Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea: Match report & 3 talking points from scrappy London derby | OneFootball

Arsenal found themselves on the right side of a nervy, scrappy and deeply underwhelming win at home to Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

In a meeting between two sides without a fit striker between them and who were also both missing their best player, those at the Emirates Stadium were fortunate to witness as many as one goal.

Mikel Merino's stooped first-half header from a corner proved to be the difference in a game which didn't have many immediate rammifications. Three more points still leaves Arsenal 12 adrift of Liverpool, while Chelsea remain in fourth place.

How the game unfolded

The match was not 200 seconds old before Chelsea's defensive third began to resemble an Arsenal shooting gallery. The Gunners roared into Sunday's London derby, peppering Robert Sanchez's haphazardly-guarded goal with an early flurry of efforts before Merino's header arced into the far corner in the 20th minute.

Leandro Trossard had an early sighter fizz wide while Gabriel Martinelli twice went close. Declan Rice seemed to be particularly fired up against the club which dropped him from their academy as a 14-year-old.

Yet, once they failed to build on their deserved lead, the hosts began to fade. Chelsea - who were without their injured talisman Cole Palmer as well as both their centre-forwards - took advantage of Arsenal's passivity and grew into an increasingly even contest.

The half-time interval punctured Chelsea's growing momentum. With the words of Mikel Arteta still ringing in their ears, the Gunners tightened up the stitching of their midfield and defensive lines, firmly engaging the handbrake. There were just eight shots across the entire second 45 minutes, only three of which forced saves from either underwhelming goalkeeper and not one was from a vaguely threatening position.

Check out player ratings from Arsenal vs Chelsea here.

Mixed VAR fortunes for Chelsea

Marc Cucurella had a nervy moment in the opening exchanges / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Chelsea found themselves on the right side of two first-half VAR reviews which both caused uproar at a fiercely partisan Emirates. One may have been more worthy of disdain than the other.

Marc Cucurella was accused of handling the ball after tangling with Jurrien Timber in the penalty box in the 12th minute. The Premier League's official match centre explained that VAR Jarred Gillett deemed the defender's arm "to be in an expected position with no clear or deliberate action towards the ball".

Replays suggested that was very much the case - and the ball seemed to strike his arm above the shirt-sleeve cut off anyway - yet no explanation was provided for Wesley Fofana's stamp.

Rice had lured Fofana into a clumsy trip near the halfway line before falling on top of the ball. Perhaps frustrated by his side's sluggish start to the contest, the Chelsea right-back aimed his studs in the vague direction of the ball while catching a meaty chunk of Rice's thigh. Fofana was booked for this indiscretion yet may have been fortunate to escape further punishment.

Arsenal's corner drought ends

Mikel Merino (far left) guided Arsenal into an early lead / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

It can take a while for stereotypes to fade. Brazil is still thought of by many as the epitome of international football yet they lost to a nation ranked 53rd in the world last year. Stoke City will always be a "tough place to go" even though they have the fifth-worst home record in the Championship. 29-year-old Jack Grealish is still a youngster with some rough edges to smooth.

For many, Arsenal may very well be upheld as the Premier League's 'Corner Kings'. However, their last goal from this type of dead-ball situation was a Gabriel header off Dominic Solanke's midriff in January's north London derby. Until Sunday, that is.

Ditching their familiar set up of "big boys at the back", Arsenal crammed the six-yard box. Merino had room to curve his run around the mass of flesh and looped a header into the far corner. Arsenal's set-piece superpower deserted them just as all their forwards got injured (which may not be a coincidence - who, after all, takes and attacks the corners?). But they rediscovered their strength (however briefly) in this narrow victory.

Shaky goalkeepers at both ends

Robert Sanchez seemed to be stuck in a perennial pickle on Sunday / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Forget the 60,000-strong Emirates crowd celebrating another derby victory, Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro would have been the most grateful onlooker on Sunday afternoon.

If the Basque shot-stopper had found time to tune in to the Premier League showing before his side's league meeting with Rayo Vallecano, he would have seen his two fiercest rivals for Spain's number one goalkeeper spot do everything in their power to never earn another international call-up.

That Robert Sanchez managed to bungle his way back into Chelsea's starting XI after getting publicly dropped by Maresca is a testament to Filip Jorgensen's own failings. The returning Spaniard seemed to be frazzled right from kick-off, skewering passes directly to red shirts and patting the ball away as though every touch gave him an electric shock.

Arsenal's David Raya arguably managed to out-do his compatriot. The Gunners goalkeeper let Cucurella's tame first-half effort squirm through both his arms, spinning narrowly past the far post.