Premier League
Everton’s Goodison Park after final Merseyside derby at stadium
Goodison Park, which will be vacated after this season, hosted its final Merseyside derby on Wednesday as Everton drew 2-2 with Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Here are some key details about the stadium, Everton’s future plans and a look at the history of the hosts’ rivalry with Liverpool:
WHEN WAS GOODISON PARK BUILT?
Everton played at Anfield from 1884-1892, before relocating to Goodison Park, with the club’s move directly leading to the founding of rivals Liverpool.
Goodison Park opened its doors in 1892, with the first match played between Everton and Bolton Wanderers. The first match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park took place in October 1894, which the Toffees won 3-0.
The stadium grew sizeably in the next few decades with new stands being built in 1907 and 1909, while major renovations took place in 1948, 1971 and 1994.
HOW HAVE EVERTON FARED IN MERSEYSIDE DERBIES AT GOODISON PARK?
Everton and Liverpool have faced off 120 times at Goodison Park in all competitions, with both sides enjoying 41 victories apiece while 38 matches have ended in draws – including 10 of the last 13 Premier League meetings.
Among the most memorable derbies at the stadium was a 4-4 FA Cup replay draw in 1991 that led to the resignation of Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool manager, Everton’s 5-0 defeat in 1982 and a shock 2-0 win last season that helped Everton avoid relegation.
Of the 33 Merseyside derbies played at Goodison in the Premier League era, Everton have won eight and Liverpool have won 11, with 14 draws.
WHY ARE EVERTON LEAVING GOODISON PARK?
Goodison Park is the 13th largest soccer stadium in England and Wales by capacity, with its relatively small 40,000 seats meaning the team has struggled to compete with the match-day income of their rivals.
Everton’s previous attempts to build a new stadium – at King’s Dock in 2003 and Kirkby in 2009 – both ended in failure.
WHERE WILL EVERTON PLAY NEXT SEASON?
Everton formally agreed a 200-year land lease at a site at Bramley-Moore Dock in 2017 and announced plans to build a waterfront stadium that can help bridge the gap to the leading top-flight teams.
The club planned to relocate to the new stadium beginning from the 2024-25 season, but that was pushed to 2025-26 in 2023.
The new stadium is currently called Everton Stadium, but the club could explore the option to sell naming rights, as they have done in the past.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT WITH GOODISON PARK?
In 2021, Everton said the Liverpool City Council had approved the outline application for a community-led legacy project at Goodison Park.
The stadium is set to be demolished after Everton play their final match there, with the land set to be redeveloped into a mixed-use scheme with housing and offices.
-Reuters
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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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