Connect with us

Sports

100% START: Arsenal thump Bournemouth to go top

Published

on

 

Arsenal swept aside Bournemouth to continue their perfect start and rise to the top of the Premier League table.

Captain Martin Odegaard put the Gunners in control inside the opening 10 minutes with a well-taken double.

After the break, William Saliba curled home a beautiful third before Gabriel Jesus saw his clever finish ruled out by VAR for offside.

It is the first time Arsenal have won their opening three fixtures since the 2004-05 season.

Bournemouth had won their first home game back in the Premier League against Aston Villa and there was a rousing feel to this Saturday teatime kick-off at the division’s smallest ground.

It took a mere five minutes for that feeling to be punctured as Odegaard tapped in after Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers had saved Gabriel Martinelli’s low strike.

The Norway midfielder struck again shortly after when he nabbed the ball off Jesus’ toes to sweep a clinical left-footed finish past the helpless Cherries keeper.

See also  How undercover reporter breached our system to enrol twice for mobilisation – NYSC

Arsenal bided their time before sealing the win but did it in style when the impressive Saliba elegantly found the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Jesus was then denied a deserved goal by a tight VAR review that ruled him just offside from Odegaard’s clever through ball.

It is very early days – and there are far harder tests to come – but the Gunners have laid down a marker with their superb start to the season.

William Saliba has now scored two goals this season, this strike following up his own goal against Leicester last Saturday.

Wins against Crystal Palace and Leicester meant Arteta had no qualms naming the same starting line-up for this one, the first time Arsenal have had an unchanged team for their opening three fixtures since the 2003-04 season – the last time they won the league.

It was clear from kick-off that confidence is high and Odegaard’s early opener was reward for fine build-up, including a dynamic run from Jesus to create the chance for Martinelli.

See also  BREAKING: Appeal court upholds tribunal judgment sacking Abba Yusuf as Kano governor

Odegaard’s quiet influence on this Arsenal side was made more obvious when he doubled the lead five minutes later.

Young France centre-back Saliba has won plenty of plaudits already this season and capped another fine performance with a delicious strike into the top corner from Granit Xhaka’s cutback.

For the raucous travelling fans, the only thing missing from a perfect away day was a Jesus goal, the Brazil striker having one disallowed before being denied by a fine Travers save late on.

With an appealing run of fixtures ahead, the Gunners have a chance to make their presence felt at the top of the table.

For Bournemouth, Scott Parker responded to last Saturday’s heavy defeat at Manchester City by naming a physical side, the selections of Ben Pearson, Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore no doubt intended to unsettle Arsenal.

Instead, it left them sluggish to the Gunners’ slick passing and unable to get out when penned in their own half. Changes at the break brought a brief improvement, only for Saliba’s strike to squash them again.

See also  Arsenal complete signing of Portuguese Fabio Vieira from Porto in £34.2m deal

The Cherries are in need of reinforcements, with defenders and forwards both surely on Scott Parker’s wishlist after new signing Marcos Senesi was given a torrid time by Jesus on his full Bournemouth debut.

They will have more mobility upfront when Dominic Solanke is fully fit, but against this class of opposition, the squad looks short of Premier League quality.

With a daunting trip to Anfield up next, it may get worse before it gets better for Parker’s side.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

Published

on

By

Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

See also  Pastor Odukoya loses twin sister

City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.

See also  Champions League: Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 3-0

Continue Reading

Sports

WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

Published

on

By

Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

See also  CRY Vs ARS Dream11: Crystal Palace Vs Arsenal Prediction, Team And Top Picks

The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

Continue Reading

Sports

BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

Published

on

By

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

See also  Champions League: Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 3-0
Continue Reading

Trending News