Football

ARSENAL collected three points at the Emirates with a comfortable display as they fight to keep their fading title hopes alive.Mikel Merino broke the deadlock with a gorgeous looping header that nestled into the net at the unmarked Chelsea back-post.Arsenal ran out 1-0 winners in their London derby against ChelseaCredit: GETTYA first-half header from Mikel Merino was enough to separate the teamsCredit: GETTYThe Spaniard’s goal, however, wasn’t enough to cover up a poor performance in front of goal for the Gunners. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard missed chances and should have sent Arsenal into the half-time interval at least two goals up.Marc Cucurella nearly equalised for the Blues after a David Raya howler as the keeper spilled his volley and the ball nearly rolled in at the back post.Two ugly fouls from Wesley Fofana could have both seen red, but somehow, the Chelsea defender went unpunished. The first, a clear stamp on Declan Rice’s hamstring after bundling him over. And the second, a reckless lunge that caught Trossard late on the shin.After sailing through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 9-3 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven, the Gunners reduced the gap to 12 points at the top of the table but still lacked the attacking instinct a true number nine brings. Enzo Marseca’s Chelsea, meanwhile, struggled to cause the Gunners any real issues and dropped more points in the race for the top four.Despite Raheem Sterling’s player-of-the-match performance midweek, the Arsenal winger was ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea and had to watch from the stands.JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSMikel Merino’s header was his sixth goal of the seasonCredit: GETTYCole Palmer missed his side’s visit to North London due to illness and will have to wait even longer for his first Premier League goal since January.The attacker has yet to play a single minute at the Emirates Stadium in his career.Enzo Maresca defends lacklustre Chelsea after Conference League progress Here is how SunSport’s Conor Jones rated Arsenal’s performances in North London.DAVID RAYA – 6/10The goalkeeper had a quiet first half but nearly let a Cucurella volley slip straight through his hands and into the back of the net.He showed his confidence in possession and distributed well as the Gunners piled pressure on their London rivals.Nonetheless, the silly mistake tainted a clean sheet and nearly cost his side valuable points.MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 7Described as a “liability” by Arteta, Lewis-Skelly silenced his critics with a strong performance at the Emirates.Attacked well down the left, causing Wesley Fofana issues from early on and held his own against a tricky Jadon Sancho but did have quiet periods.A lovely run coming in from the left earned his side a dangerous freekick in the 70th minute.Following his maiden call-up to the England side, the left-back put in a mature performance against Thomas Tuchel’s former side.WILLIAM SALIBA – 5The Frenchman didn’t face much from the Chelsea attack but reacted slowly to clear a ball forward from the Blues and nearly set Enzo Fernandez through on goal.A short header back early in the first half allowed Nkunku gave chase and forced the keeper to clear.Got a lively reaction from the Arsenal faithful after a strong challenge earned his side a goal kick.Saliba didn’t have his greatest gameCredit: GettyGABRIEL – 6Was strong at the back and started a couple of attacks with positive balls forward and a marauding run in the second half.Shepherded the Chelsea attack well with Saliba and rarely put a foot wrong but did pick up a yellow for a late challenge.Could have offered more from set pieces, but Odegaard’s deliveries left a lot to be desired.JURRIEN TIMBER – 7The Dutchman was dangerous down the right flank and nearly broke the deadlock with a ball across the six-yard line, but the Gunners failed to bundle the ball over the line.Tracked back brilliantly after an Arsenal corner and drew a huge cheer from the home crowd with a strong challenge on Pedro Neto.He dealt with Nkunku fairly comfortably when he had to, but that wasn’t often.Timber was dangerous down the sideCredit: APDECLAN RICE – 6Rice was bright from the start, taking two shots in the first ten minutes but failed to test Sanchez between the Blues’ posts.Nearly earned Wesley Fofana a red card after a disgusting stamp that VAR failed to intervene with.Hammered a dangerous freekick into the wall and made positive runs going forward but, like his teammates, lacked the creative spark.THOMAS PARTEY – 6The Ghanaian was confident in possession and used his strength well against Enzo Fernandez in the middle of the park.His role as a six in the Arsenal midfield allowed Rice and Odegaard to push forward while he kept Enzo and the rest of the Chelsea midfield fairly quiet.Could have offered more going forward, but that was a common issue amongst the Gunners.MARTIN ODEGAARD (Capt) – 5 (TIERNEY 90 mins)The Gunners captain whipped in a delightful ball to the front post which Mikel Merino brilliantly flicked over the Blues’ keeper but failed to impact the game elsewhere.Should have had a second assist midway through the first half but Martinelli failed to hit the target.Picked up a yellow for a frustrated late challenge on Cucurella after he failed to test Sanchez with a limp strike.Odegaard struggled to have his normal impactCredit: EPALEANDRO TROSSARD – 6Nearly scored on the end of a dangerous delivery from Gabriel Martinelli in the second minute but sliced his shot wide of the right post from the edge of the area.The Belgian almost returned the favour after his press forced Robert Sanchez to give possession away to Martinelli, but the Brazilian failed to capitalise.Like Martinelli, he failed to take the few chances he did get and contributed to Arsenal’s attacking woes.GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 6 (NWANERI 78 mins)Created well but his finishing was well below par and cost him two massive chances in the first half.Could have made it 1-0 in the first ten minutes after Sanchez passed the ball straight to him, but the Brazilian hit a limp strike straight at the Chelsea goalkeeper.The winger missed a second chance midway through the first half as he struck a horrendous effort beyond the post and into the home fans after Odegaard played him through.Found Merino at the back-post with a nice ball, but the Spaniard’s volley was met with a strong save.While he is positive on the ball, Martinelli is not the answer to Arsenal’s struggling attack.Martinelli missed several chancesCredit: GettyMIKEL MERINO – 8The Spaniard followed up an uninspiring display against Manchester United with a fantastic header at the front post, looping the ball over Sanchez.His role as a makeshift striker has been heavily criticised, but Merino backed up his tireless pressing with a goal at the Emirates.Nearly scored a second with a volley at the back post but failed to beat an impressive diving save by Sanchez.The Gunners still look flat up front and another goal from a corner wasn’t enough to cover that up.SUBSETHAN NWANERI (MARTINELLI 78 mins) Tried to make an impact with the little time he had but struggled to get the better of Cucurella.KIERAN TIERNEY (ODEGAARD 90 mins)N/A More