Mikel Merino’s first-half header was enough to win a hotly-contested London derby against Chelsea.
The Spaniard – starting his sixth consecutive game up front – flicked in Martin Odegaard’s corner to give us a deserved lead on 20 minutes.
There were few clear-cut chances for either side after that, though Merino came closest to doubling our advantage in the second-half, with a well-struck volley that Robert Sanchez batted away.
But the one goal was enough to consolidate our second-position in the table, while also making it seven successive Premier League games against Chelsea without defeat.
Pressure pays off
We racked up six attempts in an opening 20 minutes full of attacking intent. Within the first five minutes Jurrien Timber headed a corner wide of the near post before Leandro Trossard skewed a shot wide when he had a bit of time to set his shot on the edge of the box.
Gabriel Martinelli – back in the starting lineup for the first time for over a month – was presented with our next chance from a wayward Sanchez pass. His shot was straight at the Spaniard though.
Chelsea survived a penalty shout for handball against Marc Cucurella, who appeared to divert the ball away from Timber with his arm as he fell. We carried on, and after a scramble in the six-yard box, Declan Rice blasted his shot over.
Rice then struck wide from 25 yards as we continued to put the visitors under pressure. Trossard was next to try his luck. Sanchez failed to collect a cross, but our Belgian forward scuffed his right-footed attempt off target.
The goal was coming, and eventually our pressure paid off. Martinelli ran at Benoit Badiashile on the right to win a corner, which Odegaard swung in from the left. Merino ran across the front post, and flicked his header over Sanchez.
Chelsea build pressure
Chelsea were fortunate to still have 11 men on the pitch when Wesley Fofana survived a VAR review after an apparent stamp on Rice.
It had been one-way traffic from the opening half hour, but Chelsea nearly drew level when Cucurella’s speculative shot squirmed through David Raya’s grasp but luckily just the wrong side of the upright.
It was a warning from the visitors who were slowly starting to build up possession. We finished the first-half back on top though, and Trossard so nearly set up Odegaard inside the area, but his pass was intercepted.
Merino comes close
It was a slower start to the second half, but we woke up when Martinelli’s deep cross fell beautifully onto the left boot of Merino. He cracked his volley goalwards but Sanchez parried the effort on his goalline.
Odegaard was the next to draw a save from Sanchez, but his first-time left-footed effort inside the area lacked power. Rice saw his free-kick deflected wide after Myles Lewis-Skelly earned the set piece with a positive driving run.
There was less goalmouth action in the second-half, but the intensity remained, and both sides had three players in the book by the 70th minute.
Mikel Arteta sent on Ethan Nwaneri late on, but we couldn’t add to the scoreline, making for a fairly edgy last 15 minutes, though in truth Raya remained untroubled in goal.
FACTS AND STATS
After losing two of his first three Premier League home games against Chelsea (W1), Mikel Arteta has led us to victories in each of the last three – our longest winning run at home to the Blues in the competition since between 2001/02 and 2003/04 (3).
Chelsea are winless in their last seven away games in the Premier League (D2 L5); their longest run without a league victory on the road since October 2022-February 2023 under Graham Potter (D4 L4).
The Blues attempted just eight shots; their joint-fewest in a Premier League match this season (also eight v Brighton last month). Indeed, their xG total (0.35) was their lowest in a match in any competition under Enzo Maresca.
This was one of only six Premier League games to see neither side register a ‘big chance’ this season, and first involving either us or Chelsea. The Blues also registered just eight touches in the opposition’s box; their fewest in a league game since November 2022 v Newcastle (7).
Since the start of last season, we have opened the scoring with a goal from a corner on 11 occasions in the Premier League; more than any other side. Their 27 goals from corners in this period are also a league-high (10 more than any other team).
Martin Odegaard has been directly involved in six goals in his last five games against Chelsea (2 goals, 4 assists); the joint-most by a player against them in the competition since the start of the 2022/23 season (also six for Erling Haaland – 4 goals, 2 assists).
Mikel Merino scored his fifth goal of the Premier League season; all of which have come since the start of 2025. This equals his best scoring return in a single campaign within Europe’s big five leagues, along with five in 2019/20 and 2023/24 for Real Sociedad.
Since Cole Palmer joined the club, Chelsea have played three domestic away games without him and lost all three, while failing to score a single goal (eight conceded). This was their first league match without Palmer since April 2024, which was also an away defeat to us (0-5).
What’s next
We don’t play again next month. The international players now join up with their respective national teams, and football resumes with the FA Cup quarter-finals, so we return to action on Tuesday, April 1 at home to Fulham in the Premier League.
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