Arsenal making late push again
Top 4 spot in Premier League and Champions League qualification in sight after 4-1 win over Stoke
MANCHESTER, England — The swagger has returned to their play. The wins and the goals are piling up. Arsene Wenger, a target of abuse for much of the season, was even greeted with rapturous applause as he walked toward the fans.
Things are looking up for Arsenal as the team makes its traditional end-of-season charge for Champions League qualification from the English Premier League.
The question is: Have they left it too late?
Arsenal produced one of its best performances of the season to beat Stoke 4-1 Saturday and move to within one point of the Top 4 with two games remaining.
If fourth-place Liverpool fails to beat West Ham away on Sunday, Arsenal knows victories over Sunderland Tuesday and Everton on the final day will earn the team a place in the Champions League for the 20th straight season.
It’s some turnaround from a month ago, when Arsenal lost at Crystal Palace 3-0 and Wenger’s future was looking bleak amid strong criticism.
“At the moment, we have consistency,” Wenger said. “Let’s finish well.”
The pressure on Liverpool was ramped up further by Manchester City beating Leicester 2-1 to move into third place.
City has 72 points, Liverpool 70 and Arsenal 69. Manchester United is at 65 points in sixth place, with a game in hand.
Here’s a look at the Saturday games:
STOKE 1, ARSENAL 4
Olivier Giroud tapped in two closerange finishes, while Alexis Sanchez netted his 50th Premier League goal for Arsenal in the team’s fifth win in its last six games.
Mesut Ozil also scored, finishing off a slick team move that showed the confidence Arsenal is starting to play with.
Stoke’s reply came through substitute Peter Crouch in the 67th. Replays showed the striker punched the ball into the net, but the offence was missed by match officials.
MAN CITY 2, LEICESTER 1
City got two big breaks on its way to victory over the deposed champs.
The team’s first goal, scored by David Silva, could have been ruled out as Raheem Sterling was standing in an offside position and directly in Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s line of vision when Silva took aim.
Gabriel Jesus made it 2-0 from the penalty spot. Shinji Okazaki reduced the deficit with an acrobatic volley, before City’s second piece of fortune.
Leicester was awarded a penalty in the 76th minute when Riyad Mahrez was fouled. Mahrez took it himself but slipped as he shot, kicking the ball against his standing foot and into the net. The referee disallowed the goal and awarded City a free kick.
SUNDERLAND 0, SWANSEA 2
Swansea could be celebrating another season in the league Sunday.
This win, achieved courtesy of first-half goals by Fernando Llorente and Kyle Naughton, lifted Swansea four points above the relegation zone.
Third-to-last Hull will join Sunderland and Middlesbrough in being relegated if it loses are draws at Crystal Palace Sunday.
BOURNEMOUTH 2, BURNLEY 1
Josh King enhanced his burgeoning reputation by scoring his 16th goal of the season to win the game for Bournemouth in the 85th minute.
Twelve of King’s goals have come since the middle of January and the Norway forward is the biggest reason Bournemouth can celebrate securing the highest finish in its 118year history. The south coast team is in 10th, and is guaranteed to finish higher than last year’s 16th.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1, SOUTHAMPTON 2
Southampton strengthened its chances of securing a top-half finish with this win on goals by Jay Rodriguez and Nathan Redmond either side of halftime.
Southampton climbed into ninth with two games left of a season in which the south coast team also reached the final of the League Cup, losing to Manchester United.
Patrick Bamford reduced already-relegated Middlesbrough’s deficit with his first Premier League goal.