Merino header lifts Arsenal to win over Chelsea
Arsenal strengthened its grip on second place in the Premier League as Mikel Merino's first-half header secured a 1-0 victory over rival Chelsea.
Mikel Arteta's side headed into the derby winless in its last three league games, though it produced a much-needed response to restore its four-point cushion over third-placed Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea was without the injured Cole Palmer for the first time in a Premier League match since April 2024, when it was hammered 5-0 by Arsenal in this exact fixture last season at the Emirates.
The visitor's lack of attacking threat without Palmer was noticeable as Enzo Maresca's side failed to escape its own half before waves of home pressure found a deserved reward in the 20th minute.
Makeshift striker Merino headed in the opener from Martin Odegaard's corner, though Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli had all already gone close to breaching Robert Sanchez's goal.
David Raya offered the home side a scare before the interval when Marc Cucurella's optimistic volley slipped through the Arsenal goalkeeper's grasp, rolling narrowly wide of the bottom-right corner.
Merino then almost doubled his tally, and Arsenal's lead, with a second-half volley that forced a fine Sanchez stop as the hosts ran out comfortable winners.
Arsenal's win leaves it 12 points adrift of runaway leader Liverpool, while Chelsea remain fourth – just a point clear of fifth-placed Manchester City and two ahead of Newcastle United, which has a game hand.
