By William Schomberg
Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST) with a 3-1 win over a woeful Chelsea, set on their way by two goals from Martin Odegaard, but the title is still Manchester City’s to lose having played two games less than the leaders.
Arsenal raced into a 3-0 half-time lead when captain Odegaard was given acres of space — twice — by Chelsea’s flimsy defence to score in the 18th and 31st minutes, and Gabriel Jesus converted from close range 11 minutes before the break.
Gabriel Jesus’ strike capped a spectacular 16-minute period in the first half in which they scored three goals.Credit: Getty
Arsenal’s first win in five games took them to 78 points, two more than second-placed City who have the chance to reclaim top spot when they host West Ham United on Wednesday.
After losing to City 4-1 last week, Mikel Arteta made three changes, including giving striker Leandro Trossard a start in the place of Gabriel Martinelli, and his side dominated their slumping London rivals straight from the kick-off.
Granit Xhaka, who provided assists for both Odegaard’s strikes, almost opened the scoring himself in the opening minutes but he was thwarted by Kepa Arrizabalaga who went on to make saves in the second half that prevented an Arsenal rout.
Chelsea, who lost for the sixth time in six games in all competitions under interim coach Frank Lampard, at least managed to score only their second goal in eight games when Noni Madueke squeezed the ball past Aaron Ramsdale in the 65th minute.
A dejected Ben Chilwell after Arsenal’s opener at Emirates Stadium.Credit: Getty
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Sam Allardyce has accepted Leeds United’s offer to manage them for the final four games of the season in a last-ditch attempt to avoid relegation.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi was suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for taking a trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.
The person would not specify the length of the suspension, though French media reported it to be two weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the matter.
A two-week suspension would mean Messi would miss PSG’s next two games. L’Equipe and RMC Sport both reported the suspension without citing sources.
Lionel Messi will miss PSG’s next two matches.Credit: AP
The person told the AP that the World Cup champion won’t be allowed to train or play with the team and won’t be paid during his suspension.
PSG had denied Messi’s request to make the trip, the person said.
Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the Middle Eastern country.
The suspension comes at a delicate time as the French club hopes to extend the Argentine star’s contract beyond this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo eclipsed Messi to be named the world’s highest-paid athlete.Credit: AP
Messi’s trip followed PSG’s surprise 3-1 loss to Lorient on Sunday, leaving the defending champions with a five-point lead over Marseille with five games left in the season. Messi played the full game.
L’Equipe had reported that PSG coach Christophe Galtier pledged to give his players two days off — Monday and Tuesday — if they beat Lorient. Instead, the team trained on Monday and had Tuesday off.
The forward joined PSG from Barcelona two years ago, and there has been speculation about where he would play next.
The Argentine World Cup winner’s former nemesis — Cristiano Ronaldo — moved to Saudi Arabia late last year, a move which saw him top the Forbes list of highest-paid athletes.
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr on a deal until 2025 after leaving Manchester United last year, earned $136 million ($205m) with Forbes saying his annual playing salary went up to an estimated $75 million.
Ronaldo’s contract has been estimated by media to be worth more than €200 million ($330m).
