Arsenal Title Race Gains Pace As Timber Urges Enjoying The Premier League Challenge

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Jurrien Timber urged Arsenal to relish the pressure after a narrow 2-1 win over Chelsea moved Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race, with the defender’s decisive header keeping Mikel Arteta’s side in control of a tense championship battle.

The match at Emirates Stadium was tight and physical, with all three goals from corners as Arsenal again showed set-piece strength, while William Saliba scored first, Piero Hincapie diverted into an own net, Pedro Neto received two yellow cards, and David Raya denied Alejandro Garnacho late on.

Timber settled the contest on 66 minutes with a powerful header, marking Arsenal’s ninth match-winning goal from a corner in this Premier League season, which is now the outright highest such total by one club in a single campaign, surpassing Manchester United’s eight in 2012-13.

Across the league, corner routines are having a major impact, with 138 goals from corners in 281 Premier League games this season, already more than the 135 scored from corners in all 380 matches of the previous campaign, underlining how crucial dead-ball work has become.

Chelsea contributed heavily to the set-piece storyline, matching Arsenal’s threat from corners and forcing pressure that led to Hincapie heading into the Chelsea net on the stroke of half-time to level after Saliba’s opener, before Neto’s dismissal left the visitors hanging on with ten players.

Arsenal’s output from corners now stands at 16 league goals this season, which is the joint-highest by any team in a single Premier League campaign, alongside Oldham Athletic in 1992-93, West Brom in 2016-17, and Arsenal’s own return in the 2023-24 season.

Manchester City had increased the pressure by defeating Leeds United on Saturday, yet Timber stressed that Arsenal must embrace the situation, telling Sky Sports: "We have to enjoy it. It is a privilege to be standing here with my team-mates, with Arsenal, we are fighting for these titles. You have to enjoy it, it's a beautiful place, and we are enjoying it. Game by game and, at the end, hopefully something beautiful."

Timber highlighted how important dead balls had become in contests of this level, saying of the set-plays: "Both sides, it became an important part of the game," before praising Arsenal’s response and consistency under pressure in matches that directly affect the Premier League title race.

Timber added: "Today we came out well, and overall we played a good game. We took the three points and then important game on Wednesday [against Brighton] again." That next fixture provides another chance for Arsenal to defend the five-point cushion over Manchester City.

The disciplinary figures also stood out, with Chelsea’s seventh different red-carded player in the 2025-26 Premier League season; only Sunderland in 2009-10 and Leicester City in 1994-95, with eight each, have seen more different players sent off in a single Premier League campaign.

Raya’s late save from Garnacho preserved the advantage and ensured Arsenal’s set-piece efficiency, defensive concentration and composure against ten-player Chelsea all combined to keep the Premier League title race in Arsenal’s favour heading towards the midweek meeting with Brighton.