Manchester City won the English Premier League for the fifth time in six seasons on Saturday, taking a first step to a possible golden treble of trophies as second-placed Arsenal lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners’ challenge finally evaporated after a second consecutive defeat left manager Mikel Arteta’s side four points adrift of City with one game left for them to play.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal also ensured Forest avoided relegation in their first season back in the top flight for 23 years.
Photo: AP
City’s third successive English title turned yesterday’s league game at home to Chelsea into a celebration match.
Manager Pep Guardiola’s men are now looking to complete a treble when they face local rivals Manchester United and Italian giants Inter Milan in next month’s FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals respectively.
City have become the dominant force in the English game since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover transformed their fortunes in 2008, but admiration for the quality of their soccer under manager Guardiola has also been accompanied by questions over their financing, with City facing a mammoth 115 charges for breaking Premier League rules.
Photo: AFP
Nevertheless, City captain Ilkay Gundogan said his side had been pushed hard this season.
“The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world, so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is,” he said.
However, for Arsenal manager Arteta, a former assistant to Guardiola, there were thoughts of what might have been for the longtime leaders.
“First of all congratulations to Manchester City for winning the championship, but it is a sad day for us,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “Now we have to face the reality, today we gave a goal away and we were not good enough to break them down. We could play for three hours and we would not have done it.”
By contrast, Forest manager Steve Cooper told the BBC: “We limited them [Arsenal] to very little, incredible desire and we got over the line. It was everything we wished for from today. It is what the players and the supporters particularly deserve.”
Manchester United and Newcastle United were on the brink of qualifying for next season’s Champions League after Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Manchester United’s 1-0 victory at AFC Bournemouth, combined with Liverpool’s failure to beat Villa, left Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag’s men and Newcastle within touching distance of ensuring top-four finishes.
Fourth-placed Manchester United and Newcastle, in third, are both three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool, who have only one game left.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp watched from the stands at Anfield as he served a touchline ban following his recent rant about referee Paul Tierney.
“We would have loved to make it exciting for another week, but we will make the [UEFA] Europa League our competition. I am not that spoilt,” Klopp said.
For Liverpool’s local rivals Everton, dreams of European soccer have long been replaced by the need to avoid relegation.
Yerry Mina’s last-gasp equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers boosted the Toffees’ hopes of avoiding playing in the second tier for the first time since 1954.
“If you are a footballer you can’t just sign up for the good things,” said Everton manager Dyche. “You have to fight to be in the Premier League and we are fighting.”
Tottenham Hotspurs’ season to forget hit a new low with a 3-1 home defeat against Brentford, while Fulham and Crystal Palace shared a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
RSS