Premier League

PAUL MERSON hit out at Tottenham manager Antonio Conte for not making a change in the first half of the North London Derby.Spurs lost 2-0 to Arsenal after going in two behind at the break, having been played off the park on their own patch.
Tottenham lost 2-0 to Arsenal and went in two down at the breakCredit: Reuters
Paul Merson slammed Antonio Conte for his first-half tacticsCredit: SKY SPORTS
A Hugo Lloris howler saw the visitors take the lead, before Martin Odegaard added a second with a gorgeous strike from range.
At half-time former Arsenal man Merson slammed Conte for letting Spurs get “ripped to shreds” and not making a change.
He even claimed “any of us could play where [Thomas] Partey is playing” – with Tottenham non-existent in midfield.
Merson said on Sky Sports: “You’re talking about one of the greatest managers about in Conte, he hasn’t changed it.
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“He’s just let that team go out there and just get absolutely ripped to shreds. He had to change it.
“If I’m being honest I think any of us could play where Partey is playing at the moment. Honestly I do, no one has got near him.”
Merson went on to say that it was “embarrassing” from Tottenham in the first half.
He added: “I can’t believe how a manager of that quality has not tried to nip this in the bud. It’s pretty embarrassing.”
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Discussing Arsenal’s title hopes after their victory, Merson said: “I think it all comes down to next Sunday.
“If Man United go and beat Palace away, which I expect them to do the way they’re playing, they go to the Emirates and I think if Man United win that game then they are three points behind Arsenal.
“But if Arsenal win it Man Utd are out of the equation and it’s Man City chasing them down and they’re eight maybe even more points behind Arsenal.
“It’s Arsenal’s to throw away now. I know there’s a lot of points to go but that first-half performance was like watching Man City.
“If you had been living in New Zealand and you haven’t seen football for the past four years and they were playing in light blue you would have thought that was Man City, that’s how good they were.”
And discussing their North London derby rivals, Merson added: “Tottenham are letting in 2 goals every week and Arsenal are playing the best football they have in many years.
“Not like this (level of confidence), they’re top of the league, flying along, breaking records, on a roll I just couldn’t see it with Tottenham.
“They played three at the back, two holding midfielders and every week they let in two goals, I don’t know how you get away with it, it’s unbelievable.
“Bar the Palace game – which if Palace had Kane they would have won 4-0 that day – they can’t keep turning it off and on like a tap.
“And people forget about the second half, the first half was embarrassing at the highest level, I’ve never seen a derby game like that.
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“They were outclassed, everything Arsenal were doing you see patterns of play you could see what they were doing. Zinchenko coming in then going and Partey will come short and the other two will go forward or open the game, (but) with Tottenham it’s cuffy. You can’t see any plan.
“The second goal… that happens on Sunday morning down the scrubs or can’t do that I feel sorry for the midfield players they have been left to be embarrassed today.” More

JACOB MURPHY produced a priceless reaction as Marco Silva went ballistic at full-time.The Fulham manager was raging at the referee following the 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Jacob Murphy was stood behind a raging Marco Silva
And fans loved his awkward reaction to the furious Fulham boss
Silva raged at the ref after the gameCredit: Getty
But as players were shaking each others hands after the game, Murphy was pictured behind the raging Portuguese manager.
And he produced a hilarious reaction as he pulled a face.
Fans online spotted the wingers reaction and appeared to love Murphy’s funny face.
One fan wrote: “Murphys reaction was brilliant!! 😂😂”
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A second said: “Absolutely elite from Jacob Murphy😭”
A third commented: “Meme material.”
Silva is understood to have been infuriated following the referee’s performance, with him saying: “The referee… it is a clear penalty, red card for the player and the game would be completely different.
“The fourth official gave it but the referee made his decision. On Andreas Pereira, it was clear that it was a red card.”
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Newcastle secured their victory after Alexander Isak scored a late winner.
His namesake, former Toon striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, took and appeared to score a penalty earlier in the game.
However, the goal was ruled out after it was revealed the Serbian had touched the ball twice.
Under IFAB Law 14, the rules about penalty kicks state that an offence has occurred if “the kicker touches the ball again before it has touched another player”.
The result continued Newcastle’s strong run of form, with their last defeat of the season coming in August, and further strengthened their position in the top four.
Meanwhile, the Cottagers remain in sixth, with today’s result being their first defeat since November 13 against Manchester United. More

ARSENAL continued their title charge with a convincing victory in the North London derby. The Gunners arrived at Tottenham with the wind in their sails, and it certainly looked like it as the two sides went head to head.
Arsenal celebrate after scoring against TottenhamCredit: Getty
Thomas Partey dominated the midfieldCredit: Getty
Goals from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard guided Mikel Arteta’s side to dominant display as they cruised to a first away win at Spurs since 2014.
Hugo Lloris’ blunder saw Saka’s shot turned into the net, before Odegaard rifled home a second.
Spurs produced a comeback in the second half, but were unable to breach the Arsenal backline, with Aaron Ramsdale making a number of fine saves to put them eight points clear of Manchester City.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tom Barclay rated the Gunners.
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Aaron Ramsdale – 8
Pitch perfect for a modern-day goalkeeper. Excellent saves to deny Son Heung-min early doors as well as Harry Kane either side of the break, while some of his laser-like passes were Ederson-esque.
Ben White – 7
Defensively very solid and good technical ability. His delivery at times was not fantastic going forward but then he is not really a full-back.
Gabriel – 7
Handled Harry Kane pretty well though the England forward did nip in front of him just before the break for a stooping header, which Ramsdale saved.
William Saliba – 7
His standards may have slipped slightly since Qatar but he was back to being rock-solid here, and showed impressive pace against the likes Dejan Kulusevski.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko – 7
Another graceful performance on the ball, what a signing he has been from Arsenal this year. Looks odds-on to win his fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
Thomas Partey – 9
Almost broke the post with a thunderous volley midway through the first half. He was Arsenal’s heartbeat as he has been all year and helped Mikel Arteta’s midfield dominate. Booed throughout.
Granit Xhaka – 7
Put in the hard graft with some important blocks. Told Antonio Conte and his assistant Cristian Stellini to pipe down after he had been fouled by Cristian Romero, who was lucky to escape a second yellow.
Bukayo Saka – 8
Conte played Ryan Sessegnon over Ivan Perisic, presumably to deal with Saka’s pace, but it did not work. Arsenal’s wideman caused a number of problems and had a bizarre assist as his cross went in off Hugo Lloris.
A Hugo Lloris blunder allowed Bukayo Saka to open the scoringCredit: Getty
Martin Odegaard – 8
Sparkled again in that No10 role and added another excellent strike to his collection as his 25-yard blast made it 2-0. Showed physical toughness too.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7
A thorn in Spurs’s backline, his clever flick over the top set up Eddie Nketiah for an early chance. Showed how high his confidence is right now with an inventive backheeled volley.
Eddie Nketiah – 6
On another day he might have had two or three goals. Lloris denied him a couple of times from point blank-range but put in a committed and impactful performance.
Subs
Kieran Tierney (for Martinelli, 79) 6
Takehio Tomiyasu (for Zinchenko, 86) 6 More

THIS is the shocking moment a thug kicked Aaron Ramsdale after Arsenal beat bitter rivals Tottenham in the North London Derby.Spurs confirmed that they will hand over footage of the attack to police and seek to sanction the fan, including slapping him with a lifetime ban from their stadium.
A fan in the Tottenham end kicked Aaron Ramsdale at full-timeCredit: SKY SPORTS
Ramsdale was dragged away while the fan was pushed back by a stewardCredit: Sky sports
Both Spurs and the FA condemned the ‘unacceptable’ attackCredit: Getty
The incident came after Richarlison pushed the Arsenal manCredit: SKY SPORTS
The Gunners’ goalie was being led off the pitch by steward’s after bickering with Spurs man Richarlison when the fan landed a kick to his back.
The disgraceful attack marked the peak of an already tense game, which saw league leaders Arsenal come out on top 2-0.
Players from both sets of teams ran over to try and diffuse the situation, while Ramsdale was led away from in front of the Spurs stand by Arsenal team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Team boss Mikel Arteta then took over, dragging his goalie towards the travelling supporters.

There were wild celebrations in front of the Arsenal fans as Arteta and Co went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

DO you know the thug who kicked Ramsdale? Ring The Sun on 020 7782 4104 or WhatsApp on 07423720250 or email exclusive@the-sun.co.uk.

When asked about the incident by Sky Sports, Ramsdale said: “The Spurs fans were giving me some [stick] throughout the second half.
“I gave them some back, which to the few people I did it to it was probably well greeted, you know, sportsmanship like.
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“Then a fan tried to jump over and gave me a little punch on the back.
“That’s what happened and it’s a shame because it’s just a game of football at the end of the day.”
He added: “I think both sets of players tried to bring me away and thankfully nothing actually happened to drastically.
“It’s a sour taste but I’m sure we’ll enjoy it when we go back in the dressing room.”
Tottenham defender Eric Dier brandished the kick as “unacceptable”.
He told said to Sky: “Obviously it’s just unacceptable really.
“There’s nothing more I can say other than it’s unacceptable and it shouldn’t have happened.”
The club now faces an FA probe over the incident.
Spurs boss Antonio Conte said he did not see the incident, but told Sky: “If it happened this type of situation then it’s not good, it’s not good.
“I repeat we have to show always respect, in every moment for the opponent, for the players.
“I think that if it happened this type of situation that you are telling me, I didn’t like it.”
Later, a statement from the club said: “We are appalled by the behaviour of a supporter that attempted to attack Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the end of today’s match. Violence in any form has no place in football.
“The Club has reviewed its CCTV footage to identify the supporter and will be working with the Met Police, Arsenal and Aaron Ramsdale to take the strongest possible action, including an immediate ban from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.”
A PFA statement after the game similarly condemned the incident.
It said: “Violence towards players is completely unacceptable. These types of incidents are happening far too often.
“Players have a right to be safe in their place of work.
“When a player is attacked we expect the laws and regulations that are in place to protect them to be properly enforced.
“As the players’ union we treat this as a priority issue.
“We will be continuing to work with the authorities to demand that players and staff are better protected in their place of work.”
A statement from the FA said: “We strongly condemn the incident involving a spectator that followed today’s Premier League fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
“This is wholly unacceptable behaviour and we will work together with the police, the relevant authorities and the clubs to ensure the appropriate action is taken.”
The Metropolitan Police told The Sun Online: “Following the Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal match on Sunday, 15 January, police received a report of an assault on an Arsenal player after the end of the match.
“Enquiries are ongoing. There has been no arrest.”
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During the match a Hugo Lloris howler saw Arsenal take the lead, before Martin Odegaard added a second with a gorgeous strike from range.
Spurs improved after the break, but not enough to salvage a result against their table-topping neighbours.
Ramsdale was led away after a fan tried to kick himCredit: Reuters
Tensions boiled over at the end of the gameCredit: Getty More