Arsenal sink Spurs

LONDON. — English Premier League soccer leaders Arsenal overcame fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday night, while Aston Villa were dumped out by third-tier Sheffield United. Tottenham had won at Manchester United in their previous outing and new manager Tim Sherwood made only one change to his starting XI, but his side fell behind in the 31st minute at the Emirates Stadium.

German teenager Serge Gnabry was the architect, picking the ball up wide on the Arsenal right and driving infield before finding Santi Cazorla, who speared a left-foot shot past Hugo Lloris. Spurs were unable to react and Tomas Rosicky sealed victory in the 62nd minute, robbing Danny Rose on halfway and bearing down on goal before adroitly lifting the ball over the advancing Lloris.

The game ended on a sour note for Arsenal when forward Theo Walcott had to be stretchered off after falling awkwardly, but he showed that he remained in high spirits by goading the visiting fans as he was carried away.

“The game was played at a good pace and we controlled both sides of it quite well, the defensive and offensive,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

On Walcott, whose “2-0” gesture as he was stretchered off prompted a hail of missiles from visiting fans, Wenger added: “It does not look aggressive. He was smiling.”

Last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City tasted fresh disappointment in the competition when they drew 1-1 at second-tier Blackburn Rovers. Stunned by Wigan Athletic in last year’s final, City took the lead at Ewood Park through an Alvaro Negredo goal on the stroke of half-time, only for Scott Dann to equalise early in the second period.

City, currently second in the Premier League, also had defender Dedryck Boyata sent off late on for two book-able offences and now face an unwelcome replay against Gary Bowyer’s side.

“I think it was a very close game,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini told BT Sport.
“They’re a difficult team and they play here with a lot of intensity, so we must decide who continues in the FA Cup at home.” — AFP.