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Arsenal beat Chelsea after pouncing on Jorginho howler

Italy midfielder Jorginho’s attempted back pass left out-of-position goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga scrambling to prevent an own goal, diving to palm the ball away just before it crossed the line.

Emile Smith Rowe took advantage of a defensive howler to score the winner as Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday to stop the hosts from moving third in the Premier League.

Italy midfielder Jorginho’s attempted back pass left out-of-position goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga scrambling to prevent an own goal, diving to palm the ball away just before it crossed the line.

But Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was on hand to collect the ball and square it for Smith Rowe, who slotted home just inside the post. It was Arsenal’s third straight Premier League victory and a much-needed morale booster after its loss in the Europa League semifinals left the Gunners without a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Chelsea’s loss means Thomas Tuchel’s side remained fourth and gave renewed hope to chasing teams West Ham and Liverpool, who are hoping to overtake the final Champions League spot.

Chelsea dominated possession on the second half and Christian Pulisic saw a second-half equalizer chalked off for offside after a video assistant referee review. Kurt Zouma and Olivier Giroud then struck the crossbar within mere seconds of each other in the 90th minute as Chelsea wasted a host of chances in a dominant but disjointed performance.

Tuchel made seven changes to keep his players fresh, with Saturday’s FA Cup final against Leicester clearly in mind.

Kai Havertz missed a great chance to put Chelsea ahead when he dispossessed Pablo Mari just inside his own half, raced in on goal and came one-on-one with Bernd Leno — only to blaze his effort over the bar.

Shortly afterward, Arsenal were ahead after Jorginho didn’t realize that Kepa had moved off to the side and gifted the visitors their only real scoring chance of the game.

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ARSENAL MISS OUT ON EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL AFTER GOALLESS DRAW AT VILLAREAL

Arsenal face a first season without European football in 25 years after drawing a blank in their Europa League semi-final second leg against Villarreal.

The Gunners were trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Spain and failed to overturn the deficit as Unai Emery got one over his former club to once again reach the final of a competition he thrives in.

A 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium means Arsenal’s hopes of playing in Europe next season rely on an unlikely string of results in the Premier League.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the post with Arsenal’s best chance as another tactical tweak from manager Mikel Arteta failed to pay off.

Emery won the Europa League three times as Sevilla manager and took Arsenal to the final in 2019, where they lost to Chelsea.

Manchester United will be waiting for Emery’s Villarreal this time around as Arsenal’s exit prevented both Europa League and Champions League finals from being all-English affairs.

Arsenal lost Granit Xhaka after complaining of a tight muscle in the warm-up, but it was in attack where Arteta’s side were again found wanting.

Recalled Bernd Leno was the first goalkeeper tested, having to push a curling Samuel Chukwueze strike behind for a corner.

The next threat to his goal came from a team-mate as Thomas Partey’s overhit back-pass had to be headed clear by the retreating goalkeeper.

Leno would have got nowhere near a Dani Parejo free-kick at the midway point of the half, but fortunately for the hosts his effort whistled over the crossbar.

Arsenal had started much nervier than Villarreal but could have taken the lead when Aubameyang hit a dropping volley which clipped the post on the way behind.

The Arsenal skipper came close with an effort as the half wore on, shooting straight at Geronimo Rulli in the Villarreal goal only for him to spill through his legs and scrabble back to save.

Nicolas Pepe, whose penalty have Arsenal their away goal, fired just wide as the hosts came out on the attack straight after the restart.

Arteta was then left with his head in his hands as Emile Smith Rowe attempted an audacious chip when well-placed, seeing the shot drift wide.

But it was not all going Arsenal’s way. Partey was robbed of possession just outside his own penalty area but Villarreal could not make him pay as Gerard Moreno’s shot was easily held by Leno.

Substitute Yeremi Pino was next to force Leno into action with a low strike well saved by the German.

With tempers starting to flare, Aubameyang saw a header kept out by a combination of goalkeeper and post with the rebound hacked off the line.

That would be his last action as Alexandre Lacazette came on in his place with Gabriel Martinelli, Willian and Eddie Nketiah all thrown on in search of the goal required to send Arsenal to the final in Gdansk.

But the attacking changes were in vain as Villarreal held on to reach a first major final in their history and all but end Arsenal’s season.

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AUBAMEYANG, ELNENY ON TARGET AS ARSENAL PICKS MAXIMUM POINTS AT NEWCASTLE

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang marked his first Premier League appearance for almost a month by scoring in a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United.

Arsenal went ahead on five minutes when the Gabonese striker mishit his shot and the ball fell invitingly for Mohamed Elneny, who fired in his first PL goal.

Grant Xhaka’s 29th-minute shot was tipped over by Martin Dubravka before Elneny’s header was cleared off the line by Miguel Almiron from the resulting corner.

The Gunners’ pressure was rewarded on 66 minutes when Aubameyang acrobatically volleyed in a brilliant left-wing delivery from Gabriel Martinelli, meaning he has scored in five successive league matches versus Newcastle.

Fabian Schar was sent off for a challenge on Martinelli late on as Arsenal moved up to ninth in the table on 49 points, five adrift of the top six.

Newcastle remain 17th, nine points clear of the relegation zone with four matches remaining.

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NICOLAS PEPE AWAY GOAL GIVES 10-MAN ARSENAL HOPE IN NARROW DEFEAT TO VILLAREAL

Arsenal kept alive their hopes of reaching the Europa League final as a Nicolas Pepe penalty gave the 10-man visitors an away goal in defeat at Villarreal.

The first leg of this semi-final clash appeared to be getting away from the Gunners as first-half goals from Manuel Trigueros and Raul Albiol preceded a Dani Ceballos red card just before the hour.

But Pepe would convert from the spot to send Arsenal home with a 2-1 deficit, Villarreal having also been reduced to 10 men late on following the dismissal of former Tottenham man Etienne Capoue.

This is Arsenal’s third Europa League semi-final in four years but they have only made the final once in that time – under current Villarreal boss Unai Emery, who looked to be getting one over his former club as the hosts made a flying start.

Trigueros opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, driving home a low effort after indecision in the Arsenal box allowed Samuel Chukwueze to play in his team-mate.

Mikel Arteta was left ashen-faced as the lead was doubled before the half-hour, Albiol turning home at the back post as Arsenal failed to get anywhere near to a routine corner.

Pepe thought he had won a penalty after he was tripped inside the box but a VAR review deemed he had handled the ball in the build-up and the award was overturned.

The visitors failed to have a shot on target in the first half and could have been further behind if Bernd Leno had not made a fine stop to deny in-form Gerard Moreno.

But a red card for Ceballos, who was lucky not to pick up a second booking early in the second half, for standing on Dani Parejo looked to have Arteta’s men staring at elimination.

Instead they rallied and gave themselves hope of overturning the aggregate score next week at the Emirates Stadium.

Bukayo Saka broke into the Villarreal box and was caught by Trigueros, allowing Pepe to coolly slot home the resulting penalty.

When Capoue was then shown a second yellow card 10 minutes from time as he was taken off on a stretcher after fouling Saka, Arsenal even harboured hopes of an equaliser.

That was not to be, despite a late chance for returning captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but – given how the evening started – Arteta and his players will be pleased to still have a good chance of advancing to the final in Gdansk.

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ARSENAL OWNERS COMMITTED TO NOT SELLING CLUBS

Arsenal’s owners remain “100 per cent committed” to the club and will not entertain any offers to sell, with Spotify founder Daniel Ek considering a takeover bid.

Swedish billionaire Ek last week sent a tweet saying he would be interested in purchasing the Premier League club, which is owned by Stan Kroenke through his Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) business.

It was reported on Monday that Ek, 38, had begun to make inquiries over the weekend into the viability of a takeover bid and that former Gunners players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira were all on board as part of his plan.

But any potential deal looks to have been scuppered following a staunch response from the Gunners’ American ownership, who say they have not received any bids.

“In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a potential takeover bid for Arsenal Football Club,” read a KSE statement.

“We remain 100 per cent committed to Arsenal and are not selling any stake in the club.

“We have not received any offer and we will not entertain any offer.”

Arsenal were one of six Premier League clubs to sign up for a breakaway European Super League before quickly withdrawing as the project collapsed.

That sparked fresh protests against Kroenke’s ownership, with thousands of disgruntled supporters marching on the Emirates Stadium ahead of Friday’s top-flight defeat to Everton.

“Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this,” concluded the statement.

The Gunners are 10th in the Premier League with five games remaining, 12 points outside the top four.

The defeat to Everton was their seventh in 17 top-flight games at the Emirates this season.

Mikel Arteta’s team are in the semi-finals of the Europa League and play the first leg of their tie against Villarreal in Spain on Thursday.

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SPOTIFY FOUNDER SEEKING $4 BILLION ARSENAL TAKE OVER

Spotify founder Daniel Ek is mulling over a takeover bid for Arsenal which could reportedly also involve former players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.

Owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, Arsenal were one of six Premier League clubs to sign up for a breakaway European Super League last week before quickly withdrawing from the process.

That led to new protests against Kroenke’s ownership, with thousands of supporters marching on the Emirates Stadium ahead of Friday’s Premier League defeat to Everton.

Just before kick-off, Swedish billionaire Ek sent a tweet saying he would be interested in purchasing the club should Kroenke be willing to sell.

It was then reported on Monday that Ek, 38, had begun to make inquiries over the weekend into the viability of a takeover bid and that Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira were all on board as part of his plan.

Kroenke is thought to want at least $3.85 billion if he is to consider selling the club he has run since April 2011.

Any deal may be extremely difficult to do given Josh Kroenke, the club director and Stan Kroenke’s son, reinforced at a fans’ forum last week that his family have “no intention” of walking away.

“I still believe we’re fit to carry on in our positions as custodians of Arsenal,” he said, pledging to build trust between the ownership and support.

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EDDIE NKETIAH LATE STRIKE RESCUES POINT FOR GUNNERS AGAINST FULHAM

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah came off the bench to score a last-gasp equaliser against Fulham – whose Premier League survival bid suffered another late blow as a result.

Scott Parker’s side lost to a last-minute goal to Wolves last time out but appeared on course for a first-ever away win over Arsenal following Josh Maja’s second-half penalty.

Instead, it was further heartbreak as Nketiah scrambled in from point-blank range to earn the misfiring Gunners a 1-1 draw.

Mikel Arteta made five changes from Arsenal side which cruised into the semi-finals of the Europa League with a 4-0 win at Slavia Prague on Thursday but they never looked like hitting those heights here.

But there would be VAR controversy throughout, Dani Ceballos seeing a header ruled out after Bukayo Saka had been centimetres offside in the build-up.

Then Fulham would get their penalty as referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot on the advice of his assistant, with VAR checking Gabriel Magalhaes’ foul on Mario Lemina and then a potential offside against Ola Aina in the move leading to the spot-kick.

With both decisions standing, it was left to Maja to hammer the ball home from 12 yards and give Fulham renewed optimism of avoiding the drop.

Nketiah’s eventual leveller would stand after an offside check against Rob Holding in the build-up, with Parker exasperated on the touchline once again.

The hosts had started well, Alexandre Lacazette playing in Gabriel Martinelli with the recalled striker chipping his effort just wide.

He then forced a low save out of Alphonse Areloa after Emile Smith Rowe had forced a low ball across goal.

Fulham offered nothing going forward until the 20-minute mark when a deflected Maja shot wrong-footed home debutant Mat Ryan in the Arsenal goal and trickled inches wide of the post.

Arsenal had started well but were soon toiling to break down a stubborn Fulham defence.

The hosts thought they had finally broken through when Ceballos headed in a Hector Bellerin cross – only for VAR to spot Saka’s straying boot.

The assistant referee’s flag would soon deny Arsenal another goal, this time with a more-obvious decision against Smith Rowe, who mistimed his run as he latched onto a Lacazette pass.

Lacazette pulled a shot wide right at the start of the second half but Arsenal would again struggle to create chances.

That would come back to haunt them as Fulham were awarded a penalty, with referee Pawson pointing to the spot after guidance from his assistant.

Two VAR checks later and Maja broke the deadlock, giving Ryan no chance from the spot.

Arteta turned to Nicolas Pepe and Thomas Partey, the former coming close to levelling with his first meaningful touch as his header across goal was hacked clear.

Lacazette was then replaced by Nketiah, the France striker heading straight down the tunnel with his shirt over his head.

It would be Nketiah who provided the late heroics as Arsenal threw everything they could to earn a share of the spoils.

Ryan was thrown into the Fulham box for back-to-back late corners and got a telling glance to the second as the ball broke to Ceballos, whose shot was fumbled away by Areola but into the path of the waiting Nketiah.

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ARSENAL WHIP SLAVIA PRAGUE TO REACH EUROPA LEAGUE SEMIS

English football club Arsenal thrashed their Czech opponents Slavia Prague 4-0 Thursday to book a place in the UEFA Europa League semifinals.

Arsenal clinched the huge victory in the Europa League quarterfinals second leg in Prague with goals scored by Ivorian forward Nicolas Pepe in the 18th minute, French forward Alexandre Lacazette in the 21st and 77th minutes and English midfielder Bukayo Saka in the 24th minute.

Arsenal won 5-1 on aggregate to advance to the semifinal stage as the first leg at its Emirates Stadium in London ended in a 1-1 draw.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed the Slavia Prague match as he has been suffering from malaria.

“Unfortunately, I contracted Malaria whilst being on national team duty in Gabon a few weeks ago. I’ve spent a few days in hospital this week but I’m already feeling much better every day, thanks to the great doctors that detected and treated the virus so quickly,” Aubameyang said on Instagram.

Arsenal will face Spain’s Villarreal in the semifinal.

In the other semifinal, English club Manchester United will take on Italy’s Roma.

The 2021 Europa League final will be played at Poland’s Gdansk Stadium in Gdansk on May 26.

This stadium hosted four games during the UEFA EURO 2012; three group matches and a quarterfinal in the 2012 European football championship co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

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ARSENAL AND SCOTLAND’S KIERAN TIERNEY’S OUT FOR SIX WEEKS

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has refused to say whether Kieran Tierney will play again this season after he suffered knee ligament damage during Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Liverpool.

The Scotland full-back limped off before half-time and the club announced on Wednesday that he may be sidelined for up to six weeks.

But speaking ahead of Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first-leg tie at home to Slavia Prague, Arteta would not be drawn on when he believes Tierney will return.

“We have to make sure first that he doesn’t need any surgery, which it doesn’t look like,” he said.

“The timeframe will be that (up to six weeks). It could have been worse because the action looks quite scary, but he looks a bit better and the damage was not that bad, so at the end of the day it is not the bad news we could have been waiting for.

“We are going to have to go day by day and see how Kieran is feeling, then when he gets close to playing time and how he is feeling we will make that decision.”

Asked if he thinks Tierney will be fit for Scotland at the rearranged European Championship finals, Arteta added: “It will depend how things evolve again in the next few weeks.”

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DIOGO JOTA SCORES BRACE AS LIVERPOOL OUTCLASS ARSENAL TO BOOST TOP FOUR HOPES

Substitute Diogo Jota scored twice as Liverpool showed they remain one of the best sides in the Premier League by completely outclassing Arsenal to win 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City’s win at Leicester earlier in the day meant Liverpool’s hopes of retaining their title are now mathematically over after a season of mixed performances, poor results and terrible injury problems.

But Jurgen Klopp’s side were at their scintillating best, dominating an Arsenal side missing a number of their own key players to secure victory courtesy of a brace from Jota either side of a Mohamed Salah strike.

This was Mikel Arteta’s 50th Premier League fixture in charge of Arsenal and before the game he called for the Gunners to take the game to Liverpool, having won the corresponding fixture last year with a mixture of guile, guts and luck.

But Liverpool were on top from the get-go as the visitors showed their class – specifically in midfield where Thiago and Fabinho were at their best.

Arsenal sorely missed their injured quartet of David Luiz, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe – who would have all been likely starters on what would prove to be a galling night for the FA Cup holders.

James Milner came into the Liverpool side and dragged an early shot wide, as did Fabinho.

Sadio Mane then saw a header saved before fit-again Roberto Firmino shot just off target, with the home side unable to keep hold of the ball for any meaningful length of time.

Milner should have scored when picked out free on the edge of the penalty area but sent his effort wide, while Arsenal’s evening was summed up when Kieran Tierney limped off injured just before the break.

The second half would begin in a similar vein with Liverpool again the dominant force. Arteta reacted by introducing Mohamed Elneny in place of the ineffectual Dani Ceballos.

But it would be Liverpool’s first alteration which would prove inspired as Jota replaced Andrew Robertson just after the hour and broke the deadlock with his first chance.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – who had been in the news since failing to make the cut for Gareth Southgate’s England squad – delivered a pinpoint cross that was headed home by Jota as the Reds finally made their dominance pay.

The lead would be doubled soon after, Salah coolly slotting home through the legs of Bernd Leno after proving too strong for Gabriel Magalhaes.

Salah almost had a second as he latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Thiago, with Leno this time staying big and blocking the strike.

Jota turned home the third after Gabriel had gifted Liverpool possession with an errant pass from inside his own box.

A simple win for Klopp’s men saw them move to within two points of the top four, while Arsenal’s dwindling hopes of securing European qualification through their league position suffered yet another blow.