Premier League
Last-gasp Haaland penalty earns 10-man Man City dramatic win over Fulham
Manchester City substitute Erling Haaland converted a 95th-minute penalty to earn the 10-man hosts a dramatic 2-1 win over Fulham on Saturday, a victory that sent the champions back to the top of the Premier League.
Haaland was only deemed fit enough to start on the bench after missing City’s two previous matches through injury, but there was no stopping the Norwegian scoring phenomenon who came on just past the hour to drag his depleted side to victory.
He had one goal ruled offside before netting the last-gasp penalty, his 23rd goal of the season in all competitions sending City a point clear of Arsenal at the top, albeit having played a game more, just as his side seemed to have run out of ideas.
“I was nervous (for the penalty),” Haaland told Sky Sports. “It was one of the most nervous moments of my life, but fantastic,” he said after City battled for over an hour with 10 men having had Joao Cancelo sent off in the 26th minute.
“A penalty in the last minute, of course I would be nervous. But amazing feeling. I love it. I have been injured for a week and it is really important to win,” added Haaland.
Things started well for a City side who had beaten the two other promoted teams, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, by an aggregate of 10-0 at home before Fulham’s visit, with Argentine forward Julian Alvarez firing the hosts into a 17th-minute lead.
The champions thought they had quickly doubled their lead through John Stones but Rodri was offside in the build-up and Fulham capitalised on that reprieve, going straight down the other end and winning a 28th-minute penalty.
City defender Joao Cancelo was given a straight red card for bundling Harry Wilson to the ground, with former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira making no mistake from the spot as Fulham went into the interval level.
HAALAND INTRODUCED
Haaland was brought on in the 63rd minute and quickly thought he had restored his side’s lead after glancing a header home from a pinpoint Kevin De Bruyne cross, but the VAR stepped in to rule that the Norwegian had been offside.
Even with their numerical disadvantage, it was City who kept coming, with Fulham looking like the team with 10 men as the visitors hung on with some last-ditch blocks and put every player behind the ball.
It seemed City had done all they could until De Bruyne was brought down in the penalty area, giving Haaland the chance to continue his incredible debut season in England.
It was not the most convincing spot kick but it found the net to send the Etihad Stadium, and City bench, into delirium.
Haaland has now scored 16 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances. It is the joint-most goals a player has scored across a 10-game period in the competition, matching Luis Suarez’s 16 goals ending in December 2013.
Arsenal have the chance to take back top spot when they travel to Chelsea on Sunday. Fulham stay eighth in the standings on 19 points after a valiant effort in the Manchester rain.
“It was tough on us,” said visiting coach Marco Silva. “We have to understand that some mistakes can happen and we have to learn and grow from them.
“The commitment and attitude were there. We know the reality of the team we are playing against, but we have to look at ourselves and try to improve.”
-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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