Premier League
Iwobi’s Everton’s 69-year top-flight run hanging by a thread
Everton have spent more years in England’s top flight than any other club and have not been outside it for 69 years, but that pedigree will count for nothing and relegation will look almost inevitable if they lose at Leicester City on Monday.
Thursday’s 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle United left Everton 19th on 28 points after mustering one win in 10 games. Their only realistic hope of survival is to claw their way above two of Leicester (29), Nottingham Forest (30) and Leeds (30).
Defeat at Leicester would pile on the pressure for their remaining fixtures against Brighton (away), Manchester City (home) and Wolves (away) so that by the time they host Bournemouth on the final day, it might already be too late for another great escape.
Last season a late surge hauled them to safety, with the team inspired by raucous support from the Goodison Park fans.
They were at it again to create a great early atmosphere against Newcastle but the passion drained alongside the paucity of performance and by the end the ground that has hosted more top flight games than any other was half empty.
How it has come to this is something of a mystery for a club which has spent an astonishing 700 million pounds since being taken over by Farhad Moshiri seven years ago. Although the David Moyes era of regular top six finishes seems ancient history, Everton still finished seventh, eighth and eighth from 2017-19 and were 10th in 2021.
The club’s recruitment strategy has seemingly been to target middling players not deemed good enough by their Premier League rivals, who then fail to flourish at their new club.
The goals of Brazil striker Richarlison played a key part in keeping them up last season but after the club were forced to sell him to stay within the league’s financial rules, the failure to find an adequate replacement has been the number one factor in their struggles.
ONE GLIMMER
Forward Neal Maupay has scored one goal in 26 games, to the surprise of nobody at his previous club Brighton where he was considered surplus to requirements.
Everton’s leading scorer is attacking midfielder Demarai Gray with six and the team’s total return of 25 in 33 games is comfortably the worst in the league.
The one glimmer of hope is the return of injury-ravaged striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but even if he plays, his uninspired midfield team mates look woefully ill-equipped to provide him with the chances he needs.
Everton fans had hoped that, under Sean Dyche, at least their defence would hold up, but even that has crumbled in recent weeks, reaching a new low on Thursday as Newcastle’s pacey attackers made Ben Godfrey look like a Sunday league pub player.
This is not what supporters of Everton are used to. Founder members of the Football League, they have spent only four seasons outside the top flight – 1930-31 and three in the early 1950s.
Only Arsenal (1919) have a longer unbroken run in the top flight and in the mid-1980s the Toffees had a legitimate claim to be one of the very best sides in Europe.
However, the last of their nine league titles came in 1987, their last trophy was the 1995 FA Cup and since the Premier League began in 1992, they have finished in the top four only once.
Even against that decline, however, relegation would still be a huge blow for such a distinguished club, and could not come at a worse time as they prepare to move to a new 700 million pounds stadium in 2024 while simultaneously fighting off a probe into their finances.
“At a club like Everton the stakes should be high, that’s what the players need to remember,” Dyche said of the Leicester game.
“If we take on the game and win then it creates a different atmosphere and the belief floods back in very quickly. It’s strange how quickly it can turn around.”
-Reuters
Premier League
Arsenal Paint London Red with Premier League Victory Parade Despite Champions League Heartbreak
Thousands of jubilant Arsenal supporters flooded the streets of north London on Sunday as the club celebrated its first Premier League title in 22 years, putting aside the disappointment of losing the UEFA Champions League final just 24 hours earlier.
The celebrations came less than a day after Arsenal suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest. Yet the setback did little to dampen the spirits of the club’s faithful, who turned out in huge numbers to honour a historic domestic triumph.
Players and coaching staff paraded through north London aboard an open-top bus, proudly displaying the Premier League trophy that Arsenal had finally reclaimed for the first time since Arsène Wenger’s legendary “Invincibles” side lifted it in the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal had wrapped up the title before the final round of fixtures after establishing an unassailable lead over defending champions Manchester City, who eventually finished seven points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s side.
The league crown marked Arsenal’s first major trophy since Arteta guided the club to FA Cup success in 2020 during his debut season as manager. It also ended years of frustration after the Gunners had finished runners-up in the Premier League in each of the previous three seasons.
Red flares, fireworks and the sound of vuvuzelas filled the air as supporters celebrated a long-awaited return to the summit of English football.
“We’re not European champions, but we are champions of England, and that’s what matters right now,” said Arsenal supporter Julien Guillenenat. “We’re happy to celebrate with everyone.”
Another fan, 44-year-old Mathieu Garnier, believes the Premier League triumph has finally removed the psychological burden that had weighed heavily on the team.
“Three years in a row we finished second, and now that pressure is gone,” he said. “These players are going to be flying next season. I really believe that.”
Adding to the festivities was Arsenal’s women’s team, who joined the celebrations after their successful FIFA Champions Cup campaign this season.
Midfielder Declan Rice, signed from West Ham United in 2023 for a club-record £105 million, said the title triumph had silenced many of the club’s critics.
“People were pointing and laughing at us before,” Rice told Sky Sports. “What happened? They’re not laughing anymore. I love this team, I love this manager, and to see the joy we’ve brought to the fans is incredible.
“Next season we’re coming back for more.”
Despite the pain of falling short in Europe, many Arsenal supporters remain optimistic that the club will soon challenge again for continental glory.
Twenty-two-year-old fan Theo Grant believes the Champions League disappointment will only strengthen the squad’s resolve.
“Honestly, this loss will give the players even more motivation,” he said. “We’ll be back. I believe we’ll reach the final again next season.”
For Arsenal supporters, however, Sunday was not about what might have been in Europe. It was about celebrating the end of a 22-year wait to be crowned champions of England once again.
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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday and still face the risk of relegation from the Premier League in their final game of the season this weekend after goals either side of halftime from the home side’s Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos.
Fernandez let rip with a dipping shot from over 25 metres that Antonin Kinsky could not get close to in the 18th minute, electrifying the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge as the home fans revelled in the misery of their North London rivals.
The Argentina midfielder turned provider for Chelsea’s second goal in the 67th, cushioning a high ball into the feet of Santos, who scored from close range.
Richarlison got one back for Spurs in the 74th minute, but the defeat means Tottenham remain two points above West Ham United, who currently occupy the last relegation spot.
However, Spurs have a much better goal difference, meaning a draw at home to Everton on Sunday would all but guarantee their Premier League survival.
Chelsea, fresh from announcing former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso as their next manager after a limp 2025/26 campaign, climbed to eighth place, which offers a berth in the UEFA Conference League next season
The Blues, who lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, are one point behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently occupy the last of the Europa League spots.
Spurs had only themselves to blame for Tuesday’s defeat.
After Mathys Tel hit the post with a header in the 11th minute, they allowed Chelsea to dominate until Richarlison’s goal raised their hopes of rescuing the point they needed.
Substitute James Maddison looked sure to equalise in the 84th, but Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato stretched out a leg to block his angled shot.
The win was Chelsea’s first in the Premier League since March 4, giving their fans something to celebrate after a miserable run that included six consecutive league defeats.
It also means Spurs have only won once at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
-Reuters
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Arsenal F.C. have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City F.C. were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth, ending the most dramatic title race of recent seasons and completing a remarkable transformation under manager Mikel Arteta.
The title triumph marks Arsenal’s first league championship since the legendary “Invincibles” side led by Arsène Wenger went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 campaign.
For Arteta, it represents the crowning moment of a rebuilding project that began when he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019. The Spaniard inherited a struggling Arsenal side but gradually rebuilt the club into genuine title contenders, guiding them to second-place finishes in each of the previous three seasons before finally ending Manchester City’s dominance.
Arsenal appeared in danger of suffering another late collapse after surrendering a nine-point lead earlier in the campaign, particularly following City’s crucial victory over them at the Etihad Stadium in April.
However, the momentum shifted again when City stumbled with a draw against Everton, allowing Arsenal to seize control of the race.
The North London club responded impressively, winning four consecutive matches without conceding a goal, including Monday’s tense 1-0 victory over Burnley F.C. that piled pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side heading into their trip to Bournemouth.
City’s failure to secure victory finally confirmed Arsenal as champions, triggering emotional celebrations among supporters gathered around the Emirates Stadium.
Fans watching the decisive match in nearby pubs poured onto the streets at the final whistle, while thousands more marched toward the Emirates within minutes of the title being secured.
Arteta had admitted before the match that he expected it to be difficult watching City’s game because of the enormous stakes involved, but the Spaniard ultimately witnessed the completion of one of the most significant managerial achievements in modern Arsenal history.
The Gunners will officially receive the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Crystal Palace F.C. at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arsenal’s triumph could yet become part of an even greater achievement.
The club now have the opportunity to complete a historic double when they face Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30.
Only five English clubs have previously managed to win both the league title and the European Cup in the same season, with Manchester City the last side to achieve the feat in 2023.
The title success also signals a changing of the guard in English football.
With Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City after a decade in charge, Arteta — once his assistant at City — is poised to become the longest-serving manager across England’s top four divisions, underlining how dramatically his status has risen since arriving at Arsenal less than seven years ago.
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