Arsenal fend off 10 man Chelsea to restore five-point lead

Arsenal passed a major examination of their Premier League title credentials after Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scored from corners in a 2-1 win over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium. A week after they thumped Tottenham, Arsenal recorded another pivotal triumph to restore their five-point advantage over Manchester City, albeit having played a game more. Saliba sent the hosts on their way midway through the first half when he converted Bukayo Saka’s corner, only for Piero Hincapie to put through his own net in first-half stoppage time.

Read more

Semenyo strike sees City edge Leeds closing gap at the top

Antoine Semenyo scored just before half-time as title-chasing Manchester City escaped Elland Road with victory over an energetic Leeds United. The hard-earned outcome narrowed Arsenal’s lead to two points at the top of the Premier League. City travelled to West Yorkshire without their Leeds-born star striker Erling Haaland who was injured in training, and it looked for large periods in the first half that they would rue not having their top goalscorer available.

Read more

Igor Tudor in line to become Tottenham interim manager

Tottenham have reached an agreement for Igor Tudor to become their interim manager until the end of the season, leaving the door open for Mauricio Pochettino to return this summer. The club turned to Tudor after making checks on the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic and the former RB Leizpig manager Marco Rose. The former Croatia international has been out of work since he left Juventus in October after the Serie A club went eight games without a win.

Read more

Tottenham sack manager Thomas Frank after eight months in charge

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked head coach Thomas Frank after the side’s worrying form saw them slide towards the Premier League relegation zone. Spurs, who lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle last night, sit just five points clear of 18th-placed West Ham. The latest tumultuous result of Frank’s dismal reign resulted in Spurs falling to 16th in the Premier League and made it two wins in 17 league fixtures.

Read more

EFL clubs to vote on expanding Championship playoffs

EFL clubs will next month vote on an expansion of the Championship playoffs to six teams after being given approval to pursue the radical change by the Football Association’s board. The 72 EFL clubs were on Tuesday invited to an extraordinary general meeting on 5 March, when the vote will take place on a new playoff format that would begin next season. A simple majority of the 72 clubs and 24 in the Championship – 37 and 13 votes in favour respectively – is required to formalise a regulation change.

Read more