Leandro Trossard insists he will not “back down” from the challenge of playing in a number of different roles in Arsenal’s forward line.
The Belgium international started as Mikel Arteta’s central striker against Sevilla on Wednesday night and opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory that all-but assures the Gunners a place in the Champions League last 16.
Trossard, who now has five Arsenal goals across all competitions this season, finished a sweeping move which saw Bukayo Saka square for him to tuck home before the England forward made sure of the win in the second half – although Saka then limped off late on to give Arteta another fitness worry.
While he has mainly been deployed off the flanks since signing from Brighton in January, Trossard stepped up to play through the middle with Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah ruled out with hamstring and ankle injuries respectively.
“I always need to be switched on to be honest,” he replied when asked how demanding it can be to play in different positions.
“I always need to know my role. But I like it, I will never back down from anything. If you put me as a striker, or a winger or a number 10, I will always play my game I think.
“He (Arteta) knows I like to swap positions as well during the game. We have those type of players as well and it creates a bit of chaos for the opposition team. I like it. I am really happy.
“It is always a nice feeling when you score, but when you do it in a Champions League game it’s always a nicer feeling. It gave us a lead and I think we played brilliantly.”
Arsenal went into the game having lost two matches in a row, suffering a Carabao Cup fourth-round exit at West Ham before their first Premier League defeat of the season came at Newcastle on Saturday.
Trossard, though, insists the players were never concerned about the prospect of it becoming a hat-trick of losses as they took control of Group B.
“We are never worried because we know our quality and we knew we had to bounce back,” he added.
“I think that made us start the game so well with a lot of aggressiveness and when the goal came it was a relief for us. Then from that moment we controlled the game.
“We are always confident. We want to win every game and that’s how we approach them. We will try and win the next two games as well.
“The manager just wanted us to attack when we had the ball, to get the ball to the wingers. Bukayo and Gabi (Martinelli) are so good one-v-one – then you see you can create a lot of chances. We did it so well.”
Arsenal join Chelsea at top of WSL after impressive win in front of record crowd
Arsenal moved level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Women’s Super League with a 4-1 rout of the champions in front of a league-record crowd of 59,042 at the Emirates Stadium.
Alessia Russo scored twice with Amanda Ilestedt also on the scoresheet after Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had cancelled out Beth Mead’s opener.
Mead capped a swift counter-attack eight minutes in, but Chelsea needed only five minutes to level through Rytting Kaneryd who beat Manuela Zinsberger at her near post with a shot from distance.
The game was all but decided with two goals in three minutes before half-time. Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger came off her line but got nowhere near Steph Catley’s corner as Ilestedt headed into the empty net for her first WSL goal, and Russo then finished off another counter-attack.
The fourth came in the 72nd minute. Berger came out to challenge Russo and, although Jess Carter won the ball and knocked it away from the Arsenal forward, the referee signalled a penalty as Russo tumbled over Berger, who shook her head in disbelief before being beaten from the spot.
The result puts Arsenal on 22 points, second to Chelsea on goal difference, with Manchester City three points back in third.
Kilmarnock stun Celtic with two late goals
Matty Kennedy scored a late winner as Kilmarnock inflicted a second defeat on Celtic this season.
The Hoops started in dominant fashion in Ayrshire as they looked to avenge their Viaplay Cup loss and Matt O’Riley gave them a 33rd-minute lead with his ninth goal of the season from close range.
However, Killie came very close either side of the goal and they were eventually rewarded for their improvement when Nat Phillips turned Brad Lyons’ cross into his own net in the 75th minute.
Danny Armstrong then slipped Kennedy through as Killie counter-attacked down the right-hand side and the winger’s effort went in off Joe Hart.
Brendan Rodgers had suffered his first domestic cup defeat as Celtic manager at Rugby Park in August and the latest loss on the artificial surface was the first cinch Premiership defeat of his second spell in charge. It leaves Celtic five points ahead of Rangers but with one more game played.
Phillips started after Cameron Carter-Vickers failed to shake off a hamstring concern, but Rodgers otherwise retained the team that began Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Hibernian. That meant starts for Tomoki Iwata, Mikey Johnston and Oh Hyeon-gyu.
Rodgers had told Johnston he had to “do more” following the midweek game. Johnston had a hand in the first goal and could have had an assist but for Oh’s poor finishing, however the winger’s delivery was erratic during his 70 minutes on the park.
Lyons and Liam Donnelly brushed off knocks to start for Killie, who were pinned into their defensive third for the first 10 minutes. O’Riley had two shots stopped, Callum McGregor’s low cross just evaded Johnston and Oh had a header saved.
Celtic continued to create chances. Oh volleyed over after Liam Scales’ ball over the top and the South Korean should have converted Johnston’s low cross before Luis Palma hit the post from a tight angle.
Killie should also have scored from their first chance. Lyons’ cross found Armstrong at the back post but the winger hit the junction of post and bar from six yards.
Celtic were ahead within a minute. McGregor took three players out the game when he turned on to his right foot 20 yards out and forced Will Dennis down to his left with a shot. The goalkeeper could only parry and O’Riley was on hand to convert the rebound.
The action continued as Celtic survived a double chance moments later. Hart got down well to deny Armstrong and Alistair Johnston threw himself at Corrie Ndaba’s follow-up to block what looked a certain goal.
The opening stages of the second half were as one-sided as the first but this time in the home team’s favour. Hart denied Ndaba and Robbie Deas headed just wide amid sustained aerial pressure before the Celtic goalkeeper got down to clutch Armstrong’s curling effort.
O’Riley and Palma threatened after Celtic counter-attacks as the incessant rain got heavier and Kilmarnock appeared to have lost their cutting edge but they took a major lift from the equaliser.
Stuart Findlay had an effort saved after another ball into the box and substitute Marley Watkins scooped just over from a better chance, before Kennedy found the net in the 87th minute.
Celtic brought on Kyogo Furuhashi and Dennis pulled off an excellent stop from the Japan striker 90 seconds after Kennedy’s goal.
The home fans howled with derision when the fourth official signalled there would be eight minutes of stoppage time but Killie comfortably saw them out.
Bruno Fernandes apologises for ‘unacceptable’ Manchester United display
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has apologised for an unacceptable performance against Bournemouth lacking the requisite quality, effort and aggression.
Erik ten Hag won the Carabao Cup during a promising first season in charge but the Dutchman’s second campaign has been a roller coaster with more lows than highs.
United’s season reached a nadir on Saturday afternoon as Bournemouth won at Old Trafford for the first time in their history, with the hosts fortunate to escape with only a 3-0 defeat.
It was a remarkable drop-off from Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Chelsea and led exasperated Ten Hag to admit they are not good enough to play on a high level consistently.
“(I want) to apologise for the performance,” skipper Fernandes said. “It was not acceptable, starting on me. I’m not talking about anyone else.
“But I think everyone agrees in the dressing room that the performance was (not) at our level and we have to perform much better.
“It was underperforming on quality-wise, on effort-wise and not aggressive as we did in the last game against Chelsea.
“If you don’t do your job, you’re not going to win the game.”
Similar words and explanations have been heard during a challenging season that has seen United lose 11 of their 23 matches in all competitions.
They have won 11 and drawn the other, but the eye-watering number of defeats means pressure is mounting on Ten Hag and his team.
“I don’t know (why it was so different to Chelsea) but it’s been consistently like (this),” Fernandes told MUTV. “When we win a game, the next one we don’t perform in the same way we did before.
“I don’t know if it’s like a lack of concentration or focus or something else, but it’s something that we have to be aware that after winning a game we have to get that consistency of winning games.
“Even sometimes (if we are) underperforming but getting the result.”
United now need to press reset and find the right attitude to avoid being sent into a tailspin at the end of a crucial week.
First up comes Tuesday’s key Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, with the Red Devils only progressing if they win and the other Group A game between Copenhagen and Galatasaray ends in a draw.
Then comes a Premier League trip to rivals Liverpool next Sunday – a match Fernandes will miss after collecting his fifth booking of the season against Bournemouth.
“Obviously it’s good (that we play soon),” Fernandes said. “Obviously we know that now the next game is going to be really tough.
“We have to win and obviously wait for a good result on the other game for us.
“But we have to do our job first of all, and thinking and understanding that is going to be a tough game for us.
“But we are capable, more than able, to get the result.”
While United’s problems are pored over in minute detail, things are looking far rosier on the south coast.
Summer appointment Andoni Iraola has overseen a superb upturn in recent weeks at Bournemouth.
Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi scored the goals in a match that goes down as one of the Cherries’ greatest ever results.
Asked where the win rated in the club’s recent history, long-serving right-back Adam Smith told BBC Radio Solent: “I’d say it’s number one.
“I mean, it’s the Theatre of Dreams and we had never won here. It was tough at times and we suffered. But we were playing Manchester United.
“I think the lads will remember it for a long time. We kept a clean sheet and it probably should have maybe have been 4-0. It was unbelievable for the fans.”
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