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Gabriel Jesus at the double as Arsenal steam on towards title


Gabriel Jesus scored his first goals for six months as Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race with a 4-1 defeat of relegation-threatened Leeds United on Saturday.

Jesus, starting his first league game since returning from a knee injury last month, converted a 35th-minute penalty after being caught in the box by Luke Ayling.

Ben White doubled Arsenal’s advantage from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass before Brazilian Jesus, signed from Manchester City last summer, struck again from close range in the 55th minute from Leandro Trossard’s assist.

Leeds had troubled Arsenal in the opening period but once Jesus put the hosts ahead it was relatively plain sailing as they restored their eight-point lead over champions Man City.

The visitors did raise a few jitters in the home crowd when Rasmus Kristensen’s deflected shot gave the visitors a 76th-minute lifeline but Granit Xhaka’s header secured another three points in Arsenal’s quest for a first title since 2004.
City had earlier ramped up the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side with a 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool.

Arsenal’s seventh successive league win moved them to 72 points from 29 games with City, who still have to play the London club at home, on 64 having played one game less.

Podence leveller earns Wolves a point at Forest

Nottingham Forest were denied a crucial win in their bid to stay clear of the Premier League relegation zone as Daniel Podence struck a late equaliser for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground on Saturday.

Forest looked set for a first league win in seven games as Brennan Johnson gave them a deserved 38th-minute lead.

The hosts were left to rue not putting away several chances that would have made the game safe as Wolves replied late on when second-half substitute Podence curled a shot past Keylor Navas after Pedro Neto’s blocked shot fell into his path.

Wolves would have been happier with the draw as it kept them above Forest in 13th place with 28 points from 29 games.

Forest have 27 points but have a game in hand compared with Wolves.

Hodgson’s second spell at Palace begins with first win of 2023

Roy Hodgson’s second stint as Crystal Palace manager began with a 2-1 Premier League win over Leicester City on Saturday, as the London side registered their first victory in 2023 thanks to a late winner from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Palace, who had scored the fewest goals in the league this season, looked like a different team from the one that struggled under Patrick Vieira firing in 20 shots against Leicester — the most any Premier League side has managed in the same amount of time since 2015.

The change in style going forward gave the home fans reason to cheer but Palace could not find a way through a dogged Leicester defence, while Ivorian winger and Palace’s top scorer this season Wilfried Zaha was forced to limp off with a groin injury.

It was Leicester who struck first through Ricardo Pereira, who received the ball at the edge of the box before blasting a shot into the top corner past the despairing dive of Vicente Guaita.

Palace levelled from a free kick three minutes later when Eberechi Eze cleared the wall, saw his shot come off the crossbar and go in off goalkeeper Daniel Iversen for an own goal.

In added time in the second half, Jordan Ayew made a solo run into Leicester’s half and fed Mateta with a through-ball as the French striker finished with aplomb to lift the 12th-placed team up to 30 points. Leicester meanwhile dropped to 18th in the table.

Bournemouth out of relegation zone with 2-1 win over Fulham

Marcus Tavernier and Dominick Solanke were both on target as Bournemouth earned a vital 2-1 win over high-flying Fulham on Saturday to breathe life into the south-coast club’s fight for Premier League survival.

Solanke bundled home in the 79th minute to seal a remarkable comeback that lifted Bournemouth out of the relegation zone and dealt a blow to Fulham’s hopes of playing in Europe next season.

Andreas Pereira gave Fulham the lead in the 16th minute after running on to Harrison Reed’s layoff, but the visitors failed to build on that early momentum.

Tavernier, thrown on by manager Gary O’Neil as a halftime substitute after a dire opening 45 minutes for the home side, equalised with a curling left-footed shot from distance in the 50th minute following a corner.

Bournemouth struggled in the opening period, with Solanke only registering their first shot on target in the 42nd minute, and O’Neil rolled the dice at halftime, bringing on Ryan Christie as well as Tavernier.

The changes had an immediate effect, with Bournemouth carving out their equaliser after a spell of sustained pressure before Solanke sealed the three points with his first home Premier League goal of the season.

The victory lifted Bournemouth from second-bottom of the table to 15th place on 27 points, while Fulham stayed ninth.





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