adminArsenal boss Arsene Wenger had to endure calls for his departure as his side beat a Norwich team whose Premier League future looks increasingly bleak on Saturday. Fans protested inside and outside Emirates Stadium, voicing frustration at their team’s failure to mount a title challenge in recent years. There was little for Arsenal to cheer until substitute Danny Welbeck put them ahead with a crisp half-volley.
Norwich are two points from safety with three games left.
They had chances — twice Petr Cech stopped Nathan Redmond from scoring. But for all their endeavour, Norwich left north London with nothing and with Newcastle beating Crystal Palace and Sunderland securing a draw against Stoke earlier in the day, their Premier League future looks precarious.
They are second from bottom and two points behind Newcastle, who moved out of the bottom three thanks to their win over Palace.
Wenger and his players had been warned there would be a toxic atmosphere at the Emirates, and protests calling for the end of the Frenchman’s 20-year tenure began outside the stadium.
Fans from the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, the Black Scarf Movement and Red Action handed out posters with the message ‘time for a change’ and some fans held them up after 12 and 78 minutes – 12 being the number of years the club has gone without winning the league.
Various banners were held up, one saying “Wenger — 12 years of excuses, Ranieri — 9 months, champions” in reference to Leicester’s march towards the league title.
Stoking the flames this week were Wenger’s pre-match comments — that fans had gone “overboard” with their criticisms, and that his team had played in “a very difficult climate” at home over recent months, contributing to their failure in the league.
In a divided stadium, there were those who supported their manager, singing “there’s only one Arsene Wenger” in response to the 12th-minute protest. They would point to the six FA Cups, three league titles and 18 consecutive seasons of Champions League football the club have enjoyed under Wenger.
Victory over Norwich moved them to third in the table, three points above Manchester City, and a step closer to securing another season in Europe’s elite cup competition. — BBC Sport
Yesterday’s Results
Everton 2 – 1 Bournemouth
Newcastle 1 – 0 Crystal Palace
Stoke 1-1 Sunderland
Watford 3-2 Aston Villa
West Brom 0-3 West Ham
Arsenal 1-0 Norwich
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter