Nketiah earns Arteta praise; City seek perfect run

LONDON • Eddie Nketiah has barely had a sniff all season. But the former England Under-21 striker may have just reignited Arsenal's top-four hopes with two goals on just his second league start of the season.

The Gunners went into Wednesday's Premier League game at Chelsea low on confidence after three successive top-flight defeats. Another loss would have probably torpedoed their chances of ending a five-year exile from the Champions League.

But helped by a string of defensive mix-ups, the visitors snatched a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge to go level with fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur (57), behind only on goal difference.

Arsenal are three points ahead of Manchester United in sixth, with a game in hand.

There was no better occasion for Nketiah to open his account for the league term and, while the 22-year-old still appears headed for the exit as his contract expires in the summer, Mikel Arteta is prepared to give him a chance in their remaining six games.

"If there is one player I think I have been unfair with, I think it is him," the Spaniard said. "Today, he showed me again how wrong I was.

"What Eddie has done tonight is because of what he has done for the last 10 months and no one has noticed. I said to him I haven't been fair. I should have been playing him more."

With usual starter Alexandre Lacazette not having scored in open play since December, the door is open for Nketiah, who has made 13 substitute appearances in the league this term, to stake his first XI claim and put himself in the shop window.

Two other Arsenal academy graduates in Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka also netted, while Chelsea replied via Timo Werner and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Arteta also had high praise for Saka, who sent Edouard Mendy the wrong way in his first penalty since missing for England in last year's Euro 2020 final shoot-out defeat by Italy.

"Honestly, the first thing that I thought was he was back in the summer and what happened," he said. "For him to have the courage to say I'm going to take it again, because I'm sure it was in the back of his mind, for me, it is 'chapeau', even if he misses."

While Arteta was delighted his players got the win, his Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel was frustrated at another error-strewn night - they have now conceded 11 goals in their last three home games in all competitions.

Nketiah seized on a weak back pass by Andreas Christensen to nab the opener and his second stemmed from a stray pass from Azpilicueta before Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and N'Golo Kante all failed to clear their lines.

Saka's spot-kick also came from a needless foul in the box in added time. "This amount of mistakes of this calibre, it is simply impossible and I don't see it in any other matches but I see it now in consecutive matches of our games and it has to stop," Tuchel said.

Meanwhile, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned his players that they will need to win all six of their remaining Premier League games to retain the title as he cannot see Liverpool slipping up before the end of the season.

City edged back a point ahead of the Reds (76) after swatting aside Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva.

On their closest challengers, who are seeking to become the first English club to win the quadruple, Guardiola said: "We are facing one of the best teams ever. They have everything and that is why being there with them means a lot.

"It's simple. Liverpool are going to win all the games. If we drop points, they will be champions, if we win all our games, we will be champions."

In the other fixtures on Wednesday, Newcastle United earned a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace to hit the 40-point safety mark. Everton remain in relegation trouble but salvaged a point in stoppage time after a 1-1 draw with Leicester City.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS