Arsenal passed a major examination of their Premier League title credentials after Jurriën Timber and William Saliba both scored from corners in a 2-1 win over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
A week after they thumped Tottenham, Arsenal recorded another pivotal triumph to restore their five-point advantage over Manchester City, albeit having played a game more.
Saliba sent the hosts on their way midway through the first half when he converted Bukayo Saka‘s corner, only for Piero Hincapié to put through his own net in first-half stoppage time.
Chelsea’s equaliser, which also arrived from a corner, rocked the Gunners, but they were back ahead after 66 minutes when Timber headed home Declan Rice‘s inswinger.
Pedro Neto received a yellow card for complaining about Timber’s goal and then landed a second booking just minutes later after he scythed down Gabriel Martinelli.
Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
It resulted in Chelsea’s seventh red card in the league this season and their second in as many matches.
Arsenal might have been expected to cruise to the full-time whistle, but David Raya produced a brilliant diving save from Alejandro Garnacho‘s curling effort and Liam Delap had an effort chalked off for offside – both in added time – as the Gunners took a significant stride to capturing their first title in 22 years.
With just nine games to go, Arsenal will play only one fixture against a side currently in the top six — next month’s mouth-watering trip to Pep Guardiola’s City.