London, March 2: William Saliba and Jurrien Timber both scored from corner kicks as Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium to retain its five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Saliba opened the scoring in the 21st minute, flicking the ball home with the help of a deflection, and Timber restored Arsenal’s lead in the 66th with a header from another corner.
Chelsea had equalised on the stroke of halftime when Piero Hincapie turned the ball into his own net to make it 1-1. Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was sent off in the 70th minute after picking up two yellow cards in three minutes, reports Xinhua
Benjamin Sesso continued his impressive form as Manchester United came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at home and climb to third in the table.
Manchester United fell behind early when Maxence Lacroix scored for Palace, but Bruno Fernandes equalized from the penalty spot after Lacroix was sent off for conceding the spot-kick and denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Sesko then netted the winner in the 65th minute with a powerful header from a Fernandes cross.
Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi scored first-half goals as Fulham beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home, with Richarlison replying for Tottenham with its only shot on target.
“It was a big win,” Mikel Areteta said. “I was very happy for big parts of the game and the performance that we put in against a top side, coming after a London derby and the expectations and the will that we have to continue to win.
“The timing of the goal that we conceded was a big blow but emotionally we reacted, it was exactly what we needed to stay focused and go,” he added.
Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 away to Brighton, with all three goals coming in the opening 15 minutes. Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck scored for Brighton, with Welbeck netting the winner two minutes after Morgan Gibbs-White had equalized for Forest with a swerving strike.
As the floodlights dimmed across London and Manchester, this was a night that quietly underlined the shifting currents of the Premier League season. Arsenal, composed and relentless, showed once again that their title charge is built not merely on flair but on resilience — on responding to setbacks, on finding decisive moments from set pieces, and on refusing to surrender control of the narrative. Manchester United, meanwhile, demonstrated grit of their own, turning adversity into opportunity to strengthen their position in the top three.
Fulham’s derby triumph and Brighton’s rapid-fire burst against Nottingham Forest added further texture to a weekend that offered drama in short, sharp bursts. At the summit, though, Arsenal remain the standard-bearers, five points clear and growing in belief with each passing fixture.
The margins are slender, the pressure immense, yet the message from Mikel Arteta’s side is unmistakable: this is a team learning how to win when it matters most — and in a season defined by fine lines, that composure could yet prove decisive.If this round of fixtures revealed anything, it is that the Premier League title race is no longer about flair alone, but fortitude.
Arsenal’s victory over Chelsea was not just another three points banked at the Emirates; it was a statement of maturity.
They absorbed a psychological blow just before halftime, steadied themselves, and returned with renewed purpose — the kind that champions are forged from. Around them, the chasing pack refuse to fade.
Manchester United’s comeback showed a side rediscovering steel and opportunism, capitalising on moments of chaos to climb higher up the table. Fulham and Brighton, too, reminded everyone that in this league complacency is punished swiftly and without mercy. Yet at the summit, Arsenal’s consistency now feels less like a fleeting surge and more like a sustained assertion of authority.
Every set-piece, every defensive stand, every measured response to adversity hints at a squad increasingly comfortable with expectation.
The road ahead remains long and fraught with twists, but as March unfolds and the stakes rise, the Gunners are not merely leading — they are shaping the tempo of the race, setting the benchmark that others must strain to match. (Agencies)
