Arsenal

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

For Manchester City and boss Pep Guardiola, ending strongly to win a title is nothing new. Two seasons ago they went unbeaten through their last 23 league matches, winning 19 of them, to finish two points clear of Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

City are also used to piling on the pressure before their title rivals play.

On the past 15 times when City have played a day before Arsenal, Guardiola's side have won 11 of them, with three draws and just one loss - a 2-1 defeat by Newcastle in November.

Former Gunners defender Martin Keown, a three-time Premier League winner, thinks how Arsenal, runners-up in each of the past three seasons, cope with the pressure will define their campaign.

"It's normal when you want something so much, sometimes it can get the better of you," said Keown. "But there's plenty of time to learn from it.

"They've not been in this situation where they've been in front too often. It's almost about doing a reset here, which they've talked about in the past. If we were starting the season afresh, you'd just go after your opponent and just finish the job off.

"You also have to trust your team-mates in the moment. You need to try to create a steely, calm determination."

Steve Bruce, who won three Premier League titles with Manchester United in the 1990s, said: "Arsenal have shown remarkable consistency so far.

"Every game, no matter where you play and who you play, it becomes difficult, especially if you're in a title race and especially if you're Arsenal, because they haven't won it in so long.

"What you want at this time is the big players to perform. I was fortunate enough to play in a team where a certain Frenchman came to the fore - we always thought 'Eric [Cantona] will get us out of trouble'."

Joe Hart, a two-time Premier League winner with Manchester City, added: "There will be a lot of questions, a lot of noise on Arsenal - that is life at the top. There is no point in worrying, you have to live in your own world.

"They know what is coming in their rear-view mirror. Arsenal have been in this situation before though, they know what they need to do."

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Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

There were nerves in Sunday's 2-1 win at home to Chelsea, but Arsenal have responded to throwing away a 2-0 lead at doomed Wolverhampton Wanderers with that result, following on from an emphatic 4-1 triumph in the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur.

This was show of character demanded by outside observers, yet more brickbats came their way for scoring both goals from corners.

It was fresh ammunition for those decrying Arsenal as one-dimensional, but Mikel Arteta will be within his rights to point out he is using what almost amounts to a lethal (and legal) weapon through the work of French set-piece coach Nicolas Jover and Declan Rice's superb delivery.

Narrow, scrappy wins are usually lauded as the most important in triumphant title campaigns, the preserve of champions.

Arsenal have been criticised, including here, to missed opportunities and suffering under pressure in the past, and they still have Manchester City breathing down their neck.

The day of destiny may come in April when Arsenal face City at Etihad Stadium.

Now, however, Arsenal are currently in a magnificent position, but remain largely unloved outside their particular part of north London.

The bottom line is this – if Arsenal win the title (other pieces of silverware are available) there would not be a single unhappy Gunners fan. No-one will be discussing how many set-pieces they scored from, or whether they were pleasing on the eye, if the celebrations start.

Arteta's job is to please his Arsenal superiors and their supporters, not to satisfy connoisseurs or make opposition fans like them.

It is to win. And he is doing that.

The qualification is that Arteta must now win – with the Premier League crown being the one that matters most – because if Arsenal go another season without the title then he will be questioned.

One more season without the title is one season too long.

Read more about Arsenal's critics here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Title-chasing Arsenal visit a Brighton side showing signs of a return to form. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Wednesday's match (19:30 GMT).

Brighton back on track thanks to Welbeck

After a run of one win from 13 league games, Brighton have regained momentum by beating Brentford and Nottingham Forest, meaning Albion have the chance to claim three consecutive victories for the first time this season. If they are to manage that feat, the predatory instincts of Danny Welbeck are again likely to be key.

The evergreen 35-year-old scored his first league goal from open play since November in the 2-0 win against the Bees and was also on target in Sunday's 2-1 triumph versus Forest. That took the Englishman's tally to 10 Premier League goals this season, equalling the career-best figure he set last term.

Welbeck has consistently proved a thorn in the side of former club Manchester United, scoring eight times in all competitions since leaving his hometown team in 2014. But it has been a different story when reunited with Arsenal, where he spent the next five seasons.

He has managed only one Premier League goal against the Gunners since departing in 2019, with that strike coming in a 3-2 defeat at the Emirates during his single season with Watford. The veteran has not netted a league goal against the north London side since joining Brighton in 2020.

Corner turned - set-pieces giving Arsenal the edge

Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with Sunday's 2-1 win against Chelsea in a game where all three goals came from corners. That took the total number of goals scored from corners in the top flight this season to 138 – already three more than last term's final figure.

For better or worse, set-pieces have never been as important to success in English football and Mikel Arteta's side are setting the standard right now. The Gunners have already scored 16 times from corners in 2025-26, equalling the Premier League record for a single season, and have 19 goals in total from dead-ball deliveries (excluding penalties).

Arteta's side are clearly not one-trick ponies and have netted more goals from open play since Christmas than any other team. However, set-pieces remain invaluable in how they manage games.

Arsenal have taken a 1-0 lead in 20 Premier League matches this season, with the opener coming from a set-piece or penalty in 13 of those. Once in front, it becomes easier for the Londoners to find space and eventually pick off rivals who commit men forward in search of an equaliser.

Opponents Brighton have been one of the top-flight's better sides when it comes to defending corners this term, conceding only five such goals – although that includes one in their 2-1 defeat at the Emirates on 27 December.

Arsenal are not playing fluently at all, but look at the depth they have in their squad.

At the moment it feels like they have got players who can come off the bench and impact games if they need it.

This game won't be easy - Declan Rice is an injury doubt for the Gunners and Brighton have just picked up back-to-back wins, with Danny Welbeck scoring in both of them - but I still think Arsenal will find a way to win it.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Arsenal have been told by Inter Milan that 20-year-old Italian forward Pio Esposito is not for sale at any price. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

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Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Arteta is hopeful Declan Rice is "going be OK" after being taken off with a knock during their 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday. Arteta said: "He was much better today."

• Goalkeeper David Raya is also "good to go" for Wednesday's game, while Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard will be assessed before a decision is made on the pair.

• Defender Ben White is unavailable but Max Dowman is fit to play.

• The Gunners boss said they "had to do much better with the ball in in-game actions" in the late stage of the Chelsea game and his players "have to continue to learn" if they are to avoid such tight matches.

• Arteta said the criticism his side have received over their set-piece tactics "is part of the job" and they "want to be the best and most dominant team in every aspect of the game".

• Despite scoring the most set-piece goals this season so far, he said he is "upset" his side have conceded from them as well in recent weeks.

• On opponents Brighton: "A very good side in the way they are coached and what they want to do. They believe in what they want to do."

Follow all of Tuesday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Brighton vs Arsenal on BBC Radio 5 Live from 19:30 on Wednesday.

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Pat Nevin
Former Scotland winger

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal ground out another three points, once again relying on set-pieces – specifically another two goals from corners to add to their haul of 16 this season.

That is more than a quarter of their league goals. It doesn't matter how you score in each game as long as you get it over the line, but the stifled creativity in open play is definitely becoming a concern.

Chelsea ran Arsenal as close as you can and could claim to have been the better team when a man down in the final 20 minutes. It was arguably Liam Rosenior's most impressive coaching display since he arrived at the club despite the loss. Still, the defeat does make it just two points from the past nine available with a very tough run to come.

Are Arsenal getting jittery, was it just that the Blues had nothing to lose near the end of the game or was it a little weariness creeping into Arteta's side? I think the latter is the most likely and no wonder with the club still chasing four trophies.

They are the strongest squad in the Premier League in terms of depth, but the lack of spark was evident at the Emirates as the game wore on. Maybe this is why this set-piece dependence has become ever-more pronounced. However tired you are during a match, you can always get yourself set for a corner.

Arsenal managed the game just well enough and that is one of the signs of champions, but Pep Guardiola will have thought that this wasn't the performance of a team cruising imperiously into the home straight.

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On BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha breaks down why some people might find Arsenal's set-pieces boring to watch.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Laura Kirk-Francis
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that as Alejandro Garnacho's cross drifted towards the far corner of David Raya's goal during stoppage time on Sunday, his "heart almost stopped".

Thankfully, the Arsenal goalkeeper's hand was there to "bring it back to life".

It was a stop that no doubt saved Arsenal the embarrassment of having dropped more points from a winning position. But it also represented a definitive line in the sand for Raya, who has faced some criticism over the past few weeks.

A number of uncharacteristic lapses in concentration had threatened to derail if not destroy Arsenal's title chances.

These were most evident in the draw at Wolves where a miscommunication between the Spaniard and defender Gabriel led to the late equaliser.

It was an echo of a similar mistake earlier in the season away at Sunderland, where a mix-up allowed Brian Brobbey to snatch a last-minute point for the Black Cats.

On Sunday, Raya was imperious. If Arsenal are to find the form that is required to hold off a menacing-looking Manchester City, the rest of the squad must now follow their goalkeeper's lead.

Some of Arsenal's outfield players have looked weary of late, leading to a manic last 20 minutes against Chelsea despite having a man advantage.

But the entire squad must now follow their goalkeeper's lead by shaking off some of these errors and rediscovering some stability.

Raya has now emerged from his own difficult patch to produce a performance that earned Arsenal a crucial three points.

He has set the standard. The rest of the squad must now follow.

Find more from Laura Kirk-Francis at the Latte Firm podcast, external

Arsenal are leading the race to sign Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka when his contract expires this summer, with the 31-year-old Germany midfielder keen to play in the Premier League despite interest from Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan. (Christian Falk, via Bayern Insider), external

Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona are all monitoring Inter Milan's 26-year-old Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni. (Caughtoffside), external

Meanwhile, Gunners set-piece coach Nicolas Jover receives a bonus every time the team score from a dead-ball situation. (Times - subscription required), external

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Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta's former Arsenal assistant Steve Round says utilising set-pieces is the Gunners' way of winning when they are "not playing well".

Arteta's side regained their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Chelsea, with both their goals coming from corners.

It means Arsenal have reacted to the two disappointing draws against Brentford and Wolves with two big wins over rivals Tottenham and the Blues.

"It's massive," Round told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.

"Off the back of a couple of poor results, to bounce back with two big wins like that has put them back in pole position.

"They have to find a way to win when you're not playing well and they've got that way to win with the set-pieces."

David Raya made a series of fine saves, notably reacting to claw away a corner inadvertently deflected towards goal by Declan Rice.

Chelsea actually recorded an xG (expected goals) of 0.75 from set-pieces compared to Arsenal's 0.54.

"Raya's having a great season," Round added.

"It's not only the way he's stopping the ball going in the net, it's the way he helps build-up and helps the team in transitions.

"He's having a fantastic year and the two best goalkeepers in the league are playing for the top two teams."

Listen to the full chat from 07:50 on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Tim: Pragmatic if not thrilling. Arsenal seem to be coping better with run-in pressure than in previous seasons. Once chewed up fingers recover I can be grateful for three points in an edgy contest that could have gone either way. C'mon you Gooners!

Nick: Arsenal don't get enough credit for how good they are. So many games pundits and company talk about us being dominated and not being the best team. If Timber doesn't score when he does we dominate the rest of the game on the hunt for a goal - with an occasional counter threat. It's all about timing and we've showed when drawing or a goal down how we can ramp it up. We go a goal up and of course that changes the way the game goes.. it's how they roll. When they win the quadruple let's see the reaction. We might about to see the beginning of a dynasty with all the gunners stars coming into their prime. Look out..

Dug: Same old Arsenal ,always doing things the hard way! Got there in the end though, still in our hands. We have to remember that winning the league isn't easy and there will be a lot more nervy moments but there is one thing they can do to make things less nervy and that is to cut out stupid little mistakes that seem to be creeping in. Come on Gunners, be calm, let's do this!

Gerry: Frustrating because Arsenal have so much quality and talent and were man for man better than Chelsea apart from the corner. Really Arsenal should have been out of sight. The issue is mentality. Nothing more nothing less. They can win a lot this season if they sort out their own heads.

Chelsea fans

Stephen: Chelsea are maddeningly inconsistent and the sending offs are hurting. Defence does not seem strong enough when pressed. Not convinced that we will finish in top four!

Scott: A Chelsea red card - what a surprise...this team is so ill-disciplined. Now in 6th place and that's where we'll finish. Expecting Rosenior to move this team forward quickly is nothing short of ridiculous with an average defence and a Championship level goalkeeper.

Rob: Immature, unprofessional, unmotivated - this American experiment is as incompetent as it is arrogant - the financial situation is getting scary and our chances of generating revenue from competitions or stadium capacity increase are receding fast.

Andy: If the goalkeepers had swapped sides Chesea would have won the match. Sanchez at fault for both Arsenal goals, spending too much attention on opposition players in the box instead of focusing on the ball. Kicking poor overall. For all the good things Chelsea did throughout the game they were undone by a goalkeeper that doesnt command the box. Dissent also a factor, Neto yellow for dissent was warranted. Chelsea need to stamp out the petulance, its costing us.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison defends the widespread use and impact of set-pieces on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily: "Players still have to go and do the delivery. James and Rice are two of the best - always on the money.

"That's just the way it is at the minute. I like the perfect goal, beautiful football - but do you think Arsenal fans will care?

"What I say now, the balls in are good but no-one does man-to-man marking anymore, always zonal. I always think it's hard to do zonal. If I am attacking it and my man is stood still, I am going to have the advantage on him as he's at a standing start. I just think that's why set-pieces are so crucial at the moment and so detailed. They are so big in the game at the moment."

Listen to Football Daily below or on BBC Sounds here

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Arsenal are going to have to navigate the tension of the title race with just nine matches left in their bid to win a first league title since 2004.

And when asked by BBC Sport if they have had to go to another level with their work on set-pieces due to the work other sides are doing, Mikel Arteta agreed.

"Yes but every team is to be fair," he said. "Look where they are in terms of the amount of goals that they score.

"We hadn't scored set-pieces for a few weeks now, but we scored so many in open play.

"Today was an option to score from this kind of situation. We've done it so well and we conceded as well."

Chelsea were starting to grow into the game on Sunday before Jurrien Timber's crucial goal, while they needed goalkeeper David Raya to produce some excellent saves to deny the sixth-placed Blues a point.

"I didn't think there was an awful lot between the two teams, but Arsenal came out on top and at this stage of the season that's vital, isn't it?," added Arteta's former Everton team-mate Leon Osman.

"If your strengths are pacy wide men that create things all the time, you give them the ball all the time.

"If your strength is set-pieces, you try to win set-pieces and score from them and they're very good at it, very effective.

"And ultimately that was that was the difference between the teams, but Arsenal won't care because it's another three points."

According to Osman, Arsenal can be criticised for their style of play and are often compared to title winners of the past but if they win the title, that is all that matters.

"Many people watching want to see beautiful football or purists want to see open play great goals back to front." he said.

"That's not how football's always played. Football is about being effective in both penalty areas, finding a way.

"Whatever happens in between can be pleasing, can be enjoyable, can be exciting.

"But, ultimately, it's less important than what happens in both penalty areas because that's where games are won and lost."

Read more Arsenal analysis

Pundits Joe Hart and Leon Osman join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-1 Nottingham Forest

• Fulham 2-1 Tottenham

• Manchester United 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "Very, very happy.

"The players made an incredible performance as well and put so much into the game. After the great victory against Spurs, this would be even another level of difficulty.

"Against 10 men, I expected a different game.

"Look at the quality on the pitch - immense, but set-pieces are still the ones that made the difference. They are so good at that, and we are so good at that as well."

On Declan Rice being substituted: "He was feeling some discomfort, and he needed to be substituted."

Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It was tough. Chelsea are a great team they have amazing players. It was a nice goal to watch and happy we came out with three points.

On his goal: "I tried and it worked out. Three goals from set pieces today. It was hard to defend but we are good at attacking them as well and luckily it was in our advantage today. I wasn't alone, I was marked but I think Declan Rice's delivery was amazing. The opportunity was there and I took it."

On the overall performance: "Chelsea are a great team. The first half going in at 1-1 was a bit of a shame. We didn't give much away. We were quite dominant. You have to score more goals. Both sides were really good, it was a nice game to watch for the fans and our crowd got us through it and the three points were very important."

On his relationship on the right with Bukayo Saka: "Bukayo is a special player, everyone know his talent and his qualities and he shows us every week so I just try to feed him and put him in the best positions possible. Today was massive for us and on to the next game."

Did you know?

• This was the ninth time in the Premier League this season that Arsenal have scored a match-winning goal from a corner, now the outright most by a team in a single campaign (overtaking Manchester United's eight in 2012-13).

• Gabriel has been directly involved in 25 goals in the Premier League (20 goals, five assists), now the outright most by an Arsenal centre back in the competition, overtaking Laurent Koscielny (24).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of Chelsea's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies