Premier League
Liverpool miss out on Premier League title by one point
Liverpool came from a goal down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 on Sunday, but it was not enough to earn them their second Premier League title, as they finished a point behind Manchester City after a nerve-shredding final day of the season.
After going behind to an early Pedro Neto tap in, goals from Sadio Mane and late strikes from Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson gave the home fans some cheer even if their fate depended on the proceedings in Manchester.
City, however, were in no mood to lie down and produced an heroic fightback to come from two goals down and beat Aston Villa 3-2.
Liverpool finished the season on 92 points, one behind City for the second time in four seasons but with a League Cup and FA Cup trophy in their cabinet.
Juergen Klopp’s men also have a Champions League final against Real Madrid to look forward to next weekend in Paris where they could win their seventh European Cup.
“The lads have given everything, so you can’t have too many issues. We’ve given absolutely everything all season, right until the last day, and in January we’d have bit your hand off to take it to the last day,” Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who lifted his side’s first Premier League trophy in 2020, told Sky Sports.
“We’re a bit disappointed today. We’ve got to say congratulations to City, of course, and then focus on the match next week.”
Wolves took a shock lead three minutes in when defender Ibrahima Konate misjudged a bouncing ball from a goal kick allowing Raul Jimenez to run in behind on the right and pick out Neto to side-foot in his first goal of the season.
Liverpool equalised in the 24th minute when a cute Thiago Alcantara backheel set Mane free to charge at goal and strike an effort that was so fierce, goalkeeper Jose Sa could only get a hand to it before it went in.
Sa had to be replaced by John Ruddy at halftime due to an injury and soon after Liverpool brought on Salah, rested from the beginning, in search of the winner and peppered shots at goal, only to see them continually blocked by Wolves defenders.
The atmosphere became frantic as news filtered through from the stands that City were losing 2-0 to Villa and the title would end up at Anfield if Liverpool could find a goal.
They found that breakthrough seven minutes from fulltime when Salah squeezed in a loose ball in the box. The goal was the Egyptian’s 23rd of the season and meant he finished the campaign level as top scorer with Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.
Full back Andy Robertson then put the gloss on the scoreline late on by sliding in Roberto Firmino’s cutback.
However, by that time City had completed their own comeback win over Villa, meaning they retained the title and Liverpool finished the season as runners-up. Wolves finished 10th on 51 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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