Premier League
Gabriel goes from villain to hero to maintain Arsenal’s 100% start
Arsenal preserved the Premier League’s last remaining 100% record as defender Gabriel went from villain to hero to earn a 2-1 victory over Fulham with a late winner on Saturday.
The Brazilian gifted Fulham the lead in the 56th minute but made amends in the 85th, tapping in from close range after a mistake by former Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno.
The home fans were in full cry at the final whistle as theirt side remained top with 12 points from four games — two more than champions Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Arsenal had laboured against a well-drilled Fulham side who had been unbeaten on their top-flight return and fell behind when Aleksandar Mitrovic slotted in his 100th goal for the club.
But Fulham’s lead lasted only eight minutes before captain Martin Odegaard’s deflected effort levelled it up.
Arsenal have won their first four games of a Premier League season for the third time after doing so in 2003-04 when they claimed the title undefeated and 2004-05 when they came second.
“Big boost, winning like this is really nice,” manager Mikel Arteta said. “We made a mistake and they punished us but then how we reacted against adversity, the connection with the supporters, the way we went about it, the team believed.”
Arsenal started confidently and Granit Xhaka was close to opening the scoring with a volley that flew just wide after being set up by Gabriel Jesus.
But the rest of the first half was forgettable as Arsenal’s attack was easily stifled by Fulham’s rearguard.
MORE THRUST
The hosts injected a little more thrust into their attacks after the break and carved out a couple of good chances with Leno saving well from Odegaard and then Jesus.
Fulham had barely mustered an attack but Arsenal self-destructed when Gabriel received a ball on the edge of his own area and was robbed by Mitrovic who clinically fired past Aaron Ramsdale to send the visiting fans into raptures.
Gabriel pulled his shirt over his head and his gaffe looked to have stopped Arsenal’s early-season charge, but Arteta’s side responded strongly to turn things around.
There was a touch of fortune about their equaliser though as Bukayo Saka played the ball in to Odegaard whose shot took enough of a defection to wrongfoot Leno.
Ramsdale then denied Mitrovic as the game opened up but Arsenal went ahead when Leno could not gather a corner under pressure and the ball dropped for Gabriel to tap in.
There was still time for substitute Nathaniel Chalobah to force a save from Ramsdale but Arsenal held out.
Fulham will take heart from another gritty display and manager Marco Silva said they were unlucky not to grab a point.
“I didn’t see many clear chances for Arsenal. After 1-0 when the game seemed to be more open they had luck to score with the deflection,” he said.
“We can do better but we deserved to get more from this game. I hope the bad luck we had this evening will go our way in the future.”
-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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