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Premier League

Arsenal go nine points clear, Man Utd win again under Carrick

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Arsenal v Sunderland - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 7, 2026 Arsenal's William Saliba in action with Sunderland's Habib Diarra REUTERS/Tony O Brien
  • Summary
  • Gyokeres nets double in Arsenal win over Sunderland
  • Caretaker boss Carrick stays perfect with Man Utd
  • High-flying Aston Villa stumble at Bournemouth
  • West Ham earn vital win in battle to avoid relegation

Arsenal marched nine points clear in the Premier League title race as Viktor Gyokeres hit two goals in a 3-0 victory over Sunderland on Saturday as Manchester United made it four wins out of four for coach Michael Carrick in their top-four push.

Third-placed Aston Villa dropped further behind Arsenal as they drew 1-1 with Bournemouth while Chelsea’s Cole Palmer bagged a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory at bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers, including two penalties.

Eighteenth-placed West Ham United earned three vital points in their bid to avoid relegation, Crysencio Summerville and Taty Castellanos sealing a 2-0 win at second-from-bottom Burnley whose survival hopes now look remote.

Everton scored two late goals as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Fulham, the win lifting them to eighth.

The celebrations at the final whistle at The Emirates were loud and long as joyous Arsenal fans displayed their belief that a first title since 2004 is now in sight.

Sunderland proved a tough nut to crack but Arsenal remained patient and were rewarded with a fourth successive victory in all competitions.

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Arsenal dominated the first half at The Emirates but had to wait until the 42nd minute to get ahead when Martin Zubimendi’s sweetly-struck low drive crept inside the post.

Gyokeres has struggled at times during his first season in north London since his move from Sporting, but he swept in a clinical finish in the 66th minute to make it 2-0.

Gabriel Martinelli then played in the Swede for his second deep into stoppage time.

No Premier League player has scored more goals across all competitions since the turn of the year than Gyokeres (six) and Arteta praised the Swedish striker’s resilience.

“He doesn’t seem too affected by the real highs or the lows and that’s what we need – stability. He’s very demanding of himself. He’s constantly trying to improve,” Arteta said.

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Arsenal have 56 points from 25 games with Manchester City, who face Liverpool away on Sunday, on 47 from 24. Villa also have 47 points but their challenge is fading.

ROMERO SENDING OFF HELPS MAN UTD

Manchester United are on 44 points after their 2-0 home win against Tottenham Hotspur, who played three quarters of the game with 10 men after captain Cristian Romero was sent off for a tackle on Casemiro.

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Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur – Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain – February 7, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur’s Souza in action with Manchester United’s Amad Diallo REUTERS/Phil Noble

Bryan Mbeumo put United in front 10 minutes after Romero’s dismissal, applying the final touch to a clever corner routine involving Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo.

Fernandes wrapped up the points in the 81st minute.

While caretaker manager Carrick’s resurgent United are well-placed for a return to the Champions League, Tottenham are slipping too close to the relegation zone for comfort after their run without a league win extended to seven.

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They have 29 points in 14th place, six ahead of West Ham, who are in the last relegation place.

Villa, who could have gone second, took the lead in the 22nd minute at Bournemouth when Morgan Rogers linked up with Jadon Sancho before powering a shot high into the net.

The hosts earned their 10th league draw of the season, though, as Brazilian teenager Rayan scored his first goal in English football.

Chelsea’s Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score three hat-tricks in the first half of a match, having also done it against Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion.

He now also has more Premier League hat-tricks than any other Chelsea player, after grabbing a fourth.

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Palmer put Chelsea ahead from the spot in the 13th minute after a foul on Joao Pedro and repeated the trick in the 35th minute after another foul on the same teammate.

Palmer’s hat-trick came as he fired home from Marc Cucurella’s pass. New manager Liam Rosenior has now won four successive league games with his side bouncing back from their League Cup semi-final defeat by Arsenal on Tuesday.

Chelsea are fifth with 43 points, four points above champions Liverpool in sixth.

In the late game, Brentford’s Dango Ouattara struck in the 85th-minute for a 3-2 victory at Newcastle United in a see-saw contest, with the win moving Keith Andrews’ side up to seventh.

At the bottom, Wolves and Burnley look doomed to relegation with eight and 15 points respectively, but West Ham are now only three points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.

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-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Premier League

Nigeria-Eligible Chido Obi Polishes Game with Premier League Legend

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Teenage striker Chido Obi, one of the most exciting Nigerian-heritage prospects at Manchester United, has continued his development with a one-on-one training session alongside former Premier League marksman Papiss Cissé, as attention grows around his long-term international future.

Obi, 18, was recently filmed undergoing a personal finishing and movement session with Cissé, arranged by UK-based skills coach Kwaku Ohemeng, who also works with United winger Patrick Dorgu. The session focused on striker intelligence, particularly body positioning and timing in front of goal, as the young forward seeks to sharpen the finer details of his game.

The Denmark-born striker, who is of Nigerian parentage, broke into the Manchester United first team last season during an injury-hit period, making eight senior appearances. Although he failed to score in 212 minutes of action, he impressed with his movement and composure, going closest to finding the net in an FA Cup outing against Fulham.

This season, Obi has returned largely to academy football, where he has continued to underline his promise with eight goals in 21 appearances across competitions. Coaches at United remain cautious but optimistic, aware that his early exposure to senior football has accelerated both expectations and scrutiny.

Former Newcastle United striker Cissé, who scored 44 goals in 131 Premier League appearances, now lives in Cheshire and remains active at a veteran level. During the training session, the 40-year-old passed on practical advice drawn from his top-flight experience, offering mentorship to a striker widely regarded as one of United’s most natural finishers at the youth level.

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United’s former Under-21s head coach, Travis Binnion, previously highlighted the challenge facing Obi after his rapid rise.

“People look at him like he’s a big kid, but the key thing is he’s still very young and still learning his game,” Binnion said. “That development phase is crucial.”

Born in Glostrup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Obi remains eligible to represent Denmark, Nigeria or England at the senior international level. He has already featured across multiple youth national teams, switching between Denmark and England at the Under-16 level before re-committing to Denmark, where his prolific scoring earned him progression to the Under-17s and later the Under-20s.

At the 2025 Maurice Revello Tournament, Obi announced himself on the global stage with late heroics for Denmark’s U20 side, scoring a 96th-minute winner against Congo and adding another goal in a victory over Japan before Denmark exited in the semi-finals.

With Nigeria continuing its global search for elite diaspora talents, Obi’s steady rise at Manchester United and his deliberate effort to refine his craft have ensured that Nigerian football watchers will be following his next steps closely — both at club level and in the battle for his international allegiance

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Man Utd continue winning run under Carrick with late 3-2 victory over Fulham

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Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko celebrates scoring their third goal with Kobbie Mainoo and Bryan Mbeumo REUTERS/Phil Noble

Manchester United’s Benjamin Sesko struck deep into stoppage time in a dramatic 3-2 Premier League victory over Fulham on Sunday as the home side continued their resurgence under interim boss Michael Carrick.

The win propelled United to fourth place in the standings on 41 points and added another statement result to Carrick’s reign, coming after wins over Manchester City and leaders Arsenal. Fulham fell to eighth.

United led 2-0 after goals from Brazilians Casemiro in the 19th minute and Matheus Cunha in the 56th. But Fulham battled back with Raul Jimenez scoring from the penalty spot in the 85th and then Kevin celebrated the equaliser in the 91st minute.

But second-half substitute Sesko had the Old Trafford crowd roaring in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Bruno Fernandes touched the ball past Fulham’s Calvin Bassey and then picked out the Slovenian striker in the box. Sesko, who had hit the post minutes earlier, turned and smashed it into the top corner.

The victory continued United’s stunning turnaround since Ruben Amorim was sacked on January 5 after just over a year at the helm.

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“This was a big game,” Carrick, a former United midfielder and captain, told Sky Sports. “(Fulham) are a good team, close behind us in the league.

“Every game is a big game, and we have to treat it like that, and we will do. Today was a tough one, if not tougher, because everyone expected it to be different, but we didn’t, and we got it in the end.

“I’m so delighted for Ben,” he added. “To win the game in front of the Stretford End, there’s not much better than that.”

Casemiro, who has announced he will leave United when his contract expires at season’s end, leapt to head home Fernandes’s free kick in the 19th minute, awarded after a tackle on Cunha just outside the 18-yard box.

Cunha doubled United’s lead with a strike from a tricky angle after Casemiro had slipped a ball to him through Fulham’s defence with a no-look pass.

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Samuel Chukwueze briefly celebrated what he thought was Fulham’s first goal midway through the second half, but it was chalked off for offside. Jimenez eventually pulled one back from the spot after he was fouled in the box by Harry Maguire, making for a nervy final few minutes.

Kevin launched a blistering shot from the edge of the box that United goalkeeper Senne Lammens had little chance of stopping, scoring his first Premier League goal for Fulham.

The equaliser set the stage for Sesko’s finale to cap a thoroughly entertaining match.

“It was unbelievable. Scoring at home, the winner. I’ve been dreaming about doing that,” Sesko said.

“(Carrick) has said this many, many times,” he added, on the manager’s message to have fun. “It’s not just that. You can see without the ball how hard we work, and it’s working out in the end. Everyone is on point, covering the space, everything. In the end, that’s what counts.”

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Fulham midfielder Emile Smith Rowe called the loss “really frustrating”.

“I thought the boys fought really hard today to get back into the game,” he said. “It’s a bit annoying to concede straight after equalising.”

-Reuters

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Rejuvenated Man Utd stun leaders Arsenal to open up title race

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Arsenal's Eberechi Eze looks dejected after Manchester United's Matheus Cunha scores their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Manchester United reignited the Premier League title race with a dramatic 3–2 victory over leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, inflicting the Gunners’ first home league defeat of the season.

Arsenal had the chance to restore a seven-point lead at the top after weekend wins for Manchester City and Aston Villa, but instead saw their grip on the title loosened as a rejuvenated United side produced a thrilling second-half display.

The hosts made a bright start and went ahead in the 29th minute when Lisandro Martínez inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, giving Arsenal a deserved lead. However, United were handed a route back into the contest eight minutes later following a costly error by Martin Zubimendi, whose misplaced pass was intercepted by Bryan Mbeumo, allowing the forward to finish clinically and level the score.

United emerged strongly after the break and took the lead in the 50th minute through Patrick Dorgu, who unleashed a fierce strike that crashed in off the crossbar. Arsenal pushed hard for an equaliser and finally found it in the 84th minute when substitute Mikel Merino poked home from close range.

The drama was not over, though, as United struck again just three minutes later. Matheus Cunha curled a superb effort from outside the box to silence the home crowd and seal a memorable away victory.

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The defeat leaves Arsenal winless in their last three league matches, top of the table on 50 points from 23 games, with Manchester City and Aston Villa both closing in on 46 points. United’s victory lifts them to fourth place on 38 points, further tightening an increasingly competitive title race.

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