Premier League
Scoring machine, Haaland back in the groove with double as Man City win at Burnley
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland wasted no time opening his account for the new Premier League season with two goals as the champions began their title defence with a 3-0 stroll against promoted Burnley at Turf Moor on Friday.
Haaland, who bagged a Premier League season-record 36 goals and a total of 52 in all competitions for treble winners City last season, slotted his side in front after four minutes.
A stunning finish by the Norwegian in the 36th put City in cruise control with the only blot on their copybook being an injury to Kevin de Bruyne that forced him off in the first half.
Rodri drove home City’s third from close range after 75 minutes to make it a chastening return to the top flight for a Burnley side managed by former City captain Vincent Kompany.
To complete the home side’s misery they had substitute Anass Zaroury sent off in stoppage time for an ugly tackle on Kyle Walker, the decision being upgraded from a yellow card by referee Craig Pawson after a VAR check.
If anyone thought 23-year-old Haaland might struggle to match the record-smashing exploits of his first season in England, or whether it might take him a while to get up to speed, they were given an immediate answer.
He looked razor sharp from the opening whistle as City, who had no new faces in their starting lineup, sent out an early warning to any side trying to prevent them from winning a fourth successive English title.
“We started well. We found a goal, we struggled a bit after. We gave away balls, our pass created problems but after a while we played much, much better,” Guardiola said.
POACHER’S GOAL
Haaland’s opening goal was a typical poacher’s effort, pouncing to jab a shot past goalkeeper James Trafford after Rodri headed a De Bruyne cross back into the area.
Burnley recovered from that early setback quite well and almost punished City for some sloppiness when Lyle Foster curled a shot past the far post.
De Bruyne did not last much longer though, limping off to be replaced by new signing Mateo Kovacic after 23 minutes.
But that did not disrupt City’s rhythm and they doubled their lead when a patient build-up ended with Julian Alvarez teeing up Haaland who dispatched a clinical curling effort with his left foot into the net via the far post.
The second half was a lessen in game management by City who were content to run the legs out of Burnley.
They added a third when Rodri, scorer of the goal in the Champions League final exactly two months ago that sealed City’s treble, thumped home after Burnley failed to deal with a set-piece played into their penalty area.
Haaland was substituted late on while City also offered a late cameo to new defensive signing Josko Gvardiol.
Burnley’s big night did not go to plan on or off the field with the club apologising for an object being thrown at City’s Rico Lewis in the first half.
Kompany, who won two of his four City titles under Guardiola, knows his team must learn quickly.
“You can’t feel good with a defeat, but I’ve seen enough to know we have made progress since the last time we played them,” he said, referring to a 6-0 FA Cup quarter-final loss last term.
“This is going to be the worst we play this season, this team is only going to get stronger.”
-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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