Soccer

DECLAN RICE twice spared Arsenal from the embarrassment of defeat by lowly Manchester United with a wicked equaliser and a brilliant saving tackle. But on a day when the Old Trafford crowd swung from mutiny towards hope, it now looks increasingly likely that Liverpool will equal United’s record of 20 top-flight titles this side of Easter.Bruno Fernandes scored a brilliant freekick to put Manchester United aheadCredit: APThe captain was passionate with his celebrationCredit: PADeclan Rice levelled the scores in the 74th minuteCredit: RexIt was his second career goal against Man UnitedCredit: GettyArne Slot’s men lead the depleted Gunners by 15 points and there is nothing to suggest Arsenal can make a fight of it – with Ruben Amorim’s team roused by a Bruno Fernandes free-kick in first-half injury time before they produced an unexpected second-half display of ambition and drive.Rice’s belting equaliser was Arsenal’s first Premier League goal in four and a half hours – and the England midfielder still had to pull off an expert challenge to deny Rasmus Hojlund a first goal in 20 games. Before kick-off an estimated 5,000 protestors had marched on Old Trafford, mostly dressed in black to represent the ‘slow death’ of United under the ownership of the Glazers and Ineos.But after a first half of further protests, the former Theatre of Dreams was roused by an impressive second-half showing from United. READ MORE MAN UTD NEWSIt was probably the most irrelevant United-Arsenal fixture of the Premier League era, with Arsenal’s pursuit of Liverpool clearly a wild goose chase, while Amorim’s side cannot realistically be relegated nor qualify for Europe. Sky’s pre-match montage of highlights from the Fergie-Wenger years only served to underline the modest fare they were serving up. The 7-1 humping of PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday had improved the mood music for the Arsenal.  While Arteta’s team are without an authentic centre-forward, United left their one, Rasmus Hojlund, on the bench after a run of 19 appearances without a goal. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSMikel Merino continued as Arsenal’s falsie, with Gabriel Martinelli fit enough to start on the bench after injury.Did United need three central defenders to mark Merino? It didn’t seem so, but Amorim is fixated on his so-called 3-4-3, which looked very much like a back five here.Roy Keane fears Man Utd will get WORSE and reveals biggest red flag that could spell the end for Ruben AmorimArsenal have fallen 15 points behind league leaders LiverpoolCredit: GettyRuben Amorim can be happy with the pointCredit: PADeclan Rice made a match saving tackle on Rasmus HojlundCredit: GettyMerino did whistle a shot wide after Martin Odegaard had played a rapid one-two with Declan Rice.  But it was insipid, low-rent stuff all round, the home supporters only becoming animated when chants of ‘Stand up if you hate Glazers’ swept around Old Trafford like a mutinous Mexican wave. Arsenal fans sang about having won the league here, not that many of them were old enough to remember 2002. United’s gameplan appeared to be sit deep and if you get the ball, give it to Alejandro Garnacho because at least he can run fast.Leandro Trossard cut inside and drilled wide of the far post but mostly it was dreadful.Arsenal passed it around a lot, United stood there in a line of five with another line of three or four in front of them and everyone started to drift off. But then in first-half injury time, Garnacho went on one of his runs and Trosard upended him 25 yards from goal.For all the gulf in class between these two teams, Fernandes can still strike a dead ball and David Raya is still susceptible to being beaten by direct free-kicks. Leny Yoro was forced off with injuryCredit: ReutersRaya denied Joshua Zirkzee a goalCredit: AFPGabriel Martinelli forced a solid save from Andre OnanaCredit: PAFernandes was also stopped from scoring a dramatic late winnerCredit: ReutersArsenal’s keeper didn’t seem overly concerned, his starting position was too close to the far post and his dive was superfluous as Fernandes curled his shot over the Arsenal wall. At half-time, former Arsenal kid Ayden Heaven replaced the injured Leny Yoro to boos from the away end.Soon, Martin Odegaard lashed a long-range shot which Andre Onana tipped over, before Rice’s volley cleared the bar from the resulting corner.Having taken their shock lead, United actually started to commit bodies forward.Joshua Zirkzee released Diogo Dalot down the left and he produced a lofted cross for his fellow wing-back Noussair Mazaroui to volley, Raya sticking out a foot to save from point-blank range. Suddenly it felt like a proper game of football and United’s fans were roaring on their team rather than complaining about the ownership.One crunching tackle from Matthijs de Ligt – who has been a rare positive in recent weeks – almost took the roof off the Stretford End. Arteta sent on Martinelli and Myles Lewis-Skelly but United were still pouring forward and a deflected Garnacho cross located Zirkzee who improvised a back-heeled effort which Raya saved.Lewis-Skelly, advancing from left-back was cut down by De Ligt on the edge of the box but Odegaard’s free-kick couldn’t clear the wall.Heaven somehow got away with handling the same cross three times in his own box without conceding a penalty.But 16 minutes from time, the equaliser arrived when Jurrien Timber darted down the right unchallenged and cut back for Rice to thrash home a shot in off the far post. Hojlund arrived for United, while Arteta sent on yet another left-back, Kieran Tierney, shoving Lewis-Skelly into central midfield. Merino lofted a pass to Marinelli, who shot on the gallop, forcing Onana to push wide.READ MORE SUN STORIESThen Arsenal got in a tangle trying to play out from the back and Merino’s stray pass invited Hojlund to score – yet he hesitated and Rice executed an excellent tackle to extend the Dane’s goal drought to 20 games.Fernandes then forced a brilliant double-save from Raya in the dying seconds.Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure as the title appeared out of his hands yet againCredit: Getty More

CHELSEA marked their sunshine-infused 120th birthday with a hard-earned win against Leicester.Enzo Maresca’s side keep their place in the Champions League spots ahead of a tough run of games with a much-needed 1-0 victory.Marc Cucurella scored from distanceCredit: GettyThe three points takes Chelsea to fourth in the tableCredit: APCole Palmer’ goal drought continued as he saw his spot-kick savedCredit: RexChelsea were by far the most threatening side and just two minutes in the Blues felt they should have had a penalty for a challenge on Palmer.VAR deemed it “minimal contact”, however, it didn’t take long for him to get a golden chance to break his eight-game goal drought.Referee Tim Robinson pointed to the spot this time after Jadon Sancho was brought down in the box.Palmer stepped up, but his effort was brilliantly saved by Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen.Chelsea continued to dominate but Maresca left ruing his lack of a target forward as crosses were swung aimlessly with Pedro Neto in the wars trying to reach them. With no real threat coming towards Robert Sanchez from Leicester, it looked as though it could be one of those games where they struggle to break down a side despite having the lion’s share of the ball. A moment of magic was needed as frustrations were growing and Marc Cucurella produced it on the hour mark.A peach of a strike from outside the area as he lit up Stamford Bridge, as he has on numerous occasions this season, scoring for the second game in a row. CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSWith chances coming and going for both sides, the nervousness among the home support was tangible as the game drew to it’s conclusion, with the relief at the full-time etched on Maresca’s face.This is how SunSport’s Lloyd Canfield rated the players…Wayne Bridge recalls ‘unbelievable’ fight between two Chelsea teammates which left one KO’d Robert Sanchez – 7Maresca insisted he has two good goalkeepers at his disposal in the build-up to this game, but with the way they have performed this season you have to wonder if he is almost willing that to be true. Was very nearly in the headlines again with a moment of madness seeing him come flailing towards a cross which he missed as Tosin Adarabioyo headed onto his own bar.The Spanish stopper was sparsely troubled but was there when it mattered to stop the Foxes from scoring with a quietly assured performance on his return to the side after the aforementioned mistake.Wesley Fofana –  8His every touch was loudly booed by the Leicester fans who are still bitter about him leaving them in August 2022, but the £70million defender wasn’t at all fazed on his return from a lengthy injury lay-off. He was playing at right-back in a role that was quite different to what we usually see from Reece James or Malo Gusto, basically forming a back three with Tosin and Levi Colwill. The Frenchman looked like he hadn’t been out injured at all, making a number of big tackles, blocks and clearances that manufactured a sound defensive display. Tosin Adarabioyo – 6Was extremely fortunate not to put the ball in his own net with a header that bounced off of the crossbar midway into the first-half, but aside from that it was more of the same we have come to expect from the leader of the Chelsea defence. He takes on the important role of vocally organising the backline and setting them up to play it out from the back. Levi Colwill – 7Levi is using Chelsea’s fixtures against the teams towards the bottom of the table to really build his confidence and show what has made him such a highly-rated defender by everyone at the club.Made a crucial clearance in the first half to stop Jamie Vardy opening the scoring after a defensive mix-up, was thoroughly solid at the back with a strong aerial presence and composure on the ball.Marc Cucurella – 9It was a dynamic, energetic and ultimately goalscoring performance from the Spaniard who is all over the place, in a good way, for the Chels at the moment. One minute he’s defending his own box and holding up the Leicester attack, the next he’s bursting down the left and combining with Nkunku – blink and he’s playing as a shadow striker next to Neto. His positioning created chaos for Leicester, summarised no better than when he latched onto an Enzo Fernandez pass and rifled the ball low and hard into the bottom right corner to put his side in the lead. For my money, the best left-back in world football in what has been his most prolific goal scoring season to date. Moises Caicedo – 7Was walking a tightrope from the start of the game, with a yellow card in this one holding the threat of him missing crucial upcoming games against Arsenal and Spurs. While often praised for his ball winning ability, which is beaten only by Barcelona’s Pedri in Europe’s top five leagues, it was his crisp passing and technical skill that stood out, a myriad of clever touches and bits of combination play that helped form attacks for his side. The Ecuadorian is arguably the Blues’ most important player.Enzo Fernandez (c)  – 8Chelsea’s midfield metronome has been in fantastic form of late, and put in another assured performance in the middle, which only helps his rapport with the Stamford Bridge faithful who have fallen in love with his passion and desire to succeed here. His passing was excellent and he looked the player most keen to drive his team forward with some hard running, but his performance came across somewhat stunted by a real lack of threat in front of him. That was of course, until Cucurella stepped up and smashed home to give him a deserved assist. Christopher Nkunku – 2Still doesn’t look as though he’s really found his feet at Chelsea, despite a goal and assist in his last league game vs Southampton. The No18 would be best used either in Palmer’s position or as a second striker next to a target man like he was at his prolific best for RB Leipzig. Being stuck out on the left side, his pressing comes across lazy and while he often gets into the box, he is not the presence Chelsea need as they whip balls into the middle. Cole Palmer  – 5Death, taxes and Palmer bagging pens – those things were all dead certain until today as Chelsea’s talisman missed his first ever Premier League penalty in the first half. After beginning the season as the man who doesn’t feel pressure, who has ice running through his veins, Cole now at times looks like he’s trying too hard.Those things considered, he has been the victim of the sky-high standards we have grown to expect from him and most of his work is actually still to a very high level, with some neat bits of skill and good general build-up play. Don’t be surprised to see him back to his best when Chelsea have Nicolas Jackson back from injury. Jadon Sancho – 3Played on the right-hand side of attack today and often left fans frustrated in the first-half by holding the ball for too long – not driving at defenders the way we have seen him do in the past. Did win the penalty that was missed by Palmer, and seemed to be given a lease of energy and life when his side took the lead in the second half. Fans would like to see more of Tyrique George in his place, who has shone in limited minutes on the wing this season, as it’s now 11 straight games without a goal or assist for the man on loan from Man Utd. Pedro Neto – 4Deputised for the injured Jackson and Marc Guiu in the striker position as he did in the thrashing of Southampton two weeks ago.Looked like the Karate Kid with a bandaged-up head after an early clash with Wout Faes. While he works hard, and came close with a low driven shot in the second-half, Chelsea are really asking a lot of him to lead the line against a physical Foxes backline and he struggled for large parts of the game. It wasn’t the dream 25th birthday he’d have had in mind, but I’m sure he’s more than pleased with three points. SUBS:Tyrique George (Palmer, 73) – 5Was given 20 or so minutes to try and add another goal to Chelsea’s lead, and fill a Palmer shaped void whom he replaced with Nkunku moving into the middle. This young man is adored by Stamford Bridge, with their affection towards him made obvious as the crowd around me stood to their feet for a sliding clearance in the final five minutes. The arrival of Brazil sensation Willian Estevao here next season may harm his minutes, but with more performances like today, don’t be surprised to see a player like him fight his case or shine on loan at a team like Strasbourg. Trevoh Chalobah (Fofana, 73) – 5Will be fighting for his place in the starting XI once more now that Fofana has returned, but his defensive solidity will be welcomed depth, especially on days like today where his side were left with no natural right-back as James was ill.Was strong in his challenges after being introduced, and made a few good blocks to see out the win and second successive league clean sheet which have been hard to come by at Stamford Bridge this season.Josh Acheampong (Nkunku, 89) – 5Bought on at the death to help his side see out the win and did so well, with a lot of pressure on the young man’s shoulders.  More

CHELSEA celebrate a big birthday tomorrow – but at times it feels like it’s more than just the club that is 120 years old.Despite having the youngest squad in the Premier League by far, they toiled and laboured their way to victory against a team which has now lost six games on the spin and is hurtling through the relegation trap door at breakneck speed.Marc Cucurella scored a clinical finish from outside the boxCredit: GettyCole Palmer’s barren run continues after he missed a penaltyCredit: APThree points does put them back into the top four and guaranteed Champions League football next season if they stay there.But a hard-won win over one of the worst teams in the division with a goal from the left back is hardly the stuff to trigger the popping of champagne corks for tomorrow’s anniversary.And it’s even more of a party pooper that golden boy Cole Palmer’s frustrating run in front of goal hit a new low as he missed his first Premier League penalty.Stamford Bridge’s poster boy was also subbed with 17 minutes left and trudged straight down the tunnel in an apparent grump at being taken off.It might actually do him some good to feel some tough love from boss Enzo Maresca as he strives to become a consistent force and not just a once-in-a-while superstar.New England boss Thomas Tuchel names his first squad this Friday and Palmer should be included.But recent performances suggest he still has a way to go to becoming the star the Chelsea and England fans want him to be so desperately.This was the third win in a row for Maresca but he knows his team is far from the finished article.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSWith tougher games looming against Arsenal, Tottenham and even Brentford in the next few weeks, he needs everyone on song for the run-in.Fifth place might be enough to seal a return to Champions League football but Chelsea’s manager cannot gamble on that.‘I spent ages just looking at him’ – Playing vs Cristiano Ronaldo is my career highlight says star-struck Chelsea aceEspecially when it could have been so much more comfortable.Palmer went down with what VAR described as ‘minimal contact’ within minutes of kick-off and Chelsea were denied an early penalty.On 20 minutes they did get a decision from ref Tim Robinson when Jadon Sancho was tripped by Viktor Kristiansen, with minimal argument from the Danish defender.Palmer is normally deadly from the spot. He had scored 15 out of 15 for club and country in the run up to this game.But for the first time in his short but eventful Premier League career his precision from 12 yards deserted him.He rolled a fairly tame shot to his right which allowed keeper Mads Hermansen time to hit the deck and push the shot away for a corner.The fluff sums up Palmer’s mood at the moment. He has gone from being chief marksman and ‘ice-cold Palmer’ to indecisive and frustrated.Now even from the dead ball situation with no opposition players in the way.But it’s not as if there are countless others in this team stepping up to the plate while striker Nicolas Jackson recovers from a hamstring injuryOf the seven changes boss Maresca made from Thursday’s narrow Conference League win at Copenhagen, one was to put Pedro Neto back in as centre forward or ‘false nine’ in this case.Not surprisingly, Chelsea struggled to make an impact, even upon a team on a headlong course straight back to The Championship next season.Christopher Nkunku’s header which sailed wide was just about the only other effort to trouble Hermandsen – and it didn’t bother him much either.There were more grunts and groans from the crowd at half time than you hear when a Chelsea pensioner gets out of bed in the morning.Talking of which, the club paraded old soldiers Dennis Wise, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Ron Harris before kick off as part of the festivities.Squint in the afternoon sunshine and it could easily have been any of those old boys still playing, such was the pedestrian pace.What threat they did mount on the Leicester goal either fell by the wayside or was swatted away by stout defending from Conor Coady and Luke Thomas in particular.It was no surprise Chelsea finally had to make the breakthrough from outside of the box when Cucurella popped up yet again in his new role as left back turned midfield maestro.This inverted tactic being utilised by Maresca has now yielded four Premier League goals for the big-haired Spaniard since mid-December.READ MORE SUN STORIESAnd just when his manager needed another favour, curly-tops delivered, picking up a diagonal ball some 20 or so yards out and drilling a shot across the face of goal and in.Instead of celebrating wildly, just turned to the fans behind them in an attempt to whip some life into them as it struggles to shine. More

ANGE POSTECOGLOU was right about one thing: We will miss him when he’s gone.Neutral fans will, at least, with this the very latest in a madcap series of matches during his Spurs tenure, full of goals, incident and helter-skelter action.Marcus Tavernier fired in the opener for BournemouthCredit: GettyEvanilson doubled the lead in the second halfCredit: GettyAnge Postecoglou was not happy with the performance for 70 minutesCredit: ReutersPape Matar Sarr scored for TottenhamCredit: ReutersHis cross found its way flying all the way inCredit: RexTottenham supporters may be less enamoured by all the chaos, though.And many had had just about enough of it when Bournemouth were looking on course to inflict what would have been a record eighth Prem home defeat of the season.That was after clinical goals from Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson had them cruising at 2-0.But then Pape Matar Sarr’s bizarre strike grabbed Postecoglou a lifeline.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSBefore Kepa Arrizabalaga helped revive them completely by needlessly taking out Son Heung-min in the box.Son’s scuffed penalty – nothing seems to go smoothly for Postecoglou this season – grabbed an unlikely point.Whether it provides any confidence for the team or for supporters going into Thursday’s Europa League last-16 second leg against AZ Alkmaar is another matter.That match, after all, is the one that really matters to saving Spurs’ season – and possibly Postecoglou’s job – with the North Londoners’ 1-0 down from Thursday’s horrendous first leg.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThe Aussie had his big-hitters back here too with Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke starting for the first time in months.While Micky van de Ven came off the bench too after his own lengthy injury lay-off.Former Tottenham star Ivan Perisic does ‘Spursiest’ thing ever as Arsenal hammer his PSV sideKepa Arrizabalaga brought down Son Heung-Min in the boxCredit: EPAThe forward converted from the spotCredit: ReutersThe goal was enough to earn Spurs a pointCredit: RexYet Tottenham looked as shambolic as ever for most of the match.And Cherries boss Andoni Iraola – likely a prime candidate to take over here if Postecoglou does not make it to next season – must be scratching his head over how his team did not win.To say Romero looked rusty on his long-awaited return would be an understatement – he was all over the place.The Argentine’s awful pass with 18 seconds on the clock went straight to Evanilson, who should have scored but was denied by Guglielmo Vicario’s excellent save.More poor Romero distribution led to Yves Bissouma giving the ball away on the edge of his box three minutes later but once again Vicario came to the rescue to repel Justin Kluivert.A few weeks ago, Spurs survived an early onslaught from Ipswich to win 4-1 at Portman Road.That victory was their third league one in a row, earning Postecoglou a nomination for Premier League manager of the month for February, even if the performances had been unconvincing.But Bournemouth are a far better team than Kieran McKenna’s Tractor Boys, so a similar turnaround was never on the cards.Iraola’s side were not exactly hitting top gear – they themselves had lost their last two league games – but always carried a threat.And when Pedro Porro’s misplaced pass went to Milos Kerkez just outside the Cherries box on 42 minutes, that threat turned to punishment for the hosts.The Hungarian galloped the ball forward into space, driving midway into the Spurs’ half before sending a sumptuous, swerving cross towards the far post.It flew over Kevin Danso’s head and there was Tavernier, who had ghosted past Djed Spence and clinically dispatched a half-volley this time too good for Vicario.There has been a lot of transfer talk surrounding Kerkez who has been one of many success stories under Iraola.Liverpool have been consistently mentioned as possible suitors as part of their succession planning for when Andy Robertson’s time comes to an end.There was certainly a resemblance there to a peak Robertson in Kerkez’s assist here, from the long-busting stride into enemy territory to the sweet-as-a-nut delivery.The goal rocked fragile Spurs and angered their frustrated supporters.There were widespread boos as the half-time whistle goes, with patience fast running out after yet another dismal half.Postecoglou clearly knew it had not been good enough because he made two subs at the break, hauling off Brennan Johnson and Bissouma with captain Son Heung-min and Lucas Bergvall introduced.The game looked up for his side just seven minutes into the rebound when Justin Kluivert dispatched Evanilson’s cross to conclude a devastating counter-attack.But mercifully for Postecoglou and his side, VAR spotted that Antoine Semenyo had been offside in the build-up.The Aussie desperately needed a response and he almost got one straight away as Son’s deflected effort clipped a post.Spurs called for yet more reinforcements on the hour as James Maddison came on – along with the returning Micky van de Ven.The Dutchman had played just 45 minutes since that Chelsea game in December – the same one when Romero got injured – due to a hamstring problem.He did come back for a half against Elfsborg on January 30 but it proved a false dawn.So no wonder the Spurs physio spent a good minute or so massaging the Dutchman’s upper legs before he took to the field.Van de Ven had only been on for a few minutes before Bournemouth doubled their lead.That man Kerkez, who had just drawn a super stop from Vicario with a blast, gave it to Kluivert who fed Evanilson and the Brazilian produced a delightful dinked finish over Vicario.That looked game, set and match, even when Bergvall crashed the woodwork soon after from 30 yards.But then a Sarr’ wildly mishit cross somehow flew in off the post and the contest was back on.READ MORE SUN STORIESChaos reigned supreme as Vicario was almost charged down on his goal-line by Evanilson, before Kluivert struck a post after Maddison lost the ball.Then just as Bournemouth looked like they were going to see it out, Kepa needlessly took Son out in the box, allowing the South Korean to convert a point-saving spot-kick. 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