tag

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the Premier League leaders must win trophies if they were to be remembered like the “Invincibles” side that last won the title for the Gunners in 2004.Arsene Wenger’s side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game. Arsenal head into Thursday’s clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a six-point lead at the top of the table, although Manchester City and Aston Villa can cut that gap as they were in action late last night. Arteta’s men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ managed after 20 games. But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league. “No because ‘the Invincibles’ won a lot,” Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal’s last title winners. “They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that.” The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup “There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies,” he added. “Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it’s not, and we have to make the margins even bigger.” Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals. The defending champions head to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain “a superb side”. The Gunners remain without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but are “monitoring the load” on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensifies his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury. Arteta, meanwhile, said he was “sad” to see rival boss Ruben Amorim sacked by Manchester United on Monday after just 14 months in charge at Old Trafford. The Portuguese coach’s exit followed growing tensions with senior United officials, including director of football Jason Wilcox, over recent days. United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe had previously suggested Amorim would be given at least three years in charge, citing Arsenal’s patience with Arteta as an example to follow. Appointed in 2019, Arteta endured a rocky start to his time in charge of Arsenal. But they are now a commanding 17 points ahead of sixth-placed United, who won just 25 of 63 games in all competitions under Amorim. “I can only talk about what I have experienced and it’s always sad to see a colleague losing his job, obviously,” said Arteta. “We know where we are and I think you need support from the ownership, from your staff, from players. At the end of the day, you need to win a lot of football matches if you want to stay in the job, and that’s the reality and the nature of our job.” 

Rayan Cherki's stunning strike put Manchester City on their way to the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Brentford, while holders Newcastle beat Fulham 2-1 Thursday.City face the Magpies in the last four, while Chelsea will take on Arsenal or Crystal Palace. Ahead of the hectic festive Premier League schedule, Pep Guardiola could afford to give Erling Haaland the night off as his side secured a sixth consecutive victory in all competitions.Haaland was left on the bench among seven changes by Guardiola at the Etihad. "We have had a run of a lot of games for Erling for example and Ruben (Dias) and the other ones and they have to be ready," Guardiola said. "We have to do it (give them a rest) and we talked a lot about these days about everyone being connected today."Abdukodir Khusanov was one of those handed a rare start and the Uzbek defender was lucky just to see a yellow card for chopping down Kevin Schade when the German looked set to run through on goal. Guardiola was forced to field the in-form Phil Foden for longer than he hoped as the England international replaced the injured Oscar Bobb after just 20 minutes.But it was Cherki who unlocked the Brentford rearguard action in style 10 minutes before half-time. The Frenchman collected a corner cleared to the edge of the box, cut inside onto his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable effort into the top corner.The home side's second was much more fortunate as Savinho's shot looped over Hakon Valdimarsson via a deflection off Kristoffer Ajer 20 minutes from time.City won the League Cup four years in a row under Guardiola between 2018 and 2021. But this is the first time in five seasons they have progressed to the last four.Newcastle are back in the semi-finals thanks to Lewis Miley's stoppage time header at St. James' Park. A dismal performance in losing 1-0 to local rivals Sunderland on Sunday heaped the pressure on Eddie Howe's men to respond.Yoane Wissa opened his Newcastle account on his first start after just 10 minutes but Sasa Lukic quickly levelled for the visitors. The tie appeared destined for penalties until Miley got a flick to Sandro Tonali's enticing delivery.Newcastle ended a 70-year wait to win a domestic trophy when they won the League Cup last season and Howe is eager for more. "It was important to bounce back from Sunderland, to come back in a positive fashion," he said. "We want to be competitive and win trophies - this one we had a great experience last year we want to do that again."Chelsea booked their place in the two-legged semi-finals early next year with a 3-1 win at Cardiff on Tuesday. Arsenal host Palace in the final quarter-final tie next week. 

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso faces mounting pressure ahead of today's Champions League group-stage meeting against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, but the Spaniard was confident the team could turn their poor form around.Sunday's 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo, in which Real were reduced to nine players after defenders Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were sent off, left the club second in LaLiga with 36 points, four behind leaders Barcelona.Adding to Alonso's challenges, Madrid could be without as many as eight key players, including top-scorer Kylian Mbappe, who missed training on Tuesday with a muscle injury."Football can change quickly... for good or for bad," Alonso told a press conference Tuesday. "After the Celta match, we've already drawn our conclusions."Now it's just City in our minds. It's the Champions League, we're at the Bernabeu. It will be different because of the energy that's created. That's what's on our minds, what's ahead of us."Asked whether his job could be at risk if Real falter against City, Alonso remained defiant."When you coach Real Madrid, you have to be prepared for situations like this. We are a team, we are all united," he said."To reverse the disappointment, which is normal, all we're thinking about now is City."Mbappe's absence would be a significant blow for Alonso's team, with the Frenchman leading both the LaLiga and Champions League scoring charts this season.The 26-year-old joins an already packed injury list that includes Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga.Wednesday's clash will be the 13th meeting between the clubs in the past decade, a rivalry that has intensified as Real and City combined to claim three of the last four Champions League titles.Real won the competition in 2022 and 2024, beating City en route to both titles, while the English side lifted their maiden Champions League trophy in 2023 after overcoming the Spanish club in the semi-finals that year.Despite a disappointing run in recent weeks, with two victories in their last seven matches across all competitions, Alonso remained optimistic."We're all in this together. United. Convinced that this is an opportunity. We need to have the energy to connect with the Bernabeu. If that happens, we have a chance to win," he said."In football, you have to adapt and learn. Some days are good, others are not," he added. "But we are making progress with every match. Good thing we have a challenge tomorrow. The best way to move forward is to face it. It's a challenge that we must rise to."Real are fifth in the Champions League standings on 12 points, three behind leaders Arsenal. City are ninth on 10 points, chasing a top-eight finish that would secure direct qualification to the last 16. 

Arsenal stretched their Premier League lead to four points as Eberechi Eze’s goal beat his former club Crystal Palace 1-0, while Manchester City lost 1-0 at Aston Villa Sunday.Bournemouth are now the Gunners’ closest challengers in second after they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0, while Tottenham climbed to third after a 3-0 win at Everton.After Liverpool’s latest defeat to Brentford on Saturday, Arsenal enjoyed the perfect weekend as both their title rivals fell further behind as they go from strength to strength.Eze left the Eagles to join Arsenal in a £60 million ($80 million) deal in August and his first Premier League goal was decisive as Mikel Arteta’s men were again able to lean on their set-piece prowess and a solid defence.The England international blasted in on the volley after Palace failed to clear Declan Rice’s free-kick six minutes before half-time.Arsenal again failed to hit top gear going forward, but didn’t need to as they kept a 10th clean sheet in 13 games in all competitions this season.“The technique from Eze is unbelievable. We needed something special,” said Arteta.“We didn’t score a second goal and when you don’t do that you are in danger, but we restricted them to very little.”The only concern for Arteta was the sight of Rice and William Saliba having to be replaced in the second half due to injury.Arsenal now lead fifth-placed City by six points and have a seven-point cushion over Liverpool in seventh.City appeared to be emerging as Arsenal’s biggest obstacle in the title race after a nine-game unbeaten run. But Pep Guardiola’s men lost at Villa Park for the third consecutive season as Erling Haaland’s 12-game scoring streak came to an end.Matty Cash’s stunning strike from outside the box on 19 minutes secured a fourth consecutive league win for Villa as Unai Emery’s men climb to seventh.Haaland had a late goal ruled out for offside, but City’s lack of goal threat other than the Norwegian finally cost the visitors. No City player other than Haaland has scored in the Premier League for a month.“We were not aggressive enough,” said a disappointed Guardiola. Spurs captain Micky van de Ven scored twice as Tottenham inflicted Everton’s first defeat at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.Pape Mate Sarr added a third late on to continue Tottenham’s strong start under Thomas Frank.Bournemouth climbed up to second as Forest’s struggles continued despite a change in management. Sean Dyche got his reign off to a winning start against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, but Forest remain in the bottom three after they were convincingly beaten on the south coast.Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring for the Cherries directly from a corner as the swirling wind caught out Matz Sels. Eli Junior Kroupi then blasted in his fourth goal in six Premier League games to double Bournemouth’s lead.Wolves remain bottom of the table after Burnley edged a 3-2 thriller in stoppage time at Molineux thanks to Lyle Foster.Zian Flemming’s double put the visitors 2-0 up inside 30 minutes but Wolves hit back before half-time through Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi.Foster’s late strike propelled the Clarets five points clear of the relegation zone and left Wolves now six points adrift of safety.

Erling Haaland carried Manchester City to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal with the only goal at Brentford, while Crystal Palace's 19-game unbeaten run was ended by a 2-1 defeat to Everton.The Norwegian maintained his sensational early season form to score his 18th goal for club and country in just 11 appearances this season. Haaland showed his strength to bully his way through the Brentford defence from Josko Gvardiol's long ball and fire home on nine minutes.Victory came at a cost for Pep Guardiola's men as Rodri was forced off in his latest injury setback since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament tear that saw him miss most of last season. The 2024 Ballon d'Or winner was in tears when he had to be replaced with an apparent hamstring problem midway through the first half. Despite a less than sparkling performance, City held out to haul themselves up to fifth and right back into the title race.Palace missed the chance to go second after suffering a European hangover at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Eagles were dominant in the first 45 minutes but were left to rue not adding to Daniel Munoz's finish from Ismaila Sarr's pass. However, their UEFA Conference League exertions in winning away to Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday took their toll in the second half.Iliman Ndiaye equalised from the penalty spot after Maxence Lacroix clumsily upended Beto as Everton fought back to avoid a first defeat at their new home. Jack Grealish then got fortunate for his first Everton goal as Munoz's attempted clearance rebounded off the Manchester City loanee into the roof of the net. "I thought Crystal Palace should have been out of sight, they should have been 3-0 up, but we stuck at it," said Everton boss David Moyes.Ange Postecoglou's wait for a first win as Nottingham Forest manager goes on after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. The Australian is the first Forest boss in over 100 years to fail to win in his first seven games and now faces an anxious wait to see if club owner Evangelos Marinakis decides to make another managerial change over the international break. "I knew it was a big challenge walking in. That's what it is and there's nothing wrong with that," said Postecoglou.Newcastle had only won one of their opening six Premier League games. But Bruno Guimaraes led the Magpies to victory with a brilliant strike from outside the box to break the deadlock on 58 minutes. Guimaraes then won a penalty after robbing former team-mate Elliot Anderson inside the Forest box.Nick Woltemade smashed the resulting spot-kick into the top corner for his fourth Newcastle goal since joining from Stuttgart last month. Forest slip to 17th, the same league position that saw Postecoglou sacked by Tottenham at the end of last season despite winning the Europa League.After a slow start to the season, Aston Villa beat Burnley 2-1 to secure a fourth win in the last 11 days. Donyell Malen was the Villa match-winner with his first goals since April. The Dutch forward opened the scoring after racing onto Boubacar Kamara's brilliant through ball to slot into the far corner.Morgan Rogers was the creator for the second that Malen controlled before drilling confidently into the far corner. Lesley Ugochukwu pulled a goal back but Burnley remain in the relegation zone. Wolves are still rooted to the foot of the table after conceding a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at home to Brighton.

Gianluigi Donnarumma said he had wanted to remain at European champions Paris St Germain before his transfer to Manchester City during the close season but the Italy goalkeeper has now turned the page.The 26-year-old, who joined PSG from AC Milan in 2021, was part of the side that claimed the French club’s first Champions League title last season and was asked at the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony on Monday if he had wanted to stay in Paris."Yes, when you go through so many positive things, when you spend a lot of time with great friends, it is difficult,” Donnarumma told reporters after being awarded the Yashin trophy for best goalkeeper of the season.Donnarumma, who also won Ligue 1 and the French Cup last season, added that he was now settled at City where he has signed a five-year contract, with British media reporting that they paid 30mn pounds for the keeper."But the truth is that I have found an extraordinary club (Manchester City), with extraordinary players, and they welcome me like a big family and that is important for me," he said. "Change is difficult but I found (at City) really extraordinary supporters, extraordinary players, the staff, the coach, the sporting director, the president."Donnarumma is now fully focused on the task at hand with his new club, hoping more trophies will come. "I’m focused on my new adventure," he said. "I am pleased with my performances over the last year and the trophies I have won, but I know I can still improve and that’s a major reason why I chose to move to Manchester City. I am now fully focused on working with (City manager) Pep Guardiola and his staff to develop my game even further and help my new team to even more success."

Pep Guardiola acknowledged that Manchester City are not considered among the favourites to win the Champions League ahead of their opening game against Napoli Thursday.City have regularly reached the sharp end of Europe's top club competition in recent years, winning the trophy for the first time in 2023. They suffered a painful early exit last season, losing to 15-time champions Madrid in a two-legged play-off with a place in the knockout stages at stake.According to the bookmakers Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain are all considered more likely winners of this season's Champions League. Guardiola was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he saw City as contenders."Apparently, we are not," he said. "And (we must) just enjoy the moment, the journey. We are happy to be here. In the past, we have been. We just won once, so that is a lot of difficulty. (We are) Just focusing tomorrow on the game we have to play, starting this competition well."City are intent on making their mark after finishing last season without a trophy for the first time in eight years. They started the Premier League season slowly, with two defeats in their first three games, but bounced back to crush Manchester United 3-0 on Sunday.Guardiola has rebuilt his squad over the past two transfer windows, with a clutch of long-serving players exiting the club, including Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson. Thursday's game against the Italian champions will feature an emotionally charged return to the Etihad for De Bruyne, who joined Napoli in June after a 10-year trophy-laden stint in Manchester.Guardiola said he was looking forward to seeing the midfielder but only "after the game" The City boss said it was no surprise that De Bruyne had settled quickly in Italy."The players in that level don't need much time to adapt and perform well," he said, praising his former player's "talent and vision".City's new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also spoke to reporters on the eve of the match against Napoli, underlining that the club had been his top choice. The Italy international won the Champions League with PSG in May but was deemed surplus to requirements by the French club, completing a £26mn deadline-day switch to City. "My desire was to come here," said Donnarumma, who has replaced Ederson as first-choice goalkeeper. "That was my first and only option, the only thing I wanted."Injured Yamal ruled out of Barca's trip to NewcastleBarcelona forward Lamine Yamal will miss Thursday's visit to Newcastle United in the Champions League with a groin injury, the Spanish club said when they announced the squad that had travelled for their league phase opener at St James' Park.Yamal suffered the injury while on international duty with Spain and Barca boss Hansi Flick slammed the national team for not taking better care of the 18-year-old, who also missed the weekend LaLiga win over Valencia.Apart from Yamal, who started the season strongly with two goals and two assists in LaLiga, Barcelona said on Wednesday that Alejandro Balde and Gavi are also out along with long-term absentee Marc-Andre ter Stegen but Frenkie de Jong is available. Barca were knocked out in the semi-finals last term while Newcastle are back in the Champions League after failing to qualify for last season's competition.