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WHO IS IT? DIMITAR BERBATOV NAMES ARSENAL'S SHOCK TITLE RACE RIVAL

Dimitar Berbatov dismisses Arsenal's 6-point lead, saying it's "nothing." The ex-Man Utd star warns the festive period will be the true test for the Gunners.

Who Is It? Dimitar Berbatov Names Arsenal's Shock Title Race Rival
Berbatov Reveals Team Ready To Surprise Arsenal In League

Dimitar Berbatov isn't buying into the hype that Arsenal's already won the league. He thinks their lead is nothing right now.

The Gunners, looking for their first title since 2004, went six points ahead after beating Tottenham 4-1.

They wanted to take advantage of Liverpool and Manchester City losing, and they did, beating Spurs to get a better hold on the title race.

Mikel Arteta’s team has come in second for the past three years, but they might finally win the title after 22 years.

Berbatov, who won the league twice with Manchester United, believes Arsenal will be really tested during the busy holiday season. He says we'll know more about their chances in the New Year.

He's not impressed with Arsenal's six-point lead and thinks Chelsea could challenge for the title.

Enzo Maresca’s team, which won the Club World Cup, has won five of their last six games and is now second in the league.

When asked if Arsenal's good form meant the title race was over, Berbatov told ESPN, No way.

Everyone knows the Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint. The holidays are coming, with games that will really test you.

If you get through that period with good results and you're still on top with a good lead, then you're halfway there.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Sure, Liverpool is low in the table, and Man City is losing points, but teams like Chelsea could surprise people.

Six points are nice, but in the Premier League, it's nothing. It can disappear fast.

Chelsea is also being talked about as a possible title contender by John Terry.

The Blues can cut Arsenal's lead to just three points when they play them on Saturday.

"A big game this weekend as Arsenal comes to the Bridge," Terry said on TikTok.

I'm not saying it'll decide the title, but I think it'll be one of those two teams [who wins the league].

For me, Liverpool is out of it. They look like they're struggling right now.

Talking about Chelsea's recent win over Burnley, Terry added, "Good away win for the boys; it's really important to get those three points, especially after some pressure from Burnley in the first half."

I said they'd try to hit us on the counter, and they did. We had three great blocks on defence.

I think in the second half, we needed to take our chances, especially against better teams.

Before Chelsea plays Arsenal, they have a big Champions League game against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Arsenal is also playing in Europe this week, with Bayern Munich coming to their stadium on Wednesday.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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