Arsenal 2 Everton FC 1

Arsenal survived a late fightback to win a lively battle at Everton. Bakari Sagna poked in Andrei Arshavin’s cross for Arsenal’s opener before goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski’s head denied Louis Saha a nodded equaliser. Cesc Fabregas doubled the lead after the break from Marouane Chamakh’s pass as Fabianksi saved well from Jermaine Beckford, Steven Pienaar and Saha. The Toffees set up a frantic finale when Saha nodded back for Tim Cahill to rifle in but the Gunners held on.

Chamakh was ineffective in this match, a little energetic only in patches, while defender Sebastien Squillaci looked shaky and struggling throughout the match. Samir Nasri was his usual fast paced self and was a thorn in Everton’s side. I would have liked to have seen Robin Van Persie introduced into the match past the 60th minute or so but it wasn’t to be. Overall, it wasn’t the best of form for Arsenal and it seemed like they just did enough to win the match. Arsenal sit in second place, 3 points behind Chelsea with 26 points.

Sens Update, 13th Nov 2010

Jason Spezza appears to be back to form after being slowed by a groin injury. Spezza, who mised 4 games,  had two goals and an assist Tuesday night as Ottawa extended its winning streak to four games with a 5-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers. After struggling through the first month of the season, the Senators (8-6-1) seem to have found their game, and Ottawa coach Cory Clouston credits Spezza for helping the turnaround.Senators goalie Brian Elliott, making his 11th straight start, stopped 35 shots. Chris Neil and Jesse Winchester score their first goals of the season, and Sergei Gonchar also scored for Ottawa (8-6-1).

However the visit of the Vancouver Canucks would not go well for the Senators. Daniel Sedin and Alex Burrows each had a goal and an assist, and Henrik Sedin also had two points to lead Vancouver to a 6-2 win over the Senators on Thursday night. Peter Regin scored his first goal of the season and also assisted on Gonchar’s goal. The next game would be last night in Boston.

Elliott stopped 31 shots for his first shutout this season, and the Senators beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 on Saturday night to hand Tim Thomas his first loss. Erik Karlsson and Daniel Alfredsson scored for the Senators, who won for the seventh time in nine games and won their third straight game in Boston. Matt Carkner and Elliott each played their 100th career games.

However the night was marred by tragedy. Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson — a former teammate to many of the team’s players — and his wife Stephanie have tragically lost their 14-year-old daughter, Daron. The Senators confirmed in a statement late Saturday that Daron tried to take her own life by hanging herself at the family’s home. The club said she was rushed to hospital and succumbed to the injuries in ICU.