Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea in a lackluster London derby on Sunday, thanks to a well-placed header from Mikel Merino. The win keeps the Gunners comfortably in second place and narrows the gap to league leaders Liverpool.
Chelsea, missing their star playmaker Cole Palmer due to illness, struggled to create chances and suffered a damaging setback in their race for a Champions League spot. While they remain in fourth place, they are now under serious pressure with five teams—including Manchester City and Aston Villa—closely trailing behind.
With Kai Havertz ruled out for the season, Arsenal have had to rely on Merino in a makeshift forward role. The Spaniard stepped up when it mattered, nodding home Martin Ødegaard’s corner in the 20th minute.
Chelsea rarely threatened but nearly found a way back when Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya fumbled a shot from Marc Cucurella, only for the ball to roll just wide. Meanwhile, Robert Sánchez kept the visitors in the game with a brilliant save to deny Merino a second goal.
Despite the slim margin, the match lacked real excitement, with Chelsea’s passive approach doing little to silence growing criticism of manager Enzo Maresca’s tactics. With the race for European football heating up, the Blues will need to find answers quickly.
