Arsenal Secure Crucial Victory Over Chelsea In London Derby

Arsenal edged out Chelsea 1-0 in a tightly contested London derby at the Emirates Stadium with Mikel Merino's 20th-minute goal being the decisive moment. The victory marked Arsenal's fourth consecutive win in the Premier League and solidified their position in the top four.

Arsenal controlled and dominated the game from the get-go, leading to Merino striking home Martin Odegaard's corner. The rest of the game stayed much in Arsenal's control forcing saves from Sanchez. 

Chelsea struggled to create scoring opportunities, with Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku barely making an impact. The Blues' lack of intensity and slow thought process hindered their ability to threaten the Arsenal goal.

The Blues' best chance came in the 85th minute, with Cucurella's header from George's cross being easily claimed by Raya. Besides that, they were lukewarm, hoping to restore level terms. The loss rendered Chelsea winless in seven Premier League games.

Overview 

Sanchez was the prominent figure for the Blues otherwise the margin would have been wider. The goalkeeper reacted quickly to Badashille's goal-bound deflection from Timber's effort from the left flank. Cucurella was beaten in a challenge for the ball, getting his hand to the ball could have given away a penalty to Arsenal. 

Martinelli and Odegaard caused problems for Chelsea. Odegaard later was issued a yellow card for a tackle he could have avoided. Nevertheless, set pieces are critical moments for Arsenal and they made the most of it with Merino's winner.