Premier League
SON NETS 100TH TOTTENHAM GOAL IN 3-0 WIN OVER LEEDS
Son Heung-min scored his 100th goal for Tottenham Hotspur as they returned to winning ways with a 3-0 defeat of Leeds United to climb back into the Premier League’s top four on Saturday (Jan 2).
The South Korean doubled Tottenham’s tally just before the interval after strike partner Harry Kane’s penalty had given the hosts the lead on a crisp winter day in north London.
Toby Alderweireld’s header made it 3-0 in the 50th minute.
Tottenham, who topped the table in December, had gone four league games without a win, but a comfortable victory over Leeds sent them into third spot with 29 points from 16 games.
The only blemish was having defender Matt Doherty dismissed in stoppage time for a second yellow card after a late challenge on Pablo Hernandez.
Leeds had enjoyed the better chances until Kane’s 29th-minute penalty, awarded for a foul on Steven Bergwijn, and enjoyed a far larger share of possession. But Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s hopes of starting the year with a third consecutive win were dashed as their defensive frailties returned.
They remain in mid-table with 23 points from 17 games.
The win was a relief for Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho whose day had not had the best of starts when it was revealed three of his players – Erik Lamela, Giovani Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon – had breached Covid-19 protocols to attend a Christmas party, earning condemnation from the club.
“The three points are very important. I think we understood well how they could hurt us and how we could hurt them. In that aspect I am happy but I still think we can and have to do better,” Mourinho said, perhaps referring to the fact that his side often looked uncomfortable, despite leading.
In the opening stages, it appeared Leeds could add to Tottenham’s problems as Ezgjan Alioski and Patrick Bamford both had good chances to reward the visitors for a bright start.
But Tottenham got a helping hand when Alioski clipped Steven Bergwijn just inside the area and referee David Coote pointed to the spot. Kane stepped up to dispatch the penalty past Illan Meslier for his 10th league goal of the season.
Leeds were still a big threat but Tottenham doubled their lead thanks to the country’s most lethal duo.
Kane did well on the right and whipped in an instinctive pass for Son to sweep home a first-time effort to notch up his century for the club in all competitions.
Incredibly, it was the 13th time they have combined for a Tottenham goal in the Premier League this season, equalling the record set by set by Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn Rovers in the 1994-95 season.
It was tough on Leeds who again showed why they have been such a welcome addition to the top flight, but their fate was sealed five minutes after the break when defender Alderweireld met Son’s corner with a header that Meslier could not prevent from crossing the line.
It was the 33rd goal Leeds have conceded in the league this season – a tally topped only by West Bromwich Albion – and but for Meslier they could have fallen to a heavier defeat, although that would have been extremely harsh.
-Reuters
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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