Arsenal beat Chelsea to push for top-four finish
LONDON: Eddie Nketiah boosted Arsenal’s bid for a top-four finish in the Premier League as the striker’s double inspired a dramatic 4-2 win against Chelsea on Wednesday.
Nketiah was released by Chelsea as a 16-year-old in 2015 and he exacted a measure of revenge with his first league goals this season. The 22-year-old put Arsenal ahead early on at Stamford Bridge before Timo Werner equalised.
Mikel Arteta’s side regained the lead trough Emile Smith Rowe, only for Cesar Azpilicueta to draw Chelsea level again.
Nketiah settled a pulsating London derby when he punished shambolic Chelsea defending in the second half and Bukayo Saka bagged the fourth with a stoppage-time penalty. After losing their last three games, Nketiah’s crucial contribution lifted Arsenal back into the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.
The Gunners are in fifth place, behind fourth-placed Tottenham on goal difference with both teams having six games to play. “It’s a great night and the players deserve it. It has been a tough two weeks but you have to bounce back and show spirit,” Arteta said.
“I love the spirit of these players. When you lose matches you get criticised but for these players it is worth it. They are really growing.”
Saluting Nketiah, Arteta added: “What Eddie has done tonight is because of what he has done for the last 10 months and no one has noticed. I said to him I haven’t been fair. I should have been playing him more.”
Arsenal’s hopes of returning to the Champions League for the first time since 2017 faces another vital test against sixthplaced Manchester United on Saturday.
FA Cup finalists Chelsea remain in third place, but they are now only five points ahead of Arsenal and cannot take a topfour place for granted.
Chelsea have conceded 11
goals in their last three home games and Azpilicueta’s frustration boiled over in an angry exchange with a fan after the final whistle.
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel admitted he could empathise with the fan’s angst.
“I was not part of it, I saw it, but, honestly, I can also understand the fan,” Tuchel said.
Man City beat Brighton to reclaim top spot
MANCHESTER: Manchester City held their nerve to move back above Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday.
Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and
Bernardo Silva all struck in the second half as Pep Guardiola’s men edged one point ahead in the title race with six games to go.
Guardiola recalled a number of key players he had left out for Saturday’s 3-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool, but it took City time to break Brighton’s resolve at a tense Etihad.
City captain Ruben Dias made his return from injury after a two-month absence at half-time.
The Portuguese’s return might have come at the perfect time for Guardiola as John Stones limped off in the second half just six days before the first leg of their Champions League
semi-final against Real Madrid.
By the time Stones departed, City had the game won thanks to two goals in 12 minutes.
Kevin De Bruyne’s driving run through the heart of the Brighton defence teed up Mahrez, who did not pass up the chance to slot in his 23rd goal of the season.
Any doubt over the outcome was removed once Foden’s deflected effort from a corner worked to the edge of the box gave City a two-goal cushion.
Silva added a third eight minutes from time with an exquisite cushioned finish from De Bruyne’s layoff at the edge of the area.