Timber topples battling Chelsea and keeps Arsenal on the accelerator

There were 63 minutes on the clock and the Arsenal crowd were in a state of extreme agitation.

- David Hytner Emirates Stadium

William Saliba had the ball at the back and he was taking his time - largely because there was nothing on for him. The fans screamed at him to hurry up.

Todosomething. Anything. Chelsea were not just level at 1-1, they had dominated the second half up to this point.

Jurrién Timber gestured for everyone to calm down. Arsenal would be fine if they could keep their focus. It took Timber three minutes to practise what he preached. When Declan Rice arched over a corner, Timber wriggled free to head home.

It was fraught until the end, the six minutes of added time stretching like hours for Arsenal. Moisés Caicedo banged just wide of the top corner for Chelsea and there was the moment when Alejandro Garnacho crossed for Joao Pedro and watched the ball go all the way through for the far corner. David Raya flung himself that way to make a stunning stop.

At the bitter end Liam Delap had the ball in the net only for Joao Pedro to be flagged offside in the buildup and the full-time whistle was the prompt for an outpouring of relief. It was some distance from a freewheeling Arsenal display. They struggled to make it happen in open play, their opening goal also coming from a corner, Saliba heading in. They found a way. The lead over Manchester City is back up to five points, albeit Arsenal have played an extra game.