Arsenal confirmed a second placed Premier League finish for the third consecutive season with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United but the North London club admit the campaign has “fallen short” of expectations.
Declan Rice, who had a quiet game until his decisive strike, scored the only goal of Arsenal’s final home game of another trophyless season, a beautiful 54th-minute right foot effort after the visitors had missed a succession of first half chances.
Following a Martin Odegaard assist, his fifth in six games, the ball rolled kindly towards the midfielder and he whipped it across goal to the side of Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke didn’t pull any punches with a letter in the matchday programme as Arsenal finished empty-handed for the fifth year in a row.
Admitting that the club had “fallen short”, he said: “We’re still pursuing second place in the Premier League for the third year running, but we all want to win it. We plan to invest to get behind winning and doing better next season.
“Our sporting director, Andrea [Berta], will play an important role in this. We are crystal clear on exactly what we need to do and the way in which we want to do it.”
Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the Uefa Champions League, knocking out holders Real Madrid before elimination to Paris Saint-Germain, but there was criticism from fans that no striker has been bought for four years.
Rice, a deep lying midfielder, has scored four of the last eight goals at home for Arsenal.
At the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, it was Newcastle United who created the better first half chances of an important game for both teams.
Newcastle would have gone ahead of Arsenal in the table had they won, but while David Raya’s first half distribution was poor and put his team at risk, his shot-stopping was not.
Raya made a big save from Bruno Guimaraes after five minutes before Tino Livramento shot straight at the Spaniard five minutes later after a sweeping Newcastle move through an Arsenal defence lacking communication and cohesion.
Intentional or not, Nick Pope’s right bicep did make a superb save after 12 minutes but generally the Newcastle goalkeeper had little to do in the first half. Instead, Harvey Barnes and Dan Burn both then came close as Arsenal were regularly carved open.
When Mikel Arteta’s side did attack, they sent crosses into the Newcastle box where the Geordies’ three giant central defenders – Burn, Botman and Schar – coped with ease.
Arsenal improved significantly in the second half and Rice’s strike turned out to be decisive, though Ben White also came close when his effort fizzed past the post from 25 yards.
The result left Newcastle United needing to win their final game against Everton at St James' Park to guarantee Champions League qualification.
Post match, Arteta managed to slip in a dig at neighbours Tottenham Hotspur – and their Europa League final opponents Manchester United – as he sought to big up Arsenal’s season.
“We need to recognise what we’ve done,” said the Spaniard, whose team are 13 points behind champions Liverpool who have a game in hand. “I’ve seen teams with one or two injuries finish 16th, 17th.”
The frustration for Arteta is that either Spurs or Manchester United will be lifting silverware this week – and in the Basque Country where the former La Masia graduate was born.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Calls
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
