Arsenal Defeat Manchester City Three Days After Beating PL Champions, Liverpool.

Arsenal defeated Manchester City 2-0 to go through to the FA Cup final. Mikel Arteta’s team had beaten the Premier League champions, Liverpool just three days ago. They are the only club this football season to beat them both.

The Gunners put on a great display against City, with a strong, united front. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted the first goal for his team in the 19th minute.

Pep Guardiola’s tried many times to get a goal during the second half. They won a total of 11 corners. However, to everyone’s surprise, Arsenal’s defense would not allow this.

The Reds were compact and in control and, it must be said that Emiliano Martinez has proven to be a great goalkeeper for the Gunners.

Aubameyang then managed to net a second goal for Arsenal after City failed to score. This was a strong Arsenal team and the players were all working together.

The only disappointment, as Arteta pointed out in an interview with BT Sport, was the absence of the fans to enjoy this moment. But, not to worry. If Arsenal continue like this, they could be an impressive team and one to watch next season.

Arsenal Become the Third Club to Beat Liverpool This Premier League Season.

Arsenal defeated Liverpool 2-1 at the Emirates, becoming the third team to beat the champions this season. Watford were the first to do so, beating Liverpool 3-0 in February. Manchester City then beat them 4-0 at the start of July, after the Jurgen Klopp’s team had been crowned champions. The Gunners have now joined that list.

Sadio Mané gave Liverpool the lead in the 20th minute of the match. Many had expected that Liverpool would be the stronger of the Reds and go on to win this game but Arsenal needed it more than them.

Alexandre Lacazette equalised for Arsenal, after Van Dijk quite easily let the ball slip away from him. Reiss Nelson then scored his first Premier League goal after the Liverpool goalkeeper made the error of hitting the ball towards Lacazette, who assisted Reiss in getting the ball into the net.

A shocked Klopp

Liverpool had 24 shots at goal, eight times that of the Gunners but, they just could not get the ball into the net. It has been their year but today was not their night.

While Liverpool had already won the title before the match began, they were still fighting to beat Manchester City’s record of winning the title with 100 goals. Klopp’s team can no longer do that thanks to this defeat; the most they can achieve is 99.

This win will be vital in helping Arsenal to continue their pursuit of a Europa League qualifying position. For Liverpool, they will be presented the Premier League trophy in their next match, which will be against Chelsea at home. If there is any game they want to win before the season’s end, it is this one.

The Race for Top Five? Manchester City’s Appeal and the What Ifs

The result of Manchester City’s appeal on their Champions League ban will be revealed today. The decision will not just be important for the club and its future but, also, to many of the Premier League clubs fighting for a Champions League spot on the table, and even those fighting for a place in Europa League.

Both Chelsea and Leicester City lost their weekend matches against Sheffield United (3-0) and Bournemouth (4-1) respectively. Both teams are now vulnerable to being overtaken by Manchester United, if the Reds win their game against Southampton.

This would push Leicester out of the top four and leave Chelsea just hanging on to a Champions League spot. Even Wolves are in the race, currently only three points behind United.

However, if City do not win their appeal, there will be an extra spot on the table to qualify for the Champions League, relieving the pressure on Chelsea and Leicester and making it more of a fight to climb to fifith between Wolves and Sheffield United, who are in sixth and seventh place respectively.

This would also open up more spaces lower down the table to qualify for the Europa League. Manchester United and Wolves are both in the Europa League and if one was to qualify by finishing in top five and the other from winning the Europa League then the team in seventh could be in Europa League next season.

Even Arsenal who are ninth on the table, but who are still competing in the FA Cup, could find themselves competing in Europe next season if they win the FA cup.

There are so many what ifs in the air, and the decision on City’s appeal could either put an end to all the questions or open up a bag of more curiosity and more excitement as the Premier League season nears its end.

Liverpool Have Won the Premier League but Chelsea are the Decision-Makers

Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions at the end of June. This came about when Chelsea’s Willian Borges da Silva converted a penalty to claim the winning goal against Manchester City. This made it mathematically impossible for second-place City to reach table-toppers, Liverpool.

The relegation battle has also been influenced by the Blues. Chelsea’s shabby defense against West Ham the following week meant that they lost 3-2. This loss was another favour the Blues handed out. It allowed West Ham to climb out of the relegation zone. Before the match, the Hammers had the same points as 19th-place, Bournemouth; the victory put them safely in 16th position.

Chelsea recently climbed to third in the table, after defeating Crystal Palace 3-2. However, their race to be in top four will also have another impact on the title winners.

Liverpool’s last home game, where the trophy will be presented to them, will be played against the Blues. This match may prove crucial in deciding whether the Reds can win the title with over 100 points; a record set by Manchester City – the “Centurions” – in 2018.

Jürgen Klopp’s team are currently have 92 points, making them three wins away from their goal with four games left to play. They will be playing Frank Lampard’s team third, problematically, right after playing League giants, Arsenal.

The Blues will be facing Manchester United before Liverpool, and Wolves afterwards. United and Wolves currently hold fifth and sixth place on the table respectively. Therefore, the match against Liverpool will be a must win game for the Blues as much as it is for Liverpool. The result of the game will be a crucial one.

Lampard’s Chelsea Outclass Mourinho’s Tottenham

Chelsea defeated Tottenham 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium to aid their chances of finishing in the top four. This is the first time that José Mourinho has lost at home to a former club and Frank Lampard loved it, so much so that he gave away his jacket at the end of the match!

Willian was the man of the match, scoring both of Chelsea’s goals. He netted the first one in the 12th minute. Then after a dangerous challenge made by the Spurs goalkeeper on Chelsea’s Alonso, the Blues were awarded a penalty which Willian converted at the stroke of half time.

It got worse for Mourinho’s side in the second half. Son Heung-min was shown a red card after VAR reviewed his kick up on Rudiger, taking Spurs down to ten men. It was later revealed that a few of Rudiger’s ribs were broken. The game was also marred by racism in the crowd and an object being thrown at the Chelsea goalkeeper, Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However, this did not stop Frank Lampard from celebrating his tremendous victory. This was his win. Mourinho has been defeated by a manager who he himself used to manage. It looks as if Tottemham still have some adjusting to do.

Chelsea Through to Champions League Knockout Stages

Lampard’s Blues needed to win against Lille to be sure of making it to the next round of the Champions League and that is exactly what they did.

Chelsea dominated the game and within 19 minutes Tammy Abraham kicked in the first goal.

It was then in the 35th minute that César Azpilicueta doubled the scoreline. The Blues continued putting pressure on the opposition during the second half but failed to get another goal.

Instead, they were given quite the scare when Rémy reduced their lead by netting a goal for Lille in the 78th minute. He had another opportunity late in the game to net an equaliser, but it was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The Blues finished second in their group, joint on 11 points with Valencia, who defeated Ajax 1-0 to also reach the knockout stages.

Liverpool managed to top group E after defeating Salzburg 2-0. Both goals came in the second half within 100 seconds of each other, and were netted by Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah.

Napoli came second in group E after a 4-0 victory over KRC Genk, but manager Carlo Ancelotti was sacked after the match. They will now have a new manager to see them through the rest of their campaign.

Manchester City still have a game to play but they have already topped their group and secured their place in the knockout stages. Knowing the luck of the teams, it is likely that Chelsea could end up facing one of their Premier League rivals, Liverpool or Manchester City.

#EmeryOut is Trending Again as Arsenal Lose to Leicester City

Leicester defeated Arsenal 2-0 at the King Power Stadium, meaning that the Gunners have now only won one out of their last six Premier League matches. While Leicester have risen to second place on the PL table, Arsenal fans are wondering whether Unai Emery is up to the managerial job.

Most of the game was played in Arsenal’s half, with the Arsenal defenders giving the Leicester too much room to manoeuvre. They did not deal with threats but simply went into retreat, allowing Leicester into their box.

Jamie Vardy netted the home side’s first goal in the 68th minute, behind the backs of the Arsenal players, who were unaware of the amount of space he had.

The second goals was then put in by James Maddison after he took a shot from behind the Arsenal defensive line. Leicester have had a great season so far but it seems that any team would be able to score against the Gunners right now.

Emery’s tactics have come under scrutiny. He has tried to make Arsenal a defensive team, when what they have been best at for years is attacking. Players now wait for their opponents to meet them at the net instead of closing them down.

#EmeryOut has now replaced the well-known #WengerOut hashtag on twitter. In fact, the Leicester fans mocked Emery and his team, chanting, “you’re getting sacked in the ebening”, during the match.

Arsenal are 6th on the Premier League table, nine points below Leicester who have 26 points! Getting into top four now will be an uphill struggle for the Gunners. They need to start putting pressure on their opponents during matches, not just sitting back.

The Reds should take a leaf out of Chelsea’s book. The Blues are joint on points with Leicester after they defeated Crystal Palace 2-0, with goals from Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic. Lampard’s team have been very consistent and they are getting the results they need to challenge for top four or more!

Sheffield United Keep Arsenal Out of Top Four

Sheffield United defeated Arsenal 1-0 on Monday, preventing the Gunners from climbing back into top four. After a weekend where Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham all dropped points, it was a good opportunity missed for Arsenal.

Unai Emery’s team were caught out during a set peice when a corner kick resulted in a goal from Lys Mousset in the 30th minute. That was the only goal of the match, despite further attempts from both sides.

The Gunners had a lot more possession (68%), but it was Sheffield United who knew how to advance with the ball once they got a hold of it. Such a result left Arsenal fans wondering why Mesut Ozil had once again been left out of the squad.

While the Blades have now climbed to 9th on the PL table, Arsenal are in 5th place, two points behind Leicester City and Chelsea. Of course they can make up the points, but this should be the type of match in which to do so.

Tottenham’s Stuggles Continue as Manchester City Recover

Manchester City are on the up, but the same cannot be said for fellow Premier League giants Tottenham. A draw was the most that Pochettinho’s team could manage against bottom-place Watford.

Doucouré gave Watford the lead in just the sixth minute of the match. Tottenham had not won or even drawn a match since September, and it looked as if they were set to lose another.

Luckily, Dele Alli managed to net an equaliser in the 86th minute. Alli scored the goal with his shoulder and although VAR awarded the goal, the big screen decared that it was not. It was a worrying and confusing time for the fans but Spurs got their point in the end.

Manchester City had no such struggle for points. They comfortably defeated Crystal Palace 2-0 to continue their chase for first place. Gabriel Jesus played in place of Aguero and lived up to the job.

He scored the first goal for City in the 39th minute. The second was netted just two minutes later by David Silva. There is now a seven point gap between Tottenham and Manchester City, which will be difficult to make up.

Chelsea Move Into Top Four

Chelsea defeated Newcastle 1-0 to enter the top four on the Premier League table. Newcastle had defeated Manchester United in their last PL match; but Chelsea did not succumb to the same fate.

It was a frustrating match for the Blues, who had a sea of chances. They had 16 shots at goal, eight of which were on target. However, it was only in the 73rd minute that Marcos Alonso managed to strike the ball into the box.

Chelsea have been consistent in winning their games – having won their last five in all competitions – and it is paying off. They now have 17 points, only two less than second-place Manchester City.

There is no doubt that Lampard’s decision to start playing his experienced players, like Alonso, alongside his rising young stars is paying off.