Premier League
LAMPARD ADMITS; WEST HAM DEFEAT SHOWS LONG WAY TO GO FOR CHELSEA
Frank Lampard said Chelsea’s capitulation to lose 3-2 at relegation threatened West Ham on Wednesday (July 1) is a sign of how much work he still has to do to make the Blues title contenders once more.
Chelsea were on course to move third in the Premier League when Willian’s penalty gave them the lead in the first half at the London Stadium.
But the visitors did not learn from the reprieve they received from VAR when Tomas Soucek had a goal ruled out for offside as the Czech rose highest to level from another corner.
Michail Antonio then put West Ham in front early in the second half before Willian’s free-kick brought Chelsea level once more.
Lampard’s men then looked the more likely to claim all three points in the closing stages, but were caught on the counter-attack when Andriy Yarmolenko fired home a huge winner for West Ham’s chances of avoiding the drop.
A 10th league defeat of the season leaves Chelsea just two points clear of Manchester United and Wolves in the race for a place in the top four and next season’s Champions League.
“I wouldn’t say it is the story of our season because it’s been a good season, but there have been so many of these moments,” said Lampard, whose side had won all three of their previous matches since returning from English football’s three-month shutdown due to coronavirus.
“The players in those moments have to show an extra mentality to see a game through like this when you have a lot of domination.”
After a 2-1 victory over Manchester City last week that sealed the title for Liverpool and the signings of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea have been touted as title contenders to City and Liverpool next season.
However, Lampard believes his side have to be far more consistent than they have shown during his first season in charge.
“I’ve seen us play great games, but I also have seen opportunities to close a gap or move into third wasted. That’s the difference at the minute and shows how much work we’ve got to do.” Just a second win in 12 games takes David Moyes’s men up to 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone.
A much-needed victory for the former Manchester United manager was all the sweeter after feeling the injustice of a VAR call for the second time in eight days.
Moyes was unhappy when Tottenham’s opener in a 2-0 defeat last week was allowed to stand despite a handball in the build-up.
“Again the VAR stuff, I’m beginning to lose faith with it,” said Moyes.
West Ham’s win was the first for any side in the bottom five in 30 games since the Premier League’s restart.
“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t looking at the results (of the other sides),” added Moyes. “I didn’t think we had been as bad as our results suggested.” The controversial VAR call came at 0-0 when Antonio was adjudged to be interfering with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s line of vision from an offside position on the floor when Soucek swept the ball home from a corner.
“I really dislike VAR,” said Antonio. “It’s gone against us so many times. Today it didn’t stop us, we keep going and we got the victory.”
Moments later it got even worse for the hosts as Christian Pulisic was chopped down by Issa Diop and Willian confidently dispatched the spot-kick.
West Ham were level before the break, though, as Soucek rose highest at another Jarrod Bowen corner to power home a downward header.
Moyes’ men were then rewarded for a positive start to the second half as Bowen’s low cross was thrashed home by Antonio.
Pulisic remained Chelsea’s most dangerous player and when the American was brought down again just outside the area this time, Willian produced another moment of set-piece magic.
But against the run of play Chelsea were punished for some lazy defending by Marcos Alonso as he did not track Yarmolenko’s surge from inside his own half and after being picked out by Antonio, the Ukrainian cut inside onto his favoured left and fired past Arrizabalaga.
-AFP
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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