Arsenal strengthened their grip on second place in the Premier League as Mikel Merino's first-half header secured a 1-0 victory over rivals Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta's side headed into Sunday's derby winless in their last three league games, though they produced a much-needed response to restore their four-point cushion over third-placed Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea were without the injured Cole Palmer for the first time in a Premier League match since April 2024, when they were hammered 5-0 by Arsenal in this exact fixture last season at the Emirates.

The visitors' lack of attacking threat without Palmer was noticeable as Enzo Maresca's side failed to escape their 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 them 12 points adrift of runaway leaders Liverpool, while Chelsea remain fourth – just a point clear of fifth-placed Manchester City and two ahead of Newcastle United, who have a game hand.

Data Debrief: Set-piece joy again for Arsenal

Since the start of last season, Arsenal have scored more goals from corners than any other Premier League side (27), while 11 of those have opened the scoring, which is also a league-high total in this period.

Merino did the damage, scoring his fifth Premier League goal this season to equal his best scoring campaign in Europe's top five leagues (also five in 2019-20 and 2023-24 for Real Sociedad).

Maresca's side offered little at the other end, with Cucurella managing their only two shots on target as Chelsea's winless run against Arsenal in the competition stretched to seven games.

Discipline remains an issue for Maresca's team, too, with Chelsea receiving 79 yellow cards in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.