Premier League
KLOPP VOWS LIVERPOOL WILL DEFEND PREMIERSHIP TITLE
Liverpool were relentless until the end. Heading into the final minute of the final game of their title-winning season, Sadio Mane hustled to keep a move alive when it would have been easier to let Roberto Firmino’s pass drift towards the touchline, before scoring to seal a 3-1 win at Newcastle.
The Reds finished with 99 points, the second-highest haul in Premier League history after Manchester City recorded 100 points en route to winning the title in 2018.
“This goal really sums the season up,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “It is difficult but not impossible, so give it a go. That is what the boys did the whole year and what they did in this moment.
“It was just a brilliant piece of football. This was a victory for the whole squad, like the whole season.
“This group of players is really exceptional and they will be remembered forever. The boys don’t only win games on their perfect days, they are ready to really dig deep on the not so perfect days.”
Liverpool found themselves behind after just 26 seconds but goals from Virgil van Dijk, Divock Origi and Mane ensured they would enjoy a winning end to a season that saw them capture their first league title in 30 years.
All the pieces are in place for them to win consecutive titles for the first time since 1984, with Klopp, who joined in 2015, signed to a long-term contract and key stars van Dijk, 29, Mane, 28, Mohamed Salah, 28, and Jordan Henderson, 30, all in their primes.
But the German insists Liverpool will take nothing for granted when the new campaign kicks off on Sept 12 because he expects a renewed push from City and stronger challenges from Manchester United and Chelsea.
“We see United coming up,” said Klopp. “People thought they had no chance but we see with one or two players how good they are and how good they can be, and for sure they will not be worse next season, and now there is Chelsea as well.
“It will not be about City and us. For the last two years pretty much the top of the table was City and us, and City for four or five years before that.”
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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