Arsenal next five fixtures compared to Liverpool and Man City after West Ham thrashing yesterday as Arteta Men set eyes on winning the trophy.
Arsenal put on a display at the London Stadium, responding powerfully to Liverpool and Manchester City’s victories on Saturday. The Gunners dominated from the start, but they really showed their dominance in a blazing 15-minute spell before halftime.
The defence had a good day thanks to goals from William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, and Bukayo Saka scored his 50th goal for the club with a penalty. Leandro Trossard’s curled finish shortly before the interval capped a strong performance.
For Arsenal, the outcome leaves things as they started heading into the weekend, albeit with a much improved goal difference. Liverpool stay top after their 3-1 win over Burnley at Anfield, while City briefly went to the peak earlier on Saturday.
Title outsiders Tottenham just about kept up their feint hopes of gatecrashing the party. Spurs beat came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 thanks to a 96th-minute winner from Brennan Johnson.
Arsenal and Mikel Arteta now have Champions League football on the horizon as they attempt to battle on two fronts for the remainder of the season. The Gunners are entering a critical era. Here’s how the next five league games will play out.
Burnley(A) – Arsenal are expected to win their fifth consecutive league match at Turf Moor on Saturday, February 17. In a match between two of Pep Guardiola’s protégés, Arteta will be trying to outperform a struggling Vincent Kompany.
Burnley are currently second from bottom, with 13 points, and are falling further behind by the week. They have won just one home game this season.
Newcastle (Home) – Saturday, February 24
Things get more difficult temporarily, particularly following the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League last-16 match against Porto. Newcastle won the reverse meeting in a tense match at St James’ Park, which was marred by VAR controversy, but have since slipped.
Eddie Howe’s side is now ten points behind Aston Villa, leaving them outside the top six. They have recovered well from a difficult period between Christmas and New Year, winning three of their last four and drawing the other, but they are not the same sturdy team that had such defensive success last year.
Sheffield United (A) – Monday, March 4
Arsenal will have ten days to recover before facing the league’s poorest team this season, which is the ideal way to respond to a difficult week of European travel and high-pressure games. Chris Wilder’s arrival at Bramall Lane has made little impact to the Blades’ fortunes, and Arsenal will be in no mood to offer any glimmer of hope here.
Brentford (H) – Saturday, March 9
The turnaround for the following match, a visit from Ivan Toney, Thomas Frank, and Brentford, is substantially shorter. This is the type of banana skin Arsenal hopes to easily navigate.
Liverpool next five fixtures
Brentford (A) – Saturday, February 17
Luton (H) – Wednesday, February 21
Nottingham Forest (A) – Saturday, March 2
Man City (H) – Saturday, March 9
Everton (A) – Saturday, March 16
Manchester City next five fixtures
Brentford (A) – Monday, February 5
Everton (H) – Saturday, February 10