Premier League
Late Lacazette equaliser spoils Vieira’s Arsenal return
Patrick Vieira nearly enjoyed a dream return to Arsenal but Alexandre Lacazette’s 96th minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for the Gunners against Crystal Palace on Monday (Oct 18).
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s seventh-minute strike gave the hosts the perfect start.
But a five-game unbeaten that had lifted the mood around the Emirates looked set to be punctured as Christian Benteke and Odsonne Edouard struck in the second-half to give the Eagles a deserved lead.
Vieira’s men failed to hold out, though, as with seconds to spare Lacazette scrambled home from a corner.
“It was so close but we have been saying that a little bit too often,” said Vieira, whose side have drawn five of their eight league games this season.
“I am really disappointed because the way the team came back in the second half, they deserved to win the game.” A share of the spoils moves Arsenal up to 12th, but the performance did little to suggest they will trouble the contenders for places in next season’s Champions League come the end of the season.
A run of 10 points from a possible 12 had eased an early season crisis at Arsenal after their worst start for 67 years.
That upward curve looked set to continue early on as Aubameyang was in the right place to turn home the rebound after Vicente Guaita parried Nicolas Pepe’s shot.
But despite the loss of Wilfried Zaha due to illness, Palace went on to boss the first-half to continue their impressive start to life under Vieira.
“After the goal we didn’t manage the game well enough,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. “We didn’t have composure or control.
“The most positive thing is we kept going. They kept believing until the end. That’s how we managed to get a point.
“I am disappointed with the result. We threw it away.” A three-time Premier League winner as Arsenal captain, Vieira has been overlooked by his former club for coaching roles.
But the Frenchman has lost just two of his opening eight league matches in charge of Palace, which came away to Chelsea and Liverpool.
Palace fired a warning just before half-time as only a fine save from Aaron Ramsdale denied Connor Gallagher an equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
The visitors got their rewards after the break, but Arsenal were the orchestrators of their own downfall for both goals.
Thomas Partey was robbed of possession inside his own half for the equaliser as Jordan Ayew played in Beneteke to finish calmly into the bottom corner.
Albert Sambi Lokonga was the guilty party for Palace’s second as he gave the ball away and Edouard drilled home his third goal since a summer move high past Ramsdale.
Edouard’s former Celtic teammate Kieran Tierney was inches away from an equaliser as he fired off the underside of the bar.
But there was still late drama to come deep into stoppage time as Lacazette swept home another rebound after Guaita had saved Benjamin White’s deflected effort.
-AFP
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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