Football
Gabriel’s header earns Arsenal 1-0 win at Spurs in feisty derby
Chelsea and Newcastle secure three points.Reuters
Gabriel Magalhaes’ second-half header earned Arsenal a crucial 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur in a feisty north London derby on Sunday to keep pace with early Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Spurs started sharper and David Raya was forced into early saves, turning Dejan Kulusevski’s first-time effort behind before he clawed away a dangerous cross from the Sweden winger.
Record signing Dominic Solanke, making his home debut, squandered a good opening in the 14th minute after Arsenal lost possession deep in their own half, taking too long on the ball and allowing William Saliba to recover.
Arsenal were missing captain Martin Odegaard through injury and Declan Rice through suspension but dug deep impressively despite an under-strength midfield.
“It was difficult because we have lost a lot of important players for us,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports.
“Those who waited for the chance trained and behaved in the right manner. This is the result.”
The Gunners fought their way into the contest, with Guglielmo Vicario tested by a Kai Havertz header before Gabriel Martinelli was then played in brilliantly by Leandro Trossard but scuffed his shot with Bukayo Saka waiting centrally.
Jurrien Timber was perhaps fortunate to avoid a straight red card in the first half for a reckless challenge on Pedro Porro as he tried to retain possession.
His studs landed on Porro’s ankle but referee Jarred Gillett deemed the incident was not serious foul play and VAR declined to intervene, much to the Spurs fans’ anger.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, with the hosts on top as Micky van de Ven tested Raya with a glancing header before Arsenal again got a foothold in the game.
The game had been breathless but low on quality in front of goal until Arsenal punished Spurs from a corner, having done so twice in last season’s 3-2 away win in April.
Gabriel escaped far too easily from Cristian Romero, who pleaded for a foul in vain and powered a header past Vicario from close range in the 64th minute.
Arsenal withstood some late pressure from Spurs, who created few real chances and were left shooting from range as the Gunners seemed happy with a one-goal lead.
The win, their third in a row away to their bitter rivals, puts Arsenal on 10 points from four games, two behind champions Manchester City ahead of their trip to the Etihad next Sunday.
Arsenal first plays Atalanta away in the Champions League on Thursday and will hope Saka, who was substituted late on, can recover in time to play a part.
Late Nkunku strike hands Chelsea 1-0 win at Bournemouth in feisty clash
Chelsea substitute Christopher Nkunku struck in the 86th minute to secure a 1-0 victory at Bournemouth in a game littered with a Premier League record 14 yellow cards on Saturday.
Bournemouth twice struck the woodwork and Evanilson had a first-half penalty saved by Robert Sanchez.
But Chelsea finished the game strongly and Nkunku, who came on in the 79th minute, slotted home from close range to make it two away wins out of two for the London side.
Chelsea moved up to seventh with seven points from four games, while Bournemouth are 11th with five points.
While it was not an entirely convincing display by Enzo Maresca’s Londoners who rode their luck in the first half, there were plenty of positives to take away from the south coast.
They ended a run of 17 Premier League away games without a clean sheet, gave a debut to on-loan Jadon Sancho who impressed as a second-half substitute and showed plenty of resilience.
Bournemouth, however, will feel hard done by as they paid dearly for failing to take their chances.
Newcastle’s long-range double stuns Wolves in 2-1 comeback victory
Newcastle United fought back from a halftime deficit with two long-range strikes in the space of five minutes to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Molineux on Sunday and move into third place in the Premier League.
Fabian Schar’s speculative effort took a deflection to draw Newcastle level after Wolves captain Mario Lemina’s 36th-minute goal had put the hosts ahead at the break as they chased a first league success of the season.
But while there might have been an element of fortune about Schar’s 75th-minute goal, there was no luck involved as Harvey Barnes thrashed home a spectacular winner five minutes later.
Both efforts came from outside the penalty area and dramatically turned around the outcome after struggling Wolves had dominated most of the encounter.
Wolves remain in the bottom three with a single point from their opening four fixtures of the campaign.
Newcastle advanced to 10 points, behind second placed Arsenal on goal difference and two behind Manchester City.