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LA LIGA: PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG SENDS BARCELONA INTO SECOND IN LALIGA TABLE

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired Barcelona back into second place in LaLiga after a narrow victory at Real Sociedad.

The former Arsenal striker’s 11th goal for the club secured a 1-0 win at the Reale Seguros Stadium which leaves them 15 points adrift of leaders Real Madrid.

Ousmane Dembele had already hit the post when Aubameyang headed Barca into an 11th-minute lead, and Frenkie De Jong and the Gabon international both went close to a second before the break.

Sociedad fought for a way back into the game in a tight second half, but were unable to find a way past keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as the Catalan side bounced back from their shock home defeat by Cadiz.

Sevilla sit third after Jesus Corona struck twice in an eventful 3-2 win at lowly Levante.

Corona headed the visitors into a 14th-minute lead, but they were soon pegged back by Jose Luis Morales’ penalty after Diego Carlos had handled, only for Corona to double his tally with 27 minutes gone.

Morales passed up the opportunity to level for a second time when he missed a 71st-minute spot-kick, and Levante were made to pay when Jules Kounde headed the visitors further ahead nine minutes from time, although substitute Roberto Soldado made it interesting when he scored with three minutes remaining.

Ten-man Athletic Bilbao survived a tense conclusion to see out a 3-2 victory at Cadiz.

Bilbao looked to have the game won by half-time as they raced into a 3-0 lead after Raul Garcia had set them on their way within three minutes of kick-off.

Iker Muniain doubled their tally with 22 minutes gone, converting the rebound after keeper Jeremias Ledesma had saved his penalty, and Mikel Vesga made it three 12 minutes before the break.

Substitute Lucas Perez pulled a goal back for the home side 11 minutes after the restart within seconds of his introduction, and Vega’s 71st-minute dismissal for a second bookable offence provided a further boost.

Ruben Sobrino further reduced the deficit with three minutes left on the clock and fellow substitute Fali was denied an equaliser deep into stoppage time by the upright as Cadiz launched a late blitz.

Sergi Guardiola edged Rayo Vallecano seven points clear of the relegation zone as a 1-0 win at Espanyol ended their wait for a league victory at the 14th attempt.

Guardiola broke the deadlock two minutes before half-time to give the visitors the lead, and Rayo, who last tasted LaLiga success in December, might have won more comfortably had Alvaro Garcia’s shot not come back off the post on the hour.

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ROBERTS, COLLINS ON TARGET AS BURNLEY BEAT SAINTS TO CLOSE IN ON EVERTON

Connor Roberts hit a stunning first Premier League goal and Nathan Collins added another as Burnley moved to within one point of fourth-bottom Everton with a 2-0 win against Southampton.

Saints started brightly but it was Burnley who took the lead on 12 minutes when Josh Brownhill teed up Roberts to turn and send a curling effort beyond the reach of Fraser Forster.

Wout Weghorst was twice denied by the brilliance of goalkeeper Forster, who then tipped away a Jay Rodriguez header before Weghorst struck the woodwork as Burnley pressed for a second.

The Clarets doubled their tally after 44 minutes when Collins headed home from another Brownhill assist. It was Burnley’s 11th goal attempt in a dominant opening half.

Charlie Taylor’s superb block averted the danger from Southampton’s Che Adams as the Clarets dug in to claim back-to-back home wins.

Burnley remain 18th on 28 points, but if they avoid defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday the Clarets will move above Everton, who face Liverpool at Anfield later that day.

Southampton stay in 13th with 39 points.

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POLICE INVESTIGATE AFTER HARRY MAGUIRE RECEIVES BOMB THREAT

Harry Maguire’s house was swept by police on Thursday after the Manchester United captain received a bomb threat, the PA news agency understands.

The 29-year-old has been subject to widespread scrutiny and criticism during what has been a poor season for all connected to the Old Trafford giants.

United skipper Maguire has now had to report a bomb threat to police, leading to Cheshire Constabulary conducting a sweep of the home he shares with his fiance and two young children.

A spokesman for the England international told the PA news agency: “In the last 24 hours, Harry has received a serious threat to his family home.

“He has reported this to the police who are now looking into the matter.

“The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry’s number one priority.

“He will continue to prepare for this weekend’s fixture as normal and we will not be commenting in any further detail at this time.”

United will travel to Arsenal for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

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Man United have confirmed Erik ten Hag as their next manager

Manchester United have confirmed Ajax boss Erik ten Hag will become the club’s new manager this summer.

The Dutchman, 52, has agreed a three-year deal at Old Trafford with an option to extend for a further year and will take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick, who will move into a consultancy role.

Closing in on a third Eredivisie title with Ajax this term, Ten Hag had emerged as the Red Devils’ preferred candidate in recent weeks and the club have now landed their man.

Fine work in Amsterdam has seen Ten Hag build a reputation as one of world football’s most exciting coaches and he is now tasked with bringing the good times back to the 20-time English champions. 

Ten Hag said: “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

United football director John Murtough added: “During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.

“In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.

“We wish Erik the best of luck as he focuses on achieving a successful end to the season at Ajax and look forward to welcoming him to Manchester United this summer.”

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MANCHESTER CITY OVERCOME STUBBORN BRIGHTON TO RETURN TO PREMIER LEAGUE SUMMIT

Manchester City struck three times in the second half to reclaim top spot in the Premier League with an ultimately convincing 3-0 victory over Brighton on Wednesday.

The scoreline did not tell the full story of a nervy contest at the Etihad Stadium in which the champions were frustrated by Graham Potter’s resolute side before the break.

It took deflected strikes from Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden for them to break through and the sense of relief that swept round the ground after an anxious opening period was tangible.

Bernardo Silva settled any nerves completely with a fine third goal for the hosts eight minutes from time.

Liverpool’s hammering of Manchester United on Tuesday had put the pressure back on City in a thrilling title race.

Manager Pep Guardiola made six changes following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final loss to the Reds, with Kevin De Bruyne and Ederson among those to return.

Consequently there was no shortage of confidence from the home side but Brighton were in no mood to make things easy.

City first showed their threat after 10 minutes as they pieced together a slick move and Foden whipped in a cross from the left but Mahrez failed to make decent contact with his header.

Mahrez was gifted another chance soon after when goalkeeper Robert Sanchez’s clearance fell straight to him but the Algerian took too long and allowed Moises Caicedo to get back and tackle.

Sanchez was more convincing when he punched away away a De Bruyne cross and he also did well to claw away an effort from Silva under his own bar.

The closest City came in the first half was when De Bruyne unleashed a ferocious shot from distance but it flew narrowly wide.

City continued to push but Brighton’s determination was epitomised before the break by captain Lewis Dunk, who stood firm to block an Ilkay Gundogan effort.

City were forced into a change at half-time as Nathan Ake, who started at left-back, was replaced by Ruben Dias after suffering a knock.

Dias, himself returning to action after nine games out injured, took up his familiar position at centre-back with John Stones moving to right-back and Joao Cancelo switching flanks to the left.

City upped the tempo and forced a succession of corners before finally making their breakthrough after 53 minutes.

De Bruyne led a breakaway from deep and fed Mahrez, although the pass was made better by a lucky ricochet. With the chance opening up, Mahrez raced in on goal and hit a shot that also took a deflection, this time off Dunk, and looped over goalkeeper Sanchez.

With that, a lot of the tension in the air seemed to evaporate and City were roared on further.

Brighton remained resolute enough to block an effort from Stones in a crowded area and for Sanchez to save well from De Bruyne but the visitors were breached again on 65 minutes.

Again City benefited from a stroke of fortune as Foden took aim from distance following a corner and saw his effort clip Enock Mwepu to wrong-foot Sanchez and find the bottom corner.

Foden went close to another after being put through soon after but Sanchez stood tall to save with his legs.

City wrapped up the game late on after Brighton made a mess of playing out from the back.

Substitute Oleksandr Zinchenko won possession and found De Bruyne, who in turn fed Silva to sweep home from the edge of the area.

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MIGUEL ALMIRON STRIKE SEES NEWCASTLE PAST CRYSTAL PALACE

Miguel Almiron’s stunning strike handed Newcastle a sixth successive home Premier League win for the first time since 2004 as they smashed through the 40-point barrier.

Almiron’s 32nd-minute goal, his first for the club since February last year, was enough to claim a 1-0 win over beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Crystal Palace and lift the Magpies into 11th place, 15 points clear of the relegation zone.

However, they were forced to scrap all the way to the final whistle as Patrick Vieira’s side belatedly mounted a concerted counter-offensive in front of a crowd of 51,938 at St James’ Park, among them Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in a classic game of two halves.

Palace’s high-energy start pinned Newcastle back deep inside their own half, in possession but with little time of space to exploit it, although it took a timely block by Marc Guehi to keep out Almiron’s shot after Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes had combined to set him up.

Saint-Maximin could not find a finish to match his mazy run after Joelinton had dispossessed Jeffrey Schlupp in midfield three minutes later, and the home side were appealing in vain for a penalty after Almiron blasted the ball against Cheikhou Kouyate’s out-stretched arm from point-blank range.

With both sides adopting solid shapes, they largely nullified each other’s threat to leave goalkeepers Martin Dubravka and Vicente Guaita virtual spectators.

But the Spaniard was picking the ball out of his net 13 minutes before the break when, after Guimaraes had collected Emil Krafth’s throw in on his chest and lifted a pass over the top of full-back Tyrick Mitchell, Almiron raced away before firing a shot across Guaita and inside the far post.

The Paraguay international was denied a second four minutes later when the keeper dived to his right to claim his dipping effort, and he also had to deal with a long-range effort from Guimaraes as the Magpies smelled blood.

Palace had a chance to level four minutes before the break after Joelinton’s error put Odsonne Edouard in on goal, but Dubravka dealt with his weak attempt comfortably.

The Magpies picked up were they had left off with Almiron seeing a shot blocked and Joelinton heading wide from Matt Targett’s free-kick inside the opening three minutes of the second half.

An out-of-sorts Wilfried Zaha redoubled his efforts to drag the visitors back into the game as they enjoyed their best spell of possession, but it was simply not happening for him.

Dan Burn had to be alert to deny substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta possession deep inside the Newcastle penalty area with 62 minutes gone, and Dubravka was relieved to see Zaha pull an attempt wide from Edouard’s pass three minutes later with Palace pressing.

Mateta and Edouard also both failed to test the keeper with headers, and Zaha with a last-gasp shot, from promising positions with the home side camped inside their own half and seemingly unable to escape, and referee Tony Harrington’s final whistle could not come soon enough for the locals.

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EVERTON 1-1 LEICESTER: LATE RICHARLISON LEVELER GRABS POINT FOR THE TOFFEES

Richarlison grabbed a crucial added-time equaliser against Leicester to give Everton a much-needed boost in their battle to avoid relegation.

An eighth home league defeat looked on the cards after conceding a fifth-minute goal to Harvey Barnes.

But in the second of five minutes of additional time the Brazil international, who had already missed two much easier chances, forced home a shot to make it 1-1.

It was a goal which could yet have greater significance in their bid to avoid the drop as it extended the gap over 18th-placed Burnley to four points.

However, it may not be enough to stop them falling into the bottom three this weekend as by the time they arrive at Anfield on Sunday afternoon for the Merseyside derby against a red-hot Liverpool side they could be two points adrift of safety as Burnley have home games against Southampton (Thursday) and Wolves.

While the draw was frustrating for Leicester, whose understrength side lost at Newcastle at the weekend, a point did little for their league position as they remain in ninth, with their priority now being the Europa Conference League semi-final against Roma.

Everton centre-back Yerry Mina was thrust straight back into the team with a first appearance since early February after finally recovering from a thigh injury but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was absent having been ruled out for at least 10 days with a quadricep problem.

The Colombia international’s first real interaction was to inadvertently deflect Kelechi Iheanacho’s shot from James Maddison’s cut-back into the path of Barnes who could not miss from close range.

That was just after five minutes but Everton would probably have been behind after just 21 seconds had Seamus Coleman’s last-ditch tackle not denied Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who was through on goal.

Even at kick-off, the atmosphere was not what would have been expected for a night game at Goodison Park and the goal just flattened it further.

Maddison should probably have doubled Leicester’s lead after driving from deep and offloading to collect Iheanacho’s lay-off but his weak shot was straight at Jordan Pickford.

Everton were dropping so deep in a 4-5-1 it allowed the visitors virtually all the possession in the middle third but the game plan appeared to be to sit it out and then break when the chance arose.

The problem was Richarlison, as the central striker, was so far detached from the rest of the team there was little chance of springing a quick riposte.

But the Brazil international did not help himself when unmarked as he bundled wide Anthony Gordon’s cross from five yards.

Alex Iwobi started to produce more runs from deep but it took a Fabian Delph tackle on Barnes out on the touchline, one of the few the hosts had landed on their opponents, to lift the crowd.

And when Gordon did break free on the right his cross sailed out of play on the far side, while a Richarlison header and Demarai Gray shot were both off target as Everton tried to fashion a response.

The problem they had was Maddison and Dewsbury-Hall were seeing so much of the ball on Leicester’s flanks Frank Lampard’s side had little control over the direction of the game.

With almost an hour gone, and Everton having roused themselves after the break, Lampard opted for a more attacking approach by replacing defensive midfielder Allan with Dele Alli in a switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation.

Salomon Rondon’s introduction then gave the home side someone to aim at and his first knockdown produced their first shot on target – in the 68th minute – when Kasper Schmeichel saved from Richarlison.

But Leicester, particularly Maddison, still posed their own threat as Pickford punched clear his fierce drive.

On the touchline Lampard was urging calm but his players had adopted a more open approach, which at times meant a five attacking and five defending.

It led to Richarlison missing another chance from six yards out, this time a header from a set-piece, and Rondon flashing a header wide and the chance seemed to have gone until the Brazilian finally hit the target to completely alter the mood.

But with matches to come against Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester again before the crucial trip to Watford on May 11 safety still remains far from assured.

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NKETIAH STARS, SAKA SCORED FROM SPOT-KICK AS ARSENAL BEAT CHELSEA TO BOOST TOP-FOUR HOPES

Bukayo Saka banished his Euro 2020 final penalty shoot-out ghosts by converting a spot-kick as Arsenal toppled Chelsea 4-2 to reignite their bid for a top-four Premier League finish.

The England forward slotted home his first-ever penalty for Arsenal to seal the Gunners’ vital win over the Blues, that drew Mikel Arteta’s men level with fourth-placed Tottenham in the table.

Saka missed the last penalty in England’s 3-2 shoot-out defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley last July.

The 20-year-old won the late spot-kick at Stamford Bridge by drawing a foul from Cesar Azpilicueta, and quickly insisted on taking the penalty himself.

Saka dismissed any nerves by side-footing home to boot, to put the seal on a crucial win for the Gunners.

Eddie Nketiah had twice seized upon slipshod defending to drive Arsenal into a 3-2 lead before Saka’s strike.

Nketiah capitalised on Andreas Christensen’s woefully under-hit back-pass for his first Arsenal goal in 367 days, to open the scoring in west London.

The 22-year-old forward later settled a scrappy but engrossing contest when three attempted Chelsea clearances landed the ball straight into his path and through on goal.

Timo Werner’s deflected effort had Chelsea level quickly after Nketiah’s first goal, with captain Azpilicueta then cancelling out a fine finish from Emile Smith Rowe before half-time.

The fatigued and off-kilter Blues were made to pay for a string of errors however, with £98million striker Romelu Lukaku again failing to fire.

Toni Rudiger’s absence with a minor groin problem destabilised Chelsea’s defence, and Christensen endured a night to forget.

The Denmark international was withdrawn at half-time in a below-par showing, but not even the peerless Thiago Silva could sharpen up the hosts.

Arsenal took full advantage of Chelsea’s malaise to notch just their second win in six league matches, breaking a wretched run of results to move below Spurs on goal difference, leaving the race to finish fourth wide open.

Lukaku’s sole meaningful act of a quiet first half was to drag wide after being played in by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Chelsea had been under precious little pressure from the off, but constituted their own downfall with Christensen’s horror-show attempted back-pass.

The defender majorly under-sold his attempted pass to Edouard Mendy, instead gifting Nketiah a stroll in on goal.

Nketiah needed no second invitation, and duly cantered in before providing a crisp finish.

Chelsea were level just four minutes later however, as Werner’s 20-yard strike took a significant deflection off Granit Xhaka to beat Aaron Ramsdale at his near post.

Smith Rowe quickly had Arsenal 2-1 ahead however, with a sharp sidefooted finish after Saka had combined well with Martin Odegaard, who provided the assist.

The Blues needed just five minutes this time to level, with Azpilicueta sneaking in to provide a poacher’s finish to Mason Mount’s teasing cross.

Smith Rowe had the last word in the half as Arsenal attacked again, but this time could only whip his effort wide of the post.

Silva replaced Christensen at the break, with the 37-year-old clearly drafted in to sure up the Blues’ backline.

Not even the peerless Brazilian could solve Chelsea’s defensive shortcomings however, as Arsenal took the lead again.

Silva won the ball at full stretch only for Malang Sarr to bungle the attempted clearance, allowing Nketiah to pounce for his second of the night.

The ball fell kindly for Nketiah, but Chelsea again set themselves up to fail with woeful defending.

Lukaku was replaced by Kai Havertz moments after the goal, with a large swathe of the Blues support booing the Belgium striker.

Chelsea could find no route back into the contest, and at the death the Blues conceded a spot-kick.

Saka stepped up seemingly well aware of his attempt to erase any lingering Euros memories, and he wrapped up a fine Arsenal result with a coolly converted effort.

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LIVERPOOL HAMMER MAN UTD TO OPEN UP TWO-POINT LEAD AT TOP OF PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Premier League after inflicting a second, excruciating humiliation of the season on Manchester United.

Mohamed Salah’s first two goals since February 19 – making it nine in his last six matches against Liverpool’s historical rivals – were supplemented by strikes from Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane but the 4-0 scoreline hardly told the whole story.

It puts the pressure on Manchester City, who host Brighton on Wednesday.

This was the first time since October 2009 Liverpool had won three successive league matches against United, beaten 5-0 at Old Trafford earlier this season, but at least in those days it was a competitive fixture worthy of England’s two most decorated clubs.

United, who had one shot on target, have now conceded more Premier League goals this season than 18th-placed Burnley and defeat was a further blow to their top-four hopes.

Such were their injury problems – with Cristiano Ronaldo given compassionate leave after the tragic death of his newborn son – Phil Jones made only his third appearance of the season.

By the time Paul Pogba added to those woes by coming off after 10 minutes his side were already behind.

However, injuries appeared the least of their worries. Getting a touch of the ball was the more pressing concern as Liverpool absolutely dominated from the off like they had at Wembley when they raced into a 3-0 half-time lead against Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final win.

That United only conceded two by the break was something of a moral victory for them but by no means suggested they had performed better than Pep Guardiola’s side.

Their two banks of five were either too disjointed or too inert to have any effect on proceedings and, as a result, their hosts – led by the majestic Thiago Alcantara – seized an initiative they never relinquished.

The confidence with which Liverpool approached what used to be their key game of the season was exemplified by goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who beat Bruno Fernandes with a Cruyff turn on his own penalty spot in only the fourth minute.

Less than 60 seconds later United were behind as centre-forward Mane dropped deep and was given 10 yards of space to play a through-ball pass which could have been picked up by Trent Alexander-Arnold or Salah.

The latter took control, crossing for Diaz to score the 400th goal under Jurgen Klopp from close range.

Mane had carried over his brilliant form from Wembley but in truth neither he nor his team-mates required that level of performance against clearly out-classed opponents.

The Senegal international had a shot deflected wide before providing an even more sumptuous pass than the one for his first goal to tee up Salah to score with a finish which did not suggest a lack of confidence for a player who had not scored since mid-February.

The build-up play was just as good, with centre-back Joel Matip carrying the ball out of defence unchallenged to exchange passes with Diaz.

By this point United were not even chasing shadows, seemingly resigned to their fate, and were barely able to lay a foot on the ball – the only time they seemed to have any possession was when Liverpool gave it to them.

David De Gea saved from Mane, who was then flagged offside, before from a United corner Alisson launched a ball upfield to Diaz who crossed for Salah who almost played in Mane for what would have been a brilliant counter-attacking goal.

Diaz had the ball in the net but was also flagged offside before United’s one half-chance from a Victor Lindelof ball over the top saw Marcus Rashford’s poor touch poke it straight to Alisson.

Moments before the break Jones’ downward header dropped into the space in front of the back four; Jordan Henderson set off to retrieve it while the equidistant Fernandes looked over to the assistant referee hoping for another offside flag.

It was symptomatic of United’s first-half performance and while they found some fight after the interval – having swapped Jones for winger Jadon Sancho and changed to a back four – it was too little, far too late.

And having allowed United their brief spell of encouragement, their chances were snuffed out with another clinical Liverpool move in the 68th minute.

Andy Robertson drove forward unchallenged for 25 yards before offloading to Diaz, who squared for Mane to stroke a left-footed shot past De Gea.

Salah completed the rout when his deflected shot looped over the goalkeeper five minutes from time but the result had not been in doubt for some time.

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FULHAM PROMOTED BACK TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

Fulham have secured an immediate return to the Premier League for the 2022/23 season, earning automatic promotion after a one-year absence.

The Cottagers ensured a top-two finish in the Championship with a 3-0 home win over Preston North End on Tuesday.

Fulham began the Championship campaign with four wins from their first five matches, and had only one defeat in 17 between October and January.

The 2022/23 Premier League is set to feature the return of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has set a record for the number of goals scored in a single Championship season, netting 40 times.

There will also be a return to the competition for Fulham head coach Marco Silva. The Portuguese has previously managed Hull City, Watford and Everton in the Premier League.

Fulham have spent 15 seasons in the Premier League, with a seventh-place finish in 2008/09 their best in the competition.

The Cottagers have alternated between the Premier League and the Championship over the last four seasons, earning promotion in 2017/18 and 2019/20.

Fulham’s players and fans will be eagerly waiting for the release of the 2022/23 Premier League fixtures on Thursday 16 June ahead of the opening weekend of the campaign, on 6 August.