FA PREMIERLEAGUE 

ARSENAL 1 (Merino 20)
CHELSEA 0 

ARSENAL management might want to rethink the stadium expansion plans after this dull derby.

There were many empty seats – season ticket holders unable to sell-on – and a hollow atmosphere to match.

The Gunners got the job done but only thanks to a lucky back-header by Merino from a corner.

Captain Martin Odegaard’s play looks laboured, Gabi Martinelli ineffective and Leandro Trossard has lost his mojo in front of goal.

Chelsea – despite being in a five way battle for a Champions League spot – were sluggish and strangely unbothered.

Merino’s goal came after a Steve Bould style flick on at the front post looped over the defenders and perfectly into the far corner.

He also had Arsenal’s best chance in the second half – a crisply struck volley that was well saved by Sanchez.

But other than that he barely touched the ball.

Mikel Arteta described him playing up front as an “emergency situation”, adding: “He’s willing to win matches for us, he’s never played that position before in his life.”

The stop start match was punctuated by dozens of breaks in play for low level fouls.

They had one decent chance to score – when David Raya fumbled a volley from Cucurella that dribbled just wide.

A bad foul on Declan Rice went unpunished and was cleared by VAR and Colwell lucky to only get a yellow for a studs up challenge on Odegaard.

There were shouts for a handball in the opening stages and Martinelli went down during a series of comical miskicks.

Trossard fluffed a good chance wide with lots of time to take aim.

There was muted applause when Odegaard was subbed off at the end.

Excitement aside, three points is three points. “Very happy obviously with the result, with big parts of that performance,” said Arteta after the game. “I love the attitude of the team from the beginning, the way we approached it, how aggressive we were with our goal.

The Arsenal boss added: “A lot of chances that we didn’t put away and then we continue to do a lot of the things defensively so well and the right to attack open spaces and so many situations of huge advantages that we just gave away. Then we have to drive back 70 metres and on that face probably we’ve been one of the best teams in the world today because we were unbelievable the way we’ve done it.

“We haven’t conceded almost anything apart from that strange save from David I would say, and that’s a big credit to the team because in my opinion they are the best attacking team in the league.”

Arsenal: Raya, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Partey, Rice, Odegaard (Tierney 89), Trossard, Merino, Martinelli (Nwaneri 78)
Subs not used: Neto, White, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Calafiori, Butler-Oyedeji

Chelsea: Sanchez, Cucurella, Badiashie, Colwell, Neto, Fernandez, Nkunku (Dewsbury-Hall 76), Sancho (George 76), James (Lavia 81), Caicedo, Fofana
Subs not used: Jorgensen, Bettinlli, Adarabloyo, Chalabah, Gusto, Cheampong