Category: Sports News

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United face the risk of failing to qualify for European competition for the second time since the 1989-90 season.

Erik ten Hag’s men are eighth in the Premier League, 32 points behind Arsenal, after a 1-0 defeat to the Gunners at Old Trafford earlier this morning saw their 19th defeat in all competitions this season.

United have at least improved slightly compared to when they were beaten 4-0 at Crystal Palace earlier last week.

Ten Hag once again blamed a long list of injuries for his team’s struggles this season.

Captain Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire are among those not in action for the United squad.

“It’s like trying to swim with your hands tied behind your back,” Ten Hag said.

“If you want to improve as a team, you need agile players. You saw that in the team we played against today.”

United, who have never finished seventh and below in the EPL era, are three points behind Newcastle and Chelsea with two games remaining.

Failure to finish in the top seven or win the FA Cup final against Manchester City will see United miss out on European action.

“It would be terrible (if we didn’t qualify for Europe) but that’s the situation we’re in now,” said Ten Hag.

“If you analyze the performance you can see we are very competitive.

“It’s not the way we want it to be, United have to win, always! But right now as a club and this team, with the injury list we have, we’re not in that position.”

LONDON: Brazilian defender Thiago Silva has announced he will leave Chelsea at the end of the season after four years at the English Premier League (EPL) club, but hopes to return in a different role.

The 39-year-old joined Chelsea from Paris St Germain on a free transfer in August 2020 and made 151 appearances as he won the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup.

“Chelsea means a lot to me. I came here with the intention of just one year and it ended up being four years,” said Silva.

“I think, everything I did here for four years, I always gave my best.

“Unfortunately, everything has a beginning, middle and end. It doesn’t mean this is the end. I hope to leave with an open door so that in the future I can return, even in a different role.

“Goodbye is for those who leave and never return. I intend to return one day.”

LONDON: Liverpool got back on track after a miserable week as a 3-1 win at Fulham revived their Premier League title challenge while Nottingham Forest hit out at the officials during a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Everton earlier this morning.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were knocked out in the Europa League quarter-finals by Atalanta early Friday morning after suffering a league defeat at home to Crystal Palace last weekend.

The Reds’ desire to give Klopp a wonderful parting gift was somewhat subtle but they roared back into the championship race with a much-needed first win in three league games.

Liverpool are now second, behind leaders Arsenal on goal difference and one point ahead of third-placed Manchester City, who have played one game less than their two rivals.

Next up for Liverpool is a clash of local rivals at Everton early this Thursday morning, while Arsenal host Chelsea the day before and City travel to Brighton early Friday morning.

“Fulham usually cause us problems so it was a good performance at the right time,” said Klopp.

“We want to stay in contention, that’s clear. Arsenal won yesterday, Manchester City will win the remaining one game, so we have to win games and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Klopp’s side have struggled in recent weeks and he dropped Mohamed Salah to the bench in one of five changes he made.

Trent Alexander-Arnold put Liverpool ahead in the 32nd minute with a stunning free-kick that curled into the corner of the net.

Fulham defender Timothy Castagne equalized from close range after Liverpool failed to clear the ball from the penalty area in first-half stoppage time.

Ryan Gravenberch restored Liverpool’s lead in the 53rd minute with a powerful shot from the corner of the penalty area for his first league goal.

Diogo Jota completed the win in the 72nd minute, curling a clinical finish into the top corner.

Everton took a big step towards continuing their 70-year run in the English top flight with a controversial win over Forest.

Idrissa Gueye and Dwight McNeil scored to keep The Toffees five points above the relegation zone.

Forest remain just one point above the relegation zone and were disappointed to be denied three powerful penalty appeals.

The club’s official account on media site X questioned the integrity of the Premier League by claiming the VAR official was a fan of the club struggling with relegation Luton.

“We warned PGMOL (the governing body of referees) VAR was a Luton fan before the game but they ignored it,” Forest said in a statement.

“Our patience has been tested several times. The NFFC will consider all available options.”

Aston Villa strengthened their chances of playing in next season’s Champions League after a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.

Unai Emery’s men bounced back through goals from Morgan Rogers, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey after Dominic Solanke had put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot.

BARCELONA: Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique said his players were strong enough to overcome Barcelona in the European Champions League quarter-final rematch.

Spanish champions Barcelona won 3-2 in Paris in the first leg last week, and PSG will need to overcome a deficit at the Olympic Stadium tomorrow to advance to the semi-finals.

“PSG have never bounced back from losing the first game, but tomorrow is the day.

“After losing such an important match, the days after are very difficult.

“It’s very difficult to recover mentally, but the good thing about football is that you have another game against the same opponent.

“We are sure of what we are going to do and I think we are quite prepared,” said Enrique.

Barcelona, ​​under Enrique, thrashed PSG 6-1 in 2017 to overturn a 4-0 deficit in the first leg of the last 16.

PSG will return to strengthen Achraf Hakimi after the Moroccan player was unable to play in the first match due to suspension.

LONDON: Jude Bellingham struck in stoppage time to help England draw 2-2 with Belgium at Wembley after Youri Tielemans’ brace threatened them in an exciting international friendly earlier this morning.

Tielemans put the visitors in front after 11 minutes with Ivan Toney equalizing from the penalty spot soon after, before Tielemans’ header saw Belgium lead 2-1 at the break.

It looked a bit cruel for England, who did not look the same as the side that bowed out at the hands of Brazil last Saturday and they deserved to grab a late equalizer.

“I realize the curse we’re going to have if we lose two games in a row,” Bellingham said.

“We should have won with all the chances we created but these two games taught us a lot. I know many will criticize but we have to take the positives.

“I’m sure the manager will be happy with the way we played. You won’t be happy with a loss or a draw but we have to be happy with the way we performed.”

The clash between third-ranked England and fourth-ranked opponents was markedly different from last Saturday’s action, where England rarely attempted against Brazil and a chance was created after 20 seconds when Toney fired over the bar from Jarrod Bowen’s cross.

Belgium, wearing a strange light blue and brown kit, took the lead when Jordan Pickford failed to clear the ball from the danger area and it landed at the feet of Amadou Onana before Tielemans fired into the gaping goal.

England equalized from the penalty spot six minutes later when Jan Vertonghen brought down Toney and the Brentford forward marked his first start with his debut goal.

With his challenger as back-up to the injured Harry Kane failing to shine, it’s a big moment for Toney and his dream of knocking on the door in the Euro squad.

LIVERPOOL: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City survived Liverpool’s second-half ‘tsunami’ to draw 1-1 in Premier League action at Anfield.

The result leaves the top three teams just one point apart, with Arsenal ahead of Liverpool on points difference at the top of the league and City in third – one point behind.

Guardiola has been chasing victory in the fanfare at Anfield since 2003, with the last time winning in 2021 without spectators.

However, the visitors could breathe a sigh of relief to take home a point after Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty offset John Stones’ goal in the first half.

The last English Premier League clash between Jurgen Klopp and Guardiola did not disappoint when Liverpool recovered in the second half even though their squad was hit by injuries.

Klopp’s men missed several golden chances to seal the three points and return to the top of the league, including being denied a second penalty during injury time.

“I think it’s a match that defines these two clubs for a few years now. Gradually in this stadium it’s like a tsunami!” Guardiola said.

The draw at Anfield kept Arsenal top of the league after an eighth successive win, but they need to travel to the Etihad Stadium to meet City on March 31.

Klopp believes his team will be more eager to win the league title in his final season at Anfield based on their second-half performance against City.

“Today I saw the best 53 minutes against Manchester City. The way we played was extraordinary. There were some of the best moments in my coaching career if we could do that against them.

“The only thing I hope for now is that we are in contention. Based on today’s performance, I see the team is on the right footing – now we’ll see what we can do,” said Klopp.

Mohamed Salah started on the Liverpool bench alongside Andy Robertson, while Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Diogo Jota are still on the injury list.

The clash between the two best clubs in the world saw both goals scored due to defensive errors.

Liverpool looked unprepared for Kevin De Bruyne’s corner in the 23rd minute and Stones easily beat Caoimhin Kelleher for the opening goal.

Early in the second half, Darwin Nunez intercepted Nathan Ake’s back pass before being brought down by City goalkeeper Ederson.

Mac Allister calmly beat Ederson despite being forced to wait a long time for the goalkeeper to receive treatment, who was then replaced by Stefan Ortega.

MANCHESTER, England: Phil Foden maintained Manchester City’s challenge in the race for the English Premier League (EPL) championship with two second-half goals to snatch a 3-1 win over Manchester United at home last night.

Marcus Rashford’s solid strike in the eighth minute allowed United to take the lead despite going against the flow of the opposition and it looked like the visitors might be able to fulfill City’s dream of recording a fourth successive league title.

However, Pep Guardiola’s men remained patient, controlled the ball and finally produced results with Foden proving how valuable he is now for City.

Foden drove powerfully into the corner of the goal in the 56th minute and the England striker once again produced a clinical finish with 10 minutes remaining.

Erling Haaland, who missed a golden opportunity in the first half, saved the points with a goal following a mistake from United’s defense.

Defending champions City, who have not lost 19 games in all competitions, have 62 points, one point behind leaders Liverpool who visit them this weekend.

United, who suffered their 11th league defeat of the season, remained sixth on 44 points.

Rashford’s solid strike may have sunk the bottom team but Erik ten Hag’s United could do nothing about City turning the game around – winning their EPL neighbors for the first time after coming back from behind.

City controlled the ball 74 percent of the time and produced 27 attempts compared to United’s only three, but despite the appearance of a global talent, local boy Foden found a devastating touch.

The 23-year-old received the crowd’s respect when he came off after being knocked out due to injury – City fans were delighted with their ability to suppress Liverpool and Arsenal.

“That’s my aim, to do well in big games,” said Foden, who has now equaled his personal record of 11 league goals in a season.

“This season I proved it.”

LONDON: Everton’s penalty for breaking English Premier League (EPL) financial rules was reduced to 10 points for six subsequent appeals, giving them hope in their bid to avoid relegation to the lower leagues.

The club was handed the heavy penalty last November after the commission found they had incurred losses justified under the league’s profits and performance regulations by a difference of £19.5 million over the assessment period at the end of the 2021-22 season.

The club can lose a maximum of £105 million within three years or face penalties.

The previous result – the biggest points deduction in EPL history – saw one of England’s historic clubs drop to 19th in the league charts and struggling to avoid relegation.

But free agency reduced the penalty by four points, moving Sean Dyche’s men up to 15th in the league – five points above the knockout zone with 12 games remaining.

“Everton FC requested the punishment imposed against it on nine grounds, each of which relates to the penalty and not the fact of the offence, which the club admitted,” the EPL said in a statement late last night.

“Two of the nine reasons were retained by the seduction board, which replaced the original point deduction of 10 for six.”

The appeals agency concluded the commission had made a “statutory error” for two reasons.

He found the commission cleared of wrongdoing when it found Everton had been “less than forthright” regarding what they had told the EPL about debts linked to their new stadium and found that in doing so the club had breached league rules requiring an obligation to act in good faith.

Nine-time English champions Everton have played in the top flight since 1954 and have never dropped out of the EPL.

LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola apologized to Kalvin Phillips for saying the midfielder was fat when he returned from the 2022 World Cup.

Guardiola told reporters Phillips was not in good shape for training after returning from Qatar, where he was used for just 40 minutes in two substitute appearances.

Phillips endured a difficult time at City after moving from Leeds United in 2022, making just six first-team appearances in 18 months and the 28-year-old joined West Ham United on loan last month.

After moving to West Ham, the midfielder said his confidence had been affected following Guardiola’s comments.

“Yes, I apologize,” Guardiola told reporters last night.

“I apologized to him. I spoke to him before (about the comments). I never don’t speak to the team before I say something here or the players in this case.”

City, who are third in the Premier League, could close the gap on leaders Liverpool to one point if they beat Brentford at home early tomorrow.

LONDON: Arsenal heated up the battle for the English Premier League title when they buried the leaders Liverpool 3-1 to close the gap between the two to two points and jump to the second place early this morning.

Arsenal deserved the three points that allowed them to overcome Manchester City even though they did not expect to receive the help of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson who made a mistake and saw Gabriel Martinelli again put them in front in the 67th minute.

Substitute Leandro Trossard then eased any jitters among the Emirates fans when he sealed victory in stoppage time with a goal through Alisson’s crotch.

Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead with a cool finish in the 14th minute but Gabriel’s own goal in first-half injury time halted their early toil.

On the brink of their second league defeat of the season, both in north London, Liverpool’s frustration was further accentuated when Ibrahima Konate was sent off in the dying minutes for a second yellow card following a foul on Kai Havertz.

Arsenal’s title challenge faltered at the start of the year but three straight wins have lifted them to second place with 49 points to Liverpool’s 51 with both teams having played 23 games.

Defending champions Manchester City, who play early tomorrow morning, have collected 46 points from 21 games.

“It was a bit disappointing to concede a goal after a very good first half but we know we played our best 45 minutes of the season,” said Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.

“We were on top at Christmas and then had some bad results. Now we look to get this team back on track.”

“It was a difficult day,” Van Dijk said. “I take full responsibility for the 2-1 goal, it was the biggest turning point. It disappointed me and the whole team.”

Trossard’s goal, deflected off Van Dijk’s leg and through Alisson’s crotch, sparked a decision that cast doubt on the Merseyside club’s ability.