Arsenal defeated London rivals Chelsea 1-0 for their first win in four Premier League games on Sunday as a headed goal by stand-in striker Mikel Merino boosted their faint hopes of catching up with runaway leaders Liverpool.
Merino scored in the 20th minute when he stooped to flick his looping header over Robert Sanchez in the Chelsea goal after a Martin Odegaard corner.
The win left second-placed Arsenal 12 points behind Liverpool who face Newcastle United in the League Cup final later on Sunday.
Both the top two teams have played 29 games with a further nine rounds of fixtures to go. Chelsea are fourth, one point ahead of Manchester City and five behind third-placed Nottingham Forest.
