Premier League
Man City’s team B teaches Chelsea a lesson in Maresca debut
Pep Guardiola’s decision to give many of Manchester City’s star players more time to recover from Euro 2024 paid dividends on Sunday when their stand-ins helped the defending champions to a 2-0 win at Chelsea under new coach Enzo Maresca.
Kyle Walker, John Stones and Phil Foden – stalwarts for England in their run to the Euro final in July – were on the bench at Stamford Bridge and Spain’s Rodri was out of the squad altogether as he recovers from an injury picked up in Germany.
In came right-back Rico Lewis and winger Savinho who both tormented Chelsea while Mateo Kovacic, Rodri’s under-study, sealed the win with City’s second goal in the 84th minute after Erling Haaland, fresh from a whole summer off, opened the scoring in the 18th minute.
“We didn’t expect it. We are away from our best so three points is the good news. For me it is an honour to be in charge of these guys. I’m so fortunate, I could not say more,” Guardiola said when asked about the players who stepped up.
He paid tribute to Kovacic for his role in replacing Rodri whose absences last season coincided with City’s three defeats in the league.
“His mum and dad gave (us) an incredible human being, he is a top-class person. Top,” Guardiola said.
City are seeking a fifth straight Premier League title having already made history by winning the past four in a row although they face the risk of punishment for alleged breaches of financial rules, claims that the club denies.
Unlike City’s decision to rest their Euro stars, Chelsea started with Spain’s Marc Cucurella and England’s Cole Palmer who both appeared in the tournament final in Berlin on July 14.
The Blues showed flashes of the style that Chelsea’s big-spending U.S. owners – now on their fourth permanent manager since they bought the club in 2022 – hope will bring success back to west London.
But in the end, Maresca’s side were mostly reduced to unlikely penalty appeals and a fluffed attempt by Nicolas Jackson before Kovacic settled the game.
Palmer – Chelsea’s runaway top scorer last season with 22 goals – was largely kept quiet by City’s defence, and new signings Pedro Neto and Marc Guiu failed to pierce the visitors’ back line.
Maresca said he saw progress and pointed to some fine margins in the game, with Haaland’s opening goal standing after a narrow offside decision went City’s way while Nicolas Jackson was adjudged offside when he scored what would have been an equaliser.
“We competed for large parts of the game,” the Italian said. “For some moments, we were even better. We created chances. And I think the big difference today between us and them was especially inside the box and the way they managed the ball in the last part of the game.”
-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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