Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation

Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation
Everton’s Beto in action with Arsenal’s William Saliba during their English Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool, Apr. 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation

Arsenal held by Everton, Wolves push Ipswich closer to relegation
  • Leandro Trossard’s opener for the Gunners was canceled out by Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty to leave Arsenal trailing 11 points behind Liverpool
  • Liverpool now need just 11 points from their remaining eight games

LONDON: Arsenal’s faint hopes of catching Premier League leaders Liverpool are almost over after their 1-1 draw at Everton, while Wolves pushed Ipswich closer to relegation with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Leandro Trossard’s opener for the Gunners was canceled out by Iliman Ndiaye’s penalty to leave Arsenal trailing 11 points behind Liverpool, who travel to Fulham on Sunday.
Liverpool now need just 11 points from their remaining eight games to secure a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title and first since 2020.
With just two wins in their last six league matches, Arsenal have tamely surrendered in the title race and are destined to go another year without their first English crown since 2004.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta had said the best preparation for his side’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid would be to win at Goodison Park.
But the Spaniard showed he had one eye on the visit of the European champions with his team selection.
Bukayo Saka was forced to wait for his first start since December as the England international was left on the bench alongside Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey.
“This is a very tough place to come, a team who is very physical and direct. If you don’t deal with it, it’s hard to get momentum. The start of the second half was very poor,” Arteta said.
Arsenal’s weakened line-up struck first in the 34th minute when Raheem Sterling picked out Trossard and his low shot took Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford by surprise as it squirmed into the net.
Everton were unable to stop Liverpool’s march to the title in midweek when they lost 1-0 in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.
And David Moyes’ men did their arch rivals another favor as they drew level in the 49th minute.
Myles Lewis-Skelly fouled Jack Harrison and Ndiaye stroked home from the penalty spot four minutes into the second period to put Liverpool within touching distance of the title.
Wolves effectively sealed their survival and left Ipswich on the brink of relegation with a 2-1 win at Portman Road.
Vitor Pereira’s side trailed to Liam Delap’s 16th-minute goal as the striker swept in Dara O’Shea’s knockdown.
But Pablo Sarabia drilled into the bottom corner to haul Wolves level in the 72nd minute, before Jorgen Strand Larsen prodded home on 84 minutes for his fourth goal in his last three games.
Fourth-bottom Wolves are now 12 points clear of third-bottom Ipswich with just seven games left, leaving Kieran McKenna’s side almost certain to return to the Championship after just one season.
Wolves’ victory also means bottom of the table Southampton will be relegated if they lose at Tottenham on Sunday.
Crystal Palace beat Brighton 2-1 despite finishing with nine men in a bruising battle featuring three red cards at Selhurst Park.
FA Cup semifinalists Palace went ahead thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s third minute curler, before Danny Welbeck’s close-range effort in the 31st minute dragged Brighton level.
Daniel Munoz blasted Palace’s winner in the 55th minute, but the Eagles had to dig deep for the win.
Palace striker Eddie Nketiah was sent off for two bookings in the space of nine minutes, then team-mate Marc Guehi was dismissed for picking up a second yellow card in the 90th minute.
In a frantic finale, Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke was shown a red card for his foul on Daichi Kamada.
Evanilson scored twice as Bournemouth drew 2-2 with West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Brazilian opened the scoring in the 38th minute and bagged Bournemouth’s equalizer with 11 minutes left after Niclas Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen had put West Ham ahead.
Aston Villa host third-placed Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s late game, with both teams pushing to secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.


Vinícius misses penalty as Real Madrid loses at home to Valencia

Vinícius misses penalty as Real Madrid loses at home to Valencia
Updated 9 sec ago
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Vinícius misses penalty as Real Madrid loses at home to Valencia

Vinícius misses penalty as Real Madrid loses at home to Valencia
Hugo Duro came off Valencia’s bench and headed home the winner
Vinícius scored from close range to equalize in the 50th, but Mamardashvili

MADRID: Vinícius Júnior missed a penalty and Real Madrid conceded an injury-time goal in a stunning 2-1 home loss to Valencia on Saturday as the defending champion stumbled in the La Liga title race.
Hugo Duro came off Valencia’s bench and headed home the winner that silenced Santiago Bernabeu Stadium deep in stoppage time.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saved Vinícius’ early penalty and moments later Mouctar Diakhaby headed the visitors in front in the 17th minute.
Vinícius scored from close range to equalize in the 50th, but Mamardashvili and the defense held on until Duro struck and gave Valencia their first away win of the season.
Barcelona, leading Madrid by three points, could capitalize on their closest rival’s stumble when they host Real Betis later Saturday.
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti had to play third-string goalkeeper Fran González, who made his first-team debut for Madrid at age 19, because Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin were injured.

Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title hopes alive

Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title hopes alive
Updated 12 min 39 sec ago
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Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title hopes alive

Last-gasp Buendia goal keeps Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title hopes alive
  • Leverkusen needed a win to stay six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who won 3-1 at Augsburg on Friday
  • Xabi Alonso’s side looked out of ideas in attack against the relegation candidates, missing the creative spark of injured playmaker Florian Wirtz

HEIDENHEIM, Germany: Emiliano Buendia snatched a stoppage-time winner to take Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-0 win at Heidenheim on Saturday, keeping their slim hopes of defending their league title alive.
Eliminated from the German Cup by third-division Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday, Leverkusen needed a win to stay six points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who won 3-1 at Augsburg on Friday.
Xabi Alonso’s side looked out of ideas in attack against the relegation candidates, missing the creative spark of injured playmaker Florian Wirtz.
However, as they have done so often under the Spaniard, Leverkusen scored in injury time to grab all three points, Buendia curling home from outside the box on 91 minutes.
Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah said: “We didn’t play a good game at all... It was difficult today — at the end we needed a bit of luck.”
“We needed to win today, we did it, job done — and now we’re still in with a shot,” Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka told Sky Germany.
The goal was Buendia’s first since arriving on loan from Aston Villa and may prove crucial to Leverkusen’s hopes of catching up with an injury-ravaged Bayern side, with six games in the season remaining.

Elsewhere, goals from Karim Adeyemi, Carney Chukwuemeka, Serhou Guirassy and Jamie Gittens took Borussia Dortmund to a dominant 4-1 win at Freiburg, days out from their Champions League trip to Barcelona.
“It’ll be a difficult week, but every game is winnable,” Dortmund’s Pascal Gross said of the Barcelona challenge.
Adeyemi unleashed an unstoppable drive to put Dortmund in front from an acute angle with 34 minutes gone.
Six minutes into the second half, Adeyemi found Chukwuemeka on the break in acres of space.
The England under-21 international’s shot was deflected into the goal by the Freiburg defense for Chukwuemeka’s first goal since joining Dortmund from Chelsea on loan in winter.
Guirassy came off the bench and sealed the result with a 68th-minute tap-in, his 25th goal for Dortmund in all competitions this season.
Substitute Gittens put the icing on the cake with a pinpoint header with 78 minutes gone, before Maximilian Eggestein grabbed a late consolation for the hosts.
The win moved Dortmund to eighth, one spot behind Freiburg and five points behind fourth-placed Mainz, who drew 1-1 at home with lowly Holstein Kiel.
Kiel, promoted to the top division for the first time this season, took the lead thanks to a fine first-half strike from Alexander Bernhardsson, but Nelson Weiper drew Mainz level with 15 minutes remaining.
RB Leipzig won their first match since dismissing coach Marco Rose, coming from behind to beat a 10-man Hoffenheim at home 3-1 thanks to goals from Benjamin Sesko, Ridle Baku and Yussuf Poulsen.
Hoffenheim took the lead thanks to a swerving strike from the Bayern-bound Tom Bischof 11 minutes in, but lost Leo Ostigard to a last-man foul with 28 minutes played.
Leipzig jumped up to fifth with the win, a point behind fourth, while Hoffenheim are five points clear of Heidenheim in the relegation playoff spot.
Stuttgart kept within sight of the European placings with a dominant 4-0 win at Bochum.
Days after booking a spot in the German Cup final with a win over RB Leipzig, Stuttgart’s victory was their first in the league since early February, after a six-game winless run.
An Ermedin Demirovic hat-trick and a goal from defender Jeff Chabot took Stuttgart to ninth, six points behind the Champions League spots.
Later on Saturday, Werder Bremen host Eintracht Frankfurt.


City’s Kevin De Bruyne set for last clash vs. Manchester United

City’s Kevin De Bruyne set for last clash vs. Manchester United
Updated 05 April 2025
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City’s Kevin De Bruyne set for last clash vs. Manchester United

City’s Kevin De Bruyne set for last clash vs. Manchester United
  • De Bruyne will compete for the 22nd time in a City shirt against the club’s crosstown rival
  • The 33-year-old Belgian has three goals and six assists against the Red Devils (10-13-7, 37 points) across those previous 21 fixtures

MANCHESTER: The 196th Manchester Derby will be the last for longtime Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, who announced this week he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
De Bruyne will compete for the 22nd time in a City shirt against the club’s crosstown rival in a Sunday clash at Manchester United’s Old Trafford. The match also will have European implications for the Cityzens (15-9-6, 51 points).
The 33-year-old Belgian has three goals and six assists against the Red Devils (10-13-7, 37 points) across those previous 21 fixtures, with seven of those goal involvements coming in Premier League meetings.
That record speaks to a greater legacy as a foundational piece of City’s growth into a titan of English and European football. The midfielder played on six of the 10 City sides that have won league titles in club history, 13 of its 25 major domestic honors including the FA Cup and League Cup, and its only UEFA Champions League title-winning team in 2022-23.
“There’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest for sure,” manager Pep Guardiola said Friday. “The consistency in important games and not important games, every three days being there all the time. There’s no doubt.
“His assists, goals, vision in (the) final third is so difficult to replace.”
De Bruyne’s injury problems over the past two seasons are a major reason the club looks set to finally relinquish its four-year hold on the league title. City enter the weekend in fifth, all but mathematically eliminated from the title chase, but only one point back of Chelsea for a top-four finish and another guaranteed Champions League berth.
Similarly, United also have lagged expectations this season and are still mired in 13th place, nowhere close to relegation danger but well outside of contention for Europe.
The Red Devils have had almost no production from their forward. Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes leads the side with eight goals, and among strikers, Ivorian Amad Diallo has been the most proficient with six goals and six assists.
And although manager Ruben Amorim has engineered some promising stretches, including a four-match unbeaten league run prior to Tuesday’s loss to Nottingham Forest, he would trade places with City in a heartbeat.
“I think we have bigger problems than Manchester City,” Amorim said. “They had that run in that moment — but they improved. They can play in different ways, it is really hard to think how they can face us. They have maybe the best coach in the world. They have top players. But I am so focused on my team.”


Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings to extend winning run in IPL

Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings to extend winning run in IPL
Updated 05 April 2025
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Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings to extend winning run in IPL

Delhi Capitals down Chennai Super Kings to extend winning run in IPL
  • Delhi’s third straight win to start off this season — only the second time they have achieved this feat in IPL history

CHENNAI: Lokesh Rahul led the way with 77 off 51 balls as Delhi Capitals beat Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs on Saturday to continue their winning start in the Indian Premier League.
Rahul hit a maiden half-century for his new franchise, including six fours and three sixes, as Delhi notched up 183-6 in 20 overs. Abishek Porel contributed 33 off 20 balls.
In reply, Chennai were restricted to 158-5 (20 overs), with their top-order lacking the firepower needed for such a chase.
It was Delhi’s third straight win to start off this season — only the second time they have achieved this feat in IPL history, the last such occasion was in 2009.
The Capitals thus climbed atop the points’ table with six points. For Chennai, it was a third straight loss in four games overall.
Opting to bat, Delhi lost attacking opener Jake Fraser-McGurk for a five-ball duck. Khaleel Ahmed was Chennai’s best bowler with 2-25 in four overs, including the opener’s wicket.
Rahul and Porel then added 54 off 36 balls for the second wicket, with the latter hitting four fours and a six before he was out caught off Ravindra Jadeja.
Skipper Axar Patel put in a cameo — 21 off 14 balls — helping Delhi get to 90-3 just past the halfway stage.
Rahul reached 50 off 33 deliveries and helped strike middle-order partnerships with Sameer Rizvi (20) and Tristan Stubbs (24 not out off 12 balls).
The hosts suffered from a lack of firepower in their batting.
Rachin Ravindra was out for three, while Devon Conway was caught for 13. Mitchell Starc removed skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for five runs and the game was all but over at 41-3 in 5.3 overs.
Impact substitute Shivam Dube struggled to get going — he scored 18 off 15 balls — while Jadeja was out lbw for two.
Vijay Shankar held fort at one end and scored 69 not out off 54 balls, including five fours and a six. It wasn’t enough to turn the tide however.
Shankar put on 84 off 57 balls with MS Dhoni, who scored 30 not out off 26 balls. But it was never really a realistic chasing effort from the duo.
Punjab Kings hosts Rajasthan Royals at Chandigarh in the second game on Saturday.


Pakistan claim Afghan spectators verbally abused their players in New Zealand

Pakistan claim Afghan spectators verbally abused their players in New Zealand
Updated 05 April 2025
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Pakistan claim Afghan spectators verbally abused their players in New Zealand

Pakistan claim Afghan spectators verbally abused their players in New Zealand
  • “Foreign spectators hurled inappropriate remarks at (Pakistan) cricketers,” the PCB said
  • Khushdil Shah stepped in when anti-Pakistan slogans emerged from the stands

NEW ZEALAND: The Pakistan Cricket Board condemned the verbal abuse of its players allegedly by Afghan spectators during Pakistan’s third one-day international at New Zealand on Saturday.
“During the match today, foreign spectators hurled inappropriate remarks at (Pakistan) cricketers present on the field,” the PCB said in a statement after the 43-run loss to New Zealand at Mount Maunganui.
Khushdil Shah stepped in when anti-Pakistan slogans emerged from the stands, the PCB said.


“Afghan spectators escalated the situation by using further inappropriate language in Pashto,” the PCB said.
Stadium officials intervened and ejected the “two disruptive spectators,” the governing board added.
New Zealand swept the three-match series 3-0. The tourists lost the five-match T20 series 4-1.
Opening batter Imam-ul-Haq was retired hurt after sustaining mild facial injury, caused by an accidental throw from a New Zealand fielder in the third over of Pakistan’s run-chase.
Imam underwent a CT scan Tauranga Hospital and it “reported as normal.”
He was diagnosed with a mild concussion, the PCB said. He was declared fit to fly back home with the team.