Havertz scores winner as Arsenal edge past Ipswich to move second

Arsenal were dominant, yet equally unconvincing, as they eased to a 1-0 win over a toothless Ipswich side to move back up to second place in the Premier League, six points within leaders Liverpool.

Although the Gunners had the bulk of the possession early on, it took them a while to plot a way through a belligerent visiting defence, as they eventually took the lead 23 minutes in when Kai Havertz volleyed home from close range.

Chances were generally limited though, and it was not until after half-time that the hosts had their next real opening, with Gabriel heading off target from a corner.

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

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

It was always going to be fascinating to see how Arsenal coped without their talisman Bukayo Saka, who is out for “many weeks” due to a hamstring injury.

His attacking prowess is almost irreplaceable, and his absence was certainly noticeable, 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 was nowhere near the same pace and directness from the team as a whole as there would have been had the England international been fit.

The 26-year-old is a Rolls Royce of a player, who glided effortlessly through another Arsenal win.

There were very few attacking moves that he was not at the heart of, some of which he started, while in others, he was the player producing the final shot.

Without him, the Gunners would have struggled to create the few chances that they did. It is no coincidence that Odegaard has lost 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): Deadlock broken! Trossard picks up a loose ball on the left-hand side of the area and fires 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 has he missed? A perfectly executed Arsenal set-piece routine sees defender Gabriel picked out, completely unmarked, on the edge of the six-yard box. He’s charging onto it at the back post, but heads wide.

73’ ODEGAARD COMES CLOSE – The midfielder surges into the area and aims for the top corner, but Muric makes a finger-tip save to send the ball out for a corner

74’ RICE DENIED! That would have been a stunning set-piece 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 to cannon into O’Shea

77’ MURIC DENIES MERINO – Another quick burst into the area from an Arsenal man, this time Merino, but Muric pushes away 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, picking up six victories from nine matches
• Ipswich extend their winless run away to the Gunners to 13 meetings, stretching back to 1979