Wright's Concerns Mount as Arsenal Edge Past Chelsea in Nervy Display

Arsenal's Sunday victory over Chelsea has left Ian Wright fretting about the champions' resilience down the stretch, even as they extended their Premier League lead to five points clear of Manchester City.

Goals from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber, sandwiched around a Piero Hincapie own goal, secured the three points for Mikel Arteta's side. Yet the manner of the win—all three strikes arriving from corners—did little to inspire confidence in a performance that lacked conviction when play opened up.

The afternoon took a decisive turn when Pedro Neto received his marching orders with 20 minutes remaining, shown a second yellow for a clear challenge on Gabriel Martinelli after earlier being booked for dissent. What followed, however, is precisely what has Wright uneasy about Arsenal's prospects in the run-in.

"Chelsea, once they went down to 10 men, they started to play. It was worrying," Wright told Premier League Productions. "Arsenal showing those nerves, those jittery nerves at the latter stages of games, they need to take the opportunities earlier on so they can relax at this stage."

The ex-striker acknowledged the three points matter most, but his unease about the second-half pattern is palpable. "We're seeing in the second half of games, you can get at Arsenal," he continued. "It would be nice to find out what's happening to Arsenal in the second half. It comes down to 'you get the job done', I'm happy the job is done, but I'm going to be nervous for the next game because I'm seeing that again in the second half."

Liam Rosenior's Chelsea, despite their numerical disadvantage, grew into proceedings once reduced to ten, a detail that clearly rattled Wright. Arsenal will need to tighten their grip on matches earlier if they're to see out the season without giving admirers heart palpitations.

Yaya Toure, summoned to the Sky Sports studio alongside Daniel Sturridge and Patrick Vieira for post-match analysis, cut a thoroughly underwhelmed figure as he surveyed the contest. The legendary midfielder pulled no punches in his assessment of what had unfolded.

"First half was okay," Toure began diplomatically before his frustration surfaced. "I feel a bit disappointed because we want to see a flourishing game. Passing, attacking and scoring chances. Three goals from set-pieces, a bit strange for a derby! A really important win for Arsenal but as a fan, I want to see more."

His words captured the essence of an afternoon where Arsenal got the job done without ever truly convincing. For Wright, the nerves are already building ahead of the next fixture.