Premier League
Gerrard makes winning start as Villa sink Brighton
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard enjoyed a winning start to his reign as late goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings sealed a 2-0 victory against Brighton on Saturday (Nov 20).
Gerrard was taking charge of his first Villa match after leaving Scottish champions Rangers during the international break to replace Dean Smith.
The former Liverpool star saw Watkins and Mings strike in the final six minutes to give Villa their first win in six Premier League games.
Smith was sacked after five successive league defeats, but Gerrard made an immediate impact as Villa climbed four points clear of the relegation zone.
Gerrard is the first Villa manager to win his maiden Premier League game in charge since John Gregory in 1998.
Swopping a Scottish title race for the tension of a relegation fight south of the border, Gerrard’s return to the Premier League was trumpeted as a stepping stone to eventually landing his dream job at Liverpool.
But Gerrard is adamant he is focused on turning Villa into a serious Premier League force capable of qualifying for Europe.
Gerrard’s three-and-a-half year spell at Rangers saw him rebuild the club and end Celtic’s nine-year reign as champions.
For now, he would settle for leading Villa away from the relegation zone in his first taste of Premier League management.
In his first match programme notes, Gerrard promised that “standards will be extremely high” as he made it clear avoiding relegation this term must be a springboard to more productive seasons in future.
One of his first noteworthy decisions was to ban tomato ketchup from Villa’s training ground canteen as he tries to improve his players’ fitness and they showed no signs of flagging against Brighton.
Gerrard immediately prowled the technical area barking orders to his players and Villa almost responded to the cajoling with an early goal.
Matt Targett’s cross picked out Matty Cash and his header forced a good save from Jason Steele.
Brighton enjoyed plenty of possession after that Villa near-miss, coming close to the opening goal through Leandro Trossard.
Marc Cucurella’s pass dropped to Trossard in the Villa area and his strike forced a fine save from Emiliano Martinez.
Chances were at a premium for Villa but England defender Mings saw a long-range drive deflect narrowly wide.
Mings went even closer early in the second half when his thumping header was tipped over by Steele.
Gerrard appealed in vain for a penalty when Solly March’s challenge sent Cash tumbling to the turf.
Brighton were holding on comfortably until the 83rd minute when Watkins took possession just inside the Brighton half, surging into the Albion area before curling his shot into the far corner.
Five minutes later, Mings intercepted Adam Webster’s attempted clearance from a corner and fired into the roof of the net to give the Gerrard era lift-off.
-AFP
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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