Chelsea’s pursuit of a Champions League spot suffered a setback with a boring 1-0 defeat against Arsenal on Sunday, while Fulham secured a 2-0 victory over Tottenham.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal in an uninspiring encounter at the Emirates, helping Arsenal strengthen their hold on second place while closing the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to 12 points.
Mikel Merino scored the only goal of a disappointing contest at the Emirates, helping Arsenal strengthen their hold on second place while closing the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to 12 points.
Chelsea struggled in attack, largely due to the absence of Cole Palmer, who was sidelined due to illnessas they meekly surrendered to a damaging defeat for their hopes of a top-four finish.
The blues remain in fourth for now but have five sides from Manchester City in fifth to Aston Villa in ninth within four points of Enzo Maresca’s team.
Arsenal have struggled badly for goals since the loss of Kai Havertz to a season-ending injury has forced midfielder Merino into a makeshift centre-forward role.
The Spanish international proved the match winner from a corner as he looped a header from Martin Odegaard’s delivery inside the far post on 20 minutes.
Chelsea barely threatened but were nearly gifted a route back into the game when David Raya fumbled Marc Cucurella’s shot and the ball trickled wide.
At the other end, Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez made a superb save to deny Merino a second goal, producing the best stop of the second half.
However, the game ultimately fizzled out with minimal attacking action, and Chelsea’s uninspired display is unlikely to ease growing concerns among their fans over Maresca’s tactical approach.
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