The Gunners keep the record with the blitz of Leicester. Aston Villa, West Ham and Leeds also win. Crystal Palace-Liverpool ends 0-0
The first place in the standings is secured, regardless of the result of the match between Bournemouth and Manchester City: Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal win 1-0 at Leicester (goal by Martinelli) and the top of the Premier League is held tight.
Aston Villa (2-0 against Everton, now in the relegation zone) and Leeds (1-0 with Southampton) are also celebrating, while West Ham drops poker thanks to the plays of Ings (brace): the Hammers beat Nottingham Forest for 4-0.
LEICESTER 0-1 ARSENAL
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After an unlucky first half, the Gunners win at Leicester. At the King Power Stadium, Arteta fielded Jorginho and Trossard from the start, while Zinchenko was named exceptional captain: a year after the start of the war in his country, the Ukrainian took the field with an armband. For 45 minutes Odegaard and his teammates take advantage of the insertions of Saka and Martinelli, they move well, but they don’t find the 1-0: in the 28th minute the referee cancels a goal from Trossard due to a foul in attack by White.
The goal that unlocks the match comes on 1′ of the second half with a fine diagonal from Martinelli. From that moment the pace picks up, Arsenal pushes to double while Leicester wastes a couple of chances. At the triple whistle, however, the scoreboard still indicates the score of 0-1.
LEEDS 0-1 SOUTHAMPTON
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Javi Garcia begins his adventure on the Leeds bench in the best possible way. The debut of the Spanish coach coincides with the very delicate match against the Saints, last in the standings and (before today) at -1 from the Peacocks. The new coach immediately focuses on McKennie and Gnonto, both starters: in the first half the teams are equal but create little, the stakes are high and the priority is to risk as little as possible. In the long run, however, Leeds push harder and deserve the lead, which arrives in the 77th minute with a non-irresistible shot by Junior Firpo, who exchanges with Harrison and shoots centrally. McKennie and his teammates thus achieve a fundamental success, moving to +1 from the red zone.
WEST HAM 4-0 NOTTINGHAM
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Neither Scamacca, nor Antonio: to try to extend the relegation zone, Moyes focuses on Ings in the center of the attack and leaves the former Sassuolo on the bench for 90′. The 30-year-old, starting for the Hammers for the first time, repaid the manager’s trust with a brace.
In the first half West Ham didn’t score but seemed more dangerous than their opponents, in the second Bowen hit the post and then served Ings the ball to make it 1-0: dribbling in the area and a low cross, the ball reached the centre-forward bought in January who it just has to push into the net. Two minutes go by and the Englishman finds his personal double, in the 78th minute Rice closes the game with a stone from distance that ends up under the crossbar. Antonio also celebrates in the final, coming on for Ings, who heads in the 4-0.
EVERTON-ASTON VILLA 0-2
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The Toffees slip to 18th, level on points with second-bottom Bournemouth. Villa returns from Goodison Park with three precious points, fruit – once again – of the usual Ollie Watkins. In the 63rd minute Gueye fouls McGinn in the area, the referee points to the spot and Watkins coolly converts the penalty, bringing himself to 5 goals in the last 5 Premier games (a record in the history of Aston Villa). With ten minutes to go, Buendia doubles the ball: the Argentine receives the ball in the frontline and gets rid of three opponents with a feint to applause, then overtakes Pickford with a big left-footed kick.
Bournemouth 1-4 Manchester City
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City answer Arsenal’s call, dominating in Bournemouth and staying 2 points off the leaders. Game never in question, with Guardiola’s team dominating and the defeat leaving Bournemouth in the penultimate place in the standings in a condominium with Everton (21 points in 24 games). In the 15th minute, Alvarez solidified City’s initial dominance, which doubled in the 29th minute with Haaland (27th goal of the season, the most ever for City in the Premier League), good at picking up an assist from Foden in the center of the area, the author of the third goal conceded before the break. At the start of the second half, Alvarez closes the accounts with a shot that Mepham deflects into his own goal, Bournemouth has the consolation of the goal from the flag that Lerma signs in the 83rd minute.
Crystal Palace 0-0 Liverpool
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Three woodwork but no goals and a yawning second half in the freezing cold of Selhurst Park, which gives Crystal Palace and Liverpool a point. The Reds use it to climb back to 7th place with 36 points and keep the run-up to Champions League qualification alive with the 3rd useful result in a row, but it is clear that the beating with Real has left aftermath: the game is not up to that in the European first half, the only consolation is not having conceded a goal.
Palace forks the 3rd consecutive equal (and 5th in 6 games), but still remains without a win in 2023. The Jota post for the Reds in the 22nd minute and the crossbar that Palace hits with Mateta in the 42nd minute are the most great opportunities for a balanced and lively first half. Salah inaugurates the second half by hitting the crossbar (Liverpool’s 14th wood of the season, more than anyone in the Premier League), but the level of the match gradually drops and a goalless draw becomes the inevitable consequence.
February 25, 2023 (change February 25, 2023 | 23:47)
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