Arsenal comfortably beat struggling Ipswich Town to ensure that Liverpool’s title win will not be confirmed for at least another week. The Gunners travelled to Portman Road on Sunday on the back of a statement win at Real Madrid in the Champions League.
They showed no sign of a hangover by putting in a professional performance in Norfolk. Leandro Trossard put the visitors ahead just 14 minutes in when he poked past Alex Palmer following good work from Bukayo Saka.
Saka quickly became the biggest influence on the game and played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s second goal just before the half-hour mark. He whipped in a low cross, with Mikel Merino brilliantly backheeling it into the path of Gabriel Martinelli who smashed the ball home.
Ipswich had looked bright but any faint hopes they had of mounting a comeback were dashed four minutes after Martinelli’s goal. Saka held the ball up, with Leif Davis stamping him on the back of his ankle in frustration, leading to a red card.
Arsenal continued to dominate in the second-half, with Trossard netting his second of the afternoon following a neat corner move. The scoring was wrapped up with three minutes remaining when Dara O’Shea deflected Ethan Nwaneri’s shot beyond keeper Palmer. Here, Mirror Football looks at the biggest talking points from Sunday’s game.
The win over Ipswich means that Arsenal are 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, though the Reds will play Leicester later on Sunday. Arne Slot’s side would have confirmed their title win had the Gunners slipped up at the Tractor Boys.
Now their title party has been put on ice until at least next Sunday, though they do first need to beat the Foxes. Arsenal have long since given up hope of winning the title, with only five games left of the season.
But boss Mikel Arteta will be keen to keep his side in good form, even if their focus is now firmly on the Champions League. Wednesday’s clash against Bournemouth is the Gunners’ final game before their semi-final first leg against PSG.
Having been pivotal in the win over Madrid in midweek, Bukayo Saka again played a key role in the win at Portman Road. First he all but assisted Trossard’s opener, with Martin Odegaard getting the slightest of accidental touches on his cross.
He also delivered a perfect low ball into Mikel Merino, who cleverly flicked it on to Gabriel Martinelli to fire in the second. After the sending off of Davis, Saka faced a chorus of boos from the home crowd whenever he touched the ball.
The winger answered those in style by continuing to terrorise the Ipswich defence. While he will be disappointed to have not found the back of the net, it was a good day for the England international.
While it is not mathematically certain, Ipswich have been all but relegated from the Premier League. They entered the season as massive outsiders to retain their place in the top-flight.
So it has proved, though Kieran McKenna’s side have put up a better fight than their fellow newly-promoted teams. Ipswich are now 15 points adrift of 17th-placed West Ham with five games to play.
But their awful -36 goal difference compared to the Hammers’ -18 means that McKenna’s men are virtually down. They can now begin preparing for life back in the second tier as they seek an immediate return.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is facing something of a selection headache for the Champions League semi-final against PSG. Thomas Partey is suspended for the first leg, while his natural Jorginho is facing a race against time with an injury issue.
It means that Arteta may have to get creative with his team selection as he looks to find a balance in his side. Mikel Merino has been a revelation up-front as an emergency striker, but he was shifted to a more natural central midfield role for the trip to Ipswich.
His place up top was taken by Leandro Trossard, who duly netted twice to help the Gunners to a win. Merino was also impressive alongside Declan Rice in midfield, suggesting this could be the same tactic Arteta will use against PSG.
The biggest risk for Arsenal ahead of the clash with PSG is seeing one of their star players go down injured. In what may have been a surprise move to some, Arteta only made three changes to his side from Wednesday’s win at Madrid.
Once it became clear his side would claim the three points they needed to delay Liverpool’s title party, Arteta acted to protect his star men. Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino were brought off after 57 minutes, while Declan Rice and Gabriel Martinelli made way after Trossard’s second goal.
Arsenal’s two-goal hero was also taken off late on despite being on a hat-trick. But it means that Arteta’s squad remains fully fit besides their long-term injured.
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