LONDON: Arsenal closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, smashing third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to surge five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who collected their third point of the season, while Bournemouth grabbed a point at stuttering Chelsea, forcing a 2-2 draw after a frantic first-half display.
Man United are sixth, level on 30 points with fifth-placed Chelsea.
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal slammed the door shut on charging Villa, ending their club-record winning run of 11 games.
Goals by Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Zubimendi early in the second half gave Arsenal control of a game that had looked fraught with danger.
Gabriel bundled in the opener from a corner in the 48th minute before Martin Odegaard slid a pass through for Zubimendi to score four minutes later. Arsenal secured the points when Leandro Trossard fired home from the edge of the area before Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to add the fourth.
Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation goal for Villa in stoppage time.
“I think it was amazing,” Jesus told Sky Sports. “It’s always hard to play against them... The mentality of the team is really, really growing and each game is growing even more and I think we are winning today because of the mentality.”
Arsenal top the standings with 45 points, while second-placed Manchester City can close the gap when they play at Sunderland on Thursday.
Villa are six points adrift of Arsenal.
It took six minutes at Stamford Bridge for Bournemouth to shock Chelsea when David Brooks grabbed the opener. Cole Palmer equalized from the spot in the 15th minute and Fernandez put Chelsea ahead with a bullet shot eight minutes later.
Justin Kluivert brought Bournemouth back level in the 27th, to grab a point, adding to the London side’s unenviable record of one win in seven league games. Chelsea sit fifth, while Bournemouth are 10 spots below them.
Man Utd struggle
Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee made the most of a rare start by giving the depleted hosts the lead with a deflected shot from the edge of the box in the 27th minute.
But Wolves managed to level just before the break thanks to a header from Ladislav Krejci.
Patrick Dorgu briefly celebrated what he thought was a 90th-minute winner, but it was chalked off for offside.
“We struggled in all the game,” United boss Ruben Amorim said. “We had a lack of creation... the fluidity offensively wasn’t there.
“We didn’t play well. When you don’t play well with the ball, you struggle without it.”
Wolves have three points from 19 games, 15 points from the safety zone.
Newcastle United’s Joelinton scored after 65 seconds and Yoane Wissa doubled their lead five minutes later in a 3-1 thrashing of 19th-placed Burnley, who are winless in their last 10 games.
Josh Laurent pulled one back in the 23rd minute, but Bruno Guimaraes sealed Newcastle’s rare away win with a goal in stoppage time.
Everton climbed to eighth in the standings with a 2-0 win over their former manager Sean Dyche and Nottingham Forest thanks to goals from James Garner and Thierno Barry.
West Ham United drew 2-2 with Brighton & Hove Albion in a game that featured three penalties in the first half.
Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta, from the penalty spot, scored before the break for West Ham, while Brighton’s Danny Welbeck struck from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute but fired another off the crossbar.
Joel Veltman scored for Brighton in the 61st minute to secure the draw.
There are four more games on New Year’s Day, including fourth-placed Liverpool hosting Leeds United at Anfield.
Arsenal thrash Villa 4-1 while Chelsea and Man Utd both held
https://arab.news/jup6q
Arsenal thrash Villa 4-1 while Chelsea and Man Utd both held
- Arsenal end Aston Villa’s 11-game winning streak
- Wolves earn third point of season against Man United
‘We have been empowered’: 2025 SEF Awards shine a light on Saudi Arabia’s rapidly evolving esports sector
- Leading voices from from the Kingdom’s gaming industry share their thoughts on the sector with Arab News at the 6th annual awards ceremony
RIYADH: Esports took center stage in Riyadh on Thursday night as the stars of the past year were honored at the SEF Awards 2025 in a night of celebration at Boulevard City’s SEF Arena.
While the winners had plenty to celebrate on the night, prior to the ceremony Arab News also chatted with some of the key figures from the Saudi Esports Federation to discuss the development of Saudi Arabia’s wider esports landscape and the achievements so far.
Riyadh has in recent years worked to establish itself as a major hub for international esports, hosting annual events such as Gamers8, the Esports World Cup and the FIFAe World Cup among others, and the federation has played a central role in developing and shaping the industry to help achieve this.
Loay Al-Mujadidi, the federation’s chief esports and commercial officer, attributed the growth of the esports industry in Saudi Arabia to several factors, all led by unified national backing for the sector.
“First of all, it comes down to the amazing support from the government,” he said. “We have been empowered with a great deal of resources and entrusted to deliver more.
“And I believe the real driver here is that the Saudi population and the residents here genuinely love gaming.”
This passion for gaming is reflected in the numbers of people in the country involved in esports.
“We have more than 2,300 players registered at the professional level, and last year we witnessed the participation of more than 240,000 students in the School League, as well as 45 universities competing in the University League,” Al-Mujadidi said.
Ibrahim Al-Sheddi, chief shared services officer at the federation, highlighted a cohesive national strategy for esports as a key catalyst for growth.
“When you look at the national strategy of gaming and esports, part of it is to engage with the community and increase the number of participants to enable all talents around the Kingdom to enter the sector,” he said.
“As you know, esports is still considered a niche sector and Saudi Arabia is the only government investing at this scale.”
This investment is already paying dividends, Al-Sheddi said, as Saudi Arabia has one of the most digitally engaged populations in the world.
“When you have 67 percent of the population under 30 identifying as gamers, this provides you with the foundation to transform esports and make it a genuine investment and long-term career path for the talent,” he added.
Al-Mujadidi echoed this assessment, noting that career-development opportunities in esports extend beyond players.
“You now have coaches, referees, casters and analysts,” he said. “There’s a whole adjacent universe being built next to the core of these sports, and we are continuing to work with the Saudi Esports Federation Academy to boost these career paths, and increase them as well.”
These initiatives and opportunities extend to female players, a rapidly growing segment of the global esports industry and one that is increasingly prominent in Saudi Arabia. The federation’s CEO, Rawan Al-Butairi, highlighted this shift and said the organization is taking a structural approach to inclusivity for women.
“Beyond the fundamental role of having a specific genre in our league that truly caters for female players, we have offerings that are part of our academy designed to specifically support them,” she said.
“We also run initiatives where we showcase important female role models, such as Najd Fahad and Modhi Al-Kanhal, and support different clubs to ensure that we do right by the female community.”
Al-Kanhal was one of the standout winners on Thursday night, claiming the Best Female Player award.
Al-Butairi also emphasized youth empowerment as a key pillar for the continued development of esports.
“The youth are the true lifeblood for the growth of this sector and, honestly, they make our role here easier,” she said. “Hence, I think it is a fundamental tool to ensure we grow in a more sustainable way.”
Musaed Al-Dawsari, one of Saudi Arabia’s most accomplished esports competitors and CEO of Team Falcons, which was crowned Best Club during the awards ceremony, echoed the optimism voiced by the federation executives.
“As a gamer, I couldn’t be happier,” he said. “Saudi Arabia wants to be at the center of the esports world, and I think we’ve already reached that point.”
This year marked the sixth annual SEF Awards, organized by the Saudi Esports Federation. The event honored the cream of esports talent across 22 categories, including three that were new this year.
The ceremony also serves as a celebration of the rapidly evolving Saudi esports sector, organizers said, by recognizing the achievements of players, clubs, content creators and the wider community.
