PREMIER LEAGUE: Williams stuns Arsenal, Leicester brought low

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Ashley Williams's 86th-minute header ended Arsenal's 14-game unbeaten run and kept Arsene Wenger's side from the Premier League summit as Everton claimed a much-needed 2-1 win on Tuesday.

Arsenal would have provisionally supplanted leaders Chelsea on goals scored with victory and took a 20th-minute lead when Alexis Sanchez's free-kick deflected in off Williams.

But Seamus Coleman equalised with a 44th-minute header before Williams's first Everton goal ended his team's five-game winless run and sent Ronald Koeman's men up to seventh in the table.

"We showed two faces," Everton manager Koeman, who had defender Phil Jagielka sent off in stoppage time, told BT Sport.

"The first face, I hate that face because it is all about being nervous. You cannot lose the game like that.

"This was a good match though because we showed how we have to play -- with commitment and aggression. You see the reaction of the crowd when you go for it and that's what we did."

Arsenal manager Wenger said the game had been "very physical".

"We faced many physical challenges and that disturbed our game, but we were a bit unlucky to lose as well," he said.

"They were a bit scared at first, but they got their confidence. We did fight, I cannot fault that."

Meanwhile, champions Leicester City were brought down to earth after their 4-2 demolition of Manchester City as Marc Pugh's goal earned Bournemouth a 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium.

Arsenal made only one change from their 3-1 win over Stoke City, fit-again right-back Hector Bellerin replacing injured centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, and took a 20th-minute lead.

The goal stemmed from a comedy of errors on the edge of Everton's box as Ross Barkley lost possession, Williams fouled his own team-mate Idrissa Gueye and Jagielka tripped Francis Coquelin.

- Thudding header -

Sanchez sent the free-kick curling towards Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and in seeking to clear the ball, Williams succeeded only in deflecting it into his own net.

It was Sanchez's 12th effort of the campaign, putting him level with Chelsea's Diego Costa as Premier League top scorer.

Everton did not look like equalising, with Romelu Lukaku and Aaron Lennon slicing shots off target, but with half-time looming they drew level.

Leighton Baines curled a right-foot cross towards the back post from the left and Coleman nipped in between Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal to glance a deft header past Petr Cech.

Mesut Ozil spurned a glorious opportunity to restore Arsenal's lead early in the second half, wafting a shot over the bar from Sanchez's cut-back, while Barkley drilled wide at the other end.

The noise level rose as the game wore on and with four minutes to play Everton struck the winner, Williams flying in at the back post to send a thudding header past Cech from Barkley's corner.

Everton had Jagielka sent off after he picked up a second yellow card, but the hosts survived amid frantic late scenes that saw Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi have a shot blocked on the line.

It was Arsenal's first league defeat since their 4-3 loss to Liverpool on the season's opening day and means they will be six points off the pace if Chelsea win at bottom club Sunderland on Wednesday.

Leicester remain without back-to-back league wins this season after defeat at Bournemouth -- their eighth of the campaign -- kept them in 14th place, just four points above the relegation zone.

Pugh marked his first start of the season with the game's only goal, slamming home the rebound after Leicester goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler saved from Benik Afobe in the 34th minute.

"The result is too severe against us because we created more chances than Bournemouth," said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri.

"If we continue to fight at this level, sooner or later we will get a good result."

Eddie Howe's Bournemouth leap four places to eighth, nine points clear of the bottom three.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Barca star trio outgun Arsenal to reach quarters

BARCELONA, Spain -- Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were all on target as Barcelona piled more pressure on under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger by easing into the Champions League quarter-finals 5-1 on aggregate with a 3-1 win at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Neymar's early strike appeared to erase any forlorn hopes of an Arsenal comeback, but the visitors were handed a lifeline when Mohamed Elneny drilled into the top corner just after half-time.

Suarez put the tie beyond Wenger's men in emphatic fashion with a stunning volley 25 minutes from time before Messi's cheeky chipped finish rounded off the scoring late on.


"I don't know with what I hit the ball, but the most important thing is it went in," said Suarez.

"It was the moment in which they were attacking us. After they scored they grew in confidence, but we got back in front and back in control of the game."

A ninth consecutive victory stretches Barca's unbeaten run in all competitions to 38 games and seals their place in Friday's quarter-final draw for the ninth consecutive season.

By contrast, one win in eight games has decimated Arsenal's hopes of silverware this season as they exit the competition at the last 16 stage for the sixth consecutive season days after relinquishing their two-year hold on the FA Cup.

"I have to say we played against a team with the best strikers I've seen," said Wenger.

"The three are exceptional and from nothing they can create a chance.

"We have to admire art and they have two or three players that transform normal life into art."

After a bright start from Arsenal, Barca's front three soon came to life and David Ospina made a brilliant save from Messi after the Argentine had perfectly controlled Neymar's floated pass over the Arsenal defence.

Jeremy Mathieu headed over a gilt-edged chance from the resulting corner.

Neymar wasn't so forgiving moments later when he was played in by Suarez and coolly slotted past Ospina for his 26th goal of the season.

Yet, Arsenal should have been at least level by the break as Barca struggled to handle the visitors pace on the break without the suspended Gerard Pique.

Alexis Sanchez missed a glorious chance to net on his return to the Camp Nou when he glanced a header wide from Hector Bellerin's cross.

Danny Welbeck then sliced well wide when clean through on goal, whilst Alex Iwobi appealed in vein for a penalty after clipping his own ankles inside the box.

Arsenal's pressure was finally rewarded six minutes into the second-half when Elneny rifled his first goal for the club into the top corner from Sanchez's layoff.

Conceding a goal sparked Barca back into life as Ospina got down well to his left to parry Messi's low drive.

Welbeck had another chance to put Arsenal right back in the tie when he pounced on a poor header from Mathieu, but saw his shot blocked by Javier Mascherano's brilliant last-ditch tackle.

Barca's nerves were settled in spectacular fashion by Suarez as the Uruguayan contorted his body to acrobatically volley home Dani Alves's cross.

Arsenal continued to create chances as Welbeck drilled a shot against the bar from a narrow angle.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen then produced a brilliant double save to turn away Sanchez's free-kick and Olivier Giroud's follow-up effort.

However, Messi again demonstrated the difference in quality between the sides in front of goal when he dinked home two minutes from time to take he, Neymar and Suarez's combined tally for the season to 106.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Chelsea keeper Cech joins London rivals Arsenal

LONDON - Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech ended a highly successful 11-year spell at English champions Chelsea when he moved to Premier League rivals Arsenal on Monday.

Cech, who made over 400 appearances at Stamford Bridge and won the Champions League and four Premier League titles, joins Arsenal on a long-term contract for a fee British media reported to be worth around 11 million pounds ($17.31 million).

"I'm really excited about joining Arsenal and can't wait to join up for pre-season," Cech, 33, told the club's website (www.arsenal.com)

"I have the same commitment to football, the same motivation and the same hunger for success as I had at the beginning of my career.

"When (Arsenal manager) Arsene Wenger spoke to me about his ambitions for this club, and how he saw me as part of this team, the decision was clear."

One of Cech's first games for Arsenal will be against Chelsea at Wembley on Aug. 2 in the traditional match between the FA Cup winners and Premier League champions.

Before that his new club play in the four-team Asia Trophy in Singapore next month and then host the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyonnais, Villarreal and VfL Wolfsburg.

Chelsea were reluctant to sell the Cech but accepted he did not want to spend another campaign as deputy to Thibaut Courtois who is 10 years younger.

Belgian international Courtois became manager Jose Mourinho's first choice last season after returning from three years on loan at Atletico Madrid.

Cech moved to Stamford Bridge from Stade Rennes in 2004 but made only six appearances in last season's league triumph.

His other major honours included the Champions League in 2012, when he saved a penalty in the final against Bayern Munich and two more spot kicks in the shootout, the 2013 Europa League, four FA Cup wins and three League Cups.

"Petr Cech is a player that I have admired for a long time and I am very pleased that he has decided to join us," Arsenal boss Wenger said.

"He has proven over many seasons that he is one of the outstanding keepers in the world and he will add great strength to our squad."

($1 = 0.6354 pounds) (Reporting by Steve Tongue; additional reporting by Michael Hann; editing by Justin Palmer)

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Impossible for Chelsea to lose title now, says Wenger

LONDON - Arsenal may still have a mathematical chance of winning the Premier League but their manager Arsene Wenger conceded it was now "impossible" for Chelsea not to finish as champions following the London rivals' 0-0 stalemate on Sunday.

The result at the Emirates Stadium leaves Chelsea, who have five games remaining, top on 77 points, 10 clear of champions Manchester City, who have four games left, and Arsenal, who also have five to play.

If Chelsea win at Leicester City on Wednesday, the only team that can still theoretically catch the leaders are Arsenal, but Wenger admitted he did not think that would happen.

Asked if Chelsea were going to finish as champions, he told reporters: "Yes we know that, it is impossible for them to lose it now.

"They are not champions yet, but they will be. You get what you deserve. They started strong and that made the difference in the first part of the season compared to us, they played very well."

Sunday's result ended Arsenal's run of nine successive home league wins and also their run of nine successive wins in all competitions and left Wenger still without a win against Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in 13 meetings over the last decade.

Arsenal's season can still end on a high, though, if they retain the FA Cup against Aston Villa and Wenger was upbeat about their performances in the second half of the season and their immediate future prospects.

"I think we have closed the gap (on Chelsea) since the start of the season," he said.

"Now we want to finish the season well. You look at the other results and every game is difficult. We go to Hull next and before we play the Cup final we want to secure our place in the top four, that's not done yet.

"After that the top three, then the top two and that's all to do now."

But he downplayed his long winless run against Mourinho and the fact that Arsenal have not beaten Chelsea for eight matches since they won 5-3 at Stamford Bridge in October 2011. They have not scored against them in their last five games either.

"It's about our club and our team and not about me. What you want is to win the game, the rest is good for media talk. What is interesting is what happens on the football pitch," said Wenger.

(Reporting by Mike Collett; Editing by Ian Chadband)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com