Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League as Eberechi Eze’s rocket sealed a tense but vital 1-0 win against Newcastle on Saturday.

For the first time since October, Arsenal had started a league game out of pole position after Manchester City’s 1-0 win at Burnley on Wednesday sent them to the summit.

But Eze lifted the Gunners back into first place with his sublime strike in the first half at the Emirates Stadium.

Eze’s 10th goal this season opened up a three-point lead over second-placed City, who were booking their place in the FA Cup final with a 2-1 win against Southampton, while Arsenal were in league action.

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It was an essential victory for Arsenal, whose 2-1 defeat at City last weekend was a huge blow to their title hopes.

After losing just three of their first 49 matches in all competitions this season, Arsenal had been beaten in four of the previous six, suffering successive league defeats for the first time since 2023.

Having blown substantial leads in the title race in 2023 and 2024, allowing City to pip them in the trophy, the north Londoners’ recent slump has left them in danger of squandering another golden opportunity to win their first English crown since 2004.

City have a game in hand on Arsenal, keeping the destiny of the title in their hands.

However, they do not play their next league game until May 4 when they visit Everton, giving Arsenal the chance to move six points clear when they host Fulham next weekend.

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Before that, Arsenal visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

City’s win against Burnley had ended Arsenal’s 209-day run as leaders due to their superior goals scored tally.

While Arsenal are back on top with a one-goal better goal difference than City, their failure to run up the score on toothless Newcastle could come back to haunt them.

Newcastle have been in even worse form than Arsenal, and this was their ninth defeat in 12 league games, adding to the pressure on under-fire boss Eddie Howe.

Eze drilled narrowly wide from the edge of the area, a warning that Newcastle failed to heed as the England midfielder put Arsenal ahead in the ninth minute.

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Once again, Arsenal’s set-piece mastery paid dividends, but Newcastle were guilty of woeful defending.

Martin Odegaard found Kai Havertz inside the area, and he teed up Eze — left unmarked in virtually the same position as his shot moments earlier — to smash a superb curler into the top corner from 18 yards.

Arsenal’s 17th goal from a corner this season set a new Premier League record for a single campaign.

After playing just six short corners in the league all season prior to facing Newcastle, Arteta’s men deployed three in the first half alone to exploit a vulnerability in the visitors’ defence.

Arsenal were far from flawless themselves, and keeper David Raya was almost caught out by Sandro Tonali’s dipping drive from distance.

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Havertz limped off in the 34th minute to extend his injury-plagued season.

And there was more bad news for Arteta on the injury front when Eze was forced off early in the second half.

Arsenal lost their rhythm after the injuries, and Yoane Wissa should have made them pay when he volleyed over from eight yards.

Arsenal’s anxiety was palpable in the stands and on the pitch as Dan Burn’s header was clutched by Raya in the closing stages.

Shaking his head on the touchline, Arteta breathed a sigh of relief as a gripping title race took another twist.

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Victor Osimhen, Nigeria’s prodigy, may be heading to Catalonia to lace his boots for  La Liga giants FC Barcelona, in a development that would see the Super Eagles striker’s much-advertised move out of Turkey, coming to reality eventually.

PUNCH Sports Extra reports, that the move is consequent upon the failure of the Catalonian giants to secure the services of Julián Álvarez from Atlético Madrid, which is insisting on keeping the ace striker in the club.

Barcelona, which said to have identified Álvarez as their primary target for the summer transfer window, reportedly zeroed in on the Super Eagles striker after the move for the Argentine met a bulwark, quoting Football España.

Barcelona had aimed to sign the Argentine, who was purchased for €95million in the summer of 2024 in place of veteran forward Robert Lewandowski, but were reportedly slammed with a fee in excess of €100, for the striker now valued at €200million.

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Because, the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, had insisted that any deal below the €100, would not stoke any interest, Barcelona, unwilling to stretch beyond €70, were said to have looked away from Álvarez ane are now looking the way of Osimhen, currently the top striker for both Galatasaray his club and in the Turkish league.

Even if willing to stretch its limits to meet the price tag, Barcelona’s financial constraints is said to be a major obstacle in any move for Álvarez, with the club considering a player-plus-cash offer—an approach Atlético are expected to reject.

“The main issue is that Barcelona will struggle to spend as heavily as they have previously on a single position, given their ongoing financial difficulties. Furthermore, they have several areas to strengthen during the summer transfer window, meaning their funds must be spread across the squad.

“Nevertheless, Barcelona are prepared to move for Álvarez by offering a player-plus-cash deal to reduce the immediate financial outlay, although this is unlikely to appeal to Atlético,” the report said, adding that with negotiations for Álvarez appearing increasingly difficult,  they are now turning their focus to Osimhen, who is valued at around €75m.

That figure is in line with what Galatasaray SK paid for the Nigerian striker last summer, although it remains unclear whether the Turkish club would demand a higher fee to part with their talisman.

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“If Atleti continue to take a hard-line stance, which is expected, it would make sense for Barcelona to explore alternatives.

Victor Osimhen is one of the players under consideration, and he is viewed as a more attainable option than the 2022 World Cup winner,” the report added.

Atlético are no longer under the same financial pressure as in previous years, reducing the likelihood of a forced sale and further complicating Barcelona’s pursuit of Álvarez.

While they have no immediate plans to sell, Atlético could reconsider if a significantly improved offer arrives. However, Barcelona are now aware that any realistic chance of signing the Argentina international would require a bid exceeding €100m.

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Senegal has announced that it is heading upstairs with an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport the after as Les Lions de la Téranga (The Lions of Teranga), its national team was stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title on Tuesday.

Established in 1984, the CAS, an independent organisation that resolves sports disputes worldwide has tailored procedural rules to render impartial decisions through arbitration and mediation, while bodies and athletes assign it the judicial authority to uphold an equal and just application of sporting regulations.

“The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute.

“To defend its rights and the interests of Senegalese football, the federation will, as soon as possible, file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne,” a statement from the West African country, said hours after the CAF hammer fell on it for the behaviour of the team, which the confederation considered abandonment of the game in the AFCON 2025 finals.

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Several Senegalese players controversially walked off the pitch in Rabat during the final on January 18 in protest when the hosts were awarded a penalty late in second-half stoppage time.

After Senegal’s players eventually returned having been coaxed back onto the pitch by captain Sadio Mane, Morocco missed the penalty and Pape Gueye went on to score the goal in extra time that gave his team a 1-0 victory.

CAF said that having studied Morocco’s appeal, “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match” and the result was “officially recorded as 3-0” in favour of Morocco.

The CAF Appeals Committee justified its decision by applying Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that if a team “refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered (loser) and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition while losing its match by 3-0.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement its appeal was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations.

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It added: “The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, to the clarity of the competitive framework, and to the stability of African competitions.”

Vowing to appeal “as soon as possible” to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Senegal’s football body, stated: “The Senegalese Football Federation condemns this unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable decision, which brings African football into disrepute.”

Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest the late penalty awarded to Morocco.

The controversial spot-kick was awarded by Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala right at the end of the allotted eight added minutes in normal time following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The game was goalless at the time and Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with the spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time.

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But Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted ‘Panenka’ chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.

The game at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium then went to extra time, and Gueye’s brilliant 94th-minute strike won it for Senegal.

Several of the team’s players posted on social media after the announcement that they had been stripped of the title.

Defender Moussa Niakhate, who plays for French club Lyon, posted a picture of himself lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy with a message that said “they’re mad”, in an apparent reference to CAF.

In the immediate aftermath of the final, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had condemned “some Senegal players” for the “unacceptable scenes”.

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“It is unacceptable to leave the field of play in this manner, and equally, violence cannot be tolerated in our sport, it is simply not right,” Infantino, who attended the match, said.

In late January, CAF imposed a series of disciplinary sanctions, including fines amounting to several hundred thousand euros, on the federations of both countries for unsportsmanlike conduct and violations of fair play principles.

The appeal trial of 18 Senegalese supporters, imprisoned since the final and sentenced to prison terms ranging from three months to one year for “hooliganism,” which was scheduled to take place on Monday, has been postponed until March 30.

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