Jurrien Timber hands Arsenal crucial win over 10-man Chelsea

Arsenal passed a major examination of their Premier League title credentials after Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scored from corners in a 2-1 win over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

A week after they thumped Tottenham, Arsenal recorded another pivotal triumph to restore their five-point advantage over Manchester City, albeit having played a game more.

Saliba sent the hosts on their way midway through the first half when he converted Bukayo Saka’s corner, only for Piero Hincapie to put through his own net in first-half stoppage time.

Chelsea’s equaliser, which also arrived from a corner, rocked the Gunners, but they were back ahead after 66 minutes when Timber headed home Declan Rice’s inswinger.

Pedro Neto received a yellow card for complaining about Timber’s goal and then landed a second booking just minutes later after he scythed down Gabriel Martinelli.

It resulted in Chelsea’s seventh red card in the league this season and their second in as many matches.

Arsenal might have been expected to cruise to the full-time whistle, but David Raya produced a brilliant diving save from Alejandro Garnacho’s curling effort and Liam Delap had an effort chalked off for offside – both in added time – as the Gunners took a significant stride to capturing their first title in 22 years.

With just nine games to go, Arsenal will play only one fixture against a side currently in the top six – next month’s mouth-watering trip to Pep Guardiola’s City.

Following City’s win at Leeds, Arsenal were under pressure to deliver and their opener arrived with an air of inevitability.

Saka’s inswinging corner was met by a monstrous leap from Gabriel, who rose above Joao Pedro and Reece James to head the ball back across the area, and Saliba’s reaction header bounced off Mamadou Sarr’s shoulder and past a flapping Robert Sanchez.

But Arsenal would be served a dose of their own medicine.

Raya pulled off a brilliant one-handed save to stop Rice scoring an own goal when James’ corner bounced off his elbow. Rice was perhaps fortunate to avoid giving away a penalty, but in the end it did not matter as Hincapie found his own net by flicking on James’ ensuing corner.

Arsenal had largely dominated the first 45 minutes, but suddenly it was a very different team talk for Mikel Arteta.

Raya was called into action six minutes after the interval when he diverted Enzo Fernandez’s grasscutter for a corner. He was then required again to catch Pedro’s goal-bound header.

Chelsea’s confidence was growing and so too was the anxiety inside the Emirates.

Arsenal were on edge and, after Saliba allowed Cole Palmer to pinch the ball off his toes, Arteta appeared to gesture to his own supporters to keep their calm.

And just a handful of minutes later, the Arsenal fans were celebrating when Timber got on the end of Rice’s corner.

Sixteen of Arsenal’s 52 goals in the league so far this season have come from corners, matching a record for a single Premier League campaign which they share with Oldham and West Brom. That record will now surely be rewritten.

Chelsea claimed a shove on Sanchez and were furious the goal stood, with Neto talking his way into Darren England’s book.

A second yellow followed in the 70th minute when he prevented Martinelli’s counter-attack with a wild challenge.

The game had changed in a flash and Sanchez denied Eberechi Eze’s low strike with 10 minutes to go.

At the other end, Moises Caicedo’s strike from range flew just over and Raya tipped Garnacho’s effort behind for a corner.

Chelsea thought they had scored when Delap found the back of the net, but Pedro was offside in the build-up and Arsenal survived to take another step towards their first title since 2004.