Premier League
Liverpool v Man City showdown was like watching heavyweight boxers, says Klopp
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said watching his side going toe-to-toe with Premier League leaders Manchester City in their exhilarating 2-2 draw on Sunday was like watching two heavyweight boxers going at it.
Liverpool trailed City by 14 points in mid January but a run of 10 successive victories meant that had they won at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, they would have leapfrogged Pep Guardiola’s side to the top of the standings.
However, a draw was the best the visitors could muster in Manchester, as they twice trailed the champions, in a contest Klopp felt neither side gave an inch in.
“The concentration levels in these games are incredible, because it is like watching two boxing heavyweights,” Klopp said. “You put your hands down you get a knock in your face and you have to get up.
“I liked a lot when we controlled the game and we caused them more problems than ever before. Of course I would have loved to do it more often. We had 15 minutes of control then they got momentum back. The game went like this all the time.
“There were moments when they were really on their toes. Nothing has changed really, when you play 95 minutes but you are in the same place as before. We have to be nearly perfect to beat this team in a game.”
Victory would have lifted Liverpool to the top of the standings for the first time since Oct. 1 but it was not meant to be.
The draw means that Klopp’s side trail City by one point with seven games to play and both sides will be determined to keep up the intensity.
“Yes it will take seven wins out of seven to win the title,” Klopp added. “We knew that in January. This game was one we can draw.
“We now have two massive games, against Benfica (in the Champions League) and then City again (in FA Cup). Then after that it really starts. We have to be ready. It is cool. We are where we want to be. We are close to an incredible side.
“But if you don’t have luck in life, you are screwed. Millimetres can be the difference when winning leagues. We have to be as close to perfection as possible. It is insane, but it is the only way to beat this team. Even that might not be enough.”
-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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