The manager gets his tactics right and the players rediscover their fighting spirit to see off Manchester City at Wembley to secure a place in the FA Cup finalJust for a moment, unfettered by the constricting context of this turbulent season and the grisly dance around the topic of that contract, the sun broke through. Arsène Wenger stood in his technical area and the body language all around him was positive. Gabriel Paulista – a player apparently reborn during the course of the match – won another battle of wills with the threatening Leroy Sané. Mesut Özil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shared a boosting handshake as they passed each other on the pitch. The German juggled the ball casually as he...
Lukaku and Barkley owe Koeman a lot, Wilshere’s Bournemouth loan has proved a damp squib and Mignolet finally proving a positive game-changer for LiverpoolThe focus so often fixes upon Wilfried Zaha at Crystal Palace but over their seven-game revival under Sam Allardyce, they have posed as much threat from the opposite flank. Andros Townsend had rather grumbled through his first seven months at Selhurst Park, unhappy to be operating from the left and only offering flashes of his quality. The past seven weeks have been more reflective of a winger with 13 England caps. “Against Arsenal, Andros shut down three Arsenal players on his own, one after the other,” Allardyce said. “He ran from the right side to the left,...
Bournemouth may struggle to hold on to Joshua King, Leicester got no help from the broadcasters but Daniel Levy deserves his due for Spurs’ fine season • The Dozen: the weekend’s best Premier League photosOnce the fight for Premier League survival is over, Bournemouth might have another battle on their hands: retaining the services of Joshua King. The striker, signed by Eddie Howe for a snip at £1m from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2015, scored his 13th goal of the season against Chelsea on Saturday evening. Despite winning several admirers since gaining passage to the top flight, Bournemouth are yet to be scavenged for players by bigger clubs. Matt Ritchie was sold to Newcastle United last year but...
Belgian playmaker has been inspirational all season and was once again in scintillating form to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 victory against Manchester CityT here was an unusual sound just before half-time in this bustling, full-body collision of a Premier League match. For most of the opening 45 minutes the usual snorts and surges of rage had barrelled around the ground, most of it directed at the ongoing Sergio Agüero-David Luiz vendetta.As the interval approached Eden Hazard picked up the ball near the centre circle one last time. Chopping the turf with his heel to stop his momentum, Hazard swayed one way, darted back the other and left John Stones looking strangely lost, wandering vaguely in the general direction of...
Emirates draw helped both sides a little but Pep Guardiola’s team had something Arsène Wenger’s side are lackingTo borrow an old sporting joke, Arsène Wenger hasn’t managed 1,163 Arsenal matches. He has instead managed the same Arsenal match 1,163 times. At a time when Wenger’s team stand accused of congealment and standing still, it seemed oddly fitting that England’s second greatest modern-day spin-bowler Monty Panesar was guest of honour on the pitch at half-time against Manchester City. Although in fairness Shane Warne’s famous, and indeed unfair, jibe about Panesar playing the same Test 33 times without learning or progressing doesn’t really fit here.With Arsenal the real stasis set in around the end of the austerity years, as opportunities appeared to...