Premier League

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

ARNE SLOT has hit back at Michael Owen’s “strange” claim that winning the Premier League will leave a “bitter taste” for Liverpool.The Reds went into this weekend sitting 12 points above Arsenal with just eight matches remaining.Arne Slot is on the verge of guiding Liverpool to the titleCredit: RexMichael Owen recently interviewed Reds captain Virgil van DijkCredit: AlamyWhile sitting pretty in the Premier League, Liverpool have crashed out of all three cup competitions since January.The Reds were beaten by Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League – before losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle last month.During an interview with Virgil van Dijk, former Liverpool striker Owen suggested that his former club may be left with a “bitter taste” from only winning the Prem this season.Reds skipper Van Dijk immediately hit back, however, saying: “Well, I think we have to change that narrative a little bit.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”We’re fighting for the biggest prize of the season, we worked so hard for it, 20 teams are working so hard to be on top of the Premier League.”We have eight games to go, we know what’s at stake, we have to go for it, we have to fight, we have to enjoy the whole ride and then let’s see. Like I said, it’s still looking very special in my eyes.”I think what you said, at the start of the season, I think no one expected us to even try to fight on all four fronts, obviously we’re at the stage now where we’re still fighting for the biggest, and that’s the reality.”It’s still a possibility that this season will be very, very special.”Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKVan Dijk has been a pillar for the Reds this seasonCredit: RexAhead of Liverpool’s trip to Fulham tomorrow, Slot backed up his captain.The 46-year-old said: “Let me understand it right, Virgil was a bit frustrated because it came across as it’s not enough to ‘only’ win the Premier League?Liverpool boss Arne Slot left with sense of shock after Champions League penalty shoot-out exit against PSG “Michael (Owen) played for us, didn’t he? So he is aware of the fact that in 35 years we won the league once?”There is your answer. If you can win the league with this club then, phew, nothing else matters. If you do it 10 times in a row then I could understand that people say, ‘Oh but you only win the Premier League’.”At this club, you can compete for it and let alone win it, then it is a strange question to ask in my opinion.”If Virgil has this opinion as well then I agree with him. I follow the Dutch media a bit more than the media here and… no, let’s leave it!”I think the league is better than it ever was, the strength overall is getting better.”I think even Pep (Guardiola) said there will not be a team again as long as he lives that gets more than 100 points and wins the league four times in a row.”Read More on The SunSlot will still be without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez for tomorrow’s trip to Fulham.But Alisson and Conor Bradley have trained and could be in line to return. More

BY the age of 11, Andre Onana had already made up his mind – school wasn’t for him and goalkeeping was.His journey has been tough. But his spirit has always been strong.Andre Onana skipped school, played barefooted and overcame two bans on his journey to Man UtdCredit: AFPHe was born in a tiny village in Cameroon and only had his eyes for football from a young ageCredit: GettyOnana has needed all that mental strength at Manchester United amid a period of ups and downs.His fortitude has been tested after his wife Melanie Kamayou was robbed of her £62,000 Hermes Birkin bag and a Rolex watch outside a Cheshire restaurant.The robbery is the latest challenge for Onana.It took the 29-year-old a while to settle into life at Old Trafford and he became a figure of ridicule due to several mistakes soon after he arrived in the summer of 2023.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLDespite another tough season at United, Onana has looked more composed between the sticks and has an FA Cup medal to his name. Success at Wembley feels a world away from being born in the tiny village of Nkol Ngok, 84 miles away from Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde.As a boy, Andre would skip school to go watch his elder brother Christian play football.Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Old TraffordHis parents tried to force him to focus in class, but his brother, a goalkeeper whose influence would eventually rub off and shape his future, says it was impossible to stop him from coming along with him.Most read in FootballHe told SunSport: “It’s so hard to stop Andre when he sets his sights on something.”When he was five, I remember once he wanted to come with me to training, then I was playing for a second division team.“So I tried to deceive him. I told him to get changed and, when he went in, I went to training. Can you believe he walked all the way by himself to the training park? “I was shocked when I saw him, and I tell you, this is like a 30-minute walk from where our home is. He was just relentless for that age.”Ruben Amorim admits he and Man Utd players ALL fighting for their jobs between now and the end of the seasonIf you’re born in a country like Cameroon, opportunities are limited.You need a combination of sheer grit, determination, and an unshakable mental capacity to even stand a chance. Onana had all that when he joined his first football club ASVP.Located in Yaounde, they would play barefooted and when the nail on his big toe was ripped off, he would tie a cloth round his toe and continue playing. Onana shone out in matches against clubs from other parts of Cameroon and there were attempts to get him to move upfield, but he enjoyed being a goalkeeper, denying goals instead of trying to create them.The first sign of the player who has graced European football came when Fundesport, a club owned by Cameroon and Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o, organised a nationwide tournament to pick the best young players. Christian explains: “This is where I started to see the future for him.”Andre was picked from Yaounde and others from other parts of the country by Fundesport, who had connections. And of course, it was owned by Eto’o, and he is like a god to us, so there was belief that if you played in his team, you could go to Europe.”Life has a way of connecting the dots. At Fundesport, Onana tasted just a small part of what professionalism was, they played in kits, he had gloves, and they would occasionally travel to Europe to play in tournaments.It was at one of those invitational events that Barcelona’s La Masia academy spotted him, and signed him up straight away. Andre Onana was brought to Europe by BarcelonaCredit: GettyHe was initially scouted by a team owned by Cameroon hero Samuel Eto’oCredit: APFor years, La Masia had signed Cameroonian players as they desperately tried to discover the next Eto’o.But try as they did, it just never happened, and Onana was the last Fundesport player to be signed by La Masia. Samuel Aroko, his junior coach at ASVP, told SunSport: “I remember when he got to Barcelona, it was like a party for everyone at ASVP. “We knew he was good, but we just never knew he would get to Spain as quickly as he did.“It’s credit to him what he’s made of his career, you can’t get there if you give up easily. “Historically, Cameroon has always had great goalkeepers, but the way he plays today is the same way he played back then, with his hands and feet and always looking to make a difference.”La Masia came with its own challenges. In his mind, he’d gotten to the holy grail. He was finally in Europe, he was going to be earning big-money and the weather was cooler than the constant baking heat in Cameroon. But all that would come crashing down when he found out that a Fifa ban on youth transfers meant he could not play for the club for 18 months.When he returned, he played in a junior Champions League game for Barcelona against Ajax and it opened a new chapter.His brother Christian said: “That is where Ajax saw him and said, ‘For the way we develop players, he is the main man’.”At Ajax, there was a plan. He was made the first-choice goalkeeper for the second team, but every now and then, he would come onto the bench for the first team. Their No1 Jasper Cillessen moved to Barcelona for £11.1m, but Ajax still felt Onana wasn’t ready for top-level football.They signed Tim Krul from Newcastle on loan, but he arrived with an injury that would need at least three weeks to heal. The former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was working at Ajax and before handing Onana his debut said: “I believe in you. I know you’re young, but don’t be scared. You are talented, you’ve got a chance here, take it.”As fate would have it, Onana’s first game ended in a 2-2 draw, his second game they won 2-1 and he saved a penalty, and his third game Ajax won again. You don’t fix what isn’t broken, so he kept his spot and Krul had to move elsewhere.But then another ban reared its head, threatening to destroy not only his career but his reputation at a time when he was a growing star in European football. He was an international at 20, a Europa League finalist at 21, a Champions League semi-finalist at 23, leader of a brilliant young Ajax team on course for the title. But his career seemed on the edge of collapse at 24.He had taken medication prescribed for his wife while feeling unwell and furosemide, a banned substance because it causes increased urine production and can be used to flush the system of other prohibited substances prior to doping, was found in his urine sample. After his ban, Onana said: “I’m just a number. They can’t deal with it case by case. I think they should, but there are rules, and the rules are the rules.“The doctors said [furosemide] is for water retention and doesn’t benefit you. They recognised it was a genuine mistake, but you’re responsible for everything in your body. If I buy a bottle of water that turns out to be contaminated, it’s my responsibility.”The Court of Arbitration for Sport would find “no significant fault” and reduce his ban from 12 months to nine.Christian revealed: “It was maybe the toughest I have ever seen him be.“There was genuine fear in his eyes, and he would be on the phone with family all day, but to be honest, his agents Miguel and Albert Botines were incredibly supportive.“They were more than psychologists, and they made sure Andre felt confident and counted down the time until he was back. They worked hard to take him to Inter Milan.”Onana caught the eye in the 2023 Champions League finalCredit: APAt Inter, he was met with Samir Handanovic, the veteran goalkeeper and club captain, but instead of competing, Onana took the role of a junior brother. He’d go to Handanovic for tips and the Slovenian instantly took to him.They shared the games until it became clear that the future was Onana. His presence in goal, his distribution, his footballing brain and his athleticism was on full show against Manchester City in the Champions League final.It was a performance many consider as one of the best goalkeeping displays in the history of the competition.That would end his one and only season at Inter before United made him the third most expensive goalkeeper in the world after agreeing a £47m deal.Things have not been easy for Onana since moving to the Premier League, there has been match-winning saves but also high-profile howlers.Read More on The SunHis future at United is said to be uncertain amid interest from Saudi Arabia.But if he stays in Manchester beyond the summer, there is no doubt he has the mental strength needed to help the club battle the tough times and get United back at the right end of the table.There has been ups and downs during his spell between the sticks for UnitedCredit: Getty More