Arsenal 1-0 Ipswich Town: Kai Havertz scores winner as Gunners climb to second in Premier League with narrow win

Arsenal were dominant but equally unconvincing as they won 1-0 at a lackluster Ipswich side to move up to second in the Premier League, six points clear of leaders Liverpool.

Although the Gunners had most of the possession early on, it took them a while to carve a way through a combative away defense as they finally took the lead on 23 minutes when Kai Havertz volleyed home from close range.

Chances were generally limited, though, and it wasn’t until half-time that the home side had their next real opening, with Gabriel heading wide from a corner.

As the match wore on, Mikel Arteta’s side began to have a little more joy, with Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice both coming close to doubling the lead.

There were more chances in the final exchanges for substitutes Mikel Merino and Odegaard late on as Arsenal saw out a 1-0 win that extends their unbeaten run to 11 games, while Ipswich, who failed to manage a single shot on target, now have. he lost five times in six outings.

It was always going to be fascinating to see how Arsenal get on without their talisman Bucayo Saka, who is out for “several weeks” with a hamstring injury.

His attacking prowess is almost irreplaceable and his absence was certainly felt as the Gunners struggled to create the weight of chances expected of them against a struggling side.

Leandro Trossard, Saka’s replacement, grabbed the assist for Havertz’s opening goal, but there wasn’t nearly the same pace and directness from the team as a whole that there would have been had the England international been fit.

The 26-year-old is a Rolls Royce player who glided effortlessly to another Arsenal victory.

There were few offensive moves in which he was not at the center, some of which he initiated, while in others he was the player who took the final shot.

Without him, the Gunners would have struggled to create the few chances they did. It’s no coincidence that Odegaard has missed just one of his last 21 appearances for the club.

Arsenal: Raya 6, Timber 7, Saliba 7, Gabriel 7, Lewis-Skelly 7, Odegaard 8, Rice 7, Havertz 7, Trossard 6, Jesus 6, Martinelli 6

Subs: Merino 7, Partey N/A

Ipswich Town: Muric 7, O’Shea 6, Woolfenden 6, Greaves 7, Davis 6, Johnson 5, Phillips 6, Hutchinson 6, Cajuste 7, Szmodics 6 Delap 5

Subs: Jack Clarke 6, Al Hamadi N/A, Taylor N/A, Broadhead N/A, Harry Clarke N/A

23′ GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 IPSWICH (Kai Havertz): Break the deadlock! Trossard picks up a loose ball on the left side of the area and flicks it back into the six-yard box, from where Kai Havertz converts with a first-time volley. 1-0!

63′ GABRIEL MISSES A FREE HEADER – How did he miss it? A perfectly executed Arsenal set-piece routine sees defender Gabriel picked out, completely unmarked, on the edge of the six-yard box. He loads it in the back, but his head is wide.

73′ NEAR Odegaard – The midfielder bursts into the area and aims for the top corner, but Muric makes a finger save to send the ball wide for a corner.

74′ THE RICE WAS REJECTED! That would be an amazing goal! Odegaard’s corner picks out Rice, who is in acres of space near the penalty area, and his first-time volley has plenty of venom behind it, only for O’Shea to blast away.

77′ MOURICK DENIED MErino – Another quick burst into the area from an Arsenal man, this time Merino, but Muric clears his low drive. Odegaard then sends a rebound miles over.

• Arsenal remain the only team in the Premier League yet to lose at home this season, winning six of nine games.
• Ipswich extend their unbeaten run at the Gunners to 13 meetings, stretching back to 1979