Premier League
Chaotic finish to old-school game perfect derby finale at Goodison
A chaotic end to Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, featuring a last-gasp goal and a raft of red cards, provided the perfect conclusion to an old-fashioned tussle between Everton and Liverpool, the last at Goodison Park after 131 years.
Everton captain James Tarkowski equalised deep into stoppage time to earn them a 2-2 Premier League draw against Arne Slot’s side.
But it felt like a victory to Everton boss David Moyes and the Toffees faithful, who serenaded their squad long after the final whistle.
“I think the night was made for something to happen,” said Moyes, whose team are unbeaten in their last four league games. “It wasn’t the greatest, it wasn’t the cleanest game of football you’ve ever watched, bit scrappy on both sides. It was a bit of an old-fashioned throwback in some ways.
“Mental probably sums it up. A brilliant finish for us, to finish the last Goodison Merseyside derby and score in the last minute is in a way fitting.”
Everton’s Beto scored the game’s opener in the 11th minute, before Mohamed Salah first set up Alexis Mac Allister’s goal in the 16th minute and then scored his own in the 73rd and the league leaders looked poised for victory.
Tarkowski struck a blistering goal into the corner in the 98th minute, sparking bedlam among players and fans. A melee between Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and the Reds’ Curtis Jones saw both receive red cards after Jones took umbrage at Doucoure celebrating in front of the Liverpool stands.
Liverpool boss Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also shown reds, meaning neither were permitted to speak to TV after the game or attend a post-game press conference.
The stadium exploded after a lengthy VAR check for offside allowed Tarkowski’s goal to stand.
“The bit after the game, it’s not the things you really talk about,” Moyes said. “But the place was boiling hot all night, emotional, incredible atmosphere inside the stadium. The stadium was at fever pitch. You could see what it meant to supporters at the end of the game, the crowd was rocking. It was one of the big nights.”
The final derby before Everton move to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for next season was due to be played in December but was postponed due to Storm Darragh.
The draw, which featured four goals and four red cards, was a fitting finish with neither side able to claim permanent bragging rights — the tally totalling 41 wins apiece at Goodison for the Merseyside rivals with 38 draws.
“I’ve watched (the goal) about 15 times, I won’t lose the image of me volleying that ball into the roof of the net against Liverpool, for sure,” Tarkowski said. “We are leaving this special stadium so a nice memory for everyone going into the future.”
Liverpool, whose single point on Wednesday put them seven clear of second-placed Arsenal atop the Premier League table, have had the upper hand between the two teams of late.
Toffees fans, though, have a sense of humour about their lack of results. One sign in Wednesday’s crowd read: “At least an empty (trophy) cabinet is easier to move.”
The draw has Everton 10 points clear of the danger zone in 15th.
-Reuters
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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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