Arsenal went into their London derby clash with Chelsea on Sunday needing three points to send themselves into the international break with some momentum.
The Gunners started well when Mikel Merino headed home an opener for his side from a near-post corner.
Arsenal may have felt unfortunate when Marc Cucurella’s apparent handball was waved away as a penalty opportunity before VAR decided against a red card for Wesley Fofana’s stamp on Declan Rice.
The Gunners saw it out in the end, winning the match 1-0 to earn another three crucial points in the Premier League.
So with that said, here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from the match at the Emirates Stadium.
Winners from Arsenal vs Chelsea
Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli made his first start after returning from injury, with the winger making quite the impression for Arsenal.
Looking refreshed once more, the Brazilian was at his dangerous best when consistently causing problems for defenders.
A few opportunities fell Martinelli’s way that he was unable to take, but he does look as though he can make an impact once again.
Mikel Merino
With the lack of a striker constantly the focus for Arsenal, there will be some delight that Mikel Merino scored to quiet some of that talk once more.
The make-shift forward could’ve had a second when he peeled off at the back post to fire a volley at goal, only to be met by the strong hand of Robert Sanchez to claw it out of the net.
Jurrien Timber
Another fine display from Jurrien Timber as the right-back showed plenty of quality for Arsenal at either end of the pitch.
The Netherlands international defended well on every occasion he was called into action, helping the side keep clean at the back.
Offensively, he caused plenty of problems for Marc Cucurella, going close with one effort he put into the path of Martinelli that couldn’t be finished off.
Losers from Arsenal vs Chelsea
Leandro Trossard
A bit of a difficult match for Leandro Trossard, who had very few chances to make an impact in the same way as some of the other forwards in the squad.
On a few occasions, the Belgian international snatched at chances and didn’t show the clinical edge that everyone knows he can have.
Thomas Partey
Not an easy game for Thomas Partey to feature in, given the chaotic back-and-forth nature of it, but he struggled to offer much overall.
A yellow card in the second half put him on a bit of a disciplinary tightrope throughout the rest of the match.
Chris Kavanagh
It wasn’t an easy game to officiate, given the needle that was shown throughout from either sides, but it wasn’t a good one for referee Chris Kavanagh.
The official missed several blatant opportunities to book Wesley Fofana, before showing him a yellow card for delaying the restart – meaning he somehow avoided a red card in a game he probably should’ve seen one.
Kavanagh’s reluctance to book players early on and inability to take control of the game saw players put in some horrible challenges at times.
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