Olivier Giroud backs Arsenal to mount a title challenge next season

Giroud has echoed Gunners boss Arsene Wenger in his assertion that the squad is making up ground on Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United after almost a decade of finishing outside the top two places in the Premier League.
Arsenal matched champions-elect Chelsea in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium, although Wenger has still to defeat a Jose Mourinho team in 12 attempts.

Arsenal's Theo Walcott says competition for places is behind the club's strong recent form

The third-placed Gunners have been in great form in the Premier League since January, although their charge stalled on Sunday when they were held 0-0 at home to leaders Chelsea.
That result left them 10 points behind and all-but ended any lingering hopes they had of reeling in the Blues but Walcott believes the strength in depth in the squad means a title challenge next season will be on the cards.

Wenger: Fabregas deserves respect

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called on the club's fans to show Cesc Fabregas "the respect he deserves" when the former Gunners captain returns to the Emirates Stadium in a Chelsea shirt on Sunday.
Fabregas, 27, has been integral to the Blues' Barclays Premier League title challenge this season after joining from Barcelona in the summer.

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Arsenal had reluctantly sold the Spain midfielder back to his boyhood club for £30million in June 2011 and were understood to have first option should the player come back onto the market.
A potential deal never materialised though as Fabregas - who played more than 300 games for Arsenal after breaking into the first team as a 16-year-old - joined up with Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge instead.

A fumble from Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici in extra time handed Arsenal a 2-1 victory and a place in the FA Cup final. Sky Bet

The Royals keeper, who had made some fine saves earlier in the match, allowed Alexis Sanchez's low shot to squirm between his legs and over the line on 115 minutes, which was enough to see the Gunners return to Wembley on May 30 to try to defend the trophy.
Sanchez had swept the Gunners into the lead on 39 minutes.
However, Reading were level when Garath McCleary's volley was deflected past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who could only palm the ball back over the line.
Arsenal twice hit the woodwork through a header from defender Gabriel and a close-range shot by Aaron Ramsey, but could not find a winner in normal time.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger named a strong XI and made the expected positive start, with Danny Welbeck the main outlet as he latched onto a through ball into the Reading penalty area from full-back Kieran Gibbs, which goalkeeper Federici came out to block.
The Royals number one had to be alert again with a smart save on eight minutes when Per Mertesacker met a corner from Mesut Ozil at the near post.
Reading - who had lost all off their past 12 meetings with Arsenal over the past 80 years - looked to counter themselves and had plenty of pace through Scotland forward Jamie Mackie.
Midfielder Jordan Obita tested Szczesny, back in goal for the cup tie on his 25th birthday, with a low effort from 25 yards.
Sanchez darted clear and stabbed the ball past the advancing Federici, before being clipped by the goalkeeper's trailing leg well outside the penalty area. However, referee Martin Atkinson signalled only for a goal-kick.
Reading - who had conceded just two goals in their five FA Cup ties this season, but were without a victory in six league games - sat deep as Arsenal failed to break them down.
The Championship side, though, were finally carved open on 39 minutes by a goal of the highest craftsmanship.
Mesut Ozil looked up, some 30 yards out, before floating a perfectly weighted pass to Sanchez in the penalty area.
The diminutive Chile forward turned back inside Garath McCleary before slotting past Federici.
With the pressure eased for the second half, Arsenal started brightly, as a backward header from Mertesacker dropped just wide.
Reading looked in need of something extraordinary to revive hopes of making a first FA Cup final in the club's history.

Cesc Fabregas: Former Arsenal man returns on brink of Chelsea title win

Arsenal is in my heart and always will be. It's a club that is always going to be there and will always open its doors to me.” 
Those were the words of Cesc Fabregas in October 2013, but eight months later he found the door firmly shut by Arsene Wenger. There was to be no fairy-tale return.

Arsenal v Chelsea: Why Wenger can end Mourinho hoodoo

Since the start of his first spell as Chelsea boss in 2004, Mourinho has played 39 league games against his main rivals in England - the Gunners, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City - and lost only three of them.

Mourinho's results against the Gunners have been particularly impressive. In 12 meetings in all competitions over the past decade, Wenger has never beaten him.

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Chelsea complete signing of Fabregas

 

There was the possibility of a romantic return to Arsenal, where Fabregas had spent eight years and captained the side before joining the La Liga giants in 2011. However, the midfielder admitted the Gunners had turned down their option of first refusal.
Jose Mourinho later stated his interest in bringing in the Spanish international, who has been allowed to leave by new Barca boss Luis Enrique, and now the deal has been confirmed by the Blues.
Fabregas, who is currently away with Spain for the World Cup, told Chelsea's official website: "Firstly I would like to thank everyone at FC Barcelona where I enjoyed three wonderful years.
"It was my childhood club and I will always be proud and honoured that I had a chance to play for such a great team.
"I do feel that I have unfinished business in the Premier League and now is the right time for me to return. Yes, everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me.
"They decided not to take this option and therefore it wasn't meant to be. I wish them well in the future. I considered all the other offers very carefully and I firmly believe that Chelsea is the best choice.
"They match my footballing ambitions with their hunger and desire to win trophies. They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible manager. I am fully committed to this team and I can't wait to start playing.
"It was extremely important to me that this transfer was completed before the World Cup so that my mind will only be focused on hopefully helping my country try to retain the trophy."

Read more at http://talksport.com/football/chelsea-complete-signing-fabregas-14061295925#diHJQ4lZwybwZppV.99

Ozil is unique' - Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hails Arsenal star 'Ozil is unique' - Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hails Arsenal star

Mesut Özil shakes his head as he recalls last year’s World Cup semi-final. “We were playing Brazil, in Brazil, and they were having a good tournament like us. We were expecting a really tough game. How could we be 3-0, 4-0 up?”
It rapidly got even better for Germany. “Going into half-time with a 5-0 lead did our confidence the world of good,” says Özil, as masterful with a herculean understatement as he is with a deft assist. “During half-time, we just looked at each other in shock. But the manager brought us to our senses. He told us not to underestimate Brazil. This is football, anything can happen. Nobody expected Sweden to come back against us but they did [from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier], so we knew we could not take our foot off the gas in the second half.”
So much for the rumour that Germany made a half-time pact to go easy on a shattered Brazil in the second half of their 7-1 win. The final, says Özil, meant even more: “Germany had a habit of just getting to semi-finals, so I was so focused on winning that game. We did not come all this way to lose. I was ready to do whatever was required for the team to win.”

Arsenal v Chelsea: Tickets for match selling for up to £950

The game between the two London clubs on 26 April is officially sold out but tickets are being sold on exchange websites.
It could be a potential title decider between the current top two teams in the league.
Tickets at the Emirates for category A matches such as the Chelsea game cost up to £97 on the official website.
Arsenal's match-day tickets are the most expensive in the Premier League.
One website is selling a ticket in the Chelsea section for £950, with the most expensive ticket in the Arsenal section going for £712.50, an almost 700% increase on the normal price.
Arsenal are second in the league, seven points behind leaders Chelsea, who have a game in hand.

Post-match reaction to Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Burnley.

Arsene Wenger challenged Arsenal to extend their winning run until the end of the season after a gutsy 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Aaron Ramsey's 12th-minute goal gave the Gunners their eighth straight Barclays Premier League victory which leaves them four points behind leaders Chelsea, although Jose Mourinho's men have two games in hand.
Wenger said: "Nothing has changed - we need a perfect run and we need a non-perfect run from them but we can't master that, we can only master our own position.
"We want to keep winning because we have to look behind us as well at Manchester United and Manchester City.
"We are consistent and we have a good attitude in the team so it is a challenge for the team and we have to focus and win the next game."
Wenger was particularly pleased with the way his side coped with Burnley's physical threat and paid a rich tribute to the performance of Sean Dyche's men, who came close to salvaging a point through late chances for George Boyd and Danny Ings.
The Frenchman added: "I was surprised by the quality of Burnley and it will be a shame if they go down because they have done fantastically well.
"They are organised, they press well and they show great solidarity. They are very fit and I understand now why they took points from the big teams.
"You have to fight and be combative until the end and we couldn't score the second goal but the defence played very well today and got us the three points."

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Southampton run-ins

The sign of champions is to be able to snatch a victory when you are not at the top of your game, by any means necessary, and Cesc Fabregas' late winner at QPR in their Super Sunday clash certainly added further proof that they would be worthy Premier League winners.
Many believe the title race to be all but over with Jose Mourinho's Blues holding a seven-point lead with a game in hand at this late juncture in the season, but it certainly won't be the mere procession many expect.
Manchester United and Arsenal are up next, who have won their last six and eight league matches respectively, followed by Chelsea's game in hand - away at Leicester who will be fighting for their lives, with Liverpool, who they have beaten just twice in their last five meetings at Stamford Bridge, to play before May 24.
"We need three victories and two draws so our situation is good. Championships are pure mathematics," Mourinho said after Sunday's win. He's right you know.