Cesc Fabregas missed training on Monday night and will not be fit for Arsenal’s crucial UEFA Campions League clash against Port on Tuesday.
The midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the 3-1 victory over Burnley at the Emirates at the weekend, and his absence from training led to confirmation that will not play for his side in their crucial second leg tie against the Portuguese champions.
The Gunners are 2-1 down after the first leg, and manager Arsene Wenger said at the weekend that he would be prepared to risk his captain in order to get his side through to the quarter-finals. But the midfielder’s injury has now ruled him out of the game. ”We cannot even take a gamble because he is just not available,” Wenger said.
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Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to one point on Wednesday when they lost 2-1 at Everton with Louis Saha continuing his scoring jinx over them.
Second-placed Manchester United drew 1-1 at Aston Villa while Arsenal stayed in the hunt after beating Liverpool 1-0.
Saha, who scored against Chelsea in the FA Cup final last season and in the 3-3 draw against them in December, cancelled out Florent Malouda’s 17th minute opener for Chelsea with a header in the 33rd.
He then had a penalty saved by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech on the stroke of halftime before scoring the winner after 75 minutes when he chested the ball down, turned and fired home.
That sent Chelsea to their first defeat in 11 matches and gave Everton manager David Moyes his first victory over the London side on the night he celebrated his 300th Premier League game.
Chelsea remain top with 58 points, but are just one point ahead of Manchester United, who drew at Villa despite playing for more than an hour with 10 men after Nani was sent off for a ragged two-footed challenge on Stilian Petrov.
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According to Cadena Ser Radio in Spain Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal captain and star midfielder, has struck a verbal agreement with Barcelona to join the Champions League Champions next season.
“There is a firm agreement between Barca and Cesc Fabregas even if it is only verbal,” the Spanish station reported without citing its sources.
“Several meetings have taken place and, following those meetings, Cesc told Barca that he wanted to rejoin them from next season,” it added.
Cadena Ser said the deal would be subject to agreeing a fee with Arsenal.
The reigning Spanish champions have neither confirmed nor denied the report.
Fabregas, a 22-year-old Spanish international, is Arsenal’s top scorer with 14 goals in all competitions this season and is under contract with the Gunners until 2014.
But his future has once again been the subject of much speculation this season and media reports have consistently linked him with a return to La Liga.
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Chelsea are back at the top of the table and Arsenal are now nine points adrift from the top, thanks to Didier Drogba’s two goals last night in Chelsea’s 2 - 0 win over the Gunners.
The Ivory Coast forward scored both goals inside 23 minutes, and Chelsea then successfully contained Arsenal at Stamford Bridge despite the Gunners enjoying the majority of possession in the second half.
“Didier is in a good moment, he’s come back from the African Cup with fantastic motivation,” Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said.
“The game was not easy because Arsenal played fantastic attacking football. We deserved to win because you can’t speak about a match only about the possession. Maybe they did have more possession than us, but football is about attack—and defense.”
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Manchester United humbled Arsenal yesterday by beating them 3 - 1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Naniforced Manuel Almunia to concede an own goal before setting up Wayne Rooney for a second. Park Ji-Sungscored early in the second half to end the game as a contest. Thomas Vermaelen volleyed home a consolation for Arsenal in the 80th minute.
Arsenal had started brightly, and Andrey Arshavin had an early opportunity. He broke down the left flank and burst into the left hand side of the penalty area. Cutting inside of Wes Brown, he aimed a shot for the far corner of the goal with his right foot, but it was loose and went wide.
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Arsenal became the latest member of the Premier League’s elite to suffer an early exit from the FA Cup as Ricardo Fuller’s double strike inspired Stoke’s 3-1 win over the Gunners in the fourth round on Sunday.
Manchester United, humbled by League One Leeds, and Liverpool, shocked by Reading, both perished in the third round and Arsene Wenger’s much-changed side were condemned to an equally chastening defeat at the Britannia Stadium.
After claiming that Arsenal remain vulnerable to physical opponents, Fuller underlined his pre-match jibe by heading the hosts into the lead after 70 seconds.
The Gunners defence, including debutant Sol Campbell, failed to deal with Rory Delap’s trademark long-throw and Fuller nipped in front of hesitant goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to head home from close-range.
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Arsenal beat Bolton Wanderers 2 - 0 away on Sunday to keep them firmly in the running for the English Premier League title.
Goals from Spanish midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Fran Merida helped leave the third-placed Gunners just three points behind leaders Chelsea after Owen Coyle’s first match as Bolton manager ended in defeat.
The Gunners’ victory saw the ‘usual suspects’ at the top of the table with second-placed reigning champions Manchester United in between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.
However, Arsenal will go into first place, on goal difference, if they beat Bolton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in a match re-arranged following the recent cold snap in Britain.
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Andrey Arshavin kept Arsenal’s title hopes alive by scoring the decisive goal to beat Liverpool 2 - 1 at Anfield on Sunday.
Arsenal fell behind to Dirk Kuyt’s goal shortly before half-time but levelled soon after the break through a Glen Johnson own-goal.
Russia international Arshavin, who scored four goals in last season’s 4-4 draw at Anfield, then produced a sublime moment of skill to complete Arsenal’s fightback with a slickly-taken, forceful shot, just before the hour mark.
Victory saw Arsenal regain third place and move to within six points of leaders Chelsea, held to a draw by Everton on Saturday and three of second-placed champions Manchester United, beaten by Aston Villa on Saturday, with a game in hand over the top two.
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Arsene Wenger does not seem to have taken the 3 - 0 loss to Chelsea on Sunday well. He has embarked on a strange appraisal of the game, his team, opponents and the current season as a whole.
Arsenal were outclassed and outfought in a match that many see as evidence that they will not launch a convincing title challenge, but Wenger’s post-match interview suggests that he has not given up hope.
However, the quotes that appear on the Arsenal website also include:
* An assertion that the scoreline did not fairly reflect the game.
* Complaints about various refereeing decisions, claiming that Eduardo’s disallowed goal in the first half changed the game.
* The assertion that Didier Drogba “doesn’t do much”.
* A bizarre and apparently unprompted criticism of TV analysts.
* The damage done by Arsenal’s defeat at Sunderland.
* Bemoaning his side’s lack of mental strength.
* He is “convinced” that Chelsea can still drop points and lose out on the title.
* His belief that Arsenal can still win the league.
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Chelsea beat Arsenal 3 - 0 at the Emirates on Sunday, whilst Liverpool won their derby match 2 - 0 against Everton at Goodison Park in the English Premier League.
Two goals from Didier Drogba and a Thomas Vermaelen own goal made the difference as Arsenal, who had won their previous 11 home games in all competitions, struggled to make an impression on a Chelsea defence that has conceded just eight goals in 14 league games.
The match encapsulated the key differences between the two London sides as Chelsea’s powerful lineup outmuscled Arsenal’s lightweights and, when in sight of goal, went for the jugular.
In contrast, Arsenal were content to play endless passes around the box in attacks that all too often petered out thanks to over-elaboration.
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