Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said that the prospects for his team’s season are “completely different” after thrashing West Bromwich Albion 4-0 to complete three English Premier League wins in eight days.
Prior to last weekend, the Gunners had gone eight league games without a win to find themselves at the bottom-end of the table.
However, nine points from nine has propelled Arsenal back into contention for the European spots as they climb to 11th and within three points of the top six.
Photo: AFP
“I’m so happy we were able to achieve the target that we had, because the table looks completely different,” said Arteta, who had found his job under threat just four months on from winning the FA Cup.
“The energy we have around the place is much better, and wins bring a lot of confidence. You can see that today in the way the team played,” he added.
West Brom have yet to win in four games since Sam Allardyce took charge, and the former England manager needs to quickly instill the defensive discipline that is his trademark if his new team are to have any chance of survival.
The Baggies have shocked Manchester City and Liverpool by claiming 1-1 draws on the road in the past few weeks, but have now conceded 12 goals in Allardyce’s first three home games.
“I think we need to work out a way to make sure we are not as sloppy as we are at conceding goals,” said Allardyce, whose side remain second from the bottom, six points from safety. “It seems like when we do try and open up then we leave opportunities for the opposition and we’re not able to cope.”
Arteta’s decision to finally put faith in his crop of talented youngsters has turned his side’s season around.
Kieran Tierney’s stunning solo effort and a brilliant team goal rounded off by Bukayo Saka put the visitors into a comfortable halftime lead at a snow-covered Hawthorns.
Alexandre Lacazette’s quickfire double in the second half completed the scoring.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were again Tottenham Hotspurs’s talismans in a 3-0 win over Leeds to revitalize their Premier League title challenge.
Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot before turning provider for Son to slot home his 100th goal for the club.
It was the 13th time Kane and Son had combined for a goal this term, equaling the Premier League record set by Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn in the 1994-1995 season.
“He knew I was there. Sometimes it is telepathic,” Son said. “To score 100 goals with one team is a big thing. I’m very proud. It’s a good way to start the new year.”
The South Korean then also got an assist early in the second-half when his corner was headed home by Toby Alderweireld.
Sheffield United remain without a win this season after a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, while Brighton & Hove Albion edged two points clear of the relegation zone by coming from 3-1 down to salvage a 3-3 draw at home to the Wolverhampton Wanderers.
BUNDESLIGA
AFP, BERLIN
RB Leipzig on Saturday dislodged Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga table as Dani Olmo’s second half goal was enough to seal a 1-0 win at Stuttgart.
“It was really good for me and the team to start the year with a win,” Olmo told DAZN.
With European champions Bayern at home to strugglers FSV Mainz 05 yesterday, Leipzig took the chance to go a point ahead.
With 23 minutes left, Spain midfielder Olmo finally got the breakthrough, finishing a move he started after Leipzig had moved the ball across the Stuttgart penalty area.
“It feels good to be top,” Leipzig defender Willi Orban said. “The first half was good, the second was better; we were clearly the dominant team.”
Meanwhile, bottom side Schalke 04 are now 30 games without a win — one short of the Bundesliga record, which near-forgotten minnows SV Tasmania Berlin are desperate to keep.
Placards reading “That is our record! Ra-Ra-Ra Tasmania (The Original)” and “Save the record for Tas” were laid out in front of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium before Schalke’s 3-0 defeat to Hertha BSC on Saturday.
LA LIGA
AP, BARCELONA, Spain
Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez on Saturday set one another up for goals to help Real Madrid earn a 2-0 win over RC Celta de Vigo, as the defending champions edged one point above Atletico Madrid to the top of La Liga.
Second-placed Atletico have played three fewer matches than Madrid and had the chance to return to the top when they visited Deportivo Alaves yesterday.
Asensio crossed to the far post for Vazquez to head in Madrid’s opener in the sixth minute. Vazquez then set up his fellow forward for Asensio to double the lead in the 53rd.
“We played a complete match from start to finish,” Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “We controlled the game, were balanced in our transitions between attack and defense, and recovered the ball with our pressure.”
“We are feeling good, but there is still a long way to go in this league,” Zidane added.
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