8 h. ago Combative Chelsea rattle Arsenal but Maresca’s men stray close to the edge | Jacob Steinberg

Moisés Caicedo was too pumped up before his rash red card but the Blues’ progress under Enzo Maresca is undeniableThis was the resumption of a bitter rivalry. It felt spicy from the moment Marc Cucurella sent Bukayo Saka flying with the first foul of the afternoon and, although it ended with Arsenal still dominant in first place, they will look at Chelsea’s defiant response to Moisés Caicedo’s reckless red card and conclude that Enzo Maresca’s young side will be coming for them in the future.There were probably more reasons for Chelsea to feel positive at the end of this bruising 1-1 draw. Their dominance of Arsenal was once routine, back in the days when Didier Drogba would delight in dragging Philippe Senderos around Stamford Bridge, but the balance of power has shifted in recent years. Continue reading...

Sport

18 h. ago Chelsea v Arsenal buildup, Slot under pressure, Frank angry at boos, Farke riled by ‘fake injury’ – matchday live

News and discussion as we build up to the day’s actionChelsea determined to stay grounded | Get in touchKrishna gets in touch: “Isn’t the match involving Manchester United no longer about the result but how many minutes before the first misplaced pass, when will Ruben disintegrate looking like a cook who forgot his recipe AND missing a key ingredient and which comic event will lead to the first red card?”Ruben Amorim has been doing his usual Mr Motivator act.Things do not get any easier for Wolves and Rob Edwards. After being outclassed by Crystal Palace last weekend, on Sunday they face a trip to their in-form Midlands rivals Aston Villa. Then it is Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Arsenal and Brentford before Christmas. Wolves lost to each of the promoted clubs this season and surely even the most optimistic Wolves supporter can be forgiven for wondering: where are the points coming from? A section of Wolves supporters tempered their anger at Molineux last time out but any gr...

Events

20 h. ago Chelsea v Arsenal buildup, Slot under pressure, Frank angry at fan boos – matchday live

News and discussion as we build up to the day’s actionChelsea determined to stay grounded | Get in touchWhat a job Keith Andrews is doing by the way.Big result for Newcastle, big boos at Everton. There’s no place like home. Continue reading...

Sport

44 h. ago Cool Blues: Chelsea determined to stay grounded despite Barcelona demolition

Enzo Maresca’s young side face league leaders Arsenal on Sunday on a high but have moved on from the emotional swings of oldThe worst way for Chelsea to respond to their demolition of Barcelona would be to believe the hype. The problem is that emotions in football swing from one extreme to another, as the people running things at Stamford Bridge have quickly come to appreciate.They have faced plenty of ridicule for their alternative approach since buying the club from Roman Abramovich three years ago, so perhaps they are entitled to be a little sceptical now that Chelsea are being praised for their transfer strategy and talked up as potential title challengers before hosting Arsenal on Sunday. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago ‘His impact is huge’: Arteta hails Rice’s attacking evolution before Chelsea test

Head coach backs midfielder to improve furtherArsenal visit second-placed Chelsea on SundayMikel Arteta is confident the best is to come from Declan Rice as Arsenal prepare for their top-of-the-table showdown at Chelsea on Sunday.The England midfielder was outstanding in Arsenal’s victories against Tottenham and Bayern Munich over the past week and will face the club where he spent seven years before being released aged 14. Arsenal lead second-placed Chelsea by Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Madueke brushes off Arsenal fan criticism of his signing and gears up for Chelsea return

Forward boosted by backing from supporters at gamesMadueke not worried if reception at Chelsea is hostileNoni Madueke has said he ignored criticism on social media over his move to Arsenal and gained confidence from the reception he has received from the supporters.The England forward scored his first Arsenal goal in Wednesday’s impressive 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League in his second appearance since returning from a knee injury sustained in September. Madueke said that the injury was “horrible timing” given his good start after joining from Chelsea for £48.5m plus up to £3.5m in bonuses. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Alessia Russo earns draw with Chelsea but Arsenal rue controversial calls

The boos rang out at the Emirates Stadium as the officials exited the pitch at the final whistle, the result of two disallowed Arsenal goals – one for handball and one for offside – the second of which would surely have turned a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 home win if it had stood. Alessia Russo’s late equaliser did at least keep alive the Gunners’ slim hopes of remaining in the title race, the gap between them and Chelsea, the league leaders, remaining at five points.Renée Slegers had warned that her team would “have to be ready from the get go” against defending Women’s Super League champions, but the message had not stuck. It was Chelsea that stepped on to the pitch with an almost unplayable intensity coursing through them and the Gunners couldn’t cope. The Chelsea press was exceptional, with the players alert to every move, heads up, ready to stifle the home side from stringing passes together over and over again. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Alessia Russo earns draw with Chelsea but Arsenal rue controversial decisions

The boos rang out at the Emirates Stadium as the officials exited the pitch at the final whistle, the result of two disallowed Arsenal goals the second of which would surely have turned a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 home win if it had stood. Alessia Russo’s late equaliser did at least keep alive the Gunners’ slim hopes of remaining in the title race, the gap between them and Chelsea, the league leaders, remaining at five points, but the question has to be asked: why aren’t we providing the referees with the technological support to ensure they can get big decisions right through video assistant referees (VAR)?Renée Slegers had warned that her team would “have to be ready from the get go” against the defending Women’s Super League champions, but the message had not stuck. It was Chelsea that stepped on to the pitch with an almost unplayable intensity coursing through them and the Gunners could not cope. The Chelsea press was exceptional in the first 20 minutes, with the players alert to ever...

Sport

3 w. ago The Best FIFA Football Awards 2025: Arsenal and Chelsea stars among nominees as shortlists revealed

Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca are also up for The Best FIFA Men’s Coach award

Sport

3 w. ago Fifa create brand new Peace Prize award – with Infantino set to hand it to Donald Trump at World Cup 2026 draw

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino is set to award the organisation’s new “Peace Prize” - to US President Donald Trump. Zurich chiefs announced the establishment of the new award under the tag-line “Football Unites the World”. Fifa said the inaugural prize was be awarded at the finals draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC next month....

Politics