Arsenal sees red, Napoli title dreams and Girma makes history
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy Monday!
The weekend was highlighted by a mix of controversy, success and an unexpected record-breaking transfer fee.
First the controversy: In a dramatic Premier League clash, Arsenal secured a crucial win over Wolves — but the victory was overshadowed by controversy surrounding a first-half red card for defender Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Success: Napoli continued their title charge with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Juventus. The team’s impressive performance reinforced their status as genuine title contenders.
Finally, the unexpected: Chelsea made waves with the signing of U.S. defender Naomi Girma for a world-record transfer fee, underlining the growing financial power in women’s soccer as the Blues continue to strengthen their squad.
Here’s an in-depth look at all this and more:
Premier League: Arsenal win, but red card leave them ‘fuming’
Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was given a controversial first-half red card against Wolves on Saturday by referee Michael Oliver for his late challenge on defender Matt Doherty.
Despite going down a man, defender Riccardo Calafiori's superb half-volley ensured Arsenal went home with a 1–0 win. The Gunners are six points behind league leaders Liverpool.
While Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the red card left him “absolutely fuming,” the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, English soccer’s official body of professional referees, said the decision was given because of “serious foul play.”
The 43rd minute red card — Arsenal’s fourth this season — was also confirmed by a VAR check, but that didn’t stop the controversy from being one of the weekend’s biggest talking points.
The incident raised questions about consistency in officiating and the role of VAR in interpreting such decisions. While some agreed with the decision, citing the potential danger of the challenge; others felt that the lack of malice in Lewis-Skelly’s action should have warranted a less severe punishment.
“Matt Doherty was initially caught just above the ankle and it looked as though Lewis-Skelly had made a raking action with his studs, with the action finishing with his foot on the Wolves defender’s foot,” The Athletic reported. “But there was no malice in the challenge and Doherty was able to continue playing without issue — this made the decision feel harsh.”
Serie A: Napoli squeeze past Juventus to stay first
Napoli mean business this season — and they showed it again before the home crowd on Saturday.
The Partenopei bounced back from being a goal down against Juventus, scoring twice in the second half to maintain a six-point lead over Inter Milan (who have a game in hand following Sunday’s 4-0 demolition of Lecce) in the Serie A table.
The come-from-behind win reinforced Napoli’s title credentials and gave manager Antonio Conte a victory against the team he played for and the club where he earned his first major titles as a coach.
“It was a great performance against a great team that was unbeaten and who have an excellent squad at their disposal, are continuing to strengthen themselves in the January window,” Conte told DAZN.
Goals by Andre-Frank Anguissa and a penalty kick converted by Romelu Lukaku gave Napoli the win. It was Lukaku’s 200th goal in Europe’s top five leagues.
USWNT: Chelsea sign Girma for world-record fee
Women’s soccer has its first million-dollar player after U.S. defender Naomi Girma moved from San Diego Wave to Chelsea on Sunday.
Chelsea announced the signing without disclosing the transfer fee, but The Athletic reported that the English champions had spent $1.1 million on the transfer. The fee surpasses the world-record of $788,000 that Bay FC paid to sign striker Rachael Kundananji from Madrid CFF last year.
It is the third time Chelsea has paid a world-record fee for a player, after Denmark forward Pernille Harder ($355,000) in 2020 and Colombia forward Mayra Ramirez ($542,000) last year.
Girma, 24, was under contract with the Wave through 2026. She had drawn interest from French club Lyon and Arsenal, Chelsea’s rival in the Women’s Super League.
“I’m so happy and really excited to be here. It doesn’t feel real,” Girma said. “There are a lot of things about Chelsea that made me want to come here — the culture, the winning mentality, staff and players. It’s a top environment to learn and grow in. Right now, that’s what I’m looking to do. It was an easy choice for me.”
In other news: Barcelona got back on track in La Liga by overwhelming Valencia on Sunday with four different players scoring in the first 24 minutes of a 7-1 rout. The victory moved Barcelona within three points of second-placed Atletico Madrid and seven points off leader Real Madrid, which won 3-0 at Valladolid on Saturday with a hat trick by Kylian Mbappe. … New signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia set up a goal in his debut for Paris Saint-Germain, but it wasn’t enough as the Ligue 1 leader drew at home to Reims 1-1 on Saturday. The Georgia winger collected the ball just outside the penalty area and dribbled past three players before passing to Ousmane Dembele, whose slightly deflected shot flew past goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf in the 47th minute. … Harry Kane scored during open play for the first time since November and Bayern Munich stretched its Bundesliga lead to six points by winning at Freiburg 2-0 on Saturday. Bayern also profited from defending champion Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw in Leipzig, where Florian Wirtz struck the post three times and the visitors were left to rue Edmond Tapsoba’s late own goal.