Luis Diaz of Liverpool has a headed shot earlier than Jakub Kiwior of Arsenal scores an personal objective previous teammate Aaron Ramsdale, throughout the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 07, 2024 in London, England.
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Arsenal’s more and more alarming problems in entrance of objective had been additional uncovered in a 2-0 loss to Liverpool in a heavyweight FA Cup match on Sunday.
An end-to-end third-round contest was settled by two late objectives — an own-goal by Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior in the eightieth minute and a stoppage-time strike by Luis Diaz.
Arsenal has now misplaced 4 of its final seven matches in all competitions. In three of these defeats, the group has failed to attain.
That statistic, plus one other harm to first-choice striker Gabriel Jesus, may but tempt supervisor Mikel Arteta to enter the switch market this month. Otherwise, Arsenal dangers falling quick once more this season, identical to in the final marketing campaign when the group pale late on and was overwhelmed to the Premier League title by fast-finishing Manchester City.
City appears to be like in prime form once more heading into the second half of the season, with a 5-0 win over second-tier Huddersfield in the FA Cup notable for the return from harm of Kevin De Bruyne after practically 5 months out.
De Bruyne hasn’t performed since sustaining a hamstring harm at Burnley on the opening day of the Premier League season on August 11. The Belgium playmaker got here on as a 57th-minute substitute — when City was 2-0 forward — and supplied the cross that fellow alternative Jeremy Doku transformed for the ultimate objective in a one-sided match at Etihad Stadium.
City supervisor Pep Guardiola welcome back a midfielder he described as “exceptional” and ”distinctive.”
“Kevin helps us to win games and there are few like him in the world,” Guardiola stated. “I’m pretty sure Kevin felt how our people are in love with him. This mutual respect will last forever.”
Phil Foden scored twice, Julian Alvarez added one other and there was an own-goal for City, which noticed defender Manuel Akanji go off injured in the primary half.
Erling Haaland was nonetheless deemed not match sufficient to function for City, however needs to be back quickly to enhance the returning De Bruyne and Doku as Pep Guardiola’s group go for an unlikely repeat of its treble of main trophies received final season.
City is third in the Premier League, 5 factors behind first-place Liverpool with a sport in hand, and is thru to the spherical of 16 in the Champions League.
“I know he can handle the pressure,” Guardiola stated of De Bruyne, “but I don’t want to put all the pressure on Kevin’s shoulders.”
Wrexham wins
Wrexham made its Hollywood homeowners joyful by successful 1-0 at Shrewsbury, an area rival from a division larger in English soccer’s pyramid, because of Tom O’Connor’s second-half objective.
The buzz round Wrexham and its celeb homeowners — Rob Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — reached new ranges throughout an FA Cup run round this time final 12 months when the Welsh membership beat one second-tier Championship group in Coventry after which took one other, Premier League-bound Sheffield United, to a replay.
The group has already received by way of three rounds this season and can discover out on Monday its opponent in the final 32.
Promotion stays the massive objective this season for Wrexham, which is in third place in League Two.
Premier League groups West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Luton had been all held to attracts at dwelling by lower-division opponents.
West Ham failed to carry onto a lead earned by Jarrod Bowen’s early objective and drew 1-1 with second-tier Bristol City. There was extra dangerous information for the Hammers, with Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta pressured off injured in the primary half.
Forest needed to come from two objectives down to attract with third-tier Blackpool 2-2 whereas one other third-tier group, Bolton, held Luton 0-0.
