Arsene Wenger is sweating on the fitness of two of his Arsenal stars after his side climbed back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.
Goals from Jack Wilshere and Olivier Giroud within the space of 60 seconds in the first half at Villa Park on Monday gave the Gunners a fourth successive league win and lifted them one point clear of second placed Manchester City, but the success came at a cost.
Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky suffered a suspected broken nose following a clash with Gabriel Agbonlahor while Spanish left-back Nacho Monreal will go for a scan on an injured foot.
“Rosicky has a bad nose, I don’t know if it was broken,” Wenger said.
“I don’t know if it was an elbow or not, I did not see. Maybe it was an accident but Monreal needs a check on his metatarsal.”
While the injuries took a little of the gloss off Arsenal’s return to the top, Wenger was still pleased with his team’s performance and particularly happy with England midfielder Wilshere, who made the second for Giroud after scoring the first.
“Jack has found a change of pace, these games are about that and penetration,” he said.
“He’s not just a passer but someone who is incisive with the ball. For that you need to be at the top of his game physically.
“It was a big win. It was two different halves. We showed our passing in the first half and second we showed our defensive qualities in the second.
“Villa had two different styles and were very direct in the second half.
“Maybe we were a bit cautious at 2-0 but our defenders kept us in the game.
“I don’t know if they were too confident or cautious. We lost a bit of incisiveness and the ability to score more.
“We had to give a strong response tonight because everyone looks at you. You are a bit more under pressure when you play last in the weekend so you cannot drop points.
“I like the fact we are mentally ready for a fight.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert refused to deny rumours he was interested in signing striker Grant Holt, who he worked with at Norwich, from Championship side Wigan.
“I had Grant Holt at Norwich and he scored goals, he’s a proper guy,” Lambert said.
“He was fantastic for me. I’ve just been told there are rumours but until something is concrete we will see.”
Villa scored late on when Christian Benteke headed in his first goal in 13 games from Matt Lowton’s excellent cross.
But it was too little too late for Lambert’s men, who had been knocked off their stride by a first half injury to young defender Nathan Baker.
Baker suffered a mild concussion after being hit by Serge Gnabry’s free kick.
“Nathan is a little bit groggy but is OK, he can’t remember a thing about what happened,” Lambert said.
“It’s dangerous. I know from experience you are concussed you are all over the place. And that hit us as we’d worked on the system all week.
“If you are knocked out in the temple you sometimes hear it - and I heard it from the touchline.
“The second half was more like us. I don’t think if we got an equaliser anyone could begrudge us.
“I said some little things at half-time and they responded fantastically.
“We want to get the crowd going and we were playing against a top side, vying for the title and Champions League and we gave them a fright.
“It was around this time last season Christian started to get his run of goals. It was a great header and a great cross.”
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
more from Janine di Giovanni
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
