Premier League
Man City poised to tick off first part of treble
A few weeks ago Manchester City’s path to a treble still looked littered with obstacles but suddenly Pep Guardiola’s side have a clear run to sporting immortality.
The sky blue juggernaut has laid waste to everything in its path in a staggering run of form and they are now just three wins away from matching Manchester United’s 1999 feat.
They can tick off the first box this weekend by wrapping up the Premier League title for the fifth time in six seasons.
What had looked like being a two-horse race right to the wire now looks like being a procession after Arsenal buckled under the pressure exerted by a relentless City.
City might be crowned champions before they even kick a ball this weekend if Arsenal lose at relegation battlers Nottingham Forest on Saturday — a scenario that is more likely than seemed possible a few weeks ago when the Gunners were top of the table.
Even if Arsenal do shake off the hangover of last week’s 3-0 home defeat by Brighton and Hove Albion, a result that all but ended their title hopes, City will seal the deal on Sunday if they beat Chelsea at home.
Should they require them, City still have two more matches, against Brighton and Brentford, to knock off the three points they require to be crowned kings of England yet again.
In truth, it would be a surprise if City do not extend their winning run in the league to 14 matches by the end of the season and then go on to claim the treble.
Guardiola’s side look unstoppable. Just ask Real Madrid’s players who were brushed off like a speck of dust in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg.
City’s 4-0 margin of victory at The Etihad Stadium barely did justice to the gulf in class between the sides and Inter Milan will hold no fears for City in the final.
“I don’t know what it is, whether it is our fans or the pitch, we just feel unstoppable. Even in the league we feel no-one can beat us. It is unbelievable,” City’s attacking midfielder Jack Grealish said of his side’s home form.
Guardiola’s team also have a date with Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 — potentially the toughest part of their quest to complete the treble as their neighbours will be desperate to keep their epic 1999 feat unique.
While the title race may have petered out earlier than expected, the battle to avoid relegation remains very much on the boil, even if Southampton have already been condemned.
Leicester City are just about hanging on to their top-flight status but depending on results this weekend they may have to start planning for life in the Championship.
With two games left 19th-placed Leicester have 30 points, with Leeds United on 31, Everton on 32 and Forest on 34.
Should Forest beat Arsenal and Everton win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, Leicester will go to top-four hopefuls Newcastle United on Monday knowing only a win will keep alive any chance of avoiding the drop.
Leeds will also be hoping that Arsenal and Wolves do them a favour before they travel to West Ham United on Sunday.
Liverpool’s late-season charge could yet see them gatecrash the top-four and they host Aston Villa seeking an eighth successive victory to keep the pressure on Newcastle and Manchester United who are away at Bournemouth.
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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