Arsenal F.C. re-established a five-point cushion at the summit of the Premier League after battling to a 2-1 victory against 10-man Chelsea F.C..
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header settled the contest at Emirates Stadium, in a match where all three goals originated from corners.
The hosts struck first in the 21st minute. Gabriel Magalhaes rose to meet Bukayo Saka’s delivery and nodded the ball into the path of William Saliba, whose header crossed the line with help from a deflection off Mamadou Sarr.
Chelsea also threatened from set-pieces. After David Raya produced an excellent stop to keep out Jorrel Hato who was being held by Declan Rice Piero Hincapie inadvertently turned the ball into his own net just before the break to level matters.
Joao Pedro had penalty claims waved away before seeing a header cleared off the line, but Arsenal’s dominance from dead-ball situations proved decisive once more. Rice floated a perfectly weighted cross onto Timber, catching Robert Sanchez stranded.
Pedro Neto received a booking for dissent following Timber’s goal and was dismissed less than three minutes later after bringing down Gabriel Martinelli.
Raya was called into action late on, pushing Alejandro Garnacho’s cross behind, and although Liam Delap found the net deep into stoppage time, Joao Pedro had strayed offside earlier in the move.
Data Debrief: Corner records tumble
Arsenal’s reputation as Europe’s most dangerous side from set-pieces was reinforced in a game dictated by corners.
Their 16 Premier League goals from corners this season equal the record for most in a single campaign, matching Oldham (1992-93), West Brom (2016-17), and Arsenal themselves (2023-24).
Mikel Arteta’s side have now netted a match-winning goal from a corner in nine league matches this term the highest such total in a single season, surpassing Manchester United’s previous record of eight in 2012-13.
Indeed, the Premier League has already seen more goals from corners this season (138 in 281 matches) than across the entirety of the previous campaign (135 in 380 matches).
With so much of the action coming from set-pieces, the expected goals reflected a tight encounter, as Arsenal’s 1.12 xG narrowly exceeded Chelsea’s 1.05.
