We extended our unbeaten run at Emirates Stadium to 17 with a 1-0 win at home to Ipswich Town on Friday night.
Kai Havertz gave us the lead from a Leandro Trossard cross and we protected our advantage to earn a fourth successive clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time since 2021, and importantly move us into second place in the table.
terrific trossard
Beginning the game on the left wing, Trossard looked lively from the off, seeing a shot hit Kalvin Phillips and go out for a corner at the end of a move started by William Saliba.
Jurrien Timber then showed great courage and initiative to take us forward, breaking the lines before shooting straight at Arijanet Muric.
In the 23rd minute, we made the breakthrough. Trossard crossed for Havertz who simply couldn’t miss, cushioning the ball into the roof of the net.
Declan Rice fired marginally over the bar from distance and Trossard then found the run of Gabriel Jesus, who played it across to Martinelli. The latter tapped the ball across the line but the flag was raised for offside on Jesus.
searching for more
We continued hunting for another goal at the start of the second half, Rice going down on the edge of the area courtesy of a foul from Phillips and Martin Odegaard shooting the free-kick straight at the wall.
We had to withstand some pressure from the visitors when Phillips put a free-kick into the box and Rice headed it behind for an Ipswich corner, but we responded with a tidy passage of play at the other end between Trossard, Odegaard and Havertz, leading to a corner.
Rice delivered the following set-piece and Gabriel headed just wide at the far post.
Jesus made way with just under 20 minutes to go with Mikel Merino coming on to replace him, and Muric then tipped the ball over the bar after Odegaard weaved his way into the 18-yard box and let fly.
Our captain’s corner then came out to Rice who volleyed it towards goal but was denied by a block from Dara O’Shea.
Odegaard continued to pull the strings when he found Merino, who forced a good save from Muric, before Odegaard shot high and wide on the follow up.
Mikel Arteta brought Thomas Partey on for Rice with four minutes remaining.
David Raya was on hand to catch a late cross from Omari Hutchinson and alleviate the danger. Nathan Broadhead had time and space to get a shot away in added time but Havertz got himself in the way of it to make sure we took all three points.
FACTS AND STATS
No side has kept more clean sheets (7) or conceded fewer goals (16) in the Premier League this season than us, while we have kept a shutout in four successive home matches in the competition for the first time since December 2021.
Ipswich suffered their 10th Premier League defeat of the season in their 18th game (W2 D6), the earliest into a league season they’ve hit 10 losses since 2012/13 in the Championship (17th game).
We have now won 19 of our last 20 Premier League games against newly promoted opponents, and each of our last 13 league matches against such opposition at Emirates Stadium in a row.
Ipswich attempted just three shots in this match; of the seven occasions of a side managing three or fewer shots in a Premier League game this season, three have been against us, all this month (also Fulham and Everton, 2 shots each).
There were just four shots in the first half (all for us), the fewest in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game since West Ham v Newcastle in October 2023 (also 4), and the fewest in the first half of a match at Emirates Stadium in the league since Arsenal v Newcastle in April 2019 (also 4).
Kai Havertz has scored in six of his last seven Premier League appearances against newly promoted opposition (6 goals).
WHAT’S NEXT
That's it for 2024! We begin 2025 with a trip to Brentford on New Year's Day. Kick-off at the Gtech Community Stadium will be at 5.30pm in the Premier League on Wednesday.
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