PORTSMOUTH: Gabriel Martinelli emerged as Arsenal’s hero when he scored the first hat-trick of his career with the Gunners to help the Premier League leaders beat second-tier Portsmouth 4-1 to advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The 14-time FA Cup champions were stunned as early as the third minute when Colby Bishop scored the home side’s opening goal after grabbing a rebound from a shot that was parried by Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, sending Fratton Park into a frenzy.
However, Arsenal were only behind for five minutes before equalising from a corner, with Portsmouth failing to clear the ball which ended up being hit by their own player, Andre Dozzell, for the equaliser.
Martinelli put Arsenal ahead in the 25th minute when he headed in Noni Madueke’s corner kick.
Madueke had a chance to add a goal before the break, but his penalty missed, giving Portsmouth some relief.
Arsenal, however, looked better in the second half when Martinelli scored his second goal after finishing off a quality pass from Gabriel Jesus.
He completed his hat-trick with another header from a corner, once again exposing Portsmouth’s weaknesses in defending set pieces.
The victory saw Arsenal now score 17 goals from corners in all competitions this season.
MANCHESTER: Manchester City have a chance to seize top spot in the Premier League when they host struggling West Ham United this Saturday, before nearest challengers Arsenal face a tough test against Everton on the same day.
Pep Guardiola’s side are now two points behind Arsenal and victory over West Ham at the Etihad Stadium would see City temporarily move top of the league.
City are in convincing form having lost only once at home in their last 11 matches, in addition to recording six consecutive wins in all competitions.
Despite being plagued by injuries to key players such as Rodri and John Stones and the absence of Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri who are on international duty, the strength of the squad and the sharpness of the attacking machinery make City the top choice against West Ham who are currently mired in the relegation zone and have not won in five matches.
The record is also in City’s favour, who are unbeaten in their last 19 league meetings against West Ham since a 2-1 home defeat in September 2015.
Arsenal, meanwhile, travel to Merseyside to face Everton, who are starting to find their rhythm after winning four of their last six matches.
Mikel Arteta’s team have looked a little shaky having won just three of their last six league games, and any defeat at Dickinson Hill Stadium could give City a psychological advantage ahead of a busy festive season.
Injury problems have also plagued Arsenal as Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Max Dowman, Ben White and Martin Zubimendi reportedly did not participate in Tuesday’s training session.
This weekend’s action is also the first since several players left their respective clubs to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Sunderland are among the teams most affected when six of their players are called up for international duty.
However, Sunderland continues to steal the spotlight as they occupy eighth place and will face Brighton & Hove Albion who are in 10th place, three points behind.
Manchester United, who drew 4-4 with Bournemouth in a dramatic match on Tuesday, face a tough challenge when they travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Third-placed Villa are three points behind Arsenal, while United are sixth with 26 points.
Ruben Amorim’s side also lost Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo to AFCON.
The weekend’s competition begins with Newcastle United hosting Chelsea, while Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool each seek morale-boosting victories when they meet in a clash in North London, early Sunday morning.
At the bottom of the league, bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers are still looking for their first win of the season when they host Brentford.
MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim insists he will not bow to pressure to offload Kobbie Mainoo, who appears unhappy at Old Trafford.
Mainoo, 20, has only started one game this season – in the League Cup defeat against Grimsby in August, while making nine Premier League appearances as a substitute.
The academy player was also an unused substitute when United drew 1-1 with West Ham on Thursday, with Amorim selecting Lisandro Martinez as a late substitute in the game to chase a win.
This situation has given rise to speculation about the future of Mainoo, who was previously rejected to join Napoli on loan last summer.
He is expected to make another attempt in the January transfer window to regain a place in England’s squad ahead of the World Cup.
Former United player Paul Scholes criticized Amorim’s approach, describing him as “stupid” as Mainoo was left out of a team seen as failing to control the game.
However, Amorim emphasized that the decision to field players depends on merit and achievements on the field.
“I understand what you’re saying. You love Kobbie. He plays for England, but that doesn’t mean I need to play him if I don’t think he’s suitable,” said Amorim.
The United manager added that Mainoo is in direct competition with Bruno Fernandes for a place in the middle of the pitch, while Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte are more defensive options to partner him.
Amorim also understood Mainoo’s disappointment: “I see it. I understand. I just want to win. I don’t care who the players are, I try to field the best players on the field.”
This turmoil comes as United have won just one of their last five games, once again failing to capitalise on their chance to finish in the top four.
United play Wolves at Molineux on Monday, and Amorim warned that they should not be caught out by a team that is yet to win in the league this season.
“Everything can happen and things will change. There is no team in the history of the Premier League that has not won a game.
“So we need to improve performance, give players a break and be prepared for tough matches,” he said.
LEEDS: Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has criticised his team’s poor performance after their Premier League title challenge was dented by a shock 3-1 defeat to bottom-placed Leeds United.
Chelsea suffered a sloppy first half at Elland Road, with Leeds scoring through Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka.
Pedro Neto reduced the deficit after the break, but a defensive error allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to score the home side’s third goal late in the game.
The defeat to the 17th-placed team in the league, who had previously lost four games in a row, was a double blow to Chelsea’s hopes of continuing to follow leaders Arsenal.
It was also the Blues’ first defeat in eight games across all competitions, leaving them nine points behind Arsenal in fourth place.
“Nobody is at their best. They are better in every aspect and deserve to win.
“A very bad night. We played well against Arsenal and Barcelona before, but it doesn’t guarantee the same performance every time because of the different situations and the need to rotate players,” said Maresca.
Chelsea are without midfielder Moises Caicedo, who is suspended after receiving a red card in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal last Sunday.
In that action, Chelsea took the lead through Trevoh Chalobah before Mikel Merino equalized.
Maresca rested Neto, Reece James and Wesley Fofana to refresh his squad, which was tired after playing with 10 men for a long time against Arsenal.
Leeds took advantage of every mental and physical weakness Chelsea had.
“I hope it’s just a bad night. It’s hard to take anything away from a game like this.
“They are stronger in the fight for the ball. This is the Premier League, you have to perform well every game,” he said.
Leeds took the lead in the sixth minute when Anton Stach’s corner was headed past Robert Sanchez by Bijol. Chelsea, who have often struggled without Caicedo – winning just 29 per cent of their league games without him in the starting line-up – once again looked sluggish.
Tanaka then scored Leeds’ second goal in the 43rd minute with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, dealing a major blow to Chelsea’s hopes of a comeback.
Neto tried to spark a comeback when he came on as a substitute and scored his fifth league goal of the season in the 50th minute.
Cole Palmer’s appearance after two months out due to injury almost resulted in an equaliser when his attempt, a pass from Alejandro Garnacho, went just wide.
A Chelsea defensive error led to Leeds’ third goal in the 72nd minute – Noah Okafor seized the ball after a panicked pass from Tosin Adarabioyo, before Calvert-Lewin easily pushed the ball in.
Maresca could only watch in disappointment as his team’s chances of keeping pace with Arsenal faded.
MANCHESTER, England: Manchester City travel to Newcastle United for an early-morning clash this Sunday with Erling Haaland’s destructive power once again in the spotlight.
The Norwegian striker is in exceptional form, leading City’s attacking machine which is increasingly emerging as a major contender for the English Premier League (EPL) championship.
Pep Guardiola’s side returned from the international break on a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions, including a stylish 3-0 victory over Liverpool which marked the Spaniard’s 1,000th game in his managerial career.
With Arsenal slipping again and the points gap at the top is closing in, City are looking to maintain the momentum, while Haaland continues to shine with 32 goals in 20 games for club and country this season.
Newcastle, on the other hand, remain an unpredictable team.
Eddie Howe’s side have been struggling a bit with inconsistent performances – wins in the League Cup and Champions League – and league defeats that have left them in 14th place, just two points above the relegation zone.
Liverpool, on the other hand, will look to emerge from the post-championship shadow when they host struggling Nottingham Forest tomorrow night.
Arne Slot’s side slipped to eighth place after losing five of their six league games, with a heavy defeat at Manchester City before the break making matters worse.
There was a glimmer of hope through victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, but consistent performances continued to plague Slot and his men.
Forest came into the game with confidence after a 3-1 win over Leeds United and a draw against Manchester United under Sean Dyche, but they remain second from bottom and have yet to win away from home.
Liverpool, who are eight points behind Arsenal, cannot afford to drop any more points.
With Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker on the verge of returning and Anfield support, the Reds are expecting three points.
Manchester United await the visit of Everton early Tuesday morning, aiming to continue their five-match unbeaten run under Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils are now just one point off the top four, with Bryan Mbeumo’s goalscoring exploits being the catalyst for their recent comeback.