List of All Articles with Tag 'a'

Mikel Arteta was the first victim and the first beneficiary of the new law changes after Arsenal won the Community Shield 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw against Manchester City. Gunners boss Arteta was booked in the first half by referee Stuart Attwell for protesting a decision, part of the new clampdown on the touchline behaviour of managers. But the fiery Spaniard was celebrating after the new law on timewasting and keeping the ball in play – meaning extended periods of stoppage time – allowed his side to equalise with 101 minutes on the clock. “It is really good to do that,” he said. “It was going too far and now teams are going to have to think twice. We have to prepare to play 100 minutes. It is going to happen every single week.” On his yellow card, Arteta added: “I cannot change my behaviour in three days and I can’t say tomorrow that we play with no offsides and what is the linesman doing? I try my best.” Pep Guardiola felt the amount of stoppage time was excessive even before the initial eight minutes stretched to 13 after a clash of heads between Kyle Walker and Thomas Partey. City’s treble-winning boss now also expects matches to regularly extend to 100 minutes and even longer. “We have to get used to it,” he said. “I had the feeling, not because we were winning 1-0, but that not much happened to extend it for eight minutes. “It’s a good question for the international board and people because they don’t consult with managers and players and we have to accept it with this amount of games. “Now the games will be 100 minutes. Nothing happened today and there was eight minutes. They extend for goals. If the score is 4-3, you put 45 seconds on for seven goals, tomorrow morning I am (still) here playing.” Young forward Cole Palmer, who was on as a substitute for the quiet Erling Haaland, appeared to have won it for City in normal time after a fine curling finish. But Leandro Trossard’s shot deflected in – off Manuel Akanji – to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw and take the game to a penalty shoot-out. The Gunners scored all four of their spot-kicks, while Kevin De Bruyne fired against the crossbar and Rodri’s weak effort was saved by Aaron Ramsdale. Fabio Vieira stepped up to hit the final penalty with Arsenal winning the shootout 4-1 to land the first piece of silverware of the campaign and go some way to lifting a mental block after last season’s disappointment at losing the title to City. “It feels great. I don’t think it gets much better than winning a trophy at Wembley against the best team in the world, and especially the way we have done it,” added Arteta. “It’s great if the players are convinced they can beat every team. I think we showed a real determination and fight to win the game. “The reason why we are here to win trophies for this club and make it successful. I have seen so many happy and proud people.” City lost last year’s Community Shield to Liverpool and although they did not do too badly over the rest of the season, Guardiola was still irritated by the defeat. “(We’ve lost) three in a row,” he added. “We came here to win it. We were so close, but winning or losing, I know the position of the team. “We would love to win today but sometimes you have to accept that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Arsenal ‘obviously paid way too much’ for Declan Rice, says Roy Keane England head coach Jess Thirlby ‘incredibly proud’ despite World Cup final loss Kyle Sinckler not taking England World Cup call as a given after Lions omission

Running through a new Fantasy Football Mock Draft for the 2023 season in a 12-team PPR league, picking at No. 5 in a snake draft.Forget Christmas, what's actually better than fantasy football draft season? You know, that magical time when you aren't staring down the barrel of 24 hours ...

All the latest Liverpool transfer rumours including updates on Mohamed Salah and Kylian Mbappe.

Kenny Pickett will use his low Quarterback Tiers ranking as motivation to propel the Pittsburgh Steelers to plenty of victories this fall.Apparently, not many NFL head coaches, coordinators and team executives believe in Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett.Pickett ranked 2...

Arsenal took home the first piece of silverware of the new season as they beat treble-winners Manchester City on penalties to lift the Community Shield. Substitute Cole Palmer appeared to have won it for City in normal time after a fine curling finish, only for an unfortunate last-gasp deflected Leandro Trossard goal to earn Arsenal a 1-1 draw and take the game to a shoot-out. The Gunners scored all of their spot-kicks while Kevin De Bruyne fired against the bar and Champions League final match-winner Rodri’s poor effort was saved by Aaron Ramsdale. Just as 12 months ago, Erling Haaland had a quiet afternoon in this fixture but his replacement, Palmer, had appeared set to add another trophy to the brimming cabinet at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal had their moments and arguably got the goal their play had deserved when a late Trossard effort took a deflection off Manuel Akanji. Fabio Vieira then converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out, handing the Gunners a 4-1 win. Arsenal showcased their big three summer additions with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber all starting, while Havertz’s former Chelsea team-mate Mateo Kovacic was the only new name in City’s line-up. New refereeing guidelines saw both Thomas Partey and Julian Alvarez booked for kicking the ball away, while the former showed ring rust in passing straight to Haaland on the edge of his own box, with the forward teeing up Rodri – whose shot deflected inches wide. Mikel Arteta fell foul to the same tightening of the rules as he was furious that Rodri was not cautioned for a pull of Havertz’s shirt, his gesticulating of a card instead earning the Arsenal boss a booking. Despite City dominating play it was Arsenal who came closest to breaking the deadlock at the midway point of the half, Stefan Ortega managing to keep out a Havertz shot before Gabriel Martinelli’s follow up was blocked by John Stones. It was Havertz again who almost opened the scoring as half-time approached, the Germany forward seeing another effort saved by Ortega after Martin Oedgaard and Bukayo Saka had combined. At the other end, goalkeeper Ramsdale would have been relieved to see Rodri’s speculative effort from the halfway line land of the roof of his net as he scrambled back towards goal. With just over an hour gone, City boss Pep Guardiola opted to take off Haaland, last season’s 52-goal man restricted to just 13 touches in a similarly-peripheral performance to that in defeat to Liverpool in the fixture a year ago. Palmer came on in his place and the England Under-21 European Championship winner was soon in the thick of things. His first chance at goal saw his shot glance off the thigh of Timber for a corner as City looked to regain their earlier dominance. He went one better soon after, once again receiving the ball on the right-hand side of the Arsenal penalty area but this time bending a fine strike past Ramsdale. Fellow substitute Phil Foden should have doubled the lead only for Ramsdale to make a fine last-ditch save, repeating the feat from the resulting corner to keep out Rodri’s near-post header. Arsenal would level in fortuitous circumstances as, deep into stoppage time, Trossard’s shot took a deflection off Akanji, wrong-footing Ortega and sending the Arsenal fans behind the goal into raptures. Skipper Martin Odegaard put Arteta’s men ahead in the shoot-out before substitute De Bruyne rattled the frame of the goal with his own effort. His Belgium team-mate Trossard put Arsenal in control of the shootout with Bernardo Silva scoring City’s only penalty as Bukayo Saka – who missed at the same Wembley end during the Euro 2020 final – also stroked home. The writing was on the wall when Rodri’s poor effort was saved by Ramsdale and Fabio Vieira fired the ball home from 12 yards to seal victory.

Player ratings from the 2023 Community Shield between Manchester City and Arsenal at Wembley.

Facundo Pellestri ensured Manchester United avoided defeat in their final pre-season friendly as Harry Maguire atoned for his first-half error to help secure a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao. Maguire, whose mistake had allowed Nico Williams to open the scoring before the break, set up the Uruguay international to level in stoppage time in front of a sell-out crowd at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Maguire, who was replaced as United captain by Bruno Fernandes during a summer of speculation over his future, was included as one of 11 changes to the side which beat Lens 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday, but there was no place for injured £72million signing Rasmus Hojlund a day after he had been presented to the club’s fans. Erik ten Hag’s men might have got off to the perfect start when Pellestri played Jadon Sancho in behind the Athletic defence with just four minutes gone, but his attempt was blocked by goalkeeper Unai Simon. Goalkeeper Tom Heaton was called upon to claim Inaki Williams’ 15th-minute strike as the Spaniards responded and they though they had been awarded a 25th-minute penalty seconds after United had seen their appeals waved away at the other end. Referee Neil Doyle initially pointed to the spot after Nico Williams had been brought down by Alvaro Fernandez, only for the official to change his mind and award a free-kick, with which Heaton dealt comfortably. However, the LaLiga side took the lead with 29 minutes gone when Oihan Sancet capitalised on Maguire’s slip-up to feed Nico Williams, who fired past the advancing keeper. Eighteen-year-old Dan Gore tested Simon as the second-half got under way with neither side taking a backward step. But Bilbao’s hopes of retaining their advantage were dealt a blow with 24 minutes remaining when last man Aitor Paredes was given a straight red card for hauling back Hannibal Mejbri after conceding possession to the Tunisia midfielder. Hannibal passed up a glorious opportunity to level when he volleyed the ball over from Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross, but redemption arrived deep into stoppage time when Maguire headed down another Wan-Bissaka delivery for Pellestri to steer home the equaliser. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Key talkings points from Arsenal's 2023 Community Shield victory over Manchester City at Wembley.

Alex Verdugo was made unavailable for Saturday's loss due to a "manager's decision." It sounds like it was disciplinary.The Boston Red Sox lost 5-4 to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, a game in which Alex Verdugo was a healthy scratch from the lineup.The loss was incred...

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou insists only one transfer deadline counts as he aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Bayern Munich’s public pursuit of Harry Kane after the forward scored four goals against Shakhtar Donetsk. Kane put the uncertainty over his future to one side to produce a classic display of predatory finishing in what could prove to be his final appearance in Spurs’ colours. Bayern are reported to have lodged their latest offer for Kane on Friday and an apparent self-imposed deadline of midnight was set by the German club, but there has been no further news on the outcome of that bid and Kane grabbed a hat-trick in 55 minutes of a 5-1 friendly win over Shakhtar. Kane added another goal in the 79th-minute before he left the pitch a minute later to a standing ovation following more chants of ‘he’s one of our own’ and at the conclusion of the clash the club’s record goal-scorer walked around the pitch to clap all four corners of the ground in what felt a significant moment. “We know there’s one deadline and that’s the end of the transfer window,” Postecoglou pointed out. “Beyond that, I’m in open dialogue with Harry and with the club on a regular basis. I’ve said to them that if the status quo changes then inform me. “I don’t need to know about the comings and goings in between. I just want to deal with what’s in front of me because, irrespective of the outcome of that, I’m building a team here. I can’t wait (around) for a decision either way to get going. “We don’t have the time or the luxury to do that. I’m working with what’s in front of me. You saw today that Harry certainly is invested in what we’re doing and we’ll keep on doing that unless something changes.” Bayern have been public about their desire to sign Kane all summer, with their honorary president Uli Hoeness and president Herbert Hainer talking openly in the media last month about trying to sign the England captain. We know there's one deadline and that's the end of the transfer window Ange Postecoglou Postecoglou added: “That’s up to Bayern to decide. If that’s the way they want to conduct things, it’s not up to me to judge that. “It doesn’t affect me. I don’t sit there on a daily basis and worry about what other clubs are doing. “I think what is factual right now is that he is a contracted player of our football club. “I certainly wouldn’t talk about contracted players at other football clubs but I’m not at Bayern mate so they can go the way they want.” While a lot of the focus on Sunday was on Kane, amongst the spectators at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven. Netherlands defender Van de Ven is scheduled to have a medical at Spurs’ training ground on Monday. But asked about Van de Ven, Postecoglou replied: “It hasn’t been done yet, so it’s not right for me to talk about but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that central defensive area. “Hopefully we’ll get one or two done in the next couple of days to bolster us in that area.” While Van de Ven’s future looks certain to be at Tottenham, Kane’s club for this campaign remains up in the air. Postecoglou refused to be drawn into the significance of Kane walking alone to applaud all four corners of the stadium at full-time. “You are reading something into it, aren’t you,” he added. “I don’t even know what’s in Harry’s mind, let alone anyone else’s. I think all these things will obviously play out over the next period, we’ll deal with what happens from there. “From my perspective, I’ve got a team to build here. Today showed me that we’ve made some progress but there’s still a lot of work to do. “There were areas today I wasn’t delighted with, so we need to make sure we focus on getting this team right. We’ll see what happens after that. “He’s a fantastic striker, one of the world’s best. I think the way the team plays will help him as well. He loves scoring goals and you saw today we created a load of chances and he was the beneficiary of that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 5 things we learned from the opening round of Scottish Premiership action Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Leicestershire-born Ashleigh Plumptre out to beat England at Women’s World Cup

The Dallas Cowboys appear to have some palpable interest in bringing back Ezekiel Elliott.New developments suggest that Ezekiel Elliott could be returning to the Dallas Cowboys after all.The former No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State was released by the only professional team he has ever pl...

Rangers suffered a shock defeat away to Kilmarnock on the opening weekend of the cinch Premiership season, while Hibernian and Aberdeen also started the campaign with frustrating results. Brendan Rodgers kicked off his second spell in charge of Celtic with a victory, while there were winning starts for Hearts and St Mirren. Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from the weekend’s fixtures. David Turnbull stakes his Celtic claim The former Motherwell midfielder was handed his first league start in almost nine months when Rodgers picked his first team for a competitive Celtic match since returning as manager. Turnbull seized his opportunity with two goals and would have had another if it had not been for a double stop from Ross Laidlaw. Rodgers challenged the 24-year-old to continue working hard off the ball and make the most of his chance. It never rains but it pours The Scottish football season closed in farcical fashion last term as torrential rain led to a major delay in Scotland’s win over Georgia. And the wet weather also delayed the start of the Premiership campaign in Perth as water got into the electrics and led to the VAR technology failing initially before Hearts’ win against St Johnstone. Dens Park was also affected as Dundee’s draw with Motherwell was briefly held up to clear a massive puddle from near the corner flag. Rangers still looking to find their groove Michael Beale deployed an all-new front trio of Sam Lammers, Abdallah Sima and Cyriel Dessers at Rugby Park and Brazilian striker Danilo would come on later for his debut. But Rangers only managed four shots on target in their 1-0 defeat by Kilmarnock. Rangers only failed to score on two occasions in the Premiership last season and already find themselves chasing Celtic. Killie signal their intent One of Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes’ pre-season ambitions was to take something off the Old Firm and that was achieved on the opening day against Rangers. Midfielder Brad Lyons scored only his second goal for Killie after 65 minutes and the hard-working home side held out at Rugby Park with a degree of comfort. It was an early confidence-booster for the revamped Ayrshire outfit who battled at the wrong end of the table for most of last season. Hearts steal an early march on Dons and Hibs Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen have all enjoyed third-placed finishes over the past three seasons and the trio of big city clubs are widely expected to battle it out for the ‘best of the rest’ tag behind Celtic and Rangers this time round. All three kicked off the campaign with fixtures against teams that finished beneath them last term, but Hearts were the only side to emerge victorious after a 2-0 triumph at St Johnstone. Aberdeen and their huge away support were left frustrated by a 0-0 draw at Livingston, while Hibs suffered a demoralising 3-2 home defeat by St Mirren. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Harry Kane puts speculation to one side with four goals in Tottenham friendly Leicestershire-born Ashleigh Plumptre out to beat England at Women’s World Cup Dozens of triathletes stuck down with diarrhoea and vomiting after ‘swimming in s**t’