Author: moshood

Eddie Nketiah flicked home a late winner as Arsenal beat Manchester United in a five-goal thriller to keep their Premier League title tilt in full swing.

The striker has been in fine form since replacing the injured Gabriel Jesus and has now scored seven goals in as many games, including Sunday’s last-gasp effort which secured a 3-2 win over their old rivals at the Emirates Stadium.

Marcus Rashford continued his own fine run of form with a stunning opener for United which was cancelled out by Nketiah before Bukayo Saka’s own top-drawer finish had Arsenal ahead.

Lisandro Martinez, an Arsenal target last summer, then levelled for United following some poor defending but Nketiah would turn home a wayward Martin Odegaard shot to secure a memorable win.

Having seen an eight-point lead at the summit cut to just two following back-to-back victories for Manchester City since Arsenal’s win at Tottenham, Mikel Arteta’s side delivered when the pressure was on.

United are the only side to beat the Gunners in the Premier League this season and made a good start in their bid to repeat September’s Old Trafford win.

They had an early penalty shout turned down as Bruno Fernandes was challenged by Aaron Ramsdale, the VAR’s swift check backing up referee Anthony Taylor’s call to wave away appeals, but were nevertheless celebrating the lead in the 17th minute.

Thomas Partey uncharacteristically lost possession cheaply before Rashford skipped past him and arrowed in a fine low finish.

Arsenal, showing the sort of response of any side with title ambitions, bounced back soon after as Nketiah nodded home a Granit Xhaka cross after losing Aaron Wan-Bissaka far too easily.

The game opened up from that point, Scott McTominay – in for the suspended Casemiro – forced a smart stop out of Ramsdale with a strike from the edge of the box.

Arteta was booked by referee Taylor following his protestations at a Luke Shaw foul on Saka as the first half ended with the sides locked level.

That would change just eight minutes after the restart as Saka, afforded too much space and time, curled home an inch-perfect strike from 25 yards to put Arsenal ahead.

Ramsdale put in a man-of-the-match display in the 2-0 win at Spurs last week and made a great save to deny Rashford levelling with a deflected effort.

The England goalkeeper, however, was culpable for United’s equaliser after a mix up with half-time substitute Takehiro Tomiyasu at a corner allowed Martinez to head in his first Red Devils goal.

Having shared four goals, both teams went in search of the winner as Saka struck from a similar position only for this effort to deflect off Christian Eriksen and clip the post.

Leandro Trossard, who joined Arsenal from Brighton on Friday, came on for the final 10 minutes to make his Arsenal debut as David de Gea made a smart close-range stop to deny Nketiah a second.

Arsenal were now very much on top with United unable to get out of their own penalty box for large spells.

Eriksen led a rare foray forward for the visitors, winning a corner for a brief respite but the Arsenal pressure eventually told as Nketiah’s reaction to throw a boot at an Odegaard effort saw him divert the ball past De Gea.

A VAR check followed but the former England Under-21 striker was played onside by Wan-Bissaka and the goal was awarded, sending the Emirates wild and putting Arsenal five points clear of City with a game in hand.

Inter Milan secured bragging rights and another Italian Super Cup win with a 3-0 victory over rivals AC Milan in Saudi Arabia.

First-half goals by Federico Dimarco and Edin Dzeko put Inter in control before Lautaro Martinez wrapped up the scoring at King Fahd Stadium.

Dimarco finished off a fine team move to open the scoring after 10 minutes and Dzeko made it 2-0 with a curled finish into the bottom corner.

Martinez added a third with 13 minutes left after a neat turn inside the area to continue Milan’s poor start to the second half of the season with this a fourth match without a victory.

Tottenham forward Richarlison has avoided retrospective action from the Football Association for his heated exchange with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale at the end of Sunday’s north London derby, the PA news agency understands.

Spurs substitute Richarlison was involved in a coming together with Ramsdale following the 2-0 defeat and appeared to push the goalkeeper in the face.

A steward had to separate the pair and immediately after the incident Ramsdale was kicked by a Tottenham supporter, who climbed onto an advertising hoard behind the South Stand.

The fan, who has since been named as 35-year-old Joseph Watts, has been charged with assault by Metropolitan Police.

The FA strongly condemned the attack on Ramsdale and described it as “wholly unacceptable behaviour” but they were also understood to be looking into the clash between Arsenal’s goalkeeper and Richarlison.

No further action will be taken, however, with the incident believed to have been seen and managed appropriately by referee Craig Pawson at the time.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi transported fans back in time to the heyday of their storied rivalry, as both forwards got on the scoresheet in an exhibition match on Thursday before Hugo Ekitike earned 10-man PSG a 5-4 win over the Riyadh Season Team.

While the match may not have much significance for the teams involved, soccer fans around the world got plenty of bang for their buck as a story that has dominated the sport for over a decade appeared to come to an end in a memorable goalfest.

In an action-packed first half at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, goals from Messi and Marquinhos were cancelled out by a Ronaldo brace, while PSG’s Juan Bernat was sent off for a lunging tackle on Saudi international Salem Al-Dawsari.

Both teams kept their foot on the gas in the second half, but Ekitike’s 78th-minute strike eventually made the difference on the night.

Decked in a new black and gold kit, PSG made a blistering start to the game, racing into the lead in the third minute thanks to a deft finish from Messi.

Played through on goal by Neymar, Messi was able to poke the ball past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais, who he last faced in Saudi Arabia’s shock World Cup win over Argentina in November.

Despite going behind early, the Riyadh Season Team – a combined Saudi Pro League XI featuring players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal – had numerous chances.

Ronaldo was an ever-present threat and won a penalty when goalkeeper Keylor Navas clattered into him. Sporting a bright red bruise on his cheek as a result of the collision, Ronaldo picked himself up to calmly convert the spot kick and level the game.

Bernat was shown a red card right after the equaliser, but the Ligue 1 club responded well to going a man down, scoring through defender Marquinhos.

Their lead would not last long, as Ronaldo once again levelled the game on the verge of halftime, hammering home a rebound after Sergio Ramos botched a straightforward clearance.

The goals continued to come thick and fast after the break, as Ramos turned in a Kylian Mbappe cross before South Korean Jang Hyun-soo replied with a near-post header from a corner to make it 3-3.

A handball by Ali Al-Bulaihi gave the visitors a penalty, which was expertly dispatched by Mbappe on the hour. It was Mbappe’s last contribution, as he was taken off shortly after, along with team mates Messi and Neymar, as well as Ronaldo.

Ekitike then extended PSG’s lead to 5-3 with a thumping finish following a lung-busting run from the halfway line before Anderson Talisca scored a late consolation goal for the Saudis in added time.

Though he was unable to get his newest chapter in Saudi Arabia off to a winning start, 37-year-old Ronaldo will take heart from his performance as he prepares to make his first competitive appearance for Al Nassr when they host Al Ettifaq on Sunday. –

Riyad Mahrez struck twice as Manchester City staged a stunning fightback to reignite their title hopes with a 4-2 win over Tottenham.

The Premier League champions were rocked when Spurs struck twice through Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal in the closing moments of the first half after Ederson errors at the Etihad Stadium.

Yet faced with the prospect of trailing leaders Arsenal by eight points and having played a game more, Pep Guardiola’s side roused themselves after the break.

Julian Alvarez pulled one back and Erling Haaland, with his first goal in four games, restored parity before the influential Mahrez secured victory with a double.

The turnaround prevented City sinking to a third successive defeat in all competitions and will probably have left Arsenal bemoaning their rivals’ inability to land another blow on the champions.

Manager Guardiola had responded to City’s recent problems, including Saturday’s derby loss to Manchester United, by shaking up his side.

His changes surprisingly included naming Kevin De Bruyne among the substitutes while World Cup-winner Alvarez was offered a rare chance to start in the same side as Haaland.

Without De Bruyne, City did lack dynamism but such was the control they exerted in the first half that it was remarkable they ended it 2-0 down.

Mahrez fired a free-kick into the wall, Ilkay Gundogan curled a shot just wide and Alvarez had an effort blocked. Rodri was also shut down on the edge of the area and Hugo Lloris saved well from a deflected shot from impressive youngster Rico Lewis.

Haaland was quiet but still headed a good chance over and was denied by Lloris after another run into the area.

Yet Spurs still carried a threat and only a vital header from Nathan Ake prevented Kane unleashing a volley while Son Heung-min headed at Ederson.

The visitors were gifted the opener when Ederson played Rodri into trouble with a poor pass and Kulusevski steered into the net after pressure from Rodrigo Bentancur.

City hardly had time to regroup before they conceded again, Ederson again culpable as he palmed a Kane cross towards Emerson, who simply headed back into the goal.

City were booed by a small section of fans as they headed for the dressing room but their response was remarkable.

Mahrez took control of affairs and, after his cross into the box resulted in a goalmouth scramble, Alvarez lifted the ball into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit six minutes after the restart.

Mahrez was again involved as City equalised two minutes later. This time the Algeria winger headed across goal to tee up Haaland’s 28th goal of the season from close range.

Spurs tried to respond and were unlucky when an Ivan Perisic shot was deflected onto the post by Lewis, but they generally struggled to contain City.

They were undone by Mahrez again when he turned Perisic and raced into the area to drive a low shot through the legs of Lloris and put City ahead.

Spurs pushed but could not get back into the game and Mahrez wrapped up the points late on after seizing on an error by Clement Lenglet and clipping home.

Adam Lallana struck against his former club as rampant Brighton inflicted more misery on struggling Southampton with a resounding 3-1 Premier League success at St Mary’s.

Saints academy graduate Lallana benefited from a major blunder from home goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu to put Albion ahead before Romain Perraud’s calamitous own goal doubled their half-time advantage.

Seagulls winger Solly March thumped home a thunderous third to cap a dismal first home game in top-flight management for Southampton boss Nathan Jones.

James Ward-Prowse pulled a goal back by heading in on the rebound after his 73rd-minute penalty was saved by Robert Sanchez but a Southampton fightback never looked likely.

Defeat for the error-strewn hosts means they remain languishing in the relegation zone and leaves Jones, who launched his coaching career with Brighton, in no doubt about the magnitude of the job facing him in Hampshire.

The Seagulls, meanwhile, tightened their grip on a top-half spot following a deserved third league win from four games.

Former Luton manager Jones was forced to wait almost seven weeks for his first taste of top-flight action on home soil, having replaced the sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl just two days before a 3-1 loss at Liverpool on November 12.

Things quickly turned sour for the Welshman on an afternoon when his listless team were jeered off at the end of each half.

Brighton, still without World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, began brighter and edged ahead in the 14th minute as Lallana’s glancing header embarrassed Republic of Ireland international Bazunu.

The Seagulls midfielder turned neatly deep inside Saints’ territory and then played the ball wide to March before darting into the box to direct the subsequent inswinging cross through the arms of the blundering keeper.

Former England international Lallana, who left Saints for Liverpool in 2014 having joined the club’s academy aged 12, was booed in the early stages but his celebration was subdued.

Southampton resumed action following the World Cup with the worst home record in the division and the avoidable opener swiftly prompted grumblings of discontent in the stands.

Captain Ward-Prowse flashed a free-kick narrowly wide to offer some encouragement before the hosts fell further behind in catastrophic fashion to further darken the mood.

Saints’ defence had struggled to contain Pervis Estupinan and Kaoru Mitoma on Brighton’s left from the first whistle and 10 minutes before the break they combined for the former to deliver a tantalising low cross which Perraud clumsily directed into his own goal under pressure from March.

Southampton began the second period with greater purpose and Samuel Edozie twice threatened.

But March soon halted any growing momentum by cutting in from the right to smash a stunning drive into the top left corner from around 25 yards.

As Southampton supporters watched on with gloomy expressions, Brighton’s capacity following revelled in their side’s scintillating display, with chants of ‘the south coast is ours’ followed by ones about the possibility of a European adventure next season.

Saints finally gave themselves some hope when the lively Edozie was felled in the box by Pascal Gross.

Sanchez, who was booked for the delaying of the spot-kick, saved Ward-Prowse’s initial kick after diving to his right but was powerless to repel the follow-up effort.

The Spain international later risked a second yellow card following a clash with Che Adams before Brighton coasted to success on another chastening day for Southampton.

Fulham put their struggles against London rivals firmly behind them with a 3-0 victory over nine-man Crystal Palace, winning a Premier League derby in the capital for only the second time in 29 attempts.

But Palace contributed to their own downfall at Selhurst Park, with Tyrick Mitchell sent off in the first half and James Tomkins following suit before the hour.

Bobby Decordova-Reid put Fulham ahead after 31 minutes before Mitchell was shown a straight red card after 34 minutes and Tomkins – making his first Premier League start for exactly a year – saw a second yellow after 57.

Fulham skipper Tim Ream then scored his first Premier League goal after 71 minutes and Aleksandar Mitrovic nodded in his 10th of the campaign 10 minutes from time.

To mark the passing of their World Cup-winning former England right-back George Cohen last week, Fulham came out in warm-up tops with ‘Cohen 2’ on the back, and a rousing minute’s applause preceded kick-off.

They began brightly and a free-kick from distance by Andreas Pereira forced a fingertip save from Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita.

The home side found it difficult to make an impression as Pereira and Harrison Reed controlled the midfield.

Palace’s only clear chance of the first half came in the 27th minute, when a Fulham error allowed Michael Olise to find Jordan Ayew coming in from the right.

The Ghana World Cup man did well to get his shot in before Antonee Robinson could block, but his effort hit the crossbar.

However, Fulham took the lead their early dominance had deserved just after the half-hour mark.

Mitchell hesitated as he went for Joachim Andersen’s under-hit pass and Kenny Tete intercepted before playing the ball forward to Mitrovic on the right. The Serbia striker flighted a perfect cross for Decordova-Reid to glance a header past Guaita.

Palace’s task became even harder three minutes later when Mitchell mis-controlled a pass from Tomkins and made a juddering contact with Tete’s shin in an attempt to win the ball back. Referee Andy Madley had no hesitation in showing a red card, the decision quickly upheld by VAR.

Tomkins, booked earlier for a foul on Mitrovic, departed after 57 minutes after being shown a second yellow card when his raised arm made contact with the Serbian as he ran past the Palace defender.

Pereira hit the outside of the post as Fulham tried to capitalise on their numerical advantage, and Ream finally doubled the away side’s lead when he hooked in a fierce left-foot shot after Mitrovic had nodded back Pereira’s corner from the right.

Referee Madley consulted the monitor after VAR suggested that the ball had hit Mitrovic’s arm, but the goal stood.

Mitrovic then headed home the third himself from close range from Willian’s bouncing pass to wrap up a convincing win.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Ukraine international has signed an eight-and-a-half-year deal, with the Blues paying Shakhtar a reported £62million – possibly rising to £88m.

The 22-year-old was in attendance for Chelsea’s game against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“I’m so happy to sign for Chelsea,” Mudryk told the club’s website.

“This is a huge club, in a fantastic league and it is a very attractive project for me at this stage of my career. I’m excited to meet my new team-mates and I’m looking forward to working and learning under Graham Potter and his staff.”

Mudryk had looked poised to sign for London rivals Arsenal before a last-minute intervention from recruitment head Paul Winstanley and co-owner Behdad Eghbali on Saturday, with the pair flying to Turkey to negotiate the deal.

He becomes the 14th first-team signing since Todd Boehly bought the club last year, with total spending for his short reign now totalling over £350m.

Portugal international Joao Felix signed on loan from Atletico Madrid for around £9m as the club’s fourth January buy last week, before being sent off on his debut at Fulham on Thursday.

Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly have also arrived this season for significant transfer fees as Boehly set about rebuilding Chelsea’s squad.

The pressure eased on Chelsea manager Graham Potter as his side claimed just a second Premier League victory since October with a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Kai Havertz headed the winning goal just after the hour as the hosts celebrated the £62million signing of Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who was paraded on the pitch at half-time, with a vital win to cut the gap on the top four to eight points.

It was a poignant day in West London as Chelsea marked the death of former player Gianluca Vialli before the match, with a host of the Italian’s former team-mates returning to pay their respects.

It contributed to a feeling of togetherness between players and supporters at Stamford Bridge, as the team put a torrid last seven days – which culminated in a red card for new signing Joao Felix in defeat at Fulham last Thursday – behind them.

Palace had the first real chance of the game after 20 minutes when Michael Olise allowed the ball to drop over his shoulder and drilled an effort towards Kepa Arrizabalaga’s top corner from 25 yards, which the Chelsea goalkeeper did brilliantly to finger-tip behind at full stretch.

But it was the hosts who had the best chance of the first half in the 33rd minute when Havertz rose unmarked to meet Hakim Ziyech’s whipped cross, with the forward only able to land his header onto the roof of Vicente Guaita’s goal from six yards.

Just before half-time, Conor Gallagher broke away down Palace’s right and fired a low ball across goal which Lewis Hall was unable to angle home with a first-time effort at the back post, before Ziyech saw a fierce drive from the edge of the area tipped over by Guaita as Chelsea finished the half strongly.

The hosts’ confidence grew into the second half and Havertz again went close when he latched onto Gallagher’s through ball down the left, but his low drive found the gloves of the Palace goalkeeper who held on well.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was sent on by Potter on the hour having recovered from a back injury – the first of the manager’s long list of absentees to make a return – and within a minute Chelsea had the lead.

Ziyech collected the ball near the left touchline and as his whipped cross evaded Palace’s defence, there was Havertz climbing highest to plant his header past Guaita from six yards.

Havertz should have put the game beyond Palace when he darted behind the defence to meet Mason Mount’s driven cross, but this time his direction was lacking as a wonderful chance to seal the win went begging.

And Chelsea were almost made to pay minutes later when Cheick Doucoure unleashed a fierce drive from 30 yards which required a fine stop from Arrizabalaga to preserve his side’s lead.

But the hosts held on to bring respite to Potter and, with Mudryk now on the books, breathe life back into their season.

Arsenal move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 derby win at Tottenham.

Mikel Arteta’s side did the damage in the first half with Hugo Lloris putting through his own net before Gunners captain Martin Odegaard rifled home from 25 yards.

A first double over their north London rivals since 2014 ensured leaders Arsenal capitalised on defending champions Manchester City losing at Old Trafford on Saturday to further raise hope they could win the title again for the first time in 19 years.

In-form Manchester United are Arsenal’s next opponents and they will now hope for a favour from Antonio Conte’s side, who travel to City on Thursday struggling to stay in the top four race and with Harry Kane still one goal short of Jimmy Greaves’ club scoring record.

There were unsavoury scenes at full-time with Aaron Ramsdale appearing to be kicked by a Tottenham supporter who jumped onto the advertising hoarding behind the goal of the South Stand before Arteta was able to lead his players away to celebrate with their own fans.

Both teams had injury concerns ahead of the match and while Dejan Kulusevski returned for Spurs, Rodrigo Bentancur missed out and Bukayo Saka was able to shake off his minor hamstring issue to start for the visitors.

Results elsewhere this weekend only heightened the importance of the match and it did not take long for the leaders to get into their groove with in-form Eddie Nketiah denied by Lloris in the seventh minute.

Lloris’ hesitancy in possession proved the catalyst for the chance and his next involvement produced the opener after another error.

Saka created space by the byline and his cross, which took a slight deflection off Ryan Sessegnon, fooled Lloris, who could only parry the ball into his own net.

It was not the first mistake by the Spurs captain in a big game this season but Tottenham almost levelled instantly when Sessegnon found Son Heung-min inside the area, only for Ramsdale to make a fine low stop with his legs.

It was a fleeting moment of attacking intent from Conte’s side who quickly found themselves back on the ropes.

Lloris saved from Odegaard soon after before Thomas Partey was denied another north London stunner by the woodwork.

Partey, who scored a superb curled effort in the 3-1 win in October, let fly with a volley from 25 yards that thundered against the base of the post after pin-ball in the Spurs area.

A second goal for Arsenal felt inevitable and it arrived eight minutes before the break.

William Saliba won the first ball before Partey and Saka combined to release Odegaard in space and the Gunners captain rifled into the bottom corner from range for his eighth goal this season.

It was fully deserved for the visitors and while Spurs improved, with Kane denied by Ramsdale, it remained 2-0 at the break.

The traditional second-half team were true to their word after the restart with Kulusevski firing over before Kane was denied by another fine Ramsdale save.

Even better was to follow from the Arsenal goalkeeper, who stuck out a boot to deflect a Sessegnon effort wide after a slick one-two with Kane.

Tempers started to boil over when substitute Richarlison had words with Brazil team-mate Gabriel Martinelli and Kulusevski collided with Arteta in the technical area.

Yet those incidents and a flurry of yellow cards only proved to take the sting out of Spurs’ attempted comeback.

Nketiah squandered the chance to seal the points with 21 minutes left when Lloris raced out quickly to save his effort following Granit Xhaka’s pass to keep Tottenham’s faint hopes alive.

Despite Richarlison and Ivan Perisic coming on and Kulusevski testing the excellent Ramsdale late on, Arsenal comfortable saw out the final exchanges to move 14 points clear of their rivals.

However, there were ugly scenes after the final whistle.

After an apparent exchange of words with Richarlison, Ramsdale was on the receiving end of a kick from a supporter. Xhaka appeared to be frustrated by developments, with Arteta stepping in and the Arsenal contingent moving to the other end of the stadium to celebrate with their fans.