No fan or ex-player of the Chelsea  would want Arsenal FC to win the Premier League title,  former Super Eagles captain and Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has said.

Mikel made the remark on his Obi One Podcast released on Monday as the Premier League title race intensifies, insisting that the long-standing rivalry between both London clubs makes such support impossible.

He said, “No Chelsea ex-player or fan will ever want to see Arsenal win the Premier League.

Responding to criticism from Arsenal supporters, Mikel dismissed claims that such sentiments reflect a “small club” mentality. He recalled that interactions between players and fans of both clubs were often hostile, even outside match settings.

To all Arsenal fans saying, ‘Mikel, you are too harsh on us,’ I’m Chelsea, and you can take it personally. I don’t want you to win the Premier League.

“We hated each other; the rivalry was crazy [back then]. We smashed each other. And when I went out after the games in London or whenever it was, when I saw Arsenal fans or players, we never spoke to each other. Sometimes, even our friends got into fights.”

He also warned that if Arsenal fails to win the Premier League this season, it would be the biggest disaster in the history of the competition for the Gunners.

“These Arsenal players, they have to understand that this is their probably, if they don’t win it (Premier League) this season. It’s probably going to be the biggest disaster in the history of the Premier League for them.

“It’s going to be the biggest disaster for them because right now, if they had won that game [against Bournemouth] on Saturday. It will be 12 points.

“They took their foot off the gas over the weekend, and Man City came right back, and right now it is 6 points.”

“Arteta has to find a way, because right now they look like a team that are out of sorts; they don’t know what to do, and he [Arteta] looks out of ideas.”

Arsenal missed the chance to extend their lead at the weekend after a shock 2–1 defeat to Bournemouth, while Manchester City closed the gap with a 3–0 win over Chelsea.

With six games remaining, Arsenal sit top of the table with a six-point lead over second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Both sides are set to meet this weekend in what could prove decisive in the title race.

For the first time in 39 years Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals as they survived a dramatic penalty shoot-out after squandering a two-goal lead in a thrilling clash with West Ham on Sunday.

AFP reports that Daniel Farke’s side were moments away from victory at the London Stadium after Ao Tanaka’s first-half goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty put them in control.

But West Ham staged a stoppage-time rally as Mateus Fernandes reduced the deficit before Axel Disasi’s equaliser forced extra time.

With the score still level at 2-2 after the additional period, Leeds keeper Lucas Perri emerged as their shoot-out hero.

Joel Piroe missed Leeds’ first penalty, but Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Pascal Struijk all converted their kicks.

Perri saved Jarrod Bowen’s opening effort for West Ham and also denied Pablo as Leeds won 4-2 on penalties.

It was their second shoot-out victory in the competition this season, following their fourth-round success at Birmingham.

Leeds will face Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley later in April.

“We always do it the tough way, never the easy way. We could have made our lives easier,” Farke said.

“We had a late sucker punch when the whole stadium was buzzing. To keep the nerves and win the penalty shoot-out shows great mentality and character.

“A chapter of Leeds history. It will be a big night for us at Wembley. It’s a great step for this club and a great reward for everyone.”

The Yorkshire club is in the semi-finals for the first time since 1987, when they lost to eventual winners Coventry at Hillsborough.

Leeds have lost on their past three trips to Wembley: in the 2024 Championship play-off final, the 2008 League One play-off final, and the 1996 League Cup final.

FA Cup winners for the only time in 1972, Leeds’ last victory at Wembley was a 4-3 success against Liverpool in the 1992 Charity Shield.

Their win over West Ham was a welcome lift in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle for both clubs.

Third-bottom West Ham are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham with seven games left.

Leeds, four points above the Hammers, face a return trip to West Ham for a potentially decisive clash on the last day of the season.

Penalty Drama

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo made five changes as he prioritised Friday’s vital showdown with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Leeds grabbed the opener in the 26th minute thanks to an eye-catching effort from Japan midfielder Tanaka, who cleverly twisted to find space inside the penalty area for a shot that deflected off Disasi and bounced in off the crossbar.

Leeds struck again in the 75th minute after Max Kilman chopped down Aaronson in the area, with referee Craig Pawson changing his decision to a penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Calvert-Lewin confidently stroked his spot-kick past Alphonse Areola before sprinting to celebrate with 9,000 raucous Leeds supporters crammed behind the goal.

Leeds lost focus in the closing stages, allowing West Ham to stage their remarkable comeback.

Fernandes tapped in the rebound after Bowen hit the post in the third minute of stoppage time.

Stunned by the decision to play 11 minutes of additional time, Leeds were unable to hold their nerve.

Three minutes after Fernandes’ goal, Adama Traore whipped an inswinging cross into the six-yard box, and former Chelsea defender Disasi volleyed home with his outstretched foot.

Thousands of West Ham fans had already left before Disasi’s equaliser, and hundreds flooded back in after the goal, although some found the gates shut, leaving them stuck outside for the rest of the match.

With Areola forced off injured late in extra time, West Ham had to give a debut to reserve keeper Finlay Herrick.

The 20-year-old, who was on loan at non-league side Boreham Wood earlier this season, saved Piroe’s penalty.

But there was no fairytale ending for Herrick as Leeds celebrated a semi-final berth almost four decades in the making.

A Serbian professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic is convinced US tennis great Serena Williams will return to competition, and the 24-time Grand Slam champion is itching to see “one of the greatest athletes” back on court, a report by AFP said.

“I think she’s coming back,” Djokovic said Wednesday at the ATP/WTA Indian Wells Masters.

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her, but I guess the sentiment is that she’s coming back. Where and how, singles, doubles, we don’t know, and if I’m in her position, I would hide it too.”

But the 44-year-old mother of two re-entered the anti-doping testing pool in December and regained eligibility.

Initially, she denied she planned a comeback, but in January, she declined to rule it out, telling NBC’s “Today” show: “That’s not a yes or a no. I don’t know; I’m just going to see what happens.”

Djokovic said players were buzzing at the prospect.

“Everybody is excited, and it’s definitely something that’s very highly anticipated,” he said.

Williams’s sister Venus, 45, accepted a wild card into the Indian Wells singles draw and will face France’s Diane Parry in the first round.

Djokovic suggested Serena could return for Wimbledon — where she is a seven-time singles champion.

“I pick that one as well as her comeback,” he said. “I don’t know. I think she might maybe play a doubles tournament or two with Venus. That would be nice to see, just from my point of view and tennis fans’, for sure.

“She’s one of the greatest athletes, really. It would be great to have her back, too.”

Djokovic is seeded third in Indian Wells as he plays his first event since he fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final after toppling Jannik Sinner in the semis.

“For me, that has been a phenomenal result,” the 38-year-old said. “I have proven to myself primarily and to others that I can still compete at the highest level and beat these guys.

“So my logic is, why not keep going as long as I have that fire and flair and quality and also motivation to do that?

“There are objectives and goals that are always there. You want to win, so you want to get another title and get another Slam, hopefully,” he said. “I was close in Australia.”

Djokovic’s five Indian Wells titles are tied for the most with Swiss great Roger Federer.

But he hasn’t reached the quarter-finals since his last title run in 2016.

He’ll launch his latest desert campaign on Saturday against either France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak.