EPL: Diego Costa guides Chelsea to hard-fought victory against Arsenal

Arsenal missed their chance to go back to the top of the Premier League after losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners were forced to play with 10 men for much of the game after German defender Per Mertesacker was sent off in the first 20 minutes for a foul on Diego Costa, who scored the only goal shortly afterwards from a cross by Branislav Ivanovic.

It took only five minutes after that for Arsenal’s defense to be breached when Costa evaded defender Gabriel, who had been brought on to replace forward Olivier Giroud after Mertesacker’s dismissal — a negative move by manager Arsene Wenger which sparked booing.

The result preserved the defending champions’ unbeaten record under experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who took over as interim manager last month following Jose Mourinho’s sacking.

Chelsea moved up to 13th, while Arsenal were left in third place, level on points with Manchester City but three behind leaders Leicester City.

First Published: Jan 24, 2016 23:38 IST