Premier League
Kane double fires Tottenham to vital win over Arsenal
Harry Kane struck twice as Tottenham Hotspur kept their Premier League top four hopes very much alive with a 3-0 demolition of Arsenal in a rambunctious north London derby on Thursday.
Victory for Arsenal at the home of their arch-rivals would have secured their first top-four finish since 2016 and a Champions League place, but they suffered a dismal night.
Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 22nd before Arsenal had Rob Holding sent off for a second yellow card 10 minutes later, both for clumsy fouls on Son Heung-min.
Kane’s diving header made it 2-0 in the 37th minute to send Tottenham’s fans into delirium.
The volume went up another notch immediately after halftime when Son fired a shot past Aaron Ramsdale for his 21st league goal of the season to kill off any hope of an Arsenal fightback.
Tottenham could even have won by more yet despite the celebrations from the home fans they remain fifth and Arsenal are still in the driving seat in the battle for fourth place.
But the gap between them is now only one point with both sides having two games remaining and Tottenham also boast a far superior goal difference.
“We still have two games to go and we have put the pressure on them. We have to focus on ourselves. We play early on Sunday so we need to get a result and see what happens,” Kane, who extended his record goal tally in the north London derby to 13 in 17 games, told Sky Sports.
“We can only control our games. We did our job tonight. We won’t get ahead of ourselves.
“Tonight was special but our ultimate goal is to get fourth place and we still have work to do.”
Arsenal face Newcastle United away and Everton at home while Tottenham host Burnley and finish at relegated Norwich City.
With so much riding on the derby and the atmosphere electric, the opening exchanges were unsurprisingly frenetic with neither side able to settle into any kind of rhythm.
But that all changed when Dejan Kulusevski directed a cross towards Son and he fell under challenge from Cedric Soares and referee Paul Tierney pointed to the spot.
There was only going to be one winner as Kane stepped up to plant his spot kick low into the corner.
Arsenal, who had won their last four games, were rattled and Kane was denied a second by desperate blocks from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Soares.
Holding, who had already been booked for wrestling Son, then cynically blocked off the South Korean to earn a red card that left manager Mikel Arteta shaking his head in disbelief.
Things soon got even worse for Arsenal as Son’s corner was met by Rodrigo Bentancur whose header was diverted in by a diving Kane at the far post.
Eddie Nketiah nearly gave Arsenal a lifeline before halftime when his curled effort forced Hugo Lloris to tip over.
But Arsenal could not cope with Son and Kane. The second half had barely begun when Kane tried to wriggle through and the ball broke for Son to calmly find the corner.
Ramsdale made a superb save to keep out Emerson Royal’s header and Son missed an open goal before being substituted to a rapturous ovation from the Tottenham fans.
Martin Odegaard forced Lloris into a fine save late on but by that time most of the Arsenal fans had seen enough and were on their way home.
-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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