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Liverpool spend big to hold off Arsenal, City in Premier League title fight

Liverpool spend big to hold off Arsenal, City in Premier League title fight
Liverpool have splashed out to defend their Premier League title as champions but face stiff competition from an Arsenal side desperate to shake off their tag as nearly men and a rejuvenated Manchester City. (Reuters)
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Updated 11 August 2025

Liverpool spend big to hold off Arsenal, City in Premier League title fight

Liverpool spend big to hold off Arsenal, City in Premier League title fight
  • Tributes to Jota will continue throughout the season with “Forever 20” — his shirt number, which the club have now retired — printed on Liverpool’s jerseys

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool have splashed out to defend their Premier League title as champions but face stiff competition from an Arsenal side desperate to shake off their tag as nearly men and a rejuvenated Manchester City.
After storming to a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title in Arne Slot’s first season in charge, Liverpool have looked to build from a position of strength during a summer marked by tragedy.
Portuguese forward Diogo Jota was killed in a car accident alongside his brother last month, plunging the club into mourning.
Tributes to Jota will continue throughout the season with “Forever 20” — his shirt number, which the club have now retired — printed on Liverpool’s jerseys.
The Reds have already spent £260 million ($350 million) on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong.
However, after the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, they are not yet done in strengthening their forward line and are expected to launch a fresh bid for Alexander Isak, with Newcastle demanding a British transfer record fee for the Swedish striker.
Liverpool’s rivals will hope Wirtz and Ekitike take time to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League after shining in Germany’s Bundesliga, while there are defensive doubts for Slot’s men to answer.
The Dutch coach said his side need to defend better after leaky performances in pre-season were followed by defeat in the Community Shield to Crystal Palace on Sunday after twice blowing the lead.
After finishing second for the past three seasons, Arsenal are longing for their first title in 22 years and have backed Mikel Arteta with another near £200 million investment in the transfer market.
Spanish international Martin Zubimendi will be the new anchor of the midfield, while the signings of Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera, Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga add depth to the squad.
But Arsenal’s season is likely to be defined by whether Viktor Gyokeres proves to be the answer to their need for a prolific striker.
The Swede struck 97 times in 102 games during two years at Sporting Lisbon, but the 27-year-old failed to make a breakthrough in the Premier League during his previous experience in England.
After coming up short at Brighton, Gyokeres scored 41 goals in 121 games in England’s second tier with Coventry and Swansea.
“He’s a player that, when you leave him with the space one against one, he’s going to destroy you,” said Arteta of his new striker.
City were dethroned last season after an unprecedented run of four consecutive titles as the wheels came off for Pep Guardiola’s men without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
The Spaniard has been ruled out till September due to a setback in his return from a serious knee injury, but City have refreshed their squad with the additions of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
After a first trophyless season since 2016/17, City expect to be back in the fight for the title.
Chelsea were the last side other than City and Liverpool to lift the title back in 2017 and showed they are a coming force once more by winning the Club World Cup in the US last month.
The Blues finished fourth, 15 points behind Liverpool last season, but their transfer policy of investing heavily in scores of young prospects is beginning to bear fruit.
Joao Pedro made an instant impact with three goals in three games at the Club World Cup after a £55 million move from Brighton and could solve Chelsea’s need for a world class goalscorer.
Manchester United have transformed their forward line with the signings of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo after finishing 15th last season.
Beating United in the Europa League final was not enough for Ange Postecoglou to keep his job as Tottenham manager and former Brentford boss Thomas Frank has taken over in north London.
Promoted trio Leeds, Sunderland and Burnley are aiming to avoid a worrying trend for the competitive balance.
For the past two seasons all three promoted clubs have gone straight back down as the gap between the riches of the Premier League and the second tier continues to grow.


Dubai Basketball maintain perfect start to ABA League season

Dubai Basketball maintain perfect start to ABA League season
Updated 4 sec ago

Dubai Basketball maintain perfect start to ABA League season

Dubai Basketball maintain perfect start to ABA League season
  • The 81-77 win over U-BT Cluj-Napoca at Coca-Cola Arena means Dubai have won all 3 opening matches in the competition

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball continued their unbeaten run in the ABA League with a hard-fought 81-77 victory over newcomers U-BT Cluj-Napoca from Romania at Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday.

Following strong performances in their debut EuroLeague campaign, the city’s first home basketball club once again demonstrated composure and depth to remain flawless across competitions.

The matchup against Cluj-Napoca was closely contested despite Dubai controlling the pace for most of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, the Romanian side mounted a strong comeback led by Dusan Miletic but Dubai maintained focus in the final minutes to secure the win.

Head Coach Jurica Golemac praised the team and fans: “Today we were expecting a very difficult game, and that’s what happened. We needed energy after the week that took us out.

“We found that the crowd was what was giving us the energy again, with our fans helping us in the most crucial moments. Again, one more time, we won the game with defense, with strong energy and physicality.”

Mfiondu Kabengele once again led with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, anchoring Dubai on both ends of the floor. McKinley Wright added 11 points in a standout performance, while Sertac Sanli contributed 10.

Making his debut for Dubai Basketball, Sanli was credited with turning the game around in a tied-up final quarter. “We didn’t play well the whole game, but we showed good hustle, especially in the second half, and managed to get the win.”

“I know that game by game, I’ll get better — I’ll understand my teammates more, understand the coach better, and grow with the team. We still have a long way to go, but I believe we’ll keep improving every game.”

Dubai Basketball will have a two-week away stint with their next match against LDLC ASVEL in Lyon. At home they will play ABA League reigning champions Partizan on Nov. 3 at Coca-Cola Arena.


Liverpool star Salah should not be automatic starter in away games, says Carragher

Liverpool star Salah should not be automatic starter in away games, says Carragher
Updated 20 October 2025

Liverpool star Salah should not be automatic starter in away games, says Carragher

Liverpool star Salah should not be automatic starter in away games, says Carragher
  • Egyptian forward has been way below his record-breaking form from last season’s campaign
  • Salah squandered a golden opportunity to score in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday

Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah’s form has dipped to such an extent that he should not be considered an automatic starter away from home, former defender Jamie Carragher said after the Premier League champions suffered a fourth consecutive defeat.
The 33-year-old Egyptian forward, who signed a two-year contract extension in April, has been way below his record-breaking form from last season’s campaign and has gone seven matches without a non-penalty goal.
Salah squandered a golden opportunity to score in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday and Carragher said he should not be one of the first names on the team sheet like captain Virgil van Dijk.
“Liverpool have got two away games — in the Champions League at Frankfurt and then they go to Brentford. I don’t think Salah should start both of those games,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“He should always start at Anfield because Liverpool will be on top, around the edge of the box and more often than not he scores in those situations today.
“But I do think in the away games and helping your full-back, I don’t think Salah should be starting every game right now, certainly away from home, with the form he’s in.”
Liverpool came into Sunday’s game on the back of league defeats by Crystal Palace and Chelsea, and a Champions League loss to Galatasaray.
Their poor run comes despite splashing out £446 million ($600 million) in the close-season transfer window and Carragher said manager Arne Slot should build the team around Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
“It has to be Isak and Wirtz because they’ve spent the money on them and their age profile compared to Salah,” Carragher said.
Liverpool are fourth in the league on 15 points from eight matches, four behind leaders Arsenal.


Mbappe gives Madrid 1-0 win after Getafe player is sent off after less than a minute on the field

Mbappe gives Madrid 1-0 win after Getafe player is sent off after less than a minute on the field
Updated 20 October 2025

Mbappe gives Madrid 1-0 win after Getafe player is sent off after less than a minute on the field

Mbappe gives Madrid 1-0 win after Getafe player is sent off after less than a minute on the field
  • The hard-fought victory moved Madrid back on top of the Spanish league, two points ahead of Barcelona, who beat last-placed Girona 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal by Ronald Araujo
  • Jorge de Frutos scored two first-half goals as Rayo Vallecano won 3-0 at Levante for their third straight win across all competitions

MADRID: Real Madrid took advantage of a red card for a Getafe player who stayed less than a minute on the field to win 1-0 with an 80th-minute goal by Kylian Mbappe on Sunday.

The hard-fought victory moved Madrid back on top of the Spanish league, two points ahead of Barcelona, who beat last-placed Girona 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal by Ronald Araujo on Saturday.

Mbappe’s league-leading 10th goal of the season came shortly after host Getafe went a man down because of a straight red card shown to Allan Nyom about 40 seconds after he came off the bench.

Nyom fouled Real Madrid forward Vinícius Junior away from the ball as Madrid started to build a breakaway in the 77th.

Madrid, who had been struggling to create significant scoring chances, took advantage of the sending off and Mbappe scored with a shot from inside the area after a nice through ball by Arda Güler.

Mbappe has scored in 13 of the 14 games he played this season for club and country. He has scored at least once in 11 straight matches.

“We’re very pleased with how Kylian is doing,” Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said. “He’s been decisive with his goals and his involvement. Goals give you points, but we need everyone because there’s a lot going on in the background.”

Getafe went another man down four minutes later when Alex Sancris was shown a second yellow card for another foul on Vinícius.

Despite playing with nine men, Getafe nearly equalized in stoppage time, with Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois charging from the net to make a difficult close-range save to a shot by Abu Kamara inside the area.

“That missed chance by Kamara was a pity,” Getafe coach José Bordalas said. “Nyom’s red card made the difference. For me that’s not a red card, at most a yellow.”

Bordalas criticized Vinícius, claiming the Brazil forward provoked him by saying something to the effect of “good job making the substitution” to include Nyom in the match.

Getafe, who had only one attempt on target, stayed in 12th place. They have a five-game winless streak.

Madrid have won 10 of their 11 games in all tournaments this season, with their lone setback a league loss at Atletico Madrid last month.

Just like at the other league matches this weekend, players stood still for the first 15 seconds of the game in opposition to La Liga’s plan to hold the Barcelona-Villarreal game in the US on Dec. 20.

De Frutos leads Rayo

Jorge de Frutos scored two first-half goals as Rayo Vallecano won 3-0 at Levante for their third straight win across all competitions.

De Frutos, a former Levante player, scored in the 12th and 25th minutes, and Alvaro García sealed the victory in the 65th.

Rayo were coming off another road win in the league against Real Sociedad, and they had beaten Shkendija 2-0 at home in the Europa League.

Levante have won only one of their last four league matches.

Sociedad and Celta still struggling

Real Sociedad needed an 89th-minute goal by Carlos Soler to draw 1-1 at 10-man Celta Vigo, extending both teams’ poor start to the season.

Sociedad, sitting in 18th, have only one win in nine league matches, with five losses and three draws. The Basque Country team’s only win was against Mallorca.

Celta, who had defender Carl Starfelt sent off with a second yellow card in first-half stoppage time, opened the scoring with Pablo Duran in the 20th.

In 17th place, Celta remain the only team without a league win after nine rounds. They have seven draws and two losses.

Simon save Athletic

Athletic Bilbao needed a solid performance by Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon to salvage a 0-0 draw at promoted Elche.

The result kept seventh-placed Elche tied with eighth-placed Athletic on 14 points.


Morocco beat Argentina to clinch first Under-20 World Cup title

Morocco beat Argentina to clinch first Under-20 World Cup title
Updated 20 October 2025

Morocco beat Argentina to clinch first Under-20 World Cup title

Morocco beat Argentina to clinch first Under-20 World Cup title
  • Zabrini scored in the 12th and 29th minutes to help Morocco become the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009
  • Argentina reached the final despite missing their two best players in this age group, Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid´s Franco Mastantuono

SANTIAGO, Chile: Striker Yassir Zabrini scored twice as Morocco clinched their first Under-20 World Cup title with a 2-0 win over Argentina on Sunday.

Zabrini scored in the 12th and 29th minutes to help Morocco become the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009.

Morocco topped their group against Spain, Brazil and Mexico and then advanced over South Korea, the US and France in the knockout stages.

It was the first loss in the tournament for Argentina, who were aiming for their seventh title.

Argentina reached the final despite missing their two best players in this age group, Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid´s Franco Mastantuono.


Morocco beats Argentina to clinch its first Under-20 World Cup title

Morocco beats Argentina to clinch its first Under-20 World Cup title
Updated 20 October 2025

Morocco beats Argentina to clinch its first Under-20 World Cup title

Morocco beats Argentina to clinch its first Under-20 World Cup title
  • Striker Yassir Zabrini scored in the 12th and 29th minutes to help Morocco become the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009

SANTIAGO, Chile: Striker Yassir Zabrini scored twice as Morocco clinched its first Under-20 World Cup title with a 2-0 win over Argentina on Sunday.
Zabrini scored in the 12th and 29th minutes to help Morocco become the first African nation to win the U20 title since Ghana in 2009.
Morocco topped its group against Spain, Brazil and Mexico and then advanced over South Korea, the United States and France in the knockout stages.
It was the first loss in the tournament for Argentina, which was aiming for its seventh title.
Argentina reached the final despite missing its two best players in this age group, Bayer Leverkusen’s Claudio Echeverri and Real Madrid´s Franco Mastantuono.