Arsenal beat the Blues to restore 5-point table lead

A corner turned for Arsenal in the title race? No one will be able to say for certain until the season is definitively concluded but this 2-1 win over Chelsea does feel like it will be held up as a defining game in a wider Premier League shift. All three goals came through set pieces, and none of them especially clean either. It was that kind of game, as Chelsea now have to dig in and turn a corner of their own.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

Arsenal 2

Saliba (21), Timber (66)

Chelsea 1

Hincapie (45+2 og)

Mikel Arteta disputed that the victory was “ugly” but he did talk about how all teams currently have to “suffer”.

Arsenal have endured a lot of that lately, and it’s one reason why they won’t especially care about debates on the nature of this win. They had to get through it, and through this period.

While it’s still a bit of a stretch to say that this rectifies the two draws from Brentford and - especially - Wolves, Arsenal have now picked up successive victories in difficult London derbies they might have been expected to drop points in. That is crucial for momentum, and confidence, especially amid the debates over play.

In previous Premier League seasons - especially between 2016 and 2023 - it would have been logical to feel they ultimately don’t have the repeating firepower up front; that they will eventually lose a shootout to Manchester City.

But this isn’t the same type of season. This isn’t the same Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side had a similar performance in their 1-0 win away to Leeds United, that had again increased the pressure on Arsenal. City had to grind through it, in the same way Arteta’s team did here.

Arsenal looked like they could face a familiar angst after Piero Hincapie put into his own net to give Chelsea an equaliser just before halftime, but managing such moods - as much as games - is something that Arteta has become increasingly conscious of.