Arsenal scored from two trademark corners to beat 10-man Chelsea at Emirates Stadium and regain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester City had heaped pressure on the Gunners by cutting their lead to two points with victory at Leeds on Saturday.
But after a cagey start with few chances, Arsenal opened the scoring from a corner in the 21st minute.
Centre back Gabriel Magalhaes headed Bukayo Saka’s corner back across goal to his defensive partner William Saliba, whose header struck Mamadou Sarr on the arm before going into the net.
Chelsea grew into the match after going behind and threatened with their own set-pieces – scoring from a corner themselves just before half-time as Piero Hincapie flicked Reece James’ delivery into his own net.
Chelsea started the second half better than their hosts – creating a nervy atmosphere inside the stadium – before Jurrien Timber headed in Declan Rice’s corner.
Timber’s goal, Arsenal’s 16th from a corner this season, secured three crucial points in the title race.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta had introduced Gabriel Martinelli from the substitutes bench and when the winger looked to launch a counter-attack, he was brought down by Pedro Neto.
It meant the Chelsea forward, who was already on a yellow card, saw red with 20 minutes left to play.
Liam Delap thought he had snatched a point late on for the away side when he bundled the ball in but Joao Pedro was well offside in the build-up and the goal was ruled out.
The win puts Arsenal on 64 points, five clear of Manchester City, having played a game more than their rivals.
Arsenal analysis: Set-pieces get them over the line again
Arteta delighted with win over ‘top side’ Chelsea
Arsenal’s set-piece threat is nothing new. Their rivals go into games fully aware of it – and yet cannot stop it. And that is the most impressive thing about the Gunners’ ongoing success from dead-ball situations.
This was not Arsenal’s best performance of the season. But they displayed the character of potential champions by finding a way to win when things were not fully clicking.
Their set pieces were crucial, as they have been throughout the campaign. Arsenal tally of 16 goals from corners equals the most by any side in a single Premier League season, alongside Oldham in 1992-93, West Brom in 2016-17, and the Gunners themselves in 2023-24.
The Gunners have also gone 1-0 up from a corner on nine occasions in the top flight this season – in Premier League history, only the Southampton side of 1994-95 can match that. It shows how important their corners can be to unlocking a game. And no matter what the state of a match, their set-piece expertise always gives them a chance.
The battling nature of the win will please manager Arteta. His team showed they are ready to deal with the pressure of the title run-in.
David Raya had to produce a couple of excellent saves to keep Chelsea out – but the win was secured. And it allowed Arsenal supporters can celebrate a crucial three points as they look for a first title since 2004.
Chelsea analysis: Red cards cost the Blues again
Chelsea won’t achieve anything if they don’t solve disciplinary problems – Rosenior
Chelsea imploded in an all-too-familiar manner despite being in the ascendancy during the second half at Emirates Stadium.
A second goal conceded from a corner, scored by Timber in the 66th minute, was followed by a cynical foul from Pedro Neto that earned him a second yellow card and, ultimately, his dismissal.
It was Chelsea’s seventh Premier League red card of the season, leaving them two short of the division’s record with 10 games still to play. The sending off swung momentum back in Arsenal’s favour, and Chelsea were unable to recover.
It was also their ninth red card in all competitions. Before kick-off, head coach Liam Rosenior had suggest discipline was improving under his watch, but he has now seen players sent off in consecutive matches.
Pedro Neto will miss the midweek trip to Aston Villa, creating more headaches for Rosenior: Cole Palmer is a doubt, unable to play three matches a week because of ongoing fitness issues, and fellow attackers Estevao Willian and Jamie Gittens are out injured.
His dismissal came just a week after Wesley Fofana’s red card in the 1-1 draw against Burnley. Fofana’s suspension allowed Sarr to make his first league start since returning to Chelsea in Sunday’s match at Arsenal.
As with last weekend’s collapse, when Zian Flemming headed in an added‑time equaliser from a corner, Chelsea “set fire” to points once again, to borrow Rosenior’s phrase.
They again demonstrated the contrast between their attacking and defensive set‑piece output. James’ deliveries created an own goal, two penalty shouts and a clear chance, but the same vulnerabilities persist at the other end.
And the same old questions will be asked of this Chelsea team – the youngest in the Premier League – who have not beaten Arsenal since the days of Thomas Tuchel’s management and Roman Abramovich’s ownership.
In the short term, Chelsea have lost further ground on rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, both of whom won this weekend. They will need to improve if they are to realise their ambition of returning to the Champions League for next season.
