striker’s diving header, however, went wide as his eight-game goal drought continued.
Arsenal continued to pressure the home side in the second half as Graham Potter’s men struggled to get out of their half.
The goal, which came from a corner, saw Bukayo Saka hit a low cross into the box, which pinged through several Chelsea defenders. The ball looked to be going in, but for good measure, Gabriel poked it into the roof of the net from close range.
After the goal, Arsenal continued to push, with chances falling to Saka and Martin Odegaard, but the visitors were unable to double their lead.
Chelsea had a penalty scare late in the second half as it looked like Marc Cucurella had handled the ball inside the box, but a quick VAR check confirmed that the incident happened outside of the area.
Much was made about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s return to play against his former side, but the striker struggled to make his mark on the match, getting booked in the 27th minute for a late tackle on Ben White and being substituted off in the 64th minute, replaced by Armando Broja.
Up next, Arsenal will host Brighton in the Carabao Cup, while Chelsea will face the monstrous task of taking on Manchester City in the same competition.
TALKING POINT: ANOTHER WIN FOR ARSENAL TAKES THEM TOP
After their loss against Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier in the season, there were questions asked about whether they could keep up this surprise title charge. They silenced some doubters with the win against Liverpool, and a victory against inter-city rivals away from home is yet another test they have completed. Even with goalscorers like Jesus and Odegaard not firing, they’ve found a way to score goals. Mikel Arteta’s men only have to face Wolves left in the Premier League before the World Cup break, and the hope for them is that they remain top before the Christmas period.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: WILLIAM SALIBA
Arsenal have their hands on a fantastic talent in Saliba. At only 21 years old, the Frenchman stepped up and put in a fantastic performance against rivals away from home. He was essential in The Gunners’ clean sheet, and with three clearances, one block, two tackles, and two of three ground duels won, he was the heart of the defence. Alongside White, the two make a formidable pair on Arsenal’s right-hand side, and Aubameyang, along with Mason Mount, struggled immensely to get past the two of them.
PLAYER RATINGS
CHELSEA: Mendy 6, Azpilicueta 6, Silva 7, Chalobah 6, Cucurella 6, Loftus-Cheek 5, Jorginho 5, Mount 5, Havertz 6, Aubameyang 5, Sterling 5… Subs: Gallagher 6, Kovacic 6, Broja 6, Pulisic 6.
ARSENAL: Ramsdale 7, White 8, Saliba 8, Gabriel 7, Zinchenko 7, Odegaard 6, Partey 7, Xhaka 6, Saka 7, Martinelli 7, Jesus 6… Subs: Tierney 6, Elneny N/A.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
9’ – CHELSEA CHANCE: Chelsea break and Sterling gets the ball to Havertz. Aubameyang makes a run alongside him and is in a perfect position for a cutback, but the German takes a touch too long to make a decision, and his cross is nowhere near a team-mate as it goes out for a throw-in.
20’ – BIG BLOCK: A brilliant run from Jesus as he sits a couple of defenders down on the edge of the box, but his Brazilian team-mate, Silva, comes out with a huge block to deny him. Chelsea break and Mount receives the ball from Sterling. He attempts a shot, but Xhaka makes the block.
29’ – HUGE CHANCE FOR ARSENAL: How has he missed that!? It’s some fantastic play again from Arsenal. Martinelli curls a lovely cross over the top and to the far post. Jesus, who is completely unmarked, puts a diving header wide from eight yards. Jesus has not scored in eight games, and he could have ended the drought there!
56’ – BIG CHANCE FOR ARSENAL: Odegaard curls a cross in that just hits the head of Partey who has to stretch to make contact, and his shot is well wide. Arsenal need to communicate, as Martinelli was right behind Partey and would have had a better chance to score.
63’ – GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 CHELSEA: After some awful defending from Chelsea that leads to an Arsenal corner, the ball from Saka flies in past so many bodies before Gabriel pokes it home, the ball hitting the top of the net! Huge lead for Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
82’ NO PEN! The ball hits Cucurella’s arm, and it goes to VAR, but no penalty is given as the ball seems to hit his arm outside the area. Huge let-off for Chelsea!
