"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.
THE NORTH LONDON KING: HOW EBERECHI EZE BECAME A DERBY LEGEND IN FOUR MONTHS
Mikel Arteta insists Eberechi Eze "belongs" at Arsenal as the Gunners continue their historic hunt for a 2026 quadruple.
Mikel Arteta says Eberechi Eze doesn’t need any extra motivation as he settles in at Arsenal after leaving Crystal Palace.
Back in November, Eze made headlines by becoming the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a north London derby. He starred last Sunday again, scoring twice as Arsenal tore through Tottenham 4-1.
Still, Eze’s form between those two big games has been up and down. Arteta admits he’s still learning what makes Eze tick, both on the pitch and off it.
“Motivation’s never been an issue,” Arteta said. “Honestly, if you have to motivate a player, you’ve got a problem. Motivation’s just talk; someone can fire you up for a minute, maybe an hour, but that’s it.
“The real motivation for Eze is why he came here in the first place. He really feels like he belongs at this club. Everything else comes down to the moments in your career, especially when you move somewhere new. You’ve got to figure it out and do everything you can to make it work.”
Eze faced some criticism after a mistake in December’s 2-1 loss to Aston Villa, and since Arsenal beat Wolves in mid-December, he’s only started two league games.
He’s always tended to find his best attacking form later in the season, and Arteta wants to see that happen again, especially with Arsenal still fighting for a historic quadruple.
Arteta hasn’t ruled out moving Eze back to the left wing down the line. “He can do it,” he said. “Now he’s got more experience, more games, and a better sense of what’s needed to make a difference. I hope he really takes off from here until the end of the season.”
Meanwhile, Viktor Gyokeres scored Arsenal’s other two goals against Spurs, bringing his total to 15 in all competitions after a slow start since joining from Sporting Lisbon last summer.
Some have started comparing Gyokeres’ numbers to Didier Drogba’s first season at Chelsea. Drogba finished that year with just one more goal and went on to haunt Arsenal for years.
Asked if those comparisons are fair, Arteta shrugged. “It’s always about who you compare with. I might have a beautiful apartment, but if someone else has a mansion, suddenly my place feels small.
“But I can still be proud because I worked hard for my apartment, paid off the debts, fixed it up, and have a great kitchen. Then I visit his mansion and feel bad. It just depends on how you look at things.
“So sure, Viktor can get better. But what he’s done so far matters.”
DEFENSIVE EVOLUTION: HOW PIERO HINCAPIE’S VERSATILITY PUSHED HIM AHEAD OF RICCARDO CALAFIORI RECENTLY
Permanent stay: Discover why Arsenal are triggering Piero Hincapie's £45m clause and opening talks for Milan's Rafael Leao.
Arsenal looks set to make Piero Hincapie’s move from Bayer Leverkusen permanent this summer. The club plans to trigger their £45 million option and tie down the Ecuadorian defender after he caught Mikel Arteta’s eye in his first six months at the Emirates.
Hincapie joined Arsenal on deadline day last September, with the Gunners beating Spurs to sign the 24-year-old. Since then, he’s racked up 15 Premier League starts and featured twice in the Champions League. Arteta’s been pretty clear he wants Hincapie to stay, and he’s happy with how the defender has settled since arriving late from Leverkusen.
Lately, Hincapie has started Arsenal’s last three league games, including that 4-1 win over Tottenham in the North London derby. Arteta picked him ahead of both Ricardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly. Hincapie grabbed his first Arsenal goal in the 2-2 draw at Wolves last week, just after notching his first assist against Brentford.
While Arsenal are still chasing a potential quadruple, the club’s already thinking about next season’s squad. Reports say they’ve set their sights on AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and even opened talks for the Portuguese winger. Leao will have two years left on his Milan contract in June, and Milan could let him go if they get close to their €80 million (£70 million) asking price. Leao’s been one of Milan’s top scorers this season with eight goals in Serie A.
So, what does all this mean for Myles Lewis-Skelly? With Arsenal set to keep Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly faces even tougher competition for minutes, especially with Calafiori and Hincapie ahead of him. Unless something changes, a loan move might be the best way for him to get regular football and keep developing. Still, training alongside established players like Hincapie could help him grow and get ready for more chances down the line.
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