List of All Articles with Tag 'football'

Sheffield Wednesday have appealed to fans for help in finding striker Lee Gregory’s face mask in time for the Sky Bet League One play-off final. Gregory lost his protective mask during the Owls’ celebrations after their stunning fightback against Peterborough at Hillsborough in Thursday’s semi-final. Darren Moore’s side overcame a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win 5-1 on the night and 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out, sparking wild scenes of joy among players and fans, who invaded the pitch. The Owls said on Twitter: “Can you help!? In the aftermath of our stunning comeback win on Thursday, Lee Gregory’s mask is missing! “The custom-built protective cover was near the dugout. Due to a short turnaround, we cannot replace in time for next week. Any ideas where it might be!?” Gregory had the mask fitted after sustaining a facial injury in training, which forced him to miss Wednesday’s 1-0 home win against Derby in their final game of the regular season. He returned to action as a substitute in the semi-final first leg at Peterborough and was back in the starting line-up for the return, putting the Owls 2-0 up on the night and also scoring an own goal in extra-time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Skipper James Tavernier celebrated his 400th competitive appearance for Rangers with the opening goal in a 3-1 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at Easter Road. The Gers right-back beat Hibs goalkeeper David Marshall with a 30-yard free-kick in the 33rd minute and Ianis Hagi doubled the visitors’ lead in the 55th minute with his first goal since January 2022, before his lengthy knee injury absence. Todd Cantwell added a third in the 88th minute before Hibs defender Paul Hanlon reduced the deficit in added time. The defeat leaves Lee Johnson’s side four points behind fourth-placed Hearts and six behind Aberdeen, with European places potentially available up to fifth place in the league as long as Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final Hibs host Celtic on Wednesday before the Edinburgh derby against Hearts on the final day of the season. Rangers, with second place guaranteed, finish the campaign with a home game against Hearts before travelling to St Mirren on the last day of the season. Michael Beale already had a lengthy injury list when he confirmed before the game that defender Connor Goldson was ruled out for 10 weeks, the problem unspecified. However, the Gers boss made only two changes to his starting line-up with Hagi in for Rabbi Matondo and 19-year-old centre-back Leon King replacing Goldson for his first start since November Tavernier had the Hibs defence in trouble with a series of early corners in which defender John Souttar’s header came off the crossbar and King’s header blocked inadvertently by Gers midfielder Ryan Jack. Hibs, unchanged from last week’s draw at Aberdeen, worked their way into the game but Rangers remained the more dangerous, a neat move ending with striker Fashion Sakala forcing a save from Marshall with a low drive. The home side began to cope better with the Ibrox threat and in the 23rd minute striker Kevin Nisbet came close with a header from an Elie Youan cross, after the Hibs wideman had got the better of Tavernier. However, the Gers captain made a more marked impression on the game after Cantwell was fouled wide on the left by CJ Egan-Riley. With most expecting a cross into the middle, Tavernier curled the ball in at the near post with Hibs captain Marshall slow to get across and unable to keep the ball out the net. The Easter Road side took some time to recover but might have levelled in the 41st minute when Nisbet’s wonderful curling pass found Josh Campbell at the back post but the midfielder could only hit the side-netting on the stretch. Early in the second half, Gers keeper Robby McCrorie, who had looked unconvincing, was out of position when Nisbet’s close-range header floated just past the post, just before Scott Arfield replaced the injured Gers midfielder Nicolas Raskin. Rangers’ second goal came from Tavernier’s long ball into the box which was headed down by Sakala and although Hagi’s first effort was blocked by Hanlon – it looked as though the ball hit the arm of the Hibs defender – the Romania international drove in at the second attempt. Marshall saved another effort from Sakala and the other end, Nisbet headed substitute Ewan Henderson’s corner against the post – it was not going to Hibs’ day. In the 79th minute Marshall tipped a John Lundstram drive over the bar before Cantwell prodded in from close range to seal the points after the Hibs keeper failed to deal with a Tavernier effort, with Hanlon netting a consolation goal for the hosts when he headed in a corner in the third of four added minutes. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live The masked striker – Sheffield Wednesday searching for Lee Gregory face shield Authorities investigate El Salvador stadium crush with at least nine people dead Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hails Callum Wilson’s form

Follow live coverage as Troyes take on Strasbourg in Ligue 1 today. Paris Saint-Germain are the box-office draw of the French top flight with some of the world's very best players including Lionel Messi and Neymar plying their trade in the capital. After Lille produced one of the shocks of recent seasons in the European game by pipping them to the post in 2020/21, PSG returned to the summit of the French game in 2022. Saint-Etienne are the record winners with 10 league titles in their illustrious history, but none since 1981. Marseille have won it nine times while Monaco, who are actually based in a foreign country making it a cross-border competition, eight-time champions. Nantes hold the record for the most consecutive matches without defeat (32) and also boast the least number of defeats in a single season (1) in 1994/95. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Brighton & Hove Albion face Southampton in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as West Ham United face Leeds United in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

El Salvador’s National Civil Police have launched a criminal investigation after at least nine people died in a football stadium crush in San Salvador. Dozens more fans were injured during Saturday’s incident at the Primera Division play-off quarter-final second leg between Alianza and FAS at the Cuscatlan Stadium in the country’s capital. The match was suspended and the National Civil Police confirmed in a preliminary report posted on Twitter that nine people – seven men and two women – had died. National Civil Police general commissioner Mauricio Arriaza Chicas said the police would work alongside the Republic’s attorney general’s office to hold those responsible for the disaster to account. Arriaza Chicas said on Twitter: “We regret this incident in which there are deaths. As a police institution we announce that together with the @FGR_SV we are going to get down to the last details of a criminal investigation into tonight’s incident.” Attorney general Rodolfo Delgado tweeted: “What has happened this day at the Cuscatlan Stadium is a tragedy for everyone. My condolences to the Salvadoran fans. @FGR_SV and @PNCSV they are executing the necessary procedures to deduce responsibilities.” El Salvador president Nayib Bukele promised that an “exhaustive investigation” would be conducted into what happened at the stadium. He added on Twitter: “Everyone will be investigated: teams, directors, stadium, ticket office, league, federation, etc… “Whoever the culprits are, they will not go unpunished.” Video footage of the match on YouTube shows the game being suspended after panic in one of the stands and the injured are later seen being carried away by emergency services on stretchers. Francisco Alabi, the minister of health, said on Twitter in the hours after the incident: “At the moment, as an integrated health system, we are caring for around 90 people after what happened at the stadium. “The patients are both women and men, including minors, and who mostly have been treated for multiple injuries. “The majority of them are in a stable condition and at the moment we have had no reports of deaths from hospitals.” The Salvadoran Soccer Federation said that all national level football matches on Sunday would be suspended. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Eighth place for Sir Mo Farah in Manchester in penultimate race of his career Andy Murray pulls out of French Open Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hails Callum Wilson’s form

Follow The Independent's live coverage of all the action in the FA Women’s Super League today. The WSL is the top tier of English women’s football with international players from all over the world plying their trade in one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues around. Chelsea have won three of the past four titles and Emma Hayes’ side will be right in the hunt again, with the likes of Arsenal - champions in 2018-19 – and Manchester City, who have been runners-up for each of the past four seasons, among their competitors. With the top three sides qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, all 12 WSL teams have plenty to play for, although some clubs’ main ambition will simply be to avoid the drop. The side who finish bottom will be relegated to the FA Women’s Championship – a fate that befell Bristol City in 2020-21 – and newly-promoted Leicester City, competing in the top flight of the women’s game for the first time, will be eager to avoid an immediate return. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan praised a collective effort after Pep Guardiola’s side were crowned Premier League champions once again following Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest. The Gunners needed to win to delay City’s title celebrations ahead of their home match against Chelsea on Sunday. However, Taiwo Awoniyi’s first-half goal proved enough to give Forest victory in front of a raucous home crowd, which secured their own top-flight status once again. Guardiola’s side will lift the Premier League trophy on Sunday for a third successive campaign, and a fifth time in six seasons, sealed with three matches to spare. City had overhauled Arsenal’s eight-point lead as Mikel Arteta’s men faltered, winning 11 Premier League games in a row including a 4-1 victory over their rivals at the end of April. Unbeaten in their last 23 games through all competitions, City have also reached the finals of both the FA Cup and Champions League as they remain on course for the treble. “To have helped the club win a third straight Premier League title is something very special,” Gundogan said on the Manchester City website. “The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is. “This squad is so talented and so special and to have been captain this season has been an enormous privilege.” German midfielder Gundogan added: “I would also like to thank Pep, all the backroom staff and everyone who works across this football club. “Every single day they help provide us as players with everything we need in order to try to be successful. There is no way we could have won this title without all their support. “To have won this trophy three times in a row and five times in six years is incredible. That quality and consistency helps sum up what Manchester City stand for and ensures the club will continue to strive for success going forward. “It has been a season I will never forget. Our amazing fans have been with us every single step of the way. “Without their amazing backing I don’t think there is any way we would have been able to achieve what we have done these past six seasons. “Their passion and support have been so important and inspirational for us all. Hopefully winning the Premier League title again is a fitting way for us to say thank you to our fans.” Erling Haaland’s goals helped fire City to the title, as the Norway forward set a new Premier League record with 36 so far. He wrote on Twitter: “Always give your best. Always believe. It pays off. C’MON CITY!” City defender Aymeric Laporte posted: “What a season tho. Credit to absolutely everyone involved from top to bottom. “Every one of use fought for this. More to come soon hopefully but we can already be proud of this one.” Arsenal had been insatiable for most of the campaign, spending 248 days on top of the table before their late collapse handed City an opportunity to ruthlessly hunt them down. City defender Kyle Walker said: “Arsenal pushed us right to the limit they’ve been fantastic, so all credit to them. “We just went on an incredible run, they had a few hiccups and we capitalised on it and we’ve managed to end up where we have now. “It’s the players we’ve got. We’re a bunch of lads who have achieved so much over the last number of years and we understand the standards we’ve set. “We achieved so much over the past five or six years, but we knew the bar wasn’t high enough at the start of the season. “When we came back after the World Cup, we had to kick on and fair play to the lads. “We wanted to prove anyone doubting us wrong – it wasn’t good enough. “With the lads we have in the dressing room we always believe we can do something. “The standards of the Premier League have gone up, but this is what this club is built for, certainly that’s how it’s been for the six years I’ve been here, so fair play to everyone involved. “You’ve got to be ready at the business end of the season because that’s what this club is all about and what we are built for.” City greeted their fans on Sunday morning by tweeting: “It is time for the @premierleague champions to take on Chelsea!” ahead of the 4pm kick-off at the Etihad. 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

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