Arsene Wenger saluted Petr Cech s reaction to his poor display against Brighton and Hove Albion as the goalkeeper went from hell to heaven in a week by playing a vital role and reaching 200 Premier League clean sheets in Sunday s win over Watford.
Cech was at fault for both goals as Arsenal lost 2-1 at the Amex Stadium in their last top-flight outing, responding on social media after the game by taking full responsibility for the defeat.
But the day belonged to the 35-year-old this time around when Watford visited Emirates Stadium, as he saved a penalty from Troy Deeney – who has previously been open in his criticism of the Gunners – and ultimately secured a shutout in Arsenal s 3-0 victory.
That made him the first goalkeeper to reach 200 clean sheets in …
Denmark boss Age Hareide is confident his side can handle the pressure that comes with a World Cup ahead of their crucial Group C clash with Peru.
Hareide s side kick-off their campaign in Saransk on Saturday, with Australia and tournament favourites France also in the pool.
With France favourites to claim top spot, the fight is seemingly on for second place, and Hareide acknowledged that beating Peru taking part in their first World Cup since 1982 is vital to Denmark s chances of progression.
Of course, if we want a good opportunity for second place the three points are very important, he said.
We re going all in to win the match. At a World Cup there s always pressure because everybody is watching, but I would say there was more pressure on us in Dubl…
Arsenal needed penalties to overcome Bournemouth following a 1-1 draw in the first match of their pre-season tour of the United States.
Fabio Vieira s volley put Mikel Arteta s unfamiliar XI ahead after 18 minutes at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Portuguese powering Reiss Nelson s cross into the far corner.
Karl Hein denied Dominic Solanke one-on-one but Bournemouth would level 17 minutes from time, Antoine Semenyo s shot deflecting off Omar Rekik to wrong-foot the young Arsenal goalkeeper.
Both teams had agreed to a shoot-out should the game finish all square, and it was Ryan Christie s miss that proved decisive as Arsenal stayed perfect from 12 yards.
Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Gabriel Jesus and Jakub Kiwior all converted from the…
Javier Pastore has signed a five-year deal at Roma in a €24.7million move from Paris Saint-Germain, the Serie A club confirmed.
The 29-year-old arrived on a busy Tuesday for Roma, with Radja Nainggolan having completed his €38m departure to Inter and Davide Santon and Nicolo Zaniolo moving in the opposite direction for a combined €14m.
Pastore won five Ligue 1 titles at PSG but fell out of favour under Unai Emery in 2017-18 and, due to his lack of playing time at club level, was overlooked for Argentina s World Cup squad.
The playmaker spent two productive seasons in Serie A with Palermo prior to his move to Paris, and he is delighted to be back in familiar surroundings.
I am very happy to be here at Roma. It is great to return to Italy and t…
West Ham United are interested in signing Denis Zakaria from Juventus in the summer transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Italian journalist has reported on that West Ham have asked for information on a deal to bring the defensive midfielder to London Stadium this summer.
Romano has claimed that West Ham are not the only clubs who are showing interest in Zakaria. A number of other teams are also in the race for the 26-year-old. Juventus do not have any plans for the Switzerland for next season and are willing to offload him.
Zakaria spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea form Juventus. The 26-year-old struggled to make an impact whatsoever, and the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners decided not to make his loan deal permanent. Zah…
Thibaut Courtois was named the world s best goalkeeper by France Football on Monday as he took home the 2022 Yashin Trophy.
The award, handed to the outstanding keeper of the 2021-22 season, went to Courtois ahead of Alisson, Ederson, Edouard Mendy and Mike Maignan.
Liverpool s Alisson finished second to Courtois, who inspired Real Madrid s Champions League final win over the Reds in Paris last term.
It was the Belgium international s performance in that match that surely earned him the top honour and helped him finish seventh in the Ballon d Or voting.
Courtois made nine saves – a final record since Opta data was first gathered in 2003-04 – and prevented 2.5 goals, according to expected goals on target data, in a 1-0 victory.
Madrid also won …
Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be set for a return to Serie A in the summer.
The Gabon international began his professional career at AC Milan back in 2008 even though he failed to record a single first-team appearance with Rossoneri during his three-year stay in Italy.
Backed by their new owners who have big plans for the Italian giants, AC Milan are believed to be preparing an audacious plan that would see them reunite with lethal striker in the summer transfer market.
Aubameyang is being linked with a summer move away from Dortmund and the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris-Saint Germain have already been mentioned as possible destinations.
According to , however, AC Milan are prepared to offer the Gabon international…
In what was an action-packed affair from north London on Sunday afternoon, Aston Villa mounted a stunning comeback as they secured a 2-1 victory against Tottenham.
While Spurs might have come flying out of the traps here as Giovani Lo Celso powered home the opener midway through the first-half, Ange Postecoglou’s side suffered another worrying collapse.
With Villa dragging themselves level just seconds before the half-time break as Spanish international defender Pau Torres produced a smart header, it was Unai Emery’s side who made a real top-four statement after returning from the break.
With Tottenham dealing with a string of injury and suspension woes, Unai Emery’s side certainly cashed in as the red-hot Ollie Watkins notched his seventh Premier League s…
Atalanta 1-1 Manchester City: Walker plays as emergency goalkeeper after Bravo red in frantic San Si
Manchester City finished with Kyle Walker in goal as their progression to the Champions League knockout stages was stalled by Atalanta in a dramatic 1-1 draw.
Raheem Sterling s seventh-minute goal looked set to be paving the way for another dominant display from the Premier League champions, who thrashed Atalanta 5-1 in the reverse fixture and wanted a win to guarantee their place in the last 16.
However, Gabriel Jesus dreadful penalty miss and the half-time substitution of goalkeeper Ederson – who reportedly had a minor injury – handed Atalanta hope, with Mario Pasalic then heading in their equaliser.
A red card for Ederson s replacement, Claudio Bravo, caused mayhem in the closing stages, with Walker, after a long delay, brought on to take his place in ne…
Vinicius Junior announced his desire to stay at Real Madrid, claiming they are the most united since he arrived in 2018.
The 21-year-old Brazilian enjoyed a breakthrough year this past season, providing 17 goals and 13 assists in Real Madrid s LaLiga title triumph, before scoring in the final to claim the club s 14th Champions League.
He has two years left on his contract but is expected to extend until 2026, turning down reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
In anticipation of a contract renewal, Vinicius cited the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu as a critical factor in his growth.
I will continue in the biggest team in the world, he told Sport TV. It s the most united team since I arrived. The celebrations were different this year. We all f…