Arsenal end three-game winless run with 1-0 victory over Chelsea

ARSENAL BROUGHT THEIR three-game winless run in the Premier League to an end with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates to strengthen their grip on second place.

Mikel Merino’s clever header in the 19th minute settled a London derby that will not live long in the memory, the stand-in number nine looping Martin Odegaard’s corner in at the far post as Mikel Arteta’s side rekindled memories from earlier in the season of their effectiveness and cunning at set-pieces.

Chelsea, playing for the first time in the league without the injured Cole Palmer, were by contrast completely bereft of ideas, the slow, timorous approach that has characterised recent nervy wins lacking the bite to trouble Arsenal who had little problem keeping the ball from them.

It is now four wins from the last 13 in the league for Enzo Maresca’s fourth-placed side who continue to stumble through their bid to reach the Champions League.

Arsenal were the better side virtually from the beginning.

Early in the first half, Jurrien Timber muscled Marc Cucurella off the ball and squared it for Leandro Trossard whose close-range effort was blocked by Wesley Fofana before goalkeeper Robert Sanchez showed an unnerving lack of confidence with a wild, limp-wristed swipe.

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Declan Rice drilled an effort half a yard wide of Sanchez’s post as Arsenal began to box Chelsea in, then Sanchez flew from his goal to swat a cross back towards danger, but Trossard blasted wide on the half-volley.

It had been a thoroughly one-sided opening 20 minutes and Arsenal capped it with the goal their enterprise merited. Odegaard’s corner was whipped towards the six-yard box where Merino manoeuvred across Reece James and stooped to flick an intelligent, looping header back over his own shoulder and in.

Arsenal had tormented Chelsea with their high energy and expansive width. By contrast, Maresca’s side had not yet had a touch in the opposition box by the time they went 1-0 down.

The visitors finally mounted an attack in earnest in the 36th minute. After Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku had had shots blocked, Cucurella went for the spectacular, unleashing a thumping volley that squeezed through David Raya’s grasp and dropped inches wide, to the goalkeeper’s considerable relief.

The matter of whom to play in goal has become a preoccupying issue for Maresca.

Few of his selections have invited greater scrutiny than which of the error-prone pair of Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen should get the nod, and around the hour mark Sanchez went some of the way towards repaying the faith shown by the head coach in restoring him to the side.

Gabriel Martinelli’s cross to the far post was pinpoint, and arriving to meet it with a crisp, first-time instep was Merino, guiding it firmly goalwards only to be denied by superb reflexes from Sanchez, who instinctively threw out an arm and palmed the ball away from on the line.

Elsewhere, in west London, Tottenham were brought back down to earth after second-half goals by substitutes Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon sent Fulham up to eighth with a 2-0 home win.

Spurs kept their hopes for the season alive with a comeback victory over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday to lift the pressure on Ange Postecoglou, but they could not build on that result.

A much-changed Tottenham side improved in the second half after a dull first 45 minutes and yet it was two players introduced by Marco Silva which earned Fulham a precious three points in their quest for European qualification.

Muniz broke the deadlock in the 78th minute with his ninth goal this term and former Spurs defender Sessegnon grabbed an emotional second when he curled into the top corner late on to inflict a 15th league loss of the campaign on his old club.

Postecoglou shuffled his pack after Thursday’s crucial victory with seven changes including James Maddison and Son Heung-min being benched, which meant Archie Gray made his first start for Spurs in midfield.

Fulham took advantage to boost their top-seven hopes.