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Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea (Saliba 21′, Timber 66′ | Hincapie 45’+2 og, Neto red card 70′)

EMIRATES — Off he set down the touchline making the sign of last resort. “Has he checked it?” Liam Rosenior demanded of the fourth official. He was praying that someone at Stockley Park was in the ear of the referee.

Since it appears impossible for officials to distinguish legitimate force from acceptable defence, there was little chance of that. Coaches know this, of course, which is why they pack their teams with big lumps who excel at the back stick.

Rosenior can have no complaints given that Chelsea profited from the same mechanism, the set piece becoming the route to goal of least resistance, in this match the only route.

Jurrien Timber restores the Gunners' lead from another corner! pic.twitter.com/HWJlaDpEqM

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2026

In this era of uber athletes smashing into each other on perfect playing surfaces, it is a matter of considerable regret that a roll call of talent including Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice in red, Cole Palmer, Reece James and Moises Caicedo in blue, bounced off each other like Bambis on ice.

The players have never been better prepared, monster fit, attritional as Spartans, absolute cancel squads that bind opponents in grim patterns and ugly rhythms.

As a result the set piece becomes ever more significant and Arsenal are industry leaders in slotting from corners, their two goals here taking their total to a record equalling 16 in one Premier League campaign.

It ain’t pretty and relies on structured chaos designed to prevent the keeper from claiming the ball, and a large dose of caprice. William Saliba, for example, saw his header turned in off the unwitting arm of a defender who was too close to channel his agency in the right direction.

Chelsea’s response came via a Piero Hincapie own goal, the ball diverting past David Raya from a second successive corner. Somehow Raya managed to get a hand to the prior corner kick after the ball ricocheted off Rice’s elbow as he grappled with his opponent.

Pedro Neto is SENT OFF after a challenge on Gabriel Martinelli! pic.twitter.com/WtlPgwZQ2V

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2026

Perhaps the answer is a radical rethink to save the game from the retreat towards a rugby aesthetic. The game has reached such a peak of conditioning, speed and endurance that teams have outgrown the size of the pitch.

Clearly there is a limit on the size of the playing surface so the answer might be to make football a 10-a-side endeavour to create the necessary space to play. One for Arsene Wenger and the future proofers at Uefa to consider once he has sorted VAR protocols.

Chelsea lost a second goal and Pedro Neto in quick succession, leaving Rosenior to fill his notebook with furious script. Well, he had to appear purposeful after a third successive defeat to the same opponent in his short spell in charge.

The game never escaped the governing dynamic, both teams trapped between the desire to win and the fear of losing. The result leaves Chelsea outside the Champions League qualification places in sixth, a worrying development ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Aston Villa.

Arsenal grind on to their next engagement at Brighton. The overwhelming emotion was one of relief, ensuring the buffer to Manchester City remained at five points.

Mikel Arteta’s creation is becoming increasingly narrow, like the margins between opponents at this point in the season.

Arteta cared not one iota about the nihilistic nature of the goals. When Jurrien Timber netted the winner he celebrated as if gazing upon Michelangelo’s final stroke in the Sistine Chapel. Get in there, my son.

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Man Utd 2-1 Crystal Palace (Fernandes 57′ pen, Sesko 65′ | Lacroix 4′, red card 56′)

OLD TRAFFORD — This might not have been a flawless Manchester United performance to return to third in the Premier League for the first time since May 2023, but Michael Carrick’s side found a way to win despite a timid first-half performance against Crystal Palace.

Since Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim in January, United have struggled in the games they are expected to win comfortably, while beating three of the top-flight’s big six.

Yet this week United showed they have the character and desire to dig deep, with narrow wins against Everton and Palace.

Palace took the lead inside four minutes when Maxence Lacroix fended off Leny Yoro to meet Brennan Johnson’s looping corner and dispatch his free header across goal.

Maxence Lacroix STUNS Old Trafford early doors! pic.twitter.com/TMnGXWhFc5

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2026

Surprisingly, the visitors enjoyed a good chunk of possession in the first half and looked comfortable with the ball away from home, despite their preference to play in transition.

They had started brighter and looked capable of going toe-to-toe with United.

The test for Palace was always whether they could keep up with United for 90 minutes after their Conference League win over Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday.

United did grow into the first half – a late flurry saw Casemiro, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko squander promising chances inside the Palace penalty area. 

Carrick’s side continued their improvement after the break, albeit with assistance from referee Chris Kavanagh, who, after initially awarding a penalty against Palace centre-back Lacroix for holding Matheus Cunha as he entered the area, showed him a red card after a four-minute check and a review at the monitor.

Kavanagh said over the PA: “After review, Crystal Palace No 5 [Lacroix] commits a clear holding offence which denies a clear, obvious, goal-scoring opportunity.

“The final decision is a penalty and a red card.”

"Maybe it's the Old Trafford bonus?"

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner felt the red card for defender Maxence Lacroix was 'very harsh' as the Eagles lost 2-1 to Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/lby93TD2EE

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 1, 2026

This was in the game-spoiling category from the official, making his domestic return after being dropped last weekend following a disastrous performance during Newcastle United’s FA Cup fourth round win against Aston Villa.

The holding began outside the box, although Cunha did not throw himself to the ground until the penalty area was in reach, tiptoeing into the area to ensure he would win a penalty.

It was clever gamesmanship from the Brazilian, who went down lightly to get his side back into the game.

Lacroix’s decision to put his hand on Cunha’s shoulder when he was travelling towards goal was foolish. However, it did not warrant both a red card and a penalty.

It was borderline whether the holding continued into the area, and Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was coming off his line to scoop the ball.

The punishment was too severe for the nature of the foul, especially when Cunha had made a meal of it. 

That said, United took advantage of their opportunity well. Bruno Fernandes, who was the hosts’ best player again, sent Henderson the wrong way to level proceedings before the hour mark. 

Fernandes helped United ramp up the pressure after the red card, running the show in midfield with his deep crosses into the box, keeping their play ticking over.

His right-footed cross from deep earned United the winner in the 65th minute, allowing Sesko to break between Daniel Munoz and Jaydee Canvot and bullet his header past Henderson.

United may not have been pitch perfect, but they are finding a way to win even when they are not at their best.

They are up to third, five points clear of Chelsea in sixth – Champions League football could soon be returning to Old Trafford.

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Fulham 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Wilson 7’, Iwobi 34’ | Richarlison 66’)

CRAVEN COTTAGE – Tottenham Hotspur are no longer sleepwalking into a relegation battle – in a season of calamity and complacency, they are hurtling into a generational disaster at breakneck speed.

With a sixth defeat in eight matches at Fulham, it is only the sheer unthinkable enormity of a season in the Championship that makes it seem impossible. The first 7pm sunset of 2026 is fast approaching and still Spurs have not won a league game this calendar year.

Relegation would not only be financially disastrous – it would be a spiritual and structural catastrophe.

No new-manager bounce

The final Joker in the pack, a new manager bounce under Igor Tudor, has not materialised.

There will rightfully be quibbles over Harry Wilson’s opener. You can argue that Raul Jimenez’s push on Radu Dragusin was not a foul – but then apply that logic to Randal Kolo Muani’s nudge on Gabriel in the north London derby, which was disallowed, or indeed Hugo Ekitike’s on Cristian Romero, which wasn’t.

These injustices are an argument for another day. None address the root causes of Tottenham’s mounting problems. “Say hello to QPR” was Fulham fans’ taunt of choice as Alex Iwobi beat Guglielmo Vicario with a side-foot from the edge of the box. “Enic out”, the reply from the away end.

History repeating itself

The last time Spurs were relegated 49 years ago there was similar fury at the board. They were fortunate then to remain under the stewardship of manager Keith Burkinshaw, who took them back up and went on to win two FA Cups and a Uefa Cup.

Tudor is battling the present firefight with macho platitudes about turning the players into “soldiers” – which may explain why they mostly looked as though they were about to be sent over the top, rather than for an afternoon of football by the banks of the Thames.

The line-up

The hope offered through a positive final 20 minutes, sparked by Richarlison’s headed goal, offered more questions than answers as to how they had set up. Mathys Tel impressed again – and again had to come off the bench.

Xavi Simons, Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher had all been deployed out of position.

Where are Spurs’ leaders?

Gallagher lost the ball 10 times in the first half alone. In lieu of panic buys, he was supposed to be January’s marquee arrival – he has not been able to fill the leadership void made worse by Romero’s suspension. Other than Micky van de Ven, the “leadership group” are all injured – James Maddison, Ben Davies – banned – Romero – or in the case of Vicario, underperforming.

The injuries

Tudor’s hand was partly forced by having 10 players out – Djed Spence the latest – but not entirely. The last time Spurs started consecutive league matches with the same defence was on 20 December.

This was an experimental line-up that looked like the start of a managerial project, which of course it is, but Tudor has neither the time nor the breathing space for such luxuries.

Vicario’s numbers

If it feels Spurs are having freakishly bad luck with injuries and VAR decisions, the results are not an aberration. Before kick-off, Vicario’s save percentage was 64.6 – the second lowest of any regular No 1 in the Premier League. No other side has picked up fewer points from the last 11 weeks.

The lack of urgency until it was too late was a hallmark of Frank’s reign – now it risks defining Spurs’ entire fight for survival.

If the fear of falling is not injecting some fight now, you have to wonder when it is going to.

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Some of the replies to Kick It Out’s statement on a minority of Leeds United supporters booing the Ramadan fasting break during their game against Manchester City claimed that it was because it provided their opponents with a tactical break, which I have to admit that I enjoyed.

“Listen, that’s just the mark of the man: Pep Guardiola is a genius. He leaves no stone unturned. He was there in 610 AD, when Muhammad meditated in the cave of Hira. He’s always looking 1,400 years into the future. It’s marginal gains, Jeff.”

Other replies were far less easy to view with a sideways glance: “Utter woke nonsense,” “keep politics out of football,” “if they can’t manage the full 45 minutes then they shouldn’t be playing.” You could have guessed them all without doom scrolling social media, I’m sure.

The first thing to say is that the breaks are not new to this season. They were introduced in 2021 to allow Muslim footballers to break their fast at the allotted time.

For most of the last five years, it has barely merited a mention because, well, it just happened. Everyone chatted amongst themselves or dashed to the toilet and back.

As for the notion that it breaks up the game – it is the thinnest end of that wedge. The time got added on anyway. The ball was in play for less than 60 minutes in the entire match and there were multiple other stoppages.

Let’s be honest here: the reason this caused a fuss was because it was Ramadan. That is the lightning rod.

Nor is this the first time that Leeds supporters have been criticised for religious insensitivity. In December 2024, the club condemned fans over their chant for Israeli winger Manor Solomon that included the line “He hates Palestine.”

The only saving grace from Saturday was assistant manager Eddie Riemer choosing not to shy away from the incident, voicing his own displeasure in his post-match media interview.

After a fortnight in which Jose Mourinho committed a disgraceful dismissal of responsibility and victim-blaming over the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr, good on Riemer for not taking a similar approach. Loyalty to a shirt must be overshadowed on issues greater than the importance of that shirt.

The bleakness of Saturday lies in its predictability. Football is culture and football is society because nowhere else do people come together in larger numbers.

England is a country where the politics of hate are intent upon dividing us, where the rich and powerful use those who have far less as useful scapegoats and are getting away with it.

Misinformation runs wild and people swallow it because they have been indoctrinated to believe in blame rather than believing in better.

But football’s brilliance as a cultural entity lies in its diversity. Its actors are human beings, not football bots. They have religious beliefs and cultural norms across a spectrum and, where those beliefs are expressed in a way that causes no harm to the beliefs of others, should be celebrated.

If you want the best players in your league, deal with it. If you want insularity to be the ethos of your club’s existence, watch them suffer as a result. 

Good on those who spoke out after the game; Guardiola’s own missive was on point. Good on Riemer. Good on those Leeds supporters who didn’t boo, although mere tolerance being worthy of celebration is itself depressing. And shame on those who booed and gave the rest a bad name. We have to be better than this.

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