Arsenal Passes Derby Test, Extends Gap To Five Points
From Tanko Bauka
Arsenal responded emphatically as they demolished their bitter rival Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 to restore their five-points lead at the top of the English Barclays Premier League table as they seek to end their trophy drought.
Manchester City the closest rival to Arsenal’s title challenge had cut the gap to just two points after beaten Newcastle United 2-1 at the Etihad stadium and attention shifted to the London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and the league leader Arsenal because many believe would bungle it once again following the awful performance against Brentford and Wolves where they played out draws to share the points.
The mental strength of the players was put to the test, but the team responded with a performance that would calm nerves for now and in the future.
Arsenal and Manchester City are the only two title contenders as Aston Villa has since faltered on the way and both teams are aiming to win all their remaining matches to stand any chance of lifting the league trophy come May this year.
Arsenal has eleven matches remaining while Manchester City has twelve and the two sides are scheduled to meet in the final of the Carabao Cup at Wembley before meeting in the league for the second leg at Etihad Stadium in April.
The battle line has already been drawn to see if Arsenal would put behind them the disappointment of the three previous seasons and go all the way to lift the league trophy or if Manchester City would as usual sneak in and deny Arsenal of winning the trophy.
Chelsea’s hope of a top four finish in the league suffered a major setback as they were held to a one all draw by relegation bound Burnley at Stamford Bridge stadium while Brentford were beaten 2-0 by Brighton with Aston Villa and Leeds United settling for a one all draw on a day Aston Villa needed all three points to put their title charge back on track but they failed.
West Ham United played out a drab draw with AFC Bournemouth at the London Olympics stadium as they continue to battle for survival in the league.
Manchester City beat Newcastle United 2-1 earlier to reduce the gap at the top to just two before Arsenal responded in a big way to restor their five points lead while Sunderland again lost 3-1 to Fulham at the stadium of Light with Liverpool leaving it very late to inflict a painful defeat on Nottingham Forest, running away with a 1-0 and all the three points to boast their top four finish.
Crystal Palace pipped relegation-bound Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 to ease the pressure on the head coach.
The weekend encounters have come and gone but left behind unforgettable memories especially those that bothers on racist abuse directed at players because of their skin colours.
Chelsea defender, Wesley Fofona, Sunderland winger, Romaine Mundle, Wolverhampton Wanderers Nigeria, Tolu Arokodare and Burnley Midfielder, Hannibal Mejbri all encountered racist abuse on their Instagram.
The ugly situation has been condemned as usual by those responsible but it must go beyond that as the perpetrators need to be apprehended and punished for their crime to serve as deterrent to others.
In the Spanish La Liga, the defending Champions FC Barcelona returned to the top of the league with a comfortable 3-0 win against Levante while Real Madrid failed to capitalise and extend their lead to five points but were beaten by Osasuna to the disappointment of their supporters while Athletic Bilbao continued to impress with yet another win 2-1 against Elche.
Atletico Madrid hammered Espanyol 4-2 as Real Sociedad played out a three-all draw with Real Oviedo and Real Betis were also held to a one-all draw by Rayo Vallecano.
Gatafe lost 1-0 to Sevilla as Celta Vigo beat Mallorca 2-0 while Villarreal defeated Valencia 2-1.
In the Italian Serie A, Cesc Fabregas Como boasted their charge for an European football next season with a comfortable 2-0 win against Juventus while Lacce were beaten 2-0 by the league leader Inter Milan as Cagliari and Lazio settled for a drab draw.
Genoa beat Torino 3-0 as the defending Champions Napoli were beaten by Atalanta, and AC Milan also failed 1-0 to Parma while AS Roma defeated Cremonese 3-0.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich continue to dictate the pace with a 3-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt while Union Berlin lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen.
RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund all settled for a two-all draw while SC Freiburg defeated Bayer Monchengladbach 1-0 as Heidenheim and Stuttgart played out a three-all draw with FC St Pauli winning 2-1 against Werder Bremen.
Results across Europe
Chelsea 1- Burnley 1
Brentford 0- Brighton Albion 2
Aston Villa 1- Leeds United 1
West Ham United 0- Bournemouth 0
Manchester City 2- Newcastle United 1
Sunderland 1- Fulham 3
Nottingham Forest 0- Liverpool 1
Crystal Palace 1- Wolves 0
Tottenham 1- Arsenal 4
Spanish La Liga
Athletic Bilbao 2- Elche 1
Real Betis 1- Rayo Vallecano 1
Osasuna 2- Real Madrid 1
Atletico Madrid 4- Espanyol 2
Real Sociedad 3- Real Oviedo 3
Gatafe 0- Sevilla 1
Barcelona 3- Lavente 0
Celta Vigo 2- Mallorca 0
Villarreal 2- Valencia 1
Italian Serie A
Sassaulo 3& Hellas Verona 0
Juventus 0- Como 2
Lacce 0- Inter Milan 2
Cagliari 0- Lazio 0
Genoa 3- Torino 0
Atalanta 2- Napoli 1
AC Milan 0- Parma
AS Roma 3- Cremonese 0
German Bundesliga
Mainz 05 1- Hamburger 1
Koln 2- Hoffenheim 2
Union Berlin 1- Leverkusen 0
Wolfsburg 2- FC Augsburg 3
Bayern Munich 3- Frankfurt 2
RB Leipzig 2- Dortmund 2
SC Freiburg 2- Monchenglabach 1
FC St Pauli 2- Werder Bremen 1
Heidenheim 3- Stuttgart 3
