Premier League

ARSENAL are the masters of the “dark arts”? Give me a break.I’ve been around and seen teams act way worse in the Prem. None of this is new.Arsenal were reduced to ten men at the Etihad last weekendCredit: GettyThe Gunners were accused of time wasting by Man City starsCredit: ReutersAlan Pardew’s Newcastle were great at it. Cesc Fabregas was a horrible b*****d. John Obi Mikel used to foul you, help you up and step on your calf as he did it.At Watford we had meetings about Chelsea’s Diego Costa who was so nasty we tried to be really nice to him on the pitch to try and get him on side.And I will never forget wiping out Martin Skrtel early doors in 2015 and hearing the noise he made when I hit him. I thought: ‘I’ve got you’. We ended up beating Liverpool 3-0.It is not “dark arts”. It is just trying to wind people up to gain an advantage.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAll Arsenal did against Manchester City was manage the clock, trying to give their players a break and they did it really well. It was basically a pre-season drill.When you go to Old Trafford, when you go to Anfield, anywhere you go, you would try to dampen the crowd, wouldn’t you?Yes they shut up shop, but don’t most teams at the Etihad? Does that make them all dirty and masters of the “dark arts”?Just because Man City want you to come out and play, does that mean everyone needs to fall in line? They want everyone to play their game and the refs to call it their way.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSTroy Deeney got involved in plenty of tussles during his Prem careerCredit: GettyYou can’t have it all your own way. You’ve got the best players, the best manager and the best facilities. Every now and again teams will come and try beat you up.Don’t get me wrong, Arsenal took it a step too far at times with their time wasting basically from the start of the second half, but it is something they had to do. They had ten men.Man Utd legend Roy Keane blasts Arsenal as ‘small team with small mentality’ in furious rant at Ian WrightBut the reason Arsenal and Mikel Arteta are getting so much heat for this so-called “dark arts” is because the likes of Pep Guardiola, John Stones and Bernardo Silva spoke about it.Silva was squealing like you wouldn’t believe post-match – I could hardly make out what he was saying. And are you telling me Stones didn’t get involved in that sort of stuff at Everton?But people turn into sheep and latch on to it because a great manager and great group of players start talking about it these ‘dark arts’ and it being a dirty Arsenal performance.Were there actually any properly dirty tackles in that game? Not one. It was a football match, and a great one at that.’STRANGE’Erling Haaland chucked the ball at Gabriel’s head and people are calling for a review? Come on, what are we doing? He didn’t get hurt – it’s a football.I like Haaland, he is a nasty winner. I have got to say though, the “stay humble” line to Arteta was strange. If he had said that to me, there would have been a bit of action in the tunnel.Football has just become a bit sterile and boring. Everyone’s nice and lovely. Is it not about winning?Arteta is tired of coming second and wants to get over the line however he can. He has got it into his players that they need more fight and resilience and they have listened.’RUNNING OUT OF IDEAS’City are just using this as a distraction tactic because, dare I say it, they looked like they were running out of ideas and didn’t have a Plan B before they got lucky with the equaliser.And nobody is talking about it but that red card for Leandro Trossard massively helped City, because for me, without it Arsenal would have gone on to win that game.When Rodri went off, it was a massive psychological blow and Arsenal smelled blood. Are you telling me they wouldn’t have scored from another set-piece with 11 men on the pitch?Arsenal are showing they can do things in a different way and it is great for football.Yes, they can play nice stuff, but they can also bully you now. You haven’t been able to say that for a long, long time.If I was an Arsenal player, I would be putting two fingers up at the whole world. They’re proving they’re no longer soft. I quite like it.They’re a really good outfit, they just need to cut out some of the nonsense and stop celebrating every little thing they do and focus on the bigger picture.It is getting spicy between Arsenal and City, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it impacted the friendship between Arteta and Pep sooner rather than later.READ MORE SUN STORIESThere would have been no glass of wine shared after last weekend.You can’t keep competing against someone and the other one wins all the time. There’s going to be some resentment that builds up.Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta’s friendship could be pushed to the limitCredit: Rex More

NICOLAS JACKSON has been delivering the goods on the pitch for Chelsea and is now doing the same off it for his old neighbours back in Africa.The big-hearted striker paid for several truckloads of food to be sent to his hometown of Ziguinchor in Senegal and Banjul in Gambia where he was born and still has family.Nicolas Jackson sent food to people in his hometownCredit: Instagram @n_jackson_charity_foundation_Jackson sent a lorry full of onions, potatoes and riceCredit: Instagram @n_jackson_charity_foundation_Jackson is keen to give back to the people that raised himCredit: Instagram @n_jackson_charity_foundation_He has been delivering the goods on and off the pitchCredit: AlamyIt included rice, onions, potatoes and sugar – plus pens and books for local kids.Jackson’s heartwarming gesture took place during the summer and it is not the only thing he does to help out the folks back home.At previous club Villarreal in Spain, he pestered team-mates to give him old boots and kit.He then paid for it all to be flown back to Senegal and distributed among children to help promote sport.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLA Blues source told SunSport: “Nico feels a really strong connection with his roots and he wants to give back as much as possible to support people in the places where he was born and raised.”Jackson recently signed a two-year extension to his contract at Chelsea which now ties him to the club until 2033 – the longest deal in Premier League history.He also has four goals this season – two of them coming last weekend in a 3-0 win at London rivals West Ham.After bagging his double, Jackson then set up Cole Palmer as the duo continued their unstoppable partnership.Most read in FootballSince the start of the 2023/24 season, they have combined for ten Premier League goals.It makes them the most deadly pair in the division, two ahead of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailley in second place.Watch incredible moment ex-Chelsea star Diego Costa starts BRAWL during U20s game as fans ask ‘what did they expect-‘Chelsea player ratings vs BarrowJOAO FELIX and Christopher Nkunku stole the show as Chelsea thrashed Barrow in the Carabao Cup.A hat-trick from Nkunku along with goals from Felix and Pedro Neto secured a 5-0 third round win at Stamford Bridge.Here’s how the starting XI rated…Filip Jorgensen – 6Looked shaky as Barrow launched a string of early throw-ins into the box. Forced into a smart stop down to his right at the start of the second half but otherwise untroubled.Malo Gusto – 7Lack of threat from visitors allowed him freedom of the right flank and the full-back regularly posed a threat as he linked up with Neto.Axel Disasi – 6Unconvincing in possession despite little pressure but performed defensive duties throughout in solid partnership with Benoit Badiashile.Benoit Badiashile – 6Barely troubled by Barrow forward Emile Acquah. Assured in possession and showed his passing range by switching play to his wingers when available.Renato Veiga – 6Looked a class above when stepping into midfield when Chelsea were in possession but far from convincing in defence. Gave away several needless free-kicks in dangerous areas.Cesare Casadei – 7Shaky at first on his maiden Chelsea touch before growing into the game in the centre of the park.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 7Afforded plenty of time and space on the ball for much of the game and even came close to a goal of his own.Pedro Neto – 7Link-up play with Malo Gusto was a constant threat down the right. Finished off a flowing team move for his first Chelsea goal.Joao Felix – 8Unlocked the Barrow defence with a beautiful scooped pass to set up Nkunku’s opener. Followed it up with a perfectly placed free-kick off the post to put his side 3-0 up before half-time.Mykhailo Mudryk – 7Gave Chelsea an outlet with his pace down the left, showed to perfection as he raced away before squaring for Neto to score moments into the second half.Christopher Nkunku – 9Showed his clinical edge in front of goal by grabbing a hat-trick with three well-taken strikes inside the penalty area, including an exquisite back-heeled flick into the corner.SubsBen Chilwell (45’ for Gusto) – 6Given a rapturous reception on his return from the Chelsea ‘bomb squad’. Tightened up the left-hand side for the Blues, with Veiga moving to central defence.Tyrique George (63’ for Neto) – 6Dragged a brilliant chance to score his first Chelsea goal wide of the post. Later denied by Farman as he showed promise down the right.Josh Acheampong (63’ for Disasi) – 6Slotted into the back four with ease and executed his defensive duties on his second senior appearance.Marc Guiu (76′ for Nkunku) – 6Continued to provide a threat to the tiring Barrow defence late on.Carney Chukwuemeka (76’ for Felix) – 6Quickly imposed himself on the action with several powerful runs through midfield to drive the hosts forward.Click here to read more on Chelsea. More

GARY O’NEIL has revealed that several members of his Wolves side have been suffering with a virus.The Premier League strugglers are set to host Liverpool at Molineux on Saturday evening.Gary O’Neil spoke ahead of his side’s clash with LiverpoolCredit: GettySeveral Wolves stars missed training on FridayCredit: GettyO’Neil’s men are yet to win this season, and have picked up just one point from their opening five matches.The former Bournemouth boss will be desperate to grab three points on Saturday, although an already daunting task in facing Liverpool has been made even trickier by far from ideal preparations.Speaking on the eve of the match, O’Neil, 41, revealed: “There’s quite a bit of illness actually.”A few will need a check tomorrow on how they’re feeling – we just had a little bit of a virus going around.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”Quite a few missed training today so we’ll see how we are tomorrow.”We have a few issues but looking forward to getting out there and make it as difficult as possible for Liverpool.”Some lads will struggle for tomorrow but that’s not a definite, sometimes these things can clear up in 24 hours.”We are hopeful that the guys with the virus will be fine and 100 per cent available for tomorrow. But as the doctor told me, it’s hard to give a definitive answer.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSWolves were dealt a huge blow earlier this week, when it was confirmed that Yerson Mosquera will be missing for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.The defender, 23, sustained the issue late on against Aston Villa last week.Wolves boss Gary O’Neil issues summer transfer warning to fans and says -certain managers would not want to work under these circumstancesSpeaking about Mosquera’s injury, O’Neil said: “He’s a great kid, so I’m absolutely devastated for him because of his energy and his life.”No matter how things go each week, he gives absolutely everything, and he always attacks things and does things in the right way.”A big loss to us from that point of view. He was showing signs that he was capable of playing at the level we were hoping.”So, from a team and a squad point of view, a big blow to us, obviously, but with that brings opportunity for others.”Alfie Pond, for instance, gets a step closer. A boy that was obviously out on loan last year at Stockport, played for us in the cup at Brighton, and is extremely excited this week that he’s around it and there’s a chance of featuring in Premier League games.”I am absolutely gutted for Yerson, and it’s a blow to the group and where we are, but we have a real good mentality inside the place that we don’t let things like that stop what we’re trying to do.”We’re always going to suffer setbacks, this is a big one, especially for Yerson personally, but we will find a way to make sure that we’re still capable of fighting and picking up points.”Yerson Mosquera has been ruled out for the remainder of the seasonCredit: Getty More

ENZO MARESCA has opened the door for Chelsea outcast Ben Chilwell to return after admitting: “We all make mistakes.”The Italian oversaw a major clear-out this summer, with Conor Gallagher the highest-profile victim.Enzo Maresca had admitted making a ‘mistake’ over one Chelsea outcastCredit: GettyMaresca also chopped the likes of Raheem Sterling and Trevoh Chalobah into a “bomb squad” as he made several new signings.But Chilwell could now be set for a spectacular return to first-term proceedings.The £200,000-a-week defender was one of the players axed from Chelsea’s senior squad.But unlike Sterling and Co, left-back Chilwell was unable to find a new club despite links with Manchester United.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd after making his first appearance of the campaign in Tuesday’s 5-0 Carabao Cup win against Barrow, he could soon be back in regular action.Chilwell, 27, came off the bench at half-time to replace Malo Gusto.And he took up a hybrid role on the flank which also saw him cut inside on several occasions.Chelsea fans gave a loud cheer when Chilwell’s name was read out by the Stamford Bridge announcer.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSBut it remains unclear whether his long-term future remains in London after his initial snub.However, Maresca appears to have been left impressed by Chilwell’s attitude.Chelsea player ratings from 5-0 win over BarrowBen Chilwell impressed against Barrow in the Carabao CupCredit: GettyChelsea’s Italian gaffer said: “In the moment we need him, for sure, why not? “I will say again in the moment he is with us, he is one of the Chelsea players and one of our players. “If we need we will give him chances and minutes.“We all make mistakes. I had to make a decision; sometimes they are good and sometimes not. “There is not any bad intention from me. It was just to try and think of the best thing for the club.”Chilwell has been at Chelsea since 2020 after a £45million move from Leicester.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe’s played 107 times for the Blues, with injuries taking their toll in several seasons.But Chilwell has endeared himself to fans by helping Chelsea win the Champions League and Club World Cup. More

RODRI is out for the season after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.The midfielder was forced off against Arsenal and will be sidelined until the end of the season.Rodri is out for the season after injuring his kneeCredit: GettyManchester City confirmed this week Rodri had damaged ligaments in his right knee.And manager Pep Guardiola has now revealed he will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his ACL.He said: “Surgery this morning, ACL and meniscus and next season he will be here. This season is over. “Unfortunately we got the worst but these things happen. We will be there to support him in his recovery step-by-step.”What he gives us, we don’t have a similar player. But the others can all together replace what Rodri has given since his arrival to us. We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.”Rodri, 28, travelled to Barcelona to see a knee specialist and an examination revealed ligament damage to the joint.His injury is a big blow for City, who have struggled without the Spaniard in the past.The Cityzens did win their first three Prem games of the season without him, with Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic deputising, but boffins reckon City will lose the title without him.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSWhat will happen to Man City?MAN CITY are favourites to win the Premier League title yet again – but there is one elephant in the room that threatens to put the skids under the Etihad giants.Sunsport’s MARTIN LIPTON discusses what the next few months could hold with Head of Sport SHAUN CUSTIS….Custis: So the big question – will there be a resolution this season?Lipton: Yes…. probably! We know the case will start to be dealt with in October or November.It will take at least a month to go through the evidence. So I suspect around March, April time, we will get a result. But that’s where it starts to get tricky.Custis: Why is that?Lipton: If the result is in City’s favour, that’s the end of the matter. They will be cleared. They will have no punishment to face.But if City are found guilty, these will be the heaviest penalties ever imposed by the Premier League.I suspect if they are found guilty, they will be expelled from the league or given a massive points deduction and a huge fine so that they’re not in the Premier League next season.Check out the full discussion on Man City’s future.According to Opta, City have only lost 11 per cent of their games with Rodri in the team, and 24 per cent without him.Based on that, it’s been calculated that City will finish on 80 points this season.Rodri lands in Barcelona for further medical tests after Man City star suffers ‘suspected cruciate ligament tear’The last time a team won the title with that number was Manchester United in the 2010/11 term, with Arsenal managing 84 points and 89 points in the last two seasons.Pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher also named Rodri as the player whose absence could most negatively affect City.Neville said: “I was thinking, ‘who is he going to put in there? How is he going to play to compensate for the loss of this probably talisman type figure?’ “I think of only [Erling] Haaland probably that you could take out of the City team that would damage them as much as Rodri.”I know [Kevin] De Bruyne’s there, I’m not ignoring him, but if you were Arsenal and you could take one player out of the City team, because they’ve lost [Julian] Alvarez you’d take Haaland out probably number one, you’d probably take Rodri out number two.” More

FANS have been left amazed by a stats comparison between Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo following their respective £100million-plus moves last summer.Arsenal made West Ham captain Rice, 25, their record signing over a year ago when they splashed £105m on the defensive midfielder.Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo’s stats this season have been comparedCredit: GettyThe pair both cost upwards of £100million when they joined their respective clubs last yearCredit: GettyBut Chelsea spent even more on Caicedo, 22, handing Brighton a Premier League record £115m fee.Rice settled down quickly enough at Arsenal and eventually helped them to an impressive second-place finish.While Caicedo struggled to settle under Mauricio Pochettino before showing signs of his talents in Chelsea’s final few games as the Blues finished sixth.Now, stats have emerged showing Rice and Caicedo’s starts to the new season.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLArsenal have made a good start again, winning three of their five matches while remaining unbeaten to bag 11 points.But Chelsea have also looked strong with new boss Enzo Maresca, sitting one point off Arsenal with one defeat to champions Man City.Rice and Caicedo have both been at the heart of matters since the campaign kicked off last month.Yet the stats show that Caicedo is having a much better individual season so far than his Arsenal couterpart.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSFor starters, the Ecuadorian has featured in all five of Chelsea’s league games so far, with Rice only making four appearances following his controversial red card against Brighton.As a result, Caicedo has clocked 122 more minutes on the field.Premier League’s Biggest Spenders: Top 10 SeasonsAnd while neither man has scored a goal yet, Chelsea’s holder already has one assist to his name over Rice’s zero.Caicedo is impressing in playmaking too, completing 252 passes to Rice’s 84.Of Caicedo’s passes, 85 have been attacking forward passes compared to Rice’s 31.Arsenal’s man is also beaten in the touches department with 142, while Caicedo’s 364 emphasises the difference in style between Maresca and Mikel Arteta.And Rice also loses out in ALL of the vital defensive areas too.He’s made just ONE tackle all season, while Caicedo has stopped an opponent 21 times.The ex-Brighton man has also won more fouls with nine to Rice’s two.In terms of duels won, Caicedo leads Rice 38-nine.And he has also won six aerial duels to Rice’s four.Finally, Caicedo has completed six clearances over Rice’s five.While he has also made nine interceptions to Rice’s three.And fans were amazed at seeing the huge gulf in key numbers.One said: “You know what’s most crazy? One tackle made in four games being a DM.”Another declared: “Caicedo has always been clear.”READ MORE SUN STORIESOne noted: “They’re both great players and both will have very good seasons.”Another added: “I prefer not to speak.” More