For the second year in a row Arsenal were exited from the Champions League at Camp Nou by Barcelona. Barca moved into the quarter finals with a 3 – 1 (aggregate: 4 – 3) win over the Gunners.

Barcelona dominated the match with their slick passing game which stunted anything Arsenal tried to create, and two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Xavi won the game for the Catalans with Sergio Busquets scoring an own goal for Arsenal’s consolation. However it was the controversial sending off of Robin van Persie that helped swing the game in Barcelona’s favour after the Gunners’ fortuitous equaliser.

Arsenal were given a huge boost before kick off as both Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas were declared fit and named in the starting line-up. The Dutchman had been substituted in the League Cup final with a knee problem and Fabregas injured his hamstring against Stoke City a month ago, but both men recovered quicker than expected.

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Arsenal beat Stoke City 1 – 0 on Wednesday night thanks to a Sebastien Squillaci early goal which takes the Gunners within one point of log leaders Manchester United.

The France centre back headed home from five yards (meters) out in the eighth minute but the Gunners, who have played one match more than United, also lost Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott to injury at Emirates Stadium.

Fabregas, the team’s inspirational captain, trudged off with a hamstring injury in the 14th minute. Walcott was carried off on a stretcher in the 70th with what manager Arsene Wenger confirmed was a sprained ankle.

Walcott is “definitely out” of the League Cup final against Birmingham on Sunday, Wenger said. Fabregas will be assessed on Thursday but the manager said he is in doubt when the London side aims to end a five-year trophy drought at Wembley.

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Arsenal got the winning goal seven minutes from normal time to give the Gunners a surprising 2 – 1 win over Champions Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League encounter last night.

Two goals in the final 12 minutes from Robin van Persie and substitute Andrey Arshavin clinched a dramatic victory for the English Premier League side after Barcelona had taken the lead through a first-half David Villa strike.

The result means Arsenal — thrashed 6-3 on aggregate by Barcelona in last year’s quarterfinals — will carry a narrow lead into Camp Nou when the two sides meet in the second leg on March 8.

“It was one of the special nights because I feel we needed to be a special team,” said Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

“It’s open. We will go (to Camp Nou) and play our game again because you cannot just defend against this team. Our confidence will grow.”

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Arsenal are ‘preparing to sue’ a French television station for alleging that they were involved in match fixing following their shocking 4 – 4 draw against Newcastle over the weekend after squandering a 4 – 0 lead.

Arsenal were leading 4-0 after just 30 minutes in the tie before Newcastle fired back, aided by two dubious penalty calls by ref Phil Dowd, and a red card for Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby. Television station France 2 reported that Interpol was probing :” strange movements of money” during the game.

Interpol has denied ever instigating such a probe and English Premier League authorities have also denied any evidence of betting irregularities during the game.

Source: newstime.co.za

pic: goal.com

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez scored a double to help his side beat Wolves 4 – 3 and move to the top of the English Premier League table.

Argentinian international Tevez struck his 14th and 15th goals of the season while Ivorian brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure both netted as City took a slender one-point lead over Manchester United.

United, who also have three games in hand over City, will return to the top if they avoid defeat to fifth-placed Tottenham in Sunday’s crunch match at White Hart Lane.

Serbian midfielder Nenad Milijas had fired Wolves into a shock lead on 12 minutes, rifling home a rebound after a Matthew Jarvis cross.

City’s blushes were spared five minutes before halftime however when Kolo Toure controlled on the edge of the six-yard box and prodded a deflected shot past Wolves keeper Wayne Hennessey.

And four minutes after the restart, City were in front, captain Tevez weaving his way through the Wolves defence before finishing calmly.

Yaya Toure made it 3-1 five minutes later, lifting his shot over Hennessey to join his brother on the scoresheet after good work by £27-million signing Edin Dzeko, making his debut for City.

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South Korea international Park Ji-Sung’s sixth goal of the season sent Manchester United two points clear at the top of the Premier League table after they beat former leaders Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford here on Monday.

United, who also have a game in hand over all their title rivals, could even afford the luxury of a missed penalty 17 minutes from time when Wayne Rooney fired wildly over the bar after Gael Clichy was adjudged to have handled inside his own area.

It was hardly a vintage performance but United, who visit reigning champions Chelsea on Sunday, were full value for a fifth successive home win which meant they also retained their unbeaten Premier League record this season.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted by Park’s display, telling Sky Sports: “His record against Arsenal is very good and he’s been in fantastic form, the lad.

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Arsenal midfielders Cesc Fabregas (two weeks) and Emmanual Eboue (four weeks) will be out of action due to injuries sustained in their 2 – 0 defeat to Braga.

Skipper Fabregas injured his hamstring, while Eboue damaged knee ligaments in the Champions League Group H defeat. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online: “Fabregas will be assessed. After that we can tell how long he will be out, but I count two weeks.”

“Eboue has a medial knee ligament strain. I think it will be four weeks.” Wenger selected Fabregas despite the Spaniard’s on-going fitness troubles and admitted it had been a gamble. After the game the Frenchman said: “It’s disappointing because I had a hesitation to play him but I took the gamble and it backfired on us.” He later added: “It is a big blow because it will question how cautious we have to be in the future with him.

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