Arsenal have returned to the top of the table with a deserved 1-0 win over Chelsea, with Gabriel Magalhaes getting the only goal of the game.
The Gunners were quick to assert their dominance at Stamford Bridge, refusing to play like the away team and were quickly on the front foot. The Blues struggled to disrupt us in possession, opting to keep things tight at the back as opposed to closing us down up the field, and it was no surprise to see the two sides go into the break level.
The best chance in the opening 45 minutes came from Gabriel Jesus, who won the ball back in the final third before weaving past three defenders, only for his shot to be blocked on the edge of the box.
The other main talking point came from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s lunge on Ben White, with our former striker’s late tackle seeing him pick up a yellow card.
We clearly came out in the second-half on a mission, and the Blues were quickly forced to try and be physical as they tried to stop us from playing. Trevoh Chalobah and Cesar Azpilicueta were both booked shortly after the break, and our best chance of the game so far soon followed. Gabriel Jesus latched onto the loose ball in the box to smash an effort into the far right off the goal, but Edouard Mendy was equal to it.
The opening goal quickly followed however, with the resulting corner sailing through the box and almost straight into the goal, only for Gabriel Magalhaes to get a foot to it on the line to assure us of the opening goal.
Graham Potter quickly reacted to the goal by bringing on Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher, with PEA and Kai Havertz making way, but the direction of the game wasn’t to be changed.
The remainder of the half was played out with very few clearcut chances, despite Chelsea trying to force their way up the field. William Saliba and Ben White were solid in stopping attacks before the could get close and deserve plenty of credit for their role in the victory, which sends us back to the top of the table.
Patrick