LONDON:
Arsenal climbed to second place in the Premier League, narrowing the gap to six points behind Liverpool, following a straightforward yet somewhat uninspiring 1-0 victory against struggling Ipswich Town on a cold Friday evening in North London.
The decisive goal came in the first half from Kai Havertz, who capitalised on a precise pull-back from Leandro Trossard. Despite their dominance, Arsenal missed several opportunities to extend their lead, with their overall display lacking any real pre-New Year excitement.
Without the creativity of the injured Bukayo Saka, Arsenal only managed their first shot after 19 minutes. Just four minutes later, Havertz scored his sixth goal of the season across all competitions, tapping in Trossard’s expertly delivered cross.
Ipswich enjoyed a brief period of pressure ten minutes into the second half, but it was short-lived. Arsenal had chances to secure a more comfortable victory but failed to capitalise.
Defender Gabriel Magalhães squandered a prime opportunity to add to his record of goals from corners, heading wide despite being unmarked. Captain Martin Odegaard also missed the target, firing over after skilfully advancing into the Ipswich penalty area.
Liverpool leads the table with 42 points, maintaining a six-point advantage over second-placed Arsenal. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest closely follow in third and fourth positions, respectively. At the bottom, Tottenham Hotspur sits in 20th place with 14 points.
