Grey matchday : Picture by @YTJourno
**Arsenal (1) 2** Saliba 21, Timber 65
**Chelsea (1) 1** Hicapie 45+2
Can their hearts take much more of this?
Arsenal edged a flawed but thrilling derby that never once seemed to be entirely in their grasp - and just about maintain that all-important five-point gap over Man City at the top of the table.
The Blues were reduced to 10 men for the final 20 minutes when Pedro Neto was correctly booked for a crude touchline foul to prevent Gabriel Martinelli from galloping away.
His second yellow came just three minutes after he had been booked for dissent and he became the seventh Chelsea player to receive his marching orders in a Premier League match this season - Moises Caicedo was dismissed in the earlier fixture between the clubs at the Bridge.
But even with the one man and one goal advantage, the Gunners made life difficult for themselves - hitting panicked long balls which gifted Chelsea possession and the chance to build a succession of late attacks.
Mikel Arteta's men were indebted to the brilliance of David Raya, who made a superb leap to his left to prevent and Alejandro Garnacho curler from the edge of the box from creeping inside the far post. It was an exceptional save because he had to delay his lunge in case Joao Pedro connected with the ball arcing inches away from him.
The North Bank almost had to choke on late disappointment when Caicedo hit a vicious effort from 25 yards which did not miss the angle of crossbar and post by very much and they were lucky Joao Pedro was just offside when an overhead kick paved the way for what appeared to have been a second equaliser.
In the end, despite Arsenal's seeming greater appetite, sharpness in the tackle and ability to retrieve lost balls, and hunt down opponents in packs, it came down to winning the game of corners 2-1.
They led when William Saliba nodded in after Gabriel at the far post had nodded a Bukayo Saka inswinging corner to the back post, but right on half time, and against the run of play, Piero Hincapie marred an otherwise excellent first half for both him and his team when his header at the near post from a Reece James corner flew into his own net.
Once again a lead had been lost.
But Jurrien Timber restored the lead at the start of the second half when he got on the end of another of those deadly Declan Rice deliveries from the flag.
It was the Gunners' 16th corner kick goal of the season and nine times this season they have scored the opening goal in a league game that way. It has been an invaluable weapon to say the least.
Arsenal will feel they should have been far more comfortable, given the prime facie evidence of their superiority. They could also have done without ref Darren England denying them three obvious counter-attacking advantage by stopping play for a Chelsea foul. The official was too busy watching the incident to see the bigger picture and it was poor.
This was always a game that might carry a nagging dread for Arsenal. They badly needed to prevail - but it was hardly a given against a Blues side who had only lost three times away all season in the Premier League.
The recent 'double' over Chelsea in both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final may have given them a sense that they are the stronger side these days but there was also the memory of the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge when the Blues played like men possessed in spells - when Reece was outstanding - and caused the Gunners plenty to think about.
Once again, their overall dominance was still not quite enough to banish the fear that they might be pegged back before the end. There was relief all round that this awkward obstacle had been overcome.
From Chelsea's point of view, they may feel a diffident first 45 minutes was too much like their approach to the recent cup tie at the Emirates, which caused Liam Rosenior-sceptics to question the tactics of their new manager. They are still very much in the hunt for a top-four finish but recent form has not been remarkable and they know they need to improve.
**Gunners:** (4-2-3-1) Raya - Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie - Zubimendi, Rice (Norgaard 76) - Saka, Eze, Trossard (Martinelli 56) - Gyokeres (Havertz 76)
**Blues:** (4-2-3-1) Sanchez - James, Mamadou Sarr (Tosin 90), Chalobah, Hato (Gusto 75) - Caicedo, Andrey Santos (Lavia 75) - Palmer (Garnacho 59), Fernandez (Delap 86), Pedro Neto - Joao Pedro