Arsenal1 - 0Chelsea

Arsenal snapped a three-game winless run in the top flight at home to their London rivals, coming up trumps thanks to a Mikel Merino header from a corner in the first half.

Arteta's men were once again largely toothless in the final third without Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, but they defended resolutely to keep an increasingly frustrated Chelsea at bay.

Thanks to their first top-flight win in just over a month, Arsenal have opened up a four-point lead over Nottingham Forest in second place in the Premier League table, while also reducing the gap to Liverpool to 12 points on the same number of games.

However, Arsenal would need a minor miracle to overhaul Arne Slot's men at the summit now, and Arteta memorably left his post-game interview when asked about the title situation following last weekend's 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

The former Gunners midfielder jokingly did so again for a brief moment on Sunday, briefly dashing out of sight when asked by Sky Sports News about Saka's chances of coming back from injury after the international break.

Watch Arteta pretend to leave post-match interview

Arteta drew a chuckle from the interviewer before quickly reappearing and saying "I'm in, I'm in", before the reporter finished his question about whether Saka would return in a couple of weeks.

A still smiling Arteta replied: "He's got a good chance, yes" before shaking hands with the interviewer, who let out another laugh as he gave the Arsenal boss a pat on the back.

Saka is yet to make his first appearance of 2025 due to the serious hamstring injury he suffered in December, but Arteta said in his pre-game press conference that he was due to start working with the ball again next week.

As a result, there is optimism that Saka will be able to return to competitive action in time for visit of Fulham on April 1, as well as both legs of Arsenal's Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.

The Gunners have sorely missed Saka's deliveries from corners during his absence, but Merino's game-winning header on Sunday ended a seven-game run without a goal from a set-piece in the Premier League.

Arsenal are also now unbeaten in 20 Premier League matches against the traditional 'Big Six' teams, last losing such a fixture to Manchester City in April 2023.

Written by

Ben Knapton