Sports
Free Scoring Arsenal Blow Away Helpless Sheffield United By Six Goals
Arsenal entered the record books as a 6-0 demolition of Sheffield United on Monday kept the Gunners on Liverpool and Manchester City’s tails in the Premier League title race.
Martin Odegaard, Jayden Bogle’s own goal, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice put the visitors 5-0 at half-time before Ben White rounded off the scoring.
Mikel Arteta’s men become the first side to ever win three consecutive away games in the English top-flight by five or more goals.
By contrast, Sheffield United also set a new record by becoming the first English top-flight side to concede five or more goals in three straight home matches.
Arsenal’s stunning streak of 31 goals in seven consecutive Premier League wins since a winter break has at least built up a big advantage over their rivals should the title be decided on goal difference.
They remain in third, just two points behind leaders Liverpool and one adrift of defending champions City.
However, Arteta’s men can go top with victory at home to Brentford on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s showdown between Liverpool and City at Anfield.
There appeared little doubt over the outcome from the first whistle at Bramall Lane.
Bukayo Saka rattled the crossbar after just two minutes and what little resistence there was from the Blades ended just five minutes in.
Rice’s cross picked out the unmarked Odegaard to turn into the bottom corner.
Saka’s five-game scoring streak in the league came to an end but he did bag two assists before going off at half-time.
The England international turned former Arsenal defender Austin Trusty with ease as he got to the by-line and his driven cross flicked off Bogle into his own net.
Martinelli’s deflected effort quickly made it 3-0 and forced United boss Chris Wilder to make a change after just 17 minutes.
Ben Osborn replaced Oliver Norwood but a change of shape did little to stem the bleeding for the hosts.
Havertz is beginning to silence his critics after a slow start to life at the Emirates after a £65 million ($82 million) move from Chelsea.
The German international slammed home on his left foot for Arsenal’s fourth.
Rice then got in on the party by sweeping home Saka’s cross six minutes before half-time.
Saka was handed a rare rest for the second period and only the sight of Martinelli hobbling off just after the hour mark blighted a perfect night for the visitors.
White rounded off the scoring with a cool finish from Havertz’s cut-back on 58 minutes as Arsenal matched their record Premier League away win, set just last month at West Ham.
By that stage many of the home support had headed for the exits, resigned to their side’s fate on the night and the season.
Wilder’s men remain rooted to the foot of the table, 11 points adrift of safety with 11 games remaining.
Arsenal on the other hand are 11 matches away from a first league title for 20 years and could not wish to be in finer form heading down the home straight.
Manchester City’s Norwegian striker #09 Erling Haaland (centre right) celebrates with teammates after scoring his third goal, City’s fourth during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on August 24, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP)
Matches were played on Saturday in the fifth round of the English FA Cup with Manchester City seeing off giant killers Plymouth.
Languishing in the Championship relegation zone, Plymouth had stunned Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round after beating top-flight side Brentford in the third round.
Pep Guardiola’s men were in danger of becoming Plymouth’s latest famous scalp when Maksym Talovierov gave the visitors the lead in the first half at the Etihad Stadium.
But Manchester-born O’Reilly, making just his sixth start for City, emerged as the unlikely hero with a brace that ensured his troubled team would avoid their lowest moment in a turbulent season.
English FA Cup Fifth Round Results
Below are the results for the fifth round of the English FA Cup matches:
Bournemouth 1 (Evanilson 30) vs Wolves 1 (Cunha 60) aet, Bournemouth won 5-4 on penalties
Crystal Palace 3 (Tanganga 33-og, Munoz 40, Nketiah 81) vs Millwall 1 (Harding 45+3)
Manchester City 3 (O’Reilly 45+1, 76, De Bruyne 90) vs Plymouth 1 (Taloverov 38)
Preston 3 (Brady 31, Osmajic 44, Keane 73) vs Burnley 0
Played Friday
Aston Villa 2 (Asensio 68, 80) vs Cardiff 0
Playing Sunday
Newcastle vs Brighton (13:45), Manchester United vs Fulham (16:30)
Playing Monday
Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich (19:30)
AFP
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish branded the challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts that left Jean Philippe-Mateta in hospital as “the most reckless” he has ever seen.
Roberts was sent-off just eight minutes into Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie, which Palace won 3-1, after catching Mateta’s head with his boot as he raced out to clear the ball.
Referee Michael Oliver only issued a red card after a VAR review.
Mateta received lengthy treatment, including oxygen, on the pitch before being stretchered to an ambulance and transported to hospital.
“What we know, he’s got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury. Obviously he’s at the hospital. So, we hope for the best,” Parish told the BBC.
“That is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen and I think he needs to have a long hard look at himself, that lad, because he’s endangering a fellow professional, maybe in his life, with a challenge like that.”
Palace manager Oliver Glasner confirmed Mateta is conscious but that he has suffered a serious injury to his ear.
“He is conscious and he is in hospital. His ear looks terrible. It’s a very serious injury so we hope all the best for him,” said Glasner.
“We are not really happy, we can’t be really happy. Of course, it’s a great win and into the quarter-finals but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach.”
Mateta had scored eight goals in his previous nine games and has 15 in total for Palace this season.
The 27-year-old also netted five times as France won silver at the Paris Olympics last year.
Parish drew comparisons to the famous clash between German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher and French forward Patrick Battiston at the 1982 World Cup.
“It’s difficult for me to think about anything else at the moment with JP (Mateta) in hospital,” added Parish.
“Somebody mentioned there was one in the World Cup in 1982 like it, but it’s a dreadful challenge. And why the referee needed to go to the screen, I’ve got no idea.”
Palace made use of the man advantage for virtually the whole game to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Japhet Tanganga’s own goal broke the visitors resistence before Daniel Munoz prodded in a second.
Wes Harding pulled a goal back for the Lions, 13 minutes into first-half stoppage time added on for Mateta’s treatment.
Palace were made to wait until 82 minutes to secure progress when Eddie Nketiah’s looping header found the far corner.
Ex-Nigerian international, Jay Jay Okocha has dismissed Jamie Carragher’s comments about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) pedigree, saying no father would want his son to have a football career as the former Liverpool man.
Carragher landed himself in controversy after he suggested s that Mohamed Salah is disadvantaged in the yearly debate for the Ballon d’Or over his not being able to win a ‘major’ international tournament – in his eyes, the Euros, Copa America, or the World Cup with the Egyptian National team.
“There are some players that will say something; you just overlook it. If you look at their careers, if you look at the type of football that they played, you can understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want your son to be like Carragher.”’Okocha said during an interview on Thursday.
So, he can never appreciate African football or the talents that come from Africa.”
A member of Nigeria’s AFCON-winning side of 2013, John Obi Mikel also condemned Carragher’s statement on his Obi One Podcast, calling the remarks “disrespectful.”
“The Africa Cup of Nations is as big as the Euros. I’ve played in it and won it. It’s not in his f*ing place to discredit the AFCON. He sits there week in, week out, teaching and coaching people on how to win the Premier League, and he never won it!”
He wrote: ‘The point I was trying to make yesterday was that MO Salah is at a disadvantage playing for Egypt in terms of him winning the Ballon d’Or”
‘If Salah had an average season at LFC but won the AFCON & was MVP I don’t think he would win the Ballon d’or.”
‘Because I don’t think AFCON carries the weight of other tournaments. But if Mbappe had an average season at Real Madrid but won the World Cup/Euros he would still have a great opportunity”
‘It’s not just about certain tournaments, Shevchenko (Ukraine) and Lewandowski (Poland) were never going to win the WC/Euros to help their case for the prize. I don’t think it’s controversial at all really it’s just a fact.”