Arsenal Hold the London Derby Line: Chelsea’s Lead Dented as Merino Sparks Late Equality

Match snapshot

Arsenal and Chelsea drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League’s 13th round on Sunday, November 30, 2025. Chelsea took the lead in the 48th minute through Trevoh Chalobah, only for Mikel Merino to level for Arsenal 11 minutes later.

Arsenal remain top with 30 points, while Chelsea sit third, six points behind the leaders. The Blues extended their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge in league play to seven matches, recording three wins and four draws across those games.

Chelsea reached seven set-piece goals this season, a tally matched only by Arsenal with eight—an area that continues to define their campaigns this year.

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho made his 100th Premier League appearance, becoming the youngest South American to hit the landmark. The Argentine winger also eclipsed a long-standing record held by Gabriel Martinelli, appearing at 21 years and 152 days old.

WhoScored notes Merino as the league’s header-scoring leader since 2025, reaching his fifth headed goal of the year with this derby. Bukayo Saka contributed to at least one goal in five of Arsenal’s last seven league goals against Chelsea, with a goal and four assists in the aggregate.

Opta data shows the Spaniard reaching ten Premier League goals, seven of which have come via headers. Aside from defenders, among players with ten goals or more in the competition’s history, only James Skocroft has a higher headed-goal ratio (71% vs. 70% for Arsenal’s standout star).