Premier League
VIDEO: MANCHESTER CITY’S BERNARDO SILVA REFUSED TO CLAP FOR LIVERPOOL PLAYERS
Liverpool fans have taken aim at Bernardo Silva after the Manchester City star appeared to refuse to participate in a guard of honour for the Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium, reports UK’s Daily Mail.
Pep Guardiola confirmed his men would honour Jurgen Klopp‘s side with a round of applause before their clash on Thursday night – which City went on to win 4-0 – after Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions for the first time last week.
And the deposed top-flight title-holders stuck to their word as all the City players waited for the new champions to emerge on to the pitch ahead of kick-off.
At first look it seemed as if every player was showing their respects to Liverpool, but a video on social media appears to spot Silva refusing to applaud like the rest of his team-mates.
Instead, the Portuguese playmaker can be seen sipping from his water bottle as the stars from the new champions made their way past him.
The 25-year-old then even appeared to leave the line sooner than his City team-mates and began making his way to the touchline before every single member of Liverpool’s starting line-up had made their way past him and their City counterparts.
And enraged Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their disapproval, with one tweeting: ‘Is this not unsporting behaviour?
‘Bernardo Silva was spotted in the guard of honour not clapping like the rest of his team mates, and even took a sip from his cup while the Liverpool players passed him I’ll wait!’
Another agreed, tweeting: ‘The guard of honour from City btw was shocking. Bernardo Silva in particular made himself look like a right t***.
‘He showed a lack of class but that’s no surprise.’
One other supporter also claimed the City man’s actions reflected the pain his team were feeling, writing: ‘All Bernardo Silva has shown is that giving us the guard of honour really hurt them.’
MailOnline have approached Manchester City for comment.
Silva began the game on the bench but came on as a second-half substitute as City inflicted a 4-0 defeat on Klopp’s side in the Reds’ first game back since being crowned champions.
Kevin De Bruyne put his side ahead when he converted from the penalty spot after Raheem Sterling had been fouled.
Sterling then turned scorer to double City’s advantage before Phil Foden scored a third just before half-time.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain then scored a second-half own goal to complete Liverpool’s miserable night.
Klopp confirmed before their 4-0 defeat at City that his side did not ‘need’ to be respected with a guard of honour.
‘I am not sure if I’ve ever got [a guard of honour] but it was long ago that I won something in Germany.
‘I think we had three more matchdays to go and it’s not really a Germany tradition but it is an English one and a Premier League one.
So we take it, it is a nice gesture, 100 per cent. I wouldn’t need it to be honest.’
Under Premier League rules, clubs do not have to give a guard of honour, but may choose to do so if the clubs reach an agreement.
Aston Villa, Brighton, Burnley, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle are also set to show their respect to the new champions in Liverpool’s remaining fixtures.
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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