Arsenal will have to quickly put their disappointment behind them after a 1-1 draw against Everton as they begin preparations for a huge Champions League quarter-final tie with Real Madrid
Arsenal‘s Premier League title bid looks all but dead now – if it was ever really alive in the first place – after their draw with Everton. Mikel Arteta’s men will now switch their attentions to their Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
The Gunners were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Saturday after Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty cancelled out Leandro Trossard’s opening goal.
Arsenal were fuming over the penalty decision that saw Myles Lewis-Skelly penalised for a foul on Jack Harrison despite minimal contact with the winger in the area – and they will have to quickly brush their disappointment aside ahead of a huge quarter-final tie with reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid.
The European Cup is likely to be the team’s best chance of landing a trophy as they continue to be criticised for their lack of silverware in recent years. Ahead of the crucial game, with Arsenal’s season on the line, Mirror Football has rounded up some of the biggest Arsenal news.
Keown’s Real Madrid warning
Arsenal will be up against it against the Spanish giants as the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham arrive at the Emirates next week – and Arteta’s side will be significant underdogs for the tie.
READ MORE: What Arsenal fans are saying about Raheem Sterling after being subbed off vs EvertonREAD MORE: Mikel Arteta makes feelings clear on controversial Arsenal penalty decision
Madrid won the trophy last season and have lifted the famous silverware 15 times, while Arsenal are still waiting to become European champions. Arsenal are also struggling with a number of injuries to key players. Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Magalhaes are some of the players unavailable for the clash.
But club legend Keown insists it would be unwise to count out the Gunners and believes Carlo Ancelotti’s men have vulnerabilities Arsenal can expose. “I get it, Real Madrid turn up at the business end of the season,” he told TNT Sports.
“It’s quite magnificent, and they’re 15-time winners. But don’t discount Arsenal. I watched Real Madrid against Real Sociedad, shipping four goals. They can concede. It’s not all happy in the Real Madrid garden. Arsenal can exploit that. Let’s see what happens. That first game at home is really, really decisive. Arsenal have got to go for it.”
Arteta slams penalty decision
Whenever a controversial decision goes against Arsenal, you can always count on Arteta to speak his mind and he rarely holds back – and it was no different after Everton’s contentious penalty was given this weekend.
Lewis-Skelly tussled with Harrison in the box and appeared to drag him down, but there certainly wasn’t much in it and you would understand if the VAR officials decided it wasn’t a penalty. Arteta was frosty in his post match interview and said he could not understand why the spot kick was given after several times of watching the incident back.
“We were in very much control of the match, we didn’t concede anything at all,” he said. “Then we didn’t deal with the direct play and out of nothing the referee decides to give a penalty,” the Gunners boss told BBC Sport.
“I’ve seen it 15 times and for me it’s never a penalty. If that’s a penalty then O’Brien should be off. Because he is on a yellow card, he stops David [Raya] playing fast and a big counter-attack. That should be a second yellow card. They are very good at what they do. They are looking to create chaos. We gave so many silly fouls away which leads to a set-piece. You have to win the game, that’s unfortunate. We have no margin that’s so clear.”
Gyokeres “says yes to Arsenal”
A striker will be No 1 on the priority list for Arsenal when it comes to transfers this summer and they could do far worse than Sporting Lisbon hitman Viktor Gyokeres, who has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid. The 26-year-old’s goal statistics have been stunning this season – he has bagged 43 goals in as many appearances in all competitions and Arsenal will be hoping they have a chance of snapping him up, despite huge interest from top clubs.
The clubs new transfer chief Andrea Berta arrived last week and will be tasked with adding quality to the squad that will help them battle for the title. Gyokeres is said to be a top target for him and the club and, according to reports from Portuguese outlet Corriero de Manha, Gyokeres is interested in a move to the Emirates and has “said yes” to a transfer after holding talks with Berta, who played a “decisive role” in convincing him.
It was thought Gyokeres was destined for a move to Old Trafford, where he would be reunited with former Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim. However, United look likely to finish in mid-table this season, so a move to Arsenal would be more alluring.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports launches discounted Premier League package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
