English daily published in Bengaluru & Doha
Gunners fire Foxes, move into Premier League’s top four
Arsenal maintained its grip on fourth place in the Premier League thanks to a 2-0 win over Leicester on Sunday, with the Gunners enjoying their best run of the season.
Thomas Partey netted early and Alexandre Lacazette added a second-half penalty as Arsenal secured its fifth straight league win. It kept Arteta’s team one point above fifth-place Manchester United and with three games in hand.
“We have a very strong belief in the group and play with a lot of confidence,” midfielder Martin Odegaard said. “We just have to keep going.”
Leicester’s hopes of securing a European place are quickly fading, though, with the team’s weakness from set pieces proving costly again. Partey headed in the opener in the 11th minute after shaking off a defender to meet Gabriel Martinelli’s corner at the near post.
The second goal resulted from a free-kick into the area. Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel saved the initial effort from Ben White but Partey’s header from the rebound glanced off the outstretched hand of Caglar Soyuncu before being cleared off the line.
Ferran Torres scored a brace and Ousmane Dembele made two assists as a red-hot Barcelona rolled over Osasuna 4-0 on Sunday to earn their fourth consecutive LaLiga win. The victory moved Barca into the top three with 51 points, level with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid and fi ve points behind second-placed Sevilla, but with a game in hand over their nearest rivals.
Alexis Sanchez’s stoppage-time strike earned Inter Milan a dramatic 1-1 draw at Torino as the Serie A title race took another twist on Sunday. With Milan, Napoli and Juventus all earning three points this weekend, champions Inter fell behind early on in Turin as they looked to keep pace, with Torino’s Brazilian defender Bremer stabbing home the ball with 12 minutes on the clock.
