Arsenal vs Leicester LIVE: Premier League result and final score after Lacazette penalty and Partey goal

Arsenal 2-0 Leicester: Follow live reaction as Arsenal reclaimed their top-four spot with a win at home to Leicester

'Arsene Wenger was right about the top four' - Arteta on UCL fight

Follow live reaction as Arsenal went fourth in the Premier League after goals from Thomas Partey and a Alexandre Lacazette penalty secured a 2-0 win over Leicester. Arsenal started the match sixth following wins for Manchester United and West Ham but end the weekend where they started it as Mikel Arteta’s side continued their push for a top-four spot and Champions League qualification.

Partey opened the scoring early on as Leicester conceded yet another goal from a corner, with the midfielder meeting Gabriel Martinelli’s delivery to head in at the near post. Despite Arsenal’s good start, Leicester settled and grew into the game. Brendan Rodgers’ side could have gone into half-time level were it not for an excellent save from Aaron Ramsdale to deny a Harvey Barnes header.

Lacazette’s second-half penalty, awarded for a Caglar Soyuncu handball and following a lengthy VAR check, largely settled the contest as Arteta’s side claimed a fifth-straight win ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Liverpool.

Arsenal vs Leicester

• GOAL! Partey heads in corner as Leicester set-piece curse strikes again
• HT: Arsenal lead through Partey header but Leicester finish half on top
• GOAL! Lacazette penalty doubles Arsenal’s lead after Soyuncu handball
• FT: Arsenal 2-0 Leicester - Five straight wins for Arteta’s side

[13 March 2022 12:58 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea bidders given green light to press on as Roman Abramovich seeks sale

Chelsea’s sale is expected to progress with government oversight as bidders have been told to press on with submissions.

Owner Roman Abramovich’s government sanctions had stalled proceedings, with the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s UK assets frozen.

Chelsea have been handed a new licence to continue operations however, and the Blues are still locked in negotiations with the government to ease restrictions.

But New York merchant the Raine Group has assessed the terms of the licence and agreed a route forward for the sale with the government.

Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on 2 March, pledging to write off the Blues’ £1.5billion debt and to divert all proceeds to a new foundation to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine.

The 55-year-old moved to sell Chelsea after 19 years at the Stamford Bridge helm, amid Russia’s continued war in Ukraine.

The government sanctioned Abramovich after claiming to have proved his direct links to Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime, although Chelsea’s owner has always denied any association.

The Raine Group’s progression of the sale means Chelsea’s suitors can again push forward with their bids to take control of the European and world champions of the club game.

[13 March 2022 12:53 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Newcastle latest updates

Time for all the need-to-know details before the match - we’ve got you covered.

Team news, where to watch the game, match odds and plenty more can be found right here.

It’s a big game for both as they seek to put the focus of the world back on football matters, for a little while at least.

[13 March 2022 12:48 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Newcastle latest updates

Let’s take a look at some on-pitch matters before the team news.

Recently it has been better for Chelsea in terms of results, with four straight league wins keeping them on the fringes of a title fight - they’ll still be 10 off City with victory today though, so consistency remains all-important.

After today’s game, they have a Champions League tie to close out too, holding a 2-0 first-leg lead over Lille.

As for Newcastle, fears of the drop have been massively reduced following an eight-match unbeaten streak, with six wins in the last seven. Three points would actually send them into 11th, which is a pretty incredible turnaround.

[13 March 2022 12:40 · Karl Matchett]

Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea exit offers rare chance to reimagine club ownership

“As the news of Roman Abramovich’s sanctions properly sank in, many within the Chelsea squad were considering their futures. Some had purely financial and career concerns, but a few wondered how it reflected on them to even be tangentially connected to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Such questions have made elite football a grim enough exercise, but the last two weeks do show how the sport still has the capacity for searing moral lessons. More trivially, it also has the capacity for narratively perfect twists.

Just as the Chelsea situation has provoked a profound examination of football club ownership and the game’s relationship with geopolitics, the club’s very next opponents are Saudi Arabia’s Newcastle United.”

Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney explains how this fixture offers up the chance, and the need, to re-examine just how football clubs are owned, run and bought.

[13 March 2022 12:32 · Karl Matchett]

Roman Abramovich disqualified as director of Chelsea

Roman Abramovich has been disqualified as a director of Chelsea, the Premier League have confirmed.

The UK government brought sanctions against the owner on Thursday over his alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Despite Abramovich’s assets being frozen, Chelsea were handed a new licence to continue “football-related activities” and are in negotiations with the government to amend some aspects of it.

A statement from the league on Saturday read: “Following the imposition of sanctions by the UK government, the Premier League Board has disqualified Roman Abramovich as a director of Chelsea Football Club.

“The board’s decision does not impact on the club’s ability to train and play its fixtures, as set out under the terms of a licence issued by the government which expires on 31 May 2022.”