Sports

Leandro Trossard goal ends Arsenal’s six-year curse at Everton

Published

3 years ago

September 17, 2023

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Leandro Trossard hit a valuable winning goal for Arsenal as they extended their excellent start to the season against Everton at Goodison Park.

The Belgian winger struck home an excellent effort midway through the second half to finally help the Gunners to victory on Merseyside for the first time in six years.

Gabriel Martinelli looked to have given the Gunners the lead in the first-half, only for VAR to intervene and chalk-off his opener.

Arsenal eventually went in front in the second half through Trossard, with his goal being enough to carry Arsenal to their fourth win from their opening five games.

There were more than a few baffled glances around Goodison Park after Martinelli’s opener was disallowed. Commentator Gary Neville was among those scratching their heads.

The goal came about after Beto had attempted to block Gabriel Magalhaes’ pass. It then deflected all the way to Eddie Nketiah, who brought Fabio Vieira into play before the Portuguese midfielder released Martinelli with an expert pass.

The Brazilian’s finish was unerring as he slotted home. But Nketiah was adjudged to have been marginally offside in the build-up with the celebrations soon cut short.

Whilst Arsenal were aggrieved, it was the correct decision as Beto’s touch was unintentional. To make matters worse for Martinelli, he was substituted off through injury in the immediate aftermath.

Even ahead of kick-off, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta got supporters talking with his team selection. Summer signing David Raya replaced regular number one Aaron Ramsdale in goal.

He explained that the call had been made as part of a rotation policy ahead of a busy run of games. The Spaniard didn’t really have too much to do at all at Goodison Park so it remains to be seen whether it was the right call.

One man who may be a little frustrated is Ramsdale. The England keeper was consigned to the bench and that will not do his international prospects any favours, with Three Lions colleague Jordan Pickford impressing for Everton.

Arsenal struggled to break down their hosts for a long time at Goodison. Away from Martinelli’s disallowed goal and a good save from Jordan Pickford to deny Martin Odegaard early in the first half, the Gunners were lacking any real creativity.

That was until Trossard smashed the opener home. The former Brighton man polished off an excellent move to strike a thunderous effort in off the post.

It represented just his third goal for the North London side since moving to the Emirates Stadium. However, he is already developing a welcome habit with all three of those strikes coming as a substitute. The fact Arteta has players ready to make an impact only bodes well for a renewed title push.

The win will no doubt be satisfying for the Gunners but the fact that it has come at Goodison Park will leave an even wider smiler on Arteta’s face. Arsenal’s defeat at the same ground last season was one of a number of results which cost them in the race for the Premier League title.

That was certainly not an unfamiliar feeling with Arsenal winless away at Everton since 2017. They have also only scored two goals at Goodison in the time since.

Sunday’s showdown was equally as testing, with the Gunners looking for a long time as though they would depart frustrated. It is far too early in the season to say a win at Goodison could bolster their title chances but it no doubt allows Arsenal to breathe a sigh of relief.

Everton will be crestfallen having failed to keep Arsenal out despite keeping the Gunners at arms length throughout the majority of the clash. Things are looking up for the Toffees though with Dominic Calvert-Lewin returning sporting a mask after his cheek injury.

Related Topics:Arsenal EVERTON Leandro Trossard PREMIERSHIP

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

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2026

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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.

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.

Sports

BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2026

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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.

Sports

FG fulfils promises as D’Tigress receive national honours, house documents

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2026

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The Federal Government has fulfilled its outstanding promises to the senior women’s national basketball team, D’Tigress, delivering National Honour certificates and title documents for houses in Abuja.

The presentation took place in Lyon, where the African Champions are currently participating at the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The move follows a directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu aimed at clearing a backlog of promises made to the team following their 2023 Afrobasket victory in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Shehu Dikko, led the delegation alongside the Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade. Speaking during the handover, Dikko characterized the prompt delivery as a “clear departure” from previous administrations, where state-promised rewards often faced multi-year delays.

“This is a prompt fulfilment of promises made by a President who leads with action,” Dikko stated. “Mr. President is giving every Nigerian athlete a renewed confidence that sports is a serious business capable of changing lives.”

While the physical assets (housing and honours) have been delivered, the NSC Chairman confirmed that the cash rewards promised to the squad are currently in the final stages of administrative processing. He assured the players that disbursement into their respective bank accounts is imminent.

The Director General, Hon. Bukola Olopade, noted that the current administration of President Tinubu is institutionalizing a “reward system” modelled after developed sporting nations to ensure high-performance outcomes.

President of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), Engr. Musa Kida, credited the Presidency for prioritizing athlete welfare, citing it as a “legacy of a lifetime” for the sports sector.

Head Coach Rena Wakama and Captain Amy Okonkwo formally accepted the documents, affirming that the timely delivery of these incentives would serve as a catalyst for the team’s upcoming international qualifiers.