Premier League
Rashford double as Man United end Arsenal’s 100% start
Marcus Rashford struck twice as Manchester United made it four wins in a row and ended Arsenal’s perfect start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday.
A high-tempo, top quality game was decided by two Rashford goals on the break after Bukayo Saka had cancelled out United debutant Antony’s opener.
Arsenal remained top of the table on 15 points thanks to their opening five wins and while they will be disappointed to have ended that run, this was far from the kind of meek loss against Big Six opponents they have produced in the recent past.
United look to have found their belief again after starting the campaign with dreadful defeats by Brighton and Brentford and Dutch coach Erik ten Hag’s approach is bringing results.
Antony was handed a place on the right flank with Rashford central and Jadon Sancho on the left but Cristiano Ronaldo started on the bench alongside Brazilian Casemiro.
United dominated the opening exchanges, camping in Arsenal’s half and there was an early chance for Christian Eriksen but the Dane’s volley flashed wide.
Arsenal looked slick on the ball, though, and Gabriel Martinelli looked to have given them a 12th-minute lead after finishing off a swift break.
But referee Paul Tierney was sent to the monitor and disallowed the goal after ruling that Eriksen had been fouled by Martin Odegaard before the counter-attack was launched.
Martinelli forced two saves from United keeper David De Gea as the visitors began to dominate but it was the home side who drew first blood, 10 minutes before the interval.
Brazilian Antony, signed from Ajax last week, was found on the right by Rashford and coolly drifted a left-foot shot into the far bottom corner.
Arsenal deservedly drew level, on the hour, when the outstanding Odegaard threaded a ball towards Gabriel Jesus in the box and after a challenge by Raphael Varane the ball fell to Saka who slotted home.
United might have panicked or faded away last season but six minutes later they restored their lead when Bruno Fernandes found Rashford with a superb through ball and the England striker confidently beat the advancing Aaron Ramsdale.
It was another swift counter that led to United’s third with the excellent Erkisen breaking clear and slipping the ball across to Rashford for a simple finish.
A four-game winning run, including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, has totally changed the mood at Old Trafford and Ten Hag was rightly pleased with his players’ resilience.
“The spirit from this team, they can deal with setbacks so we did, it is really great and shows your mentality – we have really improved on that,” he said.
“We are happy and satisfied with the win, also the performance against a really good team – they played really well,” he said.
United climbed to fifth in the standings, three points behind Arsenal.
-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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