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ARTETA DEFENDS HIS HIGH TEMPERED TEAM IN LOSS TO BRIGHTON

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta leapt to his players’ defence after Brighton striker Neal Maupay accused them of arrogance following a bad-tempered clash at the Amex Stadium.

The French striker emerged as the Seagulls’ match-winner, scoring a stoppage time winner to ease their relegation fears after Lewis Dunk equalised Nicolas Pepe’s sumptuous opener.

But the clash – and Maupay in particular – was submerged in controversy after Gunners keeper Bernd Leno was taken off on a stretcher with a serious knee ligament injury following a contentious mid-air collision with the Brighton striker.

Leno was clearly furious with Maupay – who revealed he apologised to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta at half-time – as he was carried off, angrily gesturing towards the Brighton star.

During the game Matteo Guendouzi was caught throwing an arm at Maupay which could leave the Arsenal midfielder facing retrospective action from the FA before the pair angrily clashed again during a mass confrontation between both sets of players after the final whistle.

The ugly scenes could leave both clubs in breach of the Premier League’s Covid-19 safety protocols that prohibit mass gatherings, like the one at full-time.

Maupay said: ‘I think the Arsenal players need to learn humility sometimes

They have been talking a lot in the first half and in the second half when they were 1-0 up – they got what they deserved.

‘I don’t think it (Leno’s reaction) was justified. At half time I went to apologise to Mikel Arteta I never meant to injure their keeper.

‘I just jumped to get the ball and when he landed he tweaked his knee. I apologise to the team and him as well. I never meant to hurt him.’

But in response to Maupay’s comments, Gunners boss Arteta said: ‘He can say whether he wants but I know my players and one aspect they don’t lack is humility.’

Nevertheless, Leno is now facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines amid fears he will miss the rest of the season, if not longer, with knee ligament damage.

But Arteta admonished Maupay of any fault, saying: ‘I believe no player has the intention to hurt anybody and I believe exactly the same in this case.

‘It was unfortunate. Yes, Bernd’s injury doesn’t look good, we have to assess it but things can happen on a football pitch. He was in a lot of pain.’

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ALAN SHEARER HAILS TYNE SIDE AFTER VICTORY OVER SHEFFIELD UNITED.

Newcastle United picked up a 3-0 win over Sheffield United at home today.

Goals from Matt Ritchie, Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton secured a vital win for Steve Bruce’s side. Newcastle have now managed to complete a league double over the Blades this season.

The win leaves Newcastle 12th in the table, 11 points clear of the drop zone. It is safe to assume that the Magpies will stay in the Premier League next season.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United will be bitterly disappointed with their performance. They were excellent before the lockdown but their form has dipped since the resumption. They were held to a draw against Villa in their opening game post-lockdown and now a defeat leaves them seventh in the table.
Newcastle Legend, Alan Shearer took to his twitter handle yo show love to his boyhood club. He said…

“Well done lads, a great win”.

Newcastle are in the middle of a takeover and if they can finish this season strongly, it could give the potential new owners immense confidence while they prepare for the next year.

Also, it could give Steve Bruce a chance to hold on to his job. The Magpies have been linked with the likes of Pochettino and Benitez recently.

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EDISON CAVANI TO LEAVE PSG BEFORE UCL LAST EIGHT

Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time record scorer Edinson Cavani will leave the club ahead of the return of the Champions League, media reports claimed on Saturday.

Earlier this month it was announced Uruguay striker Cavani, 33, who has 200 goals to his name since joining PSG in 2013, will depart the Parc de Princes at the end of the campaign with his current contract up.

rench broadcaster RMC Sport and Spanish newspaper Marca also claimed Belgium left-back Thomas Meunier will also quit the side on June 30.

The Parisians are through to the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite club competition, which is set to be played to a finish in August.

They must also still play the finals this summer of the French Cup, against Saint-Etienne, and the League Cup, against Lyon.

The Ligue 1 term was declared over in April due to the coronavirus pandemic with the capital city outfit named champions for a third year running.

Cavani’s place in the side came under threat following the arrival of Mauro Icardi on loan from Inter Milan at the start of the season.

PSG recently made Icardi’s move permanent but the financial position of the Qatar-owned club has been seriously weakened by the decision to end the domestic term early.

Captain Thiago Silva’s contract will also not be renewed while defender Layvin Kurzawa and forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting are set to sign short-term deals so to feature over the next months.

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RICHARLISON GETS HOT RESPONSE OVER TOLL ON LIVERPOOL STAR

Everton ace Richarlison has been warned that he made Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk “mad” after his recent comments regarding his Merseyside rival. The Toffees forward claimed Van Dijk is not the best defender in the world and considers him to be inferior to Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos as well as Paris Saint-Germain duo Thiago Silva and Marquinhos.

The two stars are set to collide on Sunday in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and the Brazil international is confident ahead of this crucial encounter as he is one of the few players who have successfully dribbled past the 2019 Ballon d’Or runner-up.

Richarlison recently said: “People talk a lot about him, yes he is a great defender but I’ve already dribbled past him.

“He was chosen as one of the top three in the world as he had an excellent season. But yes, for me there are better defenders.

Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos are better defenders “

Former Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique caught wind of Richarlison’s controversial statement and took to Instagram to issue a response.

Enrique advised the Brazilian to “speak after the game” and warned him he may have angered Van Dijk ahead of the Merseyside derby.

The Spaniard posted: “Richarlison an advice for next time. Speak after the game mate now you got vvd mad. Let’s see what happens. Come on reds!!”

Van Dijk is considered as one of the best defenders in the world as he was instrumental in Liverpool’s Champions League triumph last year.

The Netherlands international was also among the Reds’ standout performers this season, which has led them to the top of the Premier League table with a whopping 22 points separating them from second-placed Manchester City.

The Merseysiders have been dominating the competition this term with 27 wins and only one loss in 29 Premier League matches.

Liverpool were hoping to seal the title at Goodison Park but City’s victory over Arsenal means they need another two wins to finally bring back the trophy to Anfield after 30 years.

Therefore, if Klopp’s men beat Everton in the weekend then a victory over Crystal Palace a few days later will guarantee them the title.

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HAALAND’S DOUBLE HELP DORTMUND SECURE HUGE AWAY WIN AGAINST LEIPZIG.

Borrusia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland gave an unpleasant visit to Leipzig as the Norwegian netted twice to help the yellows claim the second spot on the log. Bundesliga’s most prolific scorers went head-to-head in the game as Timo Werner’s RB Leipzig went almost unnoticed.

Werner, who is playing his final two matches for Leipzig before joining Chelsea, drew blank but the Norwegian prodigy Haaland scored in either half to help Dortmund to a 2-0 away victory which secures second place in the standings behind Bayern.

The 19-year-old Haaland, who has also been linked with a number of Europe’s biggest clubs, has scored 13 goals in 14 games since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg last December.

Werner stays on 26 for the season in the Bundesliga, second only to Lewandowski.

Consolation for Leipzig, which is through to the last eight of the Champions League, was the 2-0 defeat for Bayer Leverkusen at Hertha Berlin.

It has left Leverkusen three points adrift of Leipzig in the battle for automatic qualifying spots for next season’s Champions League with just one round remaining and a vastly inferior goal difference.

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BRIGHTON STUN ARSENAL IN GUNNERS SECOND DEFEAT SINCE PROJECT RESTART AS WATFORD FORCE A DRAW WITH LEICESTER

Aubameyang’s Arsenal suffered a second chastening defeat in four days as Neal Maupay scored deep into injury time to give Brighton a 2-1 victory over the Gunners.
Nicolas Pepe put Mikel Arteta’s faltering side ahead on the 68th minute at the Amex Stadium with a stunning strike, but home defender Lewis Dunk capitalized on suspect Arsenal defending to level seven minutes later.

It looked set to end all square until Aaron Connolly cleverly helped the ball on to Maupay, who finished neatly.

It sparked an ugly incident as Maupay, who been in an aerial challenge with Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno in a first half clash which saw the German stretchered off in agony, was involved in an altercation with Matteo Guendouzi in a melee of players at the final whistle.

Maupay said after the match that he had not intended to hurt Leno, but had little sympathy for the rest of his teammates, claiming they “got what they deserved” for not showing more humility after the opening goal by Pepe.
Arsenal, which still had hopes of European qualification, lost 3-0 to Manchester City last Wednesday after having defender David Luiz sent off, and the latest defeat has left the north London giants in ninth place.

Earlier, relegation battlers Watford scored a last-gasp equalizer to deny third-placed Leicester City victory in a 1-1 draw at the Vicarage Road.

England full-back Ben Chilwell looked to have given the visitor victory with a stunning left-footed strike on 89 minutes, but Craig Dawson salvaged a precious point for the Hornets with an acrobatic overhead kick goal just a minute later.

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LEWANDOWSKI BREAKS BUNDESLIGA GOAL RECORD IN FREIBURG BASHING.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski broke an existing BundesLiga record on Saturday with a double against Freiburg, seeing him surpass Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s previous best for the most goals scored by a non-German player in a Bundesliga season.

The Polish international helped Bayern, already crowned champion for the eighth straight season, to a 3-1 victory in its penultimate match of the league campaign.

Lewandowski has grabbed 33 goals in just 30 Bundesliga matches this campaign, both his latest coming in the first half at the Allianz Arena as Bayern secured a 3-1 advantage at the break. There was no further scoring in the second half.

Gabon star Aubameyang scored 31 in the 2016/17 season for Borussia Dortmund before he moved to his current club Arsenal in the English Premier League.

With just one round of matches remaining, Lewandowski is still short of the remarkable all-time record of 40 by the legendary Bayern Munich and German striker Gerd Mueller in the 1971-72 season.

But with 48 goals in 41 games in all competitions this season, Lewandowski has plenty of opportunities to improve his overall tally as Bayern is facing Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4 before continuing its bid to win the Champions League which resumes in August.

Lewandowski is the top scorer in Europe’s elite competition this season with 11 goals in six games, his latest against Chelsea in the first leg of the last 16 clash which Bayern won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge back in February.

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Goal line technology to be reviewed

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 17: Oliver McBurnie and Jack Robinson of Sheffield United appeal for a goal which is later denied as Orjan Nyland of Aston Villa catches the ball during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Sheffield United at Villa Park on June 17, 2020 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Pool via Getty Images)

Premier League referees will review the goalline technology error that denied Sheffield United a goal in their draw at Aston Villa

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said the video assistant referee did not intervene because of the “unique” circumstances.

PGMOL will now discuss how a similar incident in the future can be handled.

It comes as former top-flight referee Mark Clattenburg said the controversy had highlighted a “fundamental flaw”.

The situation occurred in the 42nd minute of Wednesday’s 0-0 draw – the first Premier League match for 100 days, after the competition was halted by the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Sheffield United – who would have moved above Manchester United into fifth place with a win – thought they had scored when Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland carried Oliver Norwood’s free-kick over the line. But referee Michael Oliver did not receive a signal to indicate a goal.

Hawk-Eye – the operator of the goalline technology – subsequently apologised but said the system “remained functional throughout”.

The company added it was the first time such an error had occurred in more than 9,000 matches using the system.

However, speaking to BBC Sport, Clattenburg, said it showed technology “can fail at any time”.

Clattenburg, who took charge of almost 300 Premier League games between 2004 and 2017, went on to apportion further blame for the failing to the video assistant referee system.

“I automatically expected the video assistant referee to come in,” he said.

“He’s probably thought: ‘We have the technology in place. Why do we need to make a decision?’ and that is the fundamental flaw. Technology is there to help, it is not there to make the final decision.

“The VAR has let the referee Michael Oliver down. If he had checked the goal, we would not be talking about it now. Referees can make mistakes; the VAR can’t, because he has all the evidence there.

“I have had situations in the Premier League, where the watch would go off and give a goal when the ball did not enter the goal. This can happen sometimes, where it just malfunctions and people would not notice that.

“Overall I think it [VAR] has been letting referees down in the Premier League. The Premier League spend a lot of money on technology but if it is not used correctly, people lose confidence in it and they get frustrated. That’s one of the biggest problems at the moment.

“Sheffield United could miss out on a European place because of two points they lost because of technology.

“It’s not like a [normal] refereeing decision. You can say they balance out over a season – but not when you’re talking about something that was so clearly wrong.”

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CHELSEA READY TO SELL NGOLO KANTE FOR KAI HAVERTZ AND BEN CHILWELL ACQUISITIONS.

Chelsea are reportedly considering letting their central midfielder N’Golo Kante leave this summer in order to raise the fees necessary to sign Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell.

Kante, 29, has been a crucial part of the Blues first-team since moving to the club in 2016, helping them win the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Europa League in that time.

However, with Chelsea having already splashed out close to £100m on the signings of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, manager Frank Lampard has been told he will need to sell if he wants to bring in further players.

And according to reports, Kante is one of those who could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge, along with fringe players such as Tiemoue Bakayoko, Michy Batshuayi and Baba Rashman.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Havertz, who has had a hugely impressive season in the Bundesliga, is valued at around £75m by his club, and Chelsea are thought to be desperate to try to lure the winger to west London, although he himself is said to prefer a move to Real Madrid.

Meanwhile Lampard is also a huge fan of Leicester full-back Chilwell, and the club are confident that a bid in excess of £50m will tempt the Foxes into letting the England international go.

The squad is certainly shaping up nicely for next season, but owner Roman Abramovich will no doubt be desperate for the team to qualify for the Champions League, especially given the financial incentives being in the competition offers.

The Blues currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League, just three points clear of Manchester United, and they will be desperate for three points when their campaign gets back underway against Aston Villa on Sunday ahead of two tricky-looking games against Manchester City and Leicester.

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WERNER SIGNS FOR CHELSEA

The forward, 24, has agreed personal terms with the Blues and, subject to passing a medical, will join in July after the German league season ends.

Werner, who joined Leipzig from Stuttgart in 2016, has scored 32 goals in all competitions so far this season.

“I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a proud moment for me to be joining this great club,” said the German international.

Werner, who is known for his pace and can also play as a winger, thanked the club and fans at Leipzig and said they would “would always be in my heart”.

His July move also confirms Werner will not play for Leipzig in the Champions League quarter-finals in August.

He added: “I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans.

“Together we have a successful future ahead of us.”

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia says the club is “excited” to have one of Europe’s “most coveted players” heading to Stamford Bridge.

“He has that rare mix of being young and exciting and yet established and proven,” she added.

Werner is Chelsea’s second signing for next season after they completed a £37m deal for Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech in February