Category: Football (Soccer)

Football (Soccer) News

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Bridesmaids no more: Arsenal’s faith in Mikel Arteta rewarded with the ultimate prize

Trusting a rookie coach to rebuild the club in late 2019 was a big call but after three runners-up finishes the Spaniard has delivered a long-awaited title

They say good things come to those who wait, and for Arsenal supporters it has felt like an eternity. Since their unforgettable 2003-04 season when Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles went the top-flight campaign unbeaten, their team had spent an incredible 984 days at the top of the table without being champions. Until now.

After all the disappointments of the late Wenger era and finishing as runners-up in the past three seasons, that unwanted statistic can finally be put to bed after a campaign in which Mikel Arteta’s side have shown they are capable of holding their nerve. There have been many doubters along the way, not least during a disastrous April during which Arsenal lost twice to their chief rivals, Manchester City, in a run of four consecutive domestic defeats in three competitions. But it is a triumph that rewards the faith shown by the hierarchy towards a rookie manager who arrived a week before Christmas in 2019 on a mission to restore them to former glories.

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Fernández and Chelsea sink Spurs as survival battle goes to the final day

Tottenham’s woes in this corner of London are well-documented and long-established. When they made this latest trip to Stamford Bridge, the statistics showed they had won just once since 1990 – a sequence of 40 matches in all competitions.

Never mind. They needed only a point to effectively ensure their Premier League survival, to send West Ham down and draw a veil over this most wretched of seasons. It was a night when the hope pulsed until the last. Chelsea led through goals from the outstanding Enzo Fernández and Andrey Santos and yet Spurs rallied in the closing stages, refusing to accept it was their destiny to prolong the agony into the final round of matches.

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Arsenal crowned Premier League champions after Manchester City draw

Arsenal are Premier League champions for the first time since Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles in 2004 after Manchester City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth.

Arsenal’s squad and staff, including Mikel Arteta, gathered at the training ground in Hertfordshire to watch the game, with Declan Rice posting a picture on Instagram within minutes of the full-time whistle of him with Kai Havertz, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba. “I told you all .. it’s done,” wrote the England midfielder in reference to his “It’s not done” battlecry after Arsenal lost to City last month.

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Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester City: draw hands Premier League title to Arsenal – as it happened

Pep Guardiola kept quiet about his future after his team’s title challenge was ended by a brilliant Bournemouth side

“What are your dreams, what are your dreams?” To comprehend what drove Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, his interaction with autograph hunters in January 2025 after an 8-0 FA Cup win over Salford City is instructive.

The group comprises all younger people apart from one man who tells him: “I used to be a chef.” Guardiola’s reply cuts to the quick and reads as a mantra heard surely by the 85 players he used in 10 Premier League seasons. “Continue to do it. Prepare better,” he says.

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Chelsea 2-1 Tottenham: Premier League survival fight goes to final day – as it happened

The battle to avoid the drop will go to Sunday’s final day after Tottenham were beaten at Chelsea to keep West Ham alive

The players are out, hands have been shaken and preambles completed. Spurs are going to kick off, and they’re going to do it soon.

The players are in the tunnel! And over in Bournemouth, Manchester City are in arrears! As things stand, if no further goals are scored tonight, Arsenal will win the league and West Ham will be (all but) relegated.

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Cult hero Mancini delivers derby win for Roma after Serie A scheduling nightmare | Nicky Bandini

After a spring of boardroom civil war, the Giallorossi’s two-goal hero put his side on the verge of a historic return to Champions League

A Rome derby on the penultimate weekend of a Serie A season could never be a low-stakes occasion. Scudetto wins come rarely in Italy’s capital city – Roma and Lazio have only five between them – leaving neighbourly bragging rights as the next-most important prize on offer. It is an intense, bitter rivalry that has produced countless iconic moments – from Francesco Totti taking selfies under the Curva to a cup-winning goal by Senad Lulic – if sadly also many violent clashes between supporters.

And, of course, it matters more when either side has tangible objectives left to play for. As recently as late April that did not appear very likely. Roma were sixth – five points adrift of the Champions League places – and Lazio ninth. But then the Giallorossi got on a roll, just as Milan and Juventus started dropping points. A win in the derby now could propel them into the top four, if either of those sides slipped up again.

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‘Prince William called me a Rolls-Royce once’: Ezri Konsa enjoys royal approval at Aston Villa

  • England defender thanks Prince of Wales for his support

  • William expected to be in Istanbul for Europa League final

Ezri Konsa has said the Prince of Wales referring to him as a “Rolls-Royce” counts as the greatest compliment of his career and that Aston Villa are grateful for his royal backing. Prince William, arguably Villa’s best-known supporter and a patron of the Football Association, is expected to be in Istanbul for Wednesday’s Europa League final. Villa are seeking their first trophy since the League Cup in 1996 and will face the German side Freiburg in Turkey.

Konsa has opened up on the surreal nature of support from the heir to the throne. William was in the Villa Park directors’ box for Villa’s second-leg 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, which cemented Villa’s place in a first major European final since 1982.

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Premier League and FA Cup final: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

Bafflement at Old Trafford, Chelsea’s Wembley drought goes on and Leeds give fans cause for optimism

Luke Shaw’s first goal in over three years for Manchester United was a further reminder of the left-back’s capabilities. This has been his best season at Old Trafford having featured in all 37 league games thus far, leaving his injury-prone past forgotten. Considering Shaw’s experience and quality, he should be considered for a spot at the World Cup. Thomas Tuchel does not have a vast array of riches in the position and Shaw’s consistency has been key to Michael Carrick’s turnaround at Old Trafford. “He deserves to go,” said Carrick after the win against Nottingham Forest. “His consistency, his performances, his experience, his qualities. He’s an excellent full-back.” Nico O’Reilly is the current first choice for England and he has a very different profile from Shaw, having converted from playing as a central midfielder under Pep Guardiola. Tuchel may want to take Shaw to provide variety and reliability, which would be a sensible approach. Will Unwin

Match report: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Newcastle 3-1 West Ham

Match report: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool

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Inter poised as Curtis Jones enters final year of Liverpool contract

  • Midfielder has not yet agreed extension at Anfield

  • Liverpool value Jones at around £35m

Inter are expected to renew their interest in Curtis Jones this summer, when the Liverpool midfielder will enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Jones has been in talks with his boyhood club over a new deal for several months but no agreement has been reached on an extension. The Italian champions, who inquired about the 25-year-old in January, remain keen on the England international and are likely to make another approach in the summer window.

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European football: Roma close to Champions League return after beating Lazio

  • Sevilla safe despite defeat against Real Madrid

  • Tiny Elversberg seal first promotion to Bundesliga

Roma took a huge step towards returning to the Champions League by beating Lazio 2-0 in a feisty derby which finished with both teams down to 10 men, while Napoli won 3-0 at Pisa to secure a top-four spot.

Gianluca Mancini smashed home two headers from corners, one in each half, at the Stadio Olimpico to move Roma up to fourth thanks also to Juventus’s shock 2-0 home defeat by Fiorentina.

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Marco Silva tight-lipped on Fulham future after Robinson rescues point at Wolves

The Fulham manager, Marco Silva, insisted he had not made a decision on his future after his side’s European hopes were all but extinguished by Sunday’s 1-1 draw at relegated Wolves.

The visitors got themselves on level terms when Antonee Robinson equalised from the spot in first-half stoppage time, after Thomas Kirk gave a penalty for Mateus Mané’s late challenge on Timothy Castagne after a video assistant referee review. Wolves had taken the lead through Mané as they sought a first victory since beating Liverpool on 3 March.

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Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace, Leeds 1-0 Brighton, Everton 1-3 Sunderland: Premier League – live

Sunderland and Bournemouth were the big winners on a day of twists and turns in the race for Europe

Bradley Lowery, the Sunderland mascot whose battle with neuroblastoma helped raise than more £1m before his death in 2017, would have been 15 today. There will be a minute’s applause at Hill Dickinson Stadium after 15 minutes of today’s game, and two fans – one of each club – have cycled to the ground from the Stadium of Light to raise funds for the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Hats off to them.

Two more goals have been scored in a thrilling end-of-a-season game at Old Trafford, and Bruno Fernandes has equalled a major Premier League record. Clickity click click click!

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‘Not even one beer’: Guardiola curbs City’s FA Cup celebrations with title to play for – video

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City would not have 'even one beer' to celebrate Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea due to the title race, though the manager was coy regarding his future.

Antoine Semenyo’s 72nd-minute flicked finish gave City a second trophy of the season at Wembley following March’s Carabao Cup win over Arsenal.

'Home [now] – not even one beer,' he said. 'Next Monday after Aston Villa, we’re going to celebrate it with the women’s team. The club said that to me [with] some parade in Manchester because we must celebrate with both teams.

'There is no time [to celebrate]. Chelsea had seven days to prepare for the final, we had three days and yesterday [Friday] was a nightmare. We spent six hours from the city to here. The trains are a little bit of a problem in this country.'

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