Saturday 8 February 2014

Is Arsenal's title challenge falling flat on its face? Things go from bad to worse for Wenger as he takes a hefty tumble after loss


Arsenal's title challenge may not have fell flat on its face just yet after Manchester City's slight slip-up at Norwich, but their manager did take a tumble on his way back from the 5-1 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger, so often the cool, calm and collected Frenchman, slipped on his way into Liverpool Lime Street Station after the loss.
Strolling through: Wenger arrives at Liverpool Lime Street Station after the defeat
Strolling through: Wenger arrives at Liverpool Lime Street Station after the defeat
Slipped up: Wenger looks in pain as he takes a tumble coming into the station
Slipped up: Wenger looks in pain as he takes a tumble coming into the station
Helping hand: A police officer comes over to help Wenger back onto his feet
Helping hand: A police officer comes over to help Wenger back onto his feet
Back on track: Another police officer helps Wenger with his bag as he is brought back up
Back on track: Another police officer helps Wenger with his bag as he is brought back up
It was just one of those days for Wenger, who saw his side go 4-0 down within 20 minutes at Anfield.
They improved, however, and ended up drawing the second period 1-1, but with a tough run-in over the next month, plenty more slip-ups are inevitable.
Arsenal's next three games are Manchester United, Liverpool again in the FA Cup fifth round, and Bayern Munich, all at the Emirates Stadium. 
On top of their game: Liverpool celebrate their humiliation of title rivals Arsenal on Saturday afternoon
On top of their game: Liverpool celebrate their humiliation of title rivals Arsenal on Saturday afternoon
Hit the road, Jack: Arsenal midfielder Wilshere can't believe his side's capitulation against their rivals
Hit the road, Jack: Arsenal midfielder Wilshere can't believe his side's capitulation against their rivals

You Won’t Believe What This Girl Has Done To Her Leg. This Latest Craze Is Catching On Fast. WOW.

3d-leg-tattooThis is an example of a recent body-modification trend. This is not a fake leg, as it may seem at first glance. This was actually done to her own leg. Is it as painful as it looks? Yes. Although, it may not be what you think.
3d-tattoo4
What you see is the latest in 3-d tattooing. The blends of special ink to make realistic shadows, and the attention to detail come into play when creating one of these pieces. The designs are generally simple, as opposed to intricate murals, but the degree of detail employed is astounding. Some of these examples are quite impressive. You may get the urge to slap somebody on the shoulder to save their life when the lighting is just right.

That looks like it hurts!

5ab4ab6910220635ec8cdac03bbae0a83d-tattoo-designs-for-women-3d-tattoo-designs-for-women-fashions3d-Tattoos-0055f9084ffd23fd5bd3835e4e1ac4f6ce73d-Tattoos-004Excuse me, sir. Can I borrow your pen? Ma’am, your tattoo needle, perhaps?

3d-tattoos-0353d-tattoos-020OMG, LOOK OUT!

3d-Tattoos-0083d-tattoos-0133d-tattoos-036Gone are the days of simple boring tattoo sleeves…

1fdd7e9a0f42b058aa33e9fd56987414… and in today, is the “button-up belly” look.

3d-tattoos-033I suppose that the button-up serves to help appear professional while swimming or showering. These are quite impressive, in any event. I haven’t got a tattoo, myself, but stumbling across these images, I was blown away at the creativity and innovation behind the scenes of each one of these tattoos. They do border on the “novelty” aspect of things, but none the less, they are as unique as it gets.
Source: cssdesignawards

Chelsea Vs Newcastle

Team badge of Chelsea
Chelsea3
Hazard 27′, 34′, 63′ (pen)
  • FT 90 +5
  • HT 2-0
Eden Hazard scores for Chelsea against Newcastle
8 February 2014Last updated at 17:36
Eden Hazard scored a hat-trick to send Chelsea to the top of the Premier League with victory against Newcastle.
Hazard, magnificent in Monday's 1-0 win at Manchester City, was in inspired form throughout and drove in the opener from Branislav Ivanovic's pass.
Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko was denied one-on-one by Petr Cech, before Hazard finished off a fine sweeping move.
Hazard got his third in the second half, scoring from the penalty spot after Samuel Eto'o was fouled.

Hazard lights up Chelsea

  • Eden Hazard has scored 12 goals for Chelsea this season, three more than he managed in the whole of 2012-13
  • The Belgium international has also provided six assists for the Blues this season
  • Prior to this game, he had embarked on 162 dribbles in the Premier League this season, more than any other player
With league leaders Arsenal losing 5-1 to Liverpool and Manchester City drawing at Norwich, Chelsea's win moved them one point clear at the top of the standings.
Boss Jose Mourinho had claimed earlier in the week that Chelsea were "the little horse" in the Premier League title race, but their win at City on Monday, coupled with this clinical dismantling of Newcastle underlined their credentials as genuine contenders as they extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
Chelsea's recent fortunes were in stark contrast to those of Newcastle. They had won only one of their previous six games, had just lost to local rivals Sunderland, and were evidently struggling to compensate for the loss of playmaker Yohan Cabaye, who joined Paris St-Germain at the end of January.
There was some good news for Newcastle, though, as Chelsea captain John Terry, hugely impressive at Manchester City, missed his first league game of the season with a minor muscle strain.
Chelsea initially looked vulnerable in his absence as Hatem Ben Arfa twice created decent opportunities, going closest when he got the better of Oscar to force Cech into a save at his near post.
The home side soon gained a grip on the game, with Hazard in particular proving a menace to the Newcastle defence and it did not take long for him to make a telling contribution as the Belgium international put Chelsea ahead following a move he both started and finished. Hazard spread the ball wide to Ivanovic before racing into the box to rifle in a first-time shot from the return pass.
Newcastle should have been level just after the half hour when Davide Santon sent Sissoko clear but the midfielder's first touch was too heavy, giving Cech time to race out and block the opportunity.
That missed chance proved costly as Chelsea swiftly added a second, with Hazard again instrumental.
The 23-year-old ran towards goal before passing to Eto'o, who back-heeled the ball into the path of the winger, leaving Hazard to calmly side-foot into the far corner.
Newcastle looked a defeated side with Ben Arfa, who had been dangerous in early stages of the first half, struggling to impose himself on the game.
The away side almost conceded a third in embarrassing circumstances as Krul was caught out by a long David Luiz ball which bounced over the stranded Newcastle keeper but dribbled wide of the empty goal.
Victory was wrapped up for Chelsea just after the hour when Eto'o was brought down by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa when challenging for a corner and Hazard sent Krul the wrong way from the penalty spot.
With the points safe, Mourinho opted to give new signing Mohamed Salah his first appearance in a Chelsea shirt and the Egypt winger almost grabbed a fourth late on but shot straight at Krul after being sent clear by Oscar.

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (3) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)

Chelsea

  • 01 Cech
  • 02 Ivanovic
  • 28 Azpilicueta
  • 08 Lampard
  • 24 Cahill
  • 04 David Luiz
  • 22 Willian (Salah - 78' )
  • 21 Matic
  • 29 Eto'o (Ba - 71' )
  • 11 Oscar
  • 17 Hazard (Schürrle - 85' )

Substitutes

  • 03 Cole
  • 07 Ramires
  • 12 Mikel
  • 14 Schürrle
  • 15 Salah
  • 19 Ba
  • 23 Schwarzer

Newcastle United

  • 01 Krul
  • 26 Debuchy (Yanga-Mbiwa - 40' Booked )
  • 36 Dummett
  • 03 Santon
  • 06 Williamson
  • 27 Taylor
  • 10 Ben Arfa (Gosling - 64' )
  • 08 Anita (Marveaux - 84' )
  • 18 de Jong
  • 07 Sissoko Booked
  • 28 Sa Ameobi Booked

Substitutes

  • 13 Yanga-Mbiwa
  • 15 Gosling
  • 19 Haidara
  • 21 Elliot
  • 22 Marveaux
  • 23 Sh Ameobi
  • 43 Armstrong
Ref: Howard Webb
Att: 41,387

MATCH STATS

Possession41%59%90minsChelseaNewcastle United

Shots

1812

On target

86

Corners

65

Fouls

710

Live Text Commentary

Full time
Full TimeMatch ends, Chelsea 3, Newcastle United 0.
90:00+4:18Full time
Full TimeSecond Half ends, Chelsea 3, Newcastle United 0.
90:00+4:05
Attempt missed. Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Dan Gosling.
90:00+3:39
Foul by Oscar (Chelsea).
90:00+3:39
Dan Gosling (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00+2:11
Attempt missed. Demba Ba (Chelsea) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left.
90:00+1:02
Attempt missed. Andre Schürrle (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Oscar.
90:00+0:30
Foul by Andre Schürrle (Chelsea).
90:00+0:30
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
89:53
Offside, Chelsea. Gary Cahill tries a through ball, but Andre Schürrle is caught offside.
89:20Booking
BookingMoussa Sissoko (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
89:12
Mohamed Salah (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
89:12
Foul by Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United).
88:58
Attempt blocked. Dan Gosling (Newcastle United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Moussa Sissoko.
88:35
Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Branislav Ivanovic.
88:25
Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Gary Cahill.
87:49
Foul by Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea).
87:49
Davide Santon (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
86:50
Attempt missed. Sylvain Marveaux (Newcastle United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Moussa Sissoko with a through ball.
86:25
Attempt saved. Mohamed Salah (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Oscar.

Liverpool Vs Arsenal

Team badge of Liverpool
Liverpool5
Skrtel 1′, 10′Sterling 16′, 52′Sturridge 20′
Team badge of Arsenal
Arsenal1
Arteta 69′ (pen)
  • FT 90 +4
  • HT 4-0
Raheem Sterling
8 February 2014Last updated at 15:24
Liverpool made a mockery of Arsenal's status as Premier League leaders by handing out an emphatic beating at Anfield.
The Gunners arrived on Merseyside high on confidence at the top of the table, but were demolished as Liverpool scored four in a devastating opening 20-minute burst that could have brought them even more goals.
Play media
'Breathtaking' display delights Rodgers
Martin Skrtel turned in two set-pieces and when Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge also hit the target for rampant Liverpool, a shell-shocked Arsenal's confidence was reduced to tatters.
Liverpool, unsurprisingly, were unable to maintain that level of dominance in the second half, but Sterling added his second before Mikel Arteta pulled a goal back for Arsenal from the penalty spot.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must now rebuild morale and belief before Wednesday's home meeting with Manchester United and an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Liverpool next weekend, leading into the Champions League confrontation with holders Bayern Munich.
Wenger has maintained confidence in his Arsenal side all season, but this will now be their severest test after a defeat that was far more comprehensive than even the scoreline suggests.

Telling set-pieces

Martin Skrtel
Martin Skrtel's two early strikes took Liverpool to 22 goals from set-pieces this season, more than any other Premier League side. Arsenal, with 43%, have conceded the highest proportion of set-piece goals in the league.
As for Liverpool, they continue an impressive pursuit of a top-four place and a return to the Champions League - and they are now only five points behind Arsenal.
Liverpool swept away the Gunners in exactly the same manner as Everton were beaten here at Anfield, in a storm of speed, pressing and deadly finishing that was a testimony to the growing threat of Brendan Rodgers's team.
The signals for a harrowing 90 minutes to come were posted inside the first minute when Skrtel cashed in on some flat-footed Arsenal defending to divert Steven Gerrard's angled free-kick past Wojciech Szczesny.
Liverpool's only moment of anxiety in a magical first half came when goalkeeper Simon Mignolet inexplicably punched a clearance straight at Jon Flanagan - but otherwise Arsenal were overwhelmed.
Liverpool's second came via Skrtel and another set-piece, the defender showing great agility to head Gerrard's corner past Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the goal-line.
The speed with which Arsenal's effort and performance deteriorated in the immediate aftermath of that goal will have horrified Wenger as Liverpool ran riot.
Sturridge should have added a third but a rare blemish in front of goal saw him put a lofted finish just wide before sending in a low cross that just failed to find Luis Suarez.
Play media
'Passive' Arsenal were poor - Wenger
Suarez almost added what could have been the best of his collection of brilliant Anfield goals this season with a volley of stunning quality and technique that struck the angle of post and bar with Szczesny helpless, Kolo Toure wasting a chance from the rebound.
Liverpool were inflicting wave after wave of attacks on Arsenal and the third eventually came, Sterling steering in a simple chance from Suarez's cross.
And as Wenger stood motionless in his technical area, Sturridge made it 4-0 after only 20 minutes, taking Philippe Coutinho's perfectly weighted pass in his stride to beat Szczesny.
If Arsenal expected respite after the break, it did not arrive and Sterling added the fifth in the 52nd minute. Once again Arsenal were ruthlessly exposed by Toure's pass and even though Szczesny saved Sterling's first effort, he was able to turn in the rebound in front of the Kop.

Arsenal's next four matches

12 Feb - Man Utd (home)
16 Feb - Liverpool (home) FA Cup
19 Feb - Bayern Munich (home) Champions League
22 Feb - Sunderland (home)
Wenger made a triple change on the hour, sending on Kieran Gibbs, Lukas Podolski and Tomas Rosicky for Nacho Monreal, Olivier Giroud and the desperately poor Mesut Ozil.
Suarez demonstrated his brilliance once more with an angled free-kick that was heading for the top corner until Szczesny's intervention.
Arsenal finally got on the scoresheet after 69 minutes when Gerrard upended Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta scored from the spot, the Spaniard almost adding a second immediately as Mignolet did well to see his free-kick through a crowded area to save.
Liverpool closed out the win to leave Arsenal facing the most searching questions of their impressive season.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers:
"It was breath taking some of our play. The intensity of our pressing and the goals were fantastic. It gave us a great platform.
"We've been doing it most of the season. Obviously this is a high profile game and everyone is looking at it.
"The players have been brilliant with their hunger and appetite of the game. We've a lot of young players who want to learn and improve and when you mix that with experienced players it's a great mix."

LINEUP, BOOKINGS (3) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)

Liverpool

  • 22 Mignolet
  • 38 Flanagan
  • 20 Cissokho
  • 08 Gerrard (Ibe - 76' )
  • 37 Skrtel
  • 04 Kolo Touré
  • 14 Henderson Booked
  • 10 Coutinho
  • 15 Sturridge (Allen - 66' )
  • 07 Suarez (Iago Aspas - 86' )
  • 31 Sterling

Substitutes

  • 01 Jones
  • 06 Luis Alberto
  • 09 Iago Aspas
  • 12 Moses
  • 24 Allen
  • 33 Ibe
  • 34 Kelly

Arsenal

  • 01 Szczesny
  • 03 Sagna
  • 17 Monreal (Gibbs - 61' )
  • 10 Wilshere Booked
  • 04 Mertesacker
  • 06 Koscielny
  • 15 Oxlade-Chamberlain
  • 08 Arteta
  • 12 Giroud Booked (Podolski - 60' )
  • 11 Özil (Rosicky - 61' )
  • 19 Cazorla

Substitutes

  • 07 Rosicky
  • 09 Podolski
  • 21 Fabianski
  • 23 Bendtner
  • 25 Jenkinson
  • 28 Gibbs
  • 44 Gnabry
Ref: Michael Oliver
Att: 44,701

MATCH STATS

Possession57%43%90minsLiverpoolArsenal

Shots

2211

On target

126

Corners

66

Fouls

1414

Live Text Commentary

Full time
Full TimeMatch ends, Liverpool 5, Arsenal 1.
90:00+3:12Full time
Full TimeSecond Half ends, Liverpool 5, Arsenal 1.
90:00+2:59
Attempt missed. Aly Cissokho (Liverpool) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Philippe Coutinho.
90:00+1:04
Attempt saved. Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Mikel Arteta with a cross.
90:00+0:38
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00+0:38
Foul by Aly Cissokho (Liverpool).
89:44
Foul by Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal).
89:44
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
89:28
Attempt blocked. Santiago Cazorla (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
89:03
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Aly Cissokho.
89:00
Attempt blocked. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Santiago Cazorla.
86:47
Attempt missed. Jordon Ibe (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Philippe Coutinho.
85:43
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Wojciech Szczesny.
85:42
Attempt saved. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Aly Cissokho.
85:14Substitution
SubstitutionSubstitution, Liverpool. Iago Aspas replaces Luis Suarez.
80:45
Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
80:45
Foul by Jordon Ibe (Liverpool).
79:04
Offside, Liverpool. Luis Suarez tries a through ball, but Raheem Sterling is caught offside.
78:56
Attempt blocked. Luis Suarez (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Philippe Coutinho.
78:00
Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Raheem Sterling