Arsenal star Noni Madueke scored a brilliant goal to open the scoring for the Gunners against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The summer signing from Chelsea shrugged off challenges from two defenders before ending a slaloming run by crashing a shot past goalkeeper Dani van den Heuvel and into the top corner to break the deadlock in some style in Belgium.
It's fair to say that not even Arsenal fans were convinced by the club's decision to pay Chelsea £50 million for Noni Madueke during the summer transfer window - but it's starting to look like a masterstroke, with the winger having produced another stellar performance on the game's grandest stage in Wednesday's Champions League win over Club Brugge.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has explained why Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were left out of his starting XI to face Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The Gunners were already without key defenders Gabriel and William Saliba due to injury, meaning midfielder Christian Norgaard was handed a surprise start in central defence in Belgium.
The Gunners have come agonisingly close to landing the Premier League in the last three years and Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has pointed the finger of blame at the fans for boasting about winning the title too early in the season. The Gunners have finished second three times on the bounce, but the fans have been starting to crow again with boss Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the table, and Evra has a message for them.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has picked out a surprising player for praise after returning to Arsenal to train. The former Liverpool midfielder is staying match-fit by training with the Gunners, having had his contract terminated by Besiktas back in August after two seasons in Turkey.
Arsenal wonderkid Max Dowman is reportedly facing a lengthy spell out after suffering an ankle ligament injury. The 15-year-old was in action in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United at the weekend and was left hurt after a heavy challenge.
Arsenal’s battle with injuries has taken a further turn for the worse after Declan Rice was ruled out of Wednesday night’s Champions League meeting with Club Brugge. The midfielder is a central figure in Mikel Arteta’s plans but was deemed too ill to travel to Belgium, which has deepened the sense of strain within a squad already stretched thin.
Wilfried Zaha is returning to the Ivory Coast fold after a prolonged spell away, with the 33-year-old earning a surprise recall for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. The Charlotte FC winger had been absent from the national team squad for two years, having initially slipped out of contention following disagreements with former coach Patrice Beaumelle. As a consequence, Zaha missed Les Éléphants' triumphant campaign on home soil in 2023.
Arsenal have announced that teenage starlet Max Dowman has been dropped from their Champions League squad and will not be eligible to play in the competition again until February 2026. The Gunners have replaced Dowman in their European squad by calling-up fit-again striker Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian is back in action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
Paul Scholes believes Arsenal’s title bid will falter once again unless Mikel Arteta finds a way to improve his team's record in the Premier League’s biggest fixtures. The former Manchester United midfielder issued a pointed critique after Arsenal were beaten in agonising fashion by Aston Villa on Saturday, leaving their position at the top of the table looking increasingly fragile.
It's not every day that this version of Arsenal lose. In fact, Saturday's late 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa was just their second defeat of the 2025-26 season, following on from August's 1-0 loss at Liverpool, a result which hasn't aged well at all in glorious hindsight. There's still, however, a feeling that the Gunners are under increasing pressure to deliver this season more than any before under Mikel Arteta.
Premier League leaders Arsenal will travel to Championship side Portsmouth in round three of the FA Cup, while holders Crystal Palace head to non-league outfit Macclesfield. English giants Manchester City and Liverpool host League One teams Exeter and Barnsley respectively and Manchester United take on Brighton in an all-Premier League affair.
Gabriel Jesus will reportedly not be registered in Arsenal's Champions League squad for the league phase of the competition as Cristhian Mosquera's injury is worse than originally feared. The Brazilian is coming back from a serious knee injury that has kept him out since the start of the year but just as he nears a first-team return, it seems the forward has been dealt a new blow.
Josko Gvardiol has warned Arsenal that they have no room for error after Manchester City again sliced away at the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League. City capitalised on Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Sunderland, reducing what was a seven-point deficit two weeks ago to a two-point gap.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are ready to rival Real Madrid in the transfer race for Kenan Yildiz in the January window amid his contract hold-up at Juventus. The Bianconeri's contract talks with their star attacker have hit a standstill as Yildiz is demanding a significant pay rise in his new deal, which is far beyond the Italian club’s current offer.
The Premier League title race was blown wide open deep into time added on at Villa Park after Emiliano Buendia fired home from close range to sink Arsenal, a defeat which pundits say could've easily been avoided. Gunners legend Ian Wright believes Mikel Arteta got his tactics wrong late in the game as Villa pushed for their winner.
Viktor Gyokeres knows exactly what Arsenal need to do in order to get their season back on track. The Gunners lost ground in the title race as they fell to just their second Premier League defeat of the season at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon. Combined with Manchester City's win over Sunderland, Arsenal's lead at the top of the table has been cut to just two points.
Gary Neville has delivered his advice for Arsenal after their lead at the top of the Premier League table was cut to two points on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners are the favourites to win the title for the first time in over 20 years but their recent wobble means rivals Manchester City are now breathing down their necks as Arsenal look to improve upon three successive second-placed finishes.
Arsenal were dealt another potential injury blow as goalscorer Leandro Trossard was forced off with a limp late on in the Gunners' 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the West Midlands. Trossard came on at half-time and drew his side level, only for Emiliano Buendia to strike deep in stoppage time to inflict just a second defeat on the Gunners in all competitions this season, amidst a growing list of injury concerns for Mikel Arteta.
Emi Buendia struck with the last kick of the game to earn Aston Villa a 2-1 win against Arsenal and condemn Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders to a first defeat in 19 games in all competitions. It looked like the Gunners had battled back to claim a hard-earned point when Leandro Trossard came off the bench to cancel out Matty Cash's first-half opener, but substitute Buendia was on hand to fire in a dramatic winner in the final seconds of stoppage time to move Villa to within three points of the top of the table.
Gabriel Jesus has taken another significant stride toward ending his lengthy spell on the sidelines, with the striker set to feature in a friendly against Manchester United with the Arsenal Under-21s on Saturday as part of his carefully managed rehabilitation programme. It marks the latest stage of a gradual return from a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out since January.
Mikel Arteta has revealed the unorthodox technique he used to get Arsenal players and staff onside when he first arrived at the club in 2019. Having arrived at the Emirates during a transitional period, he used the metaphor of making a "big mess" to represent how those outside the club viewed the Gunners at the time. Urging the players to accept his help in rediscovering "the standards" needed at the club, Arteta's words appear to have had the desired impact.
Arsenal have been hit with another damaging defensive setback as summer signing Cristhian Mosquera is expected to miss at least six weeks after suffering a complicated ankle injury in the midweek win over Brentford. With Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba already sidelined, the Gunners now face a mounting crisis at centre-back during a pivotal period of their season.
Chelsea and Arsenal have reportedly intensified their pursuit of Lille sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi, with both Premier League giants pushing to position themselves ahead of Paris Saint-Germain in the race for one of Europe’s brightest youngsters. Lille are determined to extend the teenager’s contract and protect a fee that could soar past €50 million (£43.6m/$58.2m) next summer.
Mikel Arteta remained tight-lipped on Declan Rice's fitness after the Arsenal midfielder hobbled off during the midweek win over Brentford. The Gunners are fighting several fitness issues ahead of their trip to Villa Park this weekend, and the Spaniard refused to give any firm assurances when pressed on an update on the midfielder.
Arsenal
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