Mikel Merino was Arsenal’s saviour against Chelsea, but one of the Spaniard’s teammates outperformed him as the Gunners’ best player on the afternoon.
Merino earned high praise after the 1-1 draw, as once again, his ability to act as Arsenal’s striker was a talking point.
The Spaniard claimed his 28th goal contribution of 2025, showcasing how much of a threat he is in the final third; however, his outing at Stamford Bridge wasn’t all rosy.
Just like Declan Rice, who was good against Chelsea but wasn’t perfect, there were areas for Merino to improve, which prevented him from earning a title that Jurrien Timber ultimately deserved.
Vote for Arsenal’s Man of the Match against Chelsea
Jurrien Timber was quietly Arsenal’s best player against Chelsea
Arsenal’s man of the match was arguably Timber, whose performance is going under the radar.
The right-back has been one of Mikel Arteta’s most consistent players this season, which is perhaps why his display at the Bridge isn’t being celebrated as it should be.
Before the game, Tim Sherwood called Timber the best full-back in the world, and after the contest, it was clear to see how the pundit came to that conclusion.
| Jurrien Timber vs Chelsea |
| 3/3 tackles won |
| 5/5 aerial duels won |
| 6/10 ground duels won |
| 1 last man tackle |
| 0x dribbled past |
| 4 recoveries |
| 1 successful dribble |
As the Dutchman’s numbers show, Arsenal’s versatile defender was at the top of his game against Chelsea, winning all of his tackles and all of his aerial duels.
Unlike Riccardo Calafiori on the left side, Timber wasn’t dribbled past once against Chelsea, making his presence known to Pedro Neto.
It was a colossal performance from the 24-year-old that has somehow slipped under the radar.
Tim Sherwood says Jurrien Timber is the best full-back in the world 🌍
Two unfortunate moments vs Chelsea came down to Timber
Despite Timber’s impressive attention to detail in duels, his tidy performance at right-back was outshone by two key moments he was involved in.
Trevoh Chalobah climbed above Timber to score Chelsea’s goal, and then, at the other end of the pitch, the Dutchman’s late header prevented Viktor Gyokeres from winning the game.
In the right-back’s defence, Gyokeres should’ve shouted to Timber to alert him to the fact that he wanted to take the shot on goal, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Two match-defining moments in both boxes involved the Arsenal star, who had an incredibly busy outing at the Bridge.
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