Premier League
Gerrard’s Villa win again to end Palace’s unbeaten run
Aston Villa continued their resurgence under new manager Steven Gerrard when they claimed a second consecutive Premier League win by beating Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park on Saturday (Nov 27).
Goals from Matt Targett and John McGinn moved Villa up to 11th spot, level with 10th-placed Palace who got a consolation through Marc Guehi in added time, on 16 points.
The defeat was Patrick Vieira’s first at home since being appointed Palace manager and their first since losing at Liverpool in September.
Gerrard also became the first Villa boss in 23 years to win his first two Premier League games.
“We can’t get carried away, it has been a positive couple of weeks. The players have been fantastic in their application. We had to dig in at times today but we managed to get over the line which is nice,” Gerrard told the BBC.
Villa took advantage of Palace’s vulnerability on set-pieces when Ashley Young’s corner in the 15th minute was delivered deep into the box, where Targett controlled the ball and shot low through the crowd to score.
Targett’s opener was his first Premier League goal in over two years and only his third in the top flight.
“The analysts and us spoke about set pieces in the build up to the game. We know they (Palace) are not great at defending them,” Targett said.
Gerrard praised his set-piece specialist for the opener.
“His job is to identify weaknesses in the opposition side.
The players deserve all the credit for going and implementing that goal,” he said.
Palace had more possession in the first half but were unable to conjure up shots on goal as their midfield struggled to create chances with Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba and Jacob Ramsey keeping midfielder Conor Gallagher quiet.
Villa looked like being reduced to 10 men when substitute Douglas Luiz was red-carded for a seemingly reckless challenge but the visitors got a reprieve when VAR intervened and the referee watched the replay, downgrading it to a yellow.
Palace did not have a shot on target until the 79th minute when Christian Benteke’s acrobatic effort with his back to goal was saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Villa doubled their lead late in the game when a flowing move down the left found McGinn on the edge of the box and he curled his shot past the outstretched arms of Vicente Guaita.
Palace finally scored in stoppage-time when Cheikhou Kouyate’s cross to the near post found Guehi, who poked the ball past Martinez, but Villa held on for the three points.
-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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