Another game for Arsenal and another goal from a set-piece gave them the lead against London rivals Chelsea.
The Gunners are becoming the masters of the dead-ball situation in Europe and it continued again as William Saliba looked to get one of the final touches to hand Arsenal the lead.
It’s almost becoming expected now from an Arsenal fan perspective and watching on for Sky Sports, Gary Neville couldn’t believe Chelsea hadn’t prepared for it.
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Gary Neville claims Arsenal have ‘mastered’ the set-piece
Once again it as the defensive duo of Gabriel and Saliba causing all the problems for the Chelsea defence.
This time, it was Saliba who was credited with the goal and watching on, Gary Neville admitted he could see it coming.
“It was predictable. The art of the set piece has been mastered by Arsenal. It was men against boys. It didn’t look right for Chelsea,” Neville commented on Sky Sports commentary.
“It looks like an own goal in the end.”
Arsenal’s record from set-pieces in the 2026 season
Some love it. Some hate it. But there is no question that Arsenal have managed to give themselves a crucial advantage from set-pieces it is proving vital.
Remarkably, Arsenal have now scored 23 goals in all competitions from dead-ball situations, not including penalties, with 18 coming in the league.
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Set-piece Kings 👑
Furthermore, Arsenal have taken the lead a whopping nine times in games from either a corner or free-kick, proving they very much are the team to match in this sense.
As Neville commented here, there was a nervousness about Chelsea and this is coming from the fact teams know how Arsenal can hurt them.
Come the end of the season, Arsenal’s set-pieces will have contributed massively.
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