Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions took a severe dent as they lost 1-0 to a rejuvenated Everton side under new management.

Sean Dyche outmaneuvered and outthought Mikel Arteta this afternoon to secure three points which could prove to be crucial at both ends of the league table.

Arsenal had 70% possession throughout the match but couldn’t find the net, having just three shots on target.

Arteta substituted arguably his most influential player, Thomas Partey, in the 59th minute and James Tarkowski netted for the Toffees a minute later. Read into that what you will, but the Ghanaian was excelling in the middle of the park before his departure.

Gabriel Martinelli was disappointing, just a day after signing a new long-term deal at the club, as he failed to get into the match at all, losing possession 14 times while succeeding with just one dribble attempt. However, it was Eddie Nketiah who arguably underperformed the most given his recent form.

The forward, who is currently deputising for the injured Gabriel Jesus, has scored six goals since Christmas but struggled to carve out any meaningful openings today against a stubborn Everton side.

He perhaps should have scored the opener in the first half, but his shot didn’t test Jordan Pickford. Journalist Patrick Boyland described it as a “great chance” for Nketiah but added that his finishing was “wayward”, and that summed up the 23-year-old’s afternoon.

The striker took just 21 touches, 19 fewer than goalkeeping team-mate Aaron Ramsdale, and he made just eight passes all day as he struggled to create much space. He also lost possession six times, committed two fouls and won just 50% of his duels.

Arteta will have some thinking to do regarding Nketiah’s performance, with the club currently having no other senior centre-forward to call upon.

Perhaps the Gunners were perhaps due a bad result in the league, having not lost in the top flight for five months, although it wasn’t expected to be against a struggling Everton side, suggesting that the new manager bounce has worked a treat on Merseyside.

Make no mistake, much of the team let Arteta down today. However, the Spaniard would certainly have expected much more from Nketiah, and he will hope that the 23-year-old can rebound quickly ahead of the visit of Brentford to the Emirates Stadium next Saturday.

The Sun reporter Nick Emms has been reacting to an update involving Leeds United and Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola.

The Lowdown: Orta in Spain

The reliable Phil Hay was one of the first to say that the Whites have placed Iraola on their managerial radar, with Fabrizio Romano then claiming the Spaniard is the ‘favourite candidate’ to replace Jesse Marsch after Carlos Corberan signed a new deal with West Brom.

Reports have suggested that sporting director Victor Orta is in Spain to hold talks with the La Liga side over a potential move for their manager, something that has left Emms excited.

The Latest: Emms reacts

Taking to Twitter, Emms, a sports reporter for The Sun, reacted to the news of Orta being in Spain.

He said that Iraola ‘would be a fantastic long-term option’ at Elland Road, adding that the 40-year-old ‘could be a really exciting option for Leeds’.

The Verdict: Smart candidate?

Iraola likes to play a 4-2-3-1 system and builds his sides around high-pressing and energetic football, something that the Whites faithful enjoyed under Marcelo Bielsa.

He is on course for a career-best league finish in Spain, with Vallecano currently in fifth place in La Liga after 20 fixtures.

Iraola’s side have even managed to draw with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this season while also inflicting a 3-2 defeat on Real Madrid, so in regards to the long-term project at Elland Road, this looks a shrewd appointment as he appears to be going from strength to strength in the dugout.

Manchester United winger Antony will miss tonight’s Premier League clash against Leeds United through injury, Samuel Luckhurst reports.

The Lowdown: Antony impressing at Old Trafford

Antony made the move to Manchester from Ajax last summer to reunite with Erik ten Hag in a deal worth £82m. Since then, the Brazilian has made 23 appearances for the Red Devils, contributing to six goals.

The 22-year-old has been the club’s sixth-best performer this season as per WhoScored metrics, but he won’t be available for selection tonight.

The Latest: Antony absent for Leeds clash

Luckhurst, who is United’s chief reporter for Manchester Evening News, took to Twitter on Tuesday to share an injury update from Ten Hag’s pre-match press conference.

He said that, along with Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay, Antony is also ruled out for the home side due to injury, while Casemiro begins a three-match suspension.

The Verdict: Not ideal

Marcus Rashford has been in fine form playing from the left, scoring in six top-flight games out of seven since the season’s post-Christmas resumption, while Antony has mainly been Ten Hag’s go-to man on the right when fit, so this news isn’t ideal ahead of a busy few days for United.

Labelled ‘superb’ by writer Emmanuel Ayamga just last month, the Brazil winger has ranked highly when it comes to shots (2.8) and dribbles per game (0.8), as per WhoScored. Those returns place him first and second respectively in the Red Devils’ squad for those metrics.

Facundo Pellistri is the only other natural right-winger available to Ten Hag and he hasn’t made a Premier League appearance to date, so the United boss may look into using Anthony Elanga or Alejandro Garnacho – primarily left-wingers – in Antony’s absence on that flank.

A key feature of Newcastle United’s rise over the last 12 months or so during the PIF regime has been the club’s astute dealings in the transfer market, with the Magpies taking a more measured approach to signings, rather than targeting high-profile, marquee additions.

That was no doubt evident last year as the experienced figures of Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier – among others – were brought in to aid in the bid for survival, before the northeast side again acted wisely over the summer to secure the services of Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak.

That knack for clever business was seemingly again continued in the recent January window, with the Tynesiders securing possible figures for the long-term in the form of Harrison Ashby and Anthony Gordon from West Ham United and Everton, respectively.

Although there may be concerns over the £45m fee that was splashed out on the latter man, that was seemingly an indication of the club’s faith in a player who can thrive at St James’ Park for years to come, with sporting director Dan Ashworth having also managed to secure a reduction on the Toffees’ previous £60m valuation.

With the inexperienced Ashby – who has made just seven senior appearances for the Hammers – coming through the door for a knock-down price of just £3m, it does appear that PIF have again avoided the temptation of unnecessarily splashing the cash.

That being said, however, Newcastle’s ownership may well have made a rare mistake in not strengthening a key area in the winter window, with deadline day having come and gone without the signing of a new central midfielder.

That need for a fresh face in the centre of the park was only heightened by the loss of long-serving playmaker Jonjo Shelvey to Nottingham Forest, with manager Eddie Howe subsequently admitting that his squad may be “light in a couple of areas”.

There had been reports throughout the month that the top-four hopefuls were eyeing a deal for long-term target Conor Gallagher, with the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards (Live feed, 31/01/2023, 14:32) revealing that a last-ditch loan attempt had been made for the Englishman, albeit with Chelsea reluctant to part ways – particularly on a temporary deal.

With no other suitable alternatives having seemingly come available – with Gallagher’s teammate Ruben Loftus-Cheek previously mooted as a possible option – Howe has now been left with limited options in the midfield ranks.

Outside of the regular trio of Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes, there is seemingly little quality depth, with resurgent Brazilian, Joelinton – who has featured on the left flank of late – arguably the only other senior option in that position.

While the Magpies do have promising youngster Elliott Anderson as a regular fixture in the first-team, the 20-year-old is still rather untested at Premier League level, having spent last season on loan in League Two with Bristol Rovers.

The fear will be that any injuries or suspensions – including Guimaraes’ recent dismissal against Southampton – in the coming months could derail the club’s top-four charge, with the northeast side potentially set to be left to rue the failure to secure a midfield acquisition on deadline day.

While there is wisdom in not turning to a late, ill-fitting panic buy, Newcastle had seemingly been crying out for a new recruit for months.

TalkSport’s Simon Jordan has backed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to fix the problems the Reds are undergoing form-wise.

The Lowdown: Trainwreck season

Liverpool currently find themselves 10th in the Premier League, sitting 11 points off a top-four spot and 21 points behind the league leaders.

The Reds were eliminated from the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City respectively, leaving the Champions League as the only competition they can win this season.

However, judging by their form and the fact their opponents are Real Madrid, we’d be amazed if they got past them over two legs.

The Latest: Jordan backs Klopp

Speaking on TalkSport’s One 2 One, Jordan admitted there are a lot of problems surrounding the club at the moment, but he still backs Klopp to be able to find a solution.

He stated: “The current set of problems when Klopp comes out in the press and says he doesn’t know what the answer is, isn’t much of an encouraging sign.

“I think that Klopp is one of the best managers this country’s ever seen. I know that the trophy record doesn’t stack up that way.

“The challenge, for me, right now – this is not the side that defended their Premier League win with a very damp squib of a defence, that found itself losing central defenders and not being able to countenance the loss of injuries. This is a side that is miles away from application.

“I think Klopp will fix it, but I do think that Liverpool right now are unacceptable.”

The Verdict: Focus on next season

We believe that this season is all but written off for Liverpool. By no means are we saying they should just roll over and give up altogether, but the possibility of trophies or achieving Champions League football looks unlikely.

What Klopp needs to do is address the areas on the pitch that he believes need improving. Judging by the fact they’ve not won in their last four league games, the team is far from the level required to be one of the best in England’s top flight.

A theory that’s been thrown around is the idea that Klopp is at the end of a seven-year cycle. The idea proclaims that Klopp begins to run out of steam after that amount of time, as that’s when his stints with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund started to go off the rails.

Klopp has obviously dismissed this, and our view is that he’ll have extra motivation to prove to those nay-sayers that he can continue to manage Liverpool going forward.

However, we can’t help but agree with Jordan that some of his press conference antics are signs of a manager feeling the heat.

Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith has claimed that referee Jarred Gillett lost “control” when sending off Wolves midfielder Mario Lemina.

What happened with Lemina’s red card for Wolves?

In their latest Premier League outing, Julen Lopetegui’s men picked up an unlikely three points on the road despite playing the majority of their game with ten men.

Indeed, having fallen behind to a goal from Carlos Alcaraz for Southampton, Wolves midfielder Lemina was then sent off after picking up a second yellow card in the 27th minute. Despite that, the away team fought back to win the game with two second-half goals.

However, Lemina’s second yellow seemed questionable at best as he was booked for dissent despite not being the first player to approach referee Gillett, nor was his protest particularly egregious.

While speaking about the incident on Ref Watch, Smith said: “I thought the second one was harsh. But again, I don’t know what was said, so it’s difficult for me to say.

“If it was just in terms of he was aggressively running at the ref, I couldn’t see any aggression there.

“I thought it was a harsh decision. I thought Jarred Gillett lost a little bit of control in that first half.”

What does Lemina’s red card mean for Wolves?

In the end, the red card didn’t actually cost Wolves the three points as they battled well to claim the win. In fact, Saints manager Nathan Jones even claimed it helped the opposition.

Speaking after the game, he told Sky Sports (via TalkSport): “To me, the 10 men was to our detriment because it made it a free hit for them in terms of stuff.

“It added more pressure on us and it shouldn’t be like that – we should then control the game.”

However, Jones has since been fired, so perhaps it’s best not to focus too much on his point of view from this particular game.

Despite the win, Wolves may still feel angered by the decision as Lemina will miss the club’s next game against Bournemouth as he serves a consequential suspension.

Indeed, the club can’t appeal the decision either as it was not a straight red. The FA’s rules (via BirminghamLive) explain: “All red cards can be appealed with the exception of those for use of offensive or insulting or abusive language/gestures and receiving a second caution in a game.”

West Ham United have endured a tough year, with their struggling and ageing squad (joint-oldest in the Premier League) having fallen from European chasers to relegation fighters.

David Moyes attempted something of a summer rebuild as he splashed the cash on eight new players, but given their precarious standing in the top-flight table, it is clear that they are yet to reap the rewards.

Outlays such as £35.5m for Gianluca Scamacca and a club-record £51m expenditure for Lucas Paqueta have looked foolish so far, especially given the proficiency of the talents in the club’s academy.

Moyes may have been tempted by the excitement gained from dipping into the European market, but perhaps if he had looked a little closer to home, he could have saved millions whilst nurturing some homegrown talents of the future.

Who is the next Antonio at West Ham?

One standout name who has been earning vital senior experience in recent years is Mipo Odubeko, with the 20-year-old having received praise for not only the future that he boasts but his performances now.

Former Republic of Ireland international Stephen Kelly was particularly vocal in his praise for the youngster, as he noted last year: “I think he has got great potential. He’s been through the leagues in England. But his pace will push teams back, and offers a penetration which you can’t always get.”

Odubeko’s work throughout the divisions will have offered a fine experience that few others of his age will boast, having spells at Huddersfield Town, Doncaster Rovers and most recently Port Vale.

His current manager Darrell Clark elaborated on a skillset similar to that of tireless cult hero Michail Antonio, claiming of the youngster: “He’s a striker who loves to stretch the line and has that pace to be able to run in behind and he’s heralded as a massive talent at West Ham. His pace will offer other dimensions to our play, and he loves to run in behind a defence”.

How has Odubeko been performing on loan?

With Antonio struggling this season, having scored just two goals in 21 league games, there is a need for a replacement to soon be found. Scamacca was expected to spearhead the attack but is yet to really kickstart his career in east London (three league goals so far), all while Odubeko has been scoring in various divisions across England.

Having notched just three goals in League One this season, it has been a year of growth for the Ireland U21 forward as his body adjusts to the demands of senior football.

He had already proven to be a cut above those in the youth system during the 2020/21 campaign, when he notched ten goals in just nine Premier League 2 games as a teenager. Such form surely merits at least some consideration amongst the West Ham first-team, for whom he has only made two appearances so far.

His playing style resemble that of Antonio, with an impressive physique and speed to match his relentlessness in the press. Also, with a willingness to run the channels, he could certainly be the long-term heir to the Jamaica international, who has seen his performances wane in recent months.

Once Odubeko’s latest loan spell ends, it may be time for Moyes to look at throwing him into the team at his parent club later this year.

Reporter Charles Watts has labelled Eddie Nketiah’s midweek performance as a ‘nightmare’ for Arsenal.

The Lowdown: Arsenal starting to buckle

Arsenal tasted defeat for the first time at home in the Premier League this season when the champions of England put a marker down for the rest of the league, winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.

Despite the defeat, the Gunners still have their fate in their own hands as they sit behind Manchester City on goal difference with a game in hand.

While Mikel Arteta may not be too downbeat losing to a team that has cost millions of pounds to assemble, what he will be annoyed about is individual errors that cost his team from players such as Takehiro Tomiyasu for Kevin De Bruyne’s opener and also the number of chances missed by Nketiah.

The Latest: Nketiah fails to deliver

Given the injury to Gabriel Jesus, Nketiah has had to lead the line for a long time now, but last night was seemingly a game too far as he squandered two golden opportunities to help the Gunners salvage anything from the game, as Watts highlighted while speaking on his YouTube channel.

He said: “Eddie Nketiah had a bit of a nightmare. He had big, big chances; the one in the first half at 0-0, what a crucial moment that was.

“Brilliant ball in from Zinchenko, you just have to score there if you’re a striker in that position at the very top level against Man City. You’re not going to get better chances than that, and the fact he didn’t even hit the target was just so poor from Nketiah.”

The Verdict: Arteta needs Gabriel Jesus back

In the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ devastating injury that he sustained at the World Cup, Nketiah appeared to be a reliable deputy and has done well thus far to ensure the Gunners sustained a serious title challenge to this point.

However, Nketiah has now failed to score in five of his last six games, which has coincided with the Gunners also failing to win any of their three previous matches, having also dropped points against Everton and Brentford.

So while Nketiah has done his job up until now for Arsenal, he’s clearly not on the same level as serial winner Jesus, so if he can get back to full fitness before the end of the month, it could be season-defining for the Gunners and Arteta.

Chelsea once wielded a bright young star from Belgium in their youth ranks, offering the starlet a pathway to prominence after signing him from Genk before eventually deeming his capabilities lay best elsewhere and cashing in.

That youngster was none other than Kevin De Bruyne, who forged a name for himself in Germany following the stuttering maiden period of his professional at Cobham, plundering 20 goals and 37 assists from 73 outings, announcing himself as one of Europe’s most formidable creative forces and consequently earning a move that would define his career as indeed a playmaker of supreme ability.

Receiving €20m (£17.8m) from German outfit VFL Wolfsburg in 2014, Chelsea sold the ace after he had failed to establish himself as a regular presence in west London, but the Premier League was certainly not finished with this creative outlet.

Indeed, Manchester City raised plenty of eyebrows when they signed the star for a then club-record £55m in 2015 – and the rest, as they say, was history.

Having cemented his role as the central talisman in Pep Guardiola’s esteemed Cityzen system, De Bruyne has recorded a remarkable 227 direct goal contributions from 335 appearances in City colours, winning four Premier League trophies, the FA Cup and five Carabao Cups – as well as being bestowed the honour of City’s Player of the Year on two occasions.

This season alone, the “Rolls-Royce” of a midfielder, as lauded by Fox’s Keith Costigan, has supplied no less than 17 assists across all competitions from just 28 appearances across all competitions, just seven behind his record of 24 assists across all competitions in the 2020/21 season.

The 97-cap international is now valued at £45m by the CIES Football Observatory, and at 31 years old he still has plenty left to offer, ranking incredibly well among positional peers across a plethora of metrics.

Indeed, as per FBref, De Bruyne ranks among the top 1% of midfielders for rate of goals, assists and shot-creating actions, also among the top 1% for progressive carries and the top 5% for progressive carries.

His irreplaceable stature at the beating heart of the Etihad Stadium has left him truly considered as one of the greatest players in the world, a figure of unmatched passing prowess and inexplicably fine-tuned vision.

Manager Guardiola once heralded him as “outstanding”, and he truly is one of the most dynamic and naturally gifted phenoms to ever grace English soil; Chelsea must rue the day he left west London.

Since De Bruyne’s departure from Stamford Bridge back in January 2014, the club has not quite found another player in the Belgian’s mould, a creative and central playmaker with an emphasis on enhancing the collective effort of his team, and they will surely be crying out for their former gem right now, languishing in ninth place in the English top-flight.

Chelsea have certainly enjoyed their fair share of success since the 31-year-old Belgian technician’s departure, but one can only imagine the incredible creative flair that could have been firmly embedded into the Stamford Bridge core had he been provided more time to nurture and develop his skills.

He is one of his generation’s finest players, one of the great Premier League midfielders, and Chelsea let him slip away, like sand through their fingers…

One man who may well not be getting much joy from Manchester United’s recent resurgence under Erik ten Hag is club captain Harry Maguire, with the England international having largely been twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines in recent months.

Despite having had a ‘very good World Cup’, according to pundit Graeme Souness in his Daily Mail column, the 29-year-old has remained resigned to a watching brief throughout the campaign at club level, with just four starts in the current Premier League campaign.

Having been axed from the starting XI following the horror show at Brentford in August, the former Leicester City man has largely been unable to regain his place in the team since then, having even seen usual left-back Luke Shaw given the nod at centre-back on occasion.

With Maguire now restricted to late cameos off the bench, it does appear to be becoming a matter of when and not if the £80m man will be moved on from Old Trafford, with Jamie Carragher stating in September that it is ‘too late’ for the struggling skipper to save his United career.

Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst has since revealed earlier this week that the £190k-per-week dud could well be one of the first-team assets to be shown the door this summer, with Ten Hag seeking to continue his revamp of the squad.

However, rather than splashing the cash on a replacement for the 53-cap brute – with a new striker and midfielder also set to be prioritised – the former Ajax boss could seemingly consider turning to the youth ranks to find a suitable option as Maguire’s long-term successor.

A perfect candidate already appears to have revealed itself in the form of 19-year-old starlet Rhys Bennett, with the teenager having proven his talents in recent times after leading the club’s U18 side to FA Youth Cup glory last term.

The commanding centre-back had started the final four games in the competition, while notably getting the Red Devils off to the perfect start in the showpiece after scoring in front of a packed crowd at the Theatre of Dreams.

That glorious winning run showcased the youngster to be a “good character and natural leader” in the side, according to Luckhurst, with the promising gem having since gone on to make an impression on Ten Hag after featuring in a handful of matchday squads this season.

Although a competitive first-team debut has yet to emerge, Bennett was involved off the bench in the mid-season friendly defeat to Real Betis in December, with experienced team-mate Tom Heaton lauding him as “excellent” as a result of his confident display.

The aim must now be for Bennett to truly force his way into the first-team reckoning sooner rather than later, with his chance of staking a claim only likely to be enhanced by Maguire’s seemingly inevitable summer exit.