LONDON: Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points but it was an afternoon of nerves in north London.
It was far from pretty but Mikel Arteta’s side, and the fans who squirmed through the closing minutes, will not care about that as a first title since 2004 edged a little closer.
Arsenal moved to 64 points from 29 games with sole chasers Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
Arsenal fans will hope that the remaining nine games of the Premier League run-in are less fraught than this one.
CORNER KINGS
It was not a fluent showing as they extended their unbeaten league run against Chelsea to nine games and they had to resort to the tactic that has served them so well this season.
With both their goals coming from corners, Arsenal have now scored 16 times from that route this season in the Premier League, the joint-most by any side in a single campaign.
They were given a taste of their own medicine though with Hincapie’s own goal also coming from a corner.
There were puffed cheeks aplenty too as the referee blew the final whistle after a period of stoppage time that Arsenal spent hanging on against Chelsea’s 10 men.
Last weekend’s drubbing of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur had eased the mounting pressure after Arsenal’s form had begun to waver in recent weeks.
Sixth-placed Chelsea proved a far sterner test though as they sought to boost their hopes of a top-five finish.
Arsenal got ahead when captain Bukayo Saka’s deep corner was headed back across goal by Gabriel and fellow defender Saliba nodded goalwards with the ball going in off Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr, although Saliba was credited with the goal.
They looked in control for much of the first half but wobbled before halftime as they fell foul of Chelsea’s own set-piece acumen.
Arsenal keeper David Raya had just made a reflex save to keep out a header by Jorrel Hato but from an almost identical corner swung in by Reece James he was helpless as the ball skimmed off the head of Hincapie and into the net.
The nerves really began to fray in the second half as Chelsea looked the more threatening side with Enzo Fernandez forcing Raya to turn his low shot around the post and then Joao Pedro heading the resulting corner straight at him.
When Rice’s corner left Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez floundering, Timber was there to restore Arsenal’s lead.
Neto was booked for dissent in the aftermath and three minutes later got himself sent off for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli. Yet Chelsea ended strongly and substitute Alejandro Garnacho almost snatched a point with his cross being clawed out by Raya before Liam Delap poked in from close range but Arsenal were saved by an offside flag.
