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Date: 2023-12-02 06:04:40 | Author: Olympics 2024 | Views: 105 | Tag: rng
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Arsenal stung Chelsea with a stunning late fightback as they came from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge rng
Mikel Arteta’s side looked to be heading to a first defeat of the season when Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross-shot looped over David Raya minutes after the interval, adding to the lead given to them by Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty rng
The visitors were far from their free-flowing best and Mauricio Pochettino’s side, inspired by the increasingly influential Palmer on the right of a front three, were for three-quarters of the game good value for what would have been a third straight league win rng
But the pendulum swung when Robert Sanchez’s careless pass presented the ball to Declan Rice who cut the arrears, before Leandro Trossard stunned the home fans into silence with a close-range finish in the closing minutes to earn Arsenal a draw and move them level on points at the top of the Premier League rng
Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates after scoring (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)For the first time under Pochettino, Chelsea started without a recognised striker, Raheem Sterling instead lining up centrally, flanked by in-form pair Palmer and Mudryk rng
They took the lead after 14 minutes rng
Sterling crossed from the right into the six-yard box, and as William Saliba leapt with an arm raised, Mudryk’s header cannoned off it from close range rng
It took several minutes for referee Chris Kavanagh to be called to the pitchside monitor, but once checked there was little delay in awarding a penalty rng
Palmer dispatched coolly past David Raya for his second Chelsea goal rng
(Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Arsenal had started sluggishly and it took until the 20-minute mark for their first opening, Martin Odegaard threading the ball into the left channel for Rice to stride onto, but his awkward right-footed effort clipped towards Sanchez’s far corner zipped wide of the post rng
Palmer has been one of the catalysts of Chelsea’s sudden ascent to attacking potency under Pochettino, pulling strings whether collecting the ball deep or taking up a more advanced role rng
His impact was critical in consecutive wins against Brighton, Fulham and Burnley during which the team scored seven goals off the back of three scoreless matches, and here again he was the difference rng
He had the chance to double the lead when Conor Gallagher, captain again with Reece James fit only for a late cameo, took the initiative and drove through the heart of Arsenal’s midfield, slipping the ball in to Palmer who found room in rng between Saliba and Gabriel to get off a low drive which flashed inches wide of Raya’s far post rng
Chelsea might have pulled further clear in the closing minutes of the half, Sterling with a familiar burst down the right, slipping the ball to Malo Gusto who showed the finishing instincts of a full-back and ballooned over rng
(PA)The second half began with a moment to forget for Arsenal goalkeeper Raya rng
Ben White gave the ball away to Gallagher inside the Chelsea half, and carrying the ball up the left flank he fed the overlapping Mudryk rng
There seemed to be little on as the Ukrainian assessed options inside the box rng
Raya was positioned ready for a cross, but in doing so he left too much room behind him into which Mudryk’s ball drifted, sailing clean over the keeper, who flapped helplessly as it landed in the net rng
Raya’s afternoon was going from bad to worse rng
Minutes after conceding, he was almost culpable for Chelsea’s third when he rolled the ball recklessly to the feet of Palmer who narrowly failed to nip around the goalkeeper and bury Arsenal rng
Then, with Arteta’s side looking beaten, fortune turned in their favour rng
Rice hauled them back into it with 14 minutes to play and it was another goalkeeping error, this time from Sanchez rng
Chelsea’s summer signing has repeatedly been culpable in recent games of conceding possession with poor distribution rng
Here, under little pressure, he passed the ball straight to the feet of Rice, who with quickness of thought thumped it first time from 30 yards beyond the stranded keeper rng
Then the final sting for Pochettino rng
Bukayo Saka was given time on the edge of the box to shift the ball from right foot to left, and with vision and precision, he picked out the run of Trossard who stole in behind Chelsea with a lunging right leg to divert it past Sanchez rng
More aboutArsenalChelsea FCPremier LeagueCole PalmerLeandro TrossardDeclan RiceMykhailo MudrykJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/4Arsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlersArsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlersCole Palmer of Chelsea celebrates after scoringChelsea FC via Getty ImagesArsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlersChelsea FC via Getty ImagesArsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlersPAArsenal stun Chelsea to claim point amid chaos from goalkeeper howlersPA✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today rng
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What a difference a week makes rng
Last weekend, the Stade de France was treated to the two greatest Rugby World Cup quarter-finals of all time, perhaps the best pair of sporting events ever witnessed at a single stadium in the space of 24 hours rng
Five days on, New Zealand comfortably dispatched an out-gunned and overmatched Argentina side 44-6 to begin semi-final weekend with a contest that not only won’t go down in the folklore of the French national stadium, but may well be forgotten by the majority of spectators here before they get home rng
Not every match can be a classic and, make no mistake, the All Blacks won’t mind one bit that their passage to a record fifth men’s Rugby World Cup final was so serene rng
They were simply superb and came perilously close to breaking their own record margin of victory in a World Cup semi-final (a 49-6 hammering of Wales in 1987) but had to settle for just the 38-point triumph in a seven-try demolition rng
Their ruthlessly efficient performance suggests the crisis of the summer of 2022 is well and truly behind them rng
A mouth-watering battle with South Africa to become the first four-time winners of this competition next Saturday seems almost inevitable rng
But from the adrenaline-fuelled highs delivered by last weekend’s iconic double-header, this was the ultimate comedown rng
From a flat atmosphere more reminiscent of a warm-up match than a World Cup semi-final, to a one-sided encounter that demonstrated the gulf in class rng between the teams, the feeling that this was an event very much “after the Lord Mayor’s show” was unavoidable throughout rng
Which is to take nothing away from New Zealand – you can only beat who’s in front of you rng
Perhaps it was an inevitable consequence of World Rugby’s ludicrous decision to decide the World Cup groups three years ahead of the tournament, which led to an almost hilariously lopsided draw rng
The four best teams in the world did battle with each other, in Paris while four more flawed but relatively even teams also competed on a quarter-final weekend for the ages rng
When the elite two then face the weaker pair with a place in the final at stake, this damp squib of a semi-final is an unfortunate inevitability rng
The intensity of the Argentina celebrations and laps of honour after they beat Wales in the last eight suggested they had come as far as they believed they could and New Zealand ruthlessly confirmed that rng
New Zealand ran in try after try against Argentina (Getty Images)For the underdogs to stand any chance of causing the upset, they needed a fast start rng
It took until the 39th minute of the quarter-final for the Pumas to finally get on the scoreboard, by which time Wales should have been out of sight – the fact that Warren Gatland’s men were only 10 points to the good at that stage eventually came back to haunt them but there was faint hope New Zealand would be similarly wasteful rng
A week later, Argentina struck first as a sustained spell of possession in the All Blacks 22 from the opening kick-off led to three points from the boot of Emiliano Boffelli but any hope that would lead to the start of something special was soon extinguished rng
The Pumas had plenty of ball in New Zealand territory as they went through the phases, yet the Black wall stiffened once they entered the 22 where their breakdown work, led by the formidably impressive back row of Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane and Ardie Savea, became more aggressive rng
Jackalled turnovers were the norm and whereas Argentina were profligate, the All Blacks turned ball into points, usually off the back of their dominant maul rng
An early turnover in their own 22 led to a march down the field where a couple of phases in the tight after a 5m lineout created space wide on the right rng
Richie Mo’unga’s long pass to Will Jordan exploited this as the winger dived over for what would be the first of a treble on the day rng
Mark Tele’a had been dropped for the quarter-final win over Ireland due to breaching team protocol but, restored to the team in place of Leicester Fainga’anuku after a week in the wilderness, showed his class to have a huge hand in the second and third tries of the first half rng
His opportunistic turnover on his own 22 after 13 phases of Pumas attack started a spell of gorgeous All Blacks running rugby as they sliced and offloaded their way up the pitch off for Jordie Barrett skittle through tackles for the try in the corner rng
Tele’a then showed off his power just before half-time as he barrelled and spun through three defenders to take New Zealand within inches of the line, where Frizzell could jog over in the corner on the following phase rng
Jordie Barrett crashed over for the All Blacks’s second of seven tries (Getty Images)Given that no team had ever overcome a half-time deficit greater than seven points to win a World Cup semi-final, the 20-6 lead at the interval suggested it was game over rng
All doubt was removed just two minutes after the break when an All Blacks scrum on the 22 splintered the Pumas pack and the ageless Aaron Smith cut inside one defender, dummied past another and slid rng between two more for a sumptuous try rng
From there, it was just the formality of completing the final 38 minutes to confirm a 34th New Zealand win in 37 editions of this fixture rng
They refused to take their foot off the gas as Frizell burrowed over the line for try number five and Jordan ran in two more to make it a remarkable 31 tries in 30 Tests for him and a tournament record-equalling eight at this World Cup as the toothless Pumas were further declawed rng
His hat-trick score on 74 minutes was a thing of beauty as, starting in his own 22, he weaved rng between three defenders, then chipped over another on halfway before collecting his own kick to race in for the score rng
Message well and truly sent rng
The All Blacks have become World Cup specialists over the past 15 years and yet more history is now within their grasp rng
This semi-final may not live long in the memory but lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy for the fourth time certainly would rng
That reality is now deservedly just 80 minutes away rng
More aboutNew Zealand rugbyArgentina rugbyAll BlacksRugby World CupJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments1/3All Blacks destruction of Argentina delivers World Cup semi-final flopAll Blacks destruction of Argentina delivers World Cup semi-final flopNew Zealand ran in try after try against Argentina Getty ImagesAll Blacks destruction of Argentina delivers World Cup semi-final flopJordie Barrett crashed over for the All Blacks’s second of seven tries Getty ImagesAll Blacks destruction of Argentina delivers World Cup semi-final flopNew Zealand destroyed Argentina at the Stade de France Getty Images✕Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today rng
SubscribeAlready subscribed? Log inMost PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesGet in touchContact usOur ProductsSubscribeRegisterNewslettersDonateToday’s EditionInstall our appArchiveOther publicationsInternational editionsIndependent en EspañolIndependent ArabiaIndependent TurkishIndependent PersianIndependent UrduEvening StandardExtrasAdvisorPuzzlesAll topicsrng BettingVoucher codesCompareCompetitions and offersIndependent AdvertisingIndependent IgniteSyndicationWorking at The IndependentLegalCode of conduct and complaintsContributorsCookie policyDonations Terms & ConditionsPrivacy noticeUser policiesModern Slavery ActThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inCloseUS EditionChangeUK EditionAsia EditionEdición en EspañolSubscribe{{indy rng
truncatedName}}Log in / Register {{#items}}{{#stampSmall}}{{/stampSmall}}{{#stampClimate}}{{/stampClimate}}{{#stampPremium}}{{/stampPremium}}{{title}}{{#desc}}{{desc}}{{/desc}}{{#children}}{{title}}{{/children}}{{/items}}Indy100Crosswords & PuzzlesMost CommentedNewslettersAsk Me AnythingVirtual EventsVouchersCompare✕Log inEmail addressPasswordEmail and password don't matchSubmitForgotten your password?New to The Independent?RegisterOr if you would prefer:SIGN IN WITH GOOGLEWant an ad-free experience?View offersThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy notice and Terms of service apply rng
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