Arsenal moved closer to a first Premier League title for 22 years after a 3-0 victory over Sunderland took the Gunners nine points clear at the top of the table.

Martin Zubimendi’s long-range drive just before half-time settled the nerves of the home crowd at the Emirates Stadium before Viktor Gyokeres struck twice to quieten his critics.

Manchester City can reduce the gap at the top back to six points should they end a wait since 2003 to beat Liverpool at Anfield in front of a crowd on Sunday.

But after three consecutive second-placed finishes, it appears a matter of when, not if, Mikel Arteta’s men will finally be crowned champions.

Defeat dented Sunderland’s dream of European football on their first season back in the top flight.

Regis Le Bris’ side showed why they sit eighth with a dogged first-half showing that left the Arsenal crowd again bemoaning a lack of creativity from open play.

However, Zubimendi picked the lock of the Black Cats’ defence with a crisp strike from outside the box that clipped the inside of the post on its way in for the sixth goal of his impressive debut season in English football.

Gyokeres has attracted plenty of criticism for failing to replicate his free-scoring form at Sporting Lisbon in the Premier League.

But the Sweden international is the club’s top scorer and took his tally for the season to 13 in all competitions.

Gyokeres made the points safe when his powerful drive from Kai Havertz’s pass had too much power for Robin Roefs 25 minutes from time.

He was then presented with an open goal by Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time.

The shine was taken off Arsenal’s day late on when Leandro Trossard was forced off through injury.

Arteta needs as many players available as possible, with Arsenal still competing in four competitions.

Arsenal face City in the League Cup final next month, host Wigan in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and cruised into the Champions League last 16 with eight wins from eight games in the league phase.

A funny twist has been introduced to the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament after a self-proclaimed marabout, or traditional folk healer, who collected 33,500 euros by promising victory for Mali was arrested for fraud after the team lost.

Mali’s national team was eliminated on Friday in the quarter finals by Senegal 1-0.

The man, identified only as Mr Sinayogo, collected more than 22 million CFA francs in donations, according to an associate.

Following Mali’s defeat, an angry mob showed up at his home before police intervened and arrested him.

Sinayogo was arrested in the Malian capital Bamako on Saturday for “fraud” and was being held at the  cybercrime division, according to two videographers who visited him.

“Charlatanism is punishable by law in Mali”, an official from the division told AFP.

However, arresting the man while the national team was still competing would have been difficult “in the heat of the Africa Cup of Nations,” he added.

The man, formerly known as a political activist, “proclaimed himself a marabout overnight and made a fortune”, a social media content creator close to him said.

Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, has dismissed his altercation with teammate Victor Osimhen in Nigeria’s win over Mozambique at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), saying the incident is just about “football” and was nothing personal. 

“No, I have not seen him [Osimhen] yet. Nothing happened. It was just a discussion on the pitch. That is it,” the Atalanta man, who scored twice, as the Super Eagles crushed the Mambas 4-0, said after the match.

“It’s just football. It’s always football. He (Victor Osimhen) is my brother,” Lookman, winner of the African Player of the Year prize in 2024, told reporters in Fez.

The Galatasaray man and Lookman had exchanged words during the Round of 16 match on Monday.

The three-time African champions were already 3-0 up, but Osimhen was furious with Lookman for not passing the ball to him despite being in a better position to score.

“It is a team game,” Osimhen was heard saying while pointing to his Lookman who had given him an assist in the match.

Osimhen was later subsituted and stormed into the tunnel immediately after the final whistle, raising concerns over his relationship with other players.

The incident has continued to spark debate about his relationship with his teammates with many fans faulting the 27-year-old’s reaction in the Mozambique match.

Osimhen scored twice, Lookman got one just as Akor Adams as the Super Eagles feasted on the Mambas, recording the biggest win so far at the 2025 AFCON.

Lookman deservedly got the man of the match award, his second in the competition.

He is already leading the pack for the most goals and assists in the tournament. The winger has three goals and four assists in three matches so far.

Nigeria’s next clash at the 2025 AFCON will be against either Algeria or DR Congo. Both sides are meeting on Tuesday for a ticket to the quarter-finals.

The Super Eagles were runners up in the last AFCON, losing to hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the final.