Premier League
Arsenal get job done as top-five fight set for photo finish
The fight to finish in the Premier League’s top five and qualify for the Champions League intensified on Sunday but Arsenal can breathe easy on the final day after all-but securing runners-up spot with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United on Sunday.
Declan Rice’s superb 55th-minute strike sealed the points for Arsenal as they avenged three previous losses to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle this season despite a poor first half.
That lifted Arsenal to 71 points, 12 behind runaway champions Liverpool, but crucially mathematically out of reach of all the sides below them barring Manchester City.
Newcastle remained third position but only one point separates them and seventh-placed Nottingham Forest who kept alive their top-five hopes by beating West Ham United 2-1 away.
Forest (65 points) host fourth-placed Chelsea (66) in their final game next weekend while Newcastle (66) welcome Everton.
Aston Villa (66) are currently fifth and face Manchester United at Old Trafford next Sunday.
Sixth-placed Manchester City, who will end the season trophy-less after losing in Saturday’s FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, have 65 points but have two games left to play; Bournemouth at home on Tuesday and Fulham away on Sunday
“It’s going to go to the end and who knows what twists and turns there will be, we need one big effort in the last game,” Newcastle manager Howe said. “We need to be calm.”
Everton waved goodbye to Goodison Park — their home for 133 years and 2,791 games — with a 2-0 victory over Southampton secured by a double from Iliman Ndiaye.
“This team will be remembered in history as the one who played the last game,” Everton manager David Moyes said on an emotional afternoon on Merseyside in which a host of former players including Neville Southall, Wayne Rooney and Duncan Ferguson joined in the farewell celebrations.
Fulham kept alive their slim hopes of creeping into a European qualifying spot by securing a 3-2 win at eighth-placed Brentford.
In a battle for pride at the bottom between two relegated teams, Jamie Vardy scored his 200th goal for Leicester City in his last home appearance for Leicester City in a 2-0 defeat of Ipswich Town to move above them into 18th place.
500TH APPEARANCE
Vardy, who was making his 500th appearance for the club he fired to a fairytale Premier League title in 2016, announced last month that he would be leaving.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you. For taking myself and family in as one of your own. Hopefully I’ve repaid you for that,” an emotional Vardy told fans on pitch.
Arsenal knew a win over Newcastle would secure a return to the Champions league and almost certainly mean a third successive runners-up finish in the Premier League.
They were indebted to keeper David Raya in the first half as he made a string of saves, but Rice’s sublime strike 10 minutes after the restart lifted the mood of the home fans whose dreams of silverware this season faded away.
“I had a dream and it was to deliver a big trophy this season to our people,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.
“I think we deserve it from the journey we have been through in the last three, four years, but we haven’t achieved that. Now we need to make some steps, some action and come back here fresh on day one next season ready to go.”
Nottingham Forest have already guaranteed a return to European competition for the first time in 30 years but their hopes of claiming a top-five spot and a place in the Champions League have faded in the run-in.
They will head into Sunday’s climax still with hope after a deserved win at West Ham.
Morgan Gibbs-White gave them an early lead after a mistake by home keeper Alphonse Areola and Nikola Milenkovic’s header doubled their lead after the break, although Forest had to endure a six-minute VAR check before they could celebrate.
Jarrod Bowen’s replay meant it was an anxious finale but Forest held on through 17 minutes of stoppage time as the game ended in a series of ugly scuffles between the players.
“We knew we had to win this game. We left it a bit nervy for ourselves towards the end,” Gibbs-White said.
“It’s a do or die (against Chelsea), one last push and we have to give it everything.”
-Reuters
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Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is in an induced coma after undergoing surgery on a serious abdominal injury, according to British media reports.
The Nigerian international, 27, collided with the goalpost in the 88th minute of Sunday’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Leicester City at the City Ground, attempting to connect with a cross from Anthony Elanga.
Awoniyi, who joined Forest from Union Berlin in June 2022, came on as a late substitute for Ibrahim Sangare and spent only five minutes on the pitch before the incident.
He received immediate treatment on the field and then rejoined the game but was limping for the last 10 minutes of the match.
The BBC was among British media outlets that reported late on Tuesday that Awoniyi had been placed in an induced coma after having the first phase of surgery.
In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Forest said Awoniyi had undergone surgery and was “recovering well”.
“Nottingham Forest can confirm that Taiwo Awoniyi is recovering well so far following urgent surgery on a serious abdominal injury sustained during Sunday’s match against Leicester City,” the club said.
Reuters has contacted Forest for comment.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis came onto the pitch after the Leicester game and appeared to remonstrate with manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Espirito Santo said that the incident was due to Marinakis’s frustration over Awoniyi not being substituted. The Forest manager added that the Nigeria international was left on due to a misunderstanding between the coaching and medical departments.
Forest on Tuesday dismissed reports as “fake news” that Marinakis was involved in a confrontation with the manager.
-Reuters
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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.
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