Arsenal vs Chelsea 2-1: Premier League – as it happened

The live coverage of Arsenal vs Chelsea in the Premier League’s crucial London derby has ended.

Thank you for joining us this evening. We will be back soon with more live action from around the world of sports.

On behalf of Al Jazeera Sport, this is Manasi Pathak signing off!

Next week, we will bring you live coverage of the T20 Cricket World Cup semifinals.

Join us on Wednesday as South Africa play New Zealand in the first semifinal, before England take on defending champions India in the second semifinal on Thursday.

Arsenal play away to Brighton on Wednesday night before facing Mansfield Town away three days later in the FA Cup’s fifth-round clash.

Chelsea, on the other hand, play away to Aston Villa on Wednesday before facing Wrexham three days later in the same stage of the FA Cup.

“We have spoken. It has come up a number of times. Every time, it is someone different. We need to review it internally,” the Chelsea captain said.

“Of course, it is a problem. We are playing in the toughest league in the world. Eleven vs 11 [players] is tough. Ten vs 11 is even harder, no matter who you’re playing.”

“Disappointing to walk away empty-handed,” Chelsea captain James told Sky Sports.

“When it was 1-1 in the second half, we had a half-chance to make it 2-1, and their goalie made a good save. They got a set piece down the other end and managed to score.”

Asked about the importance of set pieces, after all three goals came off of it, James added, “This is football now, in 2026. Ninety percent of goals are probably set pieces, and they [Arsenal] are probably one of the leaders in terms of goals for and defending them.

“[Arsenal] are difficult to stop. They scored two today. Disappointed.”

“Today was not an easy game. We shouldn’t have conceded the goal before half-time, but we did well in the second half,” Saliba, who scored a header in the first half, told Sky Sports.

“We have to keep going. We are so happy to win in front of the home fans.

“It has been a while since I scored… I am very happy, and I want to continue like this.”

Arsenal are now five points ahead of City, in pole position to win this season’s title. However, they have played an extra game compared with City.

Asked about the thrilling battle, Timber said, “We have to enjoy it. It is a privilege to be standing here with my teammates, fighting for this title. It is a beautiful place.

“There are nine games to go, but we have to go game by game. Hopefully, there will be something beautiful at the end of it.”

“I think we deserved to win this game,” Timber told Sky Sports.

“In the first half, we didn’t give much away. We went in at half-time at 1-1, which I think is a shame, but in the second half, we finished it off.”

Asked about the impact of set pieces, he added, “It became an important part of the game. It has always been, but teams are focusing more on it, which is interesting. But it is to our advantage.

“Today, overall, we played a good game. We can be proud of ourselves, and we play an important game again on Wednesday.”

The 2-1 win takes Arsenal’s tally to 64 points, five more than Man City in second. However, City have a game in hand, similar to the rest of the top six.

Man United are third on 51 points, while Aston Villa are fourth, on goal difference. Liverpool are fifth on 48 points, and Chelsea are sixth on 45.

A huge roar erupts at Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal hold on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over London rivals Chelsea, who ended the game with 10 men.

The Gunners, once again excellent from corner kicks, grab three points and restore their five-point lead at the top of the standings.

Chaos all over, in the Arsenal box.

Pedro tries an acrobatic effort, but Raya tips it away. The loose ball falls to Delap, who slots it into the bottom corner, but the goal is ruled out as Pedro was offside when he connected with the lobbed ball at the edge of the box.

90+6 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

The Arsenal goalkeeper dives to his left side and manages to palm away the ball, which bounced off the ground following a brilliant kick by Garnacho off the left.

It was a difficult clearance for Raya, with a bunch of players in the box blocking his vision.

90+4 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Delap sprints up the right wing and accelerates into the box. But just as he tries to whip in a cross, Saliba blocks.

90+2 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Time is running out for Chelsea to bounce back in this game.

Can they do it in stoppage time, despite the one-man disadvantage?

90+1 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

James whips the ball into the six-yard box, where Zubimendi clears at the near post.

Meanwhile, Chelsea make their final change, bringing on Tosin for Sarr.

90 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

The Ecuadorian receives the ball in the centre, outside the box, and pulls the trigger, going for goal from about 20 yards out.

He aims for the top corner, as Raya dives too, but the ball flies over the bar.

88 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Delap and Garnacho come on for Fernandez and Palmer, as a 10-man Chelsea side pushes for a late comeback.

Both Fernandez and Palmer were on a yellow each.

86 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

The Chelsea goalkeeper dives to his right side and keeps out a low shot drilled towards the far corner by Eze.

80 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Fernandez goes into the referee’s book for dissent.

Chelsea look frustrated since going down and being reduced to 10 men.

79 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

16 – Arsenal's 16 goals from corners in the Premier League this season is the joint-most by any side in a single campaign, alongside Oldham in 1992-93, West Brom in 2016-17, and the Gunners themselves in 2023-24. Angles. pic.twitter.com/SkOXJssz2h

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 1, 2026

78 mins: Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea