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Premier League

Arsenal seek eight-point lead in title race

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Arsenal’s defeat by Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round in January could be a blessing in disguise, as on Sunday they have the chance to open an eight-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s men in the Premier League title race.

City have gone on to reach the quarter-finals in which they faced Championship leaders Burnley on Saturday, and will be keeping their fingers crossed that Crystal Palace can do them a favour and halt Arsenal’s charge 24 hours later.

The Gunners are on 66 points, five clear of City as they prepare for their home clash against Palace.

Arsenal will host a side yet to record a win in 2023, culminating in manager Patrick Vieira getting the sack on Friday.

Eight points ahead, albeit from one game more, would be a sizeable cushion for Mikel Arteta’s men to take into the international break as a first English title since 2004 glints on the horizon.

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Should they do it, former Liverpool midfielder and now Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believes it would rank not far below Leicester City’s fairy-tale title in 2016.

“From where Arsenal were, if they were to win the title it would go down as one of the great Premier League achievements,” he said of the Gunners, who are on a five-game winning run in the league.

“It’s so big how he’s turned it around and done it so quickly. This is a different Arsenal. This team right now mentally is so strong.”

Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Europa League last week, will know that nothing can be taken for granted.

In the last four league meetings with Palace at home, they have drawn three and lost the other.

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This season feels different, however, with the league leaders showing no sign of faltering in their quest to de-throne City.

Palace are in a horrible rut and they head into the game on the back of a 1-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday, their third loss in a row and fourth successive match without scoring.

This season the Eagles have scored just 21 goals in 27 games.

The club said that the process to appoint a new manager was under way, with under-21s boss Paddy McCarthy taking charge on Sunday.

Chairman Steve Parish told Sky Sports that the mood in the camp was good despite the team’s miserable run.

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“I think things just weren’t happening, but the mood was good, it was fine,” he said.

“But obviously we’re hoping that there’s a bit of fresh impetus, a few different ideas, maybe we surprise the opposition a little bit doing something different.”

Former Palace boss Roy Hodgson, who has retired, is reportedly linked with a return, even if it is only until the end of the season.

Reuters/ AFP

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

English Premiership rules forbid Nigerian-born English player, Nwaneri from Arsenal locker room

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Ethan Nwaneri came on and scored in Arsenal's 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City at the Emirates

Ethan Nwaneri, born of Nigerian parentage, but English in nationality, is not allowed to get ready for matches in Arsenal’s senior dressing room because of safeguarding the rules.

That is the revelation by Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta.  The 17-year-old is in the midst of a stunning breakthrough campaign, slotting into the Gunners’ first team with ease and providing a viable solution to their issues on the right flank. 

According to the UK newspaper, Daily Mail, so far this season, Nwaneri has made his first Premier League, and Champions League starts, and shone in the Carabao Cup while scoring across all three competitions.

Safeguarding rules mean that players must be 18 or older to share a dressing room with the senior squad.

 It means that the starlet must get changed elsewhere before joining his colleagues for the final team talk. 

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‘Ethan cannot be in our dressing room still, which is unbelievable. He needs to get dressed somewhere else, even on match day. 

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Man United’s Rashford joins Aston Villa on loan

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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has joined Aston Villa on loan, both Premier League clubs announced on Sunday, bringing to an end a difficult few weeks for the England striker after he was frozen out at Old Trafford.

Rashford, who has been capped 60 times by England, will join Villa until the end of the season.

“I was lucky to have a few clubs approach me but Aston Villa was an easy decision. I really admire the way that Aston Villa have been playing this season, and the manager’s ambitions. I just want to play football and am excited to get started, Rashford posted on social media.

“I would like to thank Manchester United and Aston Villa for making this loan deal happen… I wish everyone at Manchester United all the best for the rest of the season,” he added.

Rashford has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for Manchester United after coming through the club’s youth system and breaking into the senior side in 2016. He has lifted the Europa League, two FA Cups and two League Cups.

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However, the striker had not featured for United since mid-December after admitting he was ready for a new challenge in his career.

Manager Ruben Amorim called into question the forward’s workrate and defended his decision to again omit him from his squad for their win over Fulham last month, insisting he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.

Rashford has also scored 17 goals for England. He has played in two World Cups and two European Championships for his country

Villa have also signed Spanish fullback Andres Garcia from Levante and Dutch striker Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window.

-Reuters

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Man United lose at home again as Mateta double earns Palace win

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 Premier League - Manchester United v Crystal Palace - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 2, 2025 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff 

Manchester United’s woeful home form this season continued as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

Despite United chasing a fourth successive win in all competitions, Palace were much the better side in the first half at Old Trafford, passing up several chances to capitalise on their superiority.

The visitors did make one count after 64 minutes, Jean-Philippe Mateta reacting first after the ball had come off the crossbar to give his side a deserved lead.

United upped the ante in search of an equaliser but lacked ideas, with Mateta condemning the hosts to a seventh home league loss this term with a late second, helping Palace climb above 13th-placed United into 12th in the standings.

“The result is really bad,” United manager Ruben Amorim told Sky Sports. “The performance was a little bit better than the last games. We controlled the transitions quite well for Crystal Palace.

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“It’s normal for the fans to feel negative, it is a hard season for them but football can change in certain moments. I will prepare for the next game and move forward. Better things will come.”

United came into Sunday’s encounter on the back of their best run under Amorim, having secured a third successive win in all competitions at Steaua Bucharest on Thursday.

Amorim has, however, yet to taste back-to-back league wins since he took charge in late November. No United manager since Tommy Docherty in 1972-73 has had to wait so long to achieve that.

After a pre-match tribute to those who died in the Munich air disaster 67 years ago, Kobbie Mainoo, playing in an unfamiliar central striker role, went close to giving United the perfect start, striking the post with a deflected shot.

Palace, in fine away form having won four of their previous five on the road, looked the more threatening early on, with defenders Daniel Munoz and Tyrick Mitchell going close to an opener.

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The visitors continued to press, with Mateta denied by a brilliant save from Andre Onana as halftime approached.

Needing improvement after again failing to score in the first half of a league match – now 18 goalless opening periods in 24 this season – United pushed forward after the break.

Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was finally called into action, denying Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte with smart saves, but Mateta’s close-range finish, after Maxence Lacroix’s header had hit the crossbar, was what the visitors’ endeavour merited.

For all their pressure, United openings failed to materialise, with Mateta finishing off a Palace counter in the 89th minute to send the away supporters into raptures.

– Premier League – Manchester United v Crystal Palace – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 2, 2025 Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta scores their second goal past Manchester United’s Andre Onana Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduf

United have now lost seven of their first 13 league home matches this season, their joint-most at this stage of a league campaign, along with 1893-94.

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United defender Lisandro Martinez was carried off on a stretcher in the second half with what looked like a serious knee injury.

-Reuters

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