Aubameyang scores but Arsenal’s woes continue

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been nothing short of spectacular since his move from Borussia Dortmund. The Gabon international has come to the English Premier League deemed the most competitive of them all and has already managed to score 9 goals and provide 4 assists in just 10 starts as according to WhoScored. The African player had already done the most in the Germany where he scored 21 goals in all competitions at club level. Combined, the Aubameyang has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season excluding the one goal he scored for his nation in an international friendly game. This deserves so much praise for a player who joined a team in the middle of the season just like some international players like Alexis Sanchez but has still managed to outscore them. Of those goals, one of them came from today’s match between Arsenal and Leicester City.

Iheanacho opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The Nigerian international has not been in the best of form this season unlike his fellow African counterpart Aubameyang as this is only his second goal in the league. Iheanacho was dangerous on the night though as he was clean through on goal before being brought down by young Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos. The Greek defender was shown a red card and Arsenal were short. Arsenal held on until Aubameyang came to the rescue and score in the 53rd minute. Arsenal was level on matters and was looking to pull a comeback but their hopes were shattered by Jamie Vardy’s penalty who scored after Grey was brought down in the box by Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Another African player claimed a stake from the match between the two teams. Algerian born winger Riyad Mahrez scored the 3rd and final goal for Leicester to seal their 3-1 win against Arsenal. Arsenal have not won a single point this year away from home which can be a mental challenge for the players that the incoming Arsenal coach has to deal with in the new season. Wenger has one final chance to win on a note and win points away from in their match against Huddersfield on the 13th of May.

Manchester United through to the final after beating Tottenham 2-1

Manchester United have done it again and are on the right path to prove that they are becoming a competitive team in England. The club have been struggling since Alex Ferguson left but Jose Mourinho has achieved instant success after taking over from Louis Van Gaal. The Portuguese manager won what he calls a treble in his first season i.e. FA Community Shield, Carabao Cup and the UEFA Europa League which gave them qualification to the UEFA Champions League. This season, he tried to catch up with the cash rich City side who invested a lot but could not push for a title challenge as everyone anticipated. The club also crashed out of the Carabao Cup this season before being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Sevilla in the quarterfinals. Mourinho’s man now only had their eyes on the FA Cup for a last chance to salvage some silverware to the club. They had enough to defeat their opponents today to make it to the final of the tournament but it was not easy.

Dele Alli opened the scoring for Tottenham on the 11th minute from a Christian Eriksen cross and it looked like it was going to be a defeat for the Red Devils but they had other thoughts. The winter signing scored the equalizer for United to make it 1-1 on 24 minutes after Paul Pogba outmuscled Dembele on the left before delivering a perfect cross for the Chilean forward to score. Jese Lingard wasted an opportunity to give United the lead three minutes later when he blazed over the goal from a cross by Lukaku only 3 minutes after Sanchez had scored. Dier also had an opportunity when he shot from distance and saw his effort hit the post. Lukaku then combined with Sanchez in a counter attack that saw the Spanish midfielder, Ander Herrera scoring the winning goal. This is such a disappointment for the Tottenham team who have been improving year on year. They really need to start winning trophies soon if they are to keep their top talent because they have come short on so many occasions. Kudos Mourinho and his team. On to the next one now.

Ian Wright talks about Anthony Martial

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright shares his thoughts on one of Manchester United’s players. Anthony Martial joined Manchester United back in 2015 from Monaco in a deal worth £36m. The player was an instant hit at the Old Trafford as Van Gaal trusted the player to lead the front and the then 19 year old managed to score 11 goals before being shifted to the left of the front three. Martial showed promise of being the go-to-man for the team in the post Ferguson era. Jose Mourinho took over the reigns in 2016 and he had different ideas. Mourinho had faith in other players like the emerging Rashford and Mata. This season, Jese Lingard has moved ahead of Martial in the pecking order and the addition of Alexis Sanchez in the winter transfer window proves that the player is not trusted to lead the attack by the coach. Martial has however, showed that he can deliver even as the centre forward as he scored a couple of goals in the absence of Romelu Lukaku. Wright believes that if United have to let one go between Martial and Rashford, then the Frenchman should be sacrificed. Craig Bellamy backed the former Arsenal legend in saying that he should be doing much more. Martial has the pace and the trickery to beat defenders but is not doing enough when asked to play out wide. Manchester City have done a good job with just as much quality in the front as United but somehow, the Red Devils have failed to make it work. United will not be willing to sell Martial to their rivals so it probably looks like the player would be looking for a move abroad. Do you think United owe Martial a little bit more than he is getting at the moment? Where do you want to see him playing next season? Leave your comments below.

Manchester United earn bragging rights by defeating City 3-2

The result means that Manchester City’s party has to be postponed. Manchester City were looking to be confirmed the champions of the 2017/18 season after defeating Manchester United on Saturday. Only a win would do on the occasion and 30 minutes into the match, they were already 2 goals up and on-course to be the champions. Leroy Sane delivered in a fantastic ball that was met by the City skipper, Kompany who bullied Smalling and scored he opener past De Gea.  Gundogan scored the second just a couple of minutes later after fooling Nemanja Matic with a beautiful turn before picking the ball into the net. City probably thought they were going to run away with the win. Little did they know that Paul Pogba had something planned to spoil the party as he scored a brace moments after the restart. The game was level at 2-2 thanks to Pogba’s first goals against a top 6 team in the Premier League. Alexis Sanchez, who provided the second for the Frenchman, was at it again as he whipped in a pass that was volleyed home by Smalling and give United the lead in the match. Manchester City were denied a clear penalty late in the match after substitute Aguero came on and was crunched on the shin by Young in the box but the referee waved clear. The Argentine tried to leave a mark on the match with an effort that only required a world-class save from De Gea to stop it from entering. Raheem Sterling also squandered a glorious opportunity to level the matters in the derby which ended 3-2 to United. Paul Pogba went home with the man of the match award and this piled pressure on a City side that has a mountain to climb in reducing the 3-0 deficit in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals.

The other derby played on the same day was not as entertaining as it ended in a goalless draw. Everton were made to wait for their first win against Liverpool in a longtime.

Salah soldiers Liverpool on in the battle for EPL second

Based on his current form, Salah’s name being named on the score sheet is not a surprise to anyone who watches football. Goals have become a norm for the Egyptian who has reached 29 goals already in the EPL and is leading the race to the golden boot. This time however, he had to come to the rescue of Liverpool and snatch a late win against Crystal Palace. Just these dramatic instances are what brings joy to the eye as this level of competition had been missed after the short international break. Milivojevic scored the opener for Palace from the penalty spot after Karius brought down Wilfried Zaha in the 18 area. Hodgson’s side were off to a good start and kept the Merseysiders at bay for the most part of the match until Senegalese forward Sadio Mane scored the equalizer just after the restart. It was not easier for Liverpool after that as Christian Benteke missed two glorious chances to bring back the advantage to the home side. Crystal Palace were left to rue their missed chances late on in the match as top goalscorer, Mo Salah calmly finished past Hennessy on the 84th minute. Once again, the Egyptian’s goals have made the difference, confirmed the win for Liverpool and put pressure on Manchester United on the race for runners up.

United also ended up winning 2-0 in their match against Swansea. Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez were on the score sheet and it was long overdue for the latter to contribute for the club in terms of goals.

The German talks about how he signed his Arsenal contract extension

The 2017/18 season started off on a bad note for Arsenal as the news came in that Alexis Sanchez almost signed for Manchester City on transfer deadline day in the summer. The player was unsettled and needed a change but the manager chose to stick with him even against his will. Mesut Ozil was another name of a player who was rumored to be on the lookout for a new club as his contract was expiring in less than a year like Sanchez and Wilshere. At one point in the season, the Arsenal faithful were tired of Sanchez and Ozil’s performances and just wanted them to leave if they continued to disrespect the badge. But Ozil has come out to say that he did not think about leaving. The player was taking his time to sign the contract extension because he wanted to get his mojo back before committing long-term in order to get the backing of the fans. And so he did. It was coincidental that his extension was announced in January around the time when the club had signed Mkhitaryan and were almost done with talks for Aubameyang. Now he looks a different animal that is rich in confidence as he has been influential in Arsenal’s recent turn in positive results. Do you think Ozil made the right decision to stay at Arsenal? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Sanchez's Manchester United Career Off to a Mixed Start

Alexis Sanchez switched from Arsenal to Manchester United in a swap deal that involved Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way. The player was frustrated by the lack of ambition that is surrounding the Emirates Stadium. What he probably did not expect was that his move to the Red Devils would not yield instant results like he did at Arsenal. Most recently, his coach Jose Mourinho admitted that the team is not getting the best out of the forward. This is because he came in as a big profile signing that was expected to bring back the attacking aura to the second placed team but had little time to gel with the philosophy of the coach and the chemistry of the team. That is still yet to happen. In his defense, Mourinho is a defensive minded coach and his tactics are mostly centered on counter-attacking the opposition which does not suit the winger who always demands the ball and wants to have a go at defenders. Time is running out for the winger before critics start calling him a flop because his current return of 1 goal in 441 minutes in the Premier League is quite shocking for a player with his abilities. After turning in his best performance to date in a 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford, he will be looking to build some momentum both in the league and Manchester United's upcoming 2nd leg against Sevilla in the Champions League.