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Arsenal proving to be worthy title contender with Brighton win

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Arsenal moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with a deserved victory over Brighton in a hugely entertaining match on New Year’s Eve.

The Gunners took full advantage of Manchester City’s surprise draw against struggling Everton earlier on Saturday to increase their buffer at the top of the table.

Bukayo Saka opened the scoring inside two minutes with a composed touch and finish and Mikel Arteta’s side never looked back on the south coast.


The outstanding Martin Odegaard added a second goal before half-time on the second phase from a corner and it appeared to be game over soon after the second half kicked off, with Eddie Nketiah tapping in a rebound after Gabriel Martinelli stung the palms of Robert Sanchez.

Kaoru Mitoma hit back with a cool finish to cap off a flowing Brighton move and make it 3-1, but Martinelli soon raced onto Odegaard’s sublime pass to poke in Arsenal’s fourth on the counter-attack.

Evan Ferguson outmuscled William Saliba to beat Aaron Ramsdale from a long ball to give Brighton a glimmer at 4-2. A second Mitoma goal was then ruled out for offside as Arsenal survived a brief scare to see out the game to seal the crucial three points. Here are Mirror Football’s talking points from the match.

The Gunners came into the match with some extra incentive following Manchester City ’s 1-1 draw against Everton and wasted no time in making their mark. It took them just one minute and six seconds to find the back of the net courtesy of Saka.

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The goal was Arsenal’s fastest in the Premier League since Theo Walcott scored against QPR in May 2013. It was Saka’s sixth league goal of the season and ensured that Arsenal maintained their record of scoring in every league game this season. It was a perfect start, which gave Mikel Arteta’s side a platform to build on.

There was a time when Arteta’s decision to hand Odegaard the captain’s armband was being quietly questioned. Those days are now long gone, with Odegaard looking every bit the player he was hyped to be back when Real Madrid won the race to sign him as a teenager.

Odegaard now has seven goals and six assists in 15 Premier League games this season – and his contributions have come at crucial times. Having netted twice in the 2-0 win at Wolves in November, the Norwegian now has three goals in two away games.

While his goal might have been fortunate, with his bouncing finish going over a crowded box, there were plenty of other moments that displayed Odegaard’s genius. His drag-back and nutmegs on Lewis Dunk to play in Martinelli in the first half was delicious and his first-time through-ball for Martinelli’s goal was visionary.

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The injury to Gabriel Jesus at the World Cup could have been a major blow to Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League for the first time since 2003/04. But the early signs are that Arteta’s team have the depth to maintain their early-season form.

Nketiah has been made to wait this season after deciding to stay at Arsenal and sign a new contract in the summer, but he is taking his chance now. It is easy to forget now that Jesus had gone 11 games without a goal across all competitions for Arsenal before going to Qatar with Brazil.

Having netted against Brighton in November, his replacement has now scored in each of his past three games. Nketiah has a very creditable five goals in nine starts in all competitions and has shown his poacher instincts. After scoring a wonderful goal against West Ham on Boxing Day, the 23-year-old gobbled up a rebound to make the game safe versus Brighton.

They may have lost, but Brighton fans can still reflect on a hugely memorable year as they go into 2023. The Seagulls finished ninth in the Premier League in May and finish the year one place better, in eighth, despite losing to the league’s best side on New Year’s Eve.

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The decision-makers at Brighton deserve a lot of credit for their current position. Losing Graham Potter to Chelsea in September could easily have derailed their season, but that has been far from the case, with Roberto De Zerbi fitting in perfectly to the team’s style. Seagulls fans only need look at bottom side Southampton for evidence of how difficult managerial changes can be.

Brighton’s first goal here showed off the pass-and-move playing style, with Pascal Gross playing in Mitoma with a lovely reverse-pass before the Japanese midfielder tucked the ball away with aplomb. Ferguson then took advantage of some hesitant defending from Saliba to grab his first Premier League goal.

They didn’t count for anything on this occasion, but Brighton have no reason to be dispirited.

An away game at Brighton is a tough assignment. They had lost on their previous two visits to the AMEX, in April and November in the Premier League and Carabao Cup respectively, and needed to turn that form around.

Much of Arsenal’s success this season stems from their consistency. Arteta has been able to pick very similar sides week after week, with the relative youth of the star players key to that.

There is still an awful long way to go, but a seven-point leading going into the New Year is quite the advantage.

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13th All African Games: Nigeria finishes second with 120 medals

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Team Nigeria finished second on the medals table at the 13th African Games in Ghana. 

 

The Nigerian contingent raked in 47 gold, 33 silver and 40 bronze medals across 25 sports at the competition.

 

Weightlifting produced Nigeria’s highest medal haul. The team garnered 32 medals — 16 gold, 10 silver and six bronze medals.

 

Athletics was Nigeria’s second most productive sport at the Games, with 22 medals won.

 

Tobi Amusan won her third consecutive African Games gold medal in the women’s 100 meters hurdles. She then anchored the women’s 4×100 meters team to a gold medal.

 

Ese Brume retained her crown in the women’s long jump, while Chukwuebuka Enekwechi reigned supreme in the men’s shot put.

 

Blessing Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye were pristine as wrestling earned Nigeria 11 medals.

 

Nigeria won eight gold medals in a day in boxing while arm wrestling also produced 13 medals.

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Team Nigeria’s medal haul is only bested by Egypt, which had 189 medals, comprising 101 gold, 46 silver and 42 bronze.

 

South Africa placed third on the medals table with 106 medals — 32 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze medals.

 

Algeria finished third with 29 gold, 38 silver and 47 bronze medals, while Tunisia completed the top five.

 

The next edition of the African Games will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in 2027.

 

 

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Super Hero: Nigerian footballer, Osayi-Samuel defends teammates against pitch invaders

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Nigerian defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, who plays for Turkish club, Fenerbahçe, was seen knocking a violent pitch invader to the ground during a chaotic on-pitch brawl on Sunday night.

 

Tension escalated at the end of Fenerbahce’s 3-2 victory over Trabzonspor in the Turkish Super Lig.

Former Manchester United player, Fred, netted two goals in the first half, as Fenerbahce secured the victory with a late 87th-minute goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Fenerbahce players gathered in the middle of the pitch to celebrate their victory when suddenly, a single Trabzonspor fan made his way onto the pitch to taunt them.

 

A security team swiftly apprehended the individual, who was wearing a mask.

As the situation unfolded, a growing number of Trabzonspor supporters managed to bypass the security staff, causing difficulties in maintaining control.


Video captured the 26-year-old Osayi-Samuel in the midst of the commotion.

 

A video that went viral on social media captured the Nigerian chasing a fan and landing a punch to his face, causing the masked supporter to fall to the ground.

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In another clip, Osayi-Samuel can be seen celebrating when he suddenly noticed a pitch invader.

 

In the video, he confronted the aggressor, defending himself against a punch and retaliating with one of his own, as a security guard swiftly subdued the unruly fan.

During the incident, Osayi-Samuel had to be held back by his teammates and security as the situation became more intense.

 

One particular fan was seen brandishing a corner flag as a potential weapon.

According to a report from Mirror UK, the atmosphere became heated as some home supporters resorted to throwing objects onto the pitch, aiming at players, coaches, and referees.

A number of Fenerbahce’s players and staff had hurriedly made their way to the tunnel for safety.

Osayi-Samuel made the move to Fenerbahce from QPR in 2021, following his early career at Blackpool.

The Nigeria international has made 126 appearances for the Turkish team.

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Arsenal defeat Porto to reach Champions League quarter-finals

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Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after beating Porto in a penalty shootout following a night of tension at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners went into this last-16 second leg 1-0 down but drew level when Leandro Trossard put them ahead on the night four minutes before the interval with a smooth finish following brilliant work by captain Martin Odegaard.

A scrappy, fractious encounter failed to yield a winner even after extra time and it was Arsenal who held their nerve to go through to the last eight.

 

Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were all on target for Arsenal as David Raya saved from Wendell and Galeno to seal victory for Mikel Arteta’s side amid scenes of wild celebration.


Arsenal only trailed to Galeno’s last-gasp goal from the first game in Portugal, but it quickly became clear they would need to pass a stern test of character, temperament and patience against Sergio Conceicao’s streetwise, experienced team.

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Porto, defensively marshalled and organised by the evergreen 41-year-old Pepe, never allowed Arsenal to play with their usual fluency and Trossard’s goal, created after superb footwork and a pass of precision from Odegaard, was a rare moment of weakness from the visitors’ defence.

Arsenal probed but Porto still posed a threat, Raya saving well from Evanilson and Francisco Conceicao.

Odegaard thought he had settled Arsenal’s nerves and put them through without the need for extra time with a second half strike. However, it was ruled out when Havertz was judged to have pulled back Pepe.


The anxiety and anger even reached the technical area, with Porto coach Conceicao an agitated, animated figure throughout, and it threatened to boil over with frustration after their fate was sealed by Raya’s flying save in a chaotic conclusion.

At the end of a nervous night, it was Arsenal who were celebrating with Arteta finally ending his European curse at home, having managed five Europa League ties at Emirates Stadium without winning any.

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It also felt like a psychological barrier had been crossed by the Gunners after losing at the last-16 stage in each of their past seven appearances in the Champions League.

And having reached the last eight, Arsenal might just feel they have learned enough from this tough experience to take their journey deeper into the competition.

Gunners set up dream season finale


Arsenal have had the ideal few days, breaking that barrier into the last eight of Europe’s elite competition while also taking their place at the top of the Premier League.

Their dramatic win against Brentford and the draw between their two closest challengers Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday means they top the league on goal difference.

It also means Arsenal have that feeling of momentum to carry forward into the final stage of the season, fighting both in domestic and European competition.

 

Arsenal’s next game is the mammoth clash with Premier League champions Manchester City at Etihad Stadium on 31 March and Arteta now has time to take a breath and regather his forces in a position of real strength.

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