Arsène Wenger is given a striking decision, Hugo Lloris climbs the wrong table and Christian Benteke’s woes rumble onAlexandre Lacazette heard one of the loudest cheers when he came on for Danny Welbeck against Stoke City. Arsène Wenger said Welbeck had hurt his back and so Lacazette’s return from a knee injury seemed even more timely – given Arsenal play CSKA Moscow in the Europa League on Thursday, for which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is cup-tied. Wenger loved the gesture Aubameyang made towards the end, passing up a possible hat-trick by allowing the Frenchman to take their second penalty – from which he scored. The manager said it showed the strikers had a good understanding. But can they prosper together in the...
Extra security were called in for West Ham’s game with Southampton after recent crowd trouble but a more positive performance on the pitch helped lift the atmosphereThe London Stadium was a sea of colour as the teams came out for this match. Those colours were fluorescent orange and yellow, representing the uniforms worn by the dozens of extra security and stewarding staff who had been drafted in for the day.Joe Hart’s goalkeeping kit was in the same bright tones as the tabards, perhaps in a gesture of solidarity. This was a big match for West Ham and everyone knew it. Not only did the nature of the fixture against Southampton make it a relegation six-pointer but after the debacle of...
José Mourinho could have Portuguese problem, Nathaniel Clyne might make return and will Arsenal rest their best?Poor José Mourinho! Once he was king but now he cannot even claim to be the Premier’s League best Portuguese manager. Carlos Carvalhal certainly has a stronger case for that accolade at the moment. It is hard to imagine that any other manager could have turned Swansea around as impressively as he has done since taking over in late December, when the Welsh club seemed doomed. Now they are out of the relegation zone and within reach of survival. Even Mourinho must admire the solidity that Carvalhal has introduced to Swansea, who will not give up chances easily at Old Trafford. Paul Pogba performed...
West Ham once gave life to a part of east London, but the Boleyn is gone and the heart has been ripped out of the clubThe fate of the little memorial garden on Green Street, next to where the Boleyn ground’s main entrance once stood, is just one of the problems facing West Ham United. Full of bedraggled scarves and wilting flowers and plaques dedicated to long-gone fans – should it be taken from its present location, where the roar of the crowd will never be heard again, and reinstalled in the club’s widely detested new home?Another is the much loved statue 50 yards away, on the crossroads at the junction with Barking Road. It depicts Bobby Moore, the embodiment...
Alex Iwobi is drifting, Pellegrino is on dangerous ground and Manchester United produced a classic performanceIt always feels unfair to single out a young player, not least one who seems with each performance these days to become a one-man Arsenal social media event, a living banter-meme. Just check out Alex Iwobi on Twitter the next time Arsenal are playing – and hope he never makes the mistake of searching his own name. But watching him against Watford it was tempting to wonder about stalled progress, and a comfort zone at the wrong moment in his career. He has been more productive since Christmas, has made an effort to make more decisive forward runs. But he remains a strange footballer, a...