"SET-PIECE AGAIN": WHY ARSENAL FANS ARE TAUNTING RIVALS WITH THEIR NEW CHANT.
William Saliba and Jurrien Timber headers secured a vital win for Arsenal as Chelsea finished with ten men at the Emirates.
Arsenal found the net twice from corners and let one in the same way, a clear sign of just how much set pieces matter in the Premier League these days.
William Saliba got Arsenal going with his first goal since December, putting them ahead at the Emirates. But Arsenal didn’t hold the lead for long. Just before halftime, Piero Hincapie scored an own goal from one of Reece James’ wicked corners, pulling Chelsea level.
After the break, Timber popped up with a crucial header, sealing three points for Arsenal. Things got worse for Chelsea when Pedro Neto saw red for a second yellow.
With this win, Arsenal’s second in a row, they stretched their lead over Manchester City back to five points. City still has a game in hand after edging Leeds 1-0 on Saturday, but Arsenal keeps the pressure on.
People were starting to question Arsenal’s nerve after a rough patch that reopened the title race. But they’ve bounced back at just the right time. Last weekend, they smashed Tottenham 4-1. This time, they ground out a much tighter victory.
Now, Arsenal heads to Brighton on Wednesday, with just nine games left as they chase their first league title since 2004.
They’re still fighting on all fronts, too: League Cup final, Champions League last 16, and FA Cup fifth round. And here’s a break for Arteta: they only have one more league game against a top-six side, and it’s a big one: a trip to Manchester City on April 18.
For Chelsea, things are going the other way. That’s three games without a win, and their Champions League hopes just took another hit. They’re down to sixth, and they’ve now lost to Arsenal three times since Liam Rosenior took charge.
Chelsea almost handed Arsenal an early present when Robert Sanchez, under pressure from Viktor Gyokeres, nearly fumbled the ball away. Somehow, he recovered just in time.
But Sanchez looked shaky again soon after, and Rosenior could only watch in disbelief. Arsenal sensed blood and struck first, using one of the set-piece coach Nicolas Jover’s clever routines. Gabriel Magalhaes rose above everyone to head Bukayo Saka’s corner across the six-yard box, where Saliba finished it off, though it needed a deflection off Mamadou Sarr to find the net.
Set pieces are haunting Rosenior’s Chelsea. That’s eight goals conceded from dead balls in his first 13 matches; four of those were against Arsenal alone.
Chelsea did hit back, though. Right before the break, Reece James’ corner bounced off Declan Rice’s shoulder, forcing a sharp save from David Raya. Arsenal didn’t heed the warning. From the next corner, James whipped it in again, and Hincapie headed it into his own net.
The danger didn’t stop there. James kept swinging corners in, and Joao Pedro missed two decent chances, one straight at Raya and another wide of the mark.
Those missed chances cost Chelsea. In the 66th minute, Arsenal struck again from a corner. Timber timed his run perfectly and headed home from Rice’s delivery. Chelsea shouted for a foul on Sanchez, but the goal stood.
That’s 16 goals from corners for Arsenal this season. Their fans loved it, singing, “Set-piece again, ole, ole.”
Not long after, Neto lost his cool, clattering Gabriel Martinelli and picking up a second yellow. That left Chelsea with ten men for the final stretch.
Arsenal still needed one more big save from Raya in stoppage time to deny Alejandro Garnacho, but once that danger passed, the celebration really began.
MARTIN ODEGAARD RALLIES ARSENAL SQUAD AMID FEARS OF PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE "COLLAPSE"
Martin Odegaard says Arsenal’s title race is wide open. Read why Wayne Rooney is defending the players against fan boos.
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Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard isn’t backing down. Even after Manchester City edged out the Gunners 2-1 at the Etihad, he says the Premier League title race is still wide open.
That loss stung; it leaves Arsenal on the verge of losing the top spot they’ve held for over 200 days. If City beat Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday, Arsenal’s stretch at the summit ends, with just five games left in the season.
But the story isn’t over yet. Even if City pulls level on points, Odegaard wants his teammates focused on one thing: bouncing back with a win against Newcastle at the Emirates this Saturday.
“We have to keep going,” Odegaard said after the match. “This was always going to go to the wire, so we have to stick together, keep working, and look to the next game. We’ll move on, bounce back, and right now, it’s all still to play for. Honestly, this is the fun part of the season; we can’t wait for the next game.”
It’s been a tough stretch for Arsenal. Sunday’s loss marked the fourth defeat in a row across domestic competitions, starting with City beating them in the Carabao Cup final, a surprising FA Cup defeat to Southampton, and a crushing home loss to Bournemouth.
The cracks are showing, and some supporters have started to worry Arsenal are “bottling” their title charge. The Emirates felt tense after the Bournemouth game, the crowd frustrated enough to boo as the players left the pitch.
But there’s not much time to dwell on it. While City are juggling their FA Cup semi-final this weekend, Arsenal host a shaky Newcastle side. It’s a golden chance to reset and claw back some momentum.
Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney has stepped in with a message for Arsenal fans: now’s the time to rally. Speaking on the BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show, he didn’t mince words. “Arsenal fans need to be better. I saw them boo the team. Look, Arsenal have been brilliant all season. They’re having a bad run, but fan support means everything to those players.”
He gets it: getting booed after a tough run cuts deep. “Arsenal’s players have worked so hard to be in this position. If you want to win the league, the fans have to help. They’re desperate to win, but they have a part to play.”
GABRIEL JESUS CLASHES WITH HECKLING CITY FANS DURING HIGH-TENSION 2-1 DEFEAT
Gabriel Jesus reminds Man City fans of his 11 trophies during a heated spat at the Etihad. Is the pressure hitting Arsenal?
Gabriel Jesus got into it with a Man City fan on Sunday, and the whole thing boiled over during Arsenal’s tense Premier League match at the Etihad. Jesus, now 29, didn’t even make it off the bench. Mikel Arteta chose to bring on Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Viktor Gyökeres instead as Arsenal fell 2-1. So Jesus just kept himself busy warming up on the sideline.
He spent five years at City, from 2017 to 2022, before heading to Arsenal. But that history didn’t buy him any love from the crowd. During his warmup, with cameras rolling for a social media clip titled “I love watching Arsenal cry,” a City supporter behind him started heckling, shouting, “Judas, what’s the score?”
Jesus snapped. He turned, walked right up to the fan, pointed at himself, then at the pitch, and shot back: “I have won 11 titles here.” The fan wasn’t impressed. “Yeah, but who are you now? Who are you now?” Jesus responded with a mocking hand gesture.
If you go back, Jesus joined City from Palmeiras when he was just 19. Over five and a half years, he scored 95 goals in 236 games. That run saw City win four league titles, four EFL Cups, an FA Cup, and two Community Shields. He was a big part of all that.
In 2022, he decided he wanted more starts, so he moved to Arsenal for £45 million. He began well in North London, but things haven’t gone smoothly since he’s struggled with injuries, including a major knee issue he only got back from in December, and he’s started just two league matches since. So far, he’s scored 31 goals in 120 appearances for Arsenal, but he’s still waiting for his first piece of silverware with them.
And after Sunday’s loss, Arsenal saw their lead at the top shrink to just three points. Man City also have a game in hand; they can grab the top spot if they beat Burnley on Wednesday.
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