Arsenal edge Chelsea as Fulham stun Spurs

Chelsea’s hopes of securing a Champions League spot took a hit with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday, while Fulham boosted their own European ambitions by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.

Mikel Merino’s first-half header proved decisive at the Emirates Stadium, lifting Arsenal further clear in second place and cutting Liverpool’s lead at the top to 12 points. Chelsea, meanwhile, struggled in attack without the injured Cole Palmer, managing few clear chances in a loss that leaves them vulnerable in fourth place.

Five teams, from Manchester City in fifth to Aston Villa in ninth, are now within four points of Enzo Maresca’s side, making the race for the top four increasingly competitive.

“We did enough to deserve to win the game,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. “Now we have the international break, so let’s take a chance to breathe and bring some players back hopefully.”

Chelsea nearly capitalized on a mistake when Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya spilled a shot from Marc Cucurella, but the ball rolled wide. At the other end, Robert Sanchez kept the Blues in the match with a fine save to deny Merino a second goal.

At Craven Cottage, Tottenham’s struggles after midweek European fixtures continued as Fulham struck late to claim all three points. Rodrigo Muniz broke the deadlock in the 78th minute before Ryan Sessegnon curled in a second against his former club.

Defeat leaves Spurs 13th in the table, 10 points off the top half, while Fulham move up to eighth, just four points shy of the Champions League places.