Fourteen-year-old Daniel Anjorin, who was tragically killed in a sword attack in the UK, was honoured at Arsenal’s match against Bournemouth during a special tribute on Saturday.

The teenager, who was a fan of the North London club, lost his life horrifically while on his way to school in Hainault, east London, in broad daylight on Tuesday. Four others sustained injuries during the frenzied attack. His death has seen tributes pour in far and wide as donations reached £118,502 in two days.

The Gunners honoured the little boy’s memory before kick-off at the Emirates. Arsenal fans held a minute’s applause in the 14th minute.

Heartfelt pictures showed the moment the crowed clapped for the brave schoolboy, with another image showing fans waving a banner with the words ‘R.I.P Daniel’. Arsenal also displayed a sweet photograph of Daniel on the big screens before the game began. It is believed that the club have spoken to the family liaison officer to offer their support.

The club earlier said: “We share in the shock and sadness of Daniel Anjorin’s death earlier this week. With his family’s blessing, we will make a tribute to Daniel shortly ahead of kick off tomorrow. We ask all supporters to pay their respects to Daniel with us in this moment.”

The boy’s family told Sky News he was “a wonderful child” who was “well loved” and “hard working”, adding that his death “leaves a gaping wound in the family”. They told the broadcaster: “No family should have to go through what we are experiencing today. Any family will understand it’s an absolute tragedy.”

The board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint Finidi George as Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

George, who spent 20 months as assistant to coach José Santos Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the accomplishment of the Africa Cup of Nations runner-up position at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, took charge of the squad in an interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.

His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged as the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in the USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver, and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000, and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for the fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe.

He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.

George had scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and the Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.

The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

Arsenal overcame the hurdle of a north London derby and an anxious finale to maintain momentum in the Premier League title pursuit with a vital victory at Tottenham.

The Gunners’ meeting with their bitter rivals was seen as arguably the most treacherous of their remaining fixtures, but they took ruthless advantage of Spurs’ defensive flaws to establish a three-goal lead by half-time.

Arsenal were then thrown off course when a dreadful clearance by goalkeeper David Raya presented Cristian Romero with a goal after 64 minutes, the nerves really jangling when Heung-Min Son scored from the spot three minutes from the end of normal time after Declan Rice fouled Ben Davies.

It was all so different when Arsenal went ahead after 15 minutes as the recalled Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg glanced Bukayo Saka’s corner into his own net, the England forward crowning a sweeping counter-attack with a smooth finish for the second after 27 minutes.

Spurs, who saw Micky van de Ven’s goal ruled out for a marginal offside with the score 1-0, were infuriated as they claimed Leandro Trossard had fouled Dejan Kulusevski before Saka scored, and were even more frustrated when the unmarked Kai Havertz headed in Arsenal’s third from another corner seven minutes before the break.

Arsenal were then content to see out the victory, only for Raya to give Spurs hope by sending a clearance straight to Romero.

An unlikely Spurs comeback seemed on when Son scored from the spot but Mikel Arteta’s side were able to close out the game.

Arsenal survive late Spurs surge to stay on course

Arsenal have won consecutive top-flight away games against Spurs for the first time since September 1988 (a run of three under manager George Graham)

Arsenal went from cruising comfortably to hanging on in a thrilling north London derby, a stroll to victory made hazardous by their own mistakes.

The Gunners were never actually near their best but when the season reaches this point it is about winning and the job was eventually done, but not without a nail-biting finish.

Arsenal were sitting pretty at half-time and had negotiated the first 20 minutes of the second half without incident until Raya appeared to be caught in a moment of indecision as he went to clear, passing the ball straight to a grateful Romero.

And when Son scored from the spot Arteta’s side must have feared becoming the victim of a smash-and-grab as Spurs, a threat going forward throughout, sensed they may get a draw.

In Raya’s defence, he did well after his error as he commanded his area with safe handling to ensure the cushion provided by that first-half advantage proved enough.

Arsenal had another stellar performer in Rice, his mistimed tackle on Davies that resulted in a penalty a rare blemish on an otherwise top-class performance.

Arteta’s side have put together three wins in eight days to ensure they are right in this title fight with three games left, maintaining pressure on Manchester City as Liverpool’s challenge falls away.

Sensational Saka
Having scored just once in his previous seven Premier League appearances coming into the north London derby, Saka has come under criticism for his recent form. But the Arsenal forward responded and got back on to the scoresheet during their thumping victory against Tottenham.

In the 27th minute, Saka latched on to a long pass before driving into the box. He then kept his composure, drifted on to his favoured left foot and coolly side-footed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario. It was a fine finish from the England international, who now has 15 league goals this season.

Set pieces strike again
Arsenal have profited regularly from set pieces this season. In fact, before the trip to Tottenham, the Gunners had scored a mammoth 14 from corners – the most in the Premier League. And Arteta’s men extended their lead at the top of that statistic with two more against their arch rivals.

First, Saka whipped in a delightful in-swinging corner into the box which, after pressure from several Arsenal attackers, was headed into his own net by the unfortunate Hojbjerg.