LONDON — Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League courtesy of a 1-0 win over London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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Gabriel put Arsenal ahead on 63 minutes with his second goal of the season to settle a hard-fought game and crown Mikel Arteta’s 150th match in charge. The victory marked a third win in a row at Stamford Bridge for Arteta’s men, who reestablished their two-point advantage over Manchester City with one match to go before the league breaks for the World Cup.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang lined up to face his former club after leaving under something of a cloud back in February, when he was stripped of the Arsenal captaincy amid questions over his discipline. His most notable intervention here, though, was a yellow card for a rough foul on Arsenal’s Ben White before he was subbed off in the second half on a frustrating afternoon for the Chelsea striker.
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Rapid reaction
1. Statement win puts Arsenal back on top
Perhaps the authority was the most impressive thing. Arsenal only beat Chelsea by a solitary Gabriel goal but they played with a conviction and purpose which has previously been something of a rarity in games away from home against the traditional “Big Six.”
Chelsea have had injury problems under manager Graham Potter, still acclimatising to his new role, but this was nevertheless a victory which underlined the quality and clarity with which Mikel Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal. This was the Gunners’ third successive victory at Stamford Bridge, but on their two previous visits, they had 32% possession. On Sunday, that figure rose to 56% (it was 61% at half-time) as Arsenal imposed themselves on Chelsea to the extent they ended with an xG of 2.11 to Chelsea’s 0.26.
There was also a propensity for the Arsenal of old to endure a nervy finale riddled with errors and self-doubt but there was none of that here. They are now 13 points clear of Chelsea, back on top of the Premier League and safe in the knowledge if they win at struggling Wolves next week they will stay there during the World Cup break.
2. Arsenal leave Aubameyang further behind
If this match served as something of a referendum on whether Arsenal were right to jettison Aubameyang in such unceremonious circumstances back in January then there was only one winner. The 33-year-old was allowed to join Barcelona on a free transfer after a breakdown in relations with Arteta, who believed the striker’s lack of professionalism was undermining the growth of his team.
How the Gunners have grown in his absence. Aubameyang was hardly helped by an extremely disjointed display from Chelsea but he touched the ball just eight times — by far the fewest of anyone on the pitch by the time of his 64th-minute substitution. His only meaningful contributions were a blocked shot after William Saliba‘s mistake early in the second half and a late tackle on Ben White, for which he was booked and prompted an apoplectic reaction from Arteta on the touchline.
The Arsenal boss made a huge judgement call to release Aubameyang, and the contrasting fortunes of both parties since only vindicates him. Contrast his involvement with Gabriel Jesus, his effective replacement: 62 touches from 90 minutes.
