Arsenal were victorious in the London derby as the Gunners beat Chelsea 1-0 at the Emirates.
Mikel Arteta’s side had the pressure put on them by Nottingham Forest, who closed the gap between second and third to just one point.
Arsenal ensured their cushion in second was restored with a win over Chelsea, who were desperate for three points in their push for Champions League football.
Mikel Merino silenced his critics with a goal against the Blues, painting London red to hand his side all three points.
In an eventful London derby, here’s how the players rated.
Arsenal player ratings vs Chelsea
David Raya – 6
Raya’s blushes were spared after a first half scare from Marc Cucurella’s volley but other than that, Chelsea didn’t really threaten Arsenal in the final third.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7.5
There was a cheer inside the Emirates when Lewis-Skelly was introduced as an England international, with the left-back playing like a senior international player against Chelsea.
The teenager was strong in his duels and played some intricate passes, always a willing runner.
William Saliba – 8.5
Chelsea’s front line couldn’t get close to Saliba who led by example at the back, a superb performance in every aspect.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7
Routine performance from Gabriel, who alongside Saliba, ensured that Chelsea’s threat was kept at bay.
Jurrien Timber – 8.5
A display that captured exactly how fortunate Arsenal are to have Timber.
The Dutchman was energetic on the right side, contributing defensively and going forward with desire.
Thomas Partey – 3
Far from an impressive performance from Partey who was consistently found out of position off the ball and looked slow in transition.
Declan Rice – 5
Similarly, it wasn’t one of Rice’s best performances in an Arsenal shirt.
So much so that the main talking point from the midfielder’s game was Wesley Fofana’s stamp on him.
Martin Odegaard – 5
Odegaard ensured he was involved in the majority of Arsenal’s positive play but the captain was frustrating throughout the fixture.
For all of the playmaker’s talent, Odegaard’s decision making was questionable at times.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Lively and very direct, Martinelli got himself into encouraging positions and brought a tireless energy to the front line.
The only criticism would be that the winger was consistently too predictable with his final ball.
Leandro Trossard – 4
Tough afternoon for Trossard who had several chances in the first half but failed to direct his efforts on target.
Mikel Merino – 8
Merino is not a striker by any means but, the Spaniard made the position work for himself against Chelsea.
Not only did the summer signing score but he also challenged well in central areas and got into good positions.
Substitutes
Ethan Nwaneri – 5
Arteta waited until the final ten minutes to bring Nwaneri on, who had several good touches but failed to make a real impact after replacing Martinelli.
Kieran Tierney – N/A
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