LONDON, (Reuters) – Arsenal missed their chance to go back to the top of the Premier League after being forced to play with 10 men for much of the 1-0 home defeat by London rivals Chelsea yesterday.
At the other end of the table Swansea City improved their prospects of avoiding relegation with a 2-1 win at Everton in new Italian head coach Francesco Guidolin’s first match.
Arsenal’s German defender Per Mertesacker was sent off after 18 minutes for denying a goalscoring opportunity to Diego Costa, who scored the only goal five minutes later from a cross by Branislav Ivanovic.
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.
They remain a bogey side to Arsenal, who have not beaten them in the last nine league games, failing to score in the last six.
Arsene Wenger’s side were left in third place, level on points with Manchester City but three behind leaders Leicester City, who beat Stoke City 3-0 on Saturday.
Chelsea moved up to 13th, as high as they have been since beating Arsenal 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in September.
