Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. (Photo by Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Arsenal missed a chance to go nine points clear of Chelsea on the Premier League table when held 1-1 by the 10-man Blues at Stamford Bridge on Monday, as elsewhere Alexander Isak finally opened his account for Liverpool, Manchester United staged a comeback at Crystal Palace and Brighton claimed an impressive win at Nottingham Forest.
Mikel Merino spared Arsenal from a damaging defeat at Stamford Bridge, climbing to head home Bukayo Saka’s cross just before the hour after Chelsea had taken the lead despite Moises Caicedo’s first half dismissal.
Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute for a dangerous challenge on Merino that caught the midfielder’s ankle, but Chelsea struck first when Trevoh Chalobah nodded in Reece James’ corner early in the second half.
James was brilliant in a makeshift central role and Chelsea were well worth the point that left them six points behind the Gunners.
Arsenal pushed for a late winner but lacked precision in key moments. Jurrien Timber got in the way of Viktor Gyokeres to spurn a great chance to win the game in the final seconds.
Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who gained two points thanks to an added time winner against Leeds a day earlier.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the contest lived up to its billing.
“Two teams that play with a lot of intensity and aggression, you could sense it in every tackle,” Arteta said. “We scored a brilliant goal and had two or three big chances. It’s been a massive week emotionally and physically.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believed his team showed they are building towards a genuine title challenge.
“We were a much better team than them 11 v 11 but with 10 players it is difficult,” Maresca said. “We dealt with it outstandingly and it shows we are heading in the right direction.”
While Arsenal were left frustrated, Liverpool finally found some relief at West Ham as Isak scored his long-awaited first Premier League goal for the club in a 2-0 win.
Isak, who arrived for a British record fee from Newcastle in September, had not scored in five league games and had managed only a single strike in the League Cup. The Sweden forward ended that run midway through the second half before Cody Gakpo sealed the result in stoppage time.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he hoped the breakthrough would settle his marquee signing.
“It was very important for us as a team that we went 1-0 up, but it was also important for him,” Slot said. “I think it was his third or fourth chance of the game and he kept going.”
Mohamed Salah began the match on the bench as Slot reshuffled his forward line after a flat run of recent performances.
Manchester United also breathed easier after fighting back to beat Crystal Palace 2-1, snapping a run of four matches without a victory.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty put Palace ahead, but United responded through Joshua Zirkzee, who scored his first Premier League goal in almost a year, before Mason Mount swept home the winner.
“I could see Palace were getting tired at the end of the first half and knew they would suffer if we scored,” United boss Ruben Amorim said.
Brighton produced one of the results of the weekend, winning 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to climb into fifth. Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas were on target as Fabian Hurzeler’s side avenged the 7-0 thrashing they suffered at the City Ground last season.
“We arrived here with some memories regarding last season but we came to clean the air,” Hurzeler said.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa continued their surge up the table with a 1-0 win over Wolves, secured by Boubacar Kamara’s superb long-range strike. It marked Villa’s seventh win in eight league games and moved them into fourth, a stark turnaround from a start that featured no victories and just one goal in their opening five matches.
Manager Unai Emery said the transformation stemmed from confronting the squad’s early problems head-on.
“I tried to share my worries with the players two months ago,” Emery said. “The most important thing is how they responded.”