Arsene Wenger praised Arsenal’s grit and determination as they moved two points clear at the top of the Premier League with a tense 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
After watching Laurent Koscielny’s 72nd-minute strike secure three points at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Wenger said winning ugly will help his players believe they can do so again if they are unable to overwhelm an opponent with their attacking play.
“It was a difficult game against a good Newcastle side,” Wenger said. “Our legs were a bit heavy and we were tested against a team with a lot of good technical quality.
“Our fluency and our movement were not there. From then on it was: Let’s stick together and try to win the game however we can.
“The mental aspect of our team was tested and our defensive solidity more than our ability going forward.
“If you’re in Newcastle’s place you’re sorry for them because they played very well. But I’m in the game long enough that when you’re capable of winning and you don’t play well, that shows the mental aspect of your team.
“Not to drop points when you play like we did is very important. I think it helps the team as well because we go through moments in the season when we will not play well and the memory of having done that before and still having won the game helps you to hang on sometimes.”
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A valuable element of Arsenal’s resilience was the reliability of goalkeeper Petr Cech, who made two excellent saves from Georginio Wijnaldum either side of half-time.
“He made two big saves, one in the first half and one at the beginning of the second and on top of that he stays calm, never panics and today we needed that,” Wenger said.
As he surveyed a haul of nine points from a Christmas programme of matches against Manchester City, Southampton, Bournemouth and now Newcastle, Wenger agreed that his team had not been consistent but pronounced himself satisfied.
“We have given a lot over Christmas and we had games before like that,” he said.
“At the end of the day, four games, how many points have you made? We knew nine would be acceptable or even good, 10 close to ideal because last year Man City made 10, the second-best made seven, we made six.”
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide
Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.
Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years.
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women