Arsenal edge battling Chelsea thanks to Timber and Raya to restore five-point lead

There were 63 minutes on the Emirates Stadium clock and the Arsenal crowd were in a state of extreme agitation. William Saliba had the ball at the back and he was taking his time – largely because there was nothing on for him. The fans screamed at him to hurry up. To do something. Anything. It was all going wrong because Chelsea were not just level at 1-1, they had dominated the second half up to this point.

Out on the right flank, Jurriën Timber held his arms out and gestured for everybody to calm down. There was still time. Arsenal would be fine if they could keep their focus and do their stuff. It took Timber precisely three minutes to practise what he preached. When Declan Rice arched over a corner, it was Timber who wriggled free to head home what would prove to be a priceless winning goal.

It was fraught until the very end, the six minutes of added time stretching like hours for Arsenal. Moisés Caicedo banged just wide of the top corner for Chelsea and there was the moment when Alejandro Garnacho, on as a substitute for the visitors, crossed for João Pedro and watched the ball go all the way through for the far corner. David Raya flung himself that way to make a stunning stop. It was not the only time that he saved his team.

At the bitter end, another Chelsea substitute, Liam Delap, had the ball in the net only for João Pedro to be flagged offside in the buildup and the full-time whistle was the prompt for a mass outpouring of relief. It was some distance from being a free-wheeling Arsenal performance. They laboured for long spells. They struggled to make it happen in open play, their opening goal also coming from a corner, Saliba heading in. Quite simply, they found a way. The lead over Manchester City is back up to five points, albeit Arsenal have played an extra game.

For Chelsea, there was only frustration that a positive performance led to the first Premier League defeat of Liam Rosenior’s tenure; their push for a Champions League finish dented. Although their first-half equaliser came from a corner, the ball going in off the unfortunate Arsenal left-back, Piero Hincapié, Chelsea were undermined by further sloppiness on defensive set pieces – they have now conceded seven goals from them in 13 matches under Rosenior. And another red card, the ninth for their players in all competitions this season.

It was Pedro Neto who collected it for a swipe at the Arsenal substitute, Gabriel Martinelli, shortly after Timber’s goal. It was a clear second booking. Chelsea battled on with the numerical disadvantage. Arsenal remain on course. Just about.

The onus was always going to be on Arsenal. Mikel Arteta made no changes to his starting XI from last Sunday’s win over Spursand, having had a free midweek for the first time in two months, he wanted to see energy and intensity. There were flickers of it in the early going when his team brought a high press to spook Robert Sánchez.

The goalkeeper was robbed by Viktor Gyökeres in the fifth minute and needed to make a desperate tackle to stop Eberechi Eze from making capital. It was not the only time that Sánchez looked edgy as he began moves with short passes.

Jurriën Timber restores Arsenal’s lead against Chelsea. Photograph: Jaimi Joy/Reuters

It was physical. It was tight. And Arsenal took a familiar route to the breakthrough – an inswinging corner with big men flooding the penalty area. The delivery came from Bukayo Saka and it was a prodigious leap from Gabriel Magalhães beyond the far post, defined by the hang time. When he nodded back and inside, Saliba was there to flick home, the ball going in off Mamadou Sarr, to whom Rosenior had given a full Premier League debut.

The story of the first half was set pieces – partly because there was precious little creativity in open play. Sarr had fluffed a big chance on the volley in the 11th minute after a free-kick was dropped into the area for him; he was unmarked. And the Chelsea equaliser came from an inswinging corner, sent over by Reece James.

The visitors looked to have got the move to work moments earlier only for Raya to reach back and produce an excellent save when James’s corner came off Declan Rice’s elbow. One question: how was it not a penalty? Rice had wrestled with Jorrel Hato and seemed to make an unnatural movement with his arm towards the ball. He was also all over Hato.

Chelsea’s grievance floated away when Hincapié suffered his aberration. He wanted to get distance on his clearing header when he rose at the near post only to misjudge it, the ball flicking off the top of his head and flying into the far corner.

Sánchez was not the only goalkeeper to suffer a wobble on the ball. Raya was almost dispossessed by João Pedro after a risky back-pass from Martín Zubimendi on 31 minutes. There were Arsenal fans up and out of their seats. What was going on?

It was nervy in the home seats. Chelsea could feel it and they enjoyed themselves after the restart. They pushed out their chests and pinged their passes. They called the tune.

Enzo Fernández extended Raya with a low shot from distance and from the corner, Raya appeared to catch João Pedro in the act of punching clear. There was not enough in it for a penalty. From the next one, Trevoh Chalobah flicked on and João Pedro forced Raya into another save. When James whipped a ball in from open play on the right just before the hour, João Pedro flashed a header off target.

What did Arsenal have by way of response? Another set-piece, of course. It was Rice, this time, who dropped it into the area of maximum discomfort and there was Timber to head home, having outmuscled Sarr. Chelsea raged about a push in the crowded area and Neto was booked for taking the protest too far. Which only made what he did moments afterwards feel so crazy.

Martinelli was away on a counter up the left and Neto was simply intent on stopping him. The tackle was high and wild and, although Martinelli rode it, the referee, Darren England, stopped the play to give Neto his second caution. Eze worked Sánchez and it looked as though Arsenal would see out the win with the minimum of fuss. That would be incorrect. They were unconcerned about the means.