Premier League
Arsenal squander two-goal lead again in draw at West Ham
Arsenal’s Premier League title jitters returned in a potentially costly 2-2 draw at West Ham United on Sunday as for the second week in a row they threw away a two-goal advantage.
The leaders were 2-0 up and cruising towards restoring their six-point cushion over Manchester City with Gabriel Jesus tapping home in the seventh minute and Martin Odegaard doubling Arsenal’s lead with a volley three minutes later.
But everything changed when they conceded a sloppy penalty that Said Benrahma tucked away in the 33rd minute.
West Ham, needing points themselves to stay away from the relegation zone, were transformed although Bukayo Saka had the chance to restore Arsenal’s two-goal lead early in the second half only to blaze a penalty well wide.
That miss looked even more costly moments later when Jarrod Bowen volleyed in West Ham’s equaliser in the 54th minute.
Just as at Anfield last week when Mikel Arteta’s team led 2-0 but ended up hanging on desperately for a 2-2 draw with Liverpool, there was a nervousness about Arsenal’s play as the pressure of winning a first title since 2004 intensifies.
City’s destiny is now very much in their own hands as Arsenal lead the table with 74 points from 31 games, four more than City who have played a game less and who host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side on April 26.
West Ham, who looked the stronger side after levelling and hit the crossbar through Michail Antonio, have 31 points from 30 games, four ahead of the relegation places.
Arsenal had won all five of their London derbies away from home this season without conceding a goal and had lost only two of the previous 29 league games against West Ham.
That record looked set to continue in a sparkling start but when the fulltime whistle sounded Arsenal’s players looked crestfallen at losing their grip on the title race.
“Very disappointing. The way we started was superb again, we were in total control, then we lost purpose,” Arteta said.
TERRIBLE PENALTY
“We gave them hope, conceded a terrible penalty, then credit to them. We got on the rollercoaster where everything is going, corners and throw ins, and we never got away from that.”
Arsenal remain in a position that they could have hardly imagined back in August but with City steaming up behind them after collecting 25 points from the last 27 on offer, the odds are shifting towards Pep Guardiola’s treble chasers.
It all began so well for Arsenal on a pleasant spring afternoon in east London.
An intricate passing move in the seventh minute ended with Ben White’s teeing up Jesus for a tap-in and with West Ham looking dazed and disorganised, unmarked Odegaard then volleyed in Gabriel Martinelli’s cross.
West Ham were handed a lifeline when Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was caught in possession by Declan Rice and Gabriel then took down Lucas Paqueta and Benrahma coolly beat Aaron Ramsdale from the spot.
Antonio’s harsh handball early in the second half, after a VAR chck, gave Saka the chance to calm Arsenal’s nerves but he made a hash of his penalty.
That turned up the volume from the home fans and less than three minutes after Saka’s miss, a lofted ball forward found the impressive Bowen unmarked and he showed great composure to bounce a volley past Ramsdale.
Arsenal still had time to re-group but offered very little in the latter stages and they must now focus on Friday’s must-win home clash against bottom club Southampton.
“We have to remember we are still top of the league with everything in our own hands,” Odegaard said.
–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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