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Arsenal — page 6

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Coverage, page 6

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Ødegaard ‘edge’ delights Arteta as Arsenal secure narrow win at Napoli

After their record-breaking feats last year in the Champions League, Arsenal are at it again. But having been delayed along with hundreds of travelling supporters by travel chaos on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta’s side had to bide their time against Napoli until Martin Ødegaard continued his rich vein of goalscoring with the crucial strike 15 minutes from full time. Perhaps it was the fact that, at Uefa’s insistence, they were forced to wear red shorts for the first time since a Premier League game against Watford in 2022 that Arsenal were not quite at their flowing best here and missed a hatful of chances. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Ed Aarons at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona9 Sept

Chelsea’s midfield a headache for Alonso after Arsenal press advantage | Jacob Steinberg

There was a gulf between the teams in the middle of the park, with Moisés Caicedo’s absence hurting the visitors There have been seasons when Chelsea have turned up at the Emirates Stadium and parked the bus. “You know, I think 10 years without a title is boring,” José Mourinho said in response to criticism from Arsenal fans after a stultifying 0-0 draw in April 2015 . On Sunday, though, there was no holding back from Chelsea. “I want to compete in the best possible way to win,” Xabi Alonso said after seeing his new side edged out by Arsenal in a breathless encounter . “Today we didn’t want to sit deep from the first minute. We wanted to be active.” The plan worked at times. Chelsea maintained their habit of scoring early goals, going ahead through Morgan Rogers, and created further openings. But they were facing the champions and do not have Arsenal’s completeness . Shortcomings were exploited, particularly in midfield. Declan Rice romped through the middle at one point and the winning goal owed much to Reece James losing track of Martin Ødegaard as Arsenal’s captain strode through to fire past Emiliano Martínez . Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Jacob Steinberg7 Sept

Fitter, happier, more productive: Arsenal could hardly have started better | Jonathan Wilson

It’s still very early but Mikel Arteta’s side are playing with an authority and freshness that eluded them at times last season Sign up for our free newsletter here Three league games played, three games won . For Arsenal this season could only have started better if Manchester City, who look like being one of their two most serious challengers, had dropped points. But it’s not just about results: Arsenal have been comfortably the better side in each of those three games, approaching each of them in very different ways. After the controlled victory over Coventry City and the tight game against Aston Villa that was won thanks to ratcheting up the pressure in the 15 minutes after half-time, came success in a far more open game in which they conceded for the first time this season. Chelsea tested Arsenal on Sunday, went ahead, and yet Mikel Arteta’s side still always looked like they would win – even if it did take a superb late save from David Raya to keep out an Estevão shot. But the goalkeeper too is part of their strength; even if an opposing team can work a shooting opportunity, Raya has the capacity for spectacular saves that can dispirit opponents. This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Jonathan Wilson7 Sept