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Premier League

Martinelli double helps Arsenal rout hapless Leeds

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Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli’s double helped Arsenal ease to a dominant 4-1 win at Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday (Dec 18).

In the only Premier League game to go ahead on Saturday due to a huge rise in Covid-19 cases among players, Arsenal blew beleaguered Leeds away with a blistering first-half display.

Having shipped seven goals at Manchester City in midweek, Leeds were repeatedly carved apart in the opening period, with Martinelli’s brace putting Arsenal 2-0 up inside 28 minutes.

Frustrations were palpable all round Elland Road as Bukayo Saka added a third for Arsenal three minutes before the break, with the scoreline not at all flattering for the dominant London side.

Leeds did threaten a late comeback when Rafinha converted a penalty 15 minutes from time, but substitute Emile Smith Rowe’s late goal put the game beyond the hosts.

Arsenal’s third league success in a row consolidated fourth spot in the standings, while Leeds’ second successive hammering left them down in 16th, five clear of the drop zone, but having played three more games than Burnley in 18th.

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“I am very happy with the performance, the week that we had, and the way we are moving forward,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said.

“It is always difficult to play against Leeds. They didn’t give up on the second half. I am pleased, it is not easy to play the way we did in this atmosphere. We made a real statement.”

The visitors were well on top from the start against an injury-ravaged Leeds. Home goalkeeper Illan Meslier was forced into a fine save as the hosts’ defence still looked shell-shocked after their mauling at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Saka should have scored from the rebound, but Arsenal did not have to wait long for the opener as Martinelli, leading the line in place of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who was again left out for a disciplinary breach, arrowed a shot into the top corner.

The Gunners continued to dominate, with Scotland full back Kieran Tierney forcing another fine save out of Meslier, before the hosts mustered their first attack as Rafinha fired wide.

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Martinelli, whose Arsenal career has been plagued by injury, made it two after brilliantly latching onto Granit Xhaka’s through pass and lofting the ball over Meslier.

Saka’s goal had an element of fortune about it as a deflection took it past Meslier whose performance ensured it was only three at the break.

Arsenal’s 11 shots on target in the first half is the most in the opening 45 minutes by any side in a single Premier League match since 2003-04, when Opta started collecting such stats.

Leeds improved in the second half and deservedly got a lifeline when Ben White fouled Joe Gelhardt in the penalty area and Rafinha hammered in the spot-kick.

Without injured striker Patrick Bamford, however, Leeds lacked the firepower to complete the turnaround and Smith Rowe’s calm finish ended their faint hopes.

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It was the first time Leeds have lost three successive league games under manager Marcelo Bielsa.

“There were more chances generated than the goals that they scored,” Bielsa said. “When we lost the ball in our own half, this increased the amount of chances they (Arsenal) could create.

“Always the support like the team received today is inspiring to us. It is not easy when a team has conceded 14 goals in three games. If the fans were not so supportive of me, I could understand it.”

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Ten Hag’s Man United future not my call, Ratcliffe says

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FA Cup - Final - Manchester City v Manchester United - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 25, 2024 Manchester United co owner Jim Ratcliffe is pictured in the stands before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said a decision about under-fire manager Erik ten Hag is not his call, and was reticent about whether he still has faith in the team’s boss amid their worst start to the Premier League season since 1986-87.

“I don’t want to answer that question,” Ratcliffe told the BBC. “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.

“That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April — Omar (Berrada, CEO), (Sporting Director) Dan Ashworth — they only arrived in July.

“They’ve only been there . . . you can count it in weeks almost — they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.”

Ten Hag’s job was the subject of speculation for much of last season en route to the team’s lowest Premier League finish of eighth. After an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and an end-of-season review, however, Ten Hag signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026.

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“Our objective is very clear, we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously, that’s very clear,” Ratcliffe said.

Ten Hag continues to plead for patience from fans with the team languishing 13th in the Premier League table, having lost three of their six opening games. They were headed towards defeat by Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before Harry Maguire scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a 3-3 draw.

-Reuters

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Saka says this is Arsenal’s year after back-to-back Premier League misses

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 Champions League - Arsenal v Paris St Germain - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - October 1, 2024 Paris St Germain's Nuno Mendes in action with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka REUTERS/Hannah Mckay

Arsenal can go all the way and end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title this season, winger Bukayo Saka said after his side beat Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsenal finished runners-up in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before once again finishing second behind Manchester City.

The north London side are in the mix this season, sitting third in the league standings, and their impressive victory over French heavyweights PSG underlined their title credentials, with Kai Havertz and Saka scoring in the match.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year (that we can win the title),” Saka told CBS Sports.

“I think we’ve been close the last two years and we’re getting closer but this hopefully will be the year.”

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Saka, who has established himself as a key player at Arsenal and was their top-scorer in the Premier League last season, said the club’s near misses had left him hungry for success.

“Previous years, I’ve come runners-up a lot. It’s just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot,” the 23-year-old told Amazon Prime.

“With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we’re a top team. We showed that tonight (against PSG). I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when big teams are coming to the Emirates.”

Arsenal next host 19th-placed Southampton in a league match on Saturday.

-Reuters

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In ‘Battle of Four Super Eagles’ Aina and Awoniyi are lost in the Forest as Bassey and Iwobi triumph

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Four Super Eagles players were in a contest Saturday night in an English Premier League battle that paired two on both sides.

Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi were in the Fulham side that raided Nottingham Forest who paraded the duo of  Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi.

It was one of the late Premier League matches of the day. Iwobi and Bassey were in the winning side as Nottingham lost 1-0 at home.

Awoniyi had a good chance to score in the 19th minute after getting on the end of a nice pass. Unfortunately for him, he smashed his volley just wide.

The first half did not see many chances and it ended goalless. Awoniyi had just one shot on goal and by the break, coach Nuno Espirito Santo decided to take him off for Anthony Elanga.

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However, that did not give Forest the attacking edge they were looking for.

Rather, just three minutes into the second half, they conceded a penalty. Fulham striker Raul Jimenez made no mistake as he converted with aplomb to make it 1-0 to his side.

Iwobi had a good chance to score in the 61st minute after a nice build-up from the midfield.

But his strike was blocked by a defender. Despite the fact that they were searching for goals, Nottingham Forest failed to create much in the final third.

Aina was decent, but could not do much in the attacking third. On the other hand, Bassey was sturdy at the back for Fulham. After 90 minutes, the game ended 1-0 to Fulham.

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