Arsenal edge past Chelsea 1-0 in Premier League: Key stats
What's the story
Arsenal got the job done over rivals Chelsea in matchweek 29 of the Premier League 2024/25 season on Sunday at the Emirates.
The Gunners saw midfielder Mikel Merino score in the 20th minute. Merino, who was once again used as Arsenal's number 9, showed his presence upfront.
The win means Arsenal have cut down Liverpool's lead at the top to 12 points.
Stats
Here are the match stats
Arsenal had 12 attempts with 4 shots being on target. Chelsea managed 8 attempts with two shots on target.
The Gunners 0.77 expected goals compared to 0.35 of Chelsea.
Arsenal also had 27 touches in the opposition box with Chelsea managing 8 such touches.
The Blues had more ball possession (59%).
Information
A look at the points table
Arsenal have raced to 58 points from 29 matches. They are 12 points behind the Reds (70). On the other hand, Chelsea suffered their 8th defeat of the season. They remain 4th with 49 points under their belt.
Summary
Summary of the contest
Merino, who was once again used as a makeshift striker, dominated the game early alongside Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice, all going close.
Merino handed his side the lead after flicking on a curling corner from Martin Odegaard past a stretching Robert Sanchez.
In the 2nd half, Sanchez produced an excellent save to deny Merino, but Chelsea could not find the goal.
Do you know?
Arsenal continue their dominance over Chelsea
As per Opta, Arsenal are now unbeaten in 7 Premier League games against Chelsea, winning 5 and drawing two in this period. Chelsea have now lost three successive away Premier League matches against Arsenal. The last time this happened was between 2001 and 2003.
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Key numbers of Merino and Odegaard
Merino's impressive Premier League season continues. He has now raced to 5 goals from 21 matches. He owns an assist as well. Meanwhile, Odegaard is now involved in 60 Premier League career goals (G33 A27). This was his 4th assist this season (G2).