Mikel Merino was the match-winner as Arsenal secured a crucial victory over Chelsea, closing the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to 12 points.
Both teams entered the contest without their first-choice strikers—Arsenal’s Kai Havertz was sidelined for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury, while Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson was also unavailable.
Adding to Chelsea’s woes, key playmaker Cole Palmer was missing from the squad due to injury. This marked the first time the Blues played without him since their heavy 5-0 defeat to Arsenal last season in April.
With Merino once again deployed as an emergency striker, Arsenal started brightly. Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Declan Rice all threatened Chelsea’s goal in the early exchanges.
Merino eventually broke the deadlock in the 20th minute, glancing a curling Martin Ødegaard corner past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
Chelsea’s best chance to equalize came when Marc Cucurella’s powerful strike slipped through David Raya’s hands, only for the ball to roll just past the post.
Robert Sánchez, recently reinstated as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, endured a mixed evening. The Blues found themselves under sustained pressure from Arsenal’s deliveries into the box, and the home fans jeered Sánchez whenever he had the ball at his feet.
Despite his shaky moments, Sánchez produced a superb save in the second half to deny Merino a second goal. However, Chelsea struggled to create clear-cut opportunities to salvage a point.
Liverpool were not in league action over the weekend as they were occupied with the Carabao Cup final.
Since their first serious Premier League title challenge under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have attempted to play with more control. However, their attacking approach has drawn criticism, and the absence of an elite forward has been evident this season, especially with key attacking players suffering injuries at various points.
Although Arteta has built a well-structured and organized team, Arsenal have often failed to capitalize on promising positions in attack. This inefficiency has been a recurring issue and a major factor in their fading title hopes.
Merino’s goal highlighted Arsenal’s effectiveness from set-pieces, marking their 11th goal from a corner this season. Arteta’s continued trust in set-piece coach Nicolas Jover appears justified, as these dead-ball situations continue to earn Arsenal vital points in closely contested matches.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, restored to the starting XI, delivered another impressive performance, celebrating his recent call-up to the senior England squad with a composed display.
Arsenal fans were given a boost before kickoff as Bukayo Saka was spotted pitchside. Arteta confirmed that the winger is “getting closer” to a return, raising hopes that he could be available for their upcoming Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid.
For Chelsea, securing Champions League qualification remains their primary goal this season, and the fight for European places looks set to go down to the final stretch.
Their chances of getting a result against Arsenal took a major hit when news broke of Palmer’s absence.
Palmer has been instrumental in Chelsea’s attacking play, directly contributing to 20 of their 53 Premier League goals this season—an impressive 38% involvement.
Though Palmer has not scored in his last seven appearances, his presence and creativity were sorely missed against Arsenal.
With Jackson unavailable, manager Enzo Maresca opted to use Pedro Neto as Chelsea’s central striker. However, Arsenal’s well-drilled defense dealt with him comfortably.
Maresca has overseen notable progress at Chelsea this season, keeping them in the race for a top-four finish. However, if they are to secure Champions League football, they must take more attacking risks in the final third.
Chelsea’s struggles away from home continued, as they remain winless in their last seven away league matches, losing their past four consecutive games on the road.
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