Southampton 1-5 Chelsea

Chelsea moved seven points behind leaders Liverpool following their comfortable 5-1 victory over Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Goals from Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho cancelled out Joe Aribo’s 11th minute goal as the Blues held on for the win.

The win takes Chelsea up to second place on the log with 28 points from 14 games, while Southampton remain at the bottom of the table with five points from 14 matches.

Newcastle United 3-3 Liverpool

Newcastle United came from behind to secure a dramatic 3-3 draw against log leaders Liverpool at St. James’ Park.

Goals from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Fabian Schär cancelled out goals from a brace by Mohammed Salah and a goal from Curtis Jones.

The win saw Liverpool remain at the top of the league table with 35 points from 14 games, while Newcastle are placed 10th with 20 points from 14 matches.

Manchester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Manchester City snapped their seven-game winless run following their comfortable 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

The Citizens walked away with all three points thanks to goals from Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.

The win sees Man City move into the top four with 26 points after 14 games, while Forest are placed sixth on the table with 22 points from 14 matches.

Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United

Arsenal moved within seven points of leaders Liverpool after they secured a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners secure the win and all three points through defenders Jurriën Timber and William Saliba in London.

Despite the win, Arsenal dropped down to third place on the log with 28 points, while Man Utd dropped to 11th place on 19 points from 14 matches.

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The match finished even at 1-1 on the night and 4-4 on aggregate, with Kevin De Bruyne scoring a response for the holders after Rodrygo had given the visitors an early lead.

But Andriy Lunin, Madrid’s improbable hero, stopped spot-kicks from Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic, ending City’s chances of winning the competition.

In an exciting first leg, the Ukrainian, who has filled in for the injured Thibaut Courtois this season, was somewhat to blame for City’s early lead, but he more than made up for it.

The 14-time European champions put up a valiant defensive effort to keep City, who had not lost at home in the Champions League since 2018, at bay despite 34 shots on goal.

Eleven months ago, Madrid lost 4-0 at the Etihad to an early City blitz, and Pep Guardiola’s team went on to win the competition for the first time.

Two years prior, City also prevailed 4-3 at home in a thrilling semi-final first leg, only to be taken aback by a dramatic late comeback by Madrid in the rematch.

This time, Carlo Ancelotti’s team turned the tide with a confident start that was rewarded with the first goal of the game.

With a flawless touch, Jude Bellingham lifted the ball from the skies, sending Real scuttling to the right.

Vinicius Junior found the unmarked Rodrygo, who tapped in the rebound after Ederson, his Brazilian international teammate, parried his initial attempt.

Even though City took a while to get into the game, they soon had Madrid pinned against the ropes and were unable to score for 76 minutes.

In the match, Erling Haaland has not scored for the fourth time in as many meetings, but he has rarely been closer than when his looping header struck the crossbar and Bernardo Silva was unable to react in time to convert the rebound.

Jack Grealish’s effort was diverted into the side netting by the resilient Antonio Rudiger, and Lunin was forced to turn away De Bruyne’s strike from outside the box.

At the beginning of the second half, the Madrid custodian stopped two more attempts from Grealish. However, Guardiola traded in the England international for Jeremy Doku’s quicker pace.

That turned out to be a brilliant move because, with 14 minutes remaining, Rudiger mishandled a Doku cross and let De Bruyne smash the ball into the net.

De Bruyne then fired a magnificent chance over, and he should have won the tie on his own.

Nevertheless, Madrid’s vitality was depleted by City’s control of the ball and territory, as their deadly counterattack was mainly restrained after the first half.

With Julian Alvarez coming on for Haaland during extra time, Guardiola made another crucial decision.

However, Real Madrid had the better opportunity during the additional thirty minutes, and the Argentine was no more successful at finding gaps in the vast lines of the Madrid defensive.

Rudiger stayed forward from a rare Madrid corner and sliced over with a clean sight of goal.

However, the German defender would still have the last say when he converted the shootout’s final penalty.

Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

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Los Blancos made their way to this stage of the competition after claiming a 2-1 aggregate win over RB Leipzig in the round of 16.

The Citizens, meanwhile, secured a comfortable 6-2 aggregate victory over FC Copenhagen in the last 16.

Vinicius will come into this encounter having played five matches in the Champions League, scoring three goals and registering three assists, while De Bruyne had made one appearance and scored one goal.

The showdown between Real Madrid and Manchester City is scheduled to kick-off at 9pm on Tuesday evening.

Ready to go head-to-head on Europe’s biggest stage ⚡️

Wishing good luck to @KevinDeBruyne and @vinijr as they face off in the Champions League quarter-finals 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ESXtx0wuqs

— Roc Nation Sports International (@RocNationSI) April 8, 2024

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De Bruyne missed the first five months of the season due to a hamstring injury, but Foden played a pivotal role in the 4-1 thumping of Aston Villa on Wednesday. The Belgian also scored a hat-trick while on the bench.

At Selhurst Park, the roles were flipped as Pep Guardiola rested Foden and De Bruyne spurred City’s comeback after the team trailed 3-0.

In between his two goals, the Belgian ended his goal drought by setting up Erling Haaland.

“It’s been an untypical season. Being out for five months, sometimes I feel good, sometimes I need a bit of time for my body,” said De Bruyne.

“I don’t expect to be just given my place. If I don’t perform well I won’t play. Phil has been amazing this season, he keeps me on my toes.”

Guardiola took advantage of the opportunity to rearrange his team once more, only three days before City’s Champions League quarterfinal trip to Real Madrid.

Alongside Foden, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, and Jeremy Doku were benched.

When John Stones and Oscar Bobb entered the game alongside De Bruyne and Haaland, City did not seem to be any weaker.

But after just three minutes, a mistake by the ring-rusty Stones gifted Palace the lead.

Stones was returning to action after suffering an injury while playing for England last month. Adam Wharton pounced on his mishandled pass, allowing Jean-Philippe Mateta to score off the post.

After 10 minutes, City equalised thanks to a goal from De Bruyne that curled into the top corner.

“Today Kevin won the game with his actions, goals, assists, his talent,” said Guardiola. “Today we won (because of) him.”

Dean Henderson made a stop on a one-on-one opportunity as Haaland, who had not scored in his previous five games for club or country, was unable to capitalise on a magnificent De Bruyne through ball.

Prior to halftime, Jordan Ayew gave Palace another chance to lead when he slammed the bar following a rare Rodri mistake.

After Rico Lewis took advantage of some careless Palace defending to make it 2-1 on 47 minutes after Jack Grealish’s deflected cross, there was little question about the result.

Injury setbacks have plagued Grealish’s season on multiple occasions, but his return to full fitness and form might be crucial to City’s hopes of winning the FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League.

Grealish also assisted his team in scoring their third goal, setting up De Bruyne for a cross that Haaland headed in for a much-needed goal for the Norwegian.

Despite having 30 goals this season in all competitions, Haaland had not scored in 12 of his previous 17 appearances after returning from a two-month-long foot injury.

De Bruyne scored with his left foot after curling one in with his right, bringing his total number of goals since joining City in 2015 to 100 in 372 games.

By then, it appeared as though City would win by the four goals required to surpass Liverpool on goal differential.

However, Palace scored their sixth and last goal when Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross was turned in by Odsonne Edouard.

Arsenal, who may reclaim first place later on Saturday when they face Brighton, is now two points behind City.

Photo by Backpagepix

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Following Kevin de Bruyne’s early goal, it appeared as though Pep Guardiola’s team would win handily because the hosts were hardly able to stop them.

However, Ederson’s bad clearing allowed the ball to go straight to Copenhagen, where Magnus Mattsson scored a spectacular goal to seize the opportunity.

Just before halftime, Bernardo Silva gave Manchester City another lead with a deft flick after a De Bruyne ball had rebounded through to him.

After the break, De Bruyne and Erling Haaland had further opportunities to extend the advantage. However, Phil Foden’s late goal assured that City would leave with a two-goal cushion even if they were not playing at their best offensively.

Photo by Backpagepix

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The three got the most votes from the jury, which was made up of coaches of UEFA clubs, people in charge of European national teams, and a few journalists.

The winner will be announced at the Champions League group stage draw on August 31 in Monaco.

Last season, Haaland scored the most goals in the Champions League with 12, and De Bruyne, who had the most assists with seven, was a big reason why City won the trophy for the first time.

Messi moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami this summer. In 2022, Messi won the World Cup with Argentina, giving him the last big trophy he was missing.

Pep Guardiola is one of the candidates for coach of the year because he helped City win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League last season.

He is joined by two Italian coaches: Simone Inzaghi, who led Inter Milan to the Champions League final, and Luciano Spalletti, who gave Napoli its first Serie A title in 33 years.

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Last week, City’s last Premier League game of the season was at Brentford, and De Bruyne, Grealish, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji were all not there.

But City manager Guardiola said on Friday that the four players have returned to training and are expected to play in the first all-Manchester FA Cup final at Wembley.

“They’ve trained well in the last two training sessions. They are all of them, more or less, fine,” he said.

Guardiola also said that Stefan Ortega will start in goal against United instead of Ederson, who is usually his first choice.

Ortega has played in two of City’s last three league games and hasn’t let in a goal yet this season in the FA Cup.

It is a risky move by Guardiola, whose team needs two more wins to become only the second English club after United in 1999 to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League all in the same season.

“Stefan will be playing. This is how I’ve always been in the FA Cup. Guardiola said, “The custodian who has played in the FA Cup will play in the FA Cup final.”

Even though City won the league title with 12 straight wins and finished 14 points ahead of United, Guardiola doesn’t think Erik ten Hag’s team will be easy to beat.

In January, United beat City 2-1, making up for a 6-3 loss earlier in the season. In February, they won the League Cup, ending a six-year trophy drought.

Guardiola likes what Ten Hag has done in his first year at Old Trafford.

“I look at a manager on how his team improve. When you see a team better and better, in a league that is not easy, you identify a really good manager,” he said.

“He represents our profession in the best way possible. I can’t say we are friends, we are not in touch much, but I think United have an exceptional manager for many, many years.”

If City beats United, they can win the treble by beating Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 10 in Istanbul.

But Guardiola told his players not to think about winning the Champions League for the first time.

“Thinking about titles, the second or third, we have to analyse the strength of our opponent, look at the weaknesses they have,” he said.

“Everything surrounding is normal, you cannot control it. It’s special for itself but the question what United have done for the past five months means they are a completely different team.

“They were better when we lost but we played good. I have the feeling that they have improved, the playing patterns are more clear.

“We’ve done really, really well against them during my time but it’s United, the quality of player has always been there.”

Photo by EPA/ADAM VAUGHAN

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Lionel Messi (PSG & Argentina)

Although there are multiple candidates worthy of taking home this prestigious award, Messi is the front runner to claim his record eighth Ballon d’Or after finally ending his long wait for his first World Cup title.

Aside from lifting the trophy in Qatar, he also walked away with the Golden Ball as the best player at the World Cup. He looks a shoo-in to claim the prize following his form for club and country.

Kylian Mbappe (PSG & France)

Kylian Mbappe will have his say and give PSG teammate Lionel Messi a run for his money for the individual accolade.

The Frenchmen finished sixth in the rankings last time around, but this year, he is another of the favourites to win.

Mbappe has been one of the standout performers this season after clinching the Golden Boot award, with eight goals in total and a hat-trick in the World Cup final.

He also recently became PSG’s all-time leading scorer with 201 goals, all achieved by the age of 24.

Erling Haaland (Manchester City & Norway)

Despite not featuring at the World Cup after Norway failed to qualify, Haaland has been a revelation since joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of the season after activating his 60 million (£51.2 million) release clause.

Haaland will definitely be a strong contender for the Ballon d’Or if he can continue his impressive form for Pep Guardiola’s side; he continues to lead the Premier League scoring charts, having gone past last season’s top mark midway through the current campaign.

Neymar (PSG & Brazil)

Neymar has been back to his best form for French giants PSG this season and despite failing to lead his country to the World Cup title, he did manage to match Pelé’s all-time Brazil goals record, and his club numbers have been incredible this season.

One thing that could count against him is the ankle injury that will likely see him miss the rest of the season. Has he already done enough, maybe?

Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona & Poland)

Robert Lewandowski has battled for top form since joining Barcelona from Bayern Munich, but his contribution to his new club has played a massive role in their run for the LaLiga title.

Despite scoring his first two goals ever at a World Cup, the Polish international will definitely stake his claim for the award as he currently leads the scoring charts for the Spanish giants this season.

Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid & Brazil)

Vinicius Junior was one of the stars for Brazil at the World Cup and showed flashes of his outstanding ability in his debut on the global stage, but he could not produce a consistent performance to help Brazil past the quarter-finals.

At club level, Vinicius has been a revelation for Real Madrid this season, stepping up in the absence of striker Karim Benzema, elevating his game to make him Real Madrid’s main man.

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)

Kevin De Bruyne looked a shadow of his usual self at the World Cup in a disappointing campaign with Belgium, but his Manchester City form has been outstanding.

He will play a crucial role in helping Pep Guardiola’s side fight for a successive Premier League trophy, and he looks on course to be crowned the top assist maker in the 2022/23 season.

Luka Modric (Real Madrid & Croatia)

Luka Modric continues to prove that he is ageing like fine wine as he defies logic with his breathtaking performances for both club and country.

The veteran midfielder led Croatia to a semifinal finish at the World Cup for a third time in their 30-year history, and he will be eyeing the chance to guide Real Madrid to silverware.

He has been playing at the top level for almost 15 years and is arguably one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Modric is surely in with a shout for the coveted prize.

Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa & Argentina)

Emiliano Martínez is more than likely to be among the nominees for this prestigious award after his heroic performances throughout the World Cup to help Argentina clinch the World Cup trophy. He also walked away with the Golden Glove award.

The Aston Villa shot-stopper was also named the Best FIFA Men’s goalkeeper, having played a key role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph, producing a number of incredible saves, most notably his stop late in the final against France, which directly contributed to Argentina eventually lifting the trophy.

Marcus Rashford (Manchester United & England)

Marcus Rashford is in the form of his life this campaign despite a poor start to the season. His impressive goal- scoring form has played a vital role in helping Manchester United end their six-year trophy drought following their triumph in the Carabao Cup.

He is by far Erik ten Hag’s most improved player this season and if he is about to carry United to even more silverware this season, then there is nothing ruling the England international out of the running for individual honours.

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After the champions’ 2-1 victory at Fulham on Sunday, Manchester City took Arteta’s team’s place atop the table.

After winning eight straight league games in pursuit of their fifth league championship in six years, City now leads the Gunners by a point with a game remaining.

Arsenal, in contrast, has struggled lately, winning just three of their last four games.

After six seasons away from the premier club competition in Europe, they are at least guaranteed a return to Champions League play, but Arteta insisted the Gunners’ squad was not content with that accomplishment alone.

Arteta now wants Arsenal, who were defeated 4-1 by City the previous week, to mount a comeback against London rivals Chelsea on Tuesday at the Emirates.

“We have to see if we can attack (better), Alaba and Rudiger were so close on Erling,” Guardiola told reporters.

“It was not easy to find the spaces. We’ll try to adjust something in the second leg to be more fluid and play with a bit more rhythm.”

Despite having nearly 70% of the first half’s possession, the visitors were down at the break.

De Bruyne, Rodri, and Haaland fired a barrage of shots at Thibaut Courtois early on as City dominated and Madrid sat back, absorbing the pressure.

Ten minutes before halftime, the hosts scored on a vicious counterattack as Eduardo Camavinga sprinted past Bernardo Silva, found space, and fed Vinicius.

In spite of Ederson’s helpless dive, the Brazilian arrowed a shot into the top left corner from almost 25 yards away. Madrid only attempted one shot in the opening period, but it was the most successful one.

“It’s normal that City have the ball, we don’t have to go mad about that,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

“After the goal we played very well, controlling the space, creating things, we played very well, I hope we can repeat it in the second leg.”

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De Bruyne was at his best as he put City ahead with a lung-busting run and a cool finish.

The Belgium midfielder sent a cross that John Stones headed in for City’s second goal, then scored again before Haaland sealed the important win in the last few seconds.

“The connection between Kevin and Erling is extraordinary, today we tried to use it as much as possible,” Guardiola told BT Sport.

With two games to play, City are now only two points behind leaders Arsenal.

City will win the title for the fifth time in six years if they win six of their last seven games.

But Guardiola isn’t getting too excited yet. The Spanish coach has told his players to focus on their next three league games.

On Sunday, City will go to Fulham. After that, they will host West Ham and Leeds.

During that time, Guardiola’s team will also play Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League. In June, they will play Manchester United in the FA Cup final as they try to win a very rare treble.

“I know the next three games are really important. After two games at home against West Ham and Leeds, these three games will dictate if we can do what we want to do,” Guardiola said.

“The reality is today we are two points behind Arsenal, they are in front of us.”

De Bruyne agreed with Guardiola when he said that the win didn’t mean that City had won another title.

“It is too long. We know what people said about whoever won this game but it is so hard, a lot of things can happen,” De Bruyne said.

“We have two games in hand but we are still behind them.”

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