Looking for Soccer News?

AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has revisited the decision to crown their rivals Gor Mahia as the 2019-20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions by stating “it was a hurting decision which was not supposed to stand.”

The former Harambee Stars striker has insisted since Kenya did not have a winner in the domestic Cup, the same rule should have been applied in the top-flight.

Gor Mahia clinched their 18th league title after the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) prematurely ended the 2019-20 campaign after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

K’Ogalo were declared champions by virtue of topping the 18-team table and were thus handed the ticket to represent the country in the Caf Champions League.

According to Shikanda, who once played for and won league titles with both AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia, the move by the federation was unprocedural and did not deserve to stand since the league was still far from being completed, and second-placed Kakamega Homeboyz could have also beaten Gor Mahia to the title.

“We cannot give out the league trophy just like that,” Shikanda told Goal while revisiting the issue. “The league should have been declared null and void and teams asked to prepare for the new campaign.

“I really tried my best to fight with FKF over the matter because I felt the decision they had taken was not right, but no one else came in to support me, even Homeboyz, who were second on the table, kept mum.

“I don’t have any issue with Gor Mahia but the way they got the title was not fair, it was something FKF should not have done, they should have cancelled the league and declared it null and void.

“It was a hurting decision because all the teams in the top seven could have won the title, and one wonders how they arrived at awarding Gor Mahia the title, it can never happen anywhere in the world, it was a decision I will continue to challenge in my entire life.”

Shikanda has also set his sights on guiding AFC Leopards to win the FKF Premier League as well as a Caf title before retiring.

The Kenyan giants have never qualified for any Caf competition’s group stage and the last time they won the league title was way back in 1998.

Shikanda was elected as the Ingwe chairman in June 2019 and in his first season, the club went on to finish sixth on the table despite the financial challenges faced, and he now feels they are good enough to battle for the title.

“I want to retire after I win the Caf title with AFC Leopards and do not want to win the league to go lose 6-0,” Shikanda said in reference to the recent outcome of the Caf Champions League game between their bitter rivals Gor Mahia and Algerian outfit CR Belouizdad.

“We have a strong squad and I know we will soon conquer Africa.

"I do not want to laugh at Gor Mahia but we do not want to go out there and lose 6-0. I know I will win the league title soon and also conquer Africa but I do not want to go and lose by a [humiliating margin].”

The 13-time league champions have started the season well and have managed to collect nine points from their opening four games with the only defeat coming against bogey side Western Stima.

Ghana coach CK Akonnor reveals one of his main aims is to qualify the West African nation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Black Stars, 2010 quarter-finalists in South Africa, are looking to make a return to the global showpiece after missing out on the 2018 championship in Russia.

Akonnor was appointed as Ghana head coach in January following the exit of James Kwasi Appiah and has been tasked to, among other things, ensure a return to the World Cup.

"My aim and aspiration are to help Ghana qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup which would be staged in Qatar," Akonnor told Kessben FM.

“I want to qualify the nation for the next Fifa World Cup competition but that is not all as I would like and want my team to do well and make the country proud and everyone happy."

Akonnor has also been asked to help Ghana win a fifth Africa Cup of Nations title. The last of the Black Stars four trophies came in Libya in 1982.

“Winning the Afcon won’t come easy at all and I, therefore, urge all Ghanaians to come on board and offer their endless support to the Black Stars in our quest to win the coveted Afcon trophy again," he added.

Akonnor's last coaching job before taking up the Ghana role was a one-year stint in charge of local club giants Asante Kotoko.

Earlier this month, the former Wolfsburg skipper was reported to have followed the Porcupine Warriors to the dressing room at half-time when they hosted Sudanese side Al-Hilal in a Caf Champions League first round, second leg fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium.

“I went into the dressing room with one motive, and that was to motivate the boys to play with their everything to get a good result before the second leg," the 49-year-old explained.

“You know I’m the national team coach so I thought my presence in the team’s dressing room would be a good thing for the boys to do more because they know the Black Stars coach is around and a good performance would guarantee a call-up into the senior national team."

Akonnor has also previously coached Hearts of Oak, Ashanti Gold and Dreams FC. 

The biennial international men's football competition of South Asia,  the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championship will be held tentatively from September 14 to 25, 2021 in Bangladesh, Goal understands. 

Pakistan was set to host this edition of the tournament but later it was shifted to Bangladesh. The BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation) has organised the competition thrice before in 2003, 2009 and 2018. 

On 11 April 2018, SAFF awarded the hosting rights of the 2021 SAFF Championship to Pakistan after FIFA restored Pakistan Football Federation's membership. It would have been the country's first international football tournament after the overturn of the ban. However, on 15 September 2019, SAFF president Kazi Salahuddin and general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal along with representatives of seven member countries decided to shift the venue to Bangladesh. 

The SAFF Championship was scheduled to be held in September 2020 but due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the tournament got postponed after an Executive Committee meeting on June 30, 2020. 

All matches will be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. The participating nations are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. 

India are the most successful side with seven titles to their name. They won their seventh title in 2015 when they defeated Afghanistan 2-1 in the final. 

Maldives are the defending champions as they beat India by two goals to one in 2018 in Dhaka. 

From the disappointment due to the cancellation of multiple leagues to finally being able to get the top division up and running again, 2020 has been a challenging year for men's football in India. 

Fortunately for the 2019-20 season of Indian Super League (ISL), the final took place a week before the country went into a lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic and ATK bagged their third trophy at the expense of Chennaiyin. But football as a whole was impacted due to the unforeseen situation in the country. 

Although ISL ended in March, there was still the matter of I-League which was ultimately cut short after 16 games. Mohun Bagan, who had an unassailable lead in the standings, were announced as the champions. 

It was sad news for young footballers as the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was forced to cancel all age-category tournaments because it was not deemed safe to organize them as India battled Covid-19. 

However, it wasn't all darkness for Indian men's football as months later, the players returned to action with the I-League qualifiers which ended up being the first sporting action in the country since the pandemic struck. With strict safely protocols and bio-secure bubbles in place, the Indian FA held the qualifiers in place of the I-League second division at a centralised venue in Kolkata. 

Less than two months later, the 2020-21 season of Indian Super League kicked off in Goa, once again with teams abiding COVID-19 guidelines established by the league authorities in accordance with the Indian health ministry. The biggest losers, however, were supporters as they have had to sit at home and consume football digitally as the matches continue to be held behind closed doors due to the circumstances.

It was not just on the pitch where mixed emotions prevailed. Off it, Indian football bid adieu to legends of the game PK Banerjee, Chuni Goswami and Nikhil Nundy among others. The AFC Cup 2020 had to be cancelled and the AFC U-16 Championship had to be postponed to 2021, keeping the safety of the stakeholders in mind. 

On the other hand, Indian football witnessed a historic deal take place when Kolkata giants and I-League champions Mohun Bagan and ISL champions ATK enter into a merger. The result was a new entity named ATK Mohun Bagan that mostly retained the colours and essence of Mariners and players of ATK. 

Arguably, the biggest 'event' of the year came a few months later when East Bengal announced its entry into the ISL. The league's profile received an immediate boost and ISL's first Kolkata Derby was held behind closed doors in Goa in November. The Red and Golds appointed former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler as their head coach. 

For most of the year, the Indian national team were ranked 108th in the FIFA rankings but they will sign off as 104th best team in the world. Igor Stimac's men were to host Qatar and Afghanistan in the group stages of the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA joint qualifiers in March. However, amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the fixtures which were initially postponed to October, are now set to take place in March and June 2021.

There were some remarkable events in Indian football this year. There were a few forgettable ones as well. But the promises of 2021 are sure to offset the disappointments of 2020. 

Lionel Messi watched from the sidelines as Barcelona dropped more points against lowly Eibar in La Liga and Junior Firpo blamed the team's lack of cutting edge.

Barca have fallen seven points off the pace set by rivals Atletico Madrid and defending champions Real Madrid atop L aLiga, following Tuesday's 1-1 draw.

Ronald Koeman's Barca were held to back-to-back draws at Camp Nou after Eibar striker Kike capitalised on Ronald Araujo's error before substitute Ousmane Dembele scored an equaliser for the hosts.

With superstar captain Messi absent due to an ankle injury, Martin Braithwaite missed a penalty as Barca fired in 16 shots, including five on target, against the La Liga strugglers.

Goalscorer Dembele was guilty of hitting a tame shot when clean through on goal, while Braithwaite and substitute Francisco Trincao spurned chances to net a late winner.

Antoine Griezmann was the only player in Barca's starting line-up with more than two league goals in 2020-21 but the recalled forward was unable to add to his three goals from 14 outings. 

"We need a thousand chances to score," Barca defender Junior said via Marca.

"They [Eibar] had one clear chance and scored."

Junior added: "It's the trend of the season.

"The games are tough and it's all uphill."

However, the 24-year-old left-back Junior was more than happy with his own performance after combining with Pedri to set up Dembele for Barca's 67th-minute leveller.

Junior made his first league start of the season against Eibar in relief of veteran full-back Jordi Alba.

"I felt good," Firpo said. "It's noticeable when you don't play so often, but I always try to train to the fullest.

"When I get a chance I try to take advantage of it."

Barcelona travel to face bottom side Huesca in their first match of 2021 on January 3.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says it's too early to talk about Manchester United's chances of winning the Premier League title after their late victory against Wolves on Tuesday.

Marcus Rashford's stoppage-time goal handed United all three points against Wolves at Old Trafford and moved the Red Devils up to second in the table, two points behind leaders Liverpool. 

The result stretched United's unbeaten run in the league to nine games, but Solskjaer believes any chat about a Man Utd title challenge should be shelved for now.

However, the Norwegian tactician said the team have 'belief' and they feel they can get the better of any team.

"There's no title race after 15 games," Solskjaer said. "You can lose the chance of being in a race in the first 10 games. But play another 15, get to 30, and then maybe we can start talking about a title race."

"But the belief is there. We go into every game thinking we can win against anyone anywhere. Away we've shown what we're capable of, we are improving at home as well and this result is massive for confidence and attitude."

Bruno Fernandes was once again instrumental in United's win, with his ball over the top leading to Rashford's late strike. 

Since his Premier League debut in February, the Portugal international has been directly involved in more goals in the Premier League than any other player (32 – 18 goals, 14 assists).

Solskjaer admitted it was not Fernandes' most stellar performance but he was pleased his perseverance paid off. 

"He didn't play his best game, definitely," he said. "He's played better games but he's always in and around creating chances.

"Maybe he made more for them than he did for us today! But he's got that knack of looking for that pass, and in the end it worked."

On Tuesday, the Premier League confirmed 18 new positive Covid-19 tests in the week commencing December 21 – the highest number of positive results in a single round of tests this season.

When asked about the predicament, Solskjaer said he cannot see the benefit of the Premier League temporarily halting action in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The news came just a day after Manchester City's game at Everton was postponed at four hours' notice due to a coronavirus outbreak at the Etihad Stadium, while Fulham's match against Tottenham on Wednesday is also in doubt.

Eighteen positive cases surpasses the previous high of 16 recorded in the week commencing November 9, and mirrors the wider situation in England, with more people now in hospital due to the virus than at the peak of the first wave in April.

West Brom head coach Sam Allardyce has called for a circuit break – a tight set of restrictions designed to reverse the tide of the pandemic – but Solskjaer is unsure what benefit that would bring. 

"As a club and as a group we've been really good at following the protocols," Solskjaer said.

"That's part of the job. I can't see the benefit in having a circuit break because when are we going to play the games?

"We all know this year is so difficult, but if you stop more games I don't think that's going to make a big change – it might be a longer one. When do we finish the season?"

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce has urged the Premier League to take a 'circuit break' after a recent spike in Covid-19 cases. 

A further 18 cases of the virus were reported by the competition on Tuesday following the suspension of Manchester City's clash with Everton just 24 hours earlier due to an outbreak of the illness. 

Tottenham's match against Fulham on Wednesday is now also in doubt as the Cottagers try to deal with more positives cases within the club. 

Allardyce, who saw his side lose 5-0 to Leeds United on Tuesday, believes the Premier League needs to take drastic action soon to ensure the safety of all involved. 

"I'm very concerned for myself and football in general," Allardyce said following the Leeds defeat. 

"Everyone's safety is more important than anything else. When I listen to the news that the variant virus transmits quicker than the original virus, we can only do the right thing, which is have a circuit break.

"I am 66 years old and the last thing I want to do is catch Covid.

"As much as we're getting tested - we had one positive this week - it seems to be creeping round. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many times we get tested, how we wear our masks, how we sanitise our hands, we're still catching a lot infections round the country.

"If that helps [a circuit break], let's do it and let the season run a little longer when we get through it."

Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo also backed up Allardyce's suggestion and claimed a suspension of the competition may soon be impossible to avoid.

"The rising of the cases is increasing massively over the country and we are not an exception," Nuno said after seeing his side lose 1-0 to Manchester United on Tuesday. 

"Some things are impossible to avoid. If there's a break coming, then people have to sit down and see if it's for the better."

Lower leagues in England are also struggling to deal with an increase in coronavirus cases with seven League One games postponed on Tuesday. 

Mikel Arteta's January business will not change due to Arsenal's past two results, although Bukayo Saka continues to provide the creative spark the Gunners need.

Arsenal were winless in seven and 15th in the table at Christmas but have since beaten Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion.

The latter 1-0 victory at Brighton came courtesy of an Alexandre Lacazette strike 29 seconds after coming off the bench on Tuesday.

Arteta's men are now nine points clear of the bottom three, surely quelling any mischievous relegation talk, but they are not looking to take their foot off the gas.

Asked if back-to-back wins for only the second time this season in the league would affect the urgency to make moves in the coming transfer window, Arteta replied: "No, the last few results won't change our approach to the window."

The Arsenal manager was asked specifically about the prospect of signing out-of-favour Real Madrid playmaker Isco but added: "Obviously we cannot talk about individual players."

With Mesut Ozil left out of Arsenal's Premier League and Europa League squads, Isco could potentially bring a new dimension in the centre of the pitch.

In his seven and a half years in Madrid, only Karim Benzema (60), Cristiano Ronaldo (47) and Toni Kroos (46) have provided more La Liga assists for Los Blancos than Isco (42), who has created 306 chances in 217 matches (1.4 per game).

However, on the wing, Arsenal already have a creative force in the form of 19-year-old England international Saka.

A superb assist for Lacazette was his 15th in all club competitions since the start of last season, more than any other Arsenal player.

Saka played the most key passes (three) of any visiting player at the Amex Stadium, having scored his second league goal of the season in the Chelsea match.

Arteta is keen to keep the player grounded, though, telling reporters: "I would like everybody to be cautious and let him be and let him develop.

"I think he's having the right progression, I think he's got the right people around him, in his house, in his entourage.

"Then he's got the right team-mates as well to support him all the time, give him confidence, keep his feet on the floor but also give him support and confidence.

"Hopefully we can be the right coaches around him and the right club to see what he can be in the future.

"Today he had a difficult game in the first half because we weren't using certain moments to generate advantages for him and the other attacking players in the right way.

"The game becomes really difficult with your back to goal against a back five in a low block.

"In the second half, we started to play different balls and attack in a different way. They found more freedom, more space and more capacity to unlock the situations and the block.

"We created four or five big chances and he was involved in most of them."

Saka was substituted nine minutes from time having failed to shake off a knock, with Arteta asked if the apparent injury was serious.

"Hopefully not," the manager said. "He was limping - I think he took a strong challenge - but hopefully he will be fine."

Thiago Alcantara is getting closer to a return to first-team action for Liverpool but Jurgen Klopp says he is unlikely to feature in Wednesday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle.

The Spain midfielder hasn’t played since picking up a knee injury in the Merseyside derby draw with Everton in mid-October but was set to return to full team training on Monday.

Thiago has only played twice since his £20 million ($26m) move from Bayern Munich over the summer, but he set a Premier League passing record on his debut in September and there is plenty of excitement at Anfield around what he can bring to Klopp’s side.

“I like watching all my boys playing and with Thiago, of course he had a few minutes, I would say, until he got injured,” Klopp said.

“So of course, we are looking forward to that, but I don’t know. It’s not really likely that he will travel [to Newcastle], let me say it like this.

“He needs a few sessions. He was really out for a long time after a really harsh challenge – that was a proper impact. Nothing ruptured, nothing broken, but that still took time obviously and it still takes time. We cannot rush that; we will not do. So, I don’t know.”

Klopp’s earlier comments suggested Thiago’s return could still be a little way off, as he is keen to make sure he is fully fit and up to speed before throwing him back into action.

"Thiago has trained in part with the team so far, but on Friday, he trained the full session," he told reporters. "But it was a reduced session so we couldn't do that [full session].

"He just has to be part of team training [regularly]. It's not about being part of team training one day and then you can play football in the Premier League.

"So, it looks quite promising at the moment but I cannot say more about it, to be honest. I don't know. I think the plan was that if he trains [on Monday] completely normally then we will see.”

After the trip to Newcastle, Liverpool start 2021 with a trip to Southampton and an FA Cup clash with Aston Villa, before a home fixture against in-form Manchester United on January 17.

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has revealed his plan to exploit tiring Wolves wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri that resulted in the crucial match-winning goal.

Rashford struck the vital blow in the 93rd minute as the Red Devils sunk Wolves 1-0 at Old Trafford to go second in the Premier League table heading into the New Year.

The 23-year-old ran in behind the tiring Ait-Nouri to receive Bruno Fernandes' pass, before cutting inside and finding the back of the net after a wicked deflection off Romain Saiss.

Ait-Nouri went down injured shortly before Fernandes played the assist to Rashford, with the 19-year-old getting up and scrambling to try to get back into position.

Rashford said he noticed the young wing-back struggling with his fitness and aimed to take advantage by constantly running in behind the French defender.

"It’s the deciding goal," Rashford said to reporters post-match. "Probably not the most beautiful but we will take what we can get and take the three points and move on.

"Today was tough but we expected a tough game but managed to get over the line.

"The full-back had cramp a few minutes before so I just had it in my head I wanted to go at him and make him chop and turn and just see if I could make something happen and thankfully in the end we got a deflection.

"It means a lot. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t play as well as we wanted to or could have but it is three points and no matter how scrappy it was we will take it.

"For us, we can’t look too far ahead. We are a team that is still doing a lot of work on ourselves. We have to take it one game at a time but if we can keep finding ways to win like this we will see where we are at the end of the season."

The Red Devils are now clear in second position - two points behind league leaders Liverpool - with a home fixture against Aston Villa to come on New Year's Day.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted Manchester United’s win over Wolves on Tuesday was “a bit flukey” – but he was delighted to see the Red Devils revive a club tradition with a last-gasp goal.

Marcus Rashford’s shot deep into injury time deflected off Romain Saiss and into the bottom-right corner to take United to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.

In a game of few chances, United were rewarded after showing more endeavour than their opponents throughout the 90 minutes. Solskjaer was evidently delighted with the late win, fortunate as it may have been.

"Bit lucky, bit flukey, but that's what happens when you put teams under pressure,” Solskjaer told BBC Sport after the game.

“It was a point we brought up early in the season in a meeting. We didn’t win many points towards the end of games and we have a tradition for it at this club.

"That has happened so many times at that end and now we have won quite a few points towards the end of games and that is both a mental and physical aspect.

“We’ve got a group now that is more robust both mentally and physically. We have gone through some tough training periods, played loads of games and they are getting fitter and fitter.

“The fitter you are, the more you can do. But mentally as well, it gives you a boost knowing you can win games towards the end.”

United haven’t always had an easy time against Wolves in their recent encounters, and Solskjaer was pleased to record his first league win over Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

With the top of the table within reach and a huge clash with Liverpool just around the corner, talk of a genuine title run is starting to build around Old Trafford – but Solskjaer insists he and his side are keeping their focus.

“We didn’t perform as well as we want to but we won a game against a very difficult side to play against,” he said.

"It’s the first league in the win for me against them. There have never been many goals in the games but for me this is a big step forward, that you don’t play well but you win.

“We just focus on the next game. I am very boring but we cannot get too far ahead of ourselves. We have got to a decent position at the moment but the season hasn’t even reached halfway.

"The year has been positive in terms of results. It's a group that are now physically and mentally ready to go up the table."

Marcus Rashford scored in second-half stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 1-0 win over Wolves and send the Red Devils up to second in the Premier League.

In the 93rd minute of a turgid game with few clear chances for either side, the two stars of United's season combined to produce a goal that took their tally to 10 points from their past four games at Old Trafford and ended 2020 on a high.

Wolves failed to capitalise on United's flat display, prioritising their own low block to stifle the threat of fast breaks that brought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men six goals against Leeds United in their previous home game, and defender Romain Saiss was the visitors' most potent attacking force.

But they slipped up late on when they failed to track Rashford's run onto a brilliant Bruno Fernandes pass and the England international's deflected goal extended his side's unbeaten run to nine league matches.

Bongani Zungu said he feels lucky to be playing for Rangers and his experience in the Scottish Premiership has been awesome.

The 28-year-old secured a temporary move to the Ibrox Stadium in search for top-flight football following Amiens relegation from the Ligue 1 last season.

Although he is yet to start a league match for the Gers, the Bafana Bafana midfielder has made six appearances in the Premiership and he also made his debut in the Uefa Europa League earlier this month against Standard Liege.

Zungu narrated his experience at Ibrox Stadium to the Rangers Matchday Programme via Glasgow Times; “It has been awesome. I have been lucky to come to a team that has a lot of good guys in the dressing room.

“They have welcomed me and the coaching staff have also in terms of what is expected of me on the pitch.

“Everything has been good so far. There are a number of guys who have helped me a lot.

“The skipper, from the first day I came, he sent me a message and then I got here guys like Glen Kamara, Joe Aribo, Connor Goldson and Jermain Defoe have all really helped me.

“I am so lucky to play for a team that has a lot of qualities. For me, instead of looking at it as competition, I am really excited as when I get a chance I have a lot of quality around me. That helps with my confidence.

“Those things take time and hard work, but the gaffer has shown me a lot of video clips and has been telling me what is expected of me.

“Of course, I am playing for a team that has a lot of attacks, but part of my job is to be the security behind the guys when we lose the ball.”

Zungu has been playing a part in Rangers' 20-game unbeaten run in the Scottish top-flight this season. He disclosed that he is gaining his form and confidence ahead of Wednesday's league trip to St. Mirren.

“I am slowly but surely gaining my confidence and getting my form back,” he added. “It has been clear from the first day what they really want from me and they are really helping me in training. I ask a lot of questions to know and to grow as a player."

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted that the path to regaining La Liga appears "very difficult" for his charges after dropping more points at home to Eibar on Tuesday. 

The Catalans were held to a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou and remain in sixth place, seven points shy of joint-leaders Real and Atletico Madrid. 

Indeed, it could have been an even worse end to a forgettable 2020 for Barca had Ousmane Dembele not swooped to equalise following Kike Garcia's opener, after Martin Braithwaite had missed from the penalty spot. 

Koeman's charges have won just seven of their opening 15 Liga games, their worst start since 2003; and the coach recognises that the title is already disappearing over the horizon. 

"I am realistic, it will be very difficult to be champions," the Dutchman told reporters after the final whistle. 

"Nothing is impossible, but you have to acknowledge the gap. Atletico look very good to me, very strong, they don't concede many goals." 

Tuesday's setback took place without Lionel Messi, who watched from the stands as his team-mates toiled. 

"You cannot say Barca play better without Messi. He is a different player," Koeman admitted, while insisting that his team could have taken all three points against the Basques.

"In general terms we played well. But individual errors cost us the points.

"We deserved to win, we did what was needed. [Eibar] only had one shot on goal. 

"We created chances, but we didn't score the penalty and then a defensive error... we played well, we worked hard and did enough to win, but this is happening to us far too often. 

"In the first half we had problems playing the ball out from the back, we weren't looking for players between the lines... maybe because we were scared of risking too much up front. Once again we played a game with a lot of chances but we didn't convert them.

"If we had gone in front (with the penalty), the team would have been more confident, but you have to put the ball in the net."

Barca return to action in 2021, with their first game of the New Year falling on Sunday away to Huesca.

Arsenal need their senior players to help them through their difficult season – and, says Mikel Arteta, Alexandre Lacazette is doing just that.

Lacazette came off the bench against Brighton and scored the winning goal just 29 seconds later, his third goal in his last three appearances.

Arteta said the forward’s instant impact was the stuff of managers’ dreams, though he would still like him to improve his goalscoring output.

“I think this is what all the managers dream of, to bring people from the bench and win you the game like he’s done tonight,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

“I think he’s been in really good form in the last few weeks. He’s been scoring goals. He’s full of confidence. Today he had a sore back, he could not start the game. But he came on and won the game for us which is massively important.

“We need big players and the senior players to step up in these difficult moments and he’s doing that for sure. Front players need their team-mates to support them and put them in situations like he had today as often as possible. But at the same time, they have to step up and create these opportunities themselves.

“I think Laca is working very hard. Since I’ve been here his work has never been an issue. His goalscoring record could improve and but it’s improving because he’s so willing to do it for us also.”

Lacazette’s goal came via a fine assist from Bukayo Saka. It was the youngster’s 15th assist in all competitions since the start of last season – more than any other Arsenal player has managed in that time.

“I think it was a great move from Bukayo first to create the action that he did,” Arteta said. “But then I think apart from the finish it was [Lacazette’s] movement.

“The counter-movement he made to create the space for himself, the touch and the finish. I think it was a brilliant goal.

“Today, [Saka] had a difficult game in the first half because we weren't using certain moments to generate advantages for him and other attacking players in the right way. So the game becomes really difficult, all the time back to goal against a back five in a low block.

“In the second half, the moment we started to play different balls and attack in a different way, they found more freedom, more space, and more capacity to unlock the situations and the block and we created four or five big chances and he was involved in most of them.”