Martinelli & Jorginho shine to keep Arsenal’s title hopes alive
Just four weeks ago, Arsenal played Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, had plenty of scoring opportunities, but ultimately came up short. Just one month later, the Reds returned to town, but luck was not on their side this time. In the event of a loss, Arsenal would have fallen eight points behind the Premier League leaders; however, a win on Sunday keeps Mikel Arteta’s team in the title hunt heading into the season’s final stretch.
The Emirates fans cheered on their hosts as they got off to a strong start, and Saka gave them a justifiable lead. The German fumbled his lines as usual, but a brilliant pass from Martin Odegaard got Kai Havertz through. Saka finished the rebound, which was a blessing for him.
The home team should have scored twice before halftime with Jorginho back on the field. William Saliba, David Raya, and Gabriel would instead enter the break level, where Gabriel would achieve their own goal due to a three-way mix-up.
Unfortunately, Liverpool’s poor defence caught on quickly as well. Virgil van Dijk and Alisson had an odd misunderstanding halfway through the second half, which allowed the brilliant Gabriel Martinelli a golden opportunity to score.
Ibrahima Konate’s dismissal for a second yellow card in stoppage time ended Liverpool’s faint chances of a comeback. Not long after that, Leandro Trossard had everyone on their feet and sent their manager racing out of his technical area to ensure the victory with a deflected shot that went straight between Alisson’s knees.
Jorginho Helps Put Arsenal Back In The Hunt
After Arsenal’s 3-1 victory against Liverpool, Mikel Arteta gave kudos to many players at his post-match news conference. In the beginning, Kai Havertz was “unbelievable.” Gabriel Martinelli supplied the “streetwise” edge. However, he saved his most congenial remarks for Jorginho.
“I always say that he is an example, a role model,” the boss of Arsenal added. “He has had an issue he has been carrying for months. But he is always the first one in and the last one out. For all the kids at the club, if you want to look at somebody, look at him.”
The 32-year-old made an impressive return to the Premier League after a November absence, directing Arsenal’s midfield with a mix of aggression and poise. He moved purposefully and kept his senses sharp, giving the hosts extended moments of dominance.
Having him on the pitch with Declan Rice for extra defence allowed Havertz to retreat to the middle, where he and Martin Odegaard formed a box. Jorginho, nevertheless, was the attacking tyrant for Arsenal, as he completed more passes in the final third than any other player.
The excellence of his distribution was evident. A beautiful pass found Kai Havertz open on the left after the break. Similarly, he set up Martinelli for a fantastic opportunity earlier in the match.
After leaving the finishing touches to others, Arsenal scored three goals—one each from Bukayo Saka, Martinelli, and Leandro Trossard—for a total of 3.52, the highest ‘anticipated’ total versus Liverpool since Opta began tracking the statistics.
However, Jorginho was the one player who had the most impact on their victory. His contributions, both with and without the ball, were critical to the outcome, which put Arsenal squarely back in the hunt for the championship.
Man Utd Finally Gets Their Winning Streak Back
Erik ten Hag, manager of Manchester United, issued a warning in the program notes before the match versus West Ham. “One of our biggest issues this term has been our inability to gain rhythm, and setbacks have too often followed good results.”
He probably couldn’t help but dwell on the 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford and the subsequent home victory against Chelsea. Or there was that time in December when United defeated Aston Villa but then lost the next week to Nottingham Forest.
Interspersed with such outcomes were the surprising draw against Liverpool and West Ham. This time, however, things were different. United earned their most impressive home victory of the season after edging Wolves in the 97th minute on Thursday night.
Defeating West Ham 3-0 was far from a dominating performance. Too many rounds were fired by the enemy for it to happen. The F.A. Cup wins against Wigan and Newport are part of this five-game undefeated streak across all competitions. Warnings notwithstanding, however, there is reason to be hopeful.
Ten Hag will muse on his ability to focus on his strengths to improve his speech pattern and gain the self-assurance that comes with it. The results will buy him time, which is what he needs. Up next, it’s Aston Villa away. If you succeed, your faith will blossom.
Pochettino Needs To Be Fireproof As Fans Turn Up The Heat
No matter how prepared Mauricio Pochettino was before becoming Chelsea manager, the challenge remained.
In 2022–23, Chelsea had their worst season since the mid-1990s, finishing 27 points outside of the playoff spots. This time around, they’re only going to be seven points up.
The spending habits of Todd Boehly have been both a boon and a bane for Chelsea, and Mauricio Pochettino has shown more patience than most managers would have after suffering defeats at the hands of Everton, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Wolves in the span of six games.
However, someone has crossed a line now. Any young, inexperienced squad would be wise to avoid playing Liverpool after suffering a humiliating four-goal loss in as many days. It goes beyond comprehension to lose so lopsidedly at home to a Wolves team that has been stifled by F.F.P. regulations and was considered by many commentators to be a relegation candidate earlier in the season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has let in eight goals in only five days in two matches.
Fans finally began to turn on Pochettino in addition to the team. Even without the chants of encouragement, his name resounded across the press box as his team hobbled off the field at halftime. At full-time, there were hardly enough Chelsea supporters to yell one more boo at him.
Chelsea are terrible in every category. They have the league’s second-worst wasteful attack force, according to xG deficit. So far this season, they have allowed more goals than Jose Mourinho’s 2004–05 and 2005–06 league-winning teams.
This squad has skill. However, no group has been formed. When there is a lack of enormous cohesiveness, individual excellence will not make up for it. There are many others to blame than Pochettino. Stamford Bridge is already becoming poisonous, and he will be the one to shoulder the blame if things don’t change soon. Things will only worsen from here on out.