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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was generous in his praise for midfielder Casemiro following his sensational winning goal against Bournemouth.

Callum Wilson is in the form of his life as his goals edge Newcastle ever closer to Champions League qualification. That is the view of Magpies head coach Eddie Howe, who worked with the England striker during the pair’s time together at Bournemouth before they were reunited at St James’ Park. Wilson is enjoying the Premier League goals return of his career with 18 to date, the last 11 coming since the beginning of April and eight of them in his six most recent appearances, the perfect response to record signing Alexander Isak’s presence on Tyneside. Asked if the 31-year-old’s rich vein of form was his best yet, Howe said with a smile: “He’ll probably tell me there’s been a better spell somewhere down the line, I imagine. “The season he was in the Championship with us, my first season with him at Bournemouth, I thought he was electric. “But this is at the very highest level, this is against the best defenders in the world, the best teams in the world and he’s performing at probably, I’d say, the best level I’ve ever seen him at.” Wilson’s latest telling contribution came in Thursday night’s crucial 4-1 home victory over Brighton, which sends the Magpies into Monday’s clash with Leicester knowing Champions League qualification is firmly within their grasp. With the score at 2-1 and barely a minute of normal time remaining, he broke and fired past keeper Jason Steele before racing clear once again to set up Bruno Guimaraes to score, although it was his all-round contribution which pleased Howe most. The 45-year-old said: “I complimented him, not in terms of the goal he scored, but just his intelligence on the press for us because he is the one that has to set the chain off and he has to get it right. This is at the very highest level, this is against the best defenders in the world, the best teams in the world and he's performing at probably, I'd say, the best level I've ever seen him at Eddie Howe on Callum Wilson “If he gets it wrong, the whole team suffers, so I thought his tactical understanding was as good as I’ve seen.” The intensity Newcastle mustered against the Seagulls has become their trademark under Howe, and it is one of which he is justifiably proud. He said: “You can’t promise the winning. In my first press conference here, I said I can’t promise that, but I can try to give a team that empties on the pitch, that gives everything every time we step on to it. “That’s what I ask of the team, that’s what I ask of the players consistently. It’s easier said than done because in a long season, cup runs, naturally people will have off days, bad days, that’s just natural. “But you can have a bad day and still give your all, and I’ve got to compliment the players on what they’ve done this year. The mindset and mentality of the group have been second to none.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Bryan Mbeumo delighted to come to the fore in absence of Ivan Toney US PGA leader Brooks Koepka vows to avoid a repeat of Masters collapse Katie Taylor eager for rematch after decision loss to Chantelle Cameron

By the time the Premier League trophy is handed over to Pep Guardiola again, the English game will have something it has never seen before. It has made many within the sport unsure how to feel. That goes beyond a staggering level of domination, which ensured Manchester City only felt the prospect of defeat for a mere 10 minutes for the final third of the season, something that should raise questions about the competitive health of the Premier League. City are after all only the fifth club to win three English titles in a row. They are also the third club to win five in six. They are however the first English team to do it with such a suffocating sense of dominance. They are also the first English champions to face charges from the very competition they have just won, that – if proven – could yet see the club stripped of previous titles and even expelled from the league. That is a historic landmark, even if the length of time until its conclusion is as uncertain as the outcome. For now, it leaves a caveat and a question about all this success that may see the perception of the club’s entire era completely changed. Teams to win three titles in a row Huddersfield Town 1923-26 Arsenal 1932-35 Liverpool 1982-84 Manchester United 1998-2001 Manchester United 2006-09 Manchester City 2020-23 Teams to win five titles in six seasons Liverpool 1978-84 Manchester United 1995-2001 Back in February when the Premier League understatedly released such a jaw-dropping announcement, Guardiola already realised so much about his team had to change. The City manager denies that the charges served as motivation. You could understand why he doesn’t want that to become a central part of the story right now. It was nevertheless a period when so many strands of the season came together, as well as the team. The most common account put forward is that the players came together for a clear-the-air meeting after the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, and decided enough was enough. That match represents the last time they dropped points before winning the title. There was a frightening new focus about the team. If Arsenal had a “hunger” that previously concerned Guardiola, his team responded with a new ravenousness. Many sources feel it was impossible that the charges didn’t influence this, that the squad played on a sense of righteously proving they could do it on the pitch. Those at City would point to pure football reasons, of the type that are given exaggerated weight in the moments of glory; that see Erling Haaland’s diet mentioned more than the ownership. The squad had already been reshaped by getting rid of Joao Cancelo, a decision that represented a message to anyone content to be “happy flowers”, as Guardiola so memorably put it. This restored focus to their outlook. Guardiola then restored focus to their shape. Haaland naturally warrants focus in such a season, especially since his potency has come to personify City’s overbearing new power. Except, rather than a boot stamping on the face of football forever, it is a Nike Phantom GX sidefooting the ball into the net forever. It’s remarkable to think now that, amid Haaland’s most productive spell, he also represented the closest City have had to a “problem”. Although the Norwegian had scored 69 per cent of his total Premier League goals with 25 by the end of January, it was clear to the manager and almost everyone else that he wasn’t fully in tune with the team. Haaland often had so few touches that it was as if he was separate to the other 10 players, in a way that seemed to go against Guardiola’s principles. The Catalan is after all one of the game’s great ideologues, but this was one area where he was willing to bend. Guardiola had been seeking to add more attributes to the Norwegian’s general game, humorously calling him “Haaland!” rather than by his first name, in the way he does with other players. The manager soon realised it was better to just go with his best player’s best strengths. It also gives Guardiola some satisfaction he went back to his own roots. The Catalan recreated the defensive “box” that Johan Cruyff devised in the Barcelona team that won the club’s first European Cup in 1992, and that Guardiola himself played at the tip of. It at once solved so many issues in the team, while allowing Haaland to move in the way he needed to without the cost of more space opening up elsewhere. John Stones has excelled. City, put bluntly, became close to perfect. They became something unstoppable. They finally put up “the run” that everyone had felt would eventually come, and Arsenal would have no answer to. That was precisely what happened. City won 13 of 14 games, the exception being that 1-1 draw against Forest that preceded 11 straight victories. The most momentous of those was the 4-1 over Arsenal, but to cast it as a title showdown would be as much of an illusion as the idea that there was ever a race at all. The truth is that City just reached the pace they were always going to reach when a team close to trebles for half a decade has a goal machine added under a genius. That April victory made it 7-2 over two games against the runners-up, Mikel Arteta’s side just blown away along with everyone else. Arsenal have been fairly criticised for the way they have “collapsed”, as it’s clear the pressure got to their players. But how couldn’t it? They were up against a team who considered an 81-point return in 2020 their “bad season”. In even matching that, a feat that is one of Arsenal’s highest ever Premier League hauls, Arteta’s young side have performed to their outer limits. It was almost inevitable they would buckle as the realisation grew any slip would be fatal. This is one element that really separates City: that ability to sustain it. It’s very difficult for almost anyone else. And it’s not even like City have gone to the ludicrous levels of 2018 or 2019. Their current return of 85 points from 35 games, and a forecast of 94, would leave them in the mid-range of their own performance level under Guardiola. That is how much this project has distorted the game. Just pointing to winning runs doesn’t sufficiently explain the nature of these titles any more. Much more telling is the manner of those victories. The figures are almost as overwhelming as Haaland’s 36 league goals. In those last 14 league games, City have spent just 10 minutes losing. That was the brief period between Mohamed Salah’s goal for Liverpool at Eastlands and Julio Alvarez’s equaliser. City won that match 4-1. It was one of four three-goal-plus wins over Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, to go with the same in Europe against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. That was close to their default position in that final unbeaten run. Accumulated minutes of scoreline states in City’s last 14 games One goal behind, 10 minutes (0.8%) Level score, 446 (35.4%) One goal ahead, 346 (27.5%) Two goals ahead, 241 (19.1%) Three goals ahead, 191 (15.2%) Four-plus goals ahead, 32 (2.5%) In those 14 games, which represent over a third of the season, City spent almost 50 times as long winning by two goals as they did actually losing. Any sense of sporting struggle was a distant memory. This is what is most galling about this, and why this season represents such a threshold, while posing greater questions for football. City have brutalised the very idea of sporting competition. There’s been no tension. There’s been no drama. That has meant there haven’t been any real memorable moments, beyond some great goals and the repeated image of Haaland and De Bruyne tearing at goal. Guardiola and the players would of course argue about how hard they work, but the consequence has been that the results of so many matches have been so predictable. It can’t even be said it’s a one-off. It is anything but. Since the summer of 2017, when Guardiola benefitted from an expenditure of over £200m that helped first shape his squad, City have claimed 543 of 675 available points. That amounts to over 80 per cent over six seasons. Needless to say, no one has ever done this over this stretch of time. This is one crucial reason why there hasn’t been too much will around the game to discuss their greatness or Guardiola’s genius, despite profound respect for the coach and the players. It doesn’t feel like sport should. There is a growing backlash, and a willingness to point out the exact nature of the Abu Dhabi project. As one prominent figure put it, “they have ruined our league, and we still have Newcastle United and maybe Manchester United to come”. This is the story that an increasing number of people around football are now demanding be told, beyond the more simplistic old-fashioned narratives about fine champions or managerial genius. Such a view is entirely consistent with the reality that Guardiola is one of the greatest managers of all time, maybe the greatest ever. But he isn’t separate to all of this, his brilliance just lifting City up. He is a key part of it, as well as the final part of it. The club was first of all able to afford him. Guardiola’s wages are not cheap. They were then able to afford to persuade him. That involved almost wholesale appointment of the hierarchy that gave him his break at Barcelona, as well as the perfect sporting infrastructure, constructed to his specific preferences. This is what happens when you give a genius these pristine laboratory conditions. It has eroded the likelihood for human failure that actually enriches sport. This is what happens when you give him the greatest goalscorer in the world, who also has the potential to be the greatest ever in terms of numbers. Fitting Haaland into a record-breaking team was quite the “problem” to have. Lo and behold, Guardiola managed to do it. City managed to convince the Norwegian to come. There have been moments this season when the £51m figure has been talked of as some sort of bargain, as if it was brilliant negotiation to pull it off. The reality was the club met a clause and were then willing to pay the immense agent fees. This points to one other element that isn’t afforded enough attention in all the discussion around this project. It is not that City always spend the most. It is that there is no financial risk. The state has limitless funds. That is quite a safety net. And this is all happening, it must be remembered, with Financial Fair Play. Imagine what would be happening if such restrictions didn’t exist. That’s also why figures within football are as eager for the outcome of the FFP case as many rival supporters. Some have discussed the idea of clubs chasing damages if the charges are proven. There is a genuine anger within the Premier League, which spiked again on Thursday with the report that the involvement of Murray Rosen KC as chair of the disciplinary commission had been challenged due the fact he is an Arsenal fan. A common view within the legal side of football is that this was “a disgrace”. For the moment, though, it’s all futile. Only a handful of people actually know how the case is proceeding. Nobody can say how long it will take, and it could go into years. City’s hierarchy are meanwhile just as adamant they are innocent. The outcome will be one of the most significant moments in English football history, not least because it will reframe this entire period regardless of what the decision is. This is symbolic of what the sport has become, since almost everything that happens on the pitch is explained by what happens off it. This is why an article marking the English champions goes into so many other issues beyond the excellence of Haaland, the elegance of De Bruyne or the quality of Stones. That’s without even getting into the questions about what Abu Dhabi are using the club for, or the concerns raised by human rights groups. The reality is all of City’s success is ultimately explained by the fact they are a state project. It says much that three successive titles – a feat that has been historically rare – hasn’t been lauded as that much of a landmark. There’s still more to come, maybe for a long time. This City have been so dominant they have eliminated core concepts of sport. They may well have removed the very unpredictability the Premier League sells itself on. Read More Manchester City win fifth Premier League in six seasons after Arsenal falter Pep Guardiola’s five decisions that won Man City the Premier League

At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured when stampeding football fans pushed through one of the access gates at a quarterfinal match in the Salvadoran league Saturday. The National Civil Police said in a preliminary report via Twitter that nine dead were confirmed at the match between clubs Alianza and FAS at Monumental stadium in Cuscatlan, which is about 25 miles (41 km) northeast of the capital. Some later reports, including from the BBC, suggest up to 12 have now been confirmed dead. At least two of the injured transported to hospitals were in critical condition, police said. Carlos Fuentes, spokesman for the first aid group Rescue Commandos, also confirmed the deaths. "We can confirm nine dead — seven men and two women — and we attended to more than 500 people, and more than 100 were transported to hospitals, some of them were serious," Fuentes said. Play was suspended about 16 minutes into the match, when fans in the stands waving frantically began getting the attention of those on the field and carrying the injured out of a tunnel and down to the pitch. Local television transmitted live images of the aftermath of the stampede by Alianza fans. Dozens made it onto the field where they received medical treatment. Fans who escaped the crush stood on the field furiously waving shirts attempting to revive people lying on the grass barely moving. Pedro Hernandez, president of El Salvador soccer's first division, said the preliminary information he had was that the stampede occurred because fans managed to push through a gate into the stadium. "It was an avalanche of fans who overran the gate. Some were still under the metal in the tunnel. Others managed to make it to the stands and then to the field and were smothered," an unidentified volunteer with the Rescue Commandos first aid group told journalists. National Civil Police Commissioner Mauricio Arriza Chicas, at the scene of the tragedy, said there would be a criminal investigation in conjunction with the Attorney General's Office. "We are going to investigate from the ticket sales, the entries into the stadium, but especially the southern zone," where, he said, the gate was pushed open. The Salvadoran Soccer Federation said in a statement that it regretted what had happened and voiced support for the victims' families. AP Read More Mikel Arteta knows Arsenal are not at Manchester City’s level yet Ruben Neves could leave Wolves as he chases Champions League football Five titles in six years: Are Manchester City destroying the Premier League?

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knows it will take time for his side to get to the level Manchester City are at. The Gunners’ faint Premier League title hopes went with a whimper after a 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest handed City a fifth crown in six years. Arsenal were insatiable for most of the campaign, spending 248 days on top of the table, and held an eight-point lead over City in March, but an alarming slide has seen them win just two of their last eight games. That allowed them to be overtaken by Pep Guardiola’s relentless juggernaut, who have won 11 games in a row. The Spaniard says Arsenal have to find a way to compete with City but it will not be a quick fix. “This is my job, this is our job, and this is what this club deserves,” Arteta said. “It wasn’t enough. I know we’re not at that level, but we have to find a way. This is not enough. It’s not going to change in three months time. We need to be at that level but we need to find other ways to do it. “For example at Forest we needed to play much better. This is my responsibility. “That’s why we have to push for that to happen. That’s not going to happen if we don’t make a lot of right decisions and think smart and have the mentality every day to get to that level.” It wasn’t enough. I know we’re not at that level, but we have to find a way. This is not enough. It’s not going to change in three months time. We need to be at that level but we need to find other ways to do it Mikel Arteta While Arsenal had a definitive outcome for their aspirations, so did Forest as they secured their Premier League status against the odds. For large parts of the season, which began with more than 20 new signings, they looked destined to return straight back to the Championship, not least when they were on an 11-game winless run going into the end of April. Boss Steve Cooper steered them away from danger, thanks to 10 points from the last five games, and he is thankful to the fans, who have been vociferous in their support throughout the campaign. It looked possible that the Welshman could be sacked on two occasions during the campaign, but Forest fans voted with their feet and came out in unanimous support of their manager. And Cooper will never forget that. “My family and myself will be in debt to these supporters forever,” he said. “What they have given me this year in an era of people always wanting change and having no patience, our supporters have been the complete opposite. They have been the best with me in some difficult times. That takes some doing. “The whole sense of being part of something, being wanted and that sense of belonging is such a powerful feeling. Our supporters have set the standard for how to support a team.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ruben Neves could leave Wolves as he chases Champions League football Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hails Callum Wilson’s form Bryan Mbeumo delighted to come to the fore in absence of Ivan Toney

Ruben Neves admits he wants to play in the Champions League and faces a hard decision over his Wolves future. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to leave Molineux this summer after six years at the club. Neves, who has made 252 appearances and scored 30 goals, was given a standing ovation and left the pitch to embraces from his team-mates when he came off late in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton. It added to the belief he has played his last game at Molineux and the Portugal international has ambitions. He said: “I want to be here but I never hide that I want to play Champions League football. It’s a hard decision. Me and my family love it here, but in football you have to go for your main goals. “Nothing’s happened yet. If it was my last game here I really enjoyed it and I’m very thankful for the last six seasons.” Wolves were forced to settle for a draw after Yerry Mina’s leveller in the last minute of stoppage time cancelled out Hwang Hee-Chan’s opener. Referee David Coote played nine minutes of added time and Neves questioned him on it. He told PLP: “The only thing I can say is the nine minutes (of stoppage time). I asked the ref why. He said they’ve been asked to play exact times. I don’t know why they haven’t been doing it all season. “If you want to do it, you need to do it all season and not only in the last two games. “We’ve had some games here where they (only) gave four or five minutes. They said we’re the Premier League, not the World Cup. Now they are trying to be the World Cup.” The draw left Everton two points above the bottom three, before Leeds’ game at West Ham on Sunday. I want to be here but I never hide that I want to play Champions League football. It’s a hard decision. Me and my family love it here, but in football you have to go for your main goals Ruben Neves “We’ve been trying to build a mentality and I think that’s been evident in a lot of games,” said boss Sean Dyche. “Sometimes it’s got away from us, as have the details, but the mentality has been right and it was firm again today. The never-say-die, relentless attitude I like from my teams. “The players are beginning to understand it and deliver it more and more. I said to them at half-time ‘lads, big players, big performances are not always about tactics.'” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hails Callum Wilson’s form Bryan Mbeumo delighted to come to the fore in absence of Ivan Toney US PGA leader Brooks Koepka vows to avoid a repeat of Masters collapse

Mikel Arteta was asked to pick out the 'key moments' in which Arsenal's Premier League title bid fell apart following their 1-0 loss at Nottingham Forest.

Bryan Mbeumo was happy to step up for Brentford in the absence of Ivan Toney in their 3-1 win at Tottenham. The Bees were without 20-goal striker Toney, who has also been nursing a hamstring injury, after he was handed an eight-month ban by the Football Association on Thursday for repeated betting breaches. When Harry Kane fired Spurs into an early lead, it looked like Brentford’s faint hopes of European football were about to end but Mbeumo struck twice in a 12-minute period at the start of the second half before setting up Yoane Wissa for the visitors’ third late on. “Yeah, sensational. I can’t say more than this,” Mbeumo told BT Sport. “The first half was a bit sloppy from us, in the duels we were not maybe there but in the second half everybody raised the level and it is a fantastic win. “Of course it is hard because we lose a big personality on the pitch (in Toney) and yeah we have to do it as a team but I am happy to score. “I always push myself as hard as I can and yeah, I want to push the level. I am very hard on myself but I am happy. “We want to aim high, be high on the table and we still have one chance so we will do everything we can.” Mbeumo received praise from manager Thomas Frank after he scored his eighth and ninth goals of the campaign. Frank added: “He works so hard, is a fantastic pressing player and can score goals, assist and link up, but maybe he lacked goals (last season). “Probably a little bit unlucky in some situations because he hit the post seven times last year so we’re talking about margins there. “He does work very, very hard at his finishing and especially with Justin Cochrane but also Kevin O’Connor on those two finishes he made. So, I was very pleased to see his hard work pay off.” Brentford’s win means they are guaranteed a ninth-place finish but victory on the final day at home to champions Manchester City could secure Europa Conference League football. Frank knows revenge will be on the mind of Pep Guardiola’s side after they stunned them at the Etihad in November. Of course it is hard because we lose a big personality on the pitch (in Toney) and yeah we have to do it as a team but I am happy to score Bryan Mbeumo “We know we need Tottenham and (Aston) Villa to drop points on the last day when we are facing the best team in the world,” Frank smiled. “So, it is a little bit of a challenge but we will do everything we can to make an absolutely outstanding season even better.” Spurs’ acting head coach Ryan Mason was left bitterly disappointed by their latest defeat with their goals against tally now standing at 62, their worst in a Premier League campaign since 2003. He admitted: “Obviously we’re conceding a lot of goals for different reasons. “I thought we showed a lot of courage in the first half. We were brave, played a good match with the ball but in the second half the intensity dropped.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live US PGA leader Brooks Koepka vows to avoid a repeat of Masters collapse Katie Taylor eager for rematch after decision loss to Chantelle Cameron Brooks Koepka hopes to emulate Tiger Woods and win third PGA Championship title

Sunday's transfer roundup includes news on Carlo Ancelotti's forward targets at Real Madrid, the race for Joshua Kimmich, Man Utd's David de Gea negotiations and more.

LeBron James refused to concede defeat on Saturday after the Los Angeles Lakers slumped to a playoff loss to Denver that leaves them needing to rewrite...

Brittney Griner returned to the WNBA amid cheers from a raucous crowd

The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James are now on the brink of elimination following their Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.The Los Angeles Lakers had a rough start to the Western Conference Finals, as they dropped the first two games to the Denver Nuggets. In Game 1, there was at ...