Gabriel’s goal keeps Arsenal top with 1-0 win at Chelsea
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal’s surprising title challenge in the Premier League shows no signs of slowing down.
If anything, a 1-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday only underlined that this Arsenal team may be the strongest in years.
Gabriel’s second-half goal was enough to keep Mikel Arteta’s team top of the league table after a performance that was more dominant than the scoreline might suggest.
The Brazilian center-back was on hand to steer in a corner from Bukayo Saka in the 63rd minute at Stamford Bridge against a toothless Chelsea side.
“From the start to the end, I think we deserved to win today,” Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka said. “We were the much, much, much better team today. We are so happy that everything is going well at the moment.”
This was Arsenal’s 11th win in 13 league matches and lifts the Gunners back atop the standings, two points ahead of Manchester City, which had taken the overnight lead with a last-gasp win against Fulham on Saturday. It also sends an even stronger message to City that Arsenal is likely to be their main challenger for the title this season after adding this result to previous victories against Liverpool and Tottenham.
For Chelsea, though, it was another disappointing performance that will add to pressure on manager Graham Potter, especially coming off a 4-1 loss at his former club Brighton last week.