Sports

Arsenal vs Chelsea: Merino scores winner at Emirate

Published

11 months ago

March 16, 2025

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Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Chelsea to move 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Both of these sides came into the match without their first-choice striker, with Kai Havertz ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury for Arsenal and Nicolas Jackson missing for Chelsea.

Chelsea were also without their most important player in Cole Palmer, who was out of the squad with an injury, and it was the first time the Blues have to had to play without him since they lost 5-0 to Arsenal in April last season.

Arsenal, again naming Merino as a makeshift striker, dominated the game early on and Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice all went close.

Merino’s winner came in the 20th minute when he flicked on a curling corner from Martin Odegaard past a stretching Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea’s best opportunity to take something from the game came when Marc Cucurella’s powerful effort slipped through David Raya’s hands but the ball rolled just past the post.

Robert Sanchez, recently restored as Chelsea’s first-choice keeper, had some shaky moments as the Blues were put under pressure with a number of crosses into the area and he was jeered by the home crowd when he had the ball at his feet.

Sanchez produced an excellent save to deny Merino in the second half, but Chelsea could not find the goal to get something from the game.

Liverpool are not playing in the league this weekend as they are involved in the Carabao Cup final.

Arsenal have tried to play with more control since their first attempt at winning the Premier League title under Mikel Arteta a couple of seasons ago.

Since then, their attacking play has been criticised and this season their need for an elite forward has been made more apparent with most of their key attacking players having been ruled out at some point during in the season.

Arsenal are really well organised under Arteta but they did not do enough with the ball when they were in good positions.

That has been the theme of their season and a large reason why they have dropped away in the race for this season’s title.

Merino’s goal, Arsenal’s 11th in all competitions from corners this season, shows that Arteta is justified in his continued work with set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, as their threat from set-pieces gets them crucial points, particularly in tight games.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, back in the starting line-up, was excellent again as he celebrated his first call-up to the senior England squad.

Bukayo Saka was pitchside before the match and, with Arteta saying he is getting “closer” to a return, all supporters at Arsenal hope he will be in contention for their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid next month.

The aim for Chelsea this season is to qualify for the Champions League and the battle for those European places look like they are going to come down to the last few games of the season.

Their hopes of winning this match were dealt a big blow when news broke of Palmer’s absence.

Chelsea have scored 53 goals in the Premier League this season and 20 of those have been scored or assisted by Palmer (38%).

The 22-year-old is not in his best form for Chelsea and has not scored for seven games, but his quality and threat was missed.

Manager Enzo Maresca continued with Pedro Neto as his central striker in the absence of Jackson, but he was comfortably dealt with by an organised and excellent Arsenal backline.

Chelsea have progressed this season under Maresca and are going to be in the running for the Champions League places at the end of the season, but they need to take more risk in the final third if they are going to secure that place.

The Blues are now winless in their past seven away league games and have lost the past four on the road.

Sports

Arsenal beat Sunderland to move nine points clear

Published

7 hours ago

February 7, 2026

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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.

Sports

Herbalist who promised Mali AFCON win arrested for €33,500 fraud

Published

4 weeks ago

January 12, 2026

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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.

Sports

Lookman dismisses altercation with Osimhen during Mozambique match, says ‘he is my brother’

Published

1 month ago

January 6, 2026

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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.