Premier League Archives

Brighton vs Arsenal – Match Preview

Arsenal will travel to the south coast on Wednesday looking to build on back-to-back derby wins. These sides have met twice already this season. The first meeting came in the EFL Cup, where Hale End proved to be the difference. Nwaneri and Saka got the goals in a 2-0 Arsenal win. In the reverse league fixture at the Emirates, Arsenal won 2-1. A strike from the skipper Odegaard and an own goal from Rutter put Arsenal into a 2-0 lead after 52 minutes. Gomez scored in the 64th minute, but it only proved to be a consolation for Brighton. The Seagulls have failed to beat The Gunners in their last 6 attempts, with their last win coming in May 2023 in a 3-0 win at the Emirates. Enciso, Undav and Estupinan got the goals in a win that all but ended Arsenal’s title hopes. Brighton come into this fixture off the back of back-to-back league wins. The last time Brighton won two consecutive league games was in November, where they beat Brentford 2-1 and Nottingham Forest 2-0. The first of those back-to-back wins came against high-flying Brentford, where goals from Gomez and Welbeck sealed a 2-0 win. The other win came against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. Gomez and Welbeck got the goals again in a 2-1 home win. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of back-to-back derby wins. The first of those came in N17 against close rivals Tottenham. Eze and Gyokeres both bagged twice in a 4-1 win. The other win came on Super Sunday against Chelsea, where Arsenal utilised their set piece threat. Saliba opened the scoring, getting on the end of a Gabriel header across goal, from a Saka corner. Chelsea equalised just before the interval, Hincapie heading the ball into his own net. On 66 minutes, Timber was first to meet Rice’s corner to give Arsenal a 2-1 win. Brighton have had a mixed bag of results at home in the league. The Seagulls have won 6, drawn 6 and lost 2 of their 14 home league games. On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s men have the best away record in the league. The North London outfit have won 8, drawn 5 and lost 2 of their 15 away league games. Fabian Hurzeler on Brighton’s narrow win against Nottingham Forest: “We want to create a desire to defend as a team and to bring an energy to the pitch that involves everybody in the stadium. “The supporters were great, they helped and pushed us over the line to win this game. In the last moments of the game we showed this desire to defend the box and block shots.” Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s derby win against Chelsea: The players made an incredible performance as well and put so much into the game. After the great victory against Spurs, this would be even another level of difficulty. “Against 10 men, I expected a different game. “Look at the quality on the pitch – immense, but set-pieces are still the ones that made the difference. They are so good at that, and we are so good at that as well.” Jurrien Timber: It’s a privilege to be standing here for Arsenal with my team mates fighting for all these titles, we have to learn to enjoy it and keep pushing.”

March 3, 2026

Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to 5 points with narrow win against London rivals Chelsea. Mikel Arteta on the performance: A proper London derby. We expected that because of the quality of the opposition, because of the individual quality that they have, and because we played them four times already, so we know how good and difficult they are to play against. After we started the game so well, the first half was very, very dominant. I think the margin and the scoreline should have been bigger. But we were 1-1, so game on. I reminded them that we were in exactly the same position against Spurs seven days ago in that dressing room. They said, look what happened in the second half, so we’re going to do it again.” Mikel Arteta on controlling emotions: “That’s what we have to do – train. Gaining context in those scenarios is becoming really difficult because we don’t have time to train. And to replicate those moments is almost impossible because the emotional part is not there, and the quality of the opponent – you cannot do it basically. But it’s certainly something that we’ll discuss tomorrow because we have to improve it and do better. But at the same time, you have to give credit to Chelsea for the manner in which they’ve done it. The way they use the keeper as an extra player, the courage that they show., how they get out from tight situations, it’s unbelievable. Any player, Lavia, Caicedo, Cole, there aren’t many players that can do that, and cause you the problem and turn you around.” Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s threat from set pieces: “Yeah, but every team to be fair, look where they are in terms of the amount of goals that they score and they have more quality in their score probably than anybody else to create and the team and the game at the end got decided in this aspect. So we haven’t scored set-pieces for a few weeks now, but we scored so many in open play. Today was an option to score from this kind of situation; we’ve done it so well, and we conceded as well.” Mikel Arteta on David Raya’s display: “Well, David is one of our leaders without a doubt, and he’s a keeper that knows how to maintain his focus and decide a football match when you need it. Because sometimes he doesn’t participate at all, and then in one action [clicks], you have to be there, and that’s very, very difficult to do. And the save that he made it in the last action, it’s a cross, it’s not a shot, but he ended up being an unbelievable shot and I got the right angle and my heart almost stopped, but David’s hand was there to bring it back to life.” William Saliba: “It was not an easy game today. “We shouldn’t have conceded the goal before half-time, but we did well in the second-half to score the set-piece, with a beautiful goal from JT. Now, we have to keep it going. We are so happy to win in front of our fans.” Jurrien Timber on the title race: “We have to enjoy it! It’s a privilege to be standing here, with my team-mates, with Arsenal, fighting for these titles. Nine games to go, hopefully something beautiful at the end.” Arsenal fan Rory: “Listen, that’s a massive win and that’s all that matters. But I NEED to see us lock games out better. There’s just that sense of fragility. Still, 3 points and onto the next, we had to bounce back from Wolves and we did.” Arsenal fan Dug: “Same old Arsenal ,always doing things the hard way! Got there in the end though, still in our hands. We have to remember that winning the league isn’t easy and there will be a lot more nervy moments but there is one thing they can do to make things less nervy and that is to cut out stupid little mistakes that seem to be creeping in. Come on Gunners, be calm, let’s do this!”

March 3, 2026

Tottenham 1-4 Arsenal: Post-Match Reaction

Arsenal extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to 5 points with an emphatic victory over North London rivals Tottenham. Igor Tudor: “Now in this moment, the team is full of problems. The only key is to work on the training day by day and be humble. We need to be more aggressive – we need to be more compact. These are the keys. You understand the gap with the mental sharpness of one team and other teams. This is a thing we need to change. I saw players available to do this, but we need more time to do this. Thinking about relegation doesn’t bring you anything to anybody.” Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze: “He was upset, even with me, because I didn’t play him the other day from the beginning, and some of the decisions that I made. “I just have to understand how we’re going to get the best out of him now. I could see that he wanted to prove something.” On the key to Arsenal’s win: “The attitude. Again, how you approach thing and that’s a decision that you have to make. You can feel sorry for yourself, you can look at it, oh, at this stage, I mean, when we’re all kids, we dream to play these kind of games. So when we have the possibility to do that, just do it in a manner that recognises the opportunity that we have to be where we are.” On Declan Rice: “When you talk about attitude… What Declan has done today. I mean, he can make an error, the way he played afterwards. That’s attitude. That’s personality, and courage, and to stand up in a difficult moment.” Viktor Gyökeres: “We can do even better, I’m sure. I was involved a lot. When you get to know the players around you better, it makes a difference. “I always try to come in with my attributes and help the team.” Eberechi Eze: “Today it worked out, thanks God.” “Why do I always score against Spurs? I try to score against everyone but it always seems to work against them.”

February 22, 2026

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal – Match Preview

20th place Wolves take on the League leaders Arsenal on Wednesday night, who will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League. The last time these sides met was only in December. Johnstone scored an own goal to put Arsenal in front after 70 minutes, but in the 90th minute, Tolu scored to equalise for the away side, however, in the 4th minute of additional time, Mosquera also put the ball in the back of his own net to give Arsenal all 3 points. Both sides come into this fixture off the back of victories in the FA Cup. Wolves beat League 2 outfit Grimsby Town 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Bueno on the hour mark. The Gunners come into this fixture off the back of a comfortable 4-0 home win against Wigan, with all 4 goals coming in the opening 27 minutes. Madueke, Martinelli, an own goal from Hunt and a lovely chip from Jesus put Arsenal through to the 5th round. In the Premier League, Wolves have struggled to say the very least. The Wanderers have only picked up 9 points from 26 games, and in those 26 games, conceded 48 and only scored 16 times. Unsurprisingly, Wolves have the worst home record in the division, only picking up 5 points at the Molineux from a possible 39. On the other hand, Mikel Arteta’s men have enjoyed a sensational campaign thus far in every competition. The North London outfit sit 4 points clear at the top of the Premier League, finished 1st in the Champions League group phase, recently qualified for the League Cup Final, where they will face Manchester City, and comfortably progressed through to the 5th round of the FA Cup. The Gunners have been solid away from home in the Premier League, picking up 25 points from a possible 39, which is the best record of any side in the division thus far. Wolfe on Wolves’ win against Grimsby: “We’re very happy. We obviously knew it was not going to be pretty, and we would not be able to play the football we want to play, so it was just a battle about doing the basics in football the best. We did better in the second half, we suffered quite a bit in the first half, but second half we were much better and I think we made the best of it. “Progressing is all it was about today. We knew that it wasn’t going to be a game like the last one in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury. We knew it was going to be tough and that we’d have to fight very hard, and I’m happy that we stood up to it.” On Arsenal: “It’s an important, and big challenge. They [Arsenal] are first in the table, but we made it very difficult for them a couple of weeks ago, and I believe we can do that again.” Mikel Arteta on Eze: “Eberechi Eze was really positive, that’s what we want. He’s already playing a big role, he’s played a lot of games for us and he will continue to. Those players need those moments. It’s good for the mood, the confidence.” On Norgaard’s performance vs Wigan: “Very pleased and not surprised. The way he looks after himself and every teammate, and how he handles the role, is just exceptional. I’m not surprised by what he’s done today.”

February 17, 2026

Igor Tudor Takes the Reigns at Tottenham

Croatian coach Igor Tudor has taken interim charge of Tottenham Hotspur after Thomas Frank was sacked earlier this week. Frank left the club in 16th place just five points above the relegation places, leaving Spurs with no choice but to sack their Danish manager. Tottenham were looking for a coach with a track record of producing an instant turnaround in form and Tudor does have previous experience of doing exactly that. Tudor, who got 55 caps for Croatia as a player, took charge of both Lazio and Juventus at similar stages of the last two seasons and was able to turn their fortunes around quickly. His latest stint as a head coach was at Juventus after finishing fourth at the end of last season he was given a two-year contract, however was sacked four months later. Tudor does have plenty of coaching experience, since 2013 he’s worked at clubs such as Galatasaray, Udinese and Marseille along with the aforementioned Lazio and Juventus. It’s a tough start to life at Spurs for the Croatian as his first game is the North London derby against Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on 22nd February. He also has a trip to Anfield to play Liverpool and the first leg of the Champions League last 16 tie within his first five games in charge. Spurs will be hoping Tudor can produce what he has in Serie A over the past few years and pull them out of the position they’re in before they fall into serious contention of relegation. Read our article detailing Thomas Frank’s departure from Tottenham here: https://snnsports.co.uk/thomas-frank-sacked-as-tottenham-hotspur-manager/

February 14, 2026

Brentford vs Arsenal – Match Preview

High-flying Brentford host league leaders Arsenal on Thursday night under the lights. The last meeting between these sides came in December. Merino and Saka got the goals in a 2-0 Arsenal win. The West London outfit have not beaten Arsenal in their last 9 attempts, with their last win in this fixture coming on a special day in 2021, where they kicked off their first campaign in the Premier League with a 2-0 home win under Thomas Frank. Brentford come into this clash off the back of 3-2 against Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Janelt, Thiago and Ouattara all found the net to give Brentford their first win at Newcastle in 92 years. As a result, The Bees sit in 7th, level on points with Liverpool in 6th. In their last 5 Premier League games, Brentford have picked up 9 points out of a possible 15, which puts them 6th in the form table. Arsenal come into this fixture off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win against Sunderland. A goal from Zubimendi and a brace from Gyokeres gave The Gunners all 3 points. As a result, the title race remains the same, with Mikel Arteta’s men leading the race by 6 points after Manchester City left it late to secure maximum points at Anfield. In their last 5 Premier League fixtures, Arsenal have picked up 8 points out of a possible 15, which puts them 7th in the form table, 1 point and place below Brentford. Keith Andrews will be without on-loan forward Reiss Nelson on Thursday, along with the suspended Kevin Schade and Antoni Milambo, Fabio Carvalho and Josh Dasilva through injury. It is understood that Leandro Trossard, who was forced off during Arsenal’s 3-0 win against Sunderland, will be assessed ahead of Thursday’s London Derby. English Winger Bukayo Saka is unlikely to return for Thursday’s match but is expected to return in time for the North London Derby on February 22nd. Martin Odegaard has missed Arsenal’s last 2 matches but could be set for a return to the squad, although not guaranteed. Prospect Max Downman has been out with an ankle injury since December and is only a few weeks away from recovery. The Gunners will not be missing any players through suspension. Rico Henry: “The gaffer [Keith Andrews] has been good to me. He kept saying that we have good squad depth. He told me to keep doing what I’m doing and that my time would come. “That’s what I did. I’ve been pushing the boys. It’s a team effort. Even when you’re not playing, you still want to help the boys and try and win.” “Now I’m back playing a bit more, it’s easier. I’ve been able to build connections with the boys. Nathan [Collins] is playing left centre-back now, and I’d never played with him like that before – it had been Sepp [van den Berg] or Eth [Pinnock]. Mikel Arteta on Viktor Gyokeres’ goals against Sunderland: “Very happy. He deserves it. He is a super committed player, and he wants to get better. He saw the line-up up and I told him he’d come in and make an impact.

February 11, 2026

Thomas Frank Sacked as Tottenham Hotspur Manager

Tottenham Hotspur have announced that manager Thomas Frank has been sacked after just eight months in charge. Frank was given the position in June 2025 after Ange Postecoglou was sacked just weeks after winning the Europa League with Spurs. Frank leaves the club in 16th position in the Premier League with 29 points after 26 games, far away from where the club expect themselves to be. Despite some good results in Europe and wins over Manchester City and Everton, there have just been too many poor results to keep Frank in the job for the Spurs board. What happened to be the final straw for the club board was last night’s 1-2 home loss to Newcastle United. In a statement the club said: “results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.” As we head into the last few months an interim as the club looks for the next man to try and make them a force in the Premier League again. Early favourites to take over include Robert de Zerbi who has today left French club Marseille, John Heitinga currently head coach of Ajax, and sensationally Mauricio Pochettino is tipped to make a potential return after spending five years there from 2014-2019.

February 11, 2026

Everton 1-2 Bournemouth: Toffees Horrible Home Form Drags On

Bournemouth defeated Everton 2-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, making it six games since the Toffees last tasted victory at their new home. Iliman Ndiaye scored his first goal for the hosts since returning from winning AFCON with Senegal, converting a late first-half penalty which was cancelled out by a three minute second period salvo from Rayan and Amine Adil to see all the points travel back to the South-coast. Everton’s misery was compiled when Jake O’Brien was dismissed shortly after falling behind, making a comeback less probable. Bournemouth are now level on points with David Moyes’ side, and have only suffered league defeat in 2026 at the hands of league leaders Arsenal. Thierno Barry, who has enjoyed an upturn in form since scoring his first for Everton in their last win on home turf, should have netted his sixth of the campaign on the half hour mark with his rebound from James Garner’s saved free-kick. Alas, the Frenchman fired wide from close range. Everton found a breakthrough with three minutes of the half remaining courtesy of a spot-kick. Jarrad Branthwaite was fouled by eventually goalscorer Rayan, and Ndiaye’s penalty nestled into Djordje Petrovic’s bottom-left corner. However, a torrid ten minutes for the Blues flipped the game on its head. Just after the hour, left-back Adrien Truffert wicked right foot cross was met by Rayan at the far post, with the 19-year-old’s header turning him from zero to hero. The Brazilian has two goals and one assist in three games since making the switch in January from Vasco de Gama. And just over 200 seconds later, another header put Bournemouth in the driving seat. A deep free-kick was nodded across the six-yard box by James Hill and headed goal bound by Moroccan Amine Adil, giving the Cherries lead in a swift turnaround. Things went from bad to worse for Everton when defender Jake O’Brien seen red for a last man challenge on Adil just moments after he put his side in front. The Irishman will miss his side’s next fixture at home to Manchester United in just under two weeks, having not won in front of their own fans in over two months since dispatching former gaffer Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest there in early December. Any dropped points from that match will see Bournemouth leapfrog them into 8th place, as they travel to West Ham, who coincidentally drew with Manchester United this evening, two days before. EVERTON: Pickford 5, Mykolenko (Keane 90+3) 4, Branthwaite 6, Tarkowski 5, O’Brien 2, Gueye 5, Garner 6, George 3 (Armstrong 2), Dewsbury-Hall 5, Ndiaye 6, Barry 3 (Beto 62′ 2) BOURNEMOUTH: Petrovic 5, Jimenez 6, Hill 8, Senesi 6, Truffert 7, Scott 6, Toth 4 (Knal 58′ 3), Rayan 6 (Smith 90+3), Christie 5 (Cook 80′ 1), Adil 8 (Brooks 80′ 1), Evanilson 4 (Kroupi 58′ 3)

February 10, 2026

Who is Liam Rosenior?

Chelsea have today announced the appointment of new manager Liam Rosenior. The 42-year-old arrives in West London on a five-and-a-half-year deal replacing the outgoing Enzo Maresca. This will be Rosenior’s first venture into Premier League management, arriving from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are under the same ownership group as Chelsea. The move has thereby been met with controversy from Strasbourg fans protesting their multi-club ownership structure. The French side currently sit 7th in Ligue 1 and topped the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. Rosenior also led Strasbourg to a 7th place finish last season. Prior to coaching in France, Rosenior was in charge of Hull City, where he was dismissed narrowly missing out on play-offs. Interestingly, Rosenior worked with current Chelsea forward Liam Delap during his time at Hull, whilst also coaching current Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos last season at Strasbourg. Much has been made on Chelsea’s transfer strategy in recent years, but it is becoming clear that Todd Boehly and the Chelsea higher-ups are in favour of younger coaches with Maresca also taking charge in his early 40s. According to Transfermarkt, Rosenior favours a 3-4-2-1 formation, a complete switch from the 4-2-3-1 the team will be used to. But Chelsea fans will hope that the club’s return to a back three will come with the successes brought by both Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel. As a player, Rosenior played as a right-back for clubs like Brighton and Hull City. He has also been on record earlier this season saying he is a fan of Manchester United when he shared his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of Strasbourg’s clash with Aberdeen. It is yet to be confirmed whether Rosenior will be in the dugout for Wednesday’s trip to Craven Cottage or if he will first take charge during Chelsea’s Saturday night clash away to Charlton in the FA Cup. Either way, Rosenior will have big shoes to fill, being tasked to replace the man who led Chelsea to the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup titles.

January 6, 2026

Chelsea announce Liam Rosenior as new head coach

Chelsea have announced Liam Rosenior as Enzo Maresca’s replacement in the Stamford Bridge dugout. Rosenior arrives from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are under the same ownership group as the West London side. Rosenior departs France having guided his team to finish at top of the UEFA Conference League phase whilst also sitting 7th in France’s top flight. Prior to Strasbourg, the Englishman started his managerial career with Hull City, where he was sacked after narrowly missing out on the play-offs. Rosenior would then take over from outgoing Patrick Viera at Strasbourg. In his first interview with the club, Rosenior said: “I am extremely humbled and honoured to be appointed Head Coach of Chelsea Football Club. This is a club with a unique spirit and a proud history of winning trophies. ‘My job is to protect that identity and create a team that reflects these values in every game we play as we continue winning trophies. To be entrusted with this role means the world to me and I want to thank all involved for the opportunity and faith in undertaking this job. I will give everything to bring the success this club deserves. ‘I believe deeply in teamwork, unity, togetherness and working for one another, and those values will be at the heart of everything we do. They will be the foundation of our success. ‘I am excited to work with this extremely talented group of players and staff, to build strong connections on and off the pitch, and to create an environment where everyone feels united and driven by the same goal. ‘There is a real hunger to win, and I will give everything, every single day, to help this team compete and win at the very highest level to make everyone connected and proud to be a part of Chelsea Football Club. ‘I want our fans to be proud of who we are and what we represent in every single game that we play. They are the soul of this enormous, historic and huge football club. ‘I cannot wait to meet you all. I cannot wait to get started.” The 42-year-old coach has signed a contract until 2032. Chelsea make the short trip to Fulham tomorrow where it is unknown if Rosenior will take charge yet. If not, Chelsea have another short trip to Charlton on Saturday in the FA Cup, where it is likely the Englishman would be in the dugout.