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Arsenal edged Chelsea 2-1 at Emirates Stadium, with David Raya’s dramatic stoppage-time save drawing special praise from Mikel Arteta, who said a late shot almost stopped Arteta’s heart, as Arsenal restored a five-point cushion at the Premier League summit after a tense contest decided by set-piece situations.

All three goals came from corners in a match short on clear chances. Jurrien Timber headed in the decisive goal from a Declan Rice delivery, after earlier corner strikes at both ends. Chelsea then went down to ten players when Pedro Neto received two yellow cards within three minutes, which increased Arsenal’s territorial control.

With Chelsea pushing despite the dismissal, Raya first reacted to a dangerous Alejandro Garnacho cross, turning the ball away under pressure. Soon after, Joao Pedro met another delivery and forced Raya into a flying stop, although an offside flag meant that effort would not have counted even if it had gone in.

Arteta focused on Raya’s authority and decision-making. “David is one of our leaders without a doubt, Arteta said. He is a goalkeeper who knows how to maintain his focus and decide a match when you need it. Sometimes he doesn’t participate at all and then suddenly he has to act and the save he made in the last actionit was an unbelievable shot and my heart almost stopped, but he kept it out again. It was a fabulous save, but we shouldn’t have been in that position.”

The Arsenal manager admitted the closing stages became more uncomfortable than expected against ten players. “I try to stay calm, but we weren’t getting the dominance we wanted against ten men. Everyone is suffering and the margins are so tight, but it’s good. In March, we are in every competition and we are right up there.”

Set pieces remain a major weapon for Arsenal in this Premier League campaign. Opta data shows the team now have 16 league goals from corners this season, which is the joint-highest total recorded by any club in a single Premier League campaign, and those routines again proved decisive against Chelsea.

Raya’s broader Premier League record with Arsenal highlights consistent output in terms of clean sheets. This season Raya leads the division with 13 shutouts, equalling last season’s tally, when the goalkeeper shared the Golden Glove with Matz Sels. Raya had already claimed that award in 2023-24, producing 16 clean sheets in the first campaign at Arsenal.

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Advanced metrics place this season in a different light. Raya’s goals prevented figure in the league currently stands at -2.4, suggesting Raya has allowed just over two more goals than expected from the quality of shots. Even so, the late intervention against Chelsea preserved a second straight league victory and maintained Arsenal’s five-point advantage.

Arteta highlighted how the squad responded after the 2-2 draw with Wolves on February 18. “The way we have reacted to that disappointing result [2-2 draw with Wolves on February 18] has been top, Arteta added. I thought we were good, good human beings and wanting to win, but the level they are in now is another one.”

The head coach underlined the constant pressure at the top of the Premier League table. “The feeling that you have to continue to win and win and win, you win so many games but it is not enough to open a gap. This is the beauty and the level of this league.” Arsenal’s narrow success over Chelsea reflected that demanding standard yet kept every main target intact heading into March.

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