Sports
Aston Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 for club record 15th straight home victory
Aston Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 for club record 15th straight home victory
BIRMINGHAM, England, Dec 9 (Reuters) – John McGinn’s early goal led surging Aston Villa to a club-record 15th consecutive home Premier League victory on Saturday, a breathless 1-0 win over Arsenal that prevented Mikel Arteta’s Gunners from reclaiming top spot in the table.
Unai Emery’s Villa, who shocked champions Manchester City in a dominant 1-0 win on Wednesday as part of what McGinn called a “monumental week,” are now third on 35 points after 16 games in a jam-packed title race. Arsenal, who were overtaken by Liverpool earlier on Saturday, are second with 36.
“I’m banning the T-word,” a laughing McGinn told Sky Sports, when asked if Villa were title contenders. “It’s game week 16, so there’s a long, long way to go, and we respect everyone in front of us who have been in this position for years. We’re newbies. Can we keep it up? Hopefully.”
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Emery also cautioned that the season was young.
“I will speak when we are in (week) 30, 32, and if we are in the same position then as we are now, I can speak about (the title race),” he said.
Villa Park was rocking in the seventh minute after Leon Bailey sprinted down the right wing before cutting back the ball and picking out McGinn. Villa’s captain took one touch, turned sharply and fired past keeper David Raya.
Arsenal thought they had equalised in added time before VAR determined Kai Havertz had handled the ball while firing it past keeper Emi Martinez from a goalmouth scramble.
Delighted fans sang “Hi Ho Aston Villa” at the final whistle.
Aston Villa beat Arsenal 1-0 for club record 15th straight home victory
Sports
La Liga President confirms Mbappe to Real Madrid move
La Liga President confirms Mbappe to Real Madrid move
La Liga president Javier Tebas says Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe will join Real Madrid next season.
“He’s Madrid’s next season, yes,” Tebas told Argentine daily sports newspaper Ole on Monday. “If they’ve signed a five-year deal, he has five seasons of opportunity (to win the Champions League).”
Mbappe is set to join a star-studded Madrid team led by Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and England international Jude Bellingham.
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Los Blancos strolled to the Spanish title and are in the Champions League final at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.
”(Mbappe) is one of the best players in the world, but Vinicius and Bellingham are there too, Madrid will have a great squad,” continued Tebas. “But that does not guarantee you will win leagues.”
Mbappe is PSG’s all-time record scorer with 256 goals, having joined the club from Monaco in 2017 for 180 million euros ($194 million).
With PSG he won six French league titles but failed to earn Champions League glory, finishing as runners-up to Bayern Munich in 2020.
By joining record 14-time winners Real Madrid, Mbappe would increase his chances of finally earning club football’s most prestigious trophy.
La Liga President confirms Mbappe to Real Madrid move
Sports
Juventus beat Atalanta to win Coppa Italia
Juventus beat Atalanta to win Coppa Italia
Juventus won their first major trophy in three years as they beat Atalanta 1-0 to lift a record-extending 15th Coppa Italia.
Dusan Vlahovic scored the only goal in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico after just four minutes when he received Andrea Cambiaso’s pass before finishing from 12 yards out.
The Serbia striker later had a goal disallowed for offside.
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Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman and Juve’s Fabio Miretti hit the woodwork late on.
Under-pressure Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, who has won a record five Coppas Italia, was sent off towards the end of the game for dissent.
Atalanta’s wait to win a first trophy since the 1963 Coppa Italia goes on – but they have another chance to end that drought next week with the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin.
Juventus beat Atalanta to win Coppa Italia
Sports
Palmer scores as Chelsea beat Brighton to go sixth
Palmer scores as Chelsea beat Brighton to go sixth
Cole Palmer’s brilliant season with Chelsea continued as his goal helped the Blues boost their European qualification hopes with a win at Brighton in the Premier League.
Palmer netted his 22nd league strike of the season, meeting Marc Cucurella’s cross with a looping header into the far corner in the 34th minute.
And the visitors added a second 14 minutes after the restart when Christopher Nkunku coolly dispatched Malo Gusto’s cutback.
Having been so dominant Chelsea gifted Brighton a way back into the game when substitute Reece James – playing just his second match in 2024 after coming back from a long-term injury – was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Joao Pedro.
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In the 97th-minute Danny Welbeck netted to halve the deficit, tapping in a Pedro cross, but the visitors held on.
Chelsea moved up to sixth in the table and currently sit in a Europa League spot.
They will guarantee a place in Europe next season if they claim a point at home to Bournemouth on the final day.
Brighton fell to a seventh defeat in ninth matches but remain in 10th place.
Palmer scores as Chelsea beat Brighton to go sixth
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