Premier League
Everton’s Goodison Park set for emotional last Merseyside derby
Goodison Park, home of Everton since 1892, plays host to the Merseyside derby for the final time on Feb 12 as the Toffees aim to derail Liverpool’s English Premier League title charge.
Everton will move to a new state-of-the-art 53,000-capacity ground on Liverpool’s Bramley Moore Dock next season when they finally leave behind England’s first major football stadium.
The origins of Goodison gave birth to the rivalry between the city’s two clubs.
Everton, formed in 1878, once called Anfield their home before a dispute over rent between their landlord John Houlding and the club’s board. Rather than meet Houlding’s demands, Everton moved to new land just across Stanley Park little more than half a mile away.
Left with a stadium but no team, Houlding, a local businessman and politician, decided to form his own – Liverpool.
Goodison was a ground-breaking development. It twice hosted the FA Cup final in 1894 and 1910 and allowed Everton to become the richest club in England at the time thanks to bumper crowds.
“Behold Goodison Park!” The Out of Doors publication reported in October 1892.
“No single picture could take in the entire scene the ground presents, it is so magnificently large.”
A series of developments ensured it remained among England’s leading stadia for over a century, playing host to more games than anywhere but Wembley during the Three Lions’ World Cup triumph in 1966.
Everton’s golden era arrived in the 1980s, winning two league titles, the FA Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup between 1984 and 1987.
They still sit fifth for most English top-flight titles, behind only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City. But the last of those came 38 years ago and Everton have not won a trophy since the 1995 FA Cup.
“It’s a place that is steeped in history. You can feel it and that brings that added bit of bite to the atmosphere,” Peter MacFarlane of Everton fan podcast The Blue Room told AFP.
“As an Evertonian there aren’t many people who follow us because they are glory hunters, especially over the past 30 years. We go there because we love the football club and that translates from us into Goodison. It’s not just any game, it means a lot to us, especially the derby!”
The club’s grand old ground has mirrored the decline on the pitch.
At the time of the latest major development, with the opening of the Park End stand in 1994 to bring the capacity to 40,000, it was only surpassed by Old Trafford and Anfield. Now it sits 12th.
But as Everton have battled relegation over the past three seasons, the Goodison atmosphere has been crucial to maintaining a 71-year uninterrupted stay in the top flight.
The return of David Moyes as manager in January has steered the team towards safety once more and hope for a fresh start in a new home.
“We’ll all miss Goodison. It is where my grandad went, my dad went, it is all we know, but it is time to move on,” added MacFarlane. “It doesn’t matter where Everton play, Evertonians will still be there.”
A long and emotional goodbye has only seven games to go.
Putting a spanner in the works of leaders Liverpool’s bid to match United’s record of 20 English titles would be the perfect farewell for long-suffering Toffees fans.
Jarrad Branthwaite, for one, has said that Everton must go into the final Goodison Park derby believing they can win.
“It is the Merseyside derby, another game that we are looking to win, that’s it,” the Toffees’ defender told beIN Sports.
“If you build it up too much then you can fall under pressure, so I think for us as players, we are going into it with the belief that we can get a result like last season (2-0 win).
“The fans they create the atmosphere for us to go out there and do a job. We need to go out and perform.”
-AFP
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England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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