Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea: Player ratings as Gunners scrape past London rivals

  • Gunners secured slender win over Chelsea
  • Merino netted the winner
  • Rice impressive in the midfield
The Gunners managed a narrow in over Chelsea
The Gunners managed a narrow in over Chelsea | Neal Simpson/Allstar/GettyImages
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Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 at Emirates Stadium as they put an end to a three-game winless to return to pick up three points.

After a heavy rotation for the second leg against PSV Eindhoven, Mikel Arteta opted to return to full strength against the Blues, bringing in the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber.

It was a dominant start for Arsenal with Leandro Trossard having a number of efforts while Declan Rice also had a few chances to put his side ahead

The breakthrough came through a corner that not only put the Gunners in the lead but also broke their set-piece scoring duck. Martin Odegaard's inswinging corner was met by the head of makeshift striker Mikel Merino who flicked it into the far post.

After seeing out more dominance from the hosts, Chelsea stepped up their game and caused problems for Arsenal but they couldn't get a goal, meaning the Gunners went into half-time ahead.

The Gunners continued to cause problems following the break but couldn't extend their advantage to two. Chelsea again waited until the closing stages of the half to make trouble but Arsenal did well to keep them at bay and see out the win.

Arsenal's 1-0 win over Chelsea sees them stay second in the league, now 12 points off leaders Liverpool and four points ahead of third-placed Nottingham Forest.

Here are the Arsenal player ratings from their win over Chelsea.


Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea player ratings

David Raya
Raya had a mixed game | Julian Finney/GettyImages

Goalkeeper & Defenders

David Raya (GK) - 6.5/10 - Made a couple of saves but almost cost his side a goal when he allowed a Chelsea shot to go through his hands. Got away with it when it went just past the post.

Jurrien Timber (RB) - 7.5/10 - Had a good game as he helped out in both attack and defence. Linked up well with Martinelli and also kept Chelsea at bay.

William Saliba (CB) - 7/10 - Solid game from Arsenal's star man. Helped keep Chelsea's attacks to a minimum and prevented them doing too much when they did threaten.

Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) - 7/10 - Like Saliba, put in a good performance and limited the Blues to little chances. Picked up a booking late on.

Myles Lewis-Skelly (LB) - 7/10 - Got up the pitch well and also played the inverted role brilliantly. Was also solid in defence. All-round good performance from the youngster.

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