Arsenal strengthened their grip in second place in the Premier League when the first half of Mikel Merino won a 1-0 win over Rivals Chelsea.
2024/2025 Premier League
1-0
- Merino (20 ')
Match -Events
0 'The game is about to start!
3 'Trossard fires from a distance, there is no closing if Sanchez is standing still!
10 'Sanchez bad clearance went to Martinelli, but he saves the shot under pressure!
12 'Cucurella struggled against wood while Fofana cleaned up but rice volleyed over!
13 'rice shot closely wide from 25 meters, focused just within the right post from Sanchez!
17 'Both Fernandez and Neto in this case on the floor!
18 'Sanchez used the cross of Timber, parry to Trossard, who missed the target!
19 'goal! Odegaard's Corner is met by Merino on the Outpost! Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
20 'Martinelli defeated Badishile and crossed to Merino, but Sanchez has made it clear!
24 'Fofana avoided caution when the referee missed his stamp on Rice's thigh!
25 'Enzo stole the ball from Saliba and shot a shot from a distance, missing target!
30 'yellow card! Colwill booked for scissors tackle on Trossard!
33 'Odegaard plays in Martinelli, who has only been blamed with the keeper!
37 'Cucurella brought it up and the ball slid through and almost found the distant pole!
43 'Fernandez shoots to the left but misses the top corner with a few meters!
45 'Fofana hurts ribs collided with Merino, earns fan sympathy because of earlier error!
52 'yellow card! Pedro Neto booked for a complaint for Fofana's error on Trossard!
54 'yellow card! Gabriel has booked for removing James!
58 'Neto cuts in Gabriel & Vuurt over the bar after receiving a pass from Enzo!
59 'yellow card! Fofana booked for tame attack of throwing the second ball on the field!
59 'Martinelli crossed to Merino, he volleyde, but Sanchez saved the diving well!
64 'Ødegaard shoots but Sanchez saves comfortably left!
65 'yellow card! Ødegaard booked for an overy challenge on Cucurella!
76 'Double change for Chelsea Sancho and Nunku finally strayed!
78 'Nwaneri replaces Martinelli and stimulates the home crowd!
82 'Chelsea Captain, a striking artist, can play defensive midfield for England!
Match report
The side of Mikel Arteta went on Sunday Derby Winless in their last three league matches, although they produced a much -needed reaction to restore their four -point kisses over the third posted Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea was for the first time without the injured Cole Palmer in a Premier League match since April 2024, when they were hammered by Arsenal in the Emirates last season by Arsenal.
The lack of attacking threats from the visitors without Palmer was noticeable because the side of Enzo Maresca did not escape their own half before waves of home printing found a earned reward in the 20th minute.
Iangeshift -striker Merino went into the opener from the corner of Martin Odegaard, although Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli had all come close to breaking Robert Sanchez's goal.
David Raya offered the home team a fear of the interval when Marc Cucurella's optimistic volley slid through the grip of the Arsenal goalkeeper, scary and rolled closely wide into the right corner.
Merino then almost doubled his count and the lead of Arsenal, with a second half of volley that forced a nice Sanchez stop when the hosts ran comfortable winners.
The victory of Arsenal leaves them 12 points on drift leaders Liverpool, while Chelsea celebrated a point free of the fifth Manchester City and two for Newcastle United, who have a game hand.
One-Nul to the Arsenal pic.twitter.com/aymfihbuqm
– Arsenal (@ARSENAL) March 16, 2025
Data debrief: Set-piece joy again for Arsenal
Since the beginning of last season, Arsenal has scored more goals from corners than any other Premier League side (27), while 11 of them have opened the score, which is also a competition high in this period.
Merino did the damage and this season scored his fifth Premier League goal to match his best score campaign in Europe's top five competitions (also five in 2019-20-20-2019 and 2023-24 for Real Sociedad).
Maresca's side offered little on the other side, with Cucurella getting their only two shots on goal while Chelsea's Winless Run against Arsenal in the competition was stretched to seven games.
Discipline also remains a problem for the Maresca team, where Chelsea receives 79 yellow cards in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
Line-ups
Arsenal XI: Trossard, Partey, David Raya, Ødegaard, Merino, Rice, Gabriel, Martinelli, Saliba, Timber, Lewis-Skelly
Subs: Neto, Jorginho, Zinchenko, Tierney, Ben White, Kiwior, Calafiori, N. Butler-Oyedeji, Nwaneri
Chelsea XI: Cucurella, Nunku, Sancho, Reece James, Robert Sánchez, Pedro Neto, Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Enzo, Caicedo, Colwill
Subs: Bettinelli, Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Dewsbury-Hall, Jørgensen, Gusto, Lavia, Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George
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