London: Mesut Ozil made the most of being handed a rare start by Arsenal boss Unai Emery as the German masterminded a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday to keep the Gunners in pole position for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Ozil opened the scoring after just four minutes before turning provider for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to double Arsenal’s lead. Lys Mousset briefly gave Bournemouth hope before half-time, but Ozil and Mkhitaryan combined once more to tee up Laurent Koscielny to make it 3-1 before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette rounded off an eighth straight Premier League win at the Emirates for Emery’s men. The Spanish coach has been reluctant to use Arsenal’s highest earner in his debut season in charge as Ozil was making just his second league start of the year.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola accepted his side “can be better” after a 1-0 win over West Ham at the Etihad on Wednesday kept them in the hunt to retain their Premier League title and a remarkable quadruple of trophies.
Just days after a penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea at Wembley saw City to victory in the League Cup final, Guardiola’s men were indebted to a 59th-minute spot-kick from Sergio Aguero for a victory that left the English champions a point behind leaders Liverpool. With the League Cup already in their trophy cabinet, a City side also still involved in the FA Cup and Champions League could yet end the season having won a remarkable four major pieces of silverware in the one campaign.
Chelsea put a smile back on Maurizio Sarri’s face with a crucial 2-0 win over Tottenham that secured a stay of execution for their troubled manager after Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped following his Wembley mutiny.
Pedro’s second half strike and a farcical own goal from Kieran Trippier were a much-needed boost for Sarri as the Chelsea manager fights to avoid the sack following a turbulent first season in charge. Romelu Lukaku pressed his claims for a more prominent role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with his first goals in 10 appearances, scoring twice in Manchester United’s 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Wednesday that maintained their challenge for a top-four finish.Lukaku scored either side of half-time to put United in control at Selhurst Park. (AFP)
