https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPxgE93LwLc
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.
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 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.
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.
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