Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Sport

Arsenal back on top of the Premier League after win at Chelsea

The win sends Arteta’s side back to the summit of the Premier League [Reuters]

Arsenal have leapfrogged Manchester City to retake the top spot in the English Premier League with a 1-0 win in the rain over London rivals Chelsea.

After a largely equally matched first half on Sunday that saw only one shot on target – Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey comfortably saving an effort from Kai Havertz – the second period saw the match come to life with a goal poked in by Gabriel Magalhaes, converting a corner from Bukayo Saka.

“We deserved to win today,” said Arsenal’s Grant Xhaka after the match. “We were much, much, much the better team. We are doing what the coaches tell us, and these are the results. After the season nobody asks you how you win in November, December or January. You are just trying to get a lot of points, and let’s see where we end up.”

Cheers and jeers for Aubameyang

There were hugs before kick-off for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Xhaka embracing the former Arsenal star whose poor relationship with manager Mikel Arteta led to his departure from the club in the January transfer window.

But the sentiment was not shared by Arsenal fans, who booed the ex-Gunner whenever he ventured close to the away end.

Raheem Sterling’s piercing pass in the ninth minute got Havertz in behind Arsenal’s back line, but the German’s butchered conversion left Chelsea manager Graham Potter a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

Some entertaining head tennis in the opening period gave Ben White a chance to shine in Arsenal’s defence.

Arsenal defender Ben White must be hopeful of a place in the England squad travelling to Qatar this month [Glyn Kirk/AFP]

An energetic Arsenal finally provoked a response from Chelsea after 20 minutes, with a mazy run by Gabriel Jesus thwarted by Thiago Silva, before a Mason Mount shot was blocked at the other end. Suddenly, Stamford Bridge stadium had woken up and the game was starting to bubble away nicely.

A yellow card for Aubameyang after a trademark late challenge on Mason Mount gave Marc Cucurella a chance to send a free kick towards the far post, but Trevoh Chalobah could do little with it as Chelsea started to control the game a little more after a vibrant start from Arteta’s men.

Missed chances

The Gunners should have been up after 29 minutes, but a golden opportunity for Jesus was missed as the striker could only get the slightest of touches with his header at the back post. Half an hour in, and Arsenal were certainly causing Chelsea problems down their right flank.

The breakthrough finally came after 62 minutes, when Chelsea failed to deal with a Saka corner that sailed past the men in blue, for a grateful Jesus to make contact and jab the ball home into the net.

The win send Arteta’s side back to the summit of the Premier League. Chelsea, meanwhile, look lost under Potter and seem to be getting worse rather than better after an initial run of good results.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.