Football: Wenger hails ‘world class’ van Persie as Arsenal win
The Dutch scored one goal and assisted in two more in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over West Brom, which sent them closer to the Premier League top four.
“When I was a kid they had three rankings: national, international class and world class,” said Wenger. “At world class there were always only four or five players and I would put van Persie into that calibre.”
Fergie emotional at 25th anniversary
Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated his 25th anniversary as manager of Manchester United with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland before admitting that he had been moved by the club’s decision to name a stand in his honour.
“I was really emotional,” he said. “I’ve to thank the club for that – it’s fantastic of them.”
United needed an own goal from Wes Brown to be sure of the win in a match where the champions clearly struggled.
“It was an anxious day for the players,” said Ferguson. “Possibly the occasion got to them.”
Elsewhere, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas hailed the commitment of Petr Cech after the goal-keeper fought through the pain barrier to help secure a 1-0 win over Blackburn. Cech suffered a suspected broken nose after a collision with Blackburn striker Ayegbeni Yakubu, but played on to help Chelsea win. Villas-Boas felt Cech showed courage to play on.
In other action, Manchester City defeated QPR 3-2, while Newcastle got the better of Everton 2-1. Aston Villa beat Norwich 3-2. Liverpool drew 0-0 with Swansea.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2011.
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