The Goal: Arsenal Punish Chelsea’s Disorganization
The sequence leading to the corner from which Merino scored highlighted Chelsea’s defensive disorganization. As the ball shifted to the right flank, Nkunku signaled Cucurella to press Timber. This triggered Chelsea’s full transition into man-to-man marking.
This left Badiashile isolated against Martinelli, who had a clear advantage in pace and was able to beat the Frenchman with ease. Martinelli’s cross was deflected for a corner, from which Merino eventually scored.
For Arsenal’s goal, the set-piece routine was well-executed. They crowded the six-yard line, making it difficult for Chelsea’s defenders to be involved in the action. This left Trossard and Merino against James and Sancho, with Nkunku defending the front post zonally. Since Nkunku is not much of an aerial threat, Merino only needed to separate from James to get clean contact, which he did, scoring the opener.
As for the goal, it's a clever set-piece routine from Arsenal.
— Fahd (@fahdahmed987) March 18, 2025
They crowd out the six-yard line, making it difficult for most Chelsea players to be involved in the action. This leaves Trossard and Merino against James and Sancho, who are the markers. Nkunku is defending the… pic.twitter.com/7qBvquGgIN