Mikel Arteta admitted his heart nearly stopped after David Raya made a stunning late save to preserve Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. The win restored Arsenal’s five-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, with goals from William Saliba and Jurriën Timber proving decisive.
Raya was in exceptional form throughout the tense encounter, making several crucial stops. As full-time approached, he pushed a cross from Alejandro Garnacho wide of his near post, preventing what could have been a late equaliser for the visitors. “David is one of our leaders,” Arteta said. “My heart almost stopped, but David’s hand was there to bring it back to life.”
Arteta acknowledged that Arsenal struggled to manage the final period of the game, a point he plans to address with the squad. He also revealed that Declan Rice is a doubt for the upcoming match against Brighton. “It’s certainly something that we’ll discuss tomorrow because we have to improve it,” he said.
Chelsea, who have now fallen out of the top five, conceded from two corners and were unable to recover after Pedro Neto received two yellow cards in four minutes during the second half. The club has accumulated nine red cards across all competitions this season, prompting head coach Liam Rosenior to call for greater accountability. “As a group, me as the leader as well, we have to take more accountability for the decision-making in terms of our discipline,” he said.
