Premier League

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday said he was overwhelmed after receiving effusive praise from his Leeds United counterpart Marcelo Bielsa ahead of their Premier League clash on Saturday. Argentine Bielsa, who steered Leeds back to the top flight after a 16-year absence this season, described Guardiola as a magical man and said he had given up trying to emulate the Spanish coach’s style of play. Guardiola, who previously hailed Bielsa as one of the most important influences on his trophy-laden managerial

LONDON: Slavia Prague boosted their hopes of a first European semi-final since 1996 as Tomas Holes headed a stoppage-time equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on Thursday. It looked as though substitute Nicolas Pepe's 86th-minute effort had given the hosts a narrow advantage to take to the Czech Republic for next week's second leg. But defender Holes forced a header past Bernd Leno from a corner in the 93rd minute to deflate Arsenal

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel praised midfielder Mason Mount’s attitude after the England international scored his first Champions League goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 win against Porto in Seville. Mount and Ben Chilwell scored to put Chelsea in the driving seat ahead of the “home” leg of the quarter-final on April 13, which will also be played in Seville due to COVID-19 travel restrictions between Portugal and England. Since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge in January, Mount has scored five goals in all

Manchester City posted net losses of 126 million pounds ($175 million) for the 2019-20 season after their finances took a huge hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. Revenue dropped 11% to 478.4 million pounds during the 2019-20 campaign, which was halted in March and resumed behind closed doors three months later. The losses were a result of a decline in matchday and broadcasting revenues, while the late finish to last season meant revenue from almost a quarter

Real Madrid will benefit more than Liverpool from the absence of fans in their Champions League quarter-final, said Rafa Benitez. Liverpool face Madrid in Spain later on Tuesday before next week’s return fixture at Anfield, where the Merseyside club have struggled in the Premier League this season, with matches taking place without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Benitez, who managed Liverpool from 2004 to 2010 and had a short spell at Madrid, said it was crucial the English side get a goal

LONDON: Jurgen Klopp has challenged Liverpool to salvage their troubled Premier League season with a late bid to finish in the top four. Klopp's side are languishing in seventh place and sit five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League. The Reds' win over Wolves before the international break was only their fourth Premier League victory since Christmas during a spell in which they lost eight times. With just nine games remaining - starting with

Manchester City will install over 5,000 rail seats at the Etihad Stadium, the Premier League club said, a move that will allow spectators to stand safely during matches next season. The seats, which are designed to lock into a folded position and give fans space to stand, would be installed over the summer in the lower tier of the South Stand, City said. Standing at grounds in the top two tiers is banned but clubs have looked to find a middle ground, with

Liverpool's Premier League title defence has fizzled out in 2021 but they are still in the Champions League and face Real Madrid in the quarter-final with a potential semi-final match-up with Chelsea to follow Mohamed Salah is confident Liverpool's season is going to get better after a disastrous run between January and March derailed their Premier League title defence. Jurgen Klopp's side were top of the table at Christmas but a run of just three wins and eight defeats in 14 league matches

Marcus Rashford has travelled to England HQ despite foot injury; he missed training on Monday and will be assessed by FA doctors; Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham also arrived on Monday after German authorities reviewed their coronavirus risk regulations Marcus Rashford joined up with the England squad on Monday despite missing Manchester United's FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Leicester due to a foot injury. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said after Sunday's game that the club's medics were in discussion with their counterparts at

PARIS: Guinea coach Didier Six said he has "negotiated with Liverpool" and secured the release of Naby Keita for one of two upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers. With two rounds left in the qualifying pools, Guinea are second in Group A, two points behind Mali. They host the leaders in Mali in Conakry on Mar 24 and then go to Namibia, who have won one game, on Mar 28. Six, a former France international, told AFP on Wednesday that Liverpool had agreed

LONDON: Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2014 as Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri were on target to give coach Thomas Tuchel's rejuvenated team a 3-0 aggregate win. Ziyech squeezed the ball under Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the 34th minute of the last-16 second leg as he connected with a cross from Timo Werner who had raced down the left after being fed by fellow German Kai Havertz. The three

BUDAPEST: Manchester City marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the fourth straight season after a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Tuesday (Mar 16) to complete a 4-0 aggregate victory. First-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan secured a comfortable victory in another impressive display from Pep Guardiola's side in the home leg, played in the Hungarian capital due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. De Bruyne blasted City ahead in the 13th minute with an unstoppable left-footed drive into

Borussia Moenchengladbach coach Marco Rose paid tribute to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola ahead of the two sides' Champions League last 16 second leg, saying the Premier League team are almost playing 'Total Football'. Guardiola's City are league leaders in the English top-flight, boasting a 14-point lead over second-placed and rivals Manchester United. Guardiola, who has guided City to two Premier League titles since arriving in 2016, used the Dutch tactics of 'Total Football' at former club Barcelona after having played under Johan

WOLVERHAMPTON: Liverpool breathed new life into their chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League as Diogo Jota returned to haunt Wolves with the only goal in a 1-0 win at Molineux on Monday (Mar 15). A disappointing night for the hosts ended with a bigger concern than just the result as goalkeeper Rui Patricio had to be stretchered off after 15 minutes of treatment for a head injury after he collided with his own player Connor Coady in the closing stages.

Diallo, the 18-year-old signed from Atalanta for £37m, scored his first goal for Man Utd with his first shot on goal for the club; Simon Kjaer grabbed late equaliser with a header to take vital away goal back to Milan for second leg on March 18 Simon Kjaer's last-gasp header grabbed a draw for AC Milan and a vital away goal in their 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League last 16 first leg. Milan dominated the first half as Franck

LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he does not agree with the "narrative" that Manchester United's form has dipped alarmingly as he prepares his team to face runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City. United are second in the table but 14 points adrift of City, who are on a record run of 21 straight victories in all competitions. Solskjaer's men head into Sunday's clash after drawing a blank for three consecutive matches, with concerns that attacking talisman Bruno Fernandes is beginning to show signs

Manchester City have history in their sights as the runaway leaders bid to take a huge step towards the Premier League title in Sunday's showdown with fading challengers Manchester United. City are 14 points clear of United with 11 games left and victory in the derby would effectively end their second-placed rivals' faint hopes of catching them. Pep Guardiola's side have been so dominant since the end of last year that it is the landmarks they can shatter on the way to a

LONDON: Manchester United said its total revenue rose 2.6 per cent in the last three months of 2020, helped by strength in broadcasting. "The rapid rollout of vaccines in the UK and beyond gives us confidence that we are now on a path towards normality, including the return of fans to stadia" Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward said on Thursday. Broadcasting revenue, the English Premier League soccer club's largest segment, rose 68% to 108.7 million pounds. The jump was helped by United's participation

LIVERPOOL: Chelsea reclaimed their place in the Premier League's top four as Mason Mount's superb first-half goal earned them an impressive 1-0 victory at champions Liverpool on Thursday. Mount cut in to curl a low shot past Liverpool keeper Alisson in the 42nd minute, after Timo Werner had had a goal disallowed, to give Chelsea a deserved halftime lead. Thomas Tuchel's side then showed great defensive discipline to stand firm in the second period as Liverpool improved. Liverpool, who substituted a disgruntled Mohamed

LONDON: Former Liverpool and Scotland striker Ian St John, who followed a stellar career on the pitch by becoming a hugely popular and successful TV presenter, has died aged 82 after a long illness, the Premier League champions said on Tuesday (Mar 2). St John was one of Liverpool's leading players of the 1960's and later went on to become a popular presenter of Saint and Greavsie, a lunchtime football show with former England striker Jimmy Greaves. The Scot was a key part