Track Tickets
Arsenal, Man United, and Man City recorded victories in the EPL this weekend in Matchweek 24
With Arsenal goals by Nacho Monreal 6, Alex Iwobi 10, Laurent Koscielny 13, Alexandre Lacazette 22; and a Crystal Palace goal by Luka Milivojevic 78, Arsenal soundly defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium. After the victory, Gunners boss Arsène Wenger spoke about the latest status of his superstar striker Alexis Sánchez. Sanchez did not feature against Crystal Palace because he had "driven north to put himself in position to complete his January transfer to Manchester United" according to Wenger. Wenger talked about how the saga involving Sanchez who is his club's best player had affected everybody during the January games. Reportedly, Manchester United agreed to a Henrikh Mkhitaryan swap deal for Alexis Sánchez.
"For us, it's not only to lose a world-class player - it's a period of uncertainty that creates a strange feeling in the dressing room," said Wenger. "What is very difficult is that, for the first time, we are losing one of our big players in January. It's a bit more destabilizing than usual. Once things are clear, the team responds and focuses on the job," he said. Sánchez will most likely appear next wearing a Manchester United shirt, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan is primed to move in the opposite direction and Wenger said that part of the deal was affecting the timing of it all. Arsène Wenger also spoke on the transfer of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. "Aubameyang no, nothing is happening," said Wenger. "He can be left out of the Dortmund team for different reasons, certainly not for transfer reasons at the moment. Sánchez will only happen if Mkhitaryan comes here, that will be decided in next 48 hours. It is a possibility."
In other matches, mighty Manchester United defeated Burnley 0-1 away to the delight of a proud boss, Jose Mourinho. "We played against a brave team, a team that knows how to get points," said Manchester United manager José Mourinho. "It was good to see the way the team fought for it. I thought it was difficult for the referee, but I thought Mike Dean and his team were brilliant, they were really good. We were not brilliant, but we were very good. It is a distance where the leaders play without any kind of pressure. I think the difference of points means players of that experience are too comfortable." Of course, Mourinho was asked about Alexis Sanchez coming to Old Trafford. "If you ask me if I think he's coming. I think so but I have no confirmation," Mourinho says.
Theo Walcott made his debut for Everton at Goodison Park in their 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. James McCarthy suffered a tibia and fibula double break in the clash as a result of a second-half block on Rondon, says manager Sam Allardyce. "I got chills when I walked out at Goodison for the first time," said Theo Walcott. "The second half was a big improvement and the hard work paid off in the end. We want more, I want more - we are not going out to draw games - but it was a good day personally."
New manager Paul Lambert saw victory in his first game in charge lifting Stoke City out of the relegation zone, at the expense of Southampton, who played Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's on Sunday resulting in a 1-1 draw with Harry Kane scoring the Spurs only goal. Leicester City moved up to seventh, above Burnley, after their 2-0 win at home over Watford at the King Power Stadium.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City bounced back from their recent defeat by Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool adding another win and 3 points to their tally as Kun Agüero scored his 11th hat-trick for City. Sergio has now scored 14 times in 12 league games against Newcastle. Agüero scored 30 goals last season and has 22 goals to date this season. Aguero was asked whether he had made contact with Kevin De Bruyne's cross when he scored City's opening goal. "I think it touched my hair," City's record scorer replied. Aguero's second goal came from the penalty spot, and the hat-trick goal came from a brilliant run from Leroy Sané. "We need mathematically 10 victories to be champions," Man City manager Pep Guardiola said. On the countdown to glory, ten victories will take Manchester City to 95 points, equaling Chelsea's Premier League record. It is the highest total Manchester United can reach at this point, and City's goal difference is 19 better. "I said to the players: 'Don't look back. Don't look at our contenders behind. Look at what we have to achieve.' Because if we look at what they do, that is not a good solution from my experience," Guardiola argued. "Until fixture 24, we were the best team. But that doesn't count. It counts after fixture 38. Still, we have 14 to go and it will be tough to win 10 or 11 games."
In the past veteran manager Guardiola has won both the Spanish and German leagues and seems set to follow suit in England. Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez talked about his current situation. Benítez's Valencia won La Liga with 75 points. Now City are on course to record 107. But, as Guardiola has calculated, 95 and a superior goal difference will suffice for Manchester City. "Who has the record for scoring the most goals in the Champions League? Me, with Liverpool and Real Madrid," said Benitez citing 8-0 defeats of Besiktas and Malmö. "At Real Madrid, we scored 10 against Rayo Vallecano. When we can attack, we attack. It is not the Premier League of two years ago, it is the Premier League now. The teams at the top are spending more money. They have the best players. I think the gap is bigger now. My first time with Extremadura was against Barcelona and we lost 1-0. But we were 4-4-2 and organized, and pressing high. Yes, the difference between us was massive, but now you can see against these teams that even if you play a good game you can concede four goals and lose. You have to find the right balance and not be embarrassed."
Meanwhile, Argentinian Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino's side drew 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur as Premier League top goalscorer Harry Kane scored his 99th Premier League goal and Southampton were denied a first league win in 11 matches, keeping them in 18th place with 14 matches left this season. "We played against an amazing side, but I think we created problems," Pellegrino said. "I think we are on the right path. I am sure we will improve. Obviously, we are in trouble, but in three or four weeks everything can change." Spurs boss Pochettino agreed with Pellegrino's assessment of the even contest, refusing to make excuses despite a virus that deprives him of Hugo Lloris and Christian Eriksen. "We made a lot of mistakes in possession," Pochettino said. "We gave them a lot of chances for transitions. The pitch wasn't great, but it was the same for both teams."
Premier League MatchWeek 24 Results
Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle United
Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace
Brighton 0-4 Chelsea
Burnley 0-1 Manchester United
Everton 1-1 West Brom
Leicester City 2-0 Watford
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Southampton
Stoke 2-0 Huddersfield
West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth
Swansea will host titan club Liverpool on Monday. Last minute Swansea v Liverpool tickets are still available from LiveFootballTickets.com! Buy the very best legal, authentic, 150% guaranteed Premier League tickets for Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Everton, to watch the giant England clubs battle on the road to glory!
Championship MatchWeek 24 Results
Aston Villa 3-1 Barnsley
Fulham 6-0 Burton Albion
Leeds United 3-4 Millwall
Norwich City 1-2 Sheffield United
QPR 0-3 Middlesbrough
Reading 0-1 Brentford
Sunderland 1-0 Hull City
Wolves 0-2 Nottingham Forest
Buy great Championship tickets now online for cheap prices at LiveFootballTickets.com!
