Premier League
JESUS TAKES MAN CITY CLEAR AT THE TOP
Manchester City beat bottom club Sheffield United 1-0 to move three points clear of Manchester United who were held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday (Jan 30).
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ disappointing campaign continued with a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace but Newcastle United ended their poor run of form with an impressive 2-0 win at Everton.
A ninth-minute goal from Brazilian Gabriel Jesus gave City a 1-0 win over Sheffield United who had delivered the title-chasers a major boost with their midweek win at Manchester United.
Jesus slotted home from close range after Ferran Torres took advantage of poor defending to wriggle free and pick out his unmarked team mate.
City were not at their slickest best against Chris Wilder’s well-organised defence, although goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale did well to keep out a fine drive from Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aymeric Laporte’s header.
The visitors threw on attacking players as they looked to sneak a point and they gave Pep Guardiola’s side a scare with a late John Fleck effort that flashed wide.
City have 44 points from 20 games with United three points behind but having played a game more. Third-placed Leicester City could leapfrog Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side with a win over Leeds United on Sunday.
Chances were also hard to find at the Emirates where Manchester United ended a disappointing week having given up five points in the title race.
Arsenal came out strongly after the interval and Alexandre Lacazette came closest to scoring for the hosts with a 56th-minute curling free kick that struck the bar.
The best two chances for United fell to Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani but he was wide of the target both occasions.
United set a new club record of 18 away games unbeaten in the league while Arsenal, eighth on 31 points, have not lost since Dec. 19.
Wolves are without a win in eight games after Eberechi Eze’s goal gave Palace a much-needed win at Selhurst Park.
Eze broke the deadlock on the hour, firing a low left-footed strike past Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio.
Wilson double
Newcastle United celebrated their first Premier League win in 10 games and lifted pressure off manager Steve Bruce after two goals from Callum Wilson secured a 2-0 win at Everton.
Wilson fired the visitors in front with a brilliant header in the 73rd minute and the former Bournemouth forward added the second in stoppage time from close range.
Ivan Cavaleiro came off the substitutes bench to grab a late equaliser as Fulham held fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion to a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns.
Fulham went ahead in the 10th minute when Aleksandar Mitrovic slipped a through ball to Bobby Cordova-Reid, who slotted it past West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
West Brom equalised early in the second period when Brazilian playmaker Matheus Pereira’s cross was stabbed home by defender Kyle Bartley.
Pereira appeared to have earned a first home league win for West Brom under manager Sam Allardyce when he smashed the ball past Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
But Fulham salvaged a point after Harrison Reed’s cross found fellow substitute Cavaleiro who headed home 13 minutes from time.
In Saturday’s late game, England midfielder Jack Grealish fired in a superb cross for Ross Barkley to head home as Aston Villa overcame a slow start to beat Southampton 1-0 at St Marys.
Danny Ings had a late goal ruled out for offside for Southampton who slumped to their third league defeat in a row.
-Reuters
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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