Premier League

EDDIE NKETIAH suffered “one of the worst cameos ever” after being sent off within TEN minutes of coming on during Crystal Palace’s dramatic 2-1 win over Brighton.The striker was booked for simulation inside the box within 60 SECONDS of replacing goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta inside 68 minutes.Palace star Eddie Nketiah was shown a yellow card for simulation within a minute of coming onCredit: GettyNketiah endured a nightmare ten minute cameo during Palace’s dramatic 2-1 win over BrightonCredit: RexThe former Arsenal star was then shown a second yellow for a high boot on Jan Paul Van Hecke in the 78th minuteCredit: GettyThe striker was handed a double booking from ref Anthony TaylorCredit: AlamyFans inside Selhurst Park applauded Nketiah as he walked off down the tunnelCredit: GettyTo make matters worse, Nketiah was through on goal and could’ve unleashed a shot at Seagulls keeper Bart Verbruggen with his first touch of the game.And just nine minutes later, the former Arsenal star was shown a second yellow for a high boot on Jan Paul Van Hecke in the 78th minute.In total, Nketiah had just two touches of the ball and completed only two passes during his disaster ten minutes before being sent off.He failed to win any of his duels in the heated 3pm derby, before losing two 50-50 battles.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSWhile fans inside Selhurst Park applauded a gutted Nketiah as he walked off down the tunnel, others online were far less supportive, with the game in the balance at 2-1.One wrote: “Hats off to Nketiah for one of the worst cameos in history.”A second said: “Did Nketiah really just do that?😔”But loads backed him, writing: “Nketiah didn’t even dive. There was clear contact. He also pulled out of the second. Harsh.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSMeanwhile, Van Hecke himself was handed the final red card of agame which saw ref Anthony Taylor dish out THREE.Palace defender Marc Guehi was given his marching orders in between them.Ben Chilwell opens up on being bombed out by Chelsea before Crystal Palace lifelineThe 24-year-old soon followed Nketiah after also receiving a second yellow for catching Brajan Gruda with his studs.The England star’s second yellow came minutes after medics rushed onto the pitch to help Maxence Lacroix after a sickening head clash with Joao Pedro.Meanwhile, two stunning efforts from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daniel Munoz, either side of a Danny Welbeck leveller, secured all three points for Oliver Glasner’s side.The Eagles moved to within four points of Fabian Hurzeler’s side with a game in hand. More

WEST HAM fans must just wish the season could end tomorrow.Pride is perhaps the only thing the club is playing for these days.Evanilson levels for the CherriesCredit: ReutersThe Bournemouth striker celebrates his equaliserCredit: GettyIt is highly unlikely, with three poor teams inside the drop zone, that they are going to get relegated from the Premier League.And though the core problems on the pitch are not necessarily his fault, the honeymoon period for Graham Potter ended a while ago.On a sun-drenched afternoon in East London, this had the feel of an end-of-season occasion for the Hammers, with their campaign slowly drifting towards a lacklustre finish.The lack of urgency and intensity at times was matched by the flattest atmosphere imaginable inside the London Stadium.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLNo wonder the cheeky Bournemouth fans sang: “Is this a library?”Though there was a brief moment of joy when their captain Jarrod Bowen headed them in front, Bournemouth striker Evanilson scored with a tap-in to deny Potter what would have been just a fourth win in 12 matches.One image of a West Ham fan YAWNING in stoppage time summed up the sorry nature of the overall display.West Ham could end up finishing in 17th spot, which would be their WORST league finish for 14 years, and plans for next season should really be happening behind the scenes.Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKJarrod Bowen had headed West Ham in front on 68 minutesCredit: PABowen celebrates his second-half headerCredit: ReutersThings could have got really bad inside the first minute when Bournemouth showed their attacking threat – but the header by Evanilson from Dango Ouattara’s floated left-wing cross sailed wide.West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was certainly alert to the danger on 32 minutes when he was forced to save with his legs a possible own goal by Tomas Soucek.’He’s got to go’ – Danny Dyer reveals two clubs he’d let Jarrod Bowen leave West Ham for even if it broke his heartThe Czech ace – who played throughout in an advanced role between Bowen and Mohammed Kudus – saw the ball inadvertently come off his midriff when Ouattara hooked it back into the box.Six minutes later, Areola was not so fortunate as his inability to hold on to the ball proved his undoing.The Parisian spilled a shot from Antoine Semenyo, who did well to fire goalbound from a  tight area, and Evanilson reacted first for his fifth goal in six matches.Inevitably there was a VAR check for a possible offside and on the last Saturday before the introduction of semi-automated offside technology, Cherries fans had to wait for someone in a Stockley Park booth to review the monitors.It could have been worse for the home side five minutes later but the flicked header by Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi bounced off the crossbar.Apart from one brief moment of lovely skill from the twinkle toes of Kudus, who performed some trickery in the middle of the field, the first half was easily forgotten from a West Ham perspective.No shots on target and boos greeted the half-time whistle.The second half did improve, from an entertainment point of view, and Niclas Fullkrug came off the bench to score his first goal in front of home fans since his £27.5million arrival last summer from Borussia Dortmund.The German giant, who has had a series of different injuries, scored with a powerful header that Kepa, the Bournemouth goalkeeper, had no chance of stopping.Bowen, who will soon get married to celebrity/influencer Dani Dyer, joined in with the fun and scored with a brilliant header himself – his first goal at home in 2025.Yet West Ham’s luck was popped by the Cherries and Brazilian No9 Evanilson scored at the back post from a Dean Huijsen header, which survived a VAR offside check for Ben Winterburn.Semenyo may have given the visitors a grandstand finish but his attempt was saved well by Areola.Read More on The SunWhen the full-time whistle was blown, most of the West Ham fans could barely bother to boo and several of their stars dropped to their knees with fatigue.For many, the summer break cannot come quick enough.Evanilson gave Bournemouth a first half leadCredit: ReutersNiclas Fullkrug levelled for the HammersCredit: Reuters More

MEDICS rushed on the pitch to help Maxence Lacroix after a sickening head clash with Joao Pedro. The centre-back collided with Pedro as Brighton trailed Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park. Medics rush on the pitch to help Maxence Lacroix after a head clash with Joao PedroCredit: GettyLacroix actually wanted to continue playing but the Eagles bench decided to replace him with Joel Ward. And one fan said: “Lacroix what a warrior.” Another added: “Lacroix just became an honorary one of our own hope he’s ok.” It was just one of several crazy incidents in a game that included THREE red cards. READ MORE IN football Jean-Philippe Mateta – back after his horror head injury in the FA Cup against Millwall – opened the lead after three minutes.Danny Welbeck then equalised on the half hour mark before Daniel Munoz restored Palace’s lead ten minutes after the break. The first to be shown red was substitute striker Eddie Nketiah – after being booked for diving and a studs up challenge. Marc Guehi followed as the game headed into the 90th minute following the England international’s second yellow. Most read in FootballBut the drama did not stop there as Jan Paul van Hecke was sent off six minutes into added time for his second bookable offence. Palace held onto victory to take bragging rights back down the M23. Wife of Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana ‘robbed of £62K handbag and Rolex’ in horror theft as man, 25, charged More

DAVID MOYES had vowed that he wasn’t thinking about being a good neighbour to that Red lot across Stanley Park.But that is what he became, with the help of Iliman Ndaye’s spot kick equaliser in the clash that Mikel Arteta will know marked the end of what had already looked like a mission impossible.Iliman Ndiaye scores from the spotCredit: AlamyNdiaye celebrates scoring from the penalty spotCredit: GettyLiverpool’s lead over Arteta’s injury-ravaged Gunners has been cut by one but it’s still double figures.With seven games left the Gunners still have a mathematical chance of catching Arne Slot’s leaders but this was not a performance from the Prem’s second-top team that suggested a miracle might be on the cards.A Beechers Brook moment isn’t about to happen.Arsenal were just average in the main apart from Leandro Trossard’s fine first half opener.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLArteta, meanwhile, picked a side with one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League showpiece showdown with Real Madrid.He couldn’t have faulted the effort but the chances of him picking up his first title are next to nil – and the look on his face as he shook hands with opposite number David Moyes said it all.Arsenal could easily have been ahead by the second minute after Jordan Pickford had a real shocker.The England No 1, famously familiar with a rush of blood, mis-kicked outside of the box and on his 100th successive Prem appearance was thankful that a block bunch of defenders forced away Raheem Sterling’s shot.Most read in FootballGrand National betting offers and free betsMyles Lewis-Skelly brings down Jack Harrison in the boxCredit: ReutersSoon after Jarrad Branthwaite rescued the Toffees, their brains scrambled by a collection of set – piece attacks created by the side that uses that tactic better then anyone in the league.Declan Rice’s corner from the left was swinging into the top corner before the central defender just managed to head clear.Virgil van Dijk ‘destroys’ Michael Owen with brutal 13-word put-down on live TV after Liverpool beat Everton Arteta will not have been surprised that his own defence, patched up and without the crucial presence of Gabriel, out for the rest of the season as the latest hamstrung victim, struggled at times against their opponents’ own bombs-away ariel assaults.With Polish make-weight Jakub Kiwior making a rare Prem start, there were scary moments for Pickford’s opposite number David Raya.And had Jake O’Brien reacted quicker, he would have grabbed the opener but Abdoulaye Doucoure’s head flick slammed against his chest.Mikel Merino would later go down as O’Brien returned to cause a little more havoc.The pair clashed heads – on and the Spaniard, playing deeper instead of as a makeshift striker, needed four minutes treatment on a bloody wound.This was not a meeting of creative minds. More bish-bosh and bluster but Trossard did add the first half’s only moment of quality as he put the Gunners ahead in the 34th minute.Quality was seriously lacking, for sure, in the way Idrissa Gueye blundered to allow Sterling to break from mid-way in the Arsenal half.Gueye got in the way of Branthwaite and produced a header that went straight to the former England winger and off he jetted.His touch to the waiting Belgian was a good one, too, and Trossard swerved wide of O’Brien before depositing a fine low left footer beyond Pickford’s stretch.Leandro Trossard fires Arsenal into a first half leadCredit: GettyTrossard is congratulated for his Arsenal openerCredit: ReutersTrossard, playing through the middle as an alternative to Merino, could have a second before the break but then we saw why Tarkowski is such a vital physical presence at the back for the Toffees.He shouldn’t, really have been on the pitch at all after somehow escaping a mid – week red card for his “leg-breaker” challenge on Alexis Mac Allister in Liverpool’s 1-0 Merseyside derby win that meant Arsenal were starting a dozen points behind the leaders.But his guts can’t be questioned.Trossard found himself almost clean through but was destabilised by Tarkowski’s desperate challenge as he shot against Pickford’s chest.The re-bound flew straight to Rice but there was the home captain again, throwing his body at the shot.Success for Trossard would have given Arsenal welcome extra breathing space in this feisty meeting that  didn’t lack commitment at least.Instead Everton were level after Miles  Lewis-Skelly was caught on the back foot by Jack Harrison 70 seconds after the re-start.The winger landed on the deck, Enngland’s 18-year-old left-back prodigy guilty of catching him although he claimed the challenge first started outside the box.Referee Darren England pointed straight to the spot, VAR Stuart Atwell agreed, and Ndiaye calmly sent Pickford to claim penalty success for the fifth time in a row on his first start since being injured in the first of this season’s Mersey derbies in February.Arteta’s men were stunned – skipper Jorginho booked for protesting that decision – and could have gone behind only for Raya to stand firm against a fierce low strike from Doucoure.They might then have gone back ahead, too, but Pickford’s reaction to a pile-driver from Rice was just as strong.Read More on The SunArteta, now all black looks, had thrown on Gabriel Martinelli for Sterling at half – time while Martin Odegaard, like the winger being saved for Tuesday night and Real, replaced Jorginho with 19 minutes left.But the narrative was more about desperation. And the final whistle, even with spoils shared, will have been for him despair. More

KEVIN DE BRUYNE will be almost impossible to replace.Because he has helped win more than 40 PER CENT of Manchester City’s points.Kevin De Bruyne will leave Manchester City at the end of the seasonCredit: GettyHis importance is impossible to understateCredit: AlamyThe Belgian great, 33, announced on Friday he will leave the Etihad at the end of the season.De Bruyne joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015 for £55million.And he has proven to be an all-time legend for City and the Premier League, winning six titles and playing a key role in the famous Treble in 2022-23. Now the stats show just how important De Bruyne is for City. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAccording to AskGamblers, De Bruyne has directly contributed to more than two-fifths of City’s Premier League points between 2015-16 and 2023-24 – his nine full seasons in Manchester. To be precise, the exact figure is 41.9 per cent.De Bruyne has racked up 70 goals and 118 assists Prem assists for City.They have led to 328 points – out of City’s total tally of 783 over the time frame. Most read in FootballGrand National betting offers and free betsAnd the figures work out that the playmaker provides 36.4 points per season.Interestingly, his bit-part role this season – starting just 12 times in the Premier League – has coincided with City’s poorest campaign in years.Ruben Amorim’s Garnacho dilemma explained ahead of Manchester derbyPep Guardiola’s men will lose their four-year grip on the Prem trophy – and are in a battle to qualify for the Champions League as Liverpool run away from Arsenal at the top.De Bruyne took to social media with an emotional post to confirm his upcoming exit. He wrote: “Dear Manchester. Seeing this, you’ll probably realise where this is heading.”So I’ll get straight to it and let you know that these will be my final months as a Manchester City player. “Nothing about this is easy to write, but as football players, we all know this day eventually comes.”That day is here – and you deserve to hear it from me first. Football led me to all of you – and to this city.”Chasing my dream, not knowing this period would change my life. This city, this club, these people… gave me EVERYTHING.”I had no choice but to give EVERYTHING back! And guess what – we won EVERYTHING.”Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye. Suri Rome, Mason, Michele and I are beyond grateful for what this place has meant to our family.”Manchester will forever be home on our kids’ passports – and more importantly, in each of our hearts. This will always be our HOME.”We cannot thank the city, club staff, team-mates, friends and family enough for this ten-year ride.”Every story comes to an end, but this has definitely been the best chapter.”Let’s enjoy these last moments together! Much love, KDB.”Read More on The SunThere is already plenty of speculation about where De Bruyne will play his football next season.The MLS is the early most likely option ahead of Saudi Arabia – especially as San Diego confirmed there has been contact with his agent. De Bruyne could be off to the MLSCredit: AlamyHe has spent much of this season on the benchCredit: Getty More