EVERY WORD MIKEL ARTETA SAID ON ARSENAL, PEP GUARDIOLA AND TEXTING ANDONI IRAOLA

Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table and the title is in touching distance after Monday night's victory over Burnley at The Emirates

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta(Image: 2026 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)

The Premier League title is within touching distance for Arsenal after Monday night's 1-0 win over Burnley.

Kait Havertz scored the only goal of the game against the relegated Clarets to move the Gunners five points clear at the top of the table. Arsenal will even be crowned champions tonight if Manchester City fail to win against Champions League-chasing Bournemouth on the south coast.

Mikel Arteta was afforded a huge reception by the home crowd as he took the microphone post-game, telling the crowd: “It is an absolute joy to witness the transformation and contribution each of you have had to turn this place into the most beautiful place to enjoy and play our football games.

“This is the soul of this football club. Make sure that every time you step in this stadium you have the responsibility to keep these standards because it makes such a difference to us and the players.”

He then sat in the bowels of the Emirates to speak to the media. Here is every word the Arsenal boss said...

Was that the game you expected?

I knew it was going to be tough. I think in the first half we played some of the best football we have played this season. We were very unfortunate not to score two or three goals and then that was the story of the season.

If we cannot do that, make sure that we are extremely efficient in defending certain moments. Not giving anything away to the opponent and winning the three points.

Not conceding from open play since Man City away?

Well I think that the desire every single player shows in their defensive duties, their behaviours, is phenomenal and the work by the coaches as well, and we all know the importance of that and how many results and wins we have because of that.

Kai Havertz, starting and his season

Yeah I think we forget the amount of players that we have missed for long long periods of the season. They are exceptional.

That is the merit of this team, that regardless of that look where we are, one game away from winning the Premier League with everything that we have been through and that shows how strong the mindset and the team is.

Is that why you started him?

I had a feeling that he had to start and the way they set up he could be really difficult to handle and he showed that.

It was like you had to suffer through the win?

I don’t know I thought that the amount of hair that I have is never going to go away, but I think this job is going to test it to the limit.

How do you keep everyone focused?

We’ve done what is in our hands, and since the Man City game away, we said it’s five games, we’ve done four, and now there is one to go unless something happens tomorrow night.

Will you be watching the Bournemouth game?

I don’t know how long I am going to watch it, I will be there in front of the TV but I don’t know how much I am going to be able to watch it, that is the reality.

Was Havertz lucky to stay on the pitch?

Well I was certainly worried when they were checking it, when I looked at the bench they said it wasn’t but I haven’t had a look at the action?

Will you watch tomorrow with the players?

No, I haven’t planned to do that. I am planning to watch it with my family and again I don’t know for how long.

The speech at full-time, what did that feel like looking around?

That it’s incredible to witness what we have created in this stadium. Obviously, I have memories from the past, and the comparison is unbelievable to watch. I am so proud. They have created something so special outside the stadium, in the stadium, and now we have to set the standards that we are all responsible for maintaining that because if we can provide that we know the outcome.

How different was that from last season?

Well at that point we knew we were going to finish second and we were not going to have a final to play so yeah, what I said to them: ‘See you at Selhurst Park and see you in Budapest. Two to go!

Pep confessed he was a West Ham fan for 24 hours, are you now a Bournemouth fan for 24 hours?

The biggest ever! Andoni, and all the players and all the supporters of Bournemouth, I think we are all are because we know what it means if they get a result tomorrow.

Will you send Andoni a text?

I don’t think it’s needed. What he’s done in that football club, the transformation, what they are playing for, I don’t think they need anything else. When you look at how Burnley played today, the spirit that they show, how difficult they made it, imagine tomorrow.

On reports Guardiola is leaving at the end of the season.

No, I cannot comment on that, the day that he makes a decision to stay or leave we can comment I think.

- Tom Canton

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ARAENAL FACE PENULTIMATE TEST VS. BURNLEY

 

A RECENTLY RELEGATED PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB IS SUDDENLY LEFT WITHOUT A MANAGER

Relegation already hurt… but now comes the final blow: Burnley, the recently relegated Premier League club is left without a manager with games still to play. An unexpected decision, internal turmoil, and a chaotic end to the season.

Burnley lose their manager at the worst possible moment

Relegation was not the final chapter in the crisis at Burnley Football Club. With four Premier League matches still to play, the club confirmed the immediate departure of Scott Parker, a decision that raises more questions than answers.

According to official club statements, the exit was by “mutual consent,” but the context suggests a relationship that had already broken down after a disastrous season. The team managed just four wins all campaign, numbers that ultimately sealed their fate.

The timing is what makes this decision so striking: it is highly unusual for a manager to leave with the season still ongoing, even after relegation is confirmed. Burnley chose to act decisively… even if the damage had already been done.

From promotion hero to relegation casualty

The story of Scott Parker at Burnley is a dramatic contrast. Just a year ago, the English manager was celebrated as the architect of the club’s return to the Premier League after a remarkable Championship campaign that included a 30+ match unbeaten run.

That success raised expectations, but reality proved far harsher. Since November, the team fell into a downward spiral, managing just one win over a long stretch. They also endured six months without a home victory, a clear reflection of their collapse.

In his farewell message, Parker struck a composed tone:

“It has been a privilege to manage this club… but now is the right time for both sides to move in different directions,” he said, highlighting the promotion as his proudest achievement.

A season ending without direction

With Parker gone, Burnley are left without leadership just as the campaign reaches its final stretch. The club moved quickly to appoint Mike Jackson as interim manager, who will oversee the remaining fixtures against Leeds United, Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Wolves.

The board confirmed that the search for a permanent manager for the 2026–27 season has already begun, although no formal talks have taken place with candidates yet, reinforcing the sense of uncertainty.

What’s next: a necessary rebuild in the Championship

Burnley now enters a crucial rebuilding phase. With relegation confirmed and no permanent manager in place, the club must start from scratch in an attempt to return to the top flight.

The challenge is significant: this marks their third relegation in five seasons, highlighting deep structural instability.

Names like Steven Gerrard have already been linked with the role, suggesting the club may target a high-profile figure to lead the rebuild.

- Rodrigo Bernal

PREMIER LEAGUE BOTTOM SIX

 

"THE ATMOSPHERE HAS DIED AND FANS LEAVING IN THEIR HORDES EARLY"

 "The atmosphere has died and fans are leaving in their hordes early."

John Aldridge couldn't hide his disappointment witnessing thousands of Liverpool fans leaving before the final whistle during the Burnley draw. The Kop legend warns that "fear" and emotionless football are killing the fortress that is Anfield. "I've been going to Anfield for 60 years and rarely seen this," Aldridge shared.

BOXING DAY | DIVISION ONE | 1855

 

PREMIER LEAGUE RETRO BADGES

 

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FULL MATCH REACTION: MOHAMED SALA'S PENALTY SAVES LIVERPOOL VS. BURNLEY

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SHEFFIELD UNITED'S PLAYERS TAKE STEPS TO ARREST FROM SLUMP AMID ",INSANE" LEEDS UNITED, BURNLEY PROMOTION FIGHT

His side may travel to Plymouth Argyle tomorrow on the back of successive defeats at a crucial stage of the promotion race, but Chris Wilder remains adamant that Sheffield United’s season is not over just yet. Tuesday night’s home loss to Millwall saw the Blades drop out of the automatic promotion places with just five games of the regular campaign still to go.

Just two points separate United from the top two, Leeds United and Burnley, with the Blades still to visit Turf Moor on Easter Monday in a clash that is growing in importance by the week. For so long the hunted, United have become the hunters on the final straight of the promotion race but United’s mentality has not changed too much, with their players calling a private meeting this week in a bid to arrest their mini-slump in form.

“I should imagine there'll have been the same situations at all three clubs battling it out,” said Wilder of the pressure of a promotion bid. “We've all had to deal with that. We [all three managers] have all had success personally but it's a new group for me and for Scott [Parker], while Dan's [Daniel Farke] had a season with Leeds United as well.

“We're all in the same situation, with the twists and turns. So keeping calm is important. But for all three clubs to be on 85 points - and I'm not trying to be clever about this now, I'm going on wins and points - at this stage of the season is insane, really, with five games to go.

“We all have the opportunity to win 100 points [although United can only theoretically finish on 98 with their minus-two point deduction]. The points tally is incredible and all have had to do a lot of things right.

“The tally we've got is an incredible achievement. I can't do anything about the narrative and the noise, as we talk about it, from social media and saying ‘We haven't done this and that.’ We own the last two defeats. But we own the 26 wins and the 85 points as well.”

Wilder was delighted to see his players take ownership of the situation earlier this week. “The players had a team meeting yesterday which I’m all over because it shows they're taking responsibility. That isn't me distancing from them, but they're so desperate. The players in this situation need to be as cold as ever ... that's what the best players do.”

- Danny Hall

FA CUP 5TH ROUND | FIXTURES

 

BAYERN MÜNCHEN NAME VINCENT KOMPANY MANAGER IN SHOCK MOVE

Vincent Kompany will be charged with returning Bayern Munich to the top of the Bundesliga. Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Bayern Munich have appointed Vincent Kompany as the club's new manager after negotiating his departure from Burnley, the clubs have announced.

ESPN reported on Saturday that Bayern agreed a £10 million deal ($12.7m) for Kompany, who will replace Thomas Tuchel at the Bundesliga giants despite being unable to prevent Burnley from being relegated from the Premier League this season.

The move completes a troubled recruitment process for Bayern who initially announced in February that Tuchel would depart at the end of the season.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge at FC Bayern," Kompany said in a statement. "It's a great honour to be able to work for this club -- FC Bayern is an institution in international football."

Max Eberl, Bayern's sporting director, added: "We're delighted to have brought in Vincent Kompany to FC Bayern. We were immediately on the same page in our discussions with him. He clearly showed us how much the job at FC Bayern appeals to him and that he is keen to take it on.

"Vincent Kompany is hungry and brings everything to the table: as a player, he was already a leading figure in top international football and is also leading the way as a coach."

Bayern were linked with moves for Bayer Levekusen boss Xabi Alonso and their former manager Julian Nagelsmann before both announced they would be remaining in their jobs with Bayer Leverkusen and the Germany national team, respectively.

They were also in discussions with ex-interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick, but he turned down Bayern after deciding to continue in his role as Austria head coach.

There were then reports that Bayern's sporting directors Eberl and Christoph Freund were negotiating with Tuchel to reverse their joint decision from February. However, Tuchel confirmed before the club's final game of the season that it would be his last match in charge of the club.

- ESPN

BURNLEY HAS BEEN RELEGATED | PREMIER LEAGUE 2023-24

 

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ARSENAL IS ON 🔥

 

VAR REVIEW: SHOULD JOTA''SPENALTY HAVE BEEN OVERTURNED?

Video Assistant Referee causes controversy every week in the Premier League, but how are decisions made, and are they correct?

After each weekend we take a look at the major incidents, to examine and explain the process both in terms of VAR protocol and the Laws of the Game

In this week's VAR Review: Should Diogo Jota's penalty for Liverpool against Newcastle United have been overturned? And is the VAR looking to support the on-field decision too much? Plus, all the incidents from the latest round of games.

Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle

Possible penalty overturn: Dúbravka challenge on Jota

What happened: Diogo Jota ran through on goal in the 84th minute, attempted to go past goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka and then went to ground. Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the penalty spot, with the decision checked by the VAR, Stuart Attwell (watch here.)

VAR decision: Penalty stands, scored by Mohamed Salah.

Martin Dúbravka clips the right foot of Diogo Jota. NBC

VAR review: Premier League referees work under an instruction that contact must have a consequence if a spot kick is to be awarded, while the attacker should go down in a way which fits that contact.

On first viewing, it looked like Jota had simulated without contact. Yet upon watching the replays, the goalkeeper did catch the Liverpool forward's left leg with his left arm. But does that mean this should remain a penalty with such a small amount of contact and a delayed fall?

Yet with the weight a referee's decision on the field carries, and the high threshold for a VAR intervention, penalties like this don't tend to get overturned. Any evidence of contact leads to the VAR supporting the on-field call. We saw it with spot kicks awarded against Wolves to Newcastle United and Sheffield United. In both those cases there was negligible contact, though the Premier League's Independent Key Match Incidents Panel said the VAR should have intervened in those cases.

The VAR requires such clear evidence of an error, few spot kicks actually get cancelled. Of the five overturned this season, only one has been for a foul (the other four were for handball.)

Was this really enough to make Jota go down as he did, dragging his right foot along the ground two steps later? If Taylor hadn't awarded a penalty it's unlikely the VAR would have sent the referee to the monitor.

Most fans would prefer VAR gets involved in situations like this to at least let the referee have another look, though that will require a change in the ethos of VAR and a lowering of the threshold. Right now a referee only goes to the monitor to confirm he has made a "clear and obvious" error rather than to check it.

Diogo Jota hasn't started going down even though he is already past Martin Dúbravka. Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

"Clear and obvious" has been a millstone around the neck of VAR since its inception, largely because it's so difficult to define and is the subjective view of another of the 20 referees who act as a VAR in the Premier League. It's just a second opinion.

But removing "clear and obvious" wouldn't be the magic wand many think it would be. It would lead to far more stoppages and wouldn't necessarily mean different outcomes. Indeed, after the penalty awarded to Sheffield United, Wolves boss Gary O'Neil said referee Robert Jones insisted his decision was correct after watching replays postmatch. Additional reviews to a lower threshold doesn't mean the referee will believe he's made a mistake.

Also lost in the "clear and obvious" discussion is that there will always be an aggrieved side in these 50-50 or 60-40 situations; just ask Arsenal fans after they had a spot kick overturned against Manchester United earlier this season. (Taylor was the referee for this game, too.) Taylor gave the spot kick because he believed Aaron Wan-Bissaka had tripped Kai Havertz when he placed his right foot -- but there was no contact with the Arsenal player at this point. Thus, Taylor hadn't described the contact correctly, and it opened the door for a review.

Or when Arsenal didn't get a penalty for a small amount of contact by Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz on Gabriel Jesus (a decision supported by the independent panel.) There was arguably more contact than there was for Jota, yet the penalty wasn't given on the field and it wasn't enough for a VAR overturn. But if the ref had given it, it would have stayed a penalty. Consistency of decisions isn't possible under this protocol, nor it is the intention.

Attwell was the referee for the debatable late penalty that gave Aston Villa victory at home to Burnley, covered later, so at least you could say he's been consistent on the pitch and in the VAR hub.

Possible penalty overturn: Botman challenge on Diaz

What happened: Luis Díaz moved in on goal in the 20th minute, stumbling to the ground after a tackle by Sven Botman. Referee Taylor had also pointed to the spot for this earlier incident (watch here.)

VAR decision: Penalty stands, Salah shot saved by Dúbravka.

Sven Botman catches Luis Diaz. NBC

VAR review: While there might have been questions over the later penalty, there was no chance this would be overturned. There was clear contact by Botman's right leg onto Diaz's left, which caused him to lose his footing.

Diaz may have gone down easily, but this spot kick was far more supportable.

MOTD | ASTON VILLA 3-2 BURNLEY | POST MATCH ANALYSIS