EPL: West Ham hold Man City as Arsenal open nine-point lead

English Premier League champions Manchester City suffered a setback in their title pursuit after being forced to a 1–1 draw by West Ham United at the London Stadium on Saturday night.

The result handed fresh momentum to leaders Arsenal, who extended their advantage at the top of the table to nine points earlier in the day with a 2–0 victory over Everton.

City looked on course for victory when Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 31st minute, his attempted cross drifting all the way into the far corner of the net to give the visitors the lead.

However, the advantage lasted only four minutes. West Ham responded from a corner as Konstantinos Mavropanos rose highest to power a header that struck the crossbar before bouncing over the line to restore parity.

City had several chances to reclaim the lead but were frustrated by West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen and a lack of sharp finishing.

Erling Haaland endured another difficult outing, extending his league goal drought to three matches after seeing one effort saved and another dragged wide from inside the box.

Matheus Nunes and Jérémy Doku also failed to convert promising opportunities, while Hermansen denied attempts from Ryan Cherki and Rodri as West Ham held on for a valuable point.

The stalemate ended City’s four-match winning streak and left them on 61 points from 30 games, trailing Arsenal by nine points, although the league leaders have played one match more.

At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal sealed their win over Everton with two goals, the second scored by teenage sensation Max Dowman, who became the youngest scorer in Premier League history.

Elsewhere, Chelsea suffered a 1–0 home defeat to Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge, leaving the Blues with just one win in their last five league matches and stuck in joint-fifth place.

Other results

• Sunderland 0–1 Brighton & Hove Albion
• Burnley 0–0 Bournemouth

Nigeria’s ex-Super Eagles player, 1980 AFCON hero Henry Nwosu, dies 

Nigeria’s football community has been thrown into mourning following the death of former Super Eagles midfielder Henry Nwosu, a key member of the squad that won the historic 1980 Africa Cup of Nations. He was 62.

The sad news was confirmed on Saturday by his former national teammate and football legend, Segun Odegbami, who disclosed that Nwosu died in the early hours of the morning after battling for his life in hospital.

According to Odegbami, the former midfielder passed away around 4am at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, where he had been receiving intensive care since Wednesday.

“Henry Nwosu passes on! After five days in hospital battling for his life, the one I call ‘Youngest Millionaire’ passed on at 4:00 a.m. this morning,” Odegbami wrote on social media.

“It is with deep pain in my heart that I have to be the conveyor of the news of the death of Henry Nwosu, MON. May he rest peacefully with our Creator in Heaven.”

Nwosu carved his name into Nigerian football history as the youngest member of the legendary Green Eagles squad that lifted the country’s first-ever continental trophy at the 1980 tournament hosted in Lagos.

Playing before a packed National Stadium, the team defeated Algeria 3–0 in the final to secure a landmark victory for Nigeria and ignite decades of football passion across the nation.

Renowned for his technical ability, vision and composure in midfield, Nwosu played a crucial role in that golden generation of Nigerian footballers who laid the foundation for the country’s rise as a continental powerhouse.

After his playing career, he remained involved in football development and was widely respected among teammates, fans and administrators for his contribution to the game.

Tributes have begun pouring in from across the Nigerian football community, with many remembering him as one of the heroes who delivered the country’s first Africa Cup of Nations title.

His death marks the passing of another member of Nigeria’s celebrated 1980 squad, whose triumph remains one of the most defining moments in the nation’s sporting history.

DR Congo FA president gets life jail over corruption scandal

The President of the Congolese Association Football Federation (FECOFA), Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo found him guilty of multiple financial crimes following a sweeping corruption investigation.

The conviction came after an eight-month probe into alleged financial misconduct within the country’s football governing body. Investigators uncovered evidence linking the federation chief to a series of offences, including money laundering, embezzlement, forgery, and the use of falsified documents.

The court delivered the life sentence in Mayolas’ absence, underscoring the gravity of the charges and the scale of the financial irregularities uncovered during the investigation.

Two other senior officials of the federation were also convicted in connection with the scandal. FECOFA Secretary-General, Badji Mombo Wantete, and the federation’s Treasurer, Raoul Kanda, were each sentenced to five years in prison for their roles in the misconduct.

Authorities described the ruling as a decisive step in the campaign to restore transparency and accountability in the administration of football in the Central African nation.

Government officials and sports administrators say the prosecution of top football officials sends a strong message that corruption in sports institutions will no longer be tolerated, regardless of status or position.

The verdict has triggered widespread reactions across the country’s football community.

Supporters, players, and stakeholders have called for deeper reforms within the federation to ensure that funds intended for the development of the game are properly managed.

Analysts say the case highlights the persistent governance challenges facing sports bodies across Africa and reinforces growing demands for stricter oversight and financial discipline in football administration.