Premier League
I HAVE A DREAM OF LIFTING THE CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE, SAYS HARRY KANE
England national team captain and Tottenham striker, Harry Kane has told uefa.com that he has the lofty ambition of lifting the UEFA Champions League this season.
He has been a childhood Spurs fan and has also spent his entire career at club.
He never dared to dream – until relatively recently – that he might get the chance to play for them in a UEFA Champions League final.
However, after a season of unending drama, he will get that chance on Saturday. Spurs’ 25-year-old marksman spoke to UEFA.com ahead of the all-English Madrid decider against Liverpool00:00
He said that winning on Sunday would mean everything to him. “Over the last four, five years, with [Mauricio Pochettino] here, we’ve had a plan to become one of the best teams in Europe.
“To now be in a Champions League final, it’s truly special. [The feeling is] hard to describe.
“You try not to think about it too much; you don’t want to let the emotions become overwhelming, but of course it will be massive. It’d be out of my wildest dreams, as a Spurs fan growing up.
“Even coming through the academy it was nothing that we would’ve ever expected to do.” remarked Kane.
He also said there are lessons to be learnt as the final match approaches. “The whole campaign has gone right down to the wire. There’s been so many ups and downs. [The way we came back in the Ajax game] shows great character, great motivation; it shows you’re never out of a game and that’s what we’re taking into the final.”
He had to watch the semi-finals from the side-lines owing to injury. He said it was tough to have found himself in that situation.
“When you’re playing, of course you have the pressure but once you’re on the pitch you’re free and you’re not thinking about it too much, but when you’re watching you’re like a fan in the stands and obviously you can’t do anything about it – you just have to watch.
“After the last game against Ajax, I sprinted down to the pitch [to celebrate], which people saw, and let a lot of emotion out.”
He however found it strange that the 2019 edition turned an all-England final. “We’re obviously used to the Premier League feel, but at the end of the day, it’s just another top team that we have to play.
“We’ve played them a couple of times this season already, and of course they got the better of us [winning 2-1 in London and Liverpool].
“But, I think over the last few years we’ve had some good battles. It’ll be a tough game, but we know that if we play like we can and get everything right, it’s a game that we can win.
“Everyone knows that Liverpool have a great history, but I think when it comes down to it, it’s one game – it’s 90 minutes or 120 minutes to give it everything, to leave it all out on the pitch and really try and make history.
“And as a club, five, ten years ago this wouldn’t have even been in our dreams, and now we’re here it’s an opportunity that we really have to grab with both hands.
He believes that the reason the Spurs team is having a good run at the moment was the fact that the players had been together for a long time.
“There are times when things aren’t going so well and you start to look around and,
[you remember]
you’ve known each other for a while, you’ve been through tough times together before so it’s no different.
“For sure, there will be times on Saturday where we’ll be under the cosh a bit, and we’ll have to dig deep. That’s the family we’ve created here. We’re there for each other and we’ll fight for each other until the end.
“Everyone knows that we haven’t bought a player in the last couple of transfer windows but, in a way, that’s been our strength because it’s brought us closer together.
“We’ve had injuries where people have stepped in and done a job. That’s what our season’s been like, but whoever’s played has performed and given it everything they’ve got. That’s all you can ask for.
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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