Premier League: Arsenal recover to beat Chelsea, Manchester United reject Leicester

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (second left) extended his lead to make it 3-0 against Chelsea. AP

London: With his job increasingly at stake after an alarming start to the season, Mikel Arteta put his faith in the Arsenal boys to get the team out of trouble.

They met their manager under pressure.

Fueled by two 19-year-olds Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, and a 20-year-old in Emile Smith Rowe making his first Premier League start this season, Arsenal produced their best performance in some time to beat Chelsea by 3-1 and lift some of the sadness over the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Arteta had announced next week, beginning with Chelsea’s visit, as a “crucial” period that would determine in which direction Arsenal headed this season.

There were even some malicious conversations from Arsenal rivals and critics that Arteta’s team was in a relegation fight, given that they had lost five of the last seven league games, tying the other two, to slide into position. 15th in the 20-club league.

A first league win in nearly two months was therefore vital in boosting the fragile confidence of Arsenal’s players, even if it only lifted them to 14th place.

“We needed that. We needed to give something to the fans,” Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney said. “It’s something to build on.”
It took 90 minutes for the scrutiny looming over Arteta to drift to his Chelsea counterpart, Frank Lampard.

That’s three defeats in the last four league games for Chelsea, who have fallen to seventh place and whose identity, and best line-up, is increasingly difficult to decipher. Lampard oversaw a spending spree of nearly $ 300 million in the summer transfer window and knows there is pressure to win trophies this season.

“I will take responsibility on the outside,” Lampard said, “but the players also have to take responsibility.”

An Alexandre Lacazette penalty, won by a Reece James foul on Tierney, and a stunning free kick by Granit Xhaka put Arsenal up 2-0 at halftime, before Smith Rowe and Saka combined for the latter to make a shot, or not through? – from the far pole to the net.

In his third Premier League game, Rowe Smith, who spent the second half of last season on loan at second-division Huddersfield, was a sensation in central midfield and Martinelli again impressed with his energy on the left flank after start instead. by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when we have the information. In addition to scoring, Saka also earned the foul with which Xhaka made the free throw.

UNITED STREAK ENDS

Manchester United’s perfect away record is over, although it took an own goal to end it.

Substitute Axel Tuanzebe unknowingly deflected a Jamie Vardy shot into his own net in the 85th to gift Leicester a 2-2 draw at home to United. The result kept Leicester ahead of United in the standings after they started the day in second and third place.

Bruno Fernandes set up Marcus Rashford for the opener, made a careless mistake that led to Harvey Barnes equalizing and then scored himself at 79 to put United back in the lead.

United had won its first six away games of the campaign.

EVERTON SECOND

The tie between Leicester and Man United gave Everton a chance to overtake both, and second place, by beating Sheffield United, and Carlo Ancelotti’s team seized the opportunity.

Gylfi Sigurdsson scored in the 80th minute to give Everton a 1-0 win over Sheffield United, who remain in last place and still without a win after 15 games.

Everton have won four straight league games, just as the team opened the season, and made sure there are top two in Merseyside.

Easy for the city

Manchester City continue to work in the shadow of the top four, scoring wins and clean sheets without particularly impressing.

A routine 2-0 win over Newcastle in torrential rain at the Etihad Stadium was secured by goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres on either side at halftime and brought City to fifth place.

It was City’s fifth clean sheet in their last six games, with manager Pep Guardiola avoiding style to guarantee results after the team’s slow start to the season.

Villa soaring

Aston Villa absorbed the pressure and the 10 men extended their lead when Kortney Hause forced the ball home from close range after a Watkins header came off the bar. AFP

Aston Villa had too much for Crystal Palace in their 3-0 win at home, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men after Tyrone Mings received a second yellow card just before the break.

Villa worker forward Ollie Watkins was involved in all three goals, scored by Bertrand Traore, Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi. Villa has earned 10 points out of a possible 12 this month.

Southampton had two second-half goals disallowed by VAR in a 0-0 draw at Fulham in the day’s other match.