Head coach Eddie Howe has urged Anthony Gordon to stay “fully focused” after the Newcastle United forward was linked with a move to Arsenal.
Gordon is the latest key figure at the club to have been subject of reported interest elsewhere.
This is despite the England international dismissing such talk as “a load of rubbish” in an interview with reporters just last week.
Newcastle sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British record £125m fee last summer – after the Swede went on strike – and Howe was asked how he could avoid a repeat of a similar saga.
“I’m not sure there’s a lot I can do about that,” he said. “I’ve not seen the story, so it’s news to me.
“But we’re mid-season, we’re in the middle of some of the biggest games of his career, and who knows what’s going to happen internationally with Anthony in the summer as well.
“He’s not got time to look left or right. He’s got to be fully focused on straight ahead and the next game, and trying to be as good as he can be.”
Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento are just some of the Newcastle players who have been touted with moves away in the media in recent months.
But Howe said it comes with the territory.
“It’s your industry that is creating those stories,” he added. “I’m slightly secluded from it.
“If you don’t read it you don’t know who has been linked to who. Is it not just part of modern day football that everyone is just linked with moves these days, not just Newcastle players, but potentially a lot of other clubs have the same issues.
“It’s irrelevant really. It’s how the players react to that. If they absorb it and it affects them, then that’s a negative. But i think our players are robust enough to ignore it.”
It’s been a difficult period for Eze, who has found minutes in the league hard to come by and this was was only his second start in the league since December.
He has a tough route into the team with captain Martin Odegaard a key part of Arteta’s first-choice midfield when he is fit and Leandro Trossard being in good form on the left wing, which is the other position Eze might feature.
The Arsenal boss did trial Eze on the left, but he switched off when Matty Cash scored Aston Villa‘s opener in their 2-1 defeat in December and, despite starting the following game, he was left on the substitute’s bench for the next four league matches.
Arteta opted to play England winger Bukayo Saka from the start in the disappointing 2-2 draw with Wolves in midweek as a number 10 – ahead of Eze, who started on the bench.
And the Spaniard admitted: “He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him the other day from the beginning, and some of the decisions that I made. And I just have to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now.”
Arteta was asked by BBC Sport whether Eze’s record of producing goals at the end of the season was one of the reasons they signed him.
“We looked at every stat, but that one, to be very honest, no,” he added while laughing.
“He scored five goals in the last few games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.”
England manager Thomas Tuchel was in attendance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Eze will have hoped to have caught his eye after a recent lack of game time to boost his World Cup hopes this summer.
“Today it’s worked out, we thank God for it,” Eze told Sky Sports. “We put in a good performance. We did what we needed to do, which was the main thing.
“I’m always trying to get in those positions to be ready and to find the space and to work hard to get those opportunities. It takes a lot to get there and it’s worked out today.”
Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal What: English Premier League Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK When: Sunday, February 22 at 4:30pm (16:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Arsenal will look to banish their untimely bout of title race anxiety as the wobbling Premier League leaders head to bitter rivals Tottenham for the north London derby.
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Mikel Arteta’s men are in danger of blowing a commanding position in the title race after successive draws against Brentford and Wolves left them with just two wins in their last seven league matches.
The Gunners squandered the lead in both matches, with Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolves especially galling as they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser having led 2-0.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side will move two points behind Arsenal if they beat Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s new coach, Igor Tudor, faces a baptism of fire in his first game in charge of the club as he is tasked with steering Spurs out of a relegation battle.
Thomas Frank was sacked as Tottenham manager following the defeat to Newcastle earlier in February, as a dire domestic campaign has left Spurs in 16th place going into the weekend, just five points above the relegation zone.
Saka urges Arsenal to ‘get over the line’
On February 7, Arsenal players walked off the field after a convincing 3-0 home win against Sunderland with their lead in the Premier League at nine points. Then things started to go wrong.
Defiant Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka is adamant his side will eventually “get over the line” and end their trophy drought.
After allowing City to overhaul them in the 2023 and 2024 title races, the north Londoners, who have not won silverware since the 2020 FA Cup, face pointed questions about their ability to handle the mounting tension.
Saka said Arsenal must silence the doubters by getting back on track at archrivals Tottenham on Sunday.
“I believe the next few years are going to be the years that we get over the line, and we’re able to win trophies and make history for this club,” Saka said. “We’re back where we belong, fighting for everything.”
Saka in action against Wolves at Molineux on February 18 [Carl Recine/Getty Images]
Arteta dismisses ‘bottlers’ talk
Arsenal’s boss rejected the term “bottlers’ ahead of Sunday’s Premier League visit to Tottenham Hotspur.
“It’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it like this because I don’t think anybody wants to do that as an intention,” Arteta told reporters on Friday, when asked about the term being used regarding their latest wobble in the title race.
“That’s individual opinion, perspective. You have to respect that. That’s what I said after in the press conference. You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, you have to take it on the chin. It’s part of our role.”
“What I’m very interested in is the next one, what we are made of, what we love about this and how we write our own destiny from here.”
‘No time to find excuses’
Tottenham Hotspur’s new interim head coach Tudor says instilling the players with confidence is his most urgent task.
“First priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments. The team need, I believe, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also, in same way, the concrete things in the pitch,” Tudor told Spursplay.
“Of course, I’m coming here knowing that situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us, need to give something more, something extra.”
He added: “The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept. Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.”
The 47-year-old former Juventus coach Igor Tudor has been brought in until the end of the season [File: AFP]
Tudor wants a team prepared to ‘suffer’
While Tudor is aware of the significance of a derby win over Arsenal, he is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to help fuel their survival bid.
“I understand the importance of this game. This is a derby, a north London derby,” he said.
“This is a team that is full of quality, full of talented players, with good motor engines. But my goal in these first training sessions is that we become a team, with a really right way of going to war.
“A team who want to suffer. To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. This is the start.”
Head-to-head
Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have locked horns on 212 occasions; Arsenal won 90 of the games, while Spurs won 67, and 55 were draws.
Arsenal are now unbeaten against Spurs in their last seven games. Earlier this season, Eberechi Eze scored a hat-trick in November as the Gunners thrashed Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates.
Arteta’s side also did the double over their bitter local rivals in 2024-25, winning 1-0 at Tottenham and earning a 2-1 victory at home.
Tottenham’s team news
Spurs were dealt a big blow when promising young winger Wilson Odobert ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Newcastle.
He joins a long injury list of players who will miss the derby, including James Maddison, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso and Lucas Bergvall.
Cristian Romero will serve the second of his four-game suspension after the Spurs captain was sent off in the defeat to Man United earlier this month.
Brazilian forward Richarlison is back in training after a knock and could be available for selection, while Pedro Porro faces a late fitness test as he looks to return from injury.
Predicted starting XI:
Vicario (GK); Palhinha, Dragusin, Van de Ven; Gray, Gallagher, Sarr, Spence; Kolo Muani, Simons; Solanke
Arsenal’s team news
Versatile midfielder Mikel Merino has undergone surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot, an injury sustained in January, and could miss the rest of the season.
Leandro Trossard is a serious doubt for the derby after he went off injured in stoppage time against the Wolves.
But Arteya has said he hopes to have captain Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz available for selection after they were struggling with injuries, and youngster Max Dowman has returned to training after an ankle problem.
And while Saka also limped off against Wolves, he is expected to be declared fit for this match.
After blowing a two-goal lead to draw against the Premier League’s bottom club Wolves, there will be no dodging the questions on whether Arsenal are mentally ready to end their 22-year wait to become champions.
For the first time really this season, the title race is not completely in the control of Mikel Arteta and his players.
If Manchester City – five points behind in second place – win all of their remaining 12 games, which includes a home meeting against Arsenal, they will finish first.
The same, though, can be said for the Gunners, who have 11 matches left – and they win the April encounter at Etihad Stadium.
But after dropping four crucial points in successive draws against Brentford and Wolves, they are in danger of being haunted by the ghost of past failures.
Three successive runners-up finishes, two of them to Pep Guardiola’s men, provide a constant reminder.
Former Arsenal forward Alan Smith admitted “that word bottle will be used quite a bit in the next few days”.
The scenario seemed a lot different when Piero Hincapie slotted home his first goal for the club in the 56th minute, adding to Bukayo Saka’s fifth-minute opener.
But the Gunners lacked the control and ruthlessness to finish off a Wolves side that had lost their nine previous meetings and are heading for the Championship.
The hosts showed remarkable spirit to fight back with Hugo Bueno’s 20-yard curler giving them hope. Then, in the fourth minute of added time, 19-year-old Tom Edozie – off the bench for his senior debut – pounced on a mix-up between Arsenal pair David Raya and Gabriel and his shot went in off Riccardo Calafiori for a dramatic, dreamy leveller.
Arsenal next face London derbies with Tottenham and Chelsea and they have worryingly started to wobble at a decisive stage in the season.
Arteta knows his side will come under fire and scrutiny.
“Any opinion you have to take it on the chin,” he said. “Any bullet, take it, because we didn’t perform at the level required.
“Anything anyone says can be right because we didn’t do what we had to do. The way to do it is on the pitch on Sunday [against Spurs].”
Wolves boss Rob Edwards said his side “knew there is a massive pressure” on Arsenal at the minute – and they capitalised on that.
The Gunners have not been performing at their best since the start of 2026 and won only two of their last seven league matches, with victories against Leeds and Sunderland.
Arteta added: “Certain basics we have to do, we did them so poorly, one after the other.
“It is better not to judge it. We are all too emotional about it. You have to take the hit because we deserve it. It is very easy with emotion to say things that can damage the team. Everyone wants to do their best.”
Only Crystal Palace and West Ham (both eight) have dropped more points from winning positions in the league in 2026 than Arsenal (seven) and the Gunners have now failed to win from a leading position in three of their last five league games.
This was also the first time in Premier League history that a side starting the day bottom of the table avoided defeat to the leaders, despite trailing by two or more goals.
“It feels like a pivotal moment, a vital one, maybe a turning point,” Smith added on Sky Sports.
“It’s in Manchester City‘s hands now. With their experience and Guardiola’s experience they will really fancy it now. They can almost feel the nerves of the Arsenal team watching that.
“Having been 2-0 up against the team rock bottom on nine points is just not good enough for the team hoping to win the title. It doesn’t bode well for Arsenal to be able to handle the pressure.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he is “happy” to interact with fans but there are times when he has felt “exposed” and “not very comfortable”.
A video recorded after the Gunners’ FA Cup win over Wigan on Sunday showed a man repeatedly asking for Arteta’s autograph as he and his wife waited in traffic outside Emirates Stadium.
Arteta refused to open his window and several more people crowded round the vehicle. They then stepped back while the man followed the vehicle as it crept forward, saying he wanted Arteta to sign an Arsenal jersey for his son.
“I always try to be very respectful,” said Arteta. “I love to sign and photograph as much as we can. I think it’s part of our role.
“But there are certain things in terms of security that we have to respect. Especially when certain people are doing it, they are not doing it for the right reasons.”
“The last time my wife was there, what was in the media was totally wrong and unfair,” Arteta added.
“I prefer to talk about the incredible other people that come around genuinely, because they want to have that interaction, and I think everybody who knows me, [knows] how happy I am to do that.
“But there are moments and context when that is not the case. And then we need somebody there to protect us as well because, if not, we will get exposed, you cannot move from your car and you don’t feel very comfortable there.”
It is understood that as part of Arsenal‘s security guidance, the manager, players and coaches are advised not to roll their vehicle windows down when driving.
England winger Bukayo Saka has signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal until 2031.
Sources have told BBC Sport that the agreement will make Saka the club’s best-paid player on wages in excess of £300,000 a week.
Talks over a new deal have been ongoing for nearly a year, with Saka verbally agreeing to commit his future to the club in January.
Saka signed his previous deal, which was due to expire in 2027, in 2023 but his renewal means the 24-year-old has committed his peak years to the Gunners.
The news comes as a major boost for the Gunners, as they battle on four fronts to win silverware for the first time since 2020.
The agreement is the latest example of Arsenal tying down their key players to long-term contracts as they look to keep their title-chasing squad together.
William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly all signed new long-term contracts in the summer.
Saka has scored seven goals in 33 appearances for the Gunners this term.
Mikel Arteta’s side are four points clear at the top of the Premier League and they will face Manchester City in the EFL Cup final in March.
The Gunners are also through to the the knockout stages of the Champions League, as well as the fifth round of the FA Cup.
With the noise around Arsenal and their history under Arteta when trying to win the title, the Gunners boss was asked if he needs to ensure that his side do not panic and remain focused on their task.
“That’s what we have to do,” he said. “I mean we are going to be willing and preparing to win every single match and the only thing that we can do is focus on that and raise the levels collectively and individually to be better than the opponent every week.
“It’s just the things that we have to do, that’s the most important thing.”
But after Erling Haaland’s late penalty to secure the three points and their win against Fulham on Wednesday, the gap was reduced to three points and the pressure was put back on to the Gunners.
When asked if playing after City is bringing a new pressure to his team, Arteta said: “I don’t think so, I think we played well after them a few times this season and we have won games.”
Of the 17 games in which Arsenal have scored first in the Premier League this season, the draw at Brentford was just the second time they have failed to win, along with their loss to Manchester United in January.
Midfielder Declan Rice could not have put it better: “This is a rollercoaster of a season.
“You can’t be naive to think this is going to be easy. We are playing against the best teams week in, week out. We have to keep pushing and believing in ourselves, controlling the controllables.
“We have to block out the outside noise. We have done that really well. People are going to talk up the title race and Arsenal but we have a really calm group.”
Mikel Arteta says his side lacked discipline and composure in the second half, as Arsenal have to settle for a 1-1 draw away at Brentford in the Premier League.
The celebrations between a group of City players at full-time to preserve a clean sheet epitomised the togetherness that has been forged and the character they are able to display.
The result at Anfield appears to have given City and Guardiola renewed belief that they are capable of chasing down Arsenal, despite not being at their rampant best this season.
City have the know-how of getting the job done, having been top dogs in six of the past eight seasons, while Arsenal will be hoping there isn’t a familiar story to the past three campaigns when they have finished runners-up.
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Radio Live: “There are still fragilities we haven’t seen in the past perhaps, but they still have the armoury I think to go on a crazy run now and be unbeaten and all that stuff.
“It’s not that big of a statement to say that. The manner in which they won on Sunday, the psychological side. They have gone ‘this is ours for the taking’.
“The belief runs through the whole club and fans where they think, ‘do you know what, we still have a great chance’. That will give them belief for this run-in.”
The weight of expectation will lie heavily on Arsenal‘s shoulders before facing the Bees, with an uncomfortable night’s sleep in store after seeing City take apart Fulham in a clinical first-half showing.
But Arsenal know they can respond by claiming three points at the G Tech Stadium and if they follow it up by beating bottom side Wolves next Wednesday, the tantalising prospect of a nine-point lead awaits.
The two sides meet in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday 22 March with the chance of inflicting the first direct psychological blow.
Recent history shows that seven of the last 12 winners of the EFL Cup have gone on to win at least one other trophy in the same season, highlighting the importance of claiming the trophy at Wembley next month.
They are scheduled to meet at Etihad Stadium in the Premier League in April but the rivalry could see them face each other another three times if they progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup.
While Arsenal did not sign anyone in the January transfer window, City added Antoine Semenyo, who has scored five goals already, and England international Marc Guehi, who contributed to a clean sheet.
Guardiola said his side are “growing”, adding: “We were together, more calm with the ball, we made inside, outside [runs]. I would say the position was not perfect for Nico O’Reilly and Phil [Foden] but sometimes it happens to be in better positions, but in general really pleased.
“We suffered a lot at Fulham and today, after physically and emotionally at Anfield, it is really tricky but we talked a lot and I said ‘guys we have to do it again’ and we did it.”
Kelly Somers: What’s been the toughest point in your career?
Granit Xhaka: I have two tough moments. The first one was when I moved for the first time away from my family at nearly 19 to Germany. It was very difficult for me. Everyone knows how close I am to my family and to be away from them was hard. I didn’t get the minutes I wanted [on the pitch] and I wanted to leave in January after six months, but I had my dad behind me. He said: ‘If you walk now, you will always walk away, so head down and just work.’ I did, and everything changed.
The second part is not a big secret. It was 2019 when I had this… I call it a misunderstanding… with the fans of Arsenal. Two moments where I think that I became stronger and better because it’s part of a process. It’s part of writing the whole history. On one side, very bad. On one side, I was lucky to have it.
Kelly: Now you’re back in the Premier League, have you had an opportunity to reflect on your whole period at Arsenal? Because you had some incredible highs as well as some really difficult moments…
Granit: In general, I think people just think about this moment in 2019. But I came in 2016, so to be part of a football club for seven years makes me proud… it’s not easy to be on this level for seven years. And, of course, when I left Arsenal it was a hard decision for myself and for my family because we were happy there. But I got another offer on the table where I was thinking more far [ahead] than in the moment. To be honest, I didn’t expect to be back in the Premier League after two years again. This was not the plan for myself, or for our family.
Kelly: So you never wanted to come back?
Granit: It’s not that I didn’t want to, but it wasn’t planned. When I moved from Arsenal, I signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen. So everything was planned around what happens after five years. But I always say in football, you never know where you are tomorrow.
Kelly: Why did you come back then?
Granit: Even the people closest to me were saying: ‘Why are you going back to the Premier League to join Sunderland?’I came back becauseI love the challenge and I had the feeling I need a new challenge. After two years in Germany, where in the first year we won nearly everything… unbeaten in the Bundesliga, won the cup, lost the final of Europa League, which was very painful. I just had the feeling with the owner when I spoke with them – with the club, with the coach – this is the right club for me, because the people are very humble. It’s a small city like where I grew up. I just wanted to come back in a reality which I believe is the right direction for myself, for my family. I’m just happy that everything at the moment is going how I wanted it to.
Kelly: You must have expected it to go well because otherwise you wouldn’t have come here. But has it exceeded your expectations?
Granit: The first thing I said to the club was: ‘I’m not coming here to play in the Premier League for one year and to go down, because I’m leaving a Champions League club. I’m coming here to to push this project.’
Kelly: I find it fascinating, because you must have had other offers to come back to the Premier League…
Granit: It was a busy summer to be honest!I’m 33,I spoke with my brother and I said: ‘I never have had so many offers!’ The summer was very busy because every day someone else came. But I decided for myself – after 20 minutes on the call with the owner – I wanted to go to Sunderland. I was so sure.
Very few, if any, of their attackers will get 270 minutes over the three games and those that own the injured Bukayo Saka should make the switch to 90-minute man Declan Rice without hesitation.
Triple Arsenal defence is also an option with Gabriel, Jurrien Timber and goalkeeper David Raya a high risk, high reward play.
Elsewhere, midfielder Enzo Fernandez has four goals, one assist in his past six league games and has become Chelsea‘s most reliable asset.
His busy schedule shouldn’t put you off buying him in a week when boss Liam Rosenior has praised his athleticism, leadership and recovery time. A visit to Wolves followed by home games against Leeds and Burnley puts Chelsea top of the fixture ticker over the next three.
After nearly six years and four failed semi-finals, Arsenal‘s 4-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final has put them back into a major final.
It will be their first under Mikel Arteta since he guided them to FA Cup victory in 2020 – and just their second in his time at the club.
It was tight, it was tense and it was pretty dull at times but, as Kai Havertz rolled in an injury-time goal to confirm their place at Wembley, the euphoria from fans and players alike at Emirates left you in no doubt about the significance.
In a match that saw both sides only manage two shots on target each, the Gunners rarely looked troubled as they showed all the qualities that have made them so hard to beat.
The result means Arsenal will compete in a ninth EFL Cup final when they take on either Manchester City or Newcastle on Sunday, 22 March in the tournament’s showpiece match.
Should they face City, it will be a repeat of the 2018 final, won by the Manchester club, when Arteta was part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff.
However, aside from it being an opportunity for Arsenal to gain a measure of revenge for that loss and winning their first League Cup for 33 years, it would also be a step towards changing a few perceptions.
Arsenal manager Arteta said: “There was a special atmosphere inside our stadium. It makes such a difference. We’ve been waiting a few years to get into this position and we’re certainly going to enjoy it [the final].
“It’s the best vitamins that we can put in our bodies because we’re playing every three days. But the fact that you worked so hard to achieve those moments and to have these moments together is just magical.
“You can see the joy, the smile, the energy and everything that works at the club.”
Midfielder Declan Rice, added: “We deserve it. The last three or four years we’ve been at the top of the Premier League, competing and got really close but haven’t been good enough.
“That’s why this season we have that extra desire and fire in our bellies to go one step further in every competition. There’s a long way to go but to be in a cup final with this club is amazing.”
For the last few years, Arteta’s Arsenal reign has been a story of near-misses, both in cup competitions and in the Premier League.
Now, just one game away from ending their trophy drought, are the Premier League leaders about to silence accusations of being the ‘nearly men’ for good?
Ex-Arsenal defender Matt Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It has been a few years in the making and there has been a steady build-up to this point for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has been laying the foundations, building the ethos, and togetherness of the team.”
How do you stop Arsenal causing chaos from set-pieces?
It’s the question everyone keeps asking – but few find an answer.
The Gunners are Europe’s leading force in scoring from set-plays over the last couple of seasons and, it has been such an formidable tactic, for many it has proved impossible to prevent.
Step forward Liam Rosenior and Chelsea, who tried an innovative way of stopping them in their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg tie on Tuesday night – just days after former Manchester City and Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given had suggested similar on Match of the Day.
While it wasn’t able to stop the Gunners securing a 1-0 win – and 4-2 aggregate success – to book their place in the EFL Cup final, it might at least have given rivals some food for thought.
Just as Arsenal were about to whip in their two corners, Chelsea sent three players sprinting from defence to attack – forcing the hosts to quickly react and send players back themselves.
Monaco and Crystal Palace have also left players up against Arsenal‘s set-pieces before – but no team has attempted such a late attempt at forcing Mikel Arteta’s men back towards their own half.
Perhaps they had been listening to Given on Match of the Day on Saturday night.
After watching Arsenal score from two set-pieces in their 4-0 thrashing of Leeds, he said: “I wish someone would try something different.
“Take nothing away from Arsenal, but I see the same set-up every week – Arsenal players loaded at the back and causing carnage. Every set-up is the same.
“Someone can try something different to stop this brilliant form of attack. What can teams do different to create more space? If they leave three up, Arsenal have to leave at least three, maybe four players back.
“Then, in the defending box, that leaves a lot more space for the defenders and the goalkeeper. Yes, it leaves more space for the forwards as well, but all those numbers caused so much confusion.”
Since the start of last season, Arteta’s men have scored 53 goals from set-pieces across all competitions – 13 more than anyone else in the Premier League.
And Chelsea‘s tactic – while not enough to secure them a place in the EFL Cup final – at least stopped Arsenal from scoring from a set-play.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp was less impressed though.
He told Sky Sports: “I like the plan, but my problem is Enzo Fernandez was left marking Gabriel and he has 10 yards to attack the ball.
“Chelsea are trying to negate there being too much traffic in the area, which Arsenal try to cause chaos with. They obviously have a plan but if Arsenal have the right delivery, Enzo Fernandez has no chance.”
The sight of Noni Madueke flying past defenders and putting dangerous crosses into the penalty area will have been a welcome sight for Mikel Arteta.
And Madueke’s performance in Arsenal‘s 4-0 hammering of Leeds will have been even more well received, given that he was drafted into the starting line-up minutes before kick-off after Bukayo Saka picked up a hip injury in the warm-up.
The 23-year-old created Martin Zubimendi’s opener, before seeing his corner punched into the Leeds net by goalkeeper Karl Darlow for the Gunners’ second, as Arteta’s men moved seven points clear at the Premier League summit.
And the England winger showed in his 60 minutes on the pitch just why the club made that decision.
Arteta said: “He was ready. Because you cannot do that in two minutes. The way he prepares, the way he’s waiting for opportunity, I think paid off today because he really impacted the team.”
While Arsenal are waiting for a diagnosis on the extent of Saka’s injury, Madueke will be hopeful he has earned another start for Tuesday’s EFL Cup semi-final second leg against former club Chelsea.
Saka and Madueke are also competing for a place for England as the summer’s World Cup approaches. So will the latter now get the chance to start staking his own claim?
“Noni Madueke was really good, especially when you come so late into the game,” former England midfielder Fara Williams told the BBC’s Final Score.
“It is an opportunity for him and he has performed well. When he went in at Arsenal and Saka got injured, he had an opportunity to get some games, then he got injured himself.
“When he has been playing for England, he has shown what he can do. He will be a headache for both managers, Mikel Arteta and Thomas Tuchel, in the summer.”
Ex-Manchester United striker Dion Dublin added on Final Score: “Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke are both internationals, and both doing an incredible job.
“Saka will likely start [for Arsenal and England] because he is the better of the two, and he is more consistent. But it is a great headache to have.”
