Tag: Arsenal

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Premier League finale: West Ham relegated and Spurs stay up as Guardiola, Salah make emotional exits

West Ham was relegated and Tottenham survived on an emotional final day of the Premier League season when Pep Guardiola and Mohamed Salah made tearful exits after record-breaking spells in English soccer.

West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 but that wasn’t enough to climb out of the relegation zone because fourth-to-last Tottenham also won, 1-0 at home to Everton, to stay two points clear of its London rival.

That meant West Ham’s 14-year stay in the Premier League was over and Tottenham, which won three of its last five games under recently hired coach Roberto De Zerbi, will be in the top division for a 49th straight season.

“We shouldn’t be in the position we’re in but we’ve found ourselves in it and we’ve not done enough to stay up,” West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said. “Hurt is the only thing.”

Guardiola’s decade-long tenure at Manchester City — which has included six Premier League titles among 17 major trophies — ended with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa that featured a mid-match guard of honor for first Bernardo Silva and then John Stones, two of Guardiola’s stalwarts.

Guardiola wept on the sideline as Silva left the field and was given his own guard of honor by players and staff after the match.

“We lived an incredible period,” Guardiola said. “If I had energy, I would stay here (but) a new person has to do this job.”

Salah started and was given a standing ovation — before he kissed the Anfield turf — during his second-half substitution in his 442nd and last game for Liverpool, in which he grabbed an assist in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Egypt winger finished his nine years with the Reds with 257 goals and received his own post-match guard of honor, which he walked through in tears.

Arsenal had already clinched the title in midweek and closed its first championship-winning campaign since 2004 with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. The players finally got their hands on the trophy about an hour after fulltime at Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium, with coach Mikel Arteta and the team wearing jerseys with “Champions 2026” on the back for the occasion.

In the final shake-up for European qualification, Bournemouth and Sunderland finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to get into the Europa League and Brighton was eighth to reach the Conference League.

Brighton lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United, for whom Bruno Fernandes scored and got a record-setting 21st assist of the season.

Sunderland, which beat Chelsea 2-1, will be in Europe for the first time in 53 years — a remarkable achievement for a team in its first season back in the top division and which was in the third tier as recently as 2022. The team’s players huddled around a cell phone to see their Europa League qualification confirmed and broke away in delight.

Chelsea, on the contrary, missed out on European competition entirely after finishing in 10th place — 10 months after winning the Club World Cup.

Add 2026 to 2003 and 2011 as years when West Ham lost its Premier League status.

The big difference this season is that the team is now playing its home matches in the vast Olympic Stadium, so that 68,000-capacity arena will be staging games in the second-tier Championship against the likes of Wrexham and the two clubs that had already been relegated from the Premier League before Sunday — Wolverhampton and Burnley.

“This club deserves to be in the Premier League,” said Bowen, who scored and set up a goal against Leeds. “Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League.”

A top-flight ever present since 1978, Tottenham was heading out of the Premier League before the club hired De Zerbi in what has proved to be an inspired appointment.

Three wins and two draws later — along with two losses — and Spurs have managed to avoid dropping into the bottom three in what would have been the most unlikely relegation since the Premier League was founded in 1992.

Joao Palhinha scored Tottenham’s winner against Everton in the 43rd minute, forcing in a rebound after initially heading against the post, and Spurs defended stoutly to stop Everton scoring the two goals that would have kept West Ham up.

“After a bad season like this one, we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans,” Palhinha said.

“The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future.”

Tottenham, one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the Europa League champion last season, has now finished one place outside the relegation spots in successive seasons. (JapanToday)

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Arsenal crowned Premier League champions as Man City draw at Bournemouth

Arsenal are confirmed Premier League champions for the first time since 2004 as Manchester City fail to win at Bournemouth.

City needed to win their final two games, as well as hope Arsenal failed to win their final match, but were held to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

The result put an end to Pep Guardiola’s title challenge with one round of the season to go as the draw left Arsenal with an unassailable four-point lead at the top, ending their 22-year wait for the title.

Arsenal fans celebrated wildly outside its Emirates Stadium as news of the score line came through.

City threatened another twist when Erling Haaland scored in stoppage time to equalise Junior Kroupi’s first-half strike, but it was too late to find a winner.

Mikel Arteta’s players can now stand alongside club icons Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright, who previously led the club to the summit of English football. And Arsenal’s current class could yet break new ground by winning the Champions League for the first time in its history later this month.

Thoughts of this month’s final against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain can be put on the back burner, for now.

Now is a time for celebration and relief for Arteta after finishing runner-up in the league three years running.

In back-to-back seasons in 2023 and ’24, he watched as Guardiola’s City chased down Arsenal’s lead to be crowned champion. And another chance was missed last year when coming second to Liverpool.

Once again, Arsenal has led the way for most of this campaign, and despite seeing its points advantage ebb away during a gripping run-in, it has finally managed to get over the line after a decades-long wait.

Arsenal’s last champion was the so-called “Invincibles” team of 2004, which went an entire campaign without losing in the league. (AlJazeera)

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PSG hold off Bayern to set up UCL final with Arsenal

Luis Enrique and Paris Saint-Germain are headed back to the Champions League final after a 1-1 second-leg semifinal draw with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.

PSG edged a thrilling 5-4 game in the first leg in Paris last week, and the defending champions made the advantage count to progress 6-5 on aggregate to set up a final in Budapest against Arsenal on May 30.

“It’s magnificent, two finals,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said after the game. “Now we will go there and try to fetch a second star. I said to the players we are warriors.”

PSG’s defense – breached four times in Paris last week – kept Bayern’s much vaunted attack of Harry Kane, Luis Díaz and Micheal Olise largely in check.

“We know how to suffer and we’re ready for what we have to face,” PSG midfielder João Neves said. “We’re very proud of how far we’ve come.”

Ousmane Dembélé blasted home a first-time finish to open the scoring, with the assist going to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a blistering run down the left flank and cutback pass to the France international.

Bayern were up in arms shortly after the 30-minute mark when the referee neglected to call handball on Nuno Mendes, who was already on a yellow card, and then waved off shouts for another possible handball on João Neves — this one coming in PSG’s own penalty area.

It did not appear the VAR was consulted on either decision, while replays showed that the referee had already blown his whistle for a handball on Bayern’s Konrad Laimer before the perceived Mendes infraction.

With the assist, Kvaratskhelia became the first player to score or assist in seven consecutive Champions League knockout stage games in a single season and drew level with Kylian Mbappé for the most goal contributions in the UCL season with 16 (10 goals, six assists).

Try as they might, the hosts could not find a way back into the game in the second half until Kane scored a late consolation goal just before the final whistle blew. Bayern had won five of their past seven meetings with PSG in Munich, and were going for a repeat of the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble they won in 2020 and 2013.

That bid ultimately came up one goal short, with PSG looking more likely to score than Bayern in the second 45 minutes.

“I understand if they’re disappointed,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told TNT Sports when asked what he said afterwards to his players. “I think we gave everything.”

After the teams returned from the break, Manuel Neuer saved twice in quick succession from Désiré Doué and Kvaratskhelia. Doué tried again soon after with a low drive that brought the best stop yet from the Bayern goalkeeper.

The hosts came close again through Diaz, who was denied by Matvei Safonov, but PSG were carrying the greater threat. Doué blasted an effort inches wide of the post with Neuer beaten as the European champions looked to seal it.

Kvaratskhelia brushed past Bayern’s defence and bore down on goal but badly missed his kick, with the goal and tie at his mercy.

England captain Kane finally found space inside the box to lash a finish into the roof of the net deep in stoppage time, but a famous fightback was not to be.

PSG and Bayern came into the second leg as the top-scoring sides in the competition with 43 and 42 goals, respectively. It’s the first time two teams have scored more than 40 in the same season — with the expanded League Phase format playing a role.

“It was a game of details. I think we’ve played five times against PSG in the last two years and we’ve won two times, they’ve won two times and now was a draw, so it’s just been that kind of game every single time,” Kompany added. “We have to look at some of the phases that were decided by the officials across the two games which.

“It’s never an excuse for everything, but it matters.”

Arsenal sealed their spot in the final on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid to advance 2-1 on aggregate over Diego Simeone’s side.

PSG will try to become only the second team to repeat as Champions League winners, with Real Madrid having done so twice by winning the competition three times in a row between 2016 and 2018. (ESPN)

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Arsenal 1-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 2-1): Bukayo Saka scores decisive goal as Gunners reach Champions League final

Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years as Bukayo Saka’s goal clinched a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory.

On a momentous night for the club, Saka turned home the decisive goal just before half-time after Leandro Trossard’s shot had been parried by Jan Oblak, ensuring that Arsenal will face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30.

The Gunners, aiming to lift the trophy for the first time in their history having been beaten by Barcelona in their only previous final appearance in 2006, were deserving winners but had to come through another fiercely-contested encounter with Atletico.

It might have turned out differently had the excellent Declan Rice not made a vital tackle to prevent a certain goal from Giuliano Simeone in the first half. There was another goal-saving challenge on the same Atletico player by Gabriel Magalhaes after half-time.

But Arsenal, dogged in claiming a draw in last week’s first leg, produced another outstanding defensive display to limit Atletico’s chances, clinching a ninth clean sheet in 14 European games and a 30th in all competitions this season.

They also missed chances to kill the tie at the other end of the pitch.

The tireless Viktor Gyokeres spurned the best of them, firing over the crossbar from substitute Piero Hincapie’s low cross when well placed to score in the centre of the box.

In the end, though, Saka’s goal proved sufficient, as Arsenal saw out the closing stages in relative comfort before jubilant scenes of celebration which included manager Mikel Arteta sprinting onto the pitch to join his players after the final whistle.

Arsenal will now switch their focus back to the Premier League title race, with West Ham next up on Super Sunday, knowing they will have the chance to finish an epic campaign on an unprecedented high in Budapest at the end of May. (SkySports)

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Arsenal survives tense Sporting stalemate to reach Champions League semis

Arsenal reached the Champions League semifinals after riding their luck in a nervous goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon that clinched a 1-0 aggregate victory on Wednesday.

Mikel Arteta’s team were well below their best in the quarterfinal second leg at the Emirates Stadium. But they held onto their slender first-leg advantage as Sporting failed to make them pay for the latest in a growing list of angst-ridden performances.

The Gunners will face Atletico Madrid for a place in the final after the Spanish club went through 3-2 on aggregate against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Arsenal crushed Atletico 4-0 in the group stage at the Emirates in October, but they will have to improve significantly to reach the final for the first time since 2006.

Arsenal have reached the Champions semifinals in two consecutive seasons for the first time in their history. Yet after losing three of their last five games in all competitions and winning just once, they remain a puzzling side in the midst an untimely stumble.

Arteta had challenged Arsenal to play with “pure fire” and “zero fear” in an unusually passionate press conference on Tuesday. The response was hardly emphatic as Arsenal quickly retreated into their shell in another display lacking cohesion and quality in the final third.

Arsenal haven’t lifted the Premier League since 2004 and have never won the Champions League. The Premier League leaders are on course to achieve both targets, but the flaws in Arteta’s side have become increasingly clear in recent weeks.

Losing the League Cup final against Manchester City and the FA Cup quarterfinal against second-tier Southampton was bad enough. But a shock 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday left Arteta facing pointed questions about Arsenal’s character that remain unanswered.

Arsenal are just six points ahead of second-placed City, who have a game in hand and host the Gunners in a seismic showdown on Sunday.

The north Londoners have finished Premier League runners-up for the past three seasons — twice blowing substantial leads to City in 2023 and 2024 — and the nerves are mounting.

Responding to Arteta’s call for a fiery performance, Arsenal pressed furiously in the opening 10 minutes but couldn’t make the breakthrough.

Once that initial assault petered out, Arsenal wobbled at the back and William Saliba’s wayward pass led to Francisco Trincao curling wide from the edge of the area.

Former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres has endured an erratic debut season with Arsenal and once again he struggled to make an impact.

Gyokeres had only one serious sight of goal after a burst into the Sporting six-yard box, but he didn’t get his shot off in time and Goncalo Inacio’s tackle snuffed out the danger.

Without the injured Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, Arsenal were too often slow and unambitious in attack.

They grew increasingly edgy in a first half played out to a soundtrack of anxious groans from their frustrated fans.

Gunners ‘keeper David Raya nearly gifted Sporting a goal with a woeful pass that was intercepted by Trincao, whose miscued attempt to find Luis Suarez in the penalty area let Arsenal off the hook.

Geny Catamo was inches away from punishing Arsenal’s lethargy when he volleyed against the far post from an acute angle just before half-time.

Eberechi Eze’s drive whistled narrowly wide after the interval, before Gabriel Martinelli blasted just over and Noni Madueke shot into the side-netting.

Arteta responded by sending on Kai Havertz for Gyokeres, while Max Dowman replaced the injured Madueke.

Sporting appealed in vain for a penalty after Cristhian Mosquera’s slight push on Maxi Araujo. Arsenal were creaking but they held firm as Arteta breathed a sigh of relief.

In Munich, late strikes from Luis Diaz and Michael Olise sealed a dramatic 4–3 win for Bayern Munich over Real Madrid on Wednesday, clinching a 6–4 aggregate victory and setting up a semifinal with holders Paris Saint-Germain.

The tie was level at the break in the second leg after a scintillating opening half, with record 15-time European champions Real going ahead three times on the night.

Bayern won 2-1 last week in the Spanish capital, but Arda Guler pounced on a loose Manuel Neuer pass to put the visitors ahead after just 34 seconds at the Allianz Arena. He scored again from a free-kick after Aleksandar Pavlovic equalised.

Harry Kane put Bayern back ahead in the tie only for Kylian Mbappe to restore parity overall when he put Madrid 3-2 up before half-time.

Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for a second yellow card with four minutes left and Bayern pushed forward, Diaz blasting into the corner from outside the box after a crucial deflection.

With Real pressing for an equaliser, Olise curled in a magnificent shot to rubberstamp Bayern’s ticket to the last four and keep alive their quest for a seventh European crown. They will head to Luis Enrique’s PSG at the end of the month.

Tempers boiled over after the final whistle with Guler picking up a straight red for confronting the referee.

“We got off to a bad start, and then conceded again through a free-kick and a counter. The first half was hectic,” Joshua Kimmich told DAZN.

“The second half was calmer, we had more control – and then managed to win it in the end. It wasn’t our best performance, but we’ll take the win.

“The two best teams in Europe will face each other. We had many top level games against Paris in recent years. I’m looking forward to it.”

The defeat for Real effectively ended their season as they look set to finish without a major trophy for the second year running. Barcelona hold a nine-point lead in La Liga and Real suffered a shock last-16 exit in the Copa del Rey.

“I feel for them (the players), for the effort they made. It hurts,” coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “I’m very proud. We’re going back to Madrid after giving it our all.”

For the first time in Real’s long Champions League history, their starting XI did not contain a single Spanish player. Jude Bellingham, who impressed off the bench in the first leg, was one of four changes to the line-up made by Arbeloa.

Neuer, widely lauded after a vintage performance in Madrid, gifted Real an opener. The Bayern goalkeeper miscued a pass directly to Guler, who floated a first-touch shot into the unguarded goal in the first minute.

Bayern looked stunned but struck back almost immediately when Pavlovic headed in a Kimmich corner after Real goalkeeper Andriy Lunin failed to read the flight of the ball.

The match had barely time to settle before Real were ahead once more thanks to a Guler goal, with Neuer again not at his best.

The Turkey international whipped a free-kick into the top corner which Neuer got a hand to but was unable to keep out.

The match continued to swing back and forth before the break, as Kane struck first before Mbappe responded by getting himself on the scoresheet.

Kane slotted clinically into the bottom corner in the 38th minute to again haul Bayern level on the night — and ahead in the tie — before Mbappe ran onto a Vinicius Junior pass and slotted home to level the tie 4-4 on aggregate.

With Real regularly cutting into Bayern’s high line, coach Vincent Kompany responded by introducing the pace of Alphonso Davies at the interval.

Both sides traded chances in the second half, with Olise particularly dangerous, forcing a fingertip save from Lunin with 20 minutes left.

Camavinga came on midway through the half but picked up two yellow cards in quick succession to leave his team a man down in the closing stages.

It proved a turning point as Bayern struck three minutes later when Diaz’s effort took a touch off Eder Militao and flashed beyond Lunin.

Olise made certain of Bayern’s progress deep into stoppage time as the German giants took down Real in a knockout clash for the first time since 2012. (JapanToday)

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Man City closes in on Arsenal in Premier League title race with 3-0 win over Chelsea

Manchester City issued a huge statement of intent in the race for the Premier League title with a 3-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s team moved to within six points of leader Arsenal ahead of next weekend’s top of the table clash between the two teams. City also has a game in hand.

Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku all scored in a blistering second-half performance at Stamford Bridge as City took full advantage of Arsenal’s shock defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.

“We know that we still have everything in our hands,” Doku said.

Tottenham’s survival fight took another blow after a 1-0 loss to Sunderland left it rooted in the relegation zone.

In coach Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge, Spurs fell to a 16th league loss of the season. Its 14-game winless run in the league dates back to Jan. 1.

Nordi Mukiele’s deflected shot sealed the game at the Stadium of Light and plunged Tottenham’s campaign deeper into crisis.

Tottenham is two points adrift of safety with six games to go. Its plight wasn’t helped by relegation-fighting Nottingham Forest drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.

Crystal Palace came back from 1-0 down to beat Newcastle 2-1 at Selhurst Park.

While Arsenal’s form has hit a slump at the worst possible time, City made it three statement wins in a row after rolling over Chelsea.

Victory followed triumph against Arsenal in the English League Cup final and the 4-0 rout of Liverpool in the FA Cup last week.

While those three results all came in different competitions, City’s charge has an ominous feel about it after twice chasing down Arsenal’s lead to win the title in 2023 and ’24.

Second-placed City has the chance to cut the gap at the top to three points with victory against Arsenal at the Etihad. Guardiola called for respect for Arsenal when looking ahead to that title showdown.

“They have been the best team in this country, in Europe, so far. Beating Arsenal once is so difficult, imagine beating them twice in a few weeks,” Guardiola said. “I would like to say to my fans — respect Arsenal a lot, they are an extraordinary team. Come to join us from minute one because the players will do the maximum.”

Rayan Cherki was the inspiration at Stamford Bridge — setting up goals for O’Reilly six minutes after halftime and Guehi in the 57th.

Doku rounded off the win in the 68th.

The result didn’t help Chelsea’s bid to qualify for the Champions League, leaving it four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.

Liam Rosenior’s team has won just one of its last seven league games.

Now on its third coach of the season, it’s more than three months since its last league win and just one point from a possible 24. This was a seventh defeat in eight games.

If the hope was that De Zerbi would provide an immediate bounce in form after replacing Igor Tudor, it didn’t come in a typically toothless display at Sunderland.

While the new coach could point to bad luck, given the nature of Mukiele’s 61st-minute winner, which took a wicked deflection off Micky van de Ven, his team rarely looked like finding a way back into the match — even during 11 minutes of added time at the end.

An injury to Cristian Romero made a bad day worse for Spurs, which next faces Brighton, one of De Zerbi’s former clubs.

Forest moved three points clear of Spurs after a draw at the City Ground. Neco Williams’ long-range shot leveled the game after a Murillo own-goal gave Villa the lead. (JapanToday)

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Man City dominates Arsenal to win English League Cup

The first major domestic trophy of the season is Manchester City ‘s. And after a dominant 2-0 win against Arsenal in the English League Cup final on Sunday, it may not be the last.

Manchester-born Nico O’Reilly sealed victory with both goals in the second half at Wembley Stadium. The win could also have delivered a psychological blow in the race for the Premier League title as Pep Guardiola aims to chase down Arsenal’s nine-point lead at the top of the standings.

“(It’s an) unbelievable feeling to win a final and to beat this team. We know how good they are,” O’Reilly told Sky Sports. “We need to build on it now, it’ll give us momentum.”

This was serial trophy-winner Guardiola flexing his muscles. It was his 16th major trophy as City manager and a record fifth League Cup. He has won 34 career titles as a manager including his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

And, once again, he was stamping out Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s own ambitions, having twice beaten his former assistant to the league title in recent years.

“I’m really pleased because I know the opponent we played. Mikel created a team that is almost unbeatable,” Guardiola said. “Every time you win a title it looks more difficult than in the past. It is really difficult for many reasons.”

Arsenal remains favorite to be crowned league champion this season for the first time since 2004, given its big lead. But with second-place City having a game in hand and the teams still to play each other in Manchester at the Etihad Stadium, the picture could look very different in the coming weeks.

City’s win also ended Arsenal’s bid this season for an unprecedented quadruple of major trophies by an English team – including the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

“I’m very sad. It is a very hard one to take, especially for our players and our supporters because we know how much it means to them and how much we want that,” Arteta said. “We will manage that energy in the right way and we have to go through that pain and disappointment. It’s normal and it’s part of football.”

The 21-year-old O’Reilly, who came through City’s academy, was the unlikely hero with both goals from left back.

He took advantage of Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga’s fumble to head City in front on the hour. And he headed in a second four minutes later to effectively kill off the match.

“My whole family came down today (to watch) … I know they’ll be buzzing and I can’t wait to see them,” O’Reilly said.

Arteta said he had no regrets about selecting Kepa — who had played in previous rounds — rather than first-choice David Raya.

Tottenham’s Premier League survival fight was plunged deeper into crisis with a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, one of three league games played on Sunday.

The relegation six-pointer left Spurs one place and one point above the drop zone and raised further questions about the future of coach Igor Tudor.

“The season is tough, especially in this moment. Another very bad (result) for us,” said Tottenham captain Cristian Romero. “The situation is tough, but most important thing is play (every game) like a final now.”

Fellow relegation-fighting Forest climbed above Spurs to 16th in the standings. The only positive on another miserable day for Tottenham was defeat for West Ham at Aston Villa to keep it in the bottom three.

Tottenham – one of English soccer’s most iconic teams and a founding member of the Premier League – is still without a win in the top flight in 2026. Its last win was Dec. 28 and it has lost six of its last seven games.

Igor Jesus’ header just before halftime gave Forest the lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Morgan Gibbs-White added a second just after the hour mark.

Taiwo Awoniyi completed Forest’s first league win under coach Vitor Pereira in the 87th to leave home fans fearing the end of its ever-present stay in England’s top division since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

Tudor was hired last month to try to turn Spurs’ season around, but has lost five of his seven games in charge in all competitions and seen his team eliminated from the Champions League.

Tottenham remains one point above 18th-place West Ham, which lost 2-0 to Villa.

Villa boosted its chances of Champions League qualification and took advantage of all of its immediate rivals dropping points.

Villa is fourth, one point behind Manchester United and five points above fifth-place Liverpool.

Brian Brobbey struck in the 90th minute to give Sunderland bragging rights in the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle.

Brobbey’s close-range effort sealed a 2-1 comeback win at St. James’ Park and saw Sunderland complete a league double over its fiercest rival.

Earlier, the game had been halted due to a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd towards Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida.

Before kickoff, there had been tense scenes between fans outside the stadium. Northumberland police said one arrest was made. (JapanToday)

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PSG, Real Madrid and Arsenal march into Champions League last eight

Holders Paris Saint-Germain, record 15-time winners Real Madrid and Arsenal surged into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday, while Sporting produced a brilliant comeback in Portugal to end Bodo/Glimt’s remarkable run.

PSG appear to be coming back into the form which saw them win the Champions League for the first time in their history last season, as the French club crushed Chelsea 3-0 in London to claim a comprehensive 8-2 aggregate victory in their last-16 tie.

Chelsea had been left with a mountain to climb after a late collapse in last week’s first leg, and PSG quickly snuffed out any chance the English club had.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia followed his first-leg double by opening the scoring on six minutes at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr misjudging a long ball on his Champions League debut and then being outmuscled by the Georgian who applied the finish.

Bradley Barcola fired in a brilliant second goal from an Achraf Hakimi assist, and the home fans were streaming for the exits when substitute Senny Mayulu swept in PSG’s third on the night just after the hour.

“We clearly dominated, we are very happy to be in the quarter-finals and I think it is well deserved,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus.

PSG’s fourth victory against English opposition in a two-legged knockout tie since the start of last year sets up a last-eight tie against Liverpool or Galatasaray, who meet on Wednesday at Anfield with the Turkish side leading 1-0 from the first leg.

Two-time European champions Chelsea were not the only English club to be eliminated on Tuesday, with Manchester City losing 2-1 at home to Real as they went out 5-1 on aggregate.

Real led 3-0 from the first leg in Spain, where Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick, and their qualification was never in doubt after City’s Bernardo Silva was sent off on 20 minutes for stopping a goalbound Vinicius Junior shot on the line with his arm.

Vinicius converted the penalty, and Pep Guardiola’s side had too much to do, even if Erling Haaland levelled the scores on the night before half-time with his 30th goal this season.

Real replaced Thibaut Courtois with Andriy Lunin in goal at half-time, and the tie was over long before Vinicius scored again in stoppage time to seal the win on the night.

“All of us players know that the good games are coming and when Madrid play in this competition, everything changes,” said Vinicius, as Real knocked City out for the third season running.

Real are almost certain to face Bayern Munich in a heavyweight quarter-final, with the Germans 6-1 up against Atalanta before Wednesday’s return match.

Premier League leaders Arsenal’s dream of a quadruple remains alive after they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium for a 3-1 aggregate success.

They had needed a late penalty to draw in Germany last week, and finished the tie off in the return with goals either side of half-time from Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice.

Eze broke the deadlock with a long-range rocket late in the first half and Rice’s composed finish killed off Leverkusen.

“We had four or five situations where we should have scored a third but overall we fully deserved to win and be into the quarter-finals,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta.

His team now face Manchester City in the English League Cup final on Sunday, and will play Sporting in the quarter-finals.

The Portuguese champions produced a superb fightback, overturning a 3-0 deficit from last week’s first leg against Bodo/Glimt by beating the Norwegians 5-0 after extra time in Lisbon.

Goncalo Inacio and Pedro Goncalves scored before a Luis Suarez penalty on 78 minutes forced extra time.

Uruguayan full-back Maxi Araujo gave Sporting the lead in the tie for the first time in the 92nd minute, and Rafael Nel made sure of their progress with the fifth right at the end.

Bodo/Glimt’s fantastic run comes to an end as Sporting reach the quarters of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 1983. (JapanToday)

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Arsenal stays in control of title race as Dowman become youngest ever Premier League scorer

Arsenal stayed in control of the Premier League title race with a 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, with 16-year-old Max Dowman’s solo goal in stoppage time making him the competition’s youngest ever scorer.

In a dramatic finish at Emirates Stadium, Viktor Gyokeres scored in the 89th minute before Dowman collected the ball midway in his own half after a corner was cleared, dribbled around two players, and raced clear to tap into an empty net. Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was stranded upfield having gone up for a corner.

It dealt a psychological blow to second-place Manchester City, which headed into the first of two games in hand — at West Ham later Saturday — trailing Arsenal by 10 points.

Dowman, who is still in school, came on in the second half for his third Premier League appearance and also played a part in Gyokeres’ goal.

It was his cross from the right that was missed by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and struck the midriff of Arsenal substitute Piero Hincapie. The ball bounced across the goalmouth and Gyokeres applied the finishing touch from close range.

“He stays so calm and without fear every time he gets the ball,” Gyokeres said of Dowman. “He takes the right decision most of the time as well and with the goal, he definitely took the right one.”

In a breakthrough season for the English soccer prodigy, Dowman became the second-youngest player — behind Arsenal teammate Ethan Nwaneri — to feature in the Premier League after making his debut against Leeds in August.

In November, he became the youngest player in Champions League history at 15 years, 308 days when he entered as a second-half substitute against Slavia Prague.

Across London, Chelsea lost 1-0 to Newcastle thanks to an 18th-minute goal by Anthony Gordon.

Chelsea stayed in fifth place but could be overtaken by Liverpool, which hosts struggling Tottenham on Sunday.

Burnley is running out of time and hope in the Premier League.

A 0-0 home draw with Bournemouth on Saturday left next-to-last Burnley — one of the many U.S.-owned teams in England’s top division — eight points from safety with just eight games remaining this season and facing an immediate return to the Championship.

Burnley has won just four of its 30 league games.

Sunderland, another promoted team, appears to be safe from relegation but is limping toward the end of the season after a third straight home loss – this time to Brighton 1-0.

The only goal was a bizarre one, with Yankuba Minteh’s mis-hit cross from the byline somehow squeezing in at the near post in the 58th minute at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland hadn’t lost at home until a defeat to Liverpool on Feb. 11. Since then, it has lost to Fulham and now Brighton. (JapanToday)

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Osimhen fires Liverpool second leg warning

Victor Osimhen has warned Liverpool that Galatasaray can “do some damage” at Anfield ahead of the second leg of their UEFA Champions League tie, as the Nigerian striker also attracts transfer interest from Arsenal and Manchester United in a potential €140m deal, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The forward made the comments after Galatasaray secured a 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg at RAMS Park, a result that places the Turkish side in a strong position heading into the return leg in England.

Osimhen praised his teammates for their performance against the Premier League club and expressed confidence that the team could produce another strong display away from home.

“Every time we play here it’s so emotional for us. Aside from that, the victory is important,” he said.

“We know next week is going to be really hard, but I believe in this team and the kind of performance we put in against a very good side like Liverpool. I’m optimistic that we can do some damage there at Anfield.”

The striker acknowledged the challenge awaiting the team in the second leg but insisted Galatasaray would analyse their performance and attempt to improve.

“But like I said earlier, it’s not going to be easy. We will go back, look at our mistakes and try to correct them. I’m proud of the boys tonight,” he added.

Osimhen’s performances this season have further enhanced his reputation as one of Europe’s most sought-after strikers, with the Nigerian contributing 24 goals and assists across competitions.

His form has reportedly drawn strong interest from Premier League clubs ahead of the summer transfer window, with Arsenal and Manchester United among the sides monitoring his situation if he is to be priced away from Galatasaray.

According to SportsBoom, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sees the Nigerian as a key addition to his attack.

“Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reportedly views Osimhen as the ‘final piece of the puzzle’ for his frontline,” the report said.

Arsenal are understood to be seeking a reliable goalscorer to strengthen their title ambitions, while Manchester United are also considering reinforcements in attack as part of a wider squad rebuild.

The report added that pressure from former players could influence United’s pursuit of the striker.

“At Manchester United, the pressure from club legends like Rio Ferdinand is pushing the board toward a more aggressive pursuit. The club have attempted to sway the Nigerian international to Old Trafford on several occasions. Chelsea have also been linked with a move,” SportsBoom said.

Any move for the Nigerian forward is expected to command a fee of around €140m, a figure that would require significant financial commitment from potential suitors.

“If Galatasaray decides to cash in, the asking price sits between €120 million and €140 million; a figure that would shatter every record in the Süper Lig,” SportsBoom added.

For now, however, Osimhen’s immediate focus remains on helping Galatasaray complete the job against Liverpool as they attempt to progress further in Europe’s premier club competition. (Punch)