Premier League
FULHAM BACK IN THE PREMIERSHIP AS BRENTFORD’S LOWER DIVISION STAY EXTENDS TO 74TH YEAR
Oh! Poor Brentford! They scored in the final moment of the encounter that dragged into extra time, but the goal changed nothing.
Their stay in the lower cadre of English football is further elongated as they failed to secure promotion into the English Premier League in Tuesday’s night Championship playoff.
For 73 years they have been absent in the English top league division. Meanwhile, Fulham, 2-1 winners are back in the Premier League and also have a prize money of £160m.
After a goalless 90 minutes, Joe Bryan stole the headlines with a sensational double in extra-time. His first was an incredible 40-yard free kick, in which he caught out Brentford goalkeeper David Raya. His second was just as impressive as he bombed forward late on to finish a delightful team move.
A devastating end to Brentford’s season, who scored in the final moments but to no avail.
Fulham’s opening goal will be a talking point for long. With Bees goalkeeper David Raya expecting Bryan to cross the free-kick from fully 40 yards, the Fulham star struck the ball inside the goalkeeper’s right-hand post to trigger scenes of jubilation from his teammates and manager Scott Parker.
And Bryan doubled his tally in the closing minutes, playing a neat one-two with substitute striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to finish on his weaker right foot and seal the victory.
Henrik Dalsgaard headed home to half the deficit with almost the last touch of the game, but it is Fulham who make an immediate return to the top flight after relegation last year, netting £135million in the process.
Defeat capped a heartbreaking end to the season for Thomas Frank’s side, who lost each of their final two games of the regular season to miss out on automatic promotion
Premier League
Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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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Premier League
Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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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Premier League
Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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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