Atletico Madrid delayed Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations by beating Valencia 3-2 at home in an entertaining game on Wednesday at a sparsely attended Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

tletico Madrid beat Valencia, delaying Barcelona’s eight La Liga title in 11 years. David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

Defeat for Atletico would have seen Barca clinch an eighth title in 11 years, but the victory moved Diego Simeone’s side on to 71 points after 34 games, nine points behind the Catalans.

“We played a great game, controlled most of it and in the end were able to take it, a victory which we needed,” Simeone said after the match. “It was a nice game for the fans, with five goals. They gave everything when they attacked, and we did too.”

Barca will be champions if they beat Levante at home on Saturday and could seal the title before kickoff if Atletico lose at home to Real Valladolid earlier in the day.

Alvaro Morata put Atletico ahead on a rain-swept evening in the ninth minute by knocking a cross in from close range on the volley but Valencia equalised in the 36th through former Atletico forward Kevin Gameiro.

Atletico’s top scorer Antoine Griezmann put the home side back in front early in the second half with a header but the visitors, who are chasing fourth spot in La Liga, were awarded a penalty for a handball by Saul Niguez following a VAR review.

Captain Dani Parejo slammed the ball home from the spot but Atletico came back again to take the lead for the third time with a brilliant strike from Angel Correa, who sent the ball sweeping just inside the near post from outside the area.

“We are doing all we can, which is win our games and keep going while there is still a chance,” Simeone said. “Although Barcelona have had a great season and for sure they will not slip up and will become champions on Sunday. If we cannot finish first, then we need to be second. We want to go as far as we can.”

Source – ESPN

The Gunners failed to move back into the top four after turning in another dire performance in a 3-1 loss at Wolves on Wednesday evening.

Photo by: Getty Images

What a difference a week makes!

Arsenal went into the weekend looking well-placed to go on and finish third in the Premier League, but two shambolic defeats later they are now facing up to another season outside of the top four.

If Unai Emery’s side were bad against Crystal Palace on Sunday, then they were truly dire on Wednesday evening as they were steamrollered by a Wolves team led by the quite magnificent Diogo Jota.

The Portuguese attacker was unplayable, leaving the Arsenal defence in his wake time and time again as he drove at them with an intensity and drive that was unmatched anywhere within the visitors’ ranks.

When the 22-year raced onto Granit Xhaka’s loose pass just before half-time, you knew what was coming. He glided past Sokratis’ pathetic attempt of a challenge before firing in a shot which squirmed under Bernd Leno to make it 3-0.

As he and his Wolves team-mates celebrated, Emery stood motionless propped up against his dugout, hands plunged deep into his pockets.

What he was thinking only he will know, but you would hope for Arsenal’s sake he was already dreaming of the summer and the chance of bringing in players of Jota’s quality.

Because that’s what Arsenal need if they are going to get back competing with England’s best, let alone the best in Europe.

Yes they were atrocious defensively once again at Molineux, conceding three goals for the second successive game, but they were equally as inept in attack, a total shambles, from back to front.

They dominated possession, enjoying more than 70 per cent all night, and constantly had the ball in Wolves’ final third. But they never looked like doing anything with it.

It wasn’t until Eddie Nketiah came on for the final 20 minutes that they anyone who at least tried to drive at the Wolves defence and cause them problems.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan was awful, Mesut Ozil was no better and Alex Iwobi was his usual frustrating self.

Alexandre Lacazette ran the channels all night long, but was given absolute nothing to work with from those who were supposed to be his supply line. How the Frenchmen would loved to have had either of Jota or Ruben Neves behind him.

After what happened against Palace at the weekend you would have expected some sort of response from Arsenal, who had picked up wins in each of their last two away outings.

But from the moment Neves smashed home a free-kick on 28 minutes to give Wolves the lead, there was only ever going to be one winner.

The sight of a couple of Arsenal players turning their backs and shielding their faces rather than trying to block Neves’ set piece summed up the visitors’ performance. It was cowardly.

From that point on it was so easy for Wolves. They doubled their lead through Matt Doherty’s header and then Jota left the Arsenal defence in his wake to add a third – both were goals Leno will not want to see again.

Sokratis did pull a goal back late on in the second half, heading in Xhaka’s corner but it was no more than a consolation. The game and the battle had long been lost.

Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish is now out of their hands, they are relying on others to do them a favour – something that is entirely possible given the way the season is going.

But with two of their remaining three games away from home – starting at Leicester on Sunday – you do not have any confidence in Emery’s side being able to get the points they need to ensure Champions League football returns to the Emirates.

Source – Goal.com

The reigning champions returned to the top of the Premier League table with an ultimately comfortable 2-0 victory over city rivals Manchester United.

Photo by: Getty Images

Exactly a week on from a night of heartbreak that would have devastated lesser teams, Manchester City have proven their character and ability once again to secure a victory that sees them place one hand on the Premier League title.

The Champions League leg of what would have been a quadruple has gone thanks to that most remarkably crushing of nights against Tottenham last Wednesday, but City are still on for an unprecedented domestic treble after a 2-0 win over Manchester United.

Pep Guardiola’s side now need just three victories to successfully defend the title they won last season by racking up a record-breaking 100 points. If they do it, they will have done so with 98 this time around.

Not that it is done yet; Burnley away is never easy and stranger things have happened than dropping points to Leicester or Brighton.

But they are nearly there.

And they are nearly there because they have won the three league games that Guardiola prioritised back at the start of this month, when he picked his team for the first leg against Tottenham in Europe, knowing he would need players fresh for the trip to Crystal Palace, and huge games against Spurs and Manchester United.

Many wondered how City would react in that most recent clash with Spurs, given the ending of the second meeting. Yet they started finished and finished robustly, eking out a 1-0 victory that set them up for this titanic clash at Old Trafford.

And how it was set up. United’s humbling defeat at Everton on Sunday meant their players needed to show a reaction here.

There was some debate among fans over whether they wanted to win the game at all, given any positive result for them would be a very positive result for Liverpool, City’s title rivals, but if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players wanted to throw the game, they hid it brilliantly.

United made this had for City, make no mistake. The final analysis may show that the home side ultimately carried little threat, but they harried City throughout the first half and threw them off their game.

The passing combinations that Guardiola has drilled into them were not coming off. Vincent Kompany and Oleksandr Zinchenko had had shockers and were on yellow cards.

Fernandinho was a little sloppy in possession but he battled as he ever does and won the headers and second balls that ensured United’s energy never really converted itself into proper opportunities.

So, when the Brazilian went off at the start of the second half, things did not look too rosey for the Blues. Leroy Sane, once again left out of the starting line-up for a big game, came on. Bernardo Silva, not quite his slick self, moved into midfield. It’s what many City fans wanted from the start anyway.

And in that sense they were right and Guardiola was wrong. The game turned instantly.

City quickly got into that position down by the left byline, Sane helping City get into the position they so like to cut the ball back from. Nobody was on the end of it but City were looking a bit more like themselves.

And then Bernardo Silva looked exactly like himself; Sane does not start because the Portuguese is that much more tidy, that much more intricate. He showed that once again, picking up a pass from Ilkay Gundogan, who had dropped back to replace Fernandinho and immediately looked at home.

Bernardo did his usual step or two inside and fired off a low shot that was not particularly powerful but was certainly precise. David De Gea could do nothing about it.

He could have done something about the next one, but at the same time it was Sane who showed that while he not be as consistent as the fantastic Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, he certainly still offers a lot to this side.

With United now chasing the game, Sterling picked up the ball inside his own half, drove forward, picked out Sane in his usual left-sided position and the German fired off a shot that was struck far more fiercely and far less accurately than Bernardo’s, but did the job all the same, as De Gea tried to kick it away and made a mess of it.

That goal ended the contest. Guardiola had watched much of the action between City’s two goals from a crouched position in his technical area, presumably too tense to do anything else.

He has said time and time again that he will not manage into old age and with the nerves getting to him like this, it is easy to imagine that he will burn out long before regular retirement age.

He can breathe easier now, at least. Or maybe not. Gundogan also went off injured at the end and ahead of a trip to the ever dangerous Turf Moor on Sunday, City are suddenly light at the back of their midfield – such a crucial area for them.

But he would not swap City’s position for anybody else’s now. Guardiola pointed out afterwards that both City and Liverpool “deserve the title but there can be just one [winner]” and the champions need only to triumph in their three remaining games, against Burnley, Leicester and Brighton, to retain their crown.

Frustratingly for Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have already broken their club-record points haul for a Premier League season, the title is in City’s hands now, much to the delight of their Catalan coach, who couldn’t have hoped to a better response to last week’s Champions League exit.

“I think that is the most difficult and most nice detail for these players,” Guardiola enthused.

“You cannot imagine how tough it was for all of us to go out of the Champions League when we thought it was there. It was really really tough. Then we have Tottenham at home, it was not the best performance but we stayed alive in the Premier League.

“How we react is more important than other things you can say, then we came here to United and won for the third time in a row, especially today with the all pressure we had. Nothing changes whether we win or not, they have my incredible respect.”

If they did not have it before, surely they have the respect of most onlookers now. What a season they are having!

Source – Goal.com

UEFA has backed Azerbaijan’s decision to remove HIV/hepatitis status from visa applications ahead of the 2019 Europa League final in Baku.

UEFA has backed Azerbaijan’s decision to remove HIV/hepatitis status from visa applications ahead of the 2019 Europa League final in Baku.

The Azerbaijan authorities made the decision on Tuesday to alter the current e-visa system so that the requirement on HIV/hepatitis confirmation is to be removed when visitors apply for visas.

Azerbaijan used to require visitors to the country to confirm their HIV/hepatitis status before entering the Caucasus nation.

The UEFA Europa League final will be held at the Olympic Stadium in Baku on May 29.

It comes after a request was put forward by UEFA, on behalf of supporters who will travel to Baku next month.

UEFA says the question was of “a discriminatory nature and should not prevent football fans from attending the Europa League final or EURO 2020 matches next year.”

Ian Green, chief executive of the prominent HIV charity the Terence Higgins Trust, said: “We welcome the decision by the Azerbaijan authorities to remove the requirement of visitors to disclose their HIV status when seeking a visa to enter the country and applaud UEFA for lobbying for this outcome.

“No one living with HIV should be subject to discrimination but we know these restrictive policies continue to exist in many countries across the world, including the 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.

“Thanks to effective treatment, people living with HIV cannot pass the virus on and therefore there is zero risk of onward transmission. Policies and practices which do not recognise this, simply fuel stigma and misconceptions about HIV, which in turn can prevent people from accessing HIV testing and life-saving treatment.

“I hope this win by UEFA will send a loud message around the world that HIV discrimination has absolutely no place in football or any other sport.”

Azerbaijan authorities have changed visa requirements for supporters travelling to the Europa League final in Baku.

English sides Arsenal and Chelsea both remain in the Europa League, and feature in the semi-finals against Valencia and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively; both of which begin next week.

Alexandre Lacazette’s free-kick in the second leg helped Arsenal to a 3-0 aggregate win over Napoli to reach the semi-finals, whilst Pedro scored twice for Chelsea as they beat Slavia Prague 4-3.

Source – Sky Sports

Ajax moved three points clear at the top of the Eredivisie table after a 4-2 home win against Vitesse Arnhem.

Dusan Tadic celebrates his goal with Frenkie de Jong

Ajax warmed up for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Tottenham next week with a seventh straight home league win.

Second-placed PSV Eindhoven, who have a game in hand, moved level on points with Erik Ten Hag’s side on Sunday following their home win against Den Haag.

But Ajax maintained the pressure on their closest rivals, who play at Willem II on Thursday, with their tenth win in 11 league games.

Hakim Ziyech opened the scoring just before half-time, Dusan Tadic converted a 54th-minute penalty and Matthijs De Ligt added Ajax’s third four minutes later.

Vitesse pulled one back through Navarone Foor and after Tadic scored Ajax’s fourth with another spot kick, Oussama Darfalou headed the visitors’ second.

In stoppage time, Vitesse midfielder Matus Bero was sent off for his second yellow card.

Albert Gudmundsson’s second-half winner lifted AZ Alkmaar to within four points of third-placed Feyenoord as they won 2-1 at home against Heracles.

Heracles’ Brandley Kuwas cancelled out Calvin Stengs’ early opener for AZ, but Gudmundsson struck in the 66th minute.

Emmen remain one place and three points outside the bottom three after losing 1-0 at De Graafschap, for whom Fabian Serrarens struck in the 12th minute.

Sem Steijn fired a late equaliser for VVV Venlo, who twice hit back to draw 2-2 at fellow mid-table side Heerenveen.

Jay-Roy Grot equalised for Venlo after Heerenveen led at half-time through Michel Vlap, who scored his second in the 75th minute before Steijn’s late leveller.

Source – Sky Sports

The Irishman was on the scoresheet after just seven seconds in Tuesday’s game at Watford.

Photo by: Getty

Southampton striker Shane Long has scored the fastest goal the Premier League has ever seen, the Irishman hitting the net after a mere seven seconds.

Long opened the scoring in Tuesday’s game at Watford in record speed, giving his side the lead just moments after the game had kicked off.

Fans were still filing into their seats at Vicarage Road when their side shockingly went behind in record-breaking circumstances.

From the opening kick-off Watford passed the ball back to centre-back Craig Cathcart, whose attempted clearance was blocked by the onrushing Long.

The Irishman’s block put him clear in on goal and he kept his composure by chipping in over Ben Foster in the Hornets goal.

Long’s goal beat the previous record, which was set when Ledley King scored after 9.82 seconds for Tottenham against Bradford in 2000.

Alan Shearer is in third with his goal after 10.52 seconds for Newcastle in 2003, while Christian Eriksen scored for Tottenham against Manchester United in 2018 after 10.54 seconds.

The top five is rounded out by Mark Viduka, who scored 11.9 seconds into Leeds United‘s 2001 Premier League match against Charlton Athletic.

The goal was Long’s fourth of the season, and came in his 23rd Premier League match in 2018-19.

The 32-year-old has been red-hot lately though, with Tuesday’s goal his third in his last four Premier League games.

Long is in his fifth season with Saints after initially joining the team from Hull City in 2014.

The 2015-16 season was Long’s most prolific with Southampton, as the striker finished the season with 10 league goals.

Prior to his time with Hull City, Long also played for Reading and West Bromafter beginning his career with Cork City in his native Ireland.

On the international level, Long has been capped 82 times by Republic of Ireland, scoring 17 goals in the process.

Long’s strike was an early boost for a Saints side looking to confirm their Premier League status for next season.

Southampton entered Tuesday’s match in 16th place, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Watford, meanwhile, are looking to secure an unlikely place in Europe, entering Tuesday’s game level on points with seventh-place Everton.

Source – Goal.com

The Manchester City boss believes a once-daunting venue has lost its fear factor in recent seasons.

Photo by: Getty Images

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that Old Trafford no longer carries the fear factor that it once did.

City visit Manchester United on Wednesday in a massive derby for both sides.

Guardiola’s side are hoping to leapfrog Liverpool and get back into first place in the Premier League, while United are three points back of the fourth and final Champions League position.

Man Utd have been a dominant force in the Premier League over the years but their city rivals are beginning to turn the tables, having won the league twice since United’s last title in 2012-13.

Old Trafford was a house of horrors for City in the past, with the team failing to win there between 1974 and 2008.

But City have now won five of their last seven visits to Old Trafford in the Premier League, and Guardiola confessed that his team no longer view the stadium the way they once did.

When quizzed on City’s strong recent form at Old Trafford, Guardiola said: “I don’t make theories about what happened in the past for what is going to happen in the future. Every game is completely different.

“The reason why is the fact this club in the last decade grew a lot and it’s not scary to go there.

“Before it was maybe more difficult. But the players Manchester City have had in the last decade have made this game a little bit more equal.

“The only question is the Premier League, winning the title. In the three seasons since I’m here, we did better than them, but here it’s about winning the title, not beating United.”

Though United have lost six of eight matches, including Sunday’s humiliating 4-0 defeat at Everton, Guardiola is expecting Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to bring their best in a heated derby match.

“I expect the best United, I’m sure,” he said. “Football players try to do their best, and that’s going to happen. We prepare for their strong points and weak points.

“It’s a derby and all the times we play against United, the derbies are always special games and the players do their best for the fans and the club.

“I know in the beginning how strong United will be in terms of their intensity, and we’ll have to handle it. We did it in the past. We’ll try to do it again.

“United lost the last game 4-0 and I know what our reaction would be [to such a result]. That’s what’s going to happen tomorrow. We have to accept it – that’s the challenge.”

Source – Goal.com

Legendary former Celtic captain Billy McNeill – the first Briton to lift the European Cup – has died aged 79.

A statue of Billy McNeill with the European Cup stands outside Celtic Park

McNeill led Celtic when they beat Inter Milan 2-1 in 1967 and captained the club to nine successive titles, seven Scottish Cups and six League Cups.

In two spells as Celtic boss, he won four titles and four cups. He managed Clyde, Aberdeen, Manchester City and Aston Villa too.

McNeill had been suffering from dementia since 2010.

Celtic say he died on Monday night “surrounded by his family and loved ones”.

A statement from the McNeill family said he “fought bravely to the end, showing the strength and fortitude he always has done throughout his life”.

It added: “We would also like to note our love and appreciation to our mother, Liz, for the care, devotion and love she gave to our father throughout his illness. No one could have done any more.

“Whilst this is a very sad time for all the family and we know our privacy will be respected, our father always made time for the supporters so please tell his stories, sing his songs and help us celebrate his life.”

Big goals in big games – McNeill the player

Born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, McNeill joined Celtic from junior side Blantyre Victoria and made his debut on 23 August 1958.

More than 800 appearances later, the Scottish Cup final win against Airdrie on 3 May 1975 was the imposing centre-back’s farewell game.

Among his many career highs was scoring the winner in the 1965 Scottish Cup final, ending an eight-year trophy drought for Celtic. He also found the net in the 1969 and 1972 finals.

The European Cup final of 1967 was the pinnacle, coming in the same season Celtic won a domestic treble, but he was on the losing side three years later when Feyenoord beat Celtic in Milan after extra-time.

He was capped 29 times for Scotland.

More success at Celtic – McNeill the manager

McNeill briefly took charge of Clyde and Aberdeen before returning to Celtic to succeed Jock Stein – under whom he enjoyed his many successes – in 1978.

His first season came to a memorable conclusion, when Celtic’s 10-men came from behind to beat Rangers on the final day of the campaign to win the title.

McNeill left for City in 1983, securing promotion to the English top flight in his second year, before joining Aston Villa in September 1986, with both sides ending up relegated that season.

His second spell as Celtic boss began impressively as he delivered a league and Scottish Cup double in the club’s centenary season, 1987-88.

However, a four-year stint would yield just one more trophy, the 1989 Scottish Cup.

Seven years after leaving the dugout at Celtic, his last taste of management came at Hibernian in 1998, where he stood in for one game during a brief stint as director of football at Easter Road.

Plaudits & politics – McNeill after football

McNeill, awarded the MBE in 1974, is in the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.

He was voted Celtic’s greatest captain in a 2002 fans’ poll and the following year stood as a candidate for the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party in the Scottish Parliament election.

McNeill was given a Celtic ambassador role in 2009 and a statue of him lifting the European Cup was erected at Celtic Park in 2015.

“Celtic has been in my blood and a part of my life for so many years and to be recognised in this way, by the club I love, is truly humbling,” he said at the time.

In May 2017, McNeill was able to attend an event at Glasgow City Chambers, to mark the 50th anniversary of Celtic’s triumph over Inter Milan in Lisbon.

Source – BBC News

The Manchester City star has urged governing bodies to do more to combat the issue and feels there should be stricter sanctions imposed.

Raheem Sterling has suggested that clubs whose fans are involved in racist abuse of players should suffer an automatic nine-point deduction.

The Manchester City winger, nominated for PFA Player and Young Player of the Year, has been at the forefront of the battle against the recent rise in incidents of racial abuse throughout football.

While he has said he is against players walking off the pitch, the 24-year-old has outlined what he believes governing bodies should do to curb racism in the game.

“I would call for an automatic nine-point deduction for racist abuse. It sounds harsh, but which fan will risk racist behaviour if it might relegate their team or ruin their title bid,” the England international wrote in The Times.

“Small fines do no damage to clubs and countries, but one group of people who do have the money to make them take notice are sponsors. The next time that a club or governing body fails to act appropriately against racism, I would love to see that company pull its money out and make a moral stand.

“I don’t know how long it will take for things to change but we have to start now. I don’t want the next generation of black players to have to put up this evil.”

Sterling also expressed his surprise at suffering racial abuse and what he perceived as the failures of the sport’s governing bodies to address the problem of racism “across the world”.

He added: “When I was a boy growing up in London, going to school and playing football, I didn’t know what racist abuse was because I never suffered any.

“So it seems crazy that, in 2019, I feel the need to write a piece in a newspaper calling for radical changes to the game that I love. But I do because the racism problem of football is so bad, runs so deep and is nowhere near being sorted.

“You will all have read about the various high-profile racist incidents in recent months: the abuse I received playing for Manchester City away to Chelsea; the booing that the black England players were subjected to in Montenegro; the nastiness that Moise Kean of Juventus endured in Italy and the endless insults thrown at players on social media.

“But that is sadly just the tip of the iceberg. Up and down the game, across the world, black and Asian players, fans and coaches are subjected to racism. Every day, from park football to the Champions League.

“In my opinion, the people who run the game are doing nowhere near enough to solve the problem. And that’s not good enough.”

Sterling and England team-mate Danny Rose were subjected to alleged racist abuse by Montenegro fans during an international fixture in March, while there have been several other cases in top-level football in Europe during the 2018-19 campaign.

The City star and a number of other Premier League footballers also took part in the ‘#Enough’ campaign that saw them cease activity on their social media accounts for 24 hours in an attempt to make a stand against racist abuse.

Source – Goal.com