PREMIER LEAGUE

 

 

Chelsea frontman Andre Schurrle edges closer to Wolfsburg... with Juan Cuadrado's transfer set to be announced on Monday

• Klaus Allofs confirmed Wolfsburg club are still keen to sign Andre Schurrle
• Chelsea will announce £26million signing of Juan Cuadrado on Monday
• Mohamed Salah will join Fiorentina on loan as part of the switch 

Chelsea and Wolfsburg are inching closer to an agreement on Andre Schurrle with bonus payments the key. 

Wolfsburg general manager Klaus Allofs said: 'There is no agreement at the moment. The clock is running out. Our options are getting less hour by hour. It depends on money. We still would like to sign him.' 

Chelsea will announce the £26million signing of Juan Cudrado from Fiorentina on Monday morning after Mohamed Salah agreed to go on loan to the Italian side.

The clubs also agreed a five percent sell on to Cuadrado's former club Independiente Medellin.

Cuadrado has written a heartfelt message to Fiorentina supporters as his switch to Chelsea moves closer to completion.

The Colombian winger said Florence 'will always be in his heart' in a message posted on his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts on Saturday morning. 

Arsenal 5-0 Aston Villa: Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, and Hector Bellerin all strike as five-star Gunners crush hapless Villans

• Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for Arsenal after a superb flick from Mesut Ozil 
• Ozil had a goal disallowed in the first half but did score in the second 
• Theo Walcott scored a well-taken third goal, set up by Santi Cazorla - who scored the fourth
• Hector Bellerin then compounded Villa's misery with a fifth goal  
• New signing Gabriel was named on the bench for the Gunners  

Sometimes there are those days when everything just seems to drop into place. Those who need a goal are confident and clinical, those paid to keep them out are focused and alert; and Aston Villa are in town.

Theo Walcott invited ninth-month-old son Finley along to his first game and was able to mark the occasion with his first goal in the Barclays Premier League for more than a year.

'In the second half, I can't think of a more one-sided game,' said Walcott, swept up in the euphoria of a fifth successive win, and the joy of being fit. 

MATCH FACTS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE BY SAMI MOKBEL

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina 7; Bellerin 7.5, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 7, Monreal 7; Coquelin 7.5, Ramsey 7 (Flamini 77, 6.5), Walcott 7 (Rosicky 70, 6.5), Cazorla 9, Ozil 8.5; Giroud (Akpom 70, 7).

Subs not used: Szczesny, Gibbs, Gabriel, Chambers.

Scorers: Giroud, Ozil, Walcott, Cazorla, Bellerin.

Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan 6.5; Hutton 5.5, Clark 5.5, Okore 5.5, Richardson 6; Sanchez 4 (Westwood 76, 5), Delph 6, Cleverley 5 (Agbonlahor 66, 5); Gil 6, Weimann 5.5 (Sinclair 66, 5), Benteke 6.

Subs not used: Baker, Bacuna, Cissokho, Given.

Booked: Gil, Clark.

MOM: Cazorla. 

Ref: Anthony Taylor 6.5.

Att: 59958.

Mesut Ozil also scored his first in the Premier League since a long injury absence. It was his first since he last played Villa, and Ozil weighed in on the baby theme with a thumb-sucking celebration dedicated to his niece.

Teenager Hector Bellerin found the net, too, with his first for the club, while Olivier Giroud grabbed the opener and Santi Cazorla struck from the penalty spot, a goal which his fabulous performance deserved.

There might have been more. Twice Arsenal rattled the goal frame and Ozil saw one ruled out for offside, all of which must have been very painful for Villa to witness.

Paul Lambert's team have not scored in more than 10 hours, and the fact they dominated possession and missed very good chances at key moments is of little consolation.

'We scored goals and we didn't concede,' said Wenger. 'Our offensive game was good even though we had weaker periods when Aston Villa were in possession. We always looked dangerous when we got through their lines. And we were defensively sound. Overall, it was a positive day for us.

'I feel a bit for Villa. They were caught in last 20 minutes because they were tired. The second goal was a blow for them. But overall they did fight.' 

Arsenal have won three on the bounce in the Premier League for the first time this season, building on the victory at Manchester City.

Walcott, Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Laurent Koscielny are back after injuries, but Wenger's decisions to bring in goalkeeper David Ospina and Francis Coquelin, who has added bite in midfield, have provided stability in the team, together with what seems a tactical tweak to concede a little more possession and operate on the break.

There was no Alexis Sanchez, who was resting a tight hamstring, but, with such an array of creative talent, Arsenal will always score goals. More importantly, these three wins have been achieved without conceding once.

'We have found better consistency,' said Wenger. 'That will be important until the end. Let's show we can win more. Confidence is higher but defensive stability vital. When you don't have that you suffer.

'It's too early to say we are in the title race. We are 11 points behind. They need to lose four and we need to win four. Let's try to be consistent and see what happens.'

When Ozil's ambitious heel-flick cleared Jores Okore and fell perfectly for Giroud, there was a hint it might be one of those days. Once he cleared it from under his feet, Giroud, clipped a neat finish over the dive of Brad Guzan.

Cazorla thumped a low curler into a post, Ozil was denied by a flag and Guzan saved from Ramsey.

Villa steadied but were cautious. Even on the turnover of possession, they appeared reluctant to commit anyone in support of the ball-carrier, often leaving it to the front three, who were overwhelmed.

Even so, three minutes before half-time, the visitors should have been level and would have been were it not for a fabulous save from Ospina.

Andreas Weimann beat Bellerin in the air to meet a cross at close range but Ospina sprang to his left to keep it out. He made another fine save in stoppage time to deny Ashley Westwood, but Weimann’s header was the big chance.

Score and it might change the rhythm of the game, panic Arsenal, but it was saved and within seconds Kieran Richardson was lunging into a last-ditch tackle to avert another dangerous breakaway from Walcott.

Christian Benteke missed the target as Villa came out for the second half with more adventure, which only made it easier for Arsenal to rip them apart on the counter-attack. Since his players were wasteful in possession, it is easy to understand why Lambert operates with caution.

Giroud supplied Ozil for the second, who took it on at pace and applied a precision finish, and Walcott made it three, cutting in from the left, trading passes with Cazorla and swerving his shot inside the post.

Giroud headed against the bar before he was replaced by Chuba Akpom, who soon won a penalty, tumbling over Guzan after beating the keeper to a though ball.

Guzan read Cazorla’s plan to smash it down the centre and stood firm but was only able to deflect the powerful strike into the net with his left-hand. Bellerin slid in the fifth, a beautifully accurate side-footed finish from the edge of the penalty box.

It was one of those days. Aston Villa: therapy for the goalless. If only they could play against themselves.