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.

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.

Arsenal wanted to provoke Manchester City into a war during last weekend’s Premier League clash but the champions are ready for the challenge, City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.

A stoppage-time equaliser let hosts City hold 10-man Arsenal 2-2 on Sunday in a match where City midfielder Rodri suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament which ruled him out for the season.

Nerves flared during the clash as City’s leading scorer Erling Haaland threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and directed heated words at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after the final whistle, asking him to “stay humble”.

Brazil’s Gabriel said Arsenal were waiting for City to visit them, with the rivalry between last season’s top two teams heating up.

“Gabriel said it perfectly in the press after the match: this is a war, we (are) here to provoke the opponent, push them,” Guardiola told reporters when asked about Haaland’s actions.

“And at the end, what can you do? You provoke me? OK, I’m there. You want a war? Now we war… The type of challenge that Arsenal challenges, I understand it.”

Leaders City, who visit Newcastle United on Saturday, are two points ahead of Arsenal with 13 points from five matches.

-Reuters

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca downplayed the significance of becoming the first manager to win his first three away games in the Premier League since his former mentor Pep Guardiola achieved the same feat in 2016.

Maresca – who had a spell as one of Guardiola’s assistant managers at Manchester City – oversaw Chelsea’s 3-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday and said he believed his young squad was making progress, even if they still had room for improvement.

“The way the players are buying the idea, or the different style, since I arrived has been top,” Maresca told reporters. “I think we are on the right path, we are in the right direction. But this is a long journey.”

Maresca is the fourth permanent coach to work for Chelsea’s American owners since they bought the club in 2022.

After finishing 12th two seasons ago and sixth in the last campaign, Chelsea are desperate to recover their status as an English and European heavyweight.

Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali were both in attendance at the London Stadium on Saturday, despite media reports of a rift, and they congratulated the players and coaching staff after the game.

“They were in the changing room, they were all happy,” Maresca said. “The main target in this moment is to see how we progress as a team and I think we are improving many things even if today we could attack better, we could defend better.”

Maresca said he sensed that a coherent team would soon emerge from the flurry of players who have arrived at Stamford Bridge in recent months, including winger Jadon Sancho and defender Tosin Adarabioyo who both made their first starts for Chelsea against West Ham.

“It’s just a matter of time,” the Italian said. “I said at the beginning the most important thing is how the players they have bought since we arrived here work together, and this is the most important thing.”

West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, who is also finding his feet after moving to London over the summer, said he was very frustrated that his team had given away two early goals to Chelsea with defensive errors.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson scored in the fourth and 18th minutes when unmarked, and Cole Palmer made it 3-0 shortly after half time.

Asked about the booing that rang out from the home fans during the game, Lopetegui asked for patience from supporters.

“For sure this group of players they are going to improve and they are going to have time to give the fans the best days that they deserve,” the Spaniard said. “We feel their support, their ambition and of course today is a bad day for all of us.”

-Reuters