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The Gunners shoot blanks

While he had the opportunity to fly away from Manchester City, traveling to Chelsea on Thursday, Arsenal came up against a very solid Newcastle defensively.

With 44 points in 17 matches played, the Londoners are eight steps ahead of the defending champions, who have one game less, and nine over the Magpies who remain 3rd, with one game more.

During a choppy meeting, with nine warnings, Mikel Arteta's men, often beside themselves on the touchline, nevertheless tried a lot.

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, on the wings, regularly invited themselves into the opposing area with the ball at their feet.

But really dangerous actions remained rare, like a floating header from Gabriel that Nick Pope was very happy to see slip past his left post (34th), just like that, uncrossed and from a corner, by Martinelli (79th).

The substitute goalkeeper in selection, on the other hand, was decisive three minutes from the end of regulation time on a recovery from Eddie Nketiah pushed back with his foot.

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope makes a save during the Premier League match against Arsenal on January 3, 2023 © Ben Stansall / AFP

Offensively, Newcastle will have been very discreet, being especially threatening on set pieces, like this corner of added time in the first period that Joelinton, at the far post, could have converted.

Both sides continue their unbeaten streak of 13 games for Newcastle and 11 for Arsenal respectively, and the Magpies became the first team not to concede a goal against Arsenal in the league since… themselves, in the second leg of last season, last May.

With yet another trip to Tottenham and the reception of Manchester United before the end of January, Arsenal will have to do better against the other ambitious players in the Championship if they want to continue their race at the top.

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Manchester United are getting closer

The draw at the Emirates did the business of the Red Devils, fairly easy winners of promoted Bournemouth (3-0) and who thus come back up to Newcastle (35 pts), but with a much worse goal difference.

They had been put on the right track by Casemiro on receiving a free kick from Christian Eriksen (1-0, 23rd), before Luke Shaw (2-0, 49th) and Marcus Rashford (3-0, 86th ) only add to their success.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford (centre), defender Luke Shaw (right) and Bournemouth midfielder Siriki Dembele (left) during the Premier League match at Old Trafford on January 3, 2023 © Lindsey Parnaby/AFP

But the bad news of the evening, in addition to the still very weak performance of Anthony Martial, holder but replaced 20 minutes from the end, was the injury of Donny van de Beek just before the break.

The Dutchman, who had started for only the second time in the league in 19 months, was hit in the knee and left the field in tears.

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Lampard and Rodgers under pressure

In the other matches of the evening, things did not improve for Frank Lampard and Brendan Rodgers, under pressure after the defeats of Everton and Leicester at home.

The Toffees, already behind at the break on a goal from Kaoru Mitoma (0-1, 14th), completely cracked against Brighton at the start of the second half with three goals conceded between the 51st and 57th minutes by Evan Ferguson, Solly March and Pascal Gross.

The penalty at the very end of the match, converted by Demarai Gray (1-4, 90+2) is a very meager consolation for the other Liverpool club which trails in 16th place in the standings with only three lengths ahead of the Red Lantern, Southampton.

On the side of Leicester, a goal from the inevitable Aleksandar Mitrovic (0-1, 7th) made the difference for Fulham despite the good reaction of the Foxes in the second half, symbolized by a strike from Youri Tielemans on the bar at the end of the match. .

Thirteenth with 17 points, 3 ahead of the red zone, Rodgers knows however that his situation remains very precarious.

© 2023 AFP