9 h. ago Viktor Gyökores holds nerve to sink Everton and keep Arsenal top of pile

Mikel Arteta can toast his sixth anniversary as Arsenal manager from the Premier League summit after his team responded to Manchester City’s challenge with a slender yet merited win at Everton. The Christmas No 1 spot is secure, though Arteta will know more convincing performances are required to hold on until the final reckoning.Viktor Gyökeres’ emphatic first half penalty sealed a valuable away victory against an Everton team missing several important components. Arsenal’s display was more efficient than impressive, more resolute than domineering, but this was a test of character after three away games without a win in the league and having lost top spot for the first time since mid-October shortly before kick-off. Arteta’s side ensured City’s stay in first place would be brief. Continue reading...

Politics

9 h. ago Viktor Gyökeres holds nerve to sink Everton and keep Arsenal top of pile

Mikel Arteta can toast his sixth anniversary as Arsenal manager from the Premier League summit and with the Christmas No 1 spot secured once again. Behind the headline positivity, however, must be a realisation that more convincing performances are required to hold on until the final reckoning.Viktor Gyökeres’ emphatic first-half penalty sealed a slender yet merited win over an Everton team missing several important components. Arsenal were more efficient than impressive and rarely troubled throughout a scrappy contest. But this was a test of title-winning character as much as quality after three away games without a win in the league and having lost top spot for the first time since mid-October before kick-off. In that respect Arteta can be encouraged by a reaction that ensured Manchester City’s stay in first place would be brief and Arsenal would be top at Christmas for the third time in four years. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Stephen Bunting holds nerve to edge into second round of World Championship

The Merseysider, a beaten semi-finalist last year, was taken to a tie-breaker by Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki.

Politics

7 d. ago Maresca’s cryptic comments spark confusion after Chelsea sink Everton

What had seemed like a routine win for Chelsea became something a lot more mysterious thanks to a cryptic comment from Enzo Maresca in the post-match press conference. “The last 48 hours,” he said, “have been the hardest since I joined the club because so many people didn’t support me and the team.”But which people? It was far from obvious. There was a clear sense Maresca was directing a message to somebody: he made the statement in response to a question about Malo Gusto’s form and repeated it before clarifying: “I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans.” Nor did it seem that he meant the media; he has never previously given any indication he cares what journalists and pundits say, there was no sense of hostility and he had appeared in perfectly good spirits at his pre-match press conference. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Palmer and Gusto sink lacklustre Everton to end Chelsea’s winless run

A win for Chelsea, a much-needed once after four games without, and in many ways a routine one – and yet it was also a game that highlighted the oddity of Enzo Maresca’s side. He has a squad packed with extraordinary talent, capable of passages of exceptional football, but they are also wildly inconsistent, even within individual games. They won easily, could have won more easily, and also had spells when the game threatened to slip from their grasp.Chelsea have become extremely difficult to read. Every time it looks like everything might be coalescing into something coherent, perhaps even title-challenging, they stutter, and every time it looks like a blip might become a crisis, they embark on a run of positive form. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Dominik Szoboszlai holds his nerve to give Liverpool late win at Inter

The Liverpool hierarchy protected Arne Slot’s authority by axing Mohamed Salah from the Champions League trip to Milan. The Liverpool team followed suit by inflicting a first European home defeat on Inter since September 2022 courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty. A brooding superstar with a bruised ego looked on from afar.Salah would have been on penalty duties had he not talked himself out of a showpiece occasion at the San Siro, another legend of the game that is showing its age. Instead it fell to Szoboszlai, the friend he argued should not be playing on the right ahead of him, to give Slot a precious victory after Alessandro Bastoni was penalised for pulling Florian Wirtz’s shirt in the box with minutes remaining. Liverpool had been resolute and fiercely committed to that point, well worthy of the point that was heading their way until the video assistant referee sent German official Felix Zwayer to the pitch-side monitor to review Bastoni’s foul. Continue readin...

Politics

1 week ago Inside Lando Norris' wild party as F1 champ belts out Sweet Caroline with model girlfriend

Lando Norris celebrated his first F1 World Championship success in style as the Brit partied long into the night after holding his nerve in Abu Dhabi

Politics

2 w. ago Fulham 4 Man City 5: Haaland scores 100th goal and Foden nets twice as visitors hold on to win nine

MANCHESTER CITY were forced to hold on to a nervy 5-4 win over Fulham after the Cottagers threatened to mount a stunning comeback from 5-1 down. Pep Guardiola's men reduced Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to two points, but surrendered the chance to do it in style as they came close...

Politics

2 w. ago Mikel Arteta must learn from past mistakes as Arsenal injuries begin to pile up

The next month will be a huge test of Arsenal's squad but they must rest and rotate if they are to finally end their Premier League title drought and compete in Europe

Events

4 w. ago Newcastle vs Man City live: Pep Guardiola eager to pile pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal

Manchester City can close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal to one point

Politics