SPORT : EPL, Gary Neville names ‘man of the match’ after Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Chelsea

 

Manchester United legend, Gary Neville, has named Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka as his ‘man of the match’ following the Gunners’ 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the Premier League on Boxing Day.

Arsenal defeated Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, following goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka.

Mikel Arteta’s men claimed all three points as Tammy Abraham’s late strike was not enough to give Frank Lampard’s side a point.

Asked to pick his man of the match, Neville told Sky Sports: “One hundred per cent him [Saka for man of the match].

“Absolutely loved his performance. He scored a goal at the beginning of the second half.

“[He has been] absolutely outstanding, playing off that right-hand side.”

Neville added: “Arsenal have played well as a team. All of them have done really well today.”

Saka will now hope to continue his impressive display for Arsenal when they tackle Brighton in an away Premier League fixture on Tuesday night.

SPORT : EPL, What Arteta said about Willian, David Luiz after Arsenal defeated Chelsea

 

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has disclosed that he didn’t feature Willian and David Luiz in the Gunners’ squad that defeated Chelsea 3-1 in the Premier League on Boxing Day because the Brazilians were having some symptoms of COVID-19 infections.

Willian and Luiz, both former Chelsea players, were absent in Arsenal’s match-day squad against Frank Lampard’s side as three goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka gave Arteta’s men all three points at Emirates Stadium.

Tammy Abraham did score a late second-half consolation goal for Chelsea.

The win over Chelsea, means Arsenal are now in the 14th position on the Premier League table with 17 points from 15 matches.

Speaking on the absences of both Willian and Luiz, Arteta was quoted by Arsenal’s official website as saying after the match: “They were having some symptoms, and we have to be really cautious when that happens.

“The protocols say that they have to stay away, they have to test negative, but still we have to be really careful we don’t pass that into the players until we are 100 percent sure they don’t have it.”

Willian and Luiz will both hope to recover on time to feature for Arsenal in their next Premier League tie against Brighton on Tuesday.

SPORT : Arsenal vs Chelsea, Lampard rates Blues’ chances of winning EPL title

 Chelsea boss, Frank Lampard has insisted that the Blues aren’t yet serious contenders for the Premier League title this season.

Lampard believes Chelsea can’t challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for English top-flight league title this term despite finishing in the fourth position last season.

He also said that he has been encouraged by the progress he has seen from Chelsea this season.

Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports before Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat against Arsenal on Boxing Day, Lampard said: “I am happy, but we always want more as managers.

“The reality is at the start of the season, we had some new players while others were missing, and we lacked a pre-season. Looking at our early results, we saw some good and some not-so-good performances.

“We want to be challenging for titles, but we’ve to accept sometimes that it is step by step.

“We have made some steps, but I feel we have the potential to make a lot more.

“If anything, this season has shown that most teams have had difficult moments and a large part of that comes down to preparation.

“We’ve to think of the short-term and the games in front of us and not be too reactionary after defeats last week or even wins and our unbeaten run. It is about making continual improvement, and that is important for focus.

“It is hard [to set a target]. It is clear I ask them every year to kick on – in my job, that’s what you’ve to do all the time, no matter what your situation. Coming fourth for us was a positive last year considering the circumstances around it, but every year looks different, and every squad improves around us.

“We bought players in, and some of them need time, so I do not set long-term targets. We are trying to bridge a gap that was clearly there in the last few seasons to Liverpool and Manchester City in terms of consistency.

“We have had our moments of consistency and good form, but we have to work to get even more consistent so we can challenge.”

Chelsea’s next Premier League clash is against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

SPORT : EPL, Arteta reveals why Arsenal defeated Chelsea, singles out three players

 

Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta has revealed that the Gunners defeated Chelsea 3-1 in the Premier League on Boxing Day because his players did ‘really well’ against the Blues.

Arteta also singled out Granit Xhaka, Gabriel Martinelli and Kieran Tierney for praise after the match.

Arteta’s side defeated Chelsea at Emirates Stadium, thanks to three goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Granit Xhaka and Bukayo Saka.

Tammy Abraham did score a late consolation goal for Frank Lampard’s side.

“Right when we were coming in on the bus I could sense the energy and how much we wanted it, it doesn’t get any better than to be playing the in the Premier League on Boxing Day in a London derby,” Arteta was quoted by Arsenal’s official website as saying after the match.

“I said that today we had to take this opportunity now to put some of the performances in the past where we didn’t have the results into everything, we needed a big performance to win against this team, and we need the three points, and I think the boys, right from the beginning, did really well.”

Arteta added: “Since I’ve been here he [Granit Xhaka] has always shown that. That’s why I have been really supportive of him. He makes mistakes, like we all do, but his commitment and character and how much he wants to fight for this club and this team is unquestionable, and I think today he showed that again.

“I think both of them [Gabriel Martinelli and Kieran Tierney] were really good, really good understanding, a lot of energy, really good communication and courage as well.

“They were really positive every time we were attacking, with the runs, playing forward, they were both involved in a lot of good attacking actions, so I am really pleased with them.”

SPORT : Arsenal vs Chelsea, Lampard slams Timo Werner after 3-1 defeat

 

Chelsea manager, Frank Lampard, has slammed Timo Werner for not offering the team enough with or without the ball, during their 3-1 defeat against Arsenal on Saturday.

Werner has now gone 10 games without a goal in all competitions for the Blues.

The German striker was replaced at half-time by Callum Hudson-Odoi with Lampard’s side trailing 2-0.

However, it was the Gunners who scored next through Bukayo Saka, before Tammy Abraham netted a consolation goal late on.

Currently experiencing his longest goal drought at club level since 2016, Werner is struggling after a bright start to life at Stamford Bridge.

“Certainly the goals not going in is always something an attacking player will get judged on,” Lampard said when asked about Werner in his post-match press conference.

“The subs, I could have made more. But I felt I had to make the subs in those two areas to inject energy.

“For today, TImo wasn’t giving us enough with or without the ball. Some of it we have to give him time. I keep saying the same thing because it’s a different league but we also have to get there quickly.

“We’ll see about the tiredness – I’ll have a conversation with him. But I felt I had to make changes to change the course of the match.”

SPORT : EPL, Arsenal dressing room divided over Ozil’s return to first team

 

Arsenal’s squad is split over a potential recall to the squad of Mesut Ozil next month, the UK Telegraph reports.

Ozil, whose £350,000-a-week deal expires at the end of the season, was left out of the squad for the Premier League and Europa League.

However, he can be reinstated after the January transfer window.

Ozil’s return to the fold is backed by a group of senior players after he impressed in training recently.

The former Germany playmaker is free to speak with other clubs from Friday, but could be brought in to rescue Arsenal’s lacklustre season.

Ozil has been very active on social media during the Gunners’ poor run and admitted he wished he could ‘help the team’ during a Question and Answer session with fans on Twitter this week.

He also described his situation “very difficult” and “frustrating”.

The 32-year-old was also rumoured to have held talks with Turkish giants Fenerbahce in London, although that switch is said to require a £200,000-a-week pay cut on his behalf.

SPORT : EPL, Ozil reacts to Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Chelsea

 

Arsenal playmaker, Mesut Ozil, has praised the club’s youngsters, after they helped fire the north Londoners back to winning ways.

The Gunners had not won in their last seven Premier League games before seeing off Chelsea on Boxing Day.

Mikel Arteta brought in the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe from the start.

Joe Willock also came off the bench, while Buakyo Saka netted the third goal in the 3-1 victory.

Ozil, who has been frozen out under Arteta, has continued to be a vocal supporter on social media.

And he again hailed his team-mates after the game at the Emirates.

He tweeted: “Really happy for all our youngsters today – playing with pride & no fear. Crucial 3 points! #YaGunnersYa “