EPL: Arsenal earn crucial win over Chelsea; Man United jump to 3rd spot

IMAGE: Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring the winner against Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday. Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters

Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.

Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points but it was an afternoon of nerves in north London.

Manchester United, meanwhile, continued their fine run under interim coach Michael Carrick and moved to the third place with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace. 

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur’s winless streak extends to 10 games as they went 2-1 down to Fulham.

Arsenal extend lead

It was far from pretty but Mikel Arteta’s side, and the fans who squirmed through the closing minutes, will not care about that as a first title since 2004 edged a little closer.

Arsenal moved to 64 points from 29 games with sole chasers Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.

Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.

But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.

Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.

Arsenal fans will hope that the remaining nine games of the Premier League run-in are less fraught than this one.

Corner kings

IMAGE:  William Saliba put Arsenal ahead in the 21st minute. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

It was not a fluent showing as they extended their unbeaten league run against Chelsea to nine games and they had to resort to the tactic that has served them so well this season.

With both their goals coming from corners, Arsenal have now scored 16 times from that route this season in the Premier League, the joint-most by any side in a single campaign.

They were given a taste of their own medicine though with Hincapie’s own goal also coming from a corner.

There were puffed cheeks aplenty too as the referee blew the final whistle after a period of stoppage time that Arsenal spent hanging on against Chelsea’s 10 men.

Last weekend’s drubbing of north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur had eased the mounting pressure after Arsenal’s form had begun to waver in recent weeks.

Sixth-placed Chelsea proved a far sterner test though as they sought to boost their hopes of a top-five finish.

Arsenal survive pressure 

IMAGE: Chelsea came all guns blazing in the second half and had a goal disallowed in the dying minutes. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

Arsenal got ahead when captain Bukayo Saka’s deep corner was headed back across goal by Gabriel and fellow defender Saliba nodded goalwards with the ball going in off Chelsea’s Mamadou Sarr, although Saliba was credited with the goal.

They looked in control for much of the first half but wobbled before halftime as they fell foul of Chelsea’s own set-piece acumen.

Arsenal keeper David Raya had just made a reflex save to keep out a header by Jorrel Hato but from an almost identical corner swung in by Reece James he was helpless as the ball skimmed off the head of Hincapie and into the net.

The nerves really began to fray in the second half as Chelsea looked the more threatening side with Enzo Fernandez forcing Raya to turn his low shot around the post and then Joao Pedro heading the resulting corner straight at him.

When Rice’s corner left Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez floundering, Timber was there to restore Arsenal’s lead.

Neto was booked for dissent in the aftermath and three minutes later got himself sent off for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli.

Yet Chelsea ended strongly and substitute Alejandro Garnacho almost snatched a point with his cross being clawed out by Raya before Liam Delap poked in from close range but Arsenal were saved by an offside flag.

Man United rally to down Palace, climb to third

IMAGE: Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring their second goal. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty before delivering a free kick that Benjamin Sesko nodded home for a 2-1 comeback win over 10-man Crystal Palace that moved the hosts into third in the Premier League standings on Sunday.

Interim boss Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run since his appointment in mid-January stretched to seven matches, his side now sitting on 51 points from 28 games. Palace slumped to 14th, stuck on 35.

United remain unbeaten since the January 5 sacking of Ruben Amorim and having won six of their last seven matches under Carrick, they moved up to third for the first time since May 2023.

Oliver Glasner’s Palace dominated the first 30 minutes, aided by United’s poor passing and pedestrian pace.

The home side were caught napping as Palace struck after four minutes, Maxence Lacroix muscling past Leny Yoro to power home a header from a corner. It was the earliest goal United have conceded all season.

Daniel Munoz had a chance to put the visitors 2-0 up when he ran onto a through ball from Ismaila Sarr, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Senne Lammens.

When United finally got a foothold, Sesko’s header from a Fernandes cross late in the first half forced a save from goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The keeper also leapt to tip a Fernandes free kick over the bar shortly after.

United improved after the break and in the 57th minute, Fernandes hauled them level from the spot, sending Henderson the wrong way, after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. The defender was shown a red card after a lengthy VAR check.

Eight minutes later Sesko completed the turnaround, leaping to head home Fernandes’ free kick.

Carrick’s team had numerous chances to add to their lead, including a volley from Casemiro that forced a diving save from Henderson.

Amad Diallo forced another diving save with a shot from distance in stoppage time, while fellow substitute Joshua Zirkzee had a couple of chances blocked and Kobbie Mainoo unleashed a rocket that sailed just wide of the post.

Spurs sink further

IMAGE: Tottenham Hotspur’s Joao Palhinha in action with Fulham’s Calvin Bassey vie for the ball. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

Struggling Tottenham Hotspur stretched their Premier League winless run to 10 games with a stinging 2-1 defeat at cross-town London rivals Fulham that left them still in danger of the drop.

Four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United, Tottenham left Craven Cottage ever more in a relegation scrap after another derby disappointment following last week’s 4-1 home thrashing by leaders Arsenal.

Harry Wilson opened the scoring in the seventh minute for Fulham, the goal given after a VAR review and angry Spurs complaints that Radu Dragusin had been fouled by Fulham striker Raul Jimenez.

There was nothing remotely controversial about Fulham’s second, lashed in by Alex Iwobi in the 34th with the ball swerving past Guglielmo Vicario and into the net off the inside left post.

Richarlison pulled a goal back with a 66th-minute header, eight minutes after coming on as a substitute, to set up a nervy finish but the hosts should have put the match to bed by then with missed chances and vital saves from Vicario.

Fulham are ninth, level with Everton on 40 points and still pushing for a place in Europe next season after completing the league double over Spurs.

Tottenham, who did not manage a single shot on target until Richarlison’s goal, stayed 16th with 10 games left and are the only top flight team without a league win this year.

Luckily for them, the three teams immediately below them all lost with only last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, 16 points behind Spurs, winning on Friday.

Given plenty of space by the visitors, Fulham could have been 3-0 up six minutes after the break when Emile Smith Rowe sent a shot across goal and just wide of the post with Vicario beaten.