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.
