Arsenal great Thierry Henry has labelled midfielder Aaron Ramsey a “special” player following his tenacious performance in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
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Not only did he get his first ever hat-trick as the Gunners executed the great escape in the Champions League but he also reached the milestone of 50 Premier League goals for Arsenal when he opened the scoring against Aston Villa with a very cooly taken penalty.
Allardyce said: “A lot of people were saying, ‘Sam will save us”, but I wasn’t saying that.
“Olivier has improved technically”.
Villa manager Remi Garde had been hoping to get one over his former mentor Wenger, who signed him as a player at Arsenal, but his team remains eight points adrift of safety at the foot of the table. “He is also mentally very strong”.
Leicester can regain top spot if they beat Chelsea on Monday night but Wenger was delighted with his side’s effort after they had qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek. “But don’t worry, I’ve had my fair share of bad weeks already, so this balances itself out”.
With Arsenal struggling to match their first-half showing, Wenger opted to introduce fresh legs in the shape of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs. “Maybe we were lucky with one or two opportunities for Villa, but overall it was a controlled performance”.
“His team showed good spirit and good cohesion, but they are a bit short of confidence”, said Wenger.
“I have the feeling that the best team won but I have regrets”.
Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, centre, scores a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at White Hart Lane in London, Sunday Dec. 13, 2015.
“But it is not completely a lost cause”.
Sunderland looked to have turned a corner when they claimed back-to-back wins over Crystal Palace and Stoke, but their latest defeat suggests another long, hard winter lies in store.
“It is a big game and we want to win at home and beat City at home”.
“We still believe we are capable of being safe”.
Empoli continued its climb up the table with a 3-0 victory at home to second-from-bottom Carpi as Massimo Maccarone scored twice either side of Riccardo Saponara’s goal to send the hosts to a third straight win.
Meanwhile, Slovenian midfielder Valter Birsa’s 76th-minute strike steered Chievo to a 1-0 win over Atalanta.
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Referee Kevin Friend took a few seconds of deliberation before eventually pointing to the spot and Giroud duly obliged by sending Brad Guzan the wrong way from the spot.
