Manchester City were confirmed as Premier League champions with three games to spare after second-placed Manchester United lost 2-1 at home to Leicester City on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s City side, who missed the chance to seal the title when they were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Saturday, are 10 points clear of United, who also have three games left.

It is City’s third Premier League title in five seasons under Guardiola and their fifth in the last 10.

Despite their home defeat by Chelsea at the weekend, City have enjoyed a magnificent turnaround this season after picking up 12 points from their first eight games — their worst start since 2008-09.

Since then they have been head and shoulders above their rivals and since hitting the top have looked unstoppable.

After losing at Tottenham Hotspur in November, they won 22 of their next 27 matches, including a 15-game winning run and a record-equalling 11 successive away league wins.

Guardiola’s side, who were second-best to Liverpool last season, also won a fourth-straight League Cup and can claim a treble by beating Chelsea in this month’s Champions League final.

Manchester United had delayed City’s title celebrations by beating Aston Villa away on Sunday but it was only putting off the inevitable and the party can now start in earnest.

On the other side of Manchester a huge “Champions” banner was draped outside City’s Etihad Stadium.

(REUTERS)

Manchester United put Manchester City’s Premier League title celebrations on hold after coming from behind to win 3-1 away to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Defeat for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side would have handed the title to City and their local rivals would have enjoyed seeing Villa’s Bertrand Traore opening the scoring midway through the first half.

But United hit back with two goals in four minutes after the break, Bruno Fernandes equalising from the penalty spot before Mason Greenwood put them ahead.

United wrapped up the win thanks to substitute Edinson Cavani’s goal three minutes from time.

Victory left second-placed United 10 points behind leaders City, with 12 still on offer to the Red Devils from their final four league games.

United, however, face Leicester and Liverpool in the coming week and defeat in either of those matches will see City, beaten 2-1 at home to Chelsea on Saturday, crowned champions before Pep Guardiola’s men are away to Newcastle on Friday.

United kicked off having not lost a Premier League match at Villa Park since 1995, a year before current manager Solskjaer joined the club as a striker.

Villa’s hopes of ending that run against United were not helped by England international Jack Grealish’s ongoing absence due to a shin injury, with Egypt forward Trezeguet a long-term absentee as well.

Grealish looked on from the stands on Sunday as did England manager Gareth Southgate, himself a former Villa defender.

Villa went ahead against the run of play in the 24th minute.

Fred’s poor pass to Scott McTominay allowed John McGinn to gain possession, with Douglas Luiz playing in Traore.

The Burkina Faso international turned neatly and held off the challenge of Victor Lindelof before beating United goalkeeper Dean Henderson with a powerful shot into the far corner.

United nearly equalised five minutes before half-time but Greenwood’s low shot was pushed away by Emi Martinez.

But United were level in th 52nd minute when Fernandes scored from the spot after Paul Pogba was brought down in the box by Luiz.

And they led in the 56th minute after Aaron Wan-Bissaka found Greenwood inside the box, with the teenage England forward beating Martinez with a low shot.

Worryingly for United, defender Harry Maguire limped off 12 minutes from time.

But Cavani made the game safe with an 87th-minute glancing header from Marcus Rashford’s cross.

And there was still time for Villa’s Ollie Watkins to be sent off after he was shown a second yellow card for diving.

Source: AFP

Bayern Munich may have wrapped up a record-breaking ninth straight Bundesliga title on Saturday, but sharpshooter Robert Lewandowski still has one more historic target in his sights.

The Polish striker scored a hat-trick in Bayern’s 6-0 thrashing of Borussia Moenchengladbach this weekend, leaving him just one goal short of Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old record of 40 goals in a single Bundesliga season.

Lewandowski, whose tally this term stands at 39, has two more games to equal and break the mark set by Bayern and Germany legend Mueller back in 1972.

“I have to be honest, I am astonished. I thought Mueller’s record would last forever and never be broken,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Sky on Saturday.

“Robert now has two games to equal or even surpass it. It’s clear that he will go down in the history of this club.”

With 275 goals in 348 games for Bayern and Dortmund, Lewandowski is already the second-most successful striker in Bundesliga history after Mueller,

Last season, the Pole’s 34 goals were the fourth most in a Bundesliga season, The top three places all occupied by Mueller, the legendary poacher of the 1960s and 1970s.

Nicknamed the “Bomber of the Nation”, Mueller scored 40 goals in 1971-72, 38 in 1969-70 and 36 in 1972-73, ending his Bundesliga career with 365 goals in 427 games.

Lewandowski may never break that record, but he is within touching distance of Mueller’s 40-goal mark.

“Gerd Mueller was my idol when I was young, but what Gerd Mueller was in my youth, Lewandowski is today,” said Bayern coach Hansi Flick on Saturday.

“If he manages the record, it will have been more than deserved.”

Flick also warned that Lewandowski “will need to be careful” as he chases the record, as he risks missing the last game of the season at home to Augsburg if he picks up a yellow card against Freiburg next week.

Yet team mate Thomas Mueller backed his side to help Lewandowski over the line: “If he puts away the chances we provide for him, then it will work out,” said the 31-year-old, who has 19 assists to his name this season.

Lewandowski said he was “grateful” for his team mates’ support on Saturday, adding that he was trying to keep a cool head as he set his sights on Gerd Mueller’s record.

“It doesn’t help to want it too much. You need to stay cool,” he said.

Source: AFP

With thousands of fans celebrating outside the San Siro stadium and a guard of honour onto the pitch, Inter Milan celebrated their first Serie A title in over a decade with a 5-1 victory over Sampdoria giving Antonio Conte’s side a record 14th successive home win.

Saturday’s match took place behind closed doors because of coronavirus restrictions but thousands of ‘Nerazzurri’ supporters celebrated outside the San Siro.

“The satisfaction is immense,” said Conte.

“It’s natural that we and our fans are now so desperate to celebrate something that we’d been waiting for so long to do.

“We’re happy to bring this joy to them.”

Sampdoria players formed a guard of honour as the newly-crowned champions took to the pitch after sealing their 19th ‘Scudetto’ and first since 2010 last weekend.

Claudio Ranieri’s ninth-placed Sampdoria did not spoil the party with Keita Balde scoring the only goal for the visitors after 35 minutes.

“Inter played on the wings of enthusiasm,” said Ranieri. “They played a great match.”

Ranieri, who led Leicester to the 2016 Premier League title, said his Genoa side had wanted to mark the occasion with a guard of honour.

“I told the players it would be nice to celebrate as they do in England and they immediately agreed with me,” he said.

Inter’s top scorer Romelu Lukaku and other players who played a key role in the title success stayed on the bench with Conte opting to start with some players who had been less present during the season.

Roberto Gagliardini opened the scoring after just four minutes latching onto an Ashley Young cross.

Alexis Sanchez added two more in a 10-minute first half spell, either side of Balde sending scoring off a rebound.

Substitute Andrea Pinamonti added another after the hour with Lautaro Martinez completing the rout from the penalty spot with 20 minutes to go to seal victory against a side Inter had lost against earlier this season, just one of two defeats.

Since losing against Sampdoria, Inter have gone 18 games without defeat and have now won 14 games in a row at home for the first time.

The entire team celebrated under the ‘Curva Nord’ tribune usually occupied by Inter fans.

“We continue to do exceptional things, we have 85 points and haven’t lost since the away game against Sampdoria,” said Conte.

“The boys continue to impress, and it’s a real pleasure to watch them play We’ve brought back credibility to this club.”

– Napoli move second –

Napoli beat Spezia 4-1 to move second, 15 points behind Inter, and keep in the Champions League chase, but Lazio’s hopes of elite European football took a knock with a 2-0 loss at Fiorentina.

Napoli are one point ahead of three teams — Atalanta, Juventus and AC Milan — who are tied on 69 points before they play this weekend.

Lazio are sixth, five points off the top-four having played a games less.

Dusan Vlahovic scored twice for Fiorentina to bring his tally to 21 goals this campaign, and push the Tuscany side away from the relegation zone.

Gennaro Gattuso’s Napoli had lost 2-1 to Spezia at home in January, but hit back against the relegation-threatened side to extend their unbeaten run to 12 consecutive games.

Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski finished off a Giovanni Di Lorenzo pull-back after 15 minutes and then provided the cross for Nigerian international Victor Osimhen to score the second eight minutes later.

Osimhen completed his first Serie A brace before the break off a Lorenzo Insigne free-kick to bring his tally to seven goals in as many games.

The 22-year-old has scored a total of 10 goals in 21 games played this campaign, having been sidelined with injury.

Roberto Piccoli pulled a goal back for Spezia after an hour but Osimhen was on hand to roll the ball across for Hirving Lozano. The goal was confirmed after a VAR viewing.

Napoli lost all-time record goalscorer Dries Mertens to an ankle injury in the second-half just seven minutes after the Belgian came off the bench.

Source: AFP

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reached a major final as Manchester United manager for the first time after a 3-2 defeat to AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico was enough to earn his side an 8-5 aggregate win in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday.

United will face Villarreal in the final in Gdansk on May 26 after the Spaniards beat Arsenal 2-1 on aggregate.

Solskjaer had lost his last four semi-finals during his Old Trafford reign and despite Thursday’s defeat in Rome, the Norwegian’s side progressed comfortably thanks to last week’s commanding 6-2 first leg win.

“It’s a great achievement to get to the final. We didn’t win the game and that’s disappointing but we did the hard work in the first leg,” United captain Harry Maguire told BT Sport.

“We started the game a bit edgy. It was end-to-end like basketball and we gave them too many chances in second half. Now we’ve got to go to the final and win it.”

Edinson Cavani fired home a powerful finish after 39 minutes to open the scoring, but Roma found the net twice in the space of three second-half minutes through Edin Dzeko and Bryan Cristante to turn the game on its head.

United had goalkeeper David de Gea to thank for not going further behind as the Spaniard produced a string of superb saves.

Cavani headed the visitors level but 19-year-old debutant Nicola Zalewski’s shot took a big deflection off Alex Telles to beat De Gea as Roma secured the win on the night—but it was United who were left celebrating at the final whistle.

“We had some great European nights this season, with some big wins. It’s a pity for that second half in Manchester,” Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante told UEFA.

“Tonight we still had a few goals to score, but we exit the competition with our heads held high.”

Solskjaer’s team had tripped up in the semi-finals of two League Cups, the FA Cup and the Europa League since he succeeded Jose Mourinho in December 2018, but another exit never looked likely in the Italian capital.

Earlier this week Mourinho, who led United to their last trophy by winning the Europa League in 2017, was surprisingly named as Roma’s new coach from next season.

Hence the hosts started like a team with a point to prove.

De Gea superbly denied Gianluca Mancini from point-blank range, Henrikh Mkhitaryan headed into the side-netting and Dzeko drew another smart save from the Spanish goalkeeper.

But United grew into the game and came close when a clever Cavani lob clipped the top of the bar, before a powerful shot from the Uruguayan was saved by Antonio Mirante.

The visitors took the lead soon after, when a Fred pass sent Cavani racing through on goal to fire home.

Roma drew level in the 57th minute when Dzeko headed in from close range, and Paulo Fonseca’s side quickly completed the comeback when Cristante scored from the edge of the area three minutes later.

De Gea produced a superb double save on a Dzeko header and Pedro shot, before blocking a Mkhitaryan effort from point-blank range.

United survived the onslaught and drew level after 68 minutes when Cavani headed home a Bruno Fernandes cross, but Roma soon threatened again as Mkhitaryan’s shot thumped the foot of the post.

Substitute Zalewski made an immediate impact when his volley caused the Roma winner on the 83rd minute, but it went down as a Telles own goal after taking a heavy deflection.

(REUTERS)

Chelsea set up an all-English Champions League final against Manchester City as goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory at Stamford Bridge.

If anything, the scoreline flattered Madrid as the 13-time European champions had no response to Chelsea’s speed on the counter-attack.

The Blues should have ran out far more convincing winners as they toyed with the tired visitors in the second half.

However, Werner’s cushioned header into an empty net on 28 minutes after Kai Havertz’s initial effort came back off the crossbar and Mount’s tap-in five minutes from time were enough to seal their place in Istanbul on May 29.

Backed by Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s £220 million spending spree last summer has been rewarded with a first Champions League final since they lifted the trophy for the only time in 2012.

A return to the biggest game in club football is also the culmination of a huge turnaround in Chelsea’s fortunes since Thomas Tuchel replaced the sacked Frank Lampard in January.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane welcomed back captain Sergio Ramos from injury for the first time in six weeks, while Eden Hazard was handed a rare start in an injury-hit season on his return to Stamford Bridge.

But the Belgian was again a peripheral figure as Madrid’s over-reliance on Karim Benzema to provide a goal threat was exposed.

Madrid were handed a let-off when Werner swept home Ben Chilwell’s cross only to be denied by the offside flag.

Benzema needed only a half-chance to thump home his 28th goal of the season to level the tie last week in the Spanish capital and nearly moved ahead of Real legend Raul as the Champions League’s fourth highest ever goalscorer with a quick turn and shot from the edge of the box that Edouard Mendy did brilliantly to turn behind.

That was the closed Madrid came to an away goal and moments later they were behind as Werner scored just his fourth goal in his last 39 games.

N’Golo Kante and Havertz did the hard work as the French midfielder fed Havertz, whose audacious chip over Thibaut Courtois bounced invitingly off the crossbar for Werner to head into an empty net.

Chelsea have now kept 18 clean sheets in 24 games since the appointment of Tuchel turned their season around.

However, a failure to take their chances at the other end means they are still far from guaranteed a place in the Champions League next season.

That lack of a killer touch was exposed after the break as Havertz saw a free header come back off the bar before Mount blasted over with just Courtois to beat.

The former Chelsea ‘keeper, who controversially forced a move back to Spain in the summer of 2018, kept his current employers in the tie as he then saved one-on-ones with Havertz and Kante, with the Blues’ speed on the break too much for Madrid’s ageing midfield to cope with.

Tuchel was growing increasingly frustrated with his side’s inability to put the tie to bed, but could finally relax five minutes from time.

Substitute Christian Pulisic left Courtois on the floor and from his cut-back, Mount slid in to finish from close range.

Fired by Paris Saint-Germain on Christmas Eve after leading the French champions to their first ever final in this competition last season, Tuchel is headed back to the Champions League showpiece match for a second consecutive season, unlike his former club, who were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by City in the other semi-final.

(AFP)

By the time Riyad Mahrez completed the counterattack that sealed Manchester City’s spot in a first Champions League final, it looked so effortless overcoming a Paris Saint-Germain lineup that lost its cool and composure.

“Then they lost their nerve and started to kick us and it was good,” Mahrez said.

It was the Paris-born winger who netted twice before PSG had Angel Di Maria sent off. City won 2-0 to eliminate last season’s finalists 4-1 on aggregate on Tuesday.

“They had the red card,” Mahrez said, “and after, it was more comfortable for us.”

It’s been anything but comfortable for City getting a shot at lifting European football’s top prize for the first time despite 13 years of lavish investment. Even reaching this semifinal required a fight in court to overturn a ban from this season’s Champions League for breaching UEFA’s financial rules.

And it’s only two weeks since the Abu Dhabi-owned team exposed itself to fresh sanctions for joining a brief, ill-fated bid to split to help form a breakaway European Super League.

Now City could win the competition it tried to leave in what could be an all-English final on May 29 in Istanbul if Chelsea overcomes Real Madrid on Wednesday. Chelsea and Madrid played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

“Of course, we’ve invested money in the last decade since Sheikh Mansour took over the club, but it’s not just about this,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “If you want to think it’s just about money, it’s OK. But there is a lot of incredible things behind the scenes.”

It’s not just City that’s endured frustration in its quest to win the biggest prize in European football. Guardiola, a Champions League winner as Barcelona coach in 2009 and 2011, has been waiting a decade to return to the final. He fell short three times with Bayern Munich and has taken until his fifth season at City to even reach the semifinals.

“To reach the Champions league final is so difficult,” Guardiola said. “It’s the toughest one, but we did it.”

City is now accustomed to success — sitting on the brink of its third Premier League title in four seasons after already collecting the League Cup last month. But its only continental title came with the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970.

“This club needed the final, these players needed the final,” City defender Kyle Walker said. “For these players to not be in a Champions League final is a disappointment every year.”

PSG missed out on a second shot at lifting a first European Cup after losing last season’s final to Bayern Munich, and Mauricio Pochettino’s lineup is even struggling to defend the French title.

“Disappointed and very sad,” said Pochettino, who lost the 2019 Champions League final as Tottenham manager. “We played well but we didn’t have the luck that you need in football.”

And in the clash of European football’s Gulf-funded big-spenders, it was the Qatari visitors from Paris on the backfoot quickly in Manchester.

After scoring City’s winner in Paris last week, Mahrez took only 11 minutes to score in the second leg. The move began with a long ball by defender Oleksandr Zinchenko running onto a long ball from goalkeeper Ederson.

“It’s something we work on all the time,” Mahrez said, “and today it worked good.”

Zinchenko passed to Kevin De Bruyne, whose shot was blocked by Keylor Navas but Mahrez was alert to the rebound to put the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs on a field covered in the remnants of a spring hailstorm.

Mauro Icardi was proving ineffective in a PSG attack shorn of Kylian Mbappé, who wasn’t fit enough to start and never entrusted with being deployed from the bench.

There were headers over from Marquinhos and Neymar but PSG could find no way past a defense that had Rúben Dias proving such a robust barrier.

The PSG back-line was easier to breach, which happened again in the 63rd minute. There was a surging run down the left flank by Phil Foden before a combination with De Bruyne and a cross delivered for Mahrez to sweep into the net.

“We fought to the end,” PSG midfielder Marco Verratti said. “When you play against big teams, it’s impossible to attack for 90 minutes without suffering. We have to accept that.”

The frustrations of PSG were clear, even without any crowd to create any intimidating atmosphere. The visitors finished the game with 10 men just like in the first leg after Di Maria was sent off with 20 minutes to go for kicking at Fernandinho.

PSG turned on the referee, with midfielder Ander Herrera in a post-match interview accusing Bjorn Kuipers of directing an expletive at PSG teammate Leandro Paredes. It wasn’t heard by Pochettino.

“Maybe UEFA will investigate the situation,” he said. “But now I think that is not an excuse.”

(AP)

JOSE MOURINHO TOOK just 15 days to find a new job after he was appointed Roma’s new head coach for next season.

The 58-year-old was fired from Tottenham on 19 April but will take over at the Serie A club from Paulo Fonseca for the 2021/22 campaign.

It sees a return to Italy for Mourinho following a triumphant spell with Inter Milan over a decade ago where he won the treble, including the Champions League.

However, he is unlikely to be dining at the top table next season, with the club heading out of the Europa League, trailing Mourinho’s former club Manchester United 6-2 after the semi-final first leg, and unlikely to reach Europe through their league position.

Mourinho, who endured a disappointing campaign with Spurs before his sacking six days before the Carabao Cup final, has been drawn to the Italian capital by the ambition of the club’s owners.

“After meetings with the ownership and (general manager) Tiago Pinto, I immediately understood the full extent of their ambitions for AS Roma,” he said on the club’s official website.

“It is the same ambition and drive that has always motivated me and together we want to build a winning project over the upcoming years. The incredible passion of the Roma fans convinced me to accept the job and I cannot wait to start next season.

“In the meantime, I wish Paulo Fonseca all the best and I hope the media appreciate that I will only speak further in due course. Daje Roma!”

Pinto said the Giallorossi could not miss the opportunity to appoint a manager of Mourinho’s pedigree. He said: “When Jose became available, we immediately jumped at the chance to speak with one of the greatest managers of all time.

“We were blown away by Jose’s desire to win and his passion for the game: no matter how many trophies he has won, his primary focus is always on the next one. He possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership to compete at all levels.

“We know that in order to build a successful sporting project it takes time, patience and the right people in the right positions. We are supremely confident that Jose will be the perfect coach for our project, for both our immediate and long-term future.

“Together with the vision and ambition of Dan and Ryan Friedkin, we will build the foundations of a new AS Roma.”

The Giallorossi have picked up just one point from their last four league games and sit seventh in the table, nine points behind sixth-placed city rivals Lazio with four matches remaining, prompting Fonseca’s departure.

Roma president Dan Friedkin said in a statement on the club website: “On behalf of everyone at AS Roma, we would like to thank Paulo Fonseca for the hard work and leadership shown during these two years.

“Paulo led the team through several challenges, including the Covid pandemic and a change of ownership, and he did so with generosity, fairness and great character.

“We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and we are confident that he will represent fantastic added value wherever he goes.”

Source: The 42.ie

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has signed a new three-year contract that ties him to the Premier League club until 2024 with the option of a further 12 months.

The Ivory Coast international was due to be out of contract at the end of next season and there had been speculation he would leave Old Trafford after struggling to hold down a regular place.

The 27-year-old has struggled with several injuries since arriving from Villarreal in 2016, with Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof often Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s preferred centre-back pairing.

But he has delivered some of his best displays for United this season, reaching 100 career appearances for the club.

“I’m very happy. This decision is something I didn’t have to think about,” Bailly told United’s website on Monday.

“I love this club and I love playing for Manchester United. I’m happy and so are my family, everything is good.

“Now the moment with my injury has passed and I’m fit and feel good, and that’s it. A new contract is like a new challenge and I’m ready for this.”

United manager Solskjaer said: “I am pleased that Eric has signed this new contract. He is still learning and improving all of the time under the coaches here.

“Eric has improved his robustness since my time as manager and he will continue to play a significant part in the squad.

“He possesses fantastic speed, timing of tackle and has that aggression which, of course, you need as a centre-back.”

Source: AFP

Supporters of the six Premier League clubs leading the breakaway European Super League have slammed the controversial plan, branding it the “ultimate betrayal”.

Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham are all involved in the new competition, alongside Spanish trio Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Italian clubs Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

The founding sides will share 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion, £3 billion) for infrastructure investment and to offset coronavirus pandemic costs.

They are expected to receive a further 10 billion euros in “solidarity payments” over the life of the initial commitment, convincing them to turn their backs on the Champions League in favour of the new invite-only competition.

Reaction to the incendiary scheme has been furious, with football’s governing bodies FIFA and UEFA, as well as all the leading domestic leagues condemning the “cynical” plan.

While their clubs would gain financially from the move, supporters of the Premier League teams involved were united in their contempt for such a nakedly greed-motivated project.

Source: AFP