Vs EVERTON Vs BOURNEMOUTH Vs FULHAM Vs CRYSTAL PALACE
“ If you can afford it — and we don’t have to do the turnaround in the squad that we’ve had to do — if you ask me what I want, it’s 22 outfield players and three goalkeepers.”
Mikel Arteta
May 14, 1998/Stoke-on-Trent
“ He has been really, really good and probably against the odds because when you look at his past and where he was coming from, he got relegated twice, it was difficult to imagine it.
“ But we saw he had that character, charisma, and personality to play for our club and he had the potential qualities to feed into our way of playing.
“ When you see the development he had the past two seasons, I think he is exceptional.
“ When we played against him and obviously I watched him a lot and that presence and that energy he had, I thought this is the one.
Very highly regarded throughout the early part of his career, Aaron made the switch from Sheffield United – the club at which he started his pro career – making his debut aged 18 in 2016.
“ He has no fear, he was just looking at the challenge ahead of him and that is what you want. ”
June 24, 1994/USA
USA INTERNATIONAL GOALKEEPER Matt joined in the summer, having played all his football in America until that point.
A regular for New England Revolution from 2018, he had previously been loaned to Richmond Kickers after joining from Jersey Express. His form in MLS soon led to a call up to the United States national team, and he saved a penalty on his debut against Trinidad and Tobago in January 2021.
“ He is improving, he’s getting better, obviously we’re asking him different things from what other managers have asked him to do.
“ He was much better in the first half than in the second half in my opinion. We could have had some more control.
“ But I think he was phenomenal in the goal in situations especially when defending the area in behind the centre halves, and in the one-against-one situations he was really good. ”
Oleksandr Zinchenko
December 15, 1996/Ukraine
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Jersey Express, New England Revolution, Richmond Kickers (loan)
15
February 15, 2000/Poland
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Updating...
12
March 24, 2001/France
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Saint-Etienne, Nice (loan)
18
November 5, 1998/Japan
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Avispa Fukuoka, Sint-Truiden, Bologna
William Saliba
Jakub Kiwior
Arsenal should have one of the better defenses in the Premier League for the 2022-23 season. The first choice defense (from last season) of Kieran Tierney, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, and Takehiro Tomiyasu is quite good. In the 10 matches they started together, they conceded 0.8 goals per game. Over the course of a full season, that’s 30.4 goals conceded, which would have been tied for the third-best in the Premier League.
October 8, 1997/Poole
Clearly, the biggest concern for the Gunners defense is availability. With one or more of that quartet missing, Arsenal conceded 1.4 goals per game. That’s a seasonlong pace of 53.2, which would have been tied for 10th in the PL, two spots lower than Arsenal actually finished in terms of goals against. YOU CANNOT HAVE A SUCCESSFUL PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON WITH YOUR FIRST-CHOICE BACKLINE ONLY STARTING 10 MATCHES TOGETHER.
December 19, 1997/Brazil
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Avai, Lille, Troyes (loan), Dinamo Zagreb (loan)
Kieran Tierney has missed chunks of multiple seasons and cannot be counted on to stay healthy. Takehiro Tomiyasu suffered back-to-back calf injuries that kept him out for most of the spring. Both missed all the preseason matches through injury and may or may not be available on Matchday 1.
Another “ PROBLEM” facing Mikel Arteta is selection, at least when (if) everybody is fit. To that returning core of Tierney, Gabriel, White, and Tomiyasu , Arsenal added Oleksandr Zinchenko , who played primarily left back for Manchester City, and William Saliba , a RCB. Both have looked fantastic in preseason action. What Arteta’s preferred defense will look like this season is an open question.
I’ve not included Hector Bellerin or Pablo Mari on this list because neither are likely to be with the club this season, even though they are currently listed on the club website. Bellerin is likely to cancel his contract and move to Real Betis on a free transfer. Mari is almost certainly heading somewhere in Serie A. Nuno Tavares is on loan to Marseille.
September 20, 1995/Tameside
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Bolton Wanderers, Bury (loan)
June 5, 1997/Isle of Man
Gabriel Magalhaes
September 27, 1992/Switzerland
PREVIOUS CLUBS : FC Basel, Borussia Monchengladbach
December 20, 1991/Italy
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Verona, Napoli (loan), Chelsea (loan)
June 13, 1993/Ghana
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Atletico Madrid, Mallorca (loan), Almeria (loan)
July 28, 2000/Croydon
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Red Bull Leipzig (loan), Huddersfield Town (loan)
Thomas
Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta’s side have shot to the top of the Premier League table and have 10 different goal scorers that have contributed to their 33 goals this season. Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table to five points after Manchester City’s shock defeat at home to Brentford. A second half brace from Martin Odegaard, which made him Arsenal’s top scorer so far this season on six goals, secured the victory, along with a seventh clean sheet for Aaron Ramsdale and the Gunners defence.
“It’s great to be where we are and we are enjoying that moment,” Arteta said. “Now we have a big break and we have to reflect on what we’re doing and be prepared for after the World Cup.”
December 17, 1998/Norway
Arsenal have had a number of great performers this season, in fact it could easily be argued that all 12 of the core starters this season could have reasonable claims to being the Gunners best performer. Where it appears Arsenal have struck gold though is with their midfield trio of Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey and Odegaard. While the latter is deployed further forward, he often drops deep in search of the ball which has allowed Xhaka to break into the box more often and contribute significantly to seven goals this season. The Gunners captain becoming top scorer for the season will also likely provide justification for Arteta in regards to signing Odegaard permanently after a decent loan spell from Real Madrid in the second half of the 2020/21 season. After scoring just once in his first spell in north London, Odegaard is already one goal away from matching his total for Premier League goals from last season (7) with the Gunners still needing to play 22 games. In fact, that impressive statistic also showcases how Arsenal’s goal-scoring midfielders could prove crucial to their title challenge. In the 2020/2021 season, there were three goals from central midfielders, the stat improved slightly the following season where ten goals were scored, but already the current trio have surpassed that, finding the back of the net a combined total of 12 in 14 games so far, as per The Telegraph. While Arsenal don’t have a clear goal scorer, with 10 other Premier League players having higher scoring tally’s than any Gunners star, they carry a significant attacking threat from midfield, showing goals could come from anywhere and that could be a key factor in their pursuit of the title.
“Our aim is to play better as a team every day, to have better tools to do what we want to do. I can say it’s been phenomenal to work with these players and staff.”
Why Arsenal’s central midfielders could be key to Mikel Arteta’s side winning the Premier League?
I think no one here is the main man. Everyone is together. When I got injured, we were sure Eddie could go there and help us – and he did it. Trossard came in and did it as well. So everyone is together. To be champions of this big, big competition we need not only 11 players
“Gabriel Jesus”
June 18, 2001/Brazil
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Ituano
May 30, 1999/London
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Leeds United (loan)
December 10, 1999/London
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Hoffenheim (loan)
April 3, 1997/Brazil
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Palmeiras, Manchester City
December 4, 1994/Belgium
PREVIOUS CLUBS : Lommel United (loan), Westerlo (loan), OH Leuven (loan), Brighton
September 5, 2001/Ealing
PREVIOUS CLUBS : No Previous clubs
Bukayo Saka
As a player, Arteta began his youth career at Barcelona before taking in spells at Paris Saint-Germain, Rangers and Real Sociedad.
His introduction to English football came during a loan spell at Everton in January 2005, before making the move to Goodison Park permanent six months later. He moved to Arsenal in August 2011, where he was named club captain ahead of the 2014/15 season. The Spaniard won two FA Cups during his time with the Gunners, before retiring in 2016.
Arteta was appointed as an assistant coach at Manchester City in July 2016 working under manager Pep Guardiola, and was part of the coaching team that won the Premier League in 2017/18 with a record 100 points. City became the first club in 10 seasons to retain the Premier League trophy a year later, while they also won two EFL Cups and one FA Cup during Arteta’s time at the Etihad Stadium. The Gunners finished eighth in a Premier League campaign that was suspended for 100 days due to the Coronavirus pandemic. But under Arteta, Arsenal’s season ended on a high with victory in the FA Cup final and qualification for the UEFA Europa League.
The Spaniard will also be hoping to take Arsenal forward again this season, having finished fifth in 2021/22, narrowly missing out on a place in the UEFA Champions League. www.premierleague.com
“We play for [the fans]. At the end of the day, they’re expecting a lot from us. We have to give them enjoyment, we have to make their lives better and when we win, it will be better because they will be happier. It’s our responsibility and we have to do everything we can to achieve that.”
– Mikel Arteta-
Case size (L× W× H)
55 × 51.2 × 16.9 mm
Weight
72 g
Case and bezel material
Case / bezel material: Resin
Band Resin Band
Construction
Shock Resistant
Magnetic Resistant
Water resistance
200-meter water resistance
Power supply and battery life
Approx. battery life: 2 years on CR1220
From G-SHOCK in its pursuit of toughness, this model from the GA-110 series features a big powerful face . Black is used as the main G-SHOCKlike color to express more strength . Equipped with a millisecond stopwatch, a speedometer, and JIS class-1 magnetic resistance. Small three-dimensional cog-shaped parts are assembled on the dial, which fuses analog and digital displays and features shiny silver indices that make the design stand out more sharply. A practical and cool model based on the ever-evolving G-SHOCK.
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Mar 17, 2023
A true Arsenal legend is celebrating his birthday today – and this one goes out to him
Pat Rice: a thread
Their trips to N5 have historically proven unfruitful with one win yielded from their past 26 visits, however more importantly their form on the road this season isn’t much better, having tasted success just once in their last 13 league away games, and scoring one goal in the last seven.
Sean Dyche has urged his team to rectify that as soon as possible as they bid to claw their way out of trouble, but with this being our game in hand over Manchester City, we’ll be hoping those away day blues for the blue half of Merseyside continue a little longer.
Having just managed to avoid relegation last term following Frank Lampard’s appointment in January, Everton are hoping lightning strikes again this term as once again they find themselves lodged in a fight to beat the drop.
Lampard was dismissed just shy of a year in charge following a run of one victory from 12 league games. Dyche was swiftly installed as his successor, who enjoyed a winning start at our expense thanks to James Tarkowski’s header.
Since then, they lost the Merseyside derby by a 2-0 scoreline, but recovered to beat Leeds United thanks to a well-taken Seamus Coleman goal. However, Saturday saw them fall to a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, leaving them 18th in the table, a point from safety.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has missed all three games since our last encounter with a hamstring injury and will be out of this one as well.
James Garner is closing in on a first-team return after suffering back issues but isn’t ready just yet, while Nathan Patterson is still rehabbing a knee issue. Andros Townsend has been missing all season with an ACL injury but has been pencilled in for a March return.
Despite returning against Leicester City on Saturday, Thomas Partey may only be fit enough for the bench again, which leaves Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny as our only other absentees. Emile Smith Rowe and Jakub Kiwior played in our under-21s’ game against Chelsea on Monday to build up some match sharpness.
Arteta: “With Sean, it’s quite clear what he’s done and where the success they’ve had is coming from. Tomorrow we’ll prepare the game in an appropriate and similar way [to the away match]. But with every manager, it’s the same.
“We have to look at certain matches, what they do and try to get the right tactics to beat them - and as well the same mentality and expectation of what we demand in the game.” - read every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference.
Dyche: “From the outside, with the stats and facts and that you’re going down to Arsenal who are currently having a terrificseason,mostpeopleontheoutsidewouldsuggestthat it’s unlikely that we’ll get a result but that can bring a bit more freedomtothegroup.
“It might mean you don’t think we’re going to do anything - but that doesn’t mean we don’t. It means we’ll certainly be going down there with our eyes on the prize and delivering a performance that can get something.”
Having fallen to a 1-0 defeat to Everton just over three weeks ago, we quickly get the chance to gain revenge against the Toffees as they head to EMIRATES STADIUM ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
Michael Cox,writingintheofficialmatchdayprogramme: Dyche’s approach has been broadly what we would have expected, featuring good defensive organisation, long periods without the ball and a considerable threat from set-pieces. Although regularly a 4-4-2 man at Burnley, Everton’s lack of centre-forward options means he’s been using a 4-5-1.
Having scored the winner against us, Tarkowski has arguably been Everton’s major goal threat under Dyche, always at the far post. He is paired with Conor Coady in the middle of the back four, who has largely adjusted well after playing in a back three at Wolves.
They’re flanked by captain Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko who are capable of getting forward to good effect. Idrissa Gueye sits deep to protect the centrebacks, while the other two central midfielders, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Amadou Onana, are given more license to push forward, with and without the ball. They tend to press high without possession, and Everton’s defensive line has been more aggressive than you might expect under Dyche.
The major question mark is up front after Calvert-Lewin’s latest injury. Everton are unlikely to score many under Dyche, but with their defence looking solid, one goal will often be enough.
We have won 99 of our 203 league games against Everton, and could become the first team in English league history to register 100 victories against a specific opponent. The Toffees have won four of their last five league games against us. It’s as many victories as they had in their previous 28 (D8 L16). Everton have never won a Premier League away game against the side starting the day top of the table, drawing five and losing 19 such matches. Victory here would be the joint fastest we have ever reached 60 points in a single league campaign, also doing so after 25 games in both 2003/04 and 2007/08.
Having lost his first nine Premier League games against us, Sean Dyche has lost just one of his last six (W2 D3). However, his sides have never scored more than once in those 15 meetings, netting seven goals in total.
Gabriel Martinelli has scored in his last two Premier League appearances – he’s never scored in three in a row within the same season before. He’s scored nine league goals this season, and could become the third Brazilian to reach double figures in a single campaign while aged 21 or under, after Gabriel Jesus (2017/18) and Richarlison (2018/19).
Michael Oliver makes his first appearance at Emirates Stadium since Boxing Day when we beat West Ham United, having also overseen our wins against Liverpool and Chelsea this term. We have won 23 of the 50 games of ours he has refereed. In his 28 matches across all competitions this season, he has sent off just two players and awarded nine penalties - two of which have been in matches involving ourselves.
• Referee: Michael Oliver
• Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt
• Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett
• Fourth Official: David Coote
• VAR: Tony Harrington
• Assistant VAR: James Mainwaring
The Toffees haven’t enjoyed their trips to Emirates Stadium and Highbury over the past three decades, having only won one of their last 26 trips to our patch, with that win coming in April 2021 when a Bernt Leno own goal settled the game.
Last season saw us claim a 5-1 victory on the final day of the campaign, with Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Cedric Soares, Gabriel and Martin Odegaard all netting in a convincing win - one of 11 occasions we have netted more than four goals against Everton in the Premier League.
We edged out 3-2 victors back in February 2020 when Nketiah got on the scoresheet again before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace secured the win - which at that point was our sixth successive league victory on home turf against Everton.
Watch some more memorable encounters, including a 7-0 thrashing, a four-goal Ian Wright haul and a championship-clinching classic.
Join Nicole Holliday and Adrian Clarke at 6.45pm UK time for all the best build-up to the big game on Breakdown Live. The pair will be joined pitchside at Emirates Stadium by YouTuber ChrisMD, while the music industry will be well represented with NSG, Gilles Peterson and Theo from Wolf Alice popping by the box, plus Stazzy and Australian rules footballer Akec Makur Chuot from Hawthorn Football Club will be amongst our studio audience. We’ll look back on our win at Leicester, tell you all you need to know about Everton and discuss the versatility that Leandro Trossard brings to the side.
Then at 7.45pm there will be live commentary from Dan Roebuck and Ian Selley to keep you updated with all the goingson during the game, so make sure you tune in!
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both struck their 10th Premier League goals of the campaign late in the first half to put us in control, before Martin Odegaard virtually sealed the win when he tucked home a Leandro Trossard cutback.
Martinelli then netted his fourth goal in his last three outings 10 minutes from time
The first half was a slow burner, with initially few little opportunities created by either side. Jorginho saw an attempt from a short corner flash over the top of the crossbar four minutes in, while the only piece of work Aaron Ramsdale had to do in the opening half saw him comfortably deal with a Neal Maupay effort from range. In a similar fashion to the game at Goodison 25 days earlier, the visitors attempted to frustrate us by playing a low block and soaking up any pressure, while looking to spring counter attacks whenever possible. While these were few and far between, Gabriel had to be alert to make an excellent sliding tackle to prevent Maupay getting another sight of goal after a breakaway. It looked as though we would have little to show for our efforts from the first 45, however five minutes before half-time some Saka magic saw us find our way in front. Oleksandr Zinchenko roamed infield, picked up possession and instantly played an inch-perfect pass into the feet of Saka. After controlling the ball, an excellent touch saw him spin past Vitalii Mykolenko to open up a shooting chance, and despite a tight angle he thrashed a shot into the top corner past his international colleague Jordan Pickford to hit double figures for the season in the Premier League. And then in stoppage-time, we managed to gain firm control of the game by doubling our lead. Idrissa Gueye dispossessed Martin Odegaard in midfield but was caught dawdling on the ball, allowing Saka to nip in and prod it into the path of Martinelli, who cooly dispatched past Pickford. The goal was initially ruled out for offside by the linesman’s flag, but VAR intervened and showed the Brazilian was marginally behind his teammate to score for the thirdstraight game and hand us a healthy half-time lead.
With his side now needing something different to get back into the contest, Dyche shuffled his pack and Ramsdale had to be alert to dive low and push away a Dwight McNeil shot after a powerful run from the Toffees winger, but after that brief scare we wrapped the crucial points up on 71 minutes. Leandro Trossard was sent on his way down the left in acres of space, and
he had plenty of time to get into the box and cut the ball back for Odegaard to finish off the simple opportunity.
With the confidence flowing through the team, we looked in the mood to score more and Pickford did well to smother an Eddie Nketiah shot after he was found by a delightful Thomas Partey pass, but 10 minutes from time we added a fourth.
Zinchenko was once involved as he nudged the ball into Nketiah’s path, and he put the ball on a plate for Martinelli to prod past Pickford at the near post and put further gloss on the victory, ensuring our 100th league win against Everton - a first in English history - was a memorable one.
We scored 4+ goals against Everton in a Premier League match for the 12th time – more than any side has done against another in the competition’s history.
Everton suffered their biggest Premier League defeat since the final day of last season, and a 5-1 loss against us at the Emirates.
The Toffees have lost three consecutive Premier League away games without scoring for the first time since March 2015.
Bukayo Saka’s opener was his 50th goal involvement in the Premier League (now 27 goals, 24 assists). At 21 years and 177 days, he’s the sixth youngest player to reach the milestone in the competition.
Both Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored their 10th Premier League goals of the season, making us the only side to have two players reach double figures for goals so far this campaign.
Leandro Trossard has been involved in 12 Premier League goals for us (3) and Brighton (9) combined this season (8 goals, 4 assists), his best return in a single campaign in the competition.
This was the first of six games in a 19-day period. We are at home again on Saturday when we entertain Bournemouth, before we turn our attention to the Europa League as we head to Lisbon to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of our round of 16 tie on Thursday, March 8. That is followed by a London derby against high-flying Fulham the following Sunday.
We moved FIVE POINTS clear at the top of the Premier League thanks to a convincing four-goal win over Everton at a bouncing Emirates Stadium.
Gary O’Neil’s team currently sit in 19th position having won just once in their last 10 games, and while that victory did come on their travels against Wolves two weeks ago, the Cherries haven’t won consecutive Premier League away games since October 2018.
Meanwhile we’ll be aiming to claim a fourth-straight win to maintain the cushion we have built up at the top of the league, boosted by knowing we’ve claimed all three points in each of our last eight matches against newly-promoted clubs.
After Scott Parker lost his job just four games into the campaign, O’Neil stepped into the breach and picked up 10 points from an unbeaten first six games to lift them into the top half and get the managerial job full-time.
However, things have been a different story since the World Cup. No team has won fewer than the five points the Cherries have collected since, nor scored fewer than their four goals. That, coupled with the fact Bournemouth have conceded a league-high 48 goals, saw them slip into the relegation zone for the first time towards the end of January.
A recruitment drive saw nearly £75 million spent on strikers Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo from Lorient and Bristol City respectively, as well as Dynamo Kyiv centre-back Illya Zabarnyi, with last month seeing them lose to Brighton, draw with Newcastle United and beat Wolves before a 4-1 loss against Manchester City, leaving them one point from safety.
Arteta has admitted that Jorginho will be OK to play after struggling with illness during the win against Everton in midweek.
Eddie Nketiah also limped off at the end of that game with a knock although Arteta played down concerns it was too serious, while Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny remain out.
Bournemouth’s packed treatment room continues to be busy, with Marcus Tavernier recently picking up a hamstring injury and looks set for a spell on the sidelines, while January recruits left-back Matias Vina and Zabarnyi are out with knee and ankle issues respectively.
Junior Stanislas missed the Manchester City game last week with a knock, while David Brookes is nearing a return after 18 months on the sidelines but isn’t in contention just yet. Lloyd Kelly (calf) will also be missing, but they are boosted by the return of Lewis Cook who has been out since January with a knee complaint.
Arteta on Bournemouth: “I’mreallyimpressedbywhatthey are doing. They are really aggressive, they haven’t conceded many in those [previous four] games and they could have had differentresultsintwoofthose.AgainstManCity,[City]showed some quality when they opened up, when finishing the actions to make the score really big, but it was a really competitive matchagain.
“I’veknown[O’Neil]formanyyearsbecausewe’vebeeninthe league together, and I’ve been really impressed with what he’s done throughout his career and the way he approaches every game,thewayhesetstheteamandwhattheteamisdoingright now.” - watch all of Mikel’s pre-match press conference.
O’Neil: “Everyone around us will already have it down as Arsenal three points and Bournemouth zero. But we go there to win a game of football and cause them problems. If we can spinthatandcauseashock,itaddstoourpoints-butalsodoes damagetothosearoundus.
“It is the toughest place to go and the biggest test you can face. It is no surprise they are where they are, so we will try to be organised, stick to our plan and use ways that we hope can hurt them.”
MichaelCox,writingintheofficialmatchdayprogramme: O’Neil likes his side to sit deep, before springing forward on the break. In terms of formation, his general approach is a 4-4-1-1 but against strong opposition, he’s often shifted to a five-man defence, although Bournemouth’s record with that system is poor.
Bournemouth have lacked consistency at the back, with Chris Mepham, Marcos Senesi, Lloyd Kelly and Jack Stephens all recently starting matches. Adam Smith is a regular down the right, while Jordan Zemura has impressed in recent weeks with his attacking quality from left-back.
The central midfield duo comprises Jefferson Lerma, a tough-tackling central midfielder with a good passing range, with the exciting Phillip Biling, whose attacking threat has seen O’Neil deploy him at the top of the midfield triangle.
However, competition for places in attack have increased since the arrival of the exciting Hamed Traore [above] and the speedy Antoine Semenyo. Jaidon Anthony has a good relationship with fellow academy graduate Zemura down the left, and on the other flank, Dango Ouattara has impressed. Dominic Solanke is still likely to lead the line, and can also drop deep to link play.
We have won all six of our home games against Bournemouth in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 17-2. Only against Gainsborough Trinity (8/8) do we have a better 100 per cent win record at home.
Bournemouth have never kept a Premier League clean sheet against us, winning just one of our 11 meetings with them in the competition (D2 L8).
Since losing 2-0 to Brentford on the opening day last season, we have won our last eight Premier League meetings with promoted sides. We last had a longer winning run between January 2002 and February 2003 (9).
We have lost just one of our last 32 home league games kicking off at 3pm on a Saturday (W25 D6), going down 2-1 against Brighton in April last season.
Martin Odegaard has been involved in seven goals in his last six Premier League games against promoted sides, scoring five and assisting two. He’s netted in all three such games this season, including a brace at Bournemouth in the reverse fixture.
With four goals and three assists, Bukayo Saka has been involved in seven goals in his last six Premier League appearances against promoted sides. However, the only game in this run in which he didn’t score or assist a goal was the Gunners’ 3-0 win at Bournemouth in August.
Chris Kavanagh will take charge of one of our games for just the second time this campaign, with his last coming at Leeds United where we won 1-0 in November. We have won eight and drawn two of the 15 matches he has officiated. This is just his sixth Premier League appointment this season and he is yet to take charge of a Bournemouth game, but he was the man in the middle for our 5-1 home success against the Cherries back in February 2019.
• Referee: Chris Kavanagh
• Assistant Referee 1: Neil Davies
• Assistant Referee 2: Constantine Hatzidakis
• Fourth Official: Andre Marriner
• VAR: John Brooks
• Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes
We have all six of our home meetings with the Cherries, five of which have come in the past seven seasons. The last time they appeared at Emirates Stadium was back in October 2019, as David Luiz’s first Gunners goal saw us claim a 1-0 victory. The previous February we recorded a 5-1 success thanks to goals from Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Laurent Koscielny, Pierre-Emerick Aubayeng and Alexandre Lacazette, while there were 3-0 and 3-1 wins in the previous two campaigns.
Watch some of our best results against the Cherries in our playlist
Tune in from 2pm on Saturday to see DJ Sherelle and comedian Alexis Guerreros chat to Nick Bright and Adrian Clarke in the box at Emirates Stadium, who will also be joined by boxer John Ryder while indy wrestler and WhatCulture presenter Simon Miller will be in the studio audience. They’ll also chat to choreographer Sherrie Silver and poet Natasha Muhoza pitchside as the teams warm up for the game.
There will be analysis of our midweek game against Everton, as well as how we can rack up a fourth-straight win at the expense of the Cherries.
Then from 3pm, Dan Roebuck and Nigel Winterburn will provide live commentary of the game, talking you through all the key moments on the field.
Goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White had seen us battle back from two goals down, before the substitute smashed home a belter to win it deep into stoppage time.
After falling behind to Philip Billing’s goal after just 9.11 seconds, things got worse after the break when Marcos Senesi headed home a second.
However Partey provided us a lifeline when he scored after a corner wasn’t cleared effectively, and then White picked the perfect time to score his first Gunners goal with 20 minutes remaining to give us a share of the spoils before Nelson’s big moment.
The game got off to the worst possible start as were caught napping and conceded the second-quickest goal in Premier League history. Dominic Solanke played the kick-off to Joe Rothwell, who released Dango Ouattara speeding down the right flank, and his low centre deflected into the path of Billing who tucked the ball home to stun Emirates Stadium.
Despite that, we initially responded well to the setback and Neto began to be put to work between the Bournemouth posts. Firstly, Martin Odegaard tricked his way to the edge of the box and the Brazilian keeper did well to keep his low shot out, and then stood up big to prevent Bukayo Saka from putting in the rebound, and not long after he had to deal with an Odegaard tester from range.
While the rest of the opening half was pretty much one-way traffic in our favour, only an excellent save from Aaron Ramsdale prevented us from going 2-0 down after 19 minutes. After one of our numerous forays forward, the visitors sprung a counterattack and Billing squared for Ouattara who looked set to score, but our number one rushed out and made a fine stop to keep us in contention.
Things got worse when Leandro Trossard was forced off through injury moments later with Emile Smith Rowe taking his place, and while we pushed hard for an equaliser before the break, Gabriel Martinelli’s shot into the side-netting in the last action before the whistle was as close as we came.
A response was needed after the interval, but after Odegaard and Martinelli had both had sights of goal without really troubling Neto, the Cherries doubled their advantage. Rothwell swung in a corner which was met by the head of Senesi and flew into the net to give us a mountain to climb.
However we took our first steps when we pulled one back on 61 minutes. A Saka corner saw Neto try to punch clear, but it lacked distance and Smith Rowe headed the ball to the back post for Partey to tuck home and restore hope to the home supporters. The Cherries almost swiftly restored their lead but again Ramsdale made an excellent reaction save to deny Solanke from a tight angle, and that proved vital as we managed to draw level after 69 minutes.
Nelson - just introduced off the bench - scampered down the left and sent in a cross to the back post, and White appeared unmarked to drive it goalwards and just over the line before Neto pushed it away, with the goalline technology confirming the ball had crossed the line. Roared on by a passionate crowd, we threw everything into finding a winner, and Saka hit the post after a scramble inside the box before Martinelli raced clear of the Bournemouth backline before putting his shot over the bar. It didn’t look like it would be our day.
However, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, a corner was cleared to Nelson on the edge of the box, and he chested it down before smashing into the net past a helpless Neto to send Emirates Stadium into ecstasy and maintain our five-point lead at the top of the table.
We head to Portugal on Thursday to face Sporting SP in the first leg of our Europa Lague last 16 tie, before we return to league action on Sunday, March 8 when we take on Fulham at Craven Cottage.
11 Mar 2023
We have won all four of our away Premier League London derbies this season by an aggregate score of 8-0, and in the history of the English Football League no side has ever won five consecutive away capital clashes while keeping a clean sheet each time.
And while we haven’t tasted defeat in our last nine matches against Fulham, this Marco Silva team is a different prospect. Only Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have left Craven Cottage with three points so far this season, while they forced us to come from behind to claim a late victory in the reverse fixture at Emirates Stadium back in August.
Having previously failed to beat the drop in each of their last three Premier League seasons, Fulham have no such worries this time around following their promotion last term, and could even reach the magical 40-point mark in March should they avoid defeat on Sunday.
Marco Silva’s Cottagers have been the division’s surprise package this term and head into the weekend occupying seventh place in the table, which would equal their best-ever top-flight finish claimed in 2008/09. Spearheaded by the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic, they have steadily improved as the campaign has unfolded, and since the World Cup break they have only lost three matches, although the last was Monday night’s defeat at the hands of neighbours Brentford.
Silva on us: “They have been really consistent, playing good football, adapting really well and reacting well when they don’t achieve a good result – straightaway comes the reaction. A good example was after the defeats against City at home and Everton, two bad results but straightaway after they reacted wellandwonsomeimportantgames.
“Theyaregettingthematurityandtheexperiencetoreactin therightwayanditwillbeareallytoughgameforus,butweare goingtodoourbestagaintobereallytoughforArsenal.
“Itwastoughfortheminthefirstgameweplayedawayfrom home,andforsureattheCottagewewanttomakethingseven more difficult for them.”
Arteta: “It’struethat[defendingset-pieces]issomethingthat wemustimprovemassivelyifwewanttokeepwinninggames.
Having returned to training this week, Gabriel Jesus is edging closer to a first-team return but Mikel Arteta is wary of rushing him back too soon.
Eddie Nketiah (ankle) and Leonardo Trossard (groin) are likely to miss out again, while Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney missed the midweek game against Sporting CP through illness, but it is hoped they may recover in time. Mohamed Elneny remains out long-term with a knee injury.
For Fulham, influential midfielder Joao Palhinha will sit out the second of his two-match ban after collecting too many yellow cards, while left-back Layvin Kurzawa picked up a knee injury that is set to sideline him for a few more weeks.
Tom Cairney (ankle) and Neeskens Kebano (Achilles) will also be absent, while Cedric is ineligible to face us as per the terms of his loan agreement.
When you concede two poor goals like we did away from homeinEuropeit’sverydifficulttogetapositiveresult.Wegave too many simple balls away. We didn’t defend well enough, and wehavetodobetterupagainstouropponents.”
Fulham are winless in nine meetings with us (D2 L7) since a 2-1 home win in January 2012.
We have won 71 per cent of our Premier League games against Fulham (22/31), the highest win rate against an opponent we’ve faced 20+ times in the competition. The Cottagers have lost 16 of their last 18 top-flight games against sides starting the day top of the table (W2), including each of the last nine.
They have though lost just three of their league home games this season. Even if they lose all of their remaining home matches this campaign, it would be fewer defeats (9) than they suffered at Craven Cottage in any of their previous three Premier League campaigns.
We have won a league-high five Premier League games when conceding the first goal this season. We have won a league-high 15 points from losing positions so far this term. We’ve also netted three 90th-minute winners in the division this term, our joint-most in a single campaign in the competition. These have all come in our last eight games (against Man Utd, Aston Villa and Bournemouth).
Bukayo Saka has generated more chances following a carry (moving 5+ metres with the ball) than any other player in the Premier League this season (44), attempting 21 shots and creating 23 chances in this manner.
Manor Solomon has scored in each of his last five appearances across all competitions. The only Premier League players who have recorded a longer scoring streak in 2022/23 are Erling Haaland (10) and Marcus Rashford (7).
Reiss Nelson has made just three league appearances this season, playing just 85 minutes. However, he’s chalked up five goal involvements (3 goals, 2 assists), and become just the second player to both score and assist a goal in two different games as a sub within a single season, after Vladimir Smicer in 2001/02.
For the third time already this year, David Coote has been handed one of our fixtures to officiate, having overseen our FA Cup win over Oxford United and the loss at Everton. That was only the second time in the seven previous occasions we have tasted defeat under his watch. He has been the man in the middle for just one Fulham game this term, which saw them beat Chelsea at home back in January when Joao Felix was dismissed - the only red card he has brandished in his 13 top-flight matches this season. Coote also recently took charge of the League Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
• Referee: David Coote
• Assistant Referee 1: Dan Cook
• Assistant Referee 2: Timothy Wood
• Fourth Official: Thomas Bramall
• VAR: Peter Bankes
• Assistant VAR: Darren Cann
We head to Craven Cottage looking to claim our fifth-straight win at the venue, with our last encounter there coming back in September 2020 when a debut goal for Gabriel as well as strikes from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw us run out 3-0 victors on the opening day. We won by a larger margin the trip before then when a 5-1 success was recorded in October 2018, with the highlight coming when Aaron Ramsey netted a Goal of the Season contender after a fabulous freeflowing team move, but you have to go back to August 2013 for our other previous game, which saw us triumph 3-1 when an Olivier Giroud strike and a Lukas Podolski brace claimed three points. See these, plus more famous wins at the Cottage, in our playlist of classic clashes
Join Nick Bright and Adrian Clarke live from Emirates Stadium at 1pm (UK time) on Sunday for the best build-up to the game against the Whites. The pair will look back on our 2-2 draw in Lisbon in midweek as well as analyse what could make the difference in the second leg, and then turn their attention to the game later that afternoon. Ahead of a reunion with our former goalkeeper Bernd Leno, they’ll look back at his time in north London, as well as point out why Fulham have performed so well this season, and who could make the difference at Craven Cottage. Then from 2pm, live commentary from west London comes from Dan Roebuck and Josh James, so make sure you log onto Arsenal.com or the official app to stay up to date.
12 Mar 2023
Brazilian duo Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli scored headers within five minutes of each other to put us in control, and we were rarely troubled from that moment on.
Martin Odegaard expertly tucked home our third in first-half injury-time to give the scoreline the gloss it deserved.
There was more reason for the travelling Arsenal supporters to cheer late on, as Gabriel Jesus made his welcome return to action after four months out with a knee injury.
After a tentative opening 15 minutes or so we started to increase our tempo and had the ball in the net after a fast break on the left. Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka played a one-two to get the Brazilian in behind the defence. His shot was parried by Bernd Leno into Antonee Robinson and into his own net. Arsenal celebrated but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build up after a VAR review.
We didn’t have to wait too long for the opener though. After winning three corners in succession, the third proved decisive. Leandro Trossard’s inswinging delivery was on the money and Gabriel rose highest to head home. We were playing with more confidence now, and doubled our lead with another header. This time the move started inside our own penalty area. Saliba’s sweeping pass forward got us on the attack, Trossard stood up a looping cross to the far post and Martinelli headed in from close range.
It was no more than we deserved, and we went hunting the third. A wonderful passage of combination play between Odegaard, Trassard and Xhaka created the next opportunity. Odegaard’s pass to Xhaka was dummied to Trossard, the Belgian returned a first time pass to Xhaka who had extended his run. But just as he was bearing down on Leno, his touch let him down. A loose pass out by Aaron Ramsdale nearly gave Fulham a route back into the game, but Andreas Pereira lifted his shot just over.It didn’t put us off our stride at all. Martinelli forced a save from Leno at the near post before we did eventually increase our advantage. Trossard yet again was the instigator. His cross fell to Odegaard in the box, and the skipper was coolness personified. He took a touch, then another, shifted into onto his left foot, and slotted it home with ease. It was the last kick of a scintillating first-half display from Mikel Arteta’s side.
Fulham started the second period in positive fashion, with Aleksandar Mitrovic the target of their attacking intent. But we retained a huge threat on the break, with Martinelli and Odegaard both seeing shots blocked in the box. Frequently we were springing into action though, with quick passing combinations. Xhaka’s wonderful touch created another shooting opportunity for Martinelli on the edge of the box, that was well charged down. Mitrovic thumped a header against the bar for the hosts from a corner and Ramsdale made smart saves from Pereira and Tosin Adarabioyo. Arteta responded by bringing on Gabriel Jesus for his long-awaited comeback from injury. It was the Brazilian’s first of action for us since before the World Cup. He was 120 days out of the team, and looked intent on making up for lost time immediately. He set up fellow sub Reiss Nelson for a good chance, before having his own shot saved by Leno. The second half had been a more even affair, but the hard work had already been done, and we re-established our five-point cushion at the top of the table with a commanding authority.
We have become the first side in English Football League history to win five consecutive London derbies away from home without conceding a goal. Fulham have lost each of their last 10 Premier League matches against teams starting the day top of the table, scoring three goals while conceding 22 goals in return in these matches. We have won 72 per cent of our Premier League games against Fulham (23/32), our highest win rate against an opponent we’ve faced 20+ times in the competition. Fulham have conceded six goals across their last two games in the Premier League, one more than they had conceded in their previous 10 matches combined. We have scored 24 goals from corner situations in the Premier League since the start of last season, the joint-most of any team along with Liverpool. Gabriel has scored three goals in four appearances against Fulham, his most against a single side in the division. Gabriel Martinelli has scored 23 goals in the Premier League, the joint-most of any overseas player for the club before turning 22 years of age, along with Nicolas Anelka. Leandro Trossard became the first player in Premier League history to assist three goals before half-time in an away match.
We’ve got two more fixtures this week before the international break, both at Emirates Stadium.
18 Mar 2023
“We have 11 finals to go and that’s it, that’s the main focus now,” Martin Odegaard told us after our penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP. “It starts already now in the dressing room to recover well and change the focus, so that’s what we have to do.”
Our record in London derbies during 2022/23 has been nothing short of faultless. We head into the weekend’s fixture aiming to become the first team in the capital to win nine derbies in the same season. A victory would take us eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, with Manchester City hosting Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-final. Standing in our way are a Crystal Palace side who announced the departure of Patrick Vieira on Friday morning. The former Gunner will be replaced temporarily by Paddy McCarthy, who led first-team training ahead of the match and will manage our visitors on Sunday.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba were forced off with injury in the early stages of Thursday’s match against Sporting.
“Tomiyasu looks pretty serious, for his reaction straight awayandwhathesaidtome,”Mikelsaidinhispost-Sporting press conference.”
“Obviously, it’s very early and difficult to know. William, I don’t know. He had some discomfort and could not carry on, so we had to take him off.”
Gabriel Jesus was replaced at half-time on Thursday - a substitution Mikel says was planned.
A run of 12 matches without a win ultimately contributed to Vieira’s dismissal.
“It is with enormous regret that this difficult decision has been made,” chairman Steve Parish told CPFC.co.uk. “Ultimately, results in recent months have placed us in a precarious league position and we felt a change is necessary to give us the best chance of retaining Premier League status.”
Palace go into the matchweek 12th in the Premier League - though they find themselves just three points clear of the relegation zone. The Eagles haven’t scored in their last four league matches - but they have proved tough to break down. Palace have drawn with Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool at home in 2023 and frustrated Manchester City for long periods before eventually falling to a 1-0 defeat at Selhurst Park last weekend.
“We decided to do that because we had to manage the subs, especially after the two windows that we had to use in the first half, but that was the plan and he was coming from an injury as well. We knew the game could go to extra time and we have to manage that and he looked okay.”
“Mohamed Elneny remains out with a long-term knee injury, with Eddie Nketiah“still a few weeks away”.
Palace midfielders James McArthur and Will Hughes trained on Friday after missing the last two Premier League matches. Sambi Lokonga is ineligible to face us. Teenager goalkeeper, Joe Whitworth, made his debut at Brighton on Wednesday, with Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone both injured in midweek.
Mikel Arteta on Palace: “It’s 11 games to play for, 11 Premier League games, and a big final against Crystal Palace. The focus has to be there, the energy has to be there and learn from tonight.
“The best thing is now the reaction and to show the same commitment, more quality and play better against Palace to beat them.”
Paddy McCarthy on us: “We’ll try and implement an aggressive style out of possession in different ways. We’ll look to be aggressive when we don’t have the ball, and we’ll look to progress the ball up the pitch in possession.
“That obviously said, we’ve only got a short amount of time to implement a few ideas, so I don’t want to flood the players with too much information. But ultimately, at this football club, part of our identity is that we’re aggressive out of possession, and certainly quick and fast in the attacking third.”
We are looking to become the first side to win nine London derbies in the same league season. If we win and score at least three goals, it will be the first time we’ve done that in four successive league games since September 2004.
We go into the match with five straight league wins, one short of the longest streak in the division this season set by Newcastle from October to December.
Crystal Palace have only won two of their 22 league away fixtures against us: 2-1 at Highbury in October 1994 and 3-2 at Emirates Stadium in April 2019.
They are, however, unbeaten in each of their last four away matches against us.
Palace are winless in all 17 league games this season against the teams in the top half of the table heading into this weekend (D8, L9).
Sunday’s referee is Stuart Attwell, from Warwickshire. Attwell has officiated one of our matches this season - the 2-0 win at Wolves in November. He also took charge of two of our games in 2021/22 - a 2-0 win over Newcastle and 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, both at the Emirates.
This is Attwell’s first Palace fixture since last season’s FA Cup quarter-final against Everton. The Eagles won that match 4-0.
Referee: Stuart Attwell Assistants: Lee Betts, James Mainwaring Fourth official: Andy Madley VAR: Darren England Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis
Palace hosted us on the first day of the Premier League season, with Gabriel Martinelli’s header and Marc Guehi’s late own goal setting up a 2-0 win.
Join Nick Bright and Adrian Clarke live from Emirates Stadium at 1pm (GMT) on Sunday for the best build-up to the game.
Nick and Adiran will look back on our Europa League exit and analyse what to expect in Sunday’s match, where they’ll be joined in the studio by celebrity chef, Tom Brown, and The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent, Matt Woosnam.
Then from 2pm, join Dan Roebuck and Jeremie Aliadiere for live commentary from Emirates Stadium. Make sure you log onto Arsenal.com or the official app to stay up to date.
Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring for us as we looked to put Thursday night’s disappointing European exit behind us. Saka doubled the lead before half-time and Granit Xhaka increased the advantage, finishing another slick team move ten minutes after the restart. Palace threatened to get back into the game when Jeffrey Schlupp scored from a corner but Saka’s smartly taken second ensured a comfortable winning margin from an excellent performance.
We dominated possession and territory early on, with Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard looking lively, but it was Palace who had the first chance. Wilfried Zaha streaked away from the halfway line, cut inside onto his right foot, and his low shot hit the post then rebounded off Aaron Ramsdale’s legs behind for a corner. At the other end Odegaard forced a diving stop from the visitors’ teenage goalkeeper Joe Whitworth from just inside the area, but there were few real chances for either side until we opened the scoring. Ben White started the move, darting in to win the ball on the right flank before passing to Bukayo Saka on the edge of the box. His cross found its way to Martinelli who took a touch, kept his composure then rifled low into the net left-footed. It was the Brazilian’s sixth goal in his last six Premier League outings.
We went in search of the second. Odegaard dragged a shot wide from just inside the area after good build-up play from White and Saka on the right. When the second did arrive, it was that White/Saka partnership that created it. After a Martinelli cross from the left went straight across goal, White took up possession on the opposite flank, fed a pass inside the full-back to Saka, who finished expertly low into the corner. It was no more than we deserved from a confident first-half display. Rob Holding, making his first start in the Premier League since the final day of last season, slotted seamlessly back into the back line. He completed more passes than any other player on the pitch in the first half, and also won most duels (eight).
The half-time break did nothing to halt our momentum. It was another well-worked goal that brought up our third. Alex Zinchenko fed the ball into Granit Xhaka outside the area. The Swiss midfielder swapped passes with Leandro Trossard, continued his run into the box and finished well under pressure. It was the midfielder’s second goal in a week, and Trossard’s sixth Premier League assist since joining from Brighton in January.
But Palace hit back. We failed to deal with a corner at the near post and Jeffrey Schlupp pounced from close range to pull one back. It gave the visitors confidence and Zaha slid a shot just wide after Schlupp won the ball in midfield. But any thoughts of a comeback were squashed when Saka notched his second of the afternoon. Substitute Kieran Tierney pulled the ball back to the winger from the left, and Saka drilled home a first-time shot to restore our three-goal lead. Indeed this is the first time since 2004 that we have won four Premier League games in row by scoring at least three goals in each of them. Mikel Arteta was able to bring players off in the closing minutes, after a physically demanding week. But at the end of it, we stand proudly on top of the league table heading into the international break, with 10 league games remaining.
We earned our 22nd Premier League win of the season, as many as we managed in the whole of last term, and our mostever wins in our first 28 matches of a league campaign. Crystal Palace remain one of only two sides yet to win a league match in England’s top four tiers in 2023 (P12 W0 D5 L7), along with League One’s Forest Green Rovers. The Eagles have lost four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since July 2020 (run of 7). We are the first side in English Football League history to win as many as nine London derbies in a single league season. Paddy McCarthy was the eighth manager from the Republic of Ireland to take charge in the Premier League, with seven of those now losing their first such game in the competition, the exception being Roy Keane with Sunderland in August 2007 (1-0 win v Spurs). Bukayo Saka (12 goals, 10 assists) became the first player to reach both 10+ goals and 10+ assists in the Premier League this season. He is the first Arsenal player to reach double figures for both in a Premier League campaign since Alexis Sanchez in 2016/17 (24 goals, 10 assists), and only the second Englishman to do so for us, after Theo Walcott in 2012/13 (14 goals, 10 assists). Bukayo also provided his 25th Premier League assist, aged 21 years and 195 days; only Cesc Fabregas (20y 134d), Wayne Rooney (21y 63d) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (21y 140d) reached 25 assists at a younger age in the competition. Leandro Trossard has assisted six goals in 10 Premier League games for us, at least twice as many as any other player in the competition since his club debut in January. It’s also more assists than the Belgian provided in 50 Premier League appearances for Brighton since the start of last season (5).
Our international players now join up with their respective countries, and we’ll be back in action in two weeks’ time, at home to Leeds United on Saturday, April 1.
Player of the Month
Manager of the Month
Save of the Month
March 2023
Bukayo Saka has won March’s EA SPORTS Player of the Month award, earning the prize for the first time in his career.
Saka claims the accolade after scoring three goals and providing two assists in four appearances, helping Arsenal win every match.
Saka scored and assisted in a 4-0 win against Everton before netting a brace and setting up another goal against Crystal Palace.
The 21-year-old’s performance in the 4-1 win over Palace made him the youngest player in Arsenal history to reach double figures for both goals and assists in a PL season, beating Cesc Fabregas’s record.
Saka topped a six-man shortlist that also included Alexander Isak, Alexis Mac Allister, Tyrone Mings, Mohamed Salah and fellow Arsenal team-mate
He won after the public’s votes on the were combined with those of a panel of football experts.
Mikel Arteta has been named the Barclays Manager of the Month after guiding Arsenal to a perfect March.
Arteta helped the Gunners stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League table to eight points above Manchester City. His team scored an incredible 14 goals in four matches, beating Everton, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham and Crystal Palace.
The Spaniard had a big influence on the incredible 3-2 turnaround win over AFC Bournemouth, bringing on Reiss Nelson to set up the equaliser before scoring the winner.
Arteta wins the award for a fourth time this season, moving just one behind Jurgen Klopp’s record of five in a single campaign, set in 2019/20.
It makes it a double sweep for Arsenal, after Bukayo Saka won the EA SPORTS Player of the Month award.
Arteta beat fellow nominees Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery and Pep Guardiola after votes from the public were combined with those of a panel of experts.
Aaron Ramsdale’s sensational stop to deny Dango Ouattara has won March’s Castrol Save of the Month award.
Ramsdale flew out to smother the AFC Bournemouth winger’s shot when it looked like being a certain goal.
It was a crucial moment in more ways than one, as it prevented Arsenal from going 2-0 down after 21 minutes of a match they went on to win in dramatic fashion.
On his save, Ramsdale told Arsenal’s official website: “We do quite a lot of work with our goalkeeping coaches doing spreads and one v ones. The ball came across the box and Dom Solanke couldn’t get on it, and the winger took it first time. I knew I needed to get on the end of it, and it managed to hit me on the forearm. It was a nice save.
“It’s probably better than what it was given the timing in the game. We were 1-0 down and if it went to 2-0 it would have been difficult. With what happened with Reiss [Nelson] and the comeback heightens the save even more, so it was a pivotal moment in the game.”
Ramsdale wins a Premier League monthly award for the first time, after his save topped a shortlist featuring five other stops by goalkeepers across the month.
It completes an awards hat-trick for Arsenal, after Bukayo Saka won the EA SPORTS Player of the Month prize and Mikel Arteta was named the Barclays Manager of the Month.
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