Arsenal’s 4 -game misery; Chelsea’s day of disaster
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — It is looking increasingly likely that Chelsea and Arsenal will be the teams from the Premier League’s “Big Six” to miss out on Champions League qualification this soccer season.
Chelsea lost in Manchester for the second straight weekend, defeated 1-0 at runaway leader Man City to drop five points adrift of the top four with nine games remaining.
Arsenal is eight points further back in sixth after a 2-1 loss at Brighton that capped a miserable 10 days for the London club, during which it lost four straight games across three competitions.
Arsenal hasn’t lost four matches in a row since 2002.
It was always going to be the case that two big-name managers would have their reputations damaged this season by missing out on the top four.
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger might have been predicted, but surely not Chelsea’s Antonio Conte. Conte’s post-match comments highlighted the gulf that has opened up between City, the leader by 18 points, and the rest of the league.
“At this moment, you have to accept every criticism,” said Conte, who set up his team so defensively that Chelsea had just 22 per cent possession in the first half. “But I’m not so stupid to play open and lose 3-0 or 4-0.”
Chelsea got through that first half, only to concede within 33 seconds of the second half when David Silva crossed for Bernardo Silva to force in a finish at the far post.
City needs 12 more points to win the league, meaning the title could yet be clinched at home to Manchester United on April 7.
• Silva service
Given a run of starts for the first time this season, Bernardo Silva is finally showing why City paid £43 million (US$59 million) to Monaco for his services last summer.
The Portugal midfielder backed up his goal in the 3-0 win over Arsenal on Thursday with the winner against Chelsea.
Such was City’s control of the game that the team didn’t miss injured holding midfielder Fernandinho. Ilkay Gundogan had the freedom of the Etihad, completing more passes (161) than any other single player in a Premier League game. • Cech apology
Another defeat for Arsenal. Another apologetic tweet from Petr Cech.
Just like after Arsenal’s errorstrewn 3-1 loss at Swansea in late January, Cech fronted up on Twitter to own up to his gamechanging mistakes against Brighton.
“If you want to win a game away (from) home in the best league in the world,” Cech wrote, “your GK can’t concede 2 goals like I did today ... it’s not possible ... The team fought back but the damage was done.”
Cech was beaten to a high ball following a corner to the back post, and Lewis Dunk slotted the loose ball home from the edge of the six-yard box in the seventh minute.
Glenn Murray made it 2-0 in the 26th when his header from Pascal Gross’ pinpoint cross squirmed under the diving Cech.
Arsenal is in sixth place and set for another year out of the Champions League unless it can win the Europa League, to earn a direct passage to Europe’s top competition.