Premier League
Premier League title race goes to wire as Man City held
The Premier League title race looks set to go down to the final day after Manchester City dropped two points with a 2-2 draw at West Ham United on Sunday.
Riyad Mahrez failed to a convert a late penalty that would have won the game for Pep Guardiola’s side, who were 2-0 down at halftime at the London Stadium.
The result left City on 90 points with one game to play and second-placed Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented quadruple of trophies, four points behind but with two matches left.
Liverpool travel to Southampton on Tuesday and victory in that game would leave them one point behind heading into Sunday’s final round of games. A defeat would hand the title to City.
Both sides are at home for their last games – City face Aston Villa, managed by former Liverpool favourite Steven Gerrard, while Juergen Klopp’s team host Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jarrod Bowen struck twice for West Ham in the first half to stun City but Guardiola’s men fought back strongly.
Jack Grealish fired City back into contention four minutes after the break and the Hammers’ Czech defender Vladimir Coufal headed a Mahrez free kick into his own goal.
City had a great chance to take all three points when a VAR review led referee Anthony Taylor to award a penalty for Craig Dawson’s challenge on Gabriel Jesus.
Mahrez struck the spot-kick firmly but at a good height for Lukasz Fabianski who produced an excellent save to deny the Algerian, frustrate City and keep Liverpool’s hopes alive.
Tottenham Hotspur boosted their hopes of Champions League football next season with a nervy 1-0 win at home to relegation-threatened Burnley.
Spurs climbed above North London rivals Arsenal into fourth on 68 points from 37 games — the Gunners are on 66 from 36 matches and can return to the top four if they win at Newcastle United on Monday.
CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY
The game was decided by a controversial penalty just before the break when referee Kevin Friend reviewed a handball incident and ruled that the arm of Ashley Barnes had been in an “unnatural position” when the ball struck it.
Kane drilled the spot-kick into the bottom corner but Burnley’s protests continued after the halftime whistle with angry exchanges in the tunnel.
Nick Pope made two outstanding saves after the break to keep out Son Heung-min while Barnes struck the post for Burnley with a thundering drive from distance.
Burnley’s defeat left them back in the bottom three but the battle to avoid relegation also looks likely to be decided on the final day of the season.
Leeds United dropped two points with a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion although they were delighted to have salvaged a point with a stoppage-time header from substitute Pascal Struijk.
Former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck had put Brighton ahead in the 21st minute and Leeds laboured before Struijk snuck in at the back post to set off wild celebrations.
Everton slipped back into trouble after a 3-2 home defeat to Brentford, ending the game with nine men after receiving two red cards.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s first goal since August put Frank Lampard’s Everton ahead but their day turned sour when teenage centre back Jarrad Branthwaite was sent-off for a foul on the last man.
Brentford took control after that as Yoane Wissa forced Everton captain Seamus Coleman to put the ball into his own net, though Richarlison restored the home advantage from the penalty spot to give his team a 2-1 lead at halftime.
But two headed goals in three minutes just past the hour-mark from Wissa and Rico Henry, and a late red card for Salomon Rondon, handed Brentford a win that leaves Everton still in need of points for safety.
Everton are in 16th place on 36 points with two games left to play. Leeds are a point behind with one game left and Burnley are in 18th, inside the drop zone, on 34 points with two matches left.
Burnley travel to Aston Villa before their final game at home to Newcastle. Leeds’s last match is away to Brentford. Everton host Crystal Palace before travelling to Arsenal next Sunday.
-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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