Everton 1 Arsenal 1

GAEL CLICHY ended the afternoon in much the same state as Arsenal: a bloody mess. The French defender, nursing an ugly gash on the crown of his head courtesy of Mido’s raised boot, needed stitches to repair that wound, his team’s title hopes are in need of rather more intensive care.

Ajax 0 Arsenal 1

France’s government went into crisis mode in a bid to deal with escalating riots in the suburbs of Paris.

FRENCH youths rioted in a Paris suburb for the fifth night running early yesterday, raising fresh questions about Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy’s “zero tolerance” policy toward the violence.