Premier League
MAN CITY EXTEND LEAD TO SEVEN POINTS, LIVERPOOL STUNNED BY LEICESTER

Manchester City powered seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as Ilkay Gundogan’s double inspired a 3-0 win that piled pressure on Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, while Liverpool’s problems mounted after a dismal 3-1 defeat at Leicester on Saturday (Feb 13).
Pep Guardiola’s side stretched their English top-flight record run to 16 successive victories in all competitions.
They are unbeaten in their last 23 matches and look odds on to win the title for the third time in the last four seasons.
Manchester United can close the gap to five points if they beat lowly West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, but City will still hold a game in hand to strengthen their grip on top spot.
Tottenham were no match for the red-hot leaders on a freezing evening at the Etihad Stadium.
The latest clash between old rivals Guardiola and Mourinho was a mismatch from the moment Rodri put City ahead.
Gundogan has been the main man during City’s winning streak and he finished off Tottenham with two ruthless strikes.
Since City last lost – at Tottenham in November – they have climbed from 13th place and overturned an eight-point gap to Mourinho’s men, who were top at the time.
In stark contrast, Tottenham have now lost five of their previous six matches in all competitions.
Amid Mourinho’s awkward rifts with Gareth Bale, who came on as a late substitute, and Dele Alli, there is a growing feeling Tottenham’s season is spiralling out of control.
They are languishing in eighth place, four points adrift of the top four.
Tottenham nearly took the lead in the 15th minute when Harry Kane hit the post with a superb free-kick that curled round the City wall from 25 yards.
But it was City who went ahead in the 23rd minute after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg tripped Gundogan with a trailing leg.
After Gundogan made it three penalty misses for City this season in their thrashing of Liverpool last weekend, Guardiola had hinted Ederson might take their next one.
City’s keeper did start moving towards the Tottenham area for a moment after the challenge on Gundogan, but he was sent back and instead Rodri stepped up to drive the spot-kick past Hugo Lloris.
Their killer second goal duly arrived with a flourish five minutes after half-time.
Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden combined in a blur of quick passes to carve open the Tottenham defence.
Gundogan applied the finishing touch as his close-range finish eluded Lloris’s weak attempted save.
The in-form German midfielder wasn’t finished yet and in the 66th minute he sprinted onto Ederson’s long kick, gave Davinson Sanchez a subtle nudge and swivelled away from the stumbling defender before firing past Lloris.
Gundogan’s 11th goal in his last 12 league games came with a frustrating coda however as he limped off injured soon after.
Liverpool lose again
After sweeping aside City and the rest of the league en route to their first title in 30 years, Liverpool have lost their magic touch.
They crashed to a woeful defeat at Leicester to leave their top four hopes in jeopardy after Alisson Becker’s latest blunder sparked a stunning collapse.
Jurgen Klopp’s side endured a third successive defeat which would appear to end any chance of retaining the title.
The calamitous nature of Liverpool’s late meltdown raises serious questions about their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Mohamed Salah had given the Reds the lead in the second half at the King Power Stadium.
But James Maddison’s VAR-assisted equaliser turned the tide when his free-kick was allowed to stand despite Liverpool protests that Daniel Amartey was offside.
That was followed by a howler from Liverpool keeper Alisson, whose miscued clearance was converted by Jamie Vardy.
It was another miserable afternoon for Alisson following his two costly mistakes against City last weekend.
Harvey Barnes’ goal put the seal on Leicester’s superb comeback.
“The first goal for me is offside. The difference is we think it’s an objective thing but it’s not. That’s something that has to change (with VAR),” Klopp said.
“The second goal is a misunderstanding obviously. It is a situation where we should shout and I didn’t hear anyone shout. It is not that cool.” The Reds have managed just two wins from their last 10 league games.
They could be as low as sixth place by Monday if Chelsea and West Ham win their games in hand.
Burnley boosted their survival bid with a 3-0 win at Crystal Palace, with Brighton hosting Aston Villa’s in Saturday’s late match.
-AFP
Premier League
Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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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Premier League
Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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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Premier League
Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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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