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Arsenal have won a convincing win against Norwich City on Boxing Day on Sunday. Visiting the last winner of the Premier League the Gunners with 0-5. Manager Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur convinced with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, while Southampton triumphed 2-3 in an entertaining game against West Ham United.
Norwich City – Arsenal 0-5
Due to a positive corona test, goalkeeper Tim Krul was missing from Norwich and his replacement Angus Gunn had to remove the ball from the net after five minutes. Ozan Kabak lost the ball on the sidelines, after which Arsenal quickly made their way towards the enemy penalty area. Martin Ödegaard served Bukayo Saka in the penalty area, who cut in and shot low into the left corner. Alexandre Lacazette could have made it 0-2 after 26 minutes, but his header went wide after a cross by Saka. The second goal came two minutes before the break. Gabriel Martinelli captured the ball, after which Ödegaard enabled his teammate Kieran Tierney to finish from the inside of the post.
Arsenal also quickly ahead! ??? Saka pokes in control ??#ZiggoSport #Switch #NORARS pic.twitter.com/zEVcdi8AXA
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) December 26, 2021
After an hour, Martinelli’s 0-3 was rejected, but halfway through the second half, Arsenal expanded the margin. Saka sent Brandon Williams past the corner of the penalty area into the woods and placed the ball into the far left corner. From a penalty, obtained after a foul by Kabak on Lacazette, the latter made it 0-4. In stoppage time Emile Smith Rowe determined the final score after a blocked shot by Nicolas Pépé. Norwich is still in last place due to the defeat. The Canaries have collected ten points from their first eighteen games. They are on the basis of goal difference under Newcastle United and are three points behind the virtually safe number seventeen Watford.
Tottenham Hotspur – Crystal Palace 3-0
Jairo Riedewald started at Palace despite some positive corona infections within the selection on the bench. In the first half it was only Tottenham that struck the clock. The home team handed out the first pinpricks via Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura, who missed an excellent opportunity. The Brazilian attacker recovered after more than half an hour of play by passing the ball to Harry Kane after a counter: 1-0. Two minutes later it happened again. After a smooth attack, Emerson Royal crossed, after which Moura headed the 2-0 against the ropes.
Group photo ?? Heung-Min Son on a pass from Lucas Moura again, 3-0 for Tottenham ??#ZiggoSport #PremierLeague #TOTCRY pic.twitter.com/KfWmBnVAQJ
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) December 26, 2021
Things went from bad to worse for Palace, when Wilfried Zaha was allowed to come in before half-time after his second yellow card. Referee Jonathan Moss sent the attacker off the field after pushing Davinson Sánchez. Tottenham took it easy in the second half. The final chord was twenty minutes before time for Son, who let the ball slide off the first post with a subtle movement after a cross by the best Moura: 3-0.
West Ham United – Southampton 2-3
The spell was broken early in the game for Mohamed Elyounoussi, who scored 0-1 on a pass from Kyle Walker-Peters. At West Ham, top scorer Michail Antonio came on as a substitute after the break and immediately proved his worth by heading in a corner from close range: 1-1. Looked at the clock for an hour the Hammers fell behind again after Armando Broja was knocked out in the box by Craig Dawson. James Ward-Prowse then did not fail from eleven meters: 1-2.
It goes up and down! ?? Now Southampton is back in the lead with a sharp free kick from Ward-Prowse to the head of Bednarek #ZiggoSport #Switch #WHUSOU pic.twitter.com/VgwciVbnGE
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) December 26, 2021
The spectators in London got their money’s worth as West Ham equalized halfway through the second half. Jarrod Bowen surprised the Southampton defense with an early cross, after which Saïd Benrahma was able to get in the game: 2-2. In the end, the visitors won the game after all, when Jan Bednarek convincingly headed a Ward-Prowse free kick into the long corner: 2-3.
