Last year, Arsenal arrived at Stamford Bridge full of hope, only for a late, controversial penalty and a Katie McCabe red card for dissent to dash their ambitions. Wednesday night, however, told a different story, one that left Chelsea feeling aggrieved and the Gunners celebrating a step closer to defending their crown. To the Blues, and particularly manager Sonia Bompastor, the decision not to dismiss McCabe for a hair-pull on Alyssa Thompson left a bitter taste. Yet, it raises the question: was that single moment really the reason for Chelsea’s European exit? In the latest installment of this fierce London…
Author: Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
The African continent is currently a whirlwind of emotions, oscillating between the euphoric highs of a historic World Cup qualification and the bitter aftertaste of a continental title in legal limbo. While the streets of Kinshasa and Casablanca are alive with celebration, the halls of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are buzzing with a different kind of intensity. But DR Congo’s victory over Jamaica to secure a tenth FIFA World Cup berth is a much needed relief from the controversy of the stripped AFCON title that has the continent making headlines for the wrong reasons. The Power of…
The Ghana Football Association has taken a massive risk by dismissing Otto Addo just weeks before the 2026 World Cup, prioritizing a halt to a four-game losing streak over managerial continuity. Otto Addo has been fired as Ghana’s Black Stars head coach 72 days before their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Panama following a run of four straight losses in the build-up to the tournament. The former international attacker, appointed for a second stint in March 2024 after previously becoming the first to play and coach the national team during his first stint as interim boss in 2022, when…
Arsenal are again the most trending name in the football world, even in the international break as around double figures of their players were unavailable for country duties due to injury precautions or real injuries. The Premier League leaders have seen the likes of Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Zubimendi, and a few others return to the club after previously joining their respective national teams for international friendlies. These withdrawals have made the club a subject of criticism as many believe the deeds were intentional, and Arsenal is only affording the players enough rest to be fresh for the final…
Who would have thought that Liverpool would be an Arsenal win away from being unable to retain their Premier League title with seven games to go, especially after they kick-started the season with the same momentum that they left it last term? Unfortunately, the reality has been cruel to Arne Slot and his Liverpool team. They are in a desperate hunt for a place in next season’s Champions League and look vulnerable, occasionally struggling to overcome even the weakest teams in the league. From smashing the record for the biggest lead after five games to falling 21 points behind the…
After three years away, Ben White is back in England’s squad for the upcoming games against Uruguay and Japan, taking the place of Jarell Quansah, which has again brought to light the unanswered questions from his last participation. The right-back, who earned four caps with the Three Lions following his first call-up in March 2021, had been absent from the national team since the 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar. Why Ben White vowed not to play for England Ben White surprisingly left the England training camp in Al Wakrah, Qatar, on November 30, with the FA officially citing personal…
The chalk and cheese nature of Arsenal’s tactical identity serves as a clinical football prescription, allowing them to alternate between defensive suffocation and offensive fluidity as they head into the business end of the season. In the span of four days, Mikel Arteta’s team played two distinct styles of football against Everton and Bayer Leverkusen, to keep their hopes of a climax finish to the season alive, and while critics may choose boring for the former, they can’t deny it’s the opposite for the latter. This is down to lessons learnt from past seasons and how different teams set up…
When Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior as their new manager back in January, he emphasized the fact that the team is in the perfect condition to compete, and he doesn’t need any time to get going. Just over two months later, the world champions have exited the Carabao Cup while losing both legs of their semi-finals with Arsenal, a team they held to a draw while playing more than 60 minutes with 10 men under Enzo Maresca in October. They have also been dumped out of the Champions League by PSG in an 8-2 aggregate score, a team they beat by…
UEFA has confirmed that the planned La Finalissima match between Argentina and Spain will not take place. The fixture, which was set to bring together the Copa América champions and the European champions, was originally scheduled for Qatar. However, the ongoing political situation in the Middle East forced organizers to abandon the plan. The cancellation is a disappointment for fans worldwide, who had anticipated a rare showdown between two of football’s most decorated national teams. Subsequent attempts to secure a new venue failed, as the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) could not reach an…
Max Dowman became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history at 16 years and 73 days, but that wasn’t even the highlight of a cameo that will forever linger in the memory of fans around the world. “People will say in years to come that I was there in their stadium that day when that kid scored that goal in THAT context”, said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after his team beat Everton 2-0 to stretch their lead at the Premier League summit. It was a game Arsenal did not look like winning, after throwing all they had at Everton, who…