Premier League
Man City trounce Newcastle to open up three-point lead
Manchester City reclaimed top spot in the Premier League with a 5-0 drubbing of Newcastle United that allowed the reigning champions to open up a three-point lead over Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Raheem Sterling scored twice for the hosts with Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Phil Foden also on target as they shrugged off the bitter disappointment of their Champions League semi-final defeat by Real Madrid.
Sterling eased any early jitters with a header and Laporte’s tap-in gave City full control before the interval.
Rodri headed City’s third from a corner after the break and Foden swept in his side’s fourth before Sterling struck again in stoppage time as City took emphatic advantage of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur the previous day.
Newcastle’s Chris Wood spurned a great chance to give his side an early lead but the visitors were no match for City who took an important step towards a fourth title in five seasons.
City have 86 points to Liverpool’s 83 with both sides having three games remaining and City now have a superior goal difference of four.
Pep Guardiola’s side need seven points from their last three games to be guaranteed the title.
Liverpool face Aston Villa on Tuesday with City up against Wolverhampton Wanderers a day later.
“The margin between us and Liverpool is so tight and goal difference can happen. It was important we win,” Guardiola said.
“It was a perfect afternoon. If some people doubted us they don’t know this team. Three points, nine points to play for, four ahead on goal difference. Another final on Wednesday.”
City needed a response after their last-gasp heartbreak in Madrid and Newcastle proved ideal opposition in the sunshine.
Things might have got edgy if Wood had found the net with an early header from Allan Saint-Maximin’s inviting cross but he sent a tame effort straight at City goalkeeper Ederson.
City took the lead in the 19th minute when Ilkay Gundogan clipped a superb ball to the back post for Joao Cancelo to head back across goal for Sterling to nod in.
Wood had an effort ruled out for offside soon after and City moved further ahead after 38 minutes when Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka spilled the ball and Laporte converted.
Rodri lost his marker to head in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner after 61 minutes and Foden got in on the act when Oleksandr Zinchenko’s shot arrived at his feet and he diverted it in.
City saved the best to last with a flowing move allowing an unmarked Sterling to fire home.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has now lost all 10 of his Premier League meetings against Guardiola.
“We can’t be too negative about today. We should view it as a way to come back next season stronger,” he said.
Newcastle are 13th with 43 points — an incredible rise considering where they were when Howe took over — and are already looking at strengthening in the summer.
“If we can be smart with what we do in the summer and keep the spirit we have in the squad, the future is very bright for the club. The aim when we came in was to stay in the Premier League at all costs,” Howe added.
-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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- OBITUARY3 days ago
BREAKING: Nigerian Goalkeeping Legend Peter Rufai is dead
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Football Agent John Shittu Demands Retraction and ₦250 Million Damages from Samson Siasia Over Bribery Allegation
- WAFCON1 week ago
Super Falcons Land in Morocco, Eye Historic ‘La Decima’ Women’s AFCON Title
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Kwara United Clinch Historic First Title as President Federation Cup Final Goes to Penalties for the 18th time
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Rivers Angels Crowned 2025 Female Federation Cup Champions After Penalty Shootout Thriller
- OBITUARY3 days ago
Peter Rufai looked lean when I last saw him, says mourning NFF President, Gusau
- OBITUARY2 days ago
Family issues statement on Peter Rufai
- IMMEMORIAL2 days ago
Peter Rufai’s Death Adds to Long List of July Tragedies in Nigerian Football