Premier League
Man City climb four points clear of Arsenal in title race
Manchester City continued their seemingly unstoppable charge towards a third consecutive Premier League title with a 2-1 victory over Leeds United on Saturday that put them four points clear of Arsenal.
Ilkay Gundogan scored a brace for Man City, but missed a late penalty that left manager Pep Guardiola enraged after the Spaniard had called for Erling Haaland to take it, with Leeds grabbing a goal back a minute later.
Liverpool’s faint hopes of a top-four finish continued as they beat Brentford 1-0 at Anfield thanks to Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike.
Harry Kane scored to lift Tottenham Hotspur to a much-needed 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, their first victory in five games, while Chelsea claimed their first win under interim manager Frank Lampard with a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth.
Man City had appeared to be cruising after Gundogan’s double strike put them in the box seat at the Etihad Stadium but the German’s missed penalty in the 84th minute set up a nervy finish as Rodrigo Moreno pulled a goal back for Leeds moments later.
While Gundogan was on a hat-trick, Guardiola was adamant there should be no room for sentiment and Haaland was the designated taker.
“The performance was excellent. We played really, really good,” Guardiola said. “Who knows if Erling takes the penalty and misses it? What happens if Gundo takes the penalty and scores? So the question is 2-0, who is the taker? The taker is Erling.”
City’s victory, coupled with an Arsenal loss on Sunday to Newcastle United, would all but clinch the Premier League title for the treble-chasers who stretched their winning league run to 10 games.
Liverpool notched up a sixth straight Premier League win to maintain their pursuit of a top-four spot.
Salah bagged the only goal of the game in the 13th minute, starting the move before Fabinho crossed to Virgil van Dijk at the back post, and the big Dutchman headed the ball back for the Egyptian to bundle home his 100th goal at Anfield.
The win left the Merseysiders in fifth spot on 62 points, one behind fourth-placed United, but the Red Devils have two games in hand.
KANE HEADER
Kane headed Tottenham in front in first-half injury time to move up to second place in the all-time Premier League goalscorers list.
The win vaulted Spurs to sixth in the table with 57 points from 35 games, six points behind fourth-placed United, who have played two games fewer. Palace are 12th.
Chelsea snapped a nine-match winless run in all competitions.
Late goals from Chelsea’s Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix, after Conor Gallagher’s opener was cancelled out by Bournemouth’s Matias Vina, helped the London club move up to 11th with 42 points.
Bournemouth slipped to 14th, three points behind Chelsea having played a game more.
“It feels great, we just wanted to put in a performance today,” Lampard said. “We haven’t been good enough recently so this was an important game for us.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers got an early goal from defender Toti and then held on for a gritty 1-0 win over Aston Villa to all but cement a spot in the Premier League next season.
It was a welcome win for Julen Lopetegui’s side after a 6-0 thumping by Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
“Massive result for us,” said Ruben Neves, whose corner kick led to the goal. “After the Brighton game, it’s all we have talked about.”
Wolves climbed 10 points clear of the relegation zone with 40 points, while Villa remained in eighth after their second consecutive loss.
-Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait for a few more days to be crowned Premier League champions despite a 1-0 victory at Leicester City after Arsenal kept their slender hopes just about alive with a 4-0 romp at 10-man Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score Liverpool’s winner in the 76th minute at the King Power Stadium to restore their 13-point lead at the top with five games left.
While Liverpool can almost taste a record-equalling 20th English crown, Leicester’s defeat confirmed their relegation back to the Championship after just one season.
The Midlands club have now been relegated from England’s top flight a record 13 times.
Chelsea secured a massive win in their bid to qualify for the Champions League as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage with Pedro Neto scoring in stoppage time.
The win pushed Chelsea above Nottingham Forest in to fifth place, the last spot for qualification to the Champions League, although Forest play at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
Chelsea have 57 points from 33 games, two behind third-placed Newcastle United and one behind Manchester City. Forest and Aston Villa are level with Chelsea on 57 points.
Wolverhampton Wanderers guaranteed their safety as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Pablo Sarabia’s stunning free kick wrapped up a fifth successive league win, the first time Wolves have achieved that in the top flight since 1970.
Liverpool were wasteful at Leicester with numerous chances going begging and Mohamed Salah suffering a frustrating afternoon including hitting both posts with an early shot.
Salah hit the woodwork again moments before the ball came out to Alexander-Arnold who fired a left-footed shot through the crowd to give his side the points — ripping off his shirt and celebrating wildly with the travelling fans.
“We just keep going, mentally we’re really strong,” manager Arne Slot, whose side could be crowned champions if Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, told Sky Sports.
“They enjoy playing football and it helps when you are playing for something special. Today (Alexander-Arnold) knows when it matters most he can just bring a bit more which is something all the top, top players have.”
DISTANT SECOND
If Arsenal avoid defeat by Palace, Slot’s side will seal the title if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at home next Sunday.
“We will focus on Tottenham and looking forward again to a home game and I think the stadium will be full,” Slot, who can become the first Dutch manager to win the English title, said. “It’s a nice game to look forward to.”
Liverpool have 79 points with Arsenal a distant second on 66. Arsenal may have their eyes now on a Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain, but they showed against Ipswich they will not hand over the title to Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring early on and Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-0 after a delightful flick by Mikel Merino.
Ipswich were reduced to 10 men before halftime as Leif Davis crudely raked his studs down the back of Bukayo Saka’s calf and the second half was academic.
Trossard grabbed his second in the 69th minute and Ethan Nwaneri added a late fourth to leave Ipswich stuck in 18th place on 21 points. They will be relegated if they drop points again or 17th-placed West Ham United pick up one more point from their remaining five games.
Chelsea were heading for a damaging defeat at neighbours Fulham as the hosts led with Alex Iwobi’s 20th-minute goal.
Substitute Tyrique George equalised with an instinctive shot in the 83rd minute, his first Premier League goal, before winger Neto swivelled and unleashed a thunderous strike in stoppage time to send the away fans wild.
Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-final with an astonishing comeback win against French club Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday but their Premier League woes returned against Wolves.
They are in 14th place and have now lost eight Premier League home games this season, their most defeats at Old Trafford in a league campaign since 1962-63.
“Wolves scored in the only opportunity they had. we had many chances, and we didn’t score. If you don’t score goals, you are not going to win games,” manager Ruben Amorim said.
-Reuters
Egyptian outlet, Ahram, has reported that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool, extending his stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season as he prepares for what could be the final chapter of a storied career with the club.
While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, British media reports indicate the 32-year-old forward has signed a two-year extension, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.
Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, has become a modern-day icon at Anfield.
The Egyptian international has scored 243 goals in 394 appearances—third on the club’s all-time scorers list—and has helped the Reds secure seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.
“I had my best years here,” Salah told the club’s website. “Hopefully it’s going to be 10. I signed because I believe we can still win big trophies together.”
He has maintained his prolific form this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His 27 Premier League goals currently lead the division.
During his time with Liverpool, Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and claimed two FWA Footballer of the Year awards.
Now entering the latter stages of his career, Salah remains focused on adding more silverware to his collection and further cementing his legacy at Liverpool.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest Premier League player when he made his senior debut in Monday’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, had to wear a blank shirt because it is sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.
Britain’s Gambling Act 2005, which underwent a review in 2020, prohibits players under 18 from wearing kits displaying gambling sponsors. Monga, an England U16 international, made his senior debut at 15 years 271 days old.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remains the youngest Premier League player in history, having debuted in the competition when he was 90 days younger than Monga.
Leicester, who suffered an eighth straight loss in the league without scoring a goal, are 19th in the standings, 15 points below the safety zone.
-Reuters
The league title will be icing on Soname’s birthday cake on Sunday
As major global sporting events beckon, Morocco’s monarch launches the Kenitra-Marrakech High-Speed rail project
Nigeria Premier League attains a crescendo this weekend
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY4 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON1 week ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL7 days ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature4 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu