Blackpool 1 // Arsenal 3
BLACKPOOL // With Cesc Fabregas midway through a masterclass of exquisite distribution, his side boasting a two-goal lead that easily could have been bigger and Arsenal's superiority bordering on the embarrassing, a lone fan broke into song. "You know you're going to believe us," he began. "We're going to win the league."
They are not, which is why the remainder of the otherwise vocal supporters who had travelled to the Fylde Coast kept their counsel. In the grander scheme of things, this was too little, too late. For a one-off occasion, it was another wonderful vindication of Arsene Wenger's vision.
Therein lies the quandary. Last week, the Arsenal Supporters' Trust expressed their disappointment about recent results that mean a sixth successive season will conclude without silverware.
Publicly, Arsenal have not given up hope of overhauling Manchester United - "seven games is a long time," Wenger said - but the reality is their pursuit is all but over.
The bigger picture is that others win trophies, but Arsenal paint beautiful miniatures.
Even as a first league win since February was secured, brilliance was marred by fragility; Blackpool's second-half display threatened to make this another of the crushing comebacks that have pockmarked Arsenal's season. Their defending, once again, was fraught.
Instead, Robin van Persie scored the goal that reinforced their grip on second place and rendered Blackpool's position still more precarious.
Ian Holloway's side can console themselves with the knowledge that they have four remaining home games, none featuring opponents with the virtuosity of Fabregas. His influence was apparent throughout.
His delightful cross-field ball was angled into the path of Van Persie, springing the offside trap on the left flank. The vice-captain's low centre was similarly precise and finished calmly by Abou Diaby.
One became two three minutes later, Eboue exchanging passes with Jack Wilshere before hammering his shot past Richard Kingson. On each occasion, Blackpool's defending was awful, gaping spaces inviting opponents forward, runners going unmarked and tackles unmade.
Thereafter, Arsenal's profligacy threatened to cost them. The capacity of Fabregas to loft the ball over the defence and into space was demonstrated delightfully. It led to Samir Nasri hooking a shot against the post, Van Persie and Diaby attempting to walk the ball in and the Dutchman arrowing a gloriously struck volley past the post.
The goal his efforts merited eventually arrived courtesy of Theo Walcott's cross. Typically, however, the most inventive element of the build-up was a delightful flick from Fabregas to release the winger.
Before then, Gary Taylor-Fletcher halved the deficit, sliding the ball into the empty net to spare Jens Lehmann a red card on his return to the Arsenal goal. The 41-year-old German, deputising for the injured Manuel Almunia, had upended DJ Campbell seconds before, with referee Lee Mason playing an advantage that might have benefited Arsenal more than Blackpool.
"That was a big second of the game," said Wenger who, with Almunia sidelined, did not have a goalkeeper among his replacements. A second big call came when Laurent Koscielny's reckless challenge on Taylor-Fletcher should have brought a penalty.
"I can't describe how I feel," said Holloway. "How that isn't a penalty, I don't know." Had it been one, he thought his team would have gone on to win. Instead, their future may lie in the Championship. But the words "what if" will feature prominently in Arsenal's analysis of their season, too.
sports@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
