Established 1961 15 Sports Sunday, February 4, 2018 Aubameyang bags debut goal, Ramsey treble as Arsenal crush Everton Arsenal five points behind fourth placed Chelsea

LONDON: Arsenal’s record signing Pierre-Emerick form with United, but he and Aubameyang had formed a Aubameyang scored on his debut and Aaron Ramsey hit a deadly double act during their time at Dortmund and they hat-trick in a swaggering 5-1 rout of woeful Everton yester- were back in the groove as Arsenal took a sixth minute lead. day. Aubameyang vowed to emulate Arsenal legend Thierry When Aubameyang slipped a pass into Mkhitaryan, the Henry after arriving from Borussia Dortmund for £56 million whipped over a superb cross that invited Ramsey, ($79 million, 63 million euros) this week. timing his run perfectly, to slot past Jordan Pickford from While it is too soon for such lofty comparisons, the close-range for his first goal since October. Gabon striker certainly made the perfect first impression at Mkhitaryan went close to doubling Arsenal’s lead the Emirates Stadium. Aubameyang, recovered from an ill- moments later with a fierce strike that whistled wide from ness that had placed his debut in doubt, capped an exhila- the edge of the area. Lethargic Everton were unable to stem rating first half from Arsenal with a composed finish to put the tide and Wenger’s men didn’t have to wait long to claim his side four goals ahead. their second goal in the 14th minute. Ramsey had opened the scoring and Laurent Koscielny Shkodran Mustafi met Mesut Ozil’s corner with a header increased Arsenal’s lead before Ramsey struck again to towards the far post, where Koscielny stooped to head make it three goals in the first 19 minutes. Aubameyang’s home from close-range. Everton’s dismal display was ruin- lively debut was aided by three assists from Henrikh ing Sam Allardyce’s 500th match as a man- Mkhitaryan in his first Arsenal start. ager and there was worse to come in the 19th minute. Wales midfielder Ramsey completed his treble in the Afforded time and space by Everton’s statuesque rear- second half and the only angst for Gunners boss Arsene guard, Ramsey unloaded a 25-yard strike that took a Wenger was the sight of goalkeeper Petr Cech limping off deflection off Toffees debutant Eliaquim Mangala on its way injured. Sixth placed Arsenal are now five points behind past the wrong-footed Pickford. fourth placed Chelsea, who face Watford on Monday, in the With Arsenal threatening every time they went forward, race to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a Aubameyang, who also scored on his Bundesliga debut, was top four finish. Wenger had bemoaned Arsenal’s defending able to join the party in the 37th minute. in their wretched 3-1 loss at Swansea on Tuesday, but the Mkhitaryan’s pass split the Everton defence and, two changes he made were both attack minded as although Aubameyang looked offside, the linesman’s flag Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan came in. stayed down as the debutant clipped a deft finish over Aubameyang replaced misfiring France striker Alexandre Pickford. It was another remarkable goal blitz from Arsenal, Lacazette, who has only one goal in his last 12 appearances. who scored four times in the first 22 minutes of their previ- Lacazette had been Arsenal’s record signing until the ous home league game against Crystal Palace. Everton’s Aubameyang swoop, but while he has struggled to live up to capitulation made it a depressing return for Theo Walcott, expectations, Aubameyang quickly set about repaying his who was subbed midway through the second half of his first hefty transfer fee-with help from an old friend. return to Arsenal since his January transfer. Dominic LONDON: Arsenal’s Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (R), with Everton’s Dutch defender Cuco Martina, misses a Mkhitaryan was making his home debut after arriving Calvert-Lewin got one back for Everton with a 64th header, shot at goal during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Everton at the Emirates Stadium in London from Manchester United as part of the deal that sent Alexis but there was still time for Ramsey to strike again with a low yesterday. —AFP Sanchez to Old Trafford. Mkhitaryan rarely showed his best finish from Mkhitaryan’s pass in the 74th minute. —AFP

Ribery among Official urges scorers as efforts to lift Bayern march Int’l ban on on in Bundesliga Kuwait sports BERLIN: Franck Ribery netted a rare Bundesliga goal as Bayern Munich eased to an eighth consecutive KUWAIT: Public Authority for Sport (PAS) league victory with a 2-0 win over Mainz yesterday. Director General Hmoud Al-Flaiteh yesterday After a sluggish first half-hour, the veteran called for serious and sincere efforts for lifting Frenchman put Bayern ahead on 33 minutes. Picking up international suspension of the Kuwaiti sports. a poorly cleared corner at the edge of the box, he Al-Flaiteh, in a statement, urged all stakehold- released a fizzing half-volley to score only his second ers to cooperate for serving higher interests of league goal of the season. the national sports. On a related topic, he said a James Rodriguez then doubled the lead just before recently-formed settlement commission of the half-time, elegantly bringing the ball down on his chest Kuwaiti Football Association is capable of imple- before volleying it past Robin Zentner. “We were menting “the road map,” worked out by FIFA to exhausted at the end,” Bayern centre-back Mats endorse “amendments required from Kuwait.” Hummels told Sky Sport. “Mainz passed the ball well, His remarks came against backdrop of a but we deserved to win.” recent decision by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Yusuf Al- The win saw Bayern extend their lead at the top of Sabah to resign as chairman of the football asso- the table to 18 points after second-placed Bayer ciation. Sheikh Ahmad had also declared resig- Leverkusen were held to a 0-0 draw in Freiburg. MAINZ: Mainz’ Ivorian midfielder Jean Philippe Gbamin (L) and Bayern Munich’s French midfielder Franck Ribery vie for the ball nation of board members, following a visit by a Lucas Alario hit the post for Leverkusen early in the during the German first division Bundesliga football match Mainz 05 versus Bayern Munich yesterday in Mainz. — AFP joint commission of the international and Asian game, but there were more yellow cards than chances, football federations to Kuwait for setting up the as seven players were booked and Freiburg once again settlement committee, in response to FIFA’s frustrated a top team. “It was a heated game,” With 11 minutes to go there was more farcical goal- front on 24 minutes, curling a long-range shot into the desire. The settlement committee was formed Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt told Sky. “We knew in keeping as Ralf Faehrmann allowed Kruse to equalise bottom corner. Gomez, who left Wolfsburg for Stuttgart with aim of “bolstering legality” of the Kuwaiti advance that it wouldn’t be easy to come to Freiburg.” for Bremen. After Matija Nastasic was sent off for a in January, levelled the scores on the hour mark, prod- association. —KUNA Leverkusen, though, remain in second after Schalke second bookable offence, Faehrmann fumbled the ding the ball home from close range. once again dropped points. Both teams profited from resulting free-kick, allowing the ball to bounce out of In yesterday’s other game, Hoffenheim extended goalkeeping errors in Gelsenkirchen, as a late goal saw his hands and into the path of Kruse. It would get their winless run to five matches after throwing away a Werder Bremen snatch a surprise 2-1 victory. A cata- worse for Schalke in stoppage time, as Zlatko Junuzovic 1-0 lead to draw at Hertha Berlin. Andrej Kramaric gave strophic mistake from Jiri Pavlenka gifted Schalke the stabbed a loose ball past Faehrmann to claim a dramat- Hoffenheim the lead from the penalty spot on 39 min- Matches on TV lead on 24 minutes. Yevhen Konoplyanka’s speculative ic and invaluable victory for relegation-threatened utes, but Salomon Kalou’s header drew the home side effort flew straight at the Bremen goalkeeper, who Bremen. Elsewhere in the lower half of the table, Mario level just before the hour mark. (Local Timings) allowed the ball to slip through his fingers. Gomez scored against his former club to rescue a point On Friday, Michy Batshuayi scored twice on his “These things happen, it just looks stupid because for VfB Stuttgart, as they welcomed new coach Tayfun debut for Borussia Dortmund after joining on loan from ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE he is the last man,” said striker Max Kruse in Pavlenka’s Korkut with a 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg. Chelsea as his new club won 3-2 at bottom side Crystal Palace v Newcastle United 17:15 defence. “We all made mistakes on the pitch today.” Liverpool loanee put Wolfsburg in Cologne. — AFP beIN SPORTS HD 2 Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur 19:30 beIN SPORTS HD 2

placed visitors on 27 points. SPANISH LEAGUE PRIMERA Gross seals Brighton manager Chris Hughton said for a first League victory in 13 games Getafe v Leganes 14:00 Izquierdo’s goal was the turning point of beIN SPORTS HD 3 West Brom at despite Salomon Rondon’s 72nd-minute Espanyol v Barcelona 18:15 the game. “That goal lifted the stadium,” he Brighton’s headed goal for the home side. Victory beIN SPORTS HD 3 said. “Whatever goal gets us the lead is carried them six points above West Girona v Athletic de Bilbao 20:30 important but when it’s as good as that it rock bottom Brom, who gave a first game to striker beIN SPORTS HD 3 first league lifts everyone on the pitch and in the stadi- Daniel Sturridge, on loan from Atletico de Madrid v Valencia C.F 22:45 um. “If we can put in more performances Liverpool. beIN SPORTS HD 3 like this before the end of the season, then after defeat They are now four points behind the ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE win of the year we’ll be okay.” pack at the bottom of the table and face an away game with champions Hellas Verona v AS Roma 14:30 Earlier, substitute Lys Mousset came off by Southampton beIN SPORTS HD 4 LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion the bench to score his first Premier League Chelsea next. “It’s a painful one for us Atalanta v Chievo Verona 17:00 secured their first Premier League win this goal for Bournemouth as they came back because Southampton looked like they beIN SPORTS HD 8 year as they beat West Ham United 3-1 from a goal down to beat Stoke City 2-1 in had a little more energy,” manager Alan Bologna v Fiorentina 17:00 thanks to superb strikes from Jose a pulsating Premier League clash at the WEST BROMWICH: West Bromwich Pardew said. beIN SPORTS HD 1 “We had players who had been Juventus v Sassuolo Calcio 17:00 Izquierdo and Pascal Gross in a thrilling Vitality Stadium yesterday. Albion were left stuck at the bottom of the Premier League after losing 3-2 to playing two games in three days and beIN SPORTS HD 4 game at the Amex Stadium yesterday. Swiss international , Southampton yesterday, despite having looked a little leggy and it was unlike us Udinese Calcio v Milan 17:00 Brighton’s Glenn Murray opened the who had seen a shot cleared off the line by made a fine start to the match. It was to concede through two set-plays. “It beIN SPORTS HD 7 scoring with his ninth league goal of the Steve Cook moments earlier, put visitors was a shame because it was a special Cagliari Calcio v Spal 17:00 an emotional day at the Hawthorns beIN SPORTS season but Javier Hernandez, who said he Stoke in front in the fifth minute, the where there was a minute’s applause day in a lot of ways but not a special had wanted to leave the club ahead of the diminutive winger heading home unmarked Benevento v SSC Napoli 22:45 before the game for their former result and no matter how much we beIN SPORTS HD 4 January transfer deadline, equalised before from Badou Ndiaye’s cross. striker Cyrille Regis, who died last huffed and puffed we just couldn’t get the break after jinking past three defend- Bournemouth, who hammered Chelsea month. Egyptian defender Ahmed back into it.” GERMAN BUNDESLIGA ers. Brighton’s second-half goals were 3-0 on Wednesday, upped the tempo in the Hegazi headed Albion into an early “We needed this victory, for many Augsburg v Eintracht Frankfurt 17:30 stunning. First Izquierdo rocketed a shot second half and had plenty of chances to lead from a corner by set-piece spe- reasons, but the most important one is beIN SPORTS HD 5 past West Ham keeper Adrian from the score, but it took until the 70th minute for cialist Chris Brunt but Southampton to believe what we can do on the Hamburg v Hannover 20:00 edge of the area after 59 minutes and then to put them back on level hit back with two goals in three min- pitch,” Southampton manager Mauricio beIN SPORTS HD 5 Gross capped a fine display by scoring terms with a thumping right-foot strike. utes before halftime. Gabon’s Mario Pellegrino said. “Now we celebrate this FRENCH LEAGUE from 25 metres in the 75th. Sensing that Stoke’s resistance was Lemina drove in from 20 metres and and it will be massive to increase our Stade Rennais v Guingamp 17:00 West Ham’s midweek signing from wilting after King’s goal, Bournemouth defender Jack Stephens scored his confidence. “The position in the table is beIN SPORTS HD 6 Preston North End, striker Jordan Hugill, continued to attack and nine minutes later third goal in three games. nothing because we want to go higher Caen v Nantes 19:00 came off the bench but Brighton held on to Mousset nodded home Jordon Ibe’s free A direct free kick by James Ward- and move and get more points and fin- beIN SPORTS HD 6 complete their first league double over kick for the simplest of finishes to take all Prowse made it 3-1 and Saints held on ish as high as possible.” — Reuters Monaco v Olympique Lyonnais 23:00 beIN SPORTS HD 6 West Ham and move level with the 12th- three points. — Reuters