Arsenal 1 Chelsea 0: Stand-in Merino seals another win, absent Palmer is missed – The Briefing

Another goal from makeshift forward Mikel Merino again sealed three points for Arsenal against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

In a feisty London derby, with strong challenges and three yellow cards on both sides, it was Mikel Arteta’s side who came out on top to move four points clear of third-place Nottingham Forest in the Premier League table.

Merino’s goal, a near-post header on 20 minutes, came from a corner, part of the game which has been a strength for Arsenal this season though this was the first time they’d scored from one since January.

In that first half, Chelsea had struggled to gain a foothold with key forward Cole Palmer absent from their matchday squad, though Marc Cucurella went close when his strike was fumbled by David Raya, who was relived to see it trickle past the post. Raya’s opposite number, Robert Sanchez, had a mixed day as discussions over who should be No 1 for the west Londoners will surely continue.

Here, Arsenal writer Amy Lawrence and her Chelsea counterpart Simon Johnson break down the talking points.

Set pieces back on the agenda for Arsenal

Arteta must have been scratching his head about how his team managed not to put Chelsea to the sword at the start today. Their visitors had the jitters in goal and showed a liking for petulance to attempt to disrupt Arsenal. Would it be one of those frustrating days?

Arsenal were able to lean into their old friend the attacking set-piece, who they haven’t seen for a while, to get in front.

A combination of factors have made them less effective on that front lately (missing one of their best dead-ball takers, Bukayo Saka, through injury since just before Christmas being one of the most prominent). Here, Martin Odegaard sent the ball in with enough pace and accuracy, and midfielder turned front man Merino was well-positioned to glance it superbly into the far corner. It was Arsenal’s first goal from their last 53 corners taken. What a relief for set-piece coach Nicolas Jover.

Another point of set-piece interest today was that Arsenal changed tack in an attempt to get a far rarer goal direct from a free kick.

Odegaard was very animated about the set-up for one in the second half, which took over two minutes to arrange, while Gabriel Martinelli stood in front of Sanchez to try to block his view.

Usually, Odegaard takes the free kicks but in an attempt to do something different, Declan Rice had a go this time. It came to nothing, but could this mixing it up be the way forward in the future?

Amy Lawrence

What was Chelsea’s plan to cope without Palmer?

Chelsea’s hopes of a rare victory over Arsenal were dealt a major blow before the game had even kicked off.

The news that Palmer was ruled out of the match after suffering an injury in training the day before not only hurt Chelsea’s attack, but also their self-belief.

Remarkably the last Premier League fixture Palmer missed was also against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium 11 months ago. Chelsea lost 5-0 that day and the way they played in the opening half hour, it looked like it was going to be more of the same.

Chelsea offered no attacking threat and Arsenal chased down their opponents knowing there was no Palmer to be worried about.

Maresca tried to fill Palmer’s absence by using Enzo Fernandez in the No 10 role with Christopher Nkunku to his left, Jadon Sancho on the right and Pedro Neto up top. But Chelsea did not have enough possession to make it work, particularly at the start. This was highlighted by the rather embarrassing statistic that the away side failed to have a single touch in Arsenal’s area in the opening 30 minutes.

Chelsea haven’t had a single touch of the ball in Arsenal’s box in the opening 30 minutes of this game. pic.twitter.com/fstY9VRRDP

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 16, 2025

Fernandez and Cucurella did at least have a shot each before the interval, which was more than Chelsea managed in the opening 45 minutes against FC Copenhagen on Thursday night.

The only surprise at the break was that Chelsea were still in the game because Arsenal failed to make their superiority count. Maresca’s side were also in danger of losing ther cool, with Fofana and Levi Colwill guilty of making reckless challenges while Cucurella was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty for handball.

Chelsea continued to have more possession in the second half but at no point did they look like levelling the scores.

Palmer has not been in the best of form lately, going 683 minutes without scoring and gone several matches without making an assist too. But this anaemic display in attack from Chelsea just emphasised how much they rely on him, even when not at 100 per cent.

Maresca said that he hopes Palmer will be able to return after the international break. He will not be the only one.

Simon Johnson

What difference did Martinelli make?

The return of one of their most established forwards to the starting line-up was a significant boost for Arsenal.

Martinelli adds dynamism to the mix. His willingness to burst into a determined dribble, to bring spark, to offer up a potential assist or cutback or get a shot away — all these facets of his game were evident as he took the game to Chelsea in the opening stages. Arsenal do possess more creativity and drive when he is on the pitch.

There is legitimate debate about whether Martinelli should have a turn in a central position given current circumstances. It is a role he is not entirely unfamiliar with. He has the versatility to play across the front line and often drifted centrally against Chelsea.

Presumably in the interest of balance, Martinelli started on the right, allowing Merino to continue the centre forward’s dog work. It paid off having the Spaniard in situ as he helped himself to a striker’s headed goal.

The other significant advantage to Martinelli’s reintegration was it allowed Ethan Nwaneri to have a well deserved rest. Being able to have more attacking rotation is vital for Arsenal.

Amy Lawrence

How did Sanchez perform?

The questions over Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation will only increase after the latest erratic display from Sanchez.

It was not that long ago that Maresca decided he had seen enough. Terrible errors against Wolves and Manchester City in February meant Filip Jorgensen was made first choice instead.

When pressed by The Athletic about the decision at the time, Maresca said Jorgensen was Chelsea’s keeper in the Premier League now and implied that would be the case for the rest of the season.

And yet, Sanchez was surprisingly recalled for the 1-0 win over Leicester City last weekend. When asked to expand on the situation in the build-up to the Arsenal fixture, the Italian claimed the plan all along was to give Sanchez “some days off, or at least some rest mentally”. He also went on to add “hopefully we are not going to change until the end”.

Sanchez had some troubling moments (Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)

But you just have to ask yourself why on this evidence. Jorgensen was not amazing in the few matches he played, but Sanchez was part of the problem at Emirates Stadium.

He gifted an early chance to Martinelli by passing the ball straight to him. Sanchez then fumbled a tame shot and Leandro Trossard came close to getting the rebound.

Every time a cross came into the area in the first half, Sanchez flapped at it, adding to the panic at the back. Merino’s flick header was well placed to put Arsenal in front, but again it felt like Sanchez was caught out in the wrong position.

The Arsenal fans took great delight in jeering Sanchez just before the hour mark. Firstly when he controlled a Colwill back pass nervously and then when he fell over after clearing the ball up the pitch.

The home contingent weren’t laughing a few minutes later though as he made a fine save from Merino’s volley. It will probably be his latest entry for the Premier League’s save of the month competition, something he has been involved in on a fairly regularly basis. It what makes the former Brighton goalie such a confusing character in that he does the hardest things well and the basics less so.

Simon Johnson

How much relief for Arsenal to win in the Premier League?

Arsenal kept enough focus on the job in hand to bank a Premier League win — the first time they’ve managed that in just over a month.

Given the sizeable gap between them and Liverpool at the top, this is a strange period for them. Clearly, finishing as high as possible and guaranteeing Champions League football again for next season is a priority, alongside developing the best form and focus to take into the quarter-final in that competition against Real Madrid next month.

Also, on a more general level, these next few weeks are about convincing both current and future players that Arsenal is a place to be.

Amy Lawrence

What did Mikel Arteta say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What did Enzo Maresca say?

We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.

What next for Arsenal?

Tuesday, April 1: Fulham (Home), Premier League, 7.45pm UK, 2.45pm ET

What next for Chelsea?

Thursday, April 3: Tottenham (Home), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET

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(Top photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)