Tag: English Premier League

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EZE STARS AS PALACE THRASH SHEFFIELD UTD TO CONFIRM PREMIER LEAGUE STATUS

Eberechi Eze scored one goal and set up another as Crystal Palace confirmed their Premier League status for another season in a 2-0 victory at Sheffield United.

Christian Benteke marked his 100th PL start with a goal after only 66 seconds as his shot from Eze’s through-ball deflected in.

Palace largely controlled play and were denied a second when Aaron Ramsdale brilliantly kept out Benteke’s header just before half-time.

Sheff Utd improved in the second half and 17-year-old striker Daniel Jebbison nearly had a dream debut as he headed over Ben Osborn’s cross.

Eze capped the win late on with a solo run from inside his own half before his deflected shot beat Ramsdale.

A first win in five matches lifts Palace to 13th with 41 points, 14 above the relegation zone.

Sheff Utd remain bottom on 17 points.

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LEEDS BEAT TOTTENHAM 3-1 TO DENT SPURS’ TOP FOUR HOPES

Goals from Stuart Dallas, Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo handed Leeds United a 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur that hit their opponents’ hopes of a top-four finish.

In an open contest, Leeds went ahead on 13 minutes, with Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saving Sergio Reguilon from an own goal but being powerless to stop Dallas’s follow-up.

Son Heung-min levelled in the 25th minute when he converted from Dele Alli’s through-ball.

But Bamford’s first goal in six league matches put Leeds back in front before half-time as he tapped in from Ezgjan Alioski’s cross.

Spurs pushed for another equaliser but Illan Meslier denied Serge Aurier’s drive before Harry Kane’s free-kick hit the crossbar.

Leeds then made the points safe with six minutes remaining when substitutes Raphinha and Rodrigo combined to seal a first win in four matches that lifts Leeds to ninth with 50 points.

Spurs stay sixth on 56 points, five off Chelsea in fourth.

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MICHAIL ANTONIO HITS BRACE AS WESTHAM HIT BACK TO BEAT BURNLEY

Michail Antonio returned to revive West Ham’s European push as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Burnley on Monday night.

Playing his first game in a month after a hamstring problem, Antonio scored twice in the space of 10 first-half minutes as the Hammers hit back following Chris Wood’s penalty for the hosts.

West Ham’s 17th league win of the season – a club record in the Premier League era – moved them to within three points of the top four as they recovered from back-to-back defeats against Newcastle and Chelsea.

David Moyes’ side made the trip north having lost four of their last eight in the league – as many as they had lost in the previous 23 – and at risk of seeing a promising season unravel.

And they fell behind with 17 minutes gone when Burnley were awarded only their third penalty of the season.

Ashley Westwood’s floated pass forward to Wood flummoxed Issa Diop, who allowed the New Zealand striker to recover the ball on the byline and try to turn back towards goal, up-ended by Tomas Soucek as he did so.

And it was Wood, fresh from his hat-trick in the 4-0 win at Wolves last week, who stepped up to fire home his 11th goal of the season, though the advantage would prove short-lived.

After Dwight McNeil lost possession to Pablo Fornals close to his own area, Jesse Lingard laid the ball off for Vladimir Coufal to cross, and Antonio got between Matt Lowton and James Tarkowski to head home from close range.

The turnaround was complete before the half-hour mark. Lowton had just taken a painful ball to the nether regions but, as he stumbled around the box, Burnley were hit with another blow largely of their own making.

Antonio was the only West Ham player in a penalty area crowded by Burnley defenders, but was somehow allowed to ghost through and flick Said Benrahma’s teasing cross beyond Nick Pope.

West Ham looked in the mood and almost got a third on the break, with Benrahma cutting in from the left and looking to bend a shot across the face of goal, only to see it bounce the wrong side of a post.

But, as the Hammers poured forward, they were nearly undone as Diop failed to deal with another high ball, allowing Matej Vydra to get on the end of Lowton’s pass.

The ball would not sit down for the Czech striker and, as he tried to lift it over Lukasz Fabianski, Craig Dawson got back to head off the line.

Antonio could have been celebrating a hat-trick 10 minutes into the second half when Fornals’ mis-hit shot came his way, but he kicked the ball against his own standing leg as he tried to turn it in.

Sean Dyche sent on Jay Rodriguez just after the hour and it almost paid immediate dividends.

First Fabianski made a superb save to keep out Josh Brownhill’s shot after Diop half-cleared McNeil’s cross before Rodriguez, who has been on 99 career goals since mid-February, blasted narrowly wide on the follow-up.

It was a rare sight of goal for the hosts as West Ham spent the final 20 minutes pushing for a third, Antonio curling wide from Benrahma’s pass and Pope keeping out Lingard’s deflected shot, but they had done enough for the win.

Burnley sent Pope forward in a frantic finale but, although they could not avoid matching an unwanted club record as they made it eight top-flight home games without victory, Premier League safety looks all but assured.

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PREMIER LEAGUE SETS NEW RULES TO PREVENT REPEAT OF EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

The Premier League has taken action to prevent its clubs threatening to break away again in response to the failed European Super League plans.

Six top-flight teams, including Manchester United and Liverpool, announced on April 18th they were joining the newly-formed ESL, only for it to collapse amid intense pressure within 48 hours.

A new set of measures put in place by the Premier League on Monday includes additional rules and regulations and an owners’ charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to – committing them to the core principles of the competition.

“The actions of a few clubs cannot be allowed to create such division and disruption,” a Premier League statement read.

“We are determined to establish the truth of what happened and hold those clubs accountable for their decisions and actions. We and The FA are pursuing these objectives quickly and appropriately, consulting with fans and [UK] government.”

The Premier League insisted events during the last two weeks had “challenged the foundations and resolve of English football”.

Fan protests in the days that followed the ESL announcement, on top of widespread criticism from the footballing world, resulted in most of the 12 European clubs – including all six Premier League sides – involved in the proposed breakaway pulling out.

A statement continued: “The Premier League, supported by The FA, is taking the following actions to protect our game, our clubs and their fans from further disruption and uncertainty.

“Additional rules and regulation to ensure the principles of the Premier League and open competition are protected, a new Owners’ Charter that all club owners will be required to sign up to, committing them to the core principles of the Premier League, (while) breaches of these rules and the Charter will be subject to significant sanctions.

“And we are enlisting the support of government to bring in appropriate legislation to protect football’s open pyramid, principles of sporting merit and the integrity of the football community.”

The Football Association revealed an official inquiry into the formation of the ESL and the involvement of the six English clubs – which also included Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – got under way last week.

It also reiterated its desire to ensure any return threat of a breakaway division was thwarted.

A spokesperson for the governing body said: “Since we became aware of the European Super League our priority and focus has been on preventing it from happening, both now and in the future.

“Throughout this period, we have been in ongoing discussions with the Government, the Premier League and UEFA.

“In particular, we have been discussing legislation with government that would allow us to prevent any similar threat in the future so that we can protect the English football pyramid.

“Last week, we started an official inquiry into the formation of the European Super League and the involvement of the six English clubs.

“We wrote to all of the clubs to formally request all relevant information and evidence regarding their participation. Once we have the required information, we will consider what appropriate steps to take.”

The fallout of the European Super League boiled over on Sunday when Manchester United supporters broke into Old Trafford to protest against the Glazer family, with their plans to join the competition one source of frustration towards the Red Devils’ ownership.

It resulted in the postponement of United’s home match with Liverpool while two police officers were injured.

“Fans have played a vital and impactful role in helping to stop the European Super League from happening, and we understand their frustrations,” the FA statement continued.

“However, we cannot condone the violent and criminal behaviour that took place before the scheduled Manchester United vs Liverpool match, which The FA is now investigating.”

The Premier League added: “We are committed to maintaining close dialogue with supporters and their representatives, as we work with The FA and Government to identify solutions, but ask that all protests are peaceful.

“The actions of a minority of those present at Old Trafford on Sunday have no justification and will be investigated by the Premier League and The FA as well as by the Greater Manchester Police.”

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WESTBROM HELD BY WOLVES IN TENSE DRAW

Mbaye Diagne’s second-half header grabbed a point for West Bromwich Albion against Wolves in the Black Country derby.

The visitors began strongly and Nelson Semedo’s fierce shot was tipped over the bar by Sam Johnstone before Diagne had a header cleared off the line for the hosts at the other end.

Wolves took the lead in fortunate fashion in first-half stoppage time when Fabio Silva’s deflected effort ballooned up over Johnstone and into the net.

Rui Patricio saved superbly to deny Conor Gallagher but West Brom did level 17 minutes after the break when Conor Townsend swung over a perfect cross for Diagne to head in and secure a point for Sam Allardyce’s men.

Relegation-threatened West Brom stay 19th, on 26 points, 10 behind 17th-placed Newcastle. Wolves stay 12th on 42 points.

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FA LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS INVOLVED IN EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

England’s Football Association (FA) has launched a formal inquiry into the role played by Premier League clubs in the attempt to create a breakaway European Super League (ESL).

Last month, Premier League clubs Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea, as well as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, joined forces to create a new-look tournament.

However, the backlash led to all six of the Premier League clubs withdrawing just 48 hours after the original tournament was announced.

“Last week, we started an official inquiry into the formation of the European Super League and the involvement of the six English clubs,” an FA spokesperson said on Monday.

“We wrote to all of the clubs to formally request all relevant information and evidence regarding their participation. Once we have the required information, we will consider what appropriate steps to take. Clearly what happened was unacceptable and could have caused great harm to clubs at every level of English football,” the spokesperson added.

The owners of all six English clubs apologised for the breakaway plans, but supporters have protested at various grounds since the withdrawal. Sunday’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool was postponed after fans invaded the Old Trafford pitch in a demonstration against the Glazer ownership.

There have also been protests at Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal games since the Super League plan was announced.

“The fans have played a vital and impactful role in helping to stop the European Super League from happening, and we understand their frustrations. However, we cannot condone the violent and criminal behaviour that took place before the scheduled Manchester United vs Liverpool match, which the FA is now investigating,” the spokesperson added.

“Throughout this period, we have been in ongoing discussions with the government, the Premier League and UEFA. In particular, we have been discussing legislation with government that would allow us to prevent any similar threat in the future so that we can protect the English football pyramid.”

According to sources, executives from the clubs involved have stepped down from their posts on the Premier League’s subcommittees.

The Premier League also announced plans to prevent clubs from planning to join breakaway clubs in the future and “ensure the principles” of the league and “open competition are protected.”

A statement on Monday read: “The events of the last two weeks have challenged the foundations and resolve of English football.

“Opposition to the proposed Super League united the whole of football, with the fans’ voice clearly heard,” it added. “The Premier League recognises the strength of feeling and the right of fans to know what is happening. We are committed to maintaining close dialogue with supporters and their representatives, as we work with The FA and Government to identify solutions, but ask that all protests are peaceful.

“The actions of a few clubs cannot be allowed to create such division and disruption. We are determined to establish the truth of what happened and hold those clubs accountable for their decisions and actions. We and The FA are pursuing these objectives quickly and appropriately, consulting with fans and government.”

A new “owners’ charter” will be introduced as part of the league’s governance — all club owners will be required to sign up “committing them to the core principles of the Premier League.”

“Breaches of these rules and the Charter will be subject to significant sanctions,” the league added.

The statement also said the league will “enlist the support of government to bring in appropriate legislation to protect football’s open pyramid, principles of sporting merit and the integrity of the football community.”

The league added that they will work with supporters, UEFA, the FA, English Football League, Professional Footballers’ Association and League Managers Association to “to defend the integrity and future prospects of English football.”

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PREMIER LEAGUE RELEASES STATEMENT ON OLD TRAFFORD INCIDENT

Following the security breach at Old Trafford, the Manchester United v Liverpool game has been postponed.

This is a collective decision from the police, both clubs, the Premier League and local authorities.

The security and safety of everyone at Old Trafford remains of paramount importance.

We understand and respect the strength of feeling but condemn all acts of violence, criminal damage and trespass, especially given the associated COVID-19 breaches.

Fans have many channels by which to make their views known, but the actions of a minority seen today have no justification.

We sympathise with the police and stewards who had to deal with a dangerous situation that should have no place in football.

The rearrangement of the fixture will be communicated in due course.

Source: premierleague.com

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MAN UTD V LIVERPOOL GAME POSTPONED FOLLOWING FANS’ ANTI-GLAZER PROTEST

Manchester United’s Premier League clash against Liverpool has been postponed following widespread protests at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon – with fans getting onto the pitch.

The fixture between the two old rivals was been targeted by home supporters as a continuation of their recent discontent over Glazer ownership of the club.

While the planned kick-off time of 4:30pm was initially delayed, that plan was scrapped following talks over the safety of those involved – including players.

As well as numerous groups forming outside the ground, many were spotted on the Old Trafford pitch just hours before their fixture was due to start.

The latest protest comes after a large scale gathering outside the ground following the failed European Super League plans, as well as a training ground meeting.

While supporters were cleared from the pitch and the surrounding area long before the announcement, the disruption was said to have put those involved in danger.

The full United statement reads: “Following discussion between the Police, The Premier League, Trafford Council and the clubs, our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations around the protest today.

“Discussions will now take place with the Premier League on a revised date for the fixture.

“Our fans are passionate about Manchester United, and we completely acknowledge the right to free expression and peaceful protest.

“However, we regret the disruption to the team and actions which put other fans, staff, and the police in danger. We thank the police for their support and will assist them in any subsequent investigations.”

As chants and songs broke out among the group that entered the pitch earlier in the day, a flare could be seen flying through the air and hitting the side of the open-air Sky Sports studio.

Fans were also spotted necking cans of lager on the Old Trafford pitch, with tempers even rising among the pundits watching the game.

While Dave Jones hosted proceedings, Graeme Souness, Roy Keane and Micah Richards had all stepped away from the box as they awaited the 16:30 kick-off.

On their return, Gary Neville hit out at Jones for interrupting as he was discussing the reasons behind the protests, and how they might’ve got out of control.

Neville said: “I’ve never thought they were brilliant owners but I’ve also seen in football that there are worse owners than the Glazers family.

“However, I think all football fans should unite today behind what United fans have done because what they [the Gazers] did two weeks ago was dangerous for English football.

“We must not forget that. They tried to walk away and create a closed-shop league that would have created a famine in this country for every other football club…”

As Neville looked to continue , though, the Jones jumped in for some clarification on the former defender’s call to arms.

Jones interjected: “Gary, what are you saying here? Are you saying that all fans should try and get matches called off?”

But the United legend was not impressed at all, laying into the Sky Sports presenter with: “Dave, let me finish. Dave, this is not a time to interject and start that.”

A Premier League statement on the postponement reads: “This is a collective decision from the police, both clubs, the Premier League and local authorities.

“The security and safety of everyone at Old Trafford remains of paramount importance. We understand and respect the strength of feeling but condemn all acts of violence, criminal damage and trespass, especially given the associated COVID-19 breaches.

“Fans have many channels by which to make their views known, but the actions of a minority seen today have no justification.

“We sympathise with the police and stewards who had to deal with a dangerous situation that should have no place in football.

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HAVERTZ BRACE HELP CHELSEA EDGE FULHAM AS BLUES INCH CLOSER TO SEALING TOP FOUR

Two goals by Kai Havertz earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory over Fulham to consolidate the Blues’ place in the top four.

Havertz opened the scoring after 10 minutes, finishing past Alphonse Areola after being played in by Mason Mount.

Chelsea were denied a second six minutes before half-time when Areola saved superbly from Hakim Ziyech.

Havertz doubled Chelsea’s lead four minutes into the second half, playing a one-two with Timo Werner before slotting into the corner for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

Fulham were unable to respond, failing to register a shot on target in the second half as Chelsea ran out comfortable winners.

Fourth-placed Chelsea go six points clear of West Ham United, who travel to Burnley on Monday.

Fulham stay 18th on 27 points, nine adrift of their nearest rivals Newcastle United, with four matches to play.

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AGUERO ON TARGET AS MANCHESTER CITY EDGE CLOSER TO PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE WITH WIN AT CRYSTAL PALACE

Sergio Aguero provided a reminder of his goalscoring brilliance with the opener in Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Crystal Palace to put the Premier League leaders on the verge of another title.

After a frustrating first 45 minutes in south London, it was City’s record goalscorer who broke the deadlock with a superb finish and Ferran Torres wrapped up the points soon after following a fine curled effort.

Pep Guardiola’s side clinched the Carabao Cup last weekend and took a big step towards the Champions League final on Wednesday, but still found the energy and quality to seal a 25th top-flight win of the campaign.

It means defeat for Manchester United on Sunday at home to Liverpool will crown City the best in England once again with stalwart Aguero making the most of a rare starting berth to edge his team towards more silverware.

Palace had lost the most recent meeting 4-0 back in January, but they showed their intent early on at Selhurst Park with two efforts from range.

Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Aguero were given opportunities from the off in the capital after they failed to make it off the bench in Wednesday’s win in Paris and it was the England international who had City’s first genuine chance of the contest.

Good defending by the recalled Tyrick Mitchell contributed towards the winger only firing wide to ensure his goal drought continued.

While Guardiola, who made eight changes, saw his team enjoy the majority of possession, the hosts looked a threat on the counter-attack and almost took the lead in the 28th minute.

Andros Townsend and Joel Ward combined well on the right after Palace had switched play well and the latter had a cross blocked which dropped to Christian Benteke, but he was denied by Ederson from close range.

The champions-elect had been warned and they nearly produced the perfect response when Jesus volleyed past Vicente Guaita eight minutes later from a Fernandinho cross. The offside flag had been raised though and a brief VAR check confirmed it was the right decision.

Aguero, who has struggled with fitness and form during the last 12 months, squandered a decent opening minutes later which meant it stayed goalless at the break with City failing to register a shot on target.

Scott Dann’s timely intervention kept the score 0-0 after Torres had attempted to square for Jesus inside the six-yard box, but it was a brief reprieve for Roy Hodgson’s side with the deadlock broken after 57 minutes.

It was a familiar source for City as Benjamin Mendy picked out Aguero in the area and he controlled before his strike was rifled into the roof of the net in trademark clinical fashion.

This was only the Argentinian’s second goal in the Premier League this season, but like so often in the past it had moved the Manchester club a step closer to the title.

Winger Torres was another eager to impress and he made it 2-0 within two minutes of Aguero’s effort to essentially wrap up the points.

A curled shot from outside the area through a crowd of bodies beat Guaita and sparked big celebrations from the City players on and off the pitch.

Sterling and Aymeric Laporte could have added further gloss, but the post and a heroic block from Benteke ensured the deficit stayed at two.

City will now have an eye on events at Old Trafford on Sunday where a Liverpool victory could clinch them a third league title in four years.

Guardiola’s focus will most likely be on Paris St Germain’s visit this coming Tuesday where they can take another step towards winning a treble.