Arsenal dig deep against Chelsea to maintain title pressure on Man City
It has become clear that if the Gunners are to secure the trophy this season, they will have to do it the hard way.
Earlier hopes of a comfortable procession to the summit have evaporated as the campaign enters its final stages.
Mikel Arteta’s side are now fighting for every point as they approach the finish line.
With nine league games remaining, a perfect record would guarantee Arsenal the status of champions.
However, that run-in includes a pivotal trip to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Responding to the champions
The north Londoners have shown significant mental strength in their recent outings.
Having dropped points in four consecutive matches played after City earlier in the season, Arsenal have now successfully answered the questions asked of them.
Victories over Tottenham and Chelsea in back-to-back derbies have restored a sense of calm to their title bid.
While the win over Spurs was comprehensive, the three points against the Blues required a defiant rear-guard action.
Nerves against ten men
Unlike their commanding performance in the north London derby, Arsenal were forced to dig in until the final whistle against Chelsea.
The tension remained palpable even after the visitors saw Pedro Neto dismissed with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Surprisingly, the man advantage did not result in control for the hosts.
Following the red card, Arsenal completed just 55 passes compared to Chelsea’s 114.
The statistics made for grim reading in the closing stages, with the pass completion count swinging 53-7 in Chelsea’s favour from the 85th minute onwards.
“We weren’t getting the dominance and the sequences of play that we wanted and expected against the 10 men,” admitted Arteta.
“It’s certainly something that we’ll discuss tomorrow because we have to improve it and do better, but at the same time you have to give credit to Chelsea for the manner that they’ve done it.”
Surviving a late scare
The Gunners looked uncharacteristically nervous as they were pinned back in their own half.
Goalkeeper David Raya was required to produce a stunning save to claw away a dangerous cross and preserve the advantage.
The home crowd then faced an agonising moment in the dying seconds when the ball ended up in the Arsenal net.
However, a swift offside flag ruled out the goal, preventing what would have been a devastating blow to their title aspirations.
This result continues a recent trend of eking out tense, one-goal victories, mirroring similar narrow wins over Everton, Bournemouth, and Brighton.