Premier League
TEN-MAN LEEDS SNATCH LAST-GASP 2-1 WIN AT MANCHESTER CITY
A dramatic last-gasp winner from Stuart Dallas earned 10-man Leeds United a shock 2-1 victory against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (April 10).
A much-changed City side struggled to get going in the first half, with Leeds taking a surprise lead in the 42nd minute, full-back Dallas drilling the ball in off the post with the visitors’ first shot at goal.
Leeds’ joy was short-lived, however, as a VAR intervention saw their captain Liam Cooper sent off just before the break for a dangerous looking challenge on Gabriel Jesus.
The depleted visitors then defended en masse, with City struggling to break through, but Ferran Torres broke their resistance in the 76th, levelling the score with a fine finish.
The drama was not over however.
As City threw everything at Leeds in search of a winner, the visitors broke at pace, with Dallas racing through to grab a sensational win for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the 91st minute.
He to BBC Sport: “The value of the victory increases because it was achieved in a game where we were dominated and demanded character, effort and personality.
“From the adversity and effort of the players it was emotional for me. It was a rebellious team.”
Dallas added: “We came with a game plan we always have but going down to 10 that changes. We are man to man so that changes. We dug in and showed a different side to us. We have been criticised has our defending but we stood up.
“You should never give up. Down to 10 and they equalise. But we managed to find something. It is about how much you really want it.”
The result means City’s six-game winning streak in all competitions has ended as they remain 14 points clear of second-placed Manchester United having played two more games, while Leeds move up to ninth.
City boss Pep Guardiola said his team did not create enough chances for the forwards. He noted: “When they defend in the way they were you have to stop them running and we did not do that. The best moment we had in the game we make a mistake behind and we tried but could not score.”
-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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