NEWCASTLE: Newcastle put a huge dent in Arsenal’s title aspirations on Saturday, winning 1-0 to give leaders Manchester City the chance to move eight points clear of the Gunners at the top of the Premier League.
Alexander Isak scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 12th minute, heading home Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross from the right.
Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and although they dominated possession, they produced just one shot on target in the entire game.
Mikel Arteta’s men have now picked up just one point in their past three games as their title push quickly runs out of steam.
If defending champions City win at Bournemouth later on Saturday they will be eight points clear of the Gunners. Liverpool, a point behind City, host Brighton at Anfield.
Arsenal have pushed Pep Guardiola’s City hard in each of the past two seasons and appeared to be well-equipped for another title challenge but the gap already looks alarmingly big.
The injury-hit visitors started brightly in the opening seconds at St. James’ Park, with Leandro Trossard dragging the ball wide.
But the home side, who had not won for five matches, quickly settled and Sweden forward Isak got between Gabriel and William Saliba to head home from Gordon’s exquisite first-time cross.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka lacked penetration but headed just wide in the 18th minute after leaping above his marker.
Newcastle defender Lewis Hall blocked Mikel Merino’s shot on the line after a Declan Rice corner caused chaos but the visitors lacked rhythm and failed to match the intensity shown by the home side.
Arteta opted against making changes at half-time and Newcastle came close to doubling their lead almost immediately, with Joe Willock’s shot saved by David Raya.
The Spanish boss threw on 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Gabriel Martinelli and Merino just after the hour mark.
Isak fired a shot at Raya that the Arsenal goalkeeper pushed away before Rice muscled his way into the Newcastle area and flashed a shot wide.
Arteta made further changes, introducing defender Ben White and forward Gabriel Jesus in the desperate push for an equalizer.
Arsenal struggled to build up a head of steam as the clock ticked down but they squandered a golden chance to equalize when Rice headed just wide from a Saka cross in stoppage time.
The Gunners, still missing captain Martin Odegaard, suffered a shock defeat against Bournemouth last month and drew 2-2 with Liverpool last week.
They have tough games coming up against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Chelsea next week.
The win lifts Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to eighth in the table ahead of the later kick-offs on Saturday.
Arsenal Premier League hopes hit as Isak scores winner for Newcastle
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Arsenal Premier League hopes hit as Isak scores winner for Newcastle
- Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and although they dominated possession, they produced just one shot on target
- If defending champions City win at Bournemouth later on Saturday they will be eight points clear of the Gunners
‘We showed our character’ — Koulibaly proud of Al-Hilal in Capital Derby
- Al-Hilal came back to draw 1-1 with Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr but dropped their first points of the season
RIYADH: Al-Hilal may have relinquished their 100 percent start to the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League season, but for defender Kalidou Koulibaly, the Capital Derby was another display of the title-holders’ championship mettle.
Not even a minute had elapsed on Friday night when Al-Hilal went behind to chief rivals Al-Nassr, the hosts ahead through Anderson Talisca’s 55-second finish to send the majority of the 25,000-plus crowd at Al-Awwal Park wild in celebration.
Al-Hilal, to that point with eight wins from eight to begin the season where they left off last term, were in an instant in danger of their mammoth unbeaten RSL run coming to an end.
But, as champions do, they rallied. Indeed, they could have nicked a ninth successive win had a late claim for a penalty gone their way. However, as the middle of three marquee matches in the RSL’s inaugural Derby Week came to a close, Jorge Jesus’ side would settle for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s headed equalizer 13 minutes from time.
A gripping encounter, which included three disallowed goals and no shortage of competitive spikiness, ended in a 1-1 draw — and a share of the spoils.
“A good game against a nice team who were prepared,” Al-Hilal defender Koulibaly said. “They made a lot of difficulties for us, but the draw was fair because, as I said, they make a lot of trouble for us. But we always believed we could score this goal, and we scored it. So, we can be happy tonight.”
Al-Hilal, who last season enjoyed a record-breaking title triumph, thought they should have been granted the opportunity to win the derby in the closing stages, when they appealed vigorously for a penalty following a coming together between striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento.
Yet, following a VAR review, the initial decision of no infringement was upheld. Koulibaly, though, preferred to focus on the positives. Namely, his side’s formidable strength of character.
“I don’t like to speak about (the decision),” the former Napoli and Chelsea center-back said. “I’m a defender and when it’s a penalty it’s a penalty. We are not happy because it’s not for us this time, but the most important is the mentality of the team to come back.”
With the draw, Al-Hilal’s undefeated streak in the RSL stretches to 45 matches and all the way back to the tail end of the 2022-23 season. This campaign’s winning run halted, they still remain right where they want to be — after nine rounds, they are perched at the RSL summit, one point ahead of second-placed Al-Ittihad and six out in front of Al-Nassr, their great cross-city competitors, in third.
“For you we lost two points, but for us it’s OK,” Koulibaly told reporters. “We are used to seeing Al-Hilal always win but today was a tough game. We draw and we can feel OK. It’s difficult to win every game, to try to win every game. But we can happy also because it was against a strong team, and we were away from home.
“We were behind from the first minute, but we showed good character. I’m proud of my team.”
Asked what he would promise the Al-Hilal fans, many of whom chanted and cheered on their team from behind the goal in which Milinkovic-Savic secured the point, Koulibaly said: “We promise to continue like this. We are making a good performance in league, we are getting through some tough games. We will continue to work to build on our work.”
For now, Koulibaly said it did not matter that Matchweek 9 concluded with the capital club’s lead at the top reduced to a solitary point. Although, the RSL title race is undoubtedly heating up.
“We just look for Al-Hilal,” the Senegal international said. “We don’t look for anyone else.”
McLaren’s Norris wins sprint race at Brazilian Grand Prix to cut gap on overall leader Verstappen
- Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him
SAO PAULO: McLaren driver Lando Norris won Saturday’s Formula 1 sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix to cut his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Verstappen is also under investigation for a potential virtual safety car infringement.
The gap between the two drivers, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 45 points.
Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him.
Verstappen finished third and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also has a long shot at the title, ended fourth.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. was fifth, with Mercedes’ George Russell, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez next best.
Norris appeared to be upset about leader Piastri’s pace for most of the sprint race. “I am not sure what I am doing here, mate,” he said on the team radio. “I thought we spoke about this.”
Later, Norris said McLaren had done a good job.
“I am not proud about it but we worked well as a team together so I thank Oscar,” Norris said. “Oscar deserved (a win) but we did what we had to do.”
Piastri did not elaborate on the McLaren decision. “A great day for the team and a lot of points. We learned a lot for the race tomorrow,” he said.
Sabalenka wants to ‘dominate the tour’ ahead of WTA Final in Riyadh
- New world No. 1 spoke to Arab News about rivalry with Iga Swiatek, raising tennis’s profile in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East
RIYADH: Aryna Sabalenka is back at the top of the world tennis rankings and has every intention of staying there.
After spending eight weeks at the summit last year, the Belarusian is now enjoying a second stint as the world’s best player, and enters this week’s WTA Finals in Riyadh in pole position to secure the year-end No. 1 ranking.
While some might crumble under the weight of expectation and responsibility that comes with being at the top, this current generation of leaders in women’s tennis, like Sabalenka and her direct rival Iga Swiatek, seem to thrive in it.
With three Grand Slam titles under her belt — two scooped up this season — and a wealth of experience from spending the majority of the past five years inside the top 10, Sabalenka has come to enjoy the wider role of being one of the leading ladies on the WTA tour.
“Overall, I think to be a leader is tough. But I think it’s a great opportunity to help the sport,” Sabalenka told Arab News in Riyadh ahead of her WTA Finals opener against Zheng Qinwen on Saturday.
“To fight for equal prize money, to show the world, to help countries like where we are, to improve the quality of life for women.
“It’s a responsibility, it’s a good opportunity to speak up for women. I like it, I like to have this responsibility and I like to represent women’s sport as strong and powerful women who can fight for their rights.”
Power is definitely something one associates with Sabalenka, and it is not just because her average forehand speed is often clocked higher than that of many male tennis players.
The 26-year-old has shown great strength in overcoming adversity; be it playing through grief after the sudden passing of her father, recovering from a severe case of the yips on her serve, or finding ways to reel in her famously emotional temperament during matches.
She has learned to accept the things that are beyond her control and is instead buoyed by huge ambition and an eagerness for self-improvement.
When Swiatek first took over the No.1 ranking in April 2022 after Ashleigh Barty’s surprise retirement, not many would have expected the young Pole would go on to spend a total of 125 weeks occupying the top spot — a tally that will no doubt continue to increase as she battles Sabalenka for the summit.
That kind of dominance is something Sabalenka aspires to reach.
“I always wanted to dominate the tour like Serena (Williams) did, like Iga was able to do for so long. And she’s still close, it’s all going to be decided after this tournament, so who knows?” said Sabalenka.
“But it’s really inspiring and of course I want to dominate the tour like they did. But I’m trying to focus on myself, on improving myself, to make sure that I have all of the tools to dominate the tour as they did.”
Watching Sabalenka and Swiatek practice together at King Saud University Indoor Arena this weekend, and filming a TikTok video when they were done, one would not have guessed that the pair are in the midst of fierce duel for the year-end No. 1 ranking this week in Riyadh.
They have faced off 12 times on tour already, with Swiatek leading the head-to-head 8-4, but Sabalenka has a healthy 1,046-point advantage over the Pole in the rankings entering these WTA Finals.
A pure athlete at heart, Sabalenka says she “loves” her rivalry with Swiatek.
“I think first of all it’s really great that we have this rivalry,” declared Sabalenka.
“It’s really competitive and I really love it because this is something that forces us to improve and forces us to get better every day and what motivates us to keep working, keep trying to find something else, to keep improving yourself, mentally, physically.
“That’s great, I love it. That’s what sport is all about. It would be so boring and not interesting to watch for people and for us to play if it wouldn’t be that tight.”
Swiatek isn’t the only one sparking that fire in Sabalenka. China’s reigning Olympic gold medalist Zheng has emerged as a rising force in tennis, and even though she lost all four of her meetings against Sabalenka in the last 14 months, Sabalenka sees her as a serious threat moving forward.
“I think it’s already kind of like a rivalry, even though I lead whatever the score is between us. But I still think we have a rivalry and I see this passion, this … I don’t know, not like aggression against me but I see that she really wants to get this win and it’s already become like a rivalry,” said Sabalenka, who faces Zheng in Purple Group action on Saturday in Riyadh at 6 p.m. local time.
“The last match (in the Wuhan final) was very competitive. I actually see her being one of the best and to have a rivalry with her, I enjoy it, I like it.
“It’s important for sport, that’s why I came to the sport because I like to be competitive and like to have these tight battles and to work on a lot of things during the match and to get this win I think is the sweetest feeling ever, so I love it.”
The WTA Finals tournament in Riyadh is offering a record $15.25 million in prize money, which is equal to what is on the table at the men’s equivalent ATP Finals.
An undefeated champion — with three wins in the round-robin stage — will pocket a whopping $5.155 million.
“That’s crazy, that’s actually crazy. But I think we all deserve that,” said Sabalenka, when asked what it feels like to fight for that kind of money.
“We are working as hard as the men do. We are making a lot of sacrifices, maybe even more than the men do and I think we deserve it.”
Sabalenka has enjoyed a tremendous tail-end of the season and enters the tournament in Riyadh having won 20 of her last 21 matches.
She has lifted four trophies this season — all on hard courts — and all three of her Grand Slam triumphs so far have also been on hard courts.
Sabalenka believes it is only a matter of time before she also reigns supreme on the clay of Roland Garros and the lawns of Wimbledon.
“I was pretty confident this year but (at the) French Open my stomach issues stopped me, that was very mentally painful. And then Wimbledon, my shoulder stopped me,” said Sabalenka.
“But I was pretty confident I can do well at those Slams. I already proved it to myself in previous years. So going into next year I’m pretty confident I can do really well there, if my body allows me.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure whatever happened this year will never happen again. So I’m pretty confident I can do well.”
Tatum propels Celtics over Hornets, Lakers hold off Raptors
- Jayson Tatum added 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season
LOS ANGELES: The NBA champion Boston Celtics, fueled by 32 points from Jayson Tatum, bounced back from an overtime defeat with a gritty 124-109 victory over the Hornets in Charlotte on Friday.
Tatum added 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points with six rebounds and five assists in a physical game that saw tensions erupt in the fourth quarter when former Celtic Grant Williams sent Tatum sprawling with a shoulder-to-shoulder check.
Williams was ejected, but Brown and others were clearly angered.
Less than a minute later, LaMelo ball was assessed a flagrant foul for crowding in under Tatum as the Celtics star attempted a three-pointer, and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges was ejected in the final minutes for punching the ball.
It all could make for fireworks when the teams face off again on Saturday, but Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla wasn’t fazed.
“I loved it,” said Mazzulla, who received a technical foul as did his Hornets counterpart Charles Lee. “It was tremendous.”
“Physical game, guys handled it well, great poise, great execution,” added Mazzulla, who was particularly pleased with Tatum’s response to the foul by Williams.
“I’m glad he’s fine,” Mazzulla said. “What I liked most is how he jumped right up, didn’t lay around ... went to the free-throw line and did his business.”
In Toronto, the Los Angeles Lakers let a 26-point lead dwindle to single digits but held on to snap a two-game losing streak with a 131-125 victory over the Raptors.
LeBron James set the tone early, scoring 14 of his 27 points in the first quarter.
Anthony Davis poured in 38 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in another monster offensive effort. However, he was more concerned that the Lakers, up 76-51 at halftime, let the Raptors back into the game.
That lead was halved with 1:02 remaining before the Lakers closed it out.
“Unacceptable,” Davis said. “We won, and we’ll take the win for sure because it’s hard to win in this league, especially on the road.
“But we’re a long way from where we want to be,” he added. “If we’re going to have any goals and aspirations to do anything this season, we can’t allow that on the defensive end.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City remained the league’s only unbeaten teams. The Cavs improved to 6-0 with a wire-to-wire 120-109 victory over the injury-hit Orlando Magic.
Darius Garland scored 25 points and Donovan Mitchell added 22 for the Cavs. Jalen Suggs scored 28 to lead Orlando, who learned Thursday that top forward Paolo Banchero would be sidelined indefinitely with a torn right oblique muscle.
The Thunder beat Portland 137-114 to improve to 5-0.
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves surged home to beat Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets 119-116 after a roller-coaster fourth quarter.
Anthony Edwards scored 29 points, Julius Randle added 23, and Rudy Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds, drilling a pair of free throws to seal it in the waning seconds.
Gobert got into it earlier in the fourth with Denver’s Christian Braun, who dunked over the French veteran then yelled in his face, prompting Gobert to grab him. Both players were slapped with technical fouls.
The Timberwolves had led by 12 early in the final period only to find themselves down by 10 with less than four minutes to play.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker boosted the Timberwolves’ late comeback, scoring all eight of his points in the fourth quarter and forcing two turnovers.
Aaron Gordon’s 31 points and 11 rebounds led the Nuggets. Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. had 26 points each in defeat.
Denver’s Jamal Murray was limited to six points before departing in the third quarter after an on-court collision sent him into concussion protocol.
All level in Riyadh derby as Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal play out 1-1 draw
- Champions were stunned by Al-Nassr but are not champions for nothing and eked out a solid draw
- Talisca strikes early but Al-Hilal equalize in second half
RIYADH: Al-Nassr drew 1-1 with Al-Hilal in a tense Riyadh derby on Friday.
The hosts took a first-minute lead and managed to stay in front until 13 minutes from the end when the champions and leaders ensured that they made the short journey home with something.
Al-Nassr can at least take heart that they have ended their rivals’ perfect start to the season, while Al-Hilal move a point clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League, above Al-Ittihad in second. Al-Nassr stay in third, six points off the pace.
The yellows started well with Anderson Talisca’s goal hitting the net inside the first minute.
However, they were unable to put the visitors under enough pressure as the game went on and it was no surprise when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed home an equalizer for Al-Hilal, who had won their last 14 games in all competitions and last lost in the league back in May 2023.
Just over 50 seconds were on the clock when Al-Nassr took the lead in some style. Otavio picked up possession midway in the Al-Hilal half and his chipped pass was a thing of beauty. There was still work for Talisca to do, however. The Brazilian’s first touch took him past Ali Al-Bulaihi just inside the area and his second was a low shot beyond Yassine Bounou.
The champions were stunned but showed their resilience and almost hit back just four minutes later, Malcom breaking free down the right before the Brazilian’s shot was excellently saved at the near post by Bento.
Salem Al-Dawsari then went close twice and looked dangerous, though with Ruben Neves missing the visitors were not quite as sharp in possession.
Al-Hilal did have the ball in the net following a corner but Aleksandar Mitrovic’s close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
The same happened soon after to Talisca who shot home from a similar position to his opener, but he had just strayed too far forward before Cristiano Ronaldo made the pass.
The half ended relatively quietly, as if both teams were preparing to start the second period with a real purpose.
Al-Nassr’s Marcelo Brozovic forced a fine save from Bounou and while Talisca bundled home the rebound, he did so from an offside position.
An incredible sequence of events followed in the 63rd minute. The ball fell to Al-Dawsari and the 2022 Asian Player of the Year shaped to curl into the opposite corner, only for his shot to bounce back off the post. Renan Lodi was there for the rebound and while the defender’s shot was not the cleanest, as it bounced back up it was heading goalwards only for Bento, falling backwards, to push it past the post.
It was then Ronaldo’s turn to go close, forcing a fine save from Bounou with a powerful shot from just outside the area, but Al-Hilal, as they so often do, came up with a goal when they really needed one in the 77th minute.
Al-Dawsari’s cheeky backheel on the left side of the area freed Lodi and his looping cross made it to the far post where Milinkovic-Savic was unmarked and rose high to head the equalizer.
Soon after, they were asking for a penalty that was not given and then Al-Nassr had a breakaway but could not find the final ball in the penalty area.
It had not been a vintage Riyadh derby, but while both teams will be frustrated at not taking all three points, they will be able to take something from the game and move forward. There is still a long way to go.
