Liverpool pulled off one of the great Champions League heists with an 87th minute goal from substitute Harvey Elliott handing the Reds a 1-0 advantage after the first leg of their Round of 16 clash with PSG in Paris.
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The hosts were dominant, taking a whopping 27 shots, ten of which were on target as well as having 72% possession but they could not find a way past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The Brazilian was comfortably the best player on the pitch, making nine saves as he seemingly built a brick wall in front of goal.
Arne Slot’s side meanwhile, needing only two shots, and just one on target, to secure a lead before next week’s second leg at Anfield.
“That’s one of the biggest robberies you will ever see in football,” Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said on CBS Sports post-match.
“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen. PSG were absolutely outstanding. Brilliant, battered Liverpool and the last time Liverpool won this competition, Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper, made a save against Napoli in the last group game. Liverpool could have gone out if Napoli had have scored, and that’s always looked back on as a defining moment.
“That wasn’t a save tonight. That was arguably the greatest performance of his career or certainly in a Liverpool shirt.
“If Liverpool go on to win this competition, which they have a great chance of, that performance will be remembered for years to come.”
Elliott ended up being a hero with the 21-year-old driving a low shot off the hand of PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the far corner of the goal, only one minute after coming off the bench to replace superstar Mohamed Salah.
Alisson blasted a long ball forward, Darwin Nunez knocked it down and regathered before playing it out to Elliott, who was charging forward and buried the chance with his first touch.
The substitution clearly turned out to be a stroke of genius from Slot as Salah had a very quiet night by his lofty standards, but the Egyptian was not helped by the fact the Premier League leaders struggled to get their counter attack going.
The home fans at the Parc des Princes were simply baffled that their team was unable to find a goal, as despite Alisson’s brilliance, they were made to pay for several wasted opportunities.
Ousmane Dembele was simply electric early as he could have set up PSG’s first with an exquisite piece of dribbling down the right wing before finding Joao Neves in the box but the Portuguese midfielder bounced at a fairly open goal over the crossbar.
The chances kept coming in the opening 20 minutes as PSG dominated.
A deflected Dembele shot went wide much to Liverpool’s relief, but the hosts thought they had the lead when Khvicka Kvaratskhelia curled a stunner into the far corner of the net.
The Parisian celebrations were short-lived however as VAR stepped in, ruling that the Georgian has been offside by barely the length of hit boot in the build up.
It was then unbelievable how PSG did not score on the half-hour mark as Alisson charged off his line to stop another Dembele shot one-on-one but the ball could only spill towards Fabian Ruiz.
But the Reds got back in time to set up a barricade in front of goal, attacking midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai retreated to blocking Ruiz’s shot before Bradley Barcola sprayed another shot over the bar.
After half time the near misses continued with Alisson completing yet another superb save off another Dembele shot in the 84th minute after also stopping a Desire Doue shot after he came off the bench, and even making a miraculous save despite the offside flag being raised among his highlight reel.
– 10-men Barca get the job done –
In Portugal, Barcelona were down to ten men after 22 minutes but still managed to secure a 1-0 victory against Benfica.
Centre back Pau Cubarsi was shown a straight red card for bringing down striker Vangelis Pavlidis just outside the penalty area.
But it was a Benfica defensive blunder to proved most costly.
Antonio Silva coughed up the ball to Raphinha in his own half and the Brazilian pounced, bursting past his opponents and finishing calmly in the bottom right corner once he made it to the edge of the box.
The hosts had the better of much of the game, having 26 shots to ten, eight on target compared to five.
It is the most amount of shots Benfica have recorded in a Champions League match without scoring, but Barcelona managed to stay firm to ensure they take a lead into the second leg at home.
They also extended their unbeaten run in the competition to eight matches, seven wins and a draw.
– Bayern clinical as consistent Kane reaches impressive mark again –
Bayern Munich had no such troubles, claiming a 3-0 win in an all-German clash with Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena.
Harry Kane unleashed a powerful header to open the scoring in the ninth minute for Bayern, finding the back of the net for the 30th time this season in all competitions.
It is the third straight season that Kane has reached that feat, two in Munich and one at Tottenham, and he also boasts ten assists this campaign.
Jamal Musiala scored Bayern’s second in the 54th minute after a cross created a scramble in the box before the midfielder could tap it home.
Hopes of a Leverkusen comeback were later dashed as they were reduced to ten men in the 62nd minute with defender Nordi Mukiele shown a second yellow card for a late challenge and given his marching orders.
Kane then sunk another blow, converting a penalty with 15 minutes remaining to secure a brace.
Bayern did not come out of the clash without any concerns however, as almost on the hour mark, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who made his 150th Champions League appearance, was subbed off with an injury concern.
– Inter’s strike force seize control –
Inter Milan’s powerful strike duo of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez combined to give the Italians a handy 2-0 advantage over Dutch side Feyenoord after an absorbing Champions League last-16 first leg Wednesday.
Quality finishes either side of half-time from the French and Argentinian strikers proved the difference between the two teams, who meet again in Milan for Tuesday’s second leg, with the winner of the Bayern Munich-Bayer Leverkusen German derby lying in wait.
A lively opening quarter in Rotterdam’s ever-atmospheric De Kuip saw three-time European champions Inter enjoy most possession but Feyenoord carve out the clearest opportunities.
Ibrahim Osman, the pacy 20-year-old Ghana international winger on loan from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, was the main threat for the hosts, twice forcing Josep Martinez into sharp saves.
For the visitors, Thuram found himself with a clear run at goal but decided to pass square rather than shoot and the danger was snuffed out.
It was a moment of quality from the French striker that broke the deadlock with just eight minutes until the half-time whistle, latching onto a curling cross from Nicolo Barella to hook it in with the outside of his boot at the far post.
The goal, slightly against the run of play, galvanised the Serie A side, who suddenly looked much more dangerous going forward.
Feyenoord legend and recently installed manager Robin van Persie would have been glad to get his side into the dressing room just 1-0 down after an entertaining first half.
But his side’s arrears doubled just five minutes into the second period, as Martinez drilled an unstoppable shot into the top corner, giving the hosts a mountain to climb.
Jakub Moder came close to getting Feyenoord back into the game when his lunging deflection skimmed the bar.
Inter had their own chance to put the game — and probably the tie — beyond reach when Jeyland Mitchell brought down Thuram in the box, the referee awarding a penalty after a long VAR check.
But Timon Wellenreuther in the Feyenoord goal produced an excellent save from Piotr Zielinski’s penalty, moving smartly to his right.
Feyenoord pressed to the end looking for something to take to the San Siro but the Inter defence held firm in a pleasing night for Simone Inzaghi’s men.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth battling the powerhouses for a Champions League place. No one predicted that.
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There is only a third of the Premier League season remaining and the race for the top four has arguably never been more intriguing.
Liverpool appears set to have one hand on the title, eight points clear of second-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand, but the next rung down is where things get fascinating.
Nottingham Forest third, Manchester City fourth and Bournemouth fifth.
The latter jumped into the top five after Forest, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Newcastle all dropped points last weekend.
Forest have won 14, drawn five and lost six, while Bournemouth have won 12, drawn seven and lost six.
It reads like a Forest or Cherries fan plugging away on Football Manager for hours to get their team to dizzying heights, but supporters in England’s midlands and on the south coast better stop pinching themselves.
They are not dreaming. This is real.
The struggles of regular top six clubs Manchester United and Tottenham, along with Champions League Round of 16 bound Villa slipping in the league, presented opportunities, and Forest and Bournemouth have snatched them with both hands.
The Forest story is famous.
A powerhouse decades ago with back-to-back European Cup victories in 1979 and 1980 under legendary manager Brian Clough.
A year before their first continental breakthrough, Forest won the English top flight and they were runners-up the season after.
But following relegation from the Premier League in 1999, they fell into the football abyss.
Forest did not return to the Premier League until 2022 and barely avoided relegation by finishing 16th and 17th in their first two seasons back in the top tier.
Bournemouth were promoted from the Championship in the same season as Forest and initially found themselves in the bottom half of the table too.
A 12th place finish last season was preceded by coming 15th in their prior campaign.
Unlike Forest, however, Bournemouth is not a club with a rich pedigree.
Its first season in the Premier League came under now Newcastle boss Eddie Howe in 2015/16 and a ninth-place finish in their second season was the club’s best result in the top flight.
Years of mediocrity did not show too many hints of a breakout campaign in Bournemouth’s case, nor a stunning revival in Forest’s case.
But the dream of Champions League nights at the City Ground or the Vitality Stadium is alive and well, and this how they have put themselves in the hunt for midweek action against the best clubs in Europe.
Here is how they did it.
FOREST’S KIWI FRONTMAN
Like Forest’s, Chris Wood’s story is a fairytale.
The 33-year-old captain of the New Zealand national team has remarkably played for 12 different clubs in England.
He even went through a three-year period where he was sent out on loan six times by West Bromwich Albion.
Wood bounced around the various tiers of English football after moving to the UK as a 16-year-old to chase his dreams, and now the Forest talisman is a bonified star.
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and AFC Bournemouth at City Ground on August 17, 2024 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The six-foot three striker is third in the golden boot race.
He has netted 18 goals so far this campaign, highlighted by a hat-trick in Forest’s 7-0 rout of Brighton earlier this month, to only sit behind Mohamed Salah (24) and Erling Haaland (19).
It is his best Premier League season, and he still has 13 more opportunities to add to his tally.
“When they talk about Mo Salah and Erling Haaland – they mention Chris Wood in the same breath – you can’t compete with that,” Wood’s high school coach former New Zealand international Mike Groom told Sky Sports.
“It’s theatrical, it’s magical, it’s the stuff of dreams and kids’ dreams are fuelled by those images and that exposure.
“We’re still a rugby-playing country, but Chris is single-handedly beginning to change that.”
Wood’s height automatically makes him an aerial threat as a target man, he has scored six headed goals this season, the most in the league, but his finishing is still underrated.
In fact, it is lethal.
Wood has had 28 shots on target for the season, and scoring 18 of them makes him the most effective of any of the Premier League’s top strikers in front of goal.
New Zealand’s record goal scorer, who is also nearing the record for most appearances for his country, has also endeared himself to football fans because he is not blessed with all the attributes of the likes of Salah and Haaland.
The biggest difference is pace.
Wood is not a quick player, and the fact he lacks speed seemingly contradicts the fact that Forest prefers to play counterattacking football.
But he makes it work by timing his runs perfectly and seizing big moments.
In some ways, it makes little sense but so has his entire football journey.
“It’s definitely exceeded what I dreamt of when I was a kid and hopefully, I’ve got a lot more I can achieve to make it an even better dream,” Wood told Sky Sports.
“I want to keep the path open for New Zealanders to hopefully make it into the Premier League one day – I want to grow that generation of new kids wanting to play football and wanting to dream of doing the best they can and ending up in the biggest league.”
BOURNEMOUTH CREATE CHAOS
Bournemouth’s blueprint in attack is not dissimilar to Forest’s.
The two sides are comfortably the Premier League leaders for playing fast and direct football.
They sit back and defend resolutely, and when they win the ball back, they are off to the races.
Once the ball is in their attacking half, they press high and try to force turnovers in dangerous areas.
It makes for exciting games to watch, and Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been heaped with praise this season for his tactics.
“I sometimes value much more a player carrying the ball and forcing things to happen,” Iraola said in an interview with The Independent.
“We have to prepare [positional] patterns, but we cannot just prioritise them. If you can see that you don’t have a teammate ahead, forget about the pattern, just drive the ball and try to force things to happen. I want him to attack first.”
Meanwhile premierleague.com’s Alex Keble summed up the essence of their play as “disruption”.
“High risk, high reward: that’s the mentality of Iraola and his team, whether in hounding the ball with an all-action and full-pitch press or piercing opposition lines with sharp vertical football and attacking overloads,” Keble said.
“Perhaps the best word to encapsulate their tactical approach is “disruption”.
“Disrupt the other team’s play with furious pressing, and disrupt the expected rhythms of your own attack with improvisations and surges forward in high numbers.”
That philosophy has brought out the best in Justin Kluivert, who has scored 11 goals so far this campaign, four more than last season.
The Dutchman has really found his groove in the Premier League in recent times.
He was player of the month in January for scoring five goals and recording two assists in four appearances, of which Bournemouth won three and drew one.
The highlight of his season so far was a hat-trick, and an assist, in a 4-1 away win against Newcastle who were previously unbeaten in nine matches before that January fixture.
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – JANUARY 25: Justin Kluivert of Bournemouth celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0 during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest FC at Vitality Stadium on January 25, 2025 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
That victory was followed up by a 5-0 victory against Forest, where Kluivert contributed a goal and an assist to help end Forest’s eight-game unbeaten run.
Knocking off several in-form teams led to Iraola taking home manager of the month, and David Brooks’ stunning volley against Everton made it a clean sweep of the awards by winning goal of the month.
All of that came amid a length injury list, including strikers Evanilson and Enes Unal.
But Kluivert’s breakout combined with the superb form of fellow attackers Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo, who have scored seven goals apiece this season, has prevented injuries from being an excuse.
No matter who is on the sidelines, once Bournemouth wins the ball back there are simply too many runners for opponents to attack.
Remarkably, one would expect such a style of play to make them vulnerable at the back.
But Iraola’s side do not play a high line, and they have the equal-third best defensive record in the league, alongside Forest, conceding 29 goals so far. Only Arsenal and Liverpool have been stingier at the back.
They key has been the centre back pairing of Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi, a combination Iraola landed on during the season.
In the 13 games they have started together, Bournemouth have lost once, to Liverpool.
Zabaryni is the rock that has played every minute this season, while 19-year-old Huijsen has been a revelation.
“Huijsen is undoubtedly the star of the two,” Keble wrote.
“Signed from Juventus for around £15 million last summer, his strength in the air, composure in possession, and – crucially – assertive front-foot style have catapulted Bournemouth to new heights.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 08: Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth looks on during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Everton and AFC Bournemouth at Goodison Park on February 08, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
FOREST’S ELITE DEFENCE
ESPN’s Bruce Schoenfeld summed up Forest’s defensive brilliance in writing that manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s “football has hardly changed even though instead of a relegation battle, he has European qualification in his sights”.
Forest defends like their life depends on it.
They have comfortably made more clearances than any other team, including the equal most amount of clearances off the line.
They are level with Liverpool for the most number of clean sheets with ten.
Goalkeeper Matz Sels has punched away the aerial more than anyone else.
They are desperate.
And they are bringing an enormous amount of pride to the club’s greats.
“I haven’t watched a better pairing at the back than Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic in my 50 years of watching Forest,” former England and Forest midfielder Steve Hodge said on BBC Radio last month.
“I really mean that – pound for pound what they are as footballers and as a pair,” he added. “They have everything. As a pair, they complement each other perfectly and they both seem to be calm characters even under severe pressure.”
Nikola Milenkovic of Nottingham Forest celebrates victory during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Brighton and Hove Albion at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on February 1, 2025. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Milenkovic joined from Fiorentina last summer and the 31-year-old Serbian is in many pundits’ team of the season so far.
He is an old-fashioned, no-nonsense centre back whose heading ability has led to him scoring two goals as well as clearing many attacking threats.
But in the coming games, Forest face arguably the biggest defensive test of the season.
Away at Newcastle, home to Arsenal and home to Manchester City are their next three league games.
They passed with flying colours earlier in the season, defeating Liverpool at Anfield and taking a point from them at home.
That shows that there is little to doubt that Forest’s steeliness will remain.
BOURNEMOUTH’S EXCELLENT ROAD RECORD
A major part of Bournemouth’s success has been their impressive away record.
The Cherries have won six, drawn four and lost three of their matches on the road this season, including going unbeaten in their last seven away games.
That streak has included a pair of 2-2 draws against rivals for the European places Chelsea and Fulham, as well as the Newcastle win mentioned earlier.
Their most recent away win was a 3-1 win against cellar dwellers Southampton in a south coast derby, and post-match Iraola identified fast starts as the reason for their away success.
“I think it’s key, especially when you play away,” he said.
“I think we are having good starts. I remember last games, Newcastle away, Everton the other day.
“Even the two goals in 16 minutes, but in the first minute I think we had two corners for us.
“It’s a good start and a message that we are coming here and we want to win this game and we are not happy with the 0-0 and we want things to happen quickly.
“Also, I think they are a team that now is aggressive in the press. I think there were spaces behind them. There were spaces behind us.
“The game could go very open and I’m happy, especially first half, I think we controlled the game very well.”
Their ability to get results on the road will be severely tested later in the season as they visit Arsenal and Manchester City in the final four games of their campaign.
Pep Guardiola suffered four consecutive defeats for the first time in his managerial career as Manchester City’s dismal spell hit a new low with a late collapse in their 2-1 loss at Brighton.
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With just 12 minutes left, Guardiola’s troubled side were clinging onto the lead given to them by Erling Haaland in the first half.
But they collapsed in the closing stages as Joao Pedro equalised before Matt O’Riley bagged Brighton’s winner seven minutes from full-time.
For the first time in his glittering career as a manager with City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Guardiola has been beaten four times in a row.
It was also the first time City had lost four successive games since a run between April and August 2006 under Stuart Pearce.
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City.Source: AFP
After exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and suffering a first league loss since December at Bournemouth, City were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League in midweek.
The slump continued as they failed to kill off Brighton before the second half implosion that threatens to derail their bid for a fifth successive Premier League title.
Second-placed City are two points behind leaders Liverpool, who can extend that gap to five points if they beat Aston Villa at Anfield later on Saturday.
City have been beset by injury problems, most notably the loss of Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the rest of the season.
Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were only fit enough for the bench, while Ruben Dias, John Stones, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish were absent from the squad.
Guardiola had insisted he would solve City’s problems but he has so far been unable to come up with the answer to their mounting crisis.
City had paid for failing to turn their dominance into more than a one-goal lead against Sporting and profligacy was a problem again on the south coast of England.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 09: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, interacts with Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton & Hove Albion following the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Manchester City FC at Amex Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
– City in turmoil –
Savinho should have put City ahead when Mateo Kovacic’s pass sent him surging into the Albion area, but the Brazilian’s weak finish allowed Bart Verbruggen to save.
Kovacic was the catalyst when City took the lead in the 23rd minute with a goal equal parts inspiration and perspiration.
The Croatia midfielder’s inch-perfect pass split the Brighton defence but Haaland still had work to do as his initial shot was blocked by Verbruggen, leaving the Norwegian in a race with Jan Paul van Hecke to poke the ball in before it could be cleared.
Haaland’s 15th goal in all competitions this season was only the second time he had netted in his last six league appearances.
Haaland’s 75th league goal since joining City in 2022 was almost followed by the 76th moments later, his low drive repelled by Verbruggen at the near post.
Kovacic’s long-range volley forced another good stop from the increasingly over-worked Verbruggen.
But City fatally dropped their intensity just before half time, allowing Fabian Hurzeler’s side to gain a foothold.
Brighton’s Cameroonian midfielder #20 Carlos Baleba (2R) celebrates on the pitch.Source: AFP
Jack Hinshelwood wasted a golden opportunity to haul Brighton level early in the second half as his close-range header from Pervis Estupinan’s cross was palmed away by Ederson.
Ederson raced off his line to save at Kaoru Mitoma’s feet before Pedro scuffed wide with the goal at his mercy.
Pedro made amends for that miss as the Brazilian punished woeful City defending to equalise with 12 minutes left.
Mitoma was given too much space for a pass into Welbeck in the six-yard box. Rico Lewis’s block-tackle stopped Welbeck shooting but Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes didn’t clear the danger, allowing Pedro to pounce with a close-range strike.
Guardiola slumped into his seat but there was worse to come for the City boss in the 83rd minute.
Pedro slipped his pass through City’s leaky defence and O’Riley timed his run perfectly to clip a composed finish past Ederson from 10 yards to leave the champions in turmoil.
RESULTS
Brentford 3 (Wissa 27, 58, Damsgaard 50) Bournemouth 2 (Evanilson 17, Kluivert 49) Brighton 2 (Pedro 78, O’Riley 83) Manchester City 1 (Haaland 23) Crystal Palace 0 Fulham 2 (Smith Rowe 45+2, Wilson 83) West Ham 0 Everton 0 Wolves 2 (Sarabia 2, Cunha 51) Southampton 0
Manchester City suffered their first Premier League loss since December as Bournemouth stunned the champions, while Arsenal were rocked by Newcastle and Liverpool seized top spot.
City were unbeaten in their previous 32 league games, dating back to a defeat at Aston Villa last year.
But Pep Guardiola’s second-placed side saw that streak came to an unexpected end in a 2-1 loss on England’s south coast.
The Cherries had never beaten City in their 21 previous meetings, losing 19 of those matches, yet Andoni Iraola’s team sprang a huge upset to derail the champions’ push for a fifth successive title.
Manchester City’s Swiss defender #25 Manuel Akanji reacts after Bournemouth’s Brazilian striker #09 Evanilson (not pictured) scores the team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England on November 2, 2024. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /Source: AFP
Bournemouth recently damaged Arsenal’s title hopes with a 2-0 win at the Vitality Stadium and they inflicted pain on City as well.
Guardiola had claimed City faced an injury “emergency” after they suffered fitness problems in Wednesday’s League Cup defeat at Tottenham.
Exhausted or not, City were rocked in the ninth minute when Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo drilled Milos Kerkez’s cross past Ederson from inside the area.
Guardiola’s men were unable to muster a response to that blow and Evanilson doubled Bournemouth’s lead in the 64th minute with a composed finish from Kerkez’s cross.
Gvardiol’s header reduced the deficit in the 82nd minute, but it was too late to save City from a second defeat in four days.
“We have a lot of players with no minutes so the balance is a bit uncomfortable. Today we could not handle their intensity. That’s why we lost the game,” Guardiola said.
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“All the situations with the long balls, we couldn’t win it.
“And when you don’t win these types of balls to Semenyo and others, our central defenders and strikers have to defend deeper.
“We have players with rhythm and the other players have a lack of rhythm because we could not train due to injuries. But we knew it.”
Before the game, Guardiola urged his players to be inspired by tennis legend Rafael Nadal and push through the pain.
City were already missing Jack Grealish, Rodri and Oscar Bobb before Guardiola said in his pre-match interview that Rúben Dias and John Stones were also “ruled out for a little bit of long time.”
Captain Kyle Walker was one of several players who had not been expected to feature on Saturday but started, while Kevin De Bruyne was back on the bench after a lengthy injury layoff.
“Kyle in 16 days didn’t train one session with us, made an incredible effort,” Guardiola said.
“[But] it’s not just about that,” the City boss added. “[Bournemouth] were difficult to play in the first half; the second half we were much better.”
Newcastle put a huge dent in fourth-placed Arsenal’s title aspirations with a 1-0 win at St James’ Park.
Alexander Isak netted in the 12th minute, heading home Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross.
Injury-hit Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and produced just one shot on target in the entire game.
Mikel Arteta’s team, runners-up to City for the past two years, have taken just one point from their last three games.
“Today we weren’t our best version. It’s about how you react to that. We’re not going to find the right words or answers to describe how we feel,” said Arteta, whose side are seven points adrift of first place.
At Anfield, Liverpool were in danger of a surprise loss of their own before regrouping to take advantage of their rivals’ stumbles with a 2-1 win over Brighton.
Ferdi Kadioglu gave Brighton the lead in the 14th minute with a fierce strike that cannoned in off the post after Danny Welbeck flicked on Kaoru Mitoma’s cross.
But Liverpool had beaten Brighton in the League Cup last 16 in midweek and they repeated the trick thanks to a late revival.
Cody Gakpo bagged the equaliser in the 69th minute with a cross that looped straight into the net.
Three minutes later, Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead, the Egypt forward curling a fine finish into the top corner for his ninth goal this season.
Liverpool’s Egyptian striker #11 Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on November 2, 2024. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /Source: AFP
In Arne Slot’s first season in charge, Liverpool are two points clear of City after their eighth win in 10 league games.
“More than the position we are in, if you face a team like this and are 1-0 down and can come back to a 2-1 win that gives me a lot of confidence,” Slot said.
Nottingham Forest are up to third place after beating 10-man West Ham 3-0 to make it three consecutive top-flight victories for the first time since 1999. It is their highest Premier League position for 26 years.
Chris Wood grabbed his eighth goal in 10 league games in the 27th minute and West Ham had Edson Alvarez sent off in first-half stoppage-time.
Callum Hudson-Odoi struck in the 65th minute and Ola Aina sealed the points 12 minutes from full-time at the City Ground.
Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time equaliser denied third-bottom Ipswich their first top-flight win since 2002 as Leicester rescued a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.
Leif Davis’ 55th-minute volley put Ipswich ahead but the hosts had Kalvin Phillips sent off in the 77th minute.
Second-bottom Southampton earned their first league win this season as Adam Armstrong’s 85th minute strike sealed a 1-0 success against Everton.
Fabian Hurzeler became the youngest full-time manager of an English Premier League club after Brighton announced Saturday they had appointed the 31-year-old as their new head coach.
Hurzeler, who guided St Pauli to German football’s Bundesliga second division title last season, has signed a contract with the south coast club until 2027.
The Texas-born Hurzeler will now be in charge of a Seagulls squad where several players, including James Milner, 38, Danny Welbeck, 33, and Lewis Dunk, 32 are all older than him.
But Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said Hurzeler’s work in taking St Pauli to the German top-flight made him a “standout candidate” to succeed Roberto De Zerbi, who left the Amex Stadium at the end of last season.
Hurzeler will start his new job when he receives a work permit before Brighton’s squad embarks on pre-season preparations in July.
“From the start of the process to appoint our new head coach, Fabian was always a standout candidate and one who had caught our attention with his exceptional work at St Pauli over the past 18 months,” said Bloom in a club statement.
“He has a style of play that aligns with how we want a Brighton and Hove Albion team to play and I’m confident it is one our supporters will appreciate and enjoy.
Hurzeler has been appointed Brighton’s new manager. (Photo by Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Fabian also has an excellent coaching pedigree and has worked with the German federation at various age group levels. We are really excited to start working with Fabian to prepare for the upcoming season.”
Hurzeler, who took his first coaching role in 2016, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be the new head coach of Brighton and Hove Albion.
He added: “The club has a unique history and bold vision for the future, so I am truly excited to be part of the project.”
St Pauli sporting director Andreas Bornemann, while sad to see Hurzeler leave, said the club respected his “desire” to work in the Premier League.
“Fabian has done an excellent job both as assistant and head coach of St. Pauli,” said Bornemann.
“We knew that he could also be of interest to other clubs. We would have liked to continue down this path with him … We wish Fabian all the best and plenty of success for the future.”
Hurzeler’s departure from St Pauli will no doubt have an impact on Socceroos duo Jackson Irvine and Connor Metcalfe, who both play for the German outfit.
Hurzeler succeeds enigmatic Italian Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Irvine, St Pauli’s skipper, enjoyed one of his best seasons to date for the club while Metcalfe impressed as the duo improved under Hurzeler.
While Irvine and Metcalfe have lost their manager, Aussie youngster Cameron Peupion could benefit given he’s on the fringes of Brighton’s first team squad and looking to break in.
Ryan Mason, then 29, was briefly Tottenham’s interim boss in 2021 and the youngest coach to lead a Premier League team. But Hurzeler is the youngest to do so on a full-time basis since the division’s creation in 1992.
De Zerbi took charge of Brighton in September 2022 and led the Seagulls to their highest top-flight finish when they came sixth in the 2022/23 season.
The Italian also steered Brighton into Europe for the first time in their history, advancing to the Europa League last 16 before losing to Roma 4-1 on aggregate.
The Premier League campaign is over for another year – and while Ange Postecoglou and Mile Jedinak were flying the Australian flag as coaches for Tottenham Hotspur, there were no Aussie men on the field.
It’s a different story, of course, in the women’s top flight in England – the Women’s Super League – with 14 Australians playing there this campaign.
But back to the men. In Europe’s top five leagues (England, Germany, Italy, Spain, and France), just one Socceroo, Denis Genreau, appeared this season for France’s top-flight Toulouse.
Cristian Volpato, the Sydney-born starlet who has not yet decided whether to represent Australia or Italy at the senior international level, also featured in Italy’s top tier with Sassuolo.
It’s a sad decline from the days of Aussies like Aaron Mooy and Maty Ryan regularly featuring in the Premier League. But the good news is that next season things could be different.
A flurry of Socceroos have earned promotion to the big five leagues, leading Socceroos coach Graham Arnold to say yesterday: “For the national team in the future, it should be great for us.”
And there’s a host of up-and-coming youngsters at top-flight teams who will be hoping to crack the senior sides.
Remarkably, when the new season begins we could see as many as 20 Aussies on the books at clubs in the five biggest leagues in world football.
Genreau in action against Roma in a friendly last year.Source: AFP
PREMIER LEAGUE
Three Australians secured promotion from the Championship this season: Cameron Burgess and Massimo Luongo with Ipswich Town, and Harry Souttar with Leicester City – the latter team winning the second tier.
Burgess, 28, was an ever-present for the Tractor Boys this season, playing 40 games and becoming a brick wall in defence for a team that lost just six of 46 league matches. He burst into the Socceroos squad only in September 2023, but has already become arguably the nation’s first-choice centre-back. His three-year contract at Ipswich is now up, but the club has an option to extend that for one more year. At a minimum, that looks like a certainty at this point – but a new long-term deal is also well and truly on the cards after a stellar season.
Cameron Burgess (C) celebrates a goal in what has been a spectacular promotion season.Source: Getty Images
Luongo, now 31, played 43 of the team’s 46 league games, starting the vast majority of those in the midfield. After earning a recall to the Socceroos last October and November after a four-year-exile, he retired from international football in December last year ahead of January’s Asian Cup. After 45 caps and six goals for the green and gold over a long career, Luongo wanted to focus on ensuring Ipswich earned promotion to the Premier League – and fair enough too.
It’s been a remarkable career renaissance for the Aussie, who looked to be sliding away from the top echelons of global football just 18 months ago. He joined Ipswich in January 2023 on a six-month deal, then helped them get promoted to the Championship. That earned him another one-year deal, and by this January, he signed yet another contract with Ipswich. That runs for next season with the option to extend another year.
Signing three contracts with the club in just over 12 months shows how impressive his form revival has been, and he’s earned the ultimate prize of finally playing in the top flight – 12 years after he came so close to debuting in the Premier League when he was twice an unused substitute for Tottenham.
The big question now is whether Luongo will reverse his international retirement and rejoin the Socceroos on the road to the 2026 World Cup. It’s unlikely. But based on form he would undoubtedly be welcomed back into the green and gold fold by coach Graham Arnold.
Luongo has been stellar this season.Source: Getty Images
The situation with Harry Souttar is far less rosy. The towering centre-back has been in virtual exile at Leicester this season as they topped the Championship, playing just three league games all season (one start).
Not that it has had an impact on his Socceroos’ minutes – he’s played every minute of the eight games since September and has been picked for Australia’s matches against Bangladesh and Palestine next week.
It’s the perfect opportunity for Souttar to put himself in the shop window.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said: “Harry is obviously one that I will sit down with when he gets here and see what’s happening because it’s important.
“Not just for us, but also for Harry Souttar that he sorts out his club career and gets back playing because it’s gone on a bit too long now.”
Souttar’s contract at the Foxes doesn’t expire until mid-2028, but he’ll be desperate to seal a transfer that can offer him regular minutes, barring the unlikely scenario that Leicester sell either of their starting centre-backs Jannik Vestegaard or Wout Faes.
Will he move to a Premier League rival?
He’s just 25 years old and still has his best years ahead of him, but after a year on the sidelines it’s unlikely that a top-flight club will immediately make him a starting centre-half, meaning he could well end up on the bench. It’s a high-risk, high-reward transfer window ahead.
A move to Scotland to join brother John at Rangers was mooted in January but didn’t eventuate – but in order to get immediate playing time, heading to Scotland or back to the Championship seems a safer bet.
Despite his lack of club minutes, Souttar continues to impress for the Socceroos.Source: Getty Images
While those three Socceroos stars headline the list of Australians likely to play in the Premier League next season, there’s a host of up-and-comers on the books of big clubs.
The most likely to earn his chance this season is Joe Gauci at Aston Villa. 23-year-old Gauci signed for the Premier League’s fourth-place finishers in February from Adelaide United on a deal initially worth nearly $2.5m.
He’s behind the 2022 World Cup winning goalkeeper, Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, who also won the Golden Glove at that tournament as well as the being named The Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2022 and winning the Yashin Trophy in 2023.
But finishing fourth in the Premier League means Villa will now play in the Champions League as well as two domestic cups (the FA Cup and League Cup).
Their hectic schedule means Gauci will fight 34-year-old Robin Olsen for back-up duties – and with injuries always a possibility, the rising Australian talent could even get a chance in the Premier League. Olsen, for example, played five league games this season.
And Gauci has the chance to put his name up in lights in a fortnight when Socceroos captain Maty Ryan is rested for the matches against Bangladesh and Palestine – meaning Gauci is all-but-certain to start both fixtures.
Joe Gauci will be hoping for minutes at Aston Villa this season.Source: Getty Images
21-year-old Cameron Peupion is another player on the fringes of a Premier League side. He’s at Brighton and Hove Albion, and he’s already played once in the league – back in May 2023.
This season, he went on loan to League One side Cheltenham Town but struggled for minutes and was recalled in January, where he started for Brighton in both the League Cup and FA Cup. He was also on the bench (but unused) for six Premier League matches. Another loan move is possible, but with a new coach incoming, he’ll have the chance to impress in pre-season and push his case to stay with the first team.
Cameron Peupion (R) of Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup against Wolves.Source: Getty Images
Brighton also have a talented 19-year-old Australian goalkeeper in Steven Hall on their books, who joined from Adelaide United in January and has so far played two games in the Premier League 2 (underage/reserves competition). He’s on a deal until 2027 – so there’s plenty of time for him to rise up the ranks.
Another youngster to watch out for is Fulham’s Tyrese Francois. The 23-year-old has represented them twice in the league before, coming off the bench in the last game of the 2020-21 season and again in the second game of the 22/23 season.
This year, he made their PL bench five times in the first half of the season and picked up substitute appearances in the FA and League Cups before being sent on loan in January to Vejle BK in Denmark’s top tier.
He’s made 15 appearances there including starting their last 12 games. Now he’ll head back to Fulham, who finished 13th in the league this season. The young Aussie will be hoping to carry his strong form back from Denmark and into next season’s Premier League … and maybe even make that long-awaited first start.
It was all going so well for young box-to-box midfielder Alex Robertson this season. Sent on loan to Portsmouth from Premier League champions Manchester City, he became one of the first names on the team sheet at and drew huge praise as he guided them to the top of the table by the New Year. There were rumours that clubs like Everton were interested in a permanent transfer.
Then he tore a thigh muscle and his season was over – though his loan club went on to win League One and be promoted to the Championship for next season.
The 21-year-old already has two caps for the Socceroos and is viewed as an immense talent, but breaking into City’s stacked squad is a tall order. His serious injury was a major setback, but a transfer isn’t out of the question, nor is another loan move.
Robertson impressed for the Socceroos in 2023 before an injury setback.Source: AFP
Speaking of loan moves, that’s the expectation when it comes to Garang Kuol for the upcoming season. The teen talent has had a torrid time of things since signing for Newcastle from the Central Coast Mariners.
This season, he was sent on loan to Dutch side Volendam – renowned for playing youngsters. But then they sacked their chief and their coach in December, and Kuol has played just 32 minutes in 2024. Ouch.
He debuted for Newcastle last Wednesday in a friendly against Tottenham at the MCG, coming on to rousing reception from the Aussie fans before scoring a penalty in the shootout. He then earned his first start against the A-League All Stars, but failed to impress.
Manager Eddie Howe said after the first game that the young forward will be sent on loan again next year.
“It’s always very difficult to say for certain what’s gonna happen with a player at this stage because there’s a long way to go before the season starts,” Howe said.
“But possibly another loan spell for him I think will be important.
“He’s had a couple of loan spells now but I think he needs the next one to be a successful one.
“I think he needs the next one to be successful and we need him to play more game time and hopefully that’ll happen.”
Simply put, he needs minutes – and plenty of them – to continue his development and get him in the frame for Premier League action. That’s a fair way away at this point, but a strong pre-season could deliver a surprise.
Garang Kuol of Newcastle United FC in action during the exhibition match against the A-League All Stars.Source: Getty Images
GERMANY
The German Bundesliga is also certain to see Australians in action next season. Socceroos midfield veteran Jackson Irvine captained FC St Pauli to the top of the second tier and promotion to the top flight in recent weeks. He plays alongside Connor Metcalfe, who has become one of the first names on the team sheets for the Socceroos in the last 18 months. 31-year-old Irvine had six goals and nine assists in 27 league games this season – an impressive output from a midfielder, while 24-year-old Metcalfe had three goals and five assists in 30 appearances, mostly on the wings. The pair have been crucial to both their team and Australia’s hopes, so expect plenty of minutes for the dynamic duo next season.
Irvine and his teammates were mobbed by pitch invaders after winning Bundesliga 2.Source: Getty Images
Nestory Irankunda, viewed as one of the most gifted Australian youngsters in decades, sealed a record-breaking transfer to European giants Bayern Munich in November last season – where he’ll head after he impressed for the A-League All Stars last week against Newcastle. The 18-year-old attacker finished his time at Adelaide United with eight goals and six assists in 25 appearances this season, taking his overall tally in the A-League to 16 goals and eight assists in 60 games. Still a raw talent who has struggled at times with his emotions and the immense weight of expectation on his shoulders, Irankunda has just been called up to the Socceroos and is expected to debut against Bangladesh or Palestine.
He is likely to start out in Bayern’s reserve team or go out on loan. But Bayern will have a new coach next season – relegated Premier League side Burnley’s Vincent Kompany – and there’s precedent for an A-League star to break into the first team surprisingly quickly.
New Socceroo accidentally revealed | 00:57
That was the case with New Zealand’s Sarpreet Singh, who signed from Wellington Phoenix in July 2019. He played a couple of matches with the senior team in pre-season friendlies, then was sent to the reserve team (which plays in Germany’s third tier). After impressing there, he debuted in the Bundesliga in December 2019 – less than six months after signing for the club. So the opportunity for a rapid rise to the first team is there for Irankunda … if he can take it.
Irankunda was excellent against Newcastle, with an assist and a key role in another goal in the 8-0 win.Source: Getty Images
But Irankunda won’t be the only Aussie at Bayern Munich next season. Goalkeeper Anthony Pavlesic is only 18 and has a long way to go to reach the elite, but a two-and-a-half week trial earned him a transfer to Bayern last June. He’s been playing for their under-19 team – coincidentally 19 times this season. And he also made an appearance for the reserve team in October. The teen gloveman is an immense talent, but barring a host of injuries he’s unlikely to break into the senior side for another season or more.
One Aussie most fans may not have heard of yet is Rawley St John, a Sydney FC academy product who earned a massive move to VfB Stuttgart last July. Stuttgart this season finished a stunning second in the Bundesliga, ahead of Bayern Munich but behind a rampaging Bayer Leverkusen. St John has been playing for the under-19 team, but the gifted midfielder just turned 19 this week and will be hoping to rise up the ranks this season, the final one on his contract at the German club.
Versatile wide man Jacob Italiano is also at a top flight club, playing with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The 22-year-old joined there from Perth in 2019 and has since gone on to play 104 games for their reserves team, but is out of contract. A move could be on the cards.
Jacob Italiano playing for the Olyroos at the U23 Asian Cup in April.Source: Getty Images
FRANCE
As previously mentioned, Denis Genreau was the only Socceroo to feature in a top-five league this season. He played plenty of minutes last year to help Toulouse get promoted to France’s Ligue 1, and started this season strongly before injuries effectively ruined his season – seeing him not play in the league from November until the final game of the season last week. Having turned 25 this week, the five-cap Socceroo still has a year to go on his contract and will be hoping that a full pre-season gets him back into regular first-team action.
This year, Australian fans will be hoping for more Socceroos to join him in playing in Ligue 1.
Mohamed Toure, who plays for Reims, spent the season on loan at second tier Paris FC in an attempt to get match minutes. He scored in just his second game for his loan club, but like Genreau was then cut down by injury. He finished the season with just 175 minutes across 11 matches, and that solitary goal. He played three Ligue 1 games for Reims in his first year at France, but another loan move for the young striker who just turned 20 seems probable.
He has made just one appearance for the Socceroos so far, last October, but hopes are high that he can rediscover his scoring form and be a long-term number nine in the green and gold.
His older brother Al Hassan also plays in Ligue 2, while younger brother Musa has been linked to a transfer to Ligue 1 by FTBL in recent weeks – though at 18 is also likely to spend time in the reserves or on loan before breaking into the first team.
Toure showed flashes of his potential with the Olyroos at the U-23 Asian Cup.Source: Getty Images
ITALY
Rising Socceroos centre-back Alessandro Circati, just 20, played a key role in earning Parma promotion to Serie A this season.
The Italian-born star, who has one Socceroos cap but is included in the upcoming squad, joined Parma in 2021 on a long-term contract until 2027. But he quickly earned a spot in the senior side and has already played 55 games for the team, including 32 this season as they returned to the top tier for the first time since being from Serie A in 2020/21. He’s expected to remain a key figure in the first team when the new season commences – though there were rumours of a Premier League transfer in January.
“We played him against New Zealand and his maturity for a young boy was outstanding. We gave him that debut cap next to Harry Souttar and he’s got quality,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said yesterday.
“He’s done very well for us but it’s the club form and the club qualities that are the great things about the future of the Socceroos. With him getting promoted into Serie A, he’s going to play against some of the best strikers in the world and we’re going to benefit from that in the long run.”
He added: “We have Alessandro playing in Serie A next season which is incredible for the nation. And that was one of the most important things. We get rewarded with those types of things as a nation when the players are doing well at their clubs and playing at the highest level.”
Alessandro Circati before making his Socceroos debut last October.Source: Getty Images
Another Italian Australian in Serie A is Cristian Volpato, who debuted for heavyweights Roma back in December 2021 under legendary manager Jose Mourinho. Mentored by all-time great Francesco Totti, the so-called ‘King of Rome’, Sydney-born Volpato has been the subject of a long and dramatic tug of war between Italy and Australia over his international allegiances, which included Volpato turning down representing Australia at the 2022 World Cup. This international window, he is representing Italy’s Under-20s instead of the Socceroos.
“I’ve been in touch with a Christian and his mother, and the kid has chosen to play for Italy in this camp in under 20s in a tournament,” Arnold said on Wednesday.
“I’m always in contact and I’m encouraging him to play for Australia, but at the same time the kid has to want to, and his mum and his dad have to want that as well.”
Socceroos fans are still hoping the 20-year-old attacking midfielder opts for the green and gold.
He left Roma, where he played 14 games for the senior side, to join Serie A rivals Sassuolo in June last year for €7.5 million. He played 25 games in all competitions this season, largely off the bench, with one goal and one assist.
Having come through at Roma under legendary coach Jose Mourinho before moving to Sassuolo, hopes are high that Volpato will play for Australia.Source: Getty Images
Sassuolo finished second-last and will be relegated to Serie B next season – meaning Volpato will need a transfer if he wants to continue playing in the top flight.
It’s likely that Volpato will be allowed to leave, given he fell out favour in the latter stages of the season when the club replaced their coach in a bid to avoid relegation, although he did start their final game of the season.
He has been linked to clubs in Serie A, as well as Spain’s top division, La Liga – which would also make him Australia’s only player in that competition.
Another young gun is 19-year-old Sebastian Esposito, who made a stunning move from Melbourne City to Serie A side Lecce in December despite never playing for City’s senior side. But the physically strong and aerially talented centre-back has plenty of potential – and he’s been on the bench for the senior team five times this season while playing 19 games for the under 19-team – including 18 straight where he played the full match. He was a standout for Australia’s under-20s team in a pair of matches last year, and looks one for the future.
AUSTRALIANS CURRENTLY AT TOP-FLIGHT CLUBS
Premier League: Cameron Burgess, Massimo Luongo, Harry Souttar, Cameron Peupion, Joe Gauci, Steven Hall, Tyrese Francois, Alex Robertson, Garang Kuol
Bundesliga: Jackson Irvine, Connor Metcalfe, Nestory Irankunda, Anthony Pavlesic, Rawley St John, Jacob Italiano
Ligue 1: Denis Genreau, Mohamed Toure
Serie A: Alessandro Circati, Cristian Volpato, Sebastian Esposito.
Manchester City demolished Brighton 4-0 as Phil Foden’s double lifted the Premier League title chasers to within one point of leaders Arsenal on Thursday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were in imperious mood at the Amex Stadium from the moment Kevin De Bruyne headed them into an early lead.
England forward Foden struck twice before the interval to put the result beyond doubt.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – APRIL 25: Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at American Express Community Stadium on April 25, 2024 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Julian Alvarez ended his goal drought after half-time to ensure injured striker Erling Haaland wasn’t missed as his absence with a muscle problem stretched to a second successive game.
Liverpool’s surprise defeat at Everton on Wednesday was a welcome boost for City in the title race after Arsenal had thrashed Chelsea 5-0 on Tuesday.
And City’s stroll on the south coast kept the destiny of the title in their hands.
Guardiola’s team, who have a game in hand on both Arsenal and third-placed Liverpool, will be crowned champions for an unprecedented fourth successive season if they win their last five matches.
With at least four goals in each of their last four league games, City are rounding into form at just the right moment once again.
Next up for City, who are unbeaten in 18 league games, is a trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, while Arsenal head to Tottenham just hours earlier.
Toffees dent Reds’ title push | 01:34
Guardiola has bemoaned the “unacceptable” fixture schedule that he believes puts his players’ health at risk, blaming the pile-up for their sluggish performance in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals.
While City searched for the energy to propel them a step closer to the title, Brighton couldn’t have been any fresher as they played for the first time in 12 days.
But there was no sign of any weariness from the champions as they took the lead with a typically eye-catching move in the 17th minute.
Foden took possession 30 yards from goal and drifted towards the right flank, where his astute pass found Kyle Walker’s run.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – APRIL 25: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, applauds the fans after the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at American Express Community Stadium on April 25, 2024 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Walker floated a pin-point cross into the area and De Bruyne timed his run perfectly as the Belgian’s diving header lifted the ball over Brighton keeper Jason Steele into the roof of the net.
De Bruyne’s fourth goal in his last five games marked the first time the midfielder had scored with his head in his Premier League career.
In a rare moment of concern for the City defence, Brighton nearly snatched an immediate equaliser, but Lewis Dunk’s header was too close to Ederson.
Stroking the ball around with contemptuous ease, Guardiola’s men were in complete command.
They doubled their lead in the 26th minute thanks to a stroke of luck when Foden won a dubious free-kick.
Foden didn’t waste the opportunity, unleashing a powerful shot that took a wicked deflection off Pascal Gross as it flashed past the wrong-footed Steele.
Gunners hit Blues for five in vital win | 01:11
The England forward’s 23rd goal in all competitions this season was followed by his 24th eight minutes later.
City’s relentless pressing panicked Brighton’s Valentin Barco into surrendering possession to Bernardo Silva and Foden seized on the loose ball, driving a clinical finish into the far corner from 12 yards.
Alvarez had scored once in his previous 16 games and Haaland’s replacement ended that barren run with his first league goal since January in the 62nd minute.
Walker lost control of the ball after breaking into the area, but his lunging tackle stopped Steele collecting it and Alvarez pounced to slot home from close range.
Arsenal leapfrogged Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Brighton on Saturday after Kevin De Bruyne scored twice in Manchester City’s victory at Crystal Palace.
Goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard lifted the Gunners to 71 points — one clear of Jurgen Klopp’s men, who are tied on 70 points with defending champions City.
Liverpool face a trip to mercurial Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday in the next chapter of a thrilling three-way title race.
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Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have now won 10 of their past 11 league games and have added steel to style after faltering badly in the home straight last season.
The Gunners boss hailed his team’s maturity and cleverness against a side who had not lost at home since August.
“In attack and defence we had big performances individually,” he told the BBC. “We missed some big chances but the team looked really connected and had purpose. The last pass and shot to finish the situation could have been better, but it doesn’t matter as we kept going.” Arsenal, who have not been crowned league champions since 2004, dominated the first half at the Amex Stadium but needed a penalty to take the lead.
The breakthrough came when Gabriel Jesus was brought down by Tariq Lamptey and the returning Saka sent Bart Verbruggen the wrong way for his 14th Premier League goal of the season in the 33rd minute.
Arsenal doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark when Jorginho set up Havertz at the near post for a simple tap-in and Trossard made it three with a deft chipped finish.
It was a big win for the Gunners.Source: Getty Images
DE BRUYNE MAGIC HANDS CITY WIN
In the early kick-off, De Bruyne netted twice and top scorer Erling Haaland hit his 19th league goal of the season in City’s 4-2 win at Selhurst Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta gave the home side a shock early lead but De Bruyne levelled in the 13th minute with a curler into the top corner to quell any nerves from the visitors.
Palace carried an attacking threat but Rico Lewis put City ahead just after halftime and De Bruyne and Haaland combined for the third.
Midfielder De Bruyne added his second with a stinging shot in the 70th minute — his 100th goal for the club — to make the game safe, before substitute Odsonne Edouard scored a consolation.
City boss Pep Guardiola hailed the Belgium international, who missed five months of the season with a hamstring injury he sustained in the opening match at Burnley.
“Sometimes it’s Phil (Foden), Erling or Julian (Alvarez), today it was Kevin,” he said.
“Without him we would not be able to win this. You talk about managers but players like Kevin make this game easy.”
De Bruyne was on a different level.Source: Getty Images
TOFFEES FINALLY TURN IT AROUND
Everton went into their match against second-from-bottom Burnley desperately searching for a spark after a run of 13 Premier League matches without a win.
They struggled to impose themselves but benefited from a huge slice of fortune when goalkeeper Arijanet Muric’s clearance deflected in off Dominic Calvert-Lewin in first-half stoppage time.
Everton, who last played outside the English top-flight in the 1953/54 season, are now four points above the relegation zone.
But the club need everything they can get as they wait nervously to find out if they will be handed a second points deduction this season for breaking Premier League financial rules.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored an incredibly lucky goal.Source: Getty Images
BIG BOOST FOR SPURS
Fourth-placed Villa, who drew 3-3 against Brentford, will rue a second-half collapse that could prove costly in the race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Unai Emery’s men had led 2-0 before three goals in nine minutes from Mathias Jorgensen, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa turned the match on its head.
But Ollie Watkins levelled in the 80th minute, leaving Villa just three points above Tottenham, who have two games in hand.
Aston Villa’s English striker #11 Ollie Watkins reacts at the full time whistle.Source: AFP
Carlton Morris scored a 90th-minute goal in Luton’s 2-1 win against Bournemouth — a result that leaves them in the relegation zone but now level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle edged past Fulham 1-0 courtesy of a late goal from Bruno Guimaraes while West Ham came from behind to beat Wolves 2-1.
UEFA said Thursday’s ruling by Europe’s top court that it and FIFA had broken EU law to stifle the creation of a rival Super League “does not signify an endorsement or validation of” the breakaway competition.
UEFA continued: “It rather underscores a pre-existing shortfall within UEFA’s pre-authorisation framework, a technical aspect that has already been acknowledged and addressed in June 2022.
“UEFA is confident in the robustness of its new rules, and specifically that they comply with all relevant European laws and regulations.”
The ruling by the European Court of Justice was based on UEFA rules prior to the changing of them in 2022.
“The FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” the court ruled.
The summary of the written judgment stressed that its ruling does not necessarily mean that the Super League project should now be authorised, just that FIFA and UEFA have been “abusing a dominant position” in the football market.
UEFA said, though, that in liaison with fans — who were the main force against the Super League when it first reared its head in 2021 — and others they were the future for European football club competition.
A pedestrian walks past an anti-European Super League banner reading “Supergreed” outside an entrance to Stamford Bridge football stadium in London on April 20, 2021. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)Source: AFP
“UEFA remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the European football pyramid, ensuring that it continues to serve the broader interests of society,” they said.
“We will continue to shape the European sports model collectively with national associations, leagues, clubs, fans, players, coaches, EU institutions, governments and partners alike.
“We trust that the solidarity-based European football pyramid that the fans and all stakeholders have declared as their irreplaceable model will be safeguarded against the threat of breakaways by European and national laws.” The case goes back to April 2021, when 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, just before UEFA were set to reveal vast reforms to the Champions League.
The Super League was seen as a direct competitor to UEFA’s flagship competition. It quickly crumbled in the face of a strong backlash from supporters and football’s governing bodies, and UEFA, as well as world governing body FIFA, threatened to take disciplinary action against the clubs involved.
Nine of the 12 clubs involved — including six from the English Premier League — threw in the towel almost immediately, leading to the collapse of the Super League within 48 hours of its launch.
Two years on, only Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have not stood down from the project, with Juventus withdrawing in July.
Chelsea’s billion-dollar spend continues to look like more of a blunder with every game that passes, but a recent Premier League champion has shown signs they have put a horror season well behind them.
Meanwhile, a European contender’s nightmare start is starting to generate a few nerves as the Premier League was riddled with plenty of VAR drama.
Foxsports.com.au reviews the weekend that was in the latest edition of Premier League Talking Points!
‘I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND’: VAR NON-CALL LEAVES FORMER REF, PL STAR BAFFLED
Referees and VAR are never the most popular figures in the game, but this weekend delivered what might just be the worst decision of the season.
Manchester City beat Fulham 5-1, but the game was finely poised at a goal apiece after Tim Ream equalised for the visitors just two minutes after Julian Alvarez opened the scoring for the champions.
Then, in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, City’s Nathan Ake struck, finding the back of the net with a header from a corner despite teammate Manuel Akanji appearing to be in the keeper’s way while in a clearly offside position.
Had the goal been disallowed for offside, the teams would have entered the halftime break level – and the second half would have been a vastly different prospect for underdogs Fulham.
The ball went through Akanji’s legs as he tried to evade it. But Fulham keeper Bernd Leno didn’t appear to move to make a save until the ball went past Akanji, clearly proving that the offside player interfered with play.
VAR awards City controversial goal | 00:44
Fulham coach Marco Silva raged after the game, saying: “Everyone that plays football and has some knowledge of the game would be 100% sure [the VAR] has to disallow the goal.
“The more times you see that, the more you know it has to be disallowed.
“The player pulled away from the line of the ball and into the direction of goal. It is a clear offside. It is impossible for the VAR not to see it.”
Legendary former Premier League referee Mike Dean was flabbergasted on Sky Sports, saying:
“The goalkeeper can’t go straight away because he has to wait and when he does move, it’s too late. The player has to be interfering.
“It’s 1,000 per cent offside. It’s just offside. I just don’t understand why it wasn’t given. It’s offside in any game of football.”
Even City’s eventual hat-trick scorer Erling Haaland conceded he believed it was offside.
“It was offside,” he told beIN SPORTS after full-time. “I feel bad for them – I would be fuming after this as well. It must be a horrible feeling.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva was furious after an offside was not given for Manchester City’s second goal. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
CHELSEA’S BILLION-DOLLAR BLUNDER
When you spend a record-breaking billion pounds in transfers across just three windows, you expect results. But it’s clear that Chelsea still have some very big problems. Their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest left them with just one win from four league games – and that was over newly-promoted minnows Luton Town, who spent just $38m this transfer window in a stark comparison to the Blues.
It’s Chelsea’s worst league start since 1995, with their biggest concern being a lack of cutting edge up front. They lost 3-1 to 10-man West Ham despite enjoying a whopping 76 per cent possession and taking 17 shots. Against Forest, where they had 77 per cent possession and 21 shots but managed just two on target.
Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: “What I don’t understand with Chelsea is that they had 21 shots and guess how many on target? Two.
“They’re getting into the positions but they just don’t have the quality and it seems to be a theme now.
“You look on social media and the story is that Chelsea sign players but they lose games. They’ve spent £1 billion. Why didn’t Chelsea use a quarter of that money and go out and buy a star?
Chelsea slipped to a shock loss against Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Go and give Paris Saint-Germain an offer for [Kylian] Mbappe that they can’t refuse. Harry Kane, ‘there you go, Daniel Levy. Whatever you want’. £150 million for Harry Kane and you’ve got two superstars.
“They’ve bought loads of players who are average. [Mykhailo] Mudryk came on and he nearly gave away two goals! He was absolutely useless. He’s had 19 games, zero goals and they haven’t got a style of play.”
Chelsea had a very good transfer window in many respects – beating Liverpool to the signings of in-demand Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, selling a host of fringe players, and signing plenty of other talented youngsters.
But they are clearly lacking attacking threat up front, though an injury to Christopher Nkunku plays a big factor in that regard. But €37.00m signing Nicolas Jackson from Villareal missed a massive chance late against Forest, and the rest of their attacking corps have struggled to fire so far this season.
In fact, the Blues made more signings (12) than they have goals this season.
Even their British-record signing Caicedo (£105m from Brighton) has been poor so far at Stamford Bridge. He was good against Luton in their 3-0 win, but gave away a penalty on debut at West Ham and also lost the ball in his own half that led to Forest’s winner.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino has plenty of fresh faces to deploy, but just as many headaches to address.
Mauricio Pochettino has his work cut out for him at Chelsea. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
LIVERPOOL SHOW SIGNS OF OLD SELVES IN FRIGHTENING WARNING
Jurgen Klopp may have had to completely rebuild Liverpool’s midfield during the transfer window, but it was like watching his sides of old as Villa were overrun and outclassed at Anfield.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first goal since a £60 million move from RB Leipzig to cap a brilliant performance from the Hungarian.
Alexis Mac Allister has also impressed early in his Liverpool career and controlled the game with the aid of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who shone in his new hybrid role of moving into midfield when in possession from right-back.
Up front Darwin Nunez continues to find his feet after a difficult first season, while Liverpool’s refusal to cash in on a huge Saudi bid for Mohamed Salah this week was rewarded with another goal.
Klopp’s men had consistently been Manchester City’s biggest challengers for the title for the four years prior to last season’s slump that saw them finish fifth.
The challenge of facing Chelsea and Newcastle away before the visit of Villa looked like a tricky start.
But 10 points from a possible 12 is just what Liverpool needed to raise hope on Merseyside they can be back challenging the European champions for the title once more come May.
Liverpool looked the goods against Aston Villa. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
‘LINGERING SENSE OF UNEASE’ AS TOON’S ALARMING SLIDE CONTINUES
The acquisitions of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes coupled with the excitement surrounding a looming Champions League campaign meant there was plenty of buzz surrounding Newcastle ahead of the season.
But four games into their Premier League campaign and Newcastle sit in 14th place with just one win.
A 3-1 loss to Brighton on the weekend condemned Eddie Howe’s side to their third league defeat of the season as Evan Ferguson ran riot over a toothless Newcastle outfit.
Granted, Newcastle’s three defeats have come against Brighton, Liverpool and Manchester City, who all finished inside the top six last season.
However, their 5-1 win against Aston Villa in the first game of the season is now looking as more of an outlier than a sign of what was to be expected.
The Times’ Gregor Robertson wrote the Brighton loss “does not portend a crisis but no-one can dispute the lingering sense of unease for Newcastle United heading into the international break.”
“Toothless as Newcastle were, there was no shame in a 1-0 defeat by Manchester City.” Robertson said.
Newcastle have lost three of their four opening games. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“They were made to pay for their profligacy in last Sunday’s 2-1 loss against ten-man Liverpool but were superior for the majority of that game.
“Saturday’s defeat, however, despite a high-octane start against an outstanding Brighton and Hove Albion team, raised more concerning questions for the Newcastle head coach.”
A key element of Newcastle’s defeat to Brighton was the centre-back pairing of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, with Matt Targett slotting in at left back.
Burn was shifted to the heart of defence after Sven Botman went down against Liverpool and was at fault for Darwin Nunez’s late winner.
The towering defender struggled in his efforts to keep Ferguson quiet as the Irishman was constantly afforded time and space to turn and drive at the Newcastle backline.
The international break couldn’t have arrived at a better time for Newcastle and they will happily take the chance to regroup.
But once the Premier League resumes, they must find form otherwise their Champions League fixtures against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain could get ugly.
