Premier League
Last weekend’s Premier League talking point
Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (centre) celebrating scoring his team’s second goal in their 2-0 win over Everton. PHOTO: AFP
Missed opportunity for City against Reds
While Liverpool deserved credit for taming Manchester City’s attack in their 1-0 win at Anfield, Pep Guardiola’s side will see their defeat as a missed opportunity.
Champions City travelled to Merseyside in fine fettle, unbeaten in the Premier League, having scored 13 goals in their previous three league games.
Liverpool had suffered their worst start to a league season since 2012-13 after taking just 10 points from their first eight games coming into the blockbuster clash, trailing second-placed City by 13 points
But City never got going and even ultra-prolific Erling Haaland drew a blank, as the champions slipped to defeat, missing a real opportunity to hammer home their superiority in this new-found rivalry.
“At this level, we cannot concede the mistakes we have done,” Guardiola said. “But (we are) in October and it will be good for the future, to learn.”
Arsenal show fortitude to stay top
Arsenal’s trip to Leeds United was a litmus test for their title credentials in hostile territory, which Mikel Arteta’s side passed with a performance underlined by grit and determination in a nerve-wracking 1-0 victory.
The Arsenal of old have often capitulated in the face of relentless waves of attacks – the kind Leeds mustered at Elland Road – to fall to the sort of result that has prevented them from finishing in the top four in recent seasons.
But a young Arsenal side withstood pressure for 96 minutes and, with a little help from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), ensured the club made their best start to a top-flight season with nine wins from 10 to stay four points above second-placed Manchester City.
“We showed a lot of resilience and willingness to win, especially going back to Norway on a Thursday night (in the Europa League) and then coming here,” said Arteta, admitting they had “suffered” in the second half.
“I am so proud of the boys, that is how you have to win football matches.”
Spurs show they have depth to stay in race
Tottenham’s 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday kept them comfortably in third place in the Premier League and offered more evidence that they have the depth to stay there.
They have 23 points from their opening 10 games – the club’s best start to a top-flight campaign since 1963 – without even hitting the heights in terms of performances yet.
Having match-turning quality on the bench is the key for team’s with serious title ambitions and on Saturday the introduction of midfielder Yves Bissouma early in the second half helped Spurs find the key to break down Everton.
With games coming thick and fast, manager Antonio Conte knows he now has multiple options in key positions.
Leicester’s reliance on Maddison obvious
It was evident in Leicester City’s home goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday just how reliant they are on James Maddison as an attacking presence in the team.
With England manager Gareth Southgate looking on, no doubt assessing Maddison’s form ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, the midfielder ran the show with some neat touches and a genuine threat in the box.
But a late yellow card means he will be suspended for Thursday’s home game against Leeds United, which is shaping up to be a must-win after the boos rang out from sections of the club’s support after the draw with Crystal Palace.
Many Foxes fans may have expected the side to pull away from the relegation zone by now after a poor start to the season, but there are no signs their troubles are over and the absence of Maddison will be keenly felt against Leeds.
O’Neil makes case for Bournemouth job
Caretaker manager Gary O’Neil continues to make a case to be given the Bournemouth job on a permanent basis after another mature display from his side saw them hold on for a 2-2 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Had Jefferson Lerma not fouled Aleksandar Mitrovic to give away a penalty, O’Neil’s side could easily have emerged with all three points and they look much more composed than they did when he took over in the wake of Scott Parker’s dismissal on Aug. 30.
Tenth in the table, the Cherries are unbeaten in the league since the 39-year-old took the reins and, if his team keep delivering points at the rate they currently are, his caretaker position may well be converted into a permanent role.
– 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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