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​Arsenal’s youngsters led the side to an impressive 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in the fourth round of the FA Cup, setting up a tie with Portsmouth on the week commencing 2 March.

18-year-old Bukayo Saka lashed the Gunners into an early lead as he found space on the left-hand side of the box, before sending a thunderous strike through the fingertips of Mark Travers and into the roof of the Cherries net.

A quick turn of pace saw Joe Willock go through one-on-one with the ​Bournemouth shot-stopper, but the angle proved too tight for the youngster, who poked his effort into Travers’ midriff. The home side’s reprieve didn’t last long, however.

Willock’s measured ball picked out the onrushing Saka, giving the left-back the perfect platform to pick out a teammate. He duly obliged, sliding in a low cross to Eddie Nketiah, leaving the unmarked striker with the simplest of tasks as he swept home to put ​Arsenal two ahead.

Bournemouth gained a foothold after the break, with Eddie Howe’s men showing more composure and showing greater care in possession.

Their best opportunity came when Emiliano Martinez charged into no man’s land in a vein attempt to clear a loose ball, the Argentine and Shkodran Mustafi combing to cause havoc in the Arsenal defence.

Fortunately for the pair, Bournemouth couldn’t capitalise on the chaos, Ryan Fraser misdirecting a header at the back post, with that the Cherries last chance of note until the 94th minute, Sam Surridge ghosting into the box and sliding past Martinez as the hosts grabbed a consolation.

Bournemouth

Key Talking Points

There are two ways of looking at this for Howe.

On the one hand, Bournemouth’s performance was disappointing, to say the least. Their first-half display was unacceptable, with the south coast outfit struggling to keep pace with Arsenal’s intelligent off-the-ball movement.

Howe’s worries were compounded by the strength of the lineup he fielded. This was an experienced group of players, yet they looked like rabbits in headlights against Mikel Arteta’s youthful Gunners team. There’s clearly some cause for concern.

Nevertheless, this was an FA Cup fixture, and it’s plainly obvious which competition Bournemouth are prioritising.

Several stars will be restored to the side once ​Premier League action resumes. That’ll give Howe a better chance to assess where his team are at mentally.

Can their 3-0 victory over ​Brighton be a catalyst for change, or was it simply a false dawn for the Cherries?

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Travers (5); Smith (4), Cook (5), Ake (7), Simpson (7*); Surman (6), Cook (5), Gosling (5); H. Wilson (5), Fraser (6), Solanke (5).

Substitutes: C. Wilson (6), Francis (5), Surridge (6).

STAR MAN – Jack Simpson

Bournemouth are not in a winning mindset right now, and it showed.

The Cherries backed off of Arsenal’s attackers far too often, looked timid in possession, and generally lacked energy and purpose around the park. In other words, the comeback was never really on.

Aside from a few glimpses of goal midway through the second period, Bournemouth didn’t offer much of a threat to the visitors. It’s therefore only natural that a defender should be their man of the match.

Jack Simpson ensured the left side of Howe’s backline stayed resolute, whereas right-back Adam Smith was frequently exposed by the superb Saka.

If it weren’t for the efforts of Simpson and Nathan Ake, the Cherries would have been totally overrun.

Arsenal

Key Talking Point

Arteta will have taken plenty of positives from Monday’s win at Bournemouth, having seen a number of his up-and-coming players dazzle in the opening half.

Willock hasn’t set the world alight in 2019/20, but he was Arsenal’s orchestrator tonight, distributing well and incessantly driving at Cherries defenders.

Nketiah likewise looked sharp, as did Gabriel Martinelli and Matteo Guendouzi. In fact, there wasn’t a single young gun who failed to deliver for Arteta, with Saka undoubtedly the side’s instrumental player.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Martinez (6); Bellerin (7), Mustafi (7), Sokratis (7), Saka (8*); Guendouzi (7), Xhaka (8); Pepe (6), Willock (8), Martinelli (8); Nketiah (7).

Substitutes: Holding (6), Ceballos (7), Maitland-Niles (6).

STAR MAN – Bukayo Saka

Saka had a fine evening at the Vitality Stadium, the teenager hitting his third goal of the campaign after walloping a shot beyond Travers.

With displays like this, he’ll soon have the left-back position on lockdown. The academy graduate has proved to Arteta he’s got the attributes for the role, and there’s every chance his coach will keep faith.

​​The form of Saka could also hand Granit Xhaka a lifeline at the Emirates Stadium. The flexibility of Arteta’s system sees the latter cover when his teammate bombs forward, giving the teenager freedom to join attacks and utilise his offensive skill-set.

Looking Ahead

Bournemouth return to ​Premier League action as they entertain ​Aston Villa at the Vitality on Saturday, before making the journey to Yorkshire for a clash with ​Sheffield United.

Arsenal face a trip to Turf Moor on Sunday, with hosts ​Burnley in good shape, having won three of their last four top-flight fixtures. The Gunners follow that up with a home match versus ​Newcastle United, who haven’t tasted defeat since new year’s day.

Ante Rebić came to AC Milan’s rescue yet again as his second-half strike was enough to earn I Rossoneri a nervy 1-0 win over Brescia on Friday.

Having endured a slow start to his Milan career, ​Rebić put in a stellar showing last time out against Udinese as he fired two goals – including a 93rd-minute winner – to steer Milan to a 3-2 win.

While his performance against Brescia was far less dramatic, it was a similar result for Rebić, whose goal ensured ​Milan‘s winning run has now stretched to three games in all competitions.

Stefano Pioli’s side did come close to opening the scoring early in the game. Striker Zlatan Ibrahimović had an early penalty appeal turned down, while his looping header came agonisingly close to dropping over the line soon after.

However, it was by no means one-way traffic as Brescia had a number of fantastic opportunities. Milan needed crucial tackles from both Alessio Romagnoli and Andrea Cistana to keep out what looked like certain goals, while Gianluigi Donnarumma also had to claw an effort away off the line.

Shortly before the interval, Ibrahimović will have thought he was set to open the scoring after Theo Hernández’s cross found him six yards out from goal, but the Swede somehow managed to fire wide of the target.

The second half was similar to the first as Brescia attacked with real energy. Ernesto Torregrossa saw an acrobatic effort fire back off the woodwork, before Donnarumma was again called upon to save the day.

The young goalkeeper made a handful of crucial saves, and Brescia were made to pay for their profligacy in the 71st minute. Ibrahimović’s cross towards Samu Castillejo was deflected into the path of Rebić, who poked home to give Milan the lead.

Substitute Emanuele Ndoj should have equalised for Brescia soon after, only for his scuffed effort to make life easy for Donnarumma.

Milan thought they had grabbed a late second through Castillejo, but the goal was eventually ruled out after Ibrahimović was deemed to be offside in the buildup.

Fortunately, it did not matter, as Milan held on to pick up their third win on the trot, climbing up to sixth in the ​Serie A standings as a result.

​Atletico Madrid were stunned by third tier Cultural Leonesa – best known in England for their ‘tuxedo shirt’ kit design a few years ago – in the Copa del Rey round of 32, with Diego Simeone’s side crashing out of the competition with a shocking 2-1 defeat.

Atletico took a second half lead through Angel Correa but the visitors managed to scored a late equaliser before sensationally going on to snatch a winning goal in extra time. The disappointing result heaped further misery on Los Rojiblancos, after they had previously tasted defeat against Eibar on Saturday.

Atletico fielded a fairly strong team, with Joao Felix and Saul Niguez both included in the starting line up. Despite this, the visitors struggled to break down a stubborn Leonesa defence and were starved of scoring opportunities in the first half.

Atleti’s best chance of the opening period came seven minutes in when Vitolo was set free by a fantastic Joao Felix through ball, only for the Spaniard to not convert. Lucas Giffard was then forced into a good save to deny Héctor Herrera, in the only other chance of note during a disappointing opening 45 minutes for Diego Simeone’s side.

Atletico improved after the break, with Vitolo forcing Giffard into another fine save early on. They did manage open the scoring soon after through Correa, when the Argentine latched onto Felix’s clever pass and fired a shot into the back of the net.

Despite dominating possession, Atleti failed to create many more chances and they were made made to pay for their lack of invention when the hosts found an equaliser courtesy of a fine volley from Julen Castaneda. An incredible double save from the Leonesa goalkeeper then sent the game to extra time, much to Simeone’s fury.

The Argentine blood pressure was further increased when the home side registered a sensational winner through Sergio Benito Crujera with just 12 minutes left in the additional period.

Next up, Atleti return to league action, taking on struggling Leganes on Sunday as they look to break out of this worrying spell of form.

​Liverpool could agree a fee for RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner before the end of the season, with a view to acquiring the striker in the summer.

Werner is one of Europe’s hottest properties right now as he enjoys another rip-roaring season in the Bundesliga, with the German already bagging 20 goals and registering six assists as Die Roten Bullen sit top of the division.

Links to ​Liverpool and Real Madrid have been circling for a number of months, while Chelsea’s hunt for forward reinforcements has seen them also heavily linked to the 23-year-old. Fellow ​Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich are also credited with an interest, as Werner’s sparkling form has resulted in a clamour across the continent for his signature.

Nevertheless, Werner has insisted he will not leave Leipzig mid-season, as the club bid to secure a maiden top-flight title this term. However, reports from Germany suggested that Werner would like a move sometime in the future – potentially the summer – with Liverpool his ​preferred choice.

Following on from that, Ian McGarry has suggested that the parties involved could agree on a fee for Werner before the end of the season, paving the way for a move to Anfield in the summer.

“Werner will not leave Leipzig in this window, he wants to stay and see out the season with the club who are leading the Bundesliga at this moment in time and who remain in Champions League contention as well,” McGarry said on the Transfer Window podcast.

“However, Liverpool are his preferred destination and indeed Liverpool are in the box-seat to sign him. But that would certainly be in the summer window to be completed.

“It’s not ruling out that a fee might be agreed between now and then for the player. However, there will be no transfer of Werner until the summer.”

There are three-and-a-half years remaining on the striker’s deal with Leipzig, who signed him for just €10m from Stuttgart in 2016. The release clause in his contract currently stands at €60m, so perhaps there could be some wiggle room in terms of the overall fee. That said, the sum reduces with each passing year, and his release clause is fairly meagre for a player of his calibre.

All that aside, whether Liverpool will be keen to bring another forward in to their front line is another matter. At present, they boast the ​Premier League’s, if not Europe’s, finest front three in Mo Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, with the likes of Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi acting as backup. So a move for Werner, at present, seems an unlikely priority this coming window.

​Arsenal came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea, having spent most of the match with a one-man disadvantage after David Luiz’s early red card.

Tammy Abraham missed a fantastic chance to put the hosts into the lead inside the opening 15 minutes, while Callum Hudson-Odoi saw a miss-hit cross graze the top of the crossbar as it went out for a goal kick.

Jorginho was able to put Chelsea into the lead from the penalty spot after Luiz fouled Abraham in the area – also resulting in a red card for the Brazilian after Shkodran Mustafi’s awful backpass put the Arsenal defence under pressure.

Chelsea didn’t make the extra man count at all and Gabriel Martinelli pulled Arsenal’s back on level terms with an outstanding solo goal, while only the offside flag stopped Alexandre Lacazette from completing an incredible comeback.

The offside flag didn’t come to Arsenal’s aid at the other end of the pitch when César Azpilicueta picked out the back of the net with just five minutes left, but Héctor Bellerín responded almost immediately with a curling effort from the edge of the area.

Here’s our breakdown of the game.

Chelsea

Key Talking Point

There was an obvious weakness in Arsenal’s starting lineup from the get-go, and Callum Hudson-Odoi was causing makeshift left-back Bukayo Saka all sorts of problems throughout the opening 45 minutes.

It wasn’t quite as easy to turn Chelsea’s threat down the right-wing into clear chances at goal, but David Luiz’s roots at Stamford Bridge showed through when he conceded a penalty and was sent off after Shkodran Mustafi’s blunder.

But Frank Lampard’s side just didn’t capitalise on their advantage in numbers, worryingly letting Arsenal claw their way back into the match on two different occasions.

Player Ratings

Kepa (6); Azpilicueta (7), Christensen (5), Rudiger (6), Emerson (5); Kante (6), Jorginho (7), Kovacic (6); Hudson-Odoi (8), Abraham (6), Willian (6).

Substitutes: Barkley (6), Mount (6), Batshuayi (4).

Callum Hudson-Odoi

It’s no surprise given Arsenal’s weakness down the left side of the pitch, but Callum Hudson-Odoi was nothing short of unplayable on Tuesday evening.

The England international showed exactly why he’s considered as one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League and he had Arsenal’s makeshift full-back Bukayo Saka on toast throughout the match.

The 19-year-old was given a helping hand by Arsenal’s comical efforts in defence, but nothing can be taken away from Hudson-Odoi as he looked to show why he can become their long-term replacement for Eden Hazard.

Arsenal

Key Talking Point

Despite what Mikel Arteta’s side have shown in recent weeks, Arsenal just couldn’t quite find their rhythm in west London throughout the early stages of the match.

Things were made even worse when Shkodran Mustafi needlessly put his side under pressure with a woeful backpass, something which resulted in David Luiz conceding a penalty and getting a red card in the process.

Gabriel Martinelli filled Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shoes with a stunning solo goal and Héctor Bellerín’s late strike earned what was probably a deserved point for Arteta’s side in west London.

Player Ratings

Leno (8); Bellerin (7), Mustafi (2), Luiz (6), Saka (5); Torreira (6), Xhaka (8), Ozil (4); Pepe (7), Lacazette (6), Martinelli (8).

Substitutes: Guendouzi (7), Holding (7), Willock (N/A).

Granit Xhaka

We know Arsenal fans, you want a whole section dedicated to Gabriel Martinelli – the Brazilian certainly deserves it too – but Granit Xhaka deserves all the credit for his impressive and professional performance at Stamford Bridge.

The Switzerland international spent the majority of the game playing out of position as a defender, and Xhaka actually looked more accomplished in defence than World Cup-winning centre-back Shkodran Mustafi.

Looking Ahead

It’s FA Cup action this weekend and Chelsea have a tough trip away to Hull City, while Arsenal face Premier League opposition in Bournemouth.

​Liverpool midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has confirmed his absence from the club’s 2-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday was merely a precaution.

A strained hamstring saw the Switzerland international miss three games during the winter period, having already sat out eight matches in the early stages of the campaign due to a calf issue. He has made only three starts for the Reds this campaign, while making a further seven appearances from the bench.

Speaking to the club’s ​official website, Shaqiri said: “[The injury] is just slight. I had a little problem in training. So, I hope I might be back later this week. Let’s see – I cannot say now, but it will be good if so.

Discussing his mindset towards the setbacks he has faced in 2019/20, the 28-year-old explained: “I didn’t have a lot of playing rhythm [in the first half of the campaign]. I missed pre-season also, and there were different reasons why I got some knocks, maybe.

“I’m staying positive and I still try to have the opportunity to give my best and to help the team,” he concluded.

An appearance in ​Liverpool’s league meeting with ​Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday night is doubtful, but Shaqiri could play a role in his side’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Shrewsbury Town three days later.

It’s understood he would be open to leaving Anfield as he looks to find a solution for his ‘disappointing’ lack of game-time. However, all escape routes have now been blocked, with the Reds ​refusing to let any of their first-team players leave in January.

That has seen a potential loan move to Roma ​​fall flat in recent weeks. Jurgen Klopp is adamant Shaqiri is a core member of his squad, viewing the playmaker as a useful impact substitute when he’s looking to shake things up.

‘If Liverpool beat Manchester City at Anfield, they’ll win the league.’ – Everyone, 9 November 2019.

‘OK but really, if Liverpool come through the Christmas period with their lead intact, then they’ll win the league.’ Everyone, 1 December 2019.

‘Yeah, but for real this time, if Liverpool beat Leicester, they’re gonna win the league.’ – Everyone, Christmas Day 2019.

‘If Liverpool come through this triple-header with Tottenham, Manchester United and Wolves, then that’s the league done.’ – Everyone, last weekend.

It’s time to stop putting imaginary obstacles in Liverpool’s way, and face the truth; they’re going to win the ​Premier League. 

Two-thirds of the way through the most recent imposed marker on their way to the title, the Reds have taken six points. A narrow, squeezed-out win at Tottenham preceded a gutsy victory over a sturdy foe in United, putting them 16 clear at the top. Closest challengers Manchester City have just 45 left to play for.

Oh, and the Reds have a game in hand.

You could put Norwich in ​Liverpool’s position now, and they would probably win the division.

Hell, you could put Liverpool in Norwich’s position, and the way they’re going, you wouldn’t put it past them. (No, that’s a mathematical impossibility, but you get the drift.)

Indeed, the maths are telling us it’s game over. Somehow, though, it’s the swagger and maturity they have shown, more than their literally unprecedented points haul, that tell us they are not about to let this one get away.

That was evident once again in the win over United at Anfield; a win that showcased all the strengths of this side, and demonstrated how it can win, win well, and win consistently regardless of the of the mitigating factors.

The performance against ​United showed us the illusion of chinks in the armour that we have been seeing all season.

Liverpool’s defending, for a long spell in the second half, left a bit to be desired, with United finding space in behind the back four with relative frequency as they turned up the pressure in search of an equaliser.

At the other end, it can be said that each of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané have seen a dip in their collective attacking output since the start of the season, and that was once again evident as Liverpool missed a number of glorious chances to kill the game dead.

Yet, while neither defence nor attack was performing at its very best, they were able to keep a clean sheet, and rely on Salah to score the second goal.

In many ways, the victory was a microcosm of their season so far. Not stylish or breathtaking, not always convincing, but the result was there. And that’s all that counts.

It’s time, then, to realise that Liverpool consistently winning these relatively even games when their own performance falls slightly (or more) below par, isn’t a fluke. It’s not luck, fortune, an act of God or anything else that detracts from the sheer might of what they’ve done so far.

Rather, their ability to win these games is an attribute in and of itself. It’s intangible, it’s impossible to define and it’s even harder to train; but it’s clearly there.

And that’s why they’ve taken 162 points from a possible 180 since the start of last season, a rate that outpaces literally every other team in the history of English football over a 60 game period.

‘Now you’re gonna believe us, we’re gonna win the league’ is a song that has so far been outlawed and stripped completely from the Anfield hymn sheet so far this season, with Reds fans not prepared to do anything to jinx their pursuit of a first ever Premier League title, as some felt they did six years ago.

When Mohamed Salah’s low effort hit the back of the net at 18:20 on Sunday, however, the famous stadium erupted into its former chorus once again. Even the most cautious, the most superstitious, the most skeptical and the most pessimistic know it’s coming.

The only people yet to accept that reality are Jurgen Klopp and his players; and that is perhaps why they are as good as they are.