LONDON: Liverpool piled on the misery for Manchester City as the Premier League leaders beat the troubled champions 2-0 at Anfield, while Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim earned his first league win with a 4-0 rout of Everton on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side moved nine points clear of second-placed Arsenal after Cody Gakpo’s first-half opener and Mohamed Salah’s late penalty dealt another blow to reeling City, who are languishing 11 points behind Liverpool in fifth place.
City have lost four successive top-flight games for the first time since 2008, making them the first Premier League champions to endure such a dismal run the season after claiming the title.
City have clawed back significant deficits to win the Premier League in the Guardiola era, but they have never managed to lift the title after being behind by more than 10 points.
City’s seven-game winless run ranks as boss Pep Guardiola’s longest barren streak in his glittering managerial career.
Just weeks after he signed a new two-year contract, Liverpool fans taunted Guardiola with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning,” prompting a defiant response from the Spaniard, who held up six fingers to illustrate the number of titles he has won with City.
“The first 20 minutes Liverpool were unstoppable. We tried to play with a lot of control and passes, but it was difficult to take it,” Guardiola said.
“We’ll reset and start from zero. It is difficult to believe it. I rely a lot on these players. We’ll see what happens by the end of the season.”
Liverpool have won 18 of their 20 games in all competitions since Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp in the close-season.
With 11 victories from their 13 Premier League matches, Liverpool are firm favorites to win the title for the first time since 2020.
“We came close to perfection. That’s the only way to beat a quality team like City,” Slot said.
“We have to stay sharp. I don’t think anyone, including me, would have predicted this — to win so much with all the difficult teams we have played already.”
City’s defense was in disarray right from the start and when Salah curled a 12th minute shot toward the far post, Gakpo pounced to poke home from virtually on the line.
Salah’s 78th-minute penalty, awarded for keeper Stefan Ortega’s foul on Luis Diaz, was a dagger in the heart of City’s title hopes.
Amorim stole the spotlight in Sunday’s early games by extending his unbeaten start with United to three matches.
United were held to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich in his first Premier League game last Sunday, before the Portuguese boss earned his maiden win with United in a 3-2 success against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on Thursday.
The 39-year-old, who arrived from Sporting Lisbon to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, has warned United would “suffer for a long period” before they can expect to challenge for the title.
This was the most encouraging result of Amorim’s brief time at ninth-placed United.
Marcus Rashford’s 34th-minute drive from the edge of the area took a deflection off Jarrad Branthwaite before flashing into the net.
United struck again seven minutes later as Branthwaite lost possession to Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes teed up Joshua Zirkzee to convert with ease.
Rashford underlined United’s superiority just 20 seconds after the interval as he applied a cool finish to Diallo’s incisive pass, before Zirkee struck again in the 64th minute with a composed strike.
“The result was good but we were pragmatic. It was not pretty,” Amorim said. “It is a rollercoaster. We have some moments when we are good but then we have moments when we have to suffer.”
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to six games with a 3-0 win against Aston Villa, whose dismal winless streak reached eight matches.
Enzo Maresca’s men look capable of securing Champions League qualification after a third successive win in the space of eight days moved them level on points with second-placed Arsenal.
Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez scored in the first half before Cole Palmer struck in the closing stages.
Seventh-placed Tottenham’s top-four hopes were dented by a 1-1 draw against 10-man Fulham.
Brennan Johnson slotted Tottenham into the lead from Timo Werner’s 54th-minute pass, but Tom Cairney curled Fulham’s equalizer into the far corner after 67 minutes.
Cairney was sent off with seven minutes left after his foul on Dejan Kulusevski was upgraded from referee Darren Bond’s initial yellow card to a red after VAR intervened.
Liverpool pile on misery for Man City, Man Utd boss Amorim earns first Premier League win
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Liverpool pile on misery for Man City, Man Utd boss Amorim earns first Premier League win
- City have lost four successive top-flight games for first time since 2008
- First Premier League champions to endure such dismal run season after claiming title
Pakistan fined again for slow ODI over-rate in New Zealand
- Pakistan players fined 5 percent of match fees for being one over short of target on Wednesday
- Visiting team was two overs short, fined 10 percent after losing first ODI by 73 runs on Saturday
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Pakistan has been penalized for a slow over-rate against New Zealand in their second one-day international in Hamilton this week.
Match referee Jeff Crowe fined the Pakistan players 5 percent of their match fees after they were one over short of the target on Wednesday after the time allowances were taken into consideration. New Zealand won by 84 runs.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan “pleaded guilty to the offense and accepted the sanction, eliminating the need for a formal hearing,” the International Cricket Council said on Thursday.
It was the second consecutive match after which Pakistan was fined for a slow over-rate.
The visiting team was two overs short of the target and fined 10 percent after losing the first ODI by 73 runs at Napier last Saturday.
The third and last ODI is at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
Sports Council allows Olmo and Victor to play for Barca until end of season
- LaLiga had lowered Barcelona’s wage cap on Wednesday
- The CSD said the two players’ registrations remain valid as the RFEF acknowledged that “there is no federation resolution that agreed to the cancelation of the licenses“
BARCELONA: Spain’s National Sports Council (CSD) on Thursday upheld an appeal filed by Barcelona players Dani Olmo and Pau Victor which will allow them to play for the club until the end of the season.
LaLiga had lowered Barcelona’s wage cap on Wednesday after it said the club’s recently revised accounts do not match the end-of-year figures from its previous auditor.
The previous accounts included proceeds from the sale of VIP seats in the renovated Camp Nou which allowed Barca to comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules and extend the registration of Olmo and Victor.
LaLiga said Barca did not have the capacity to register the two players based on their accounts, but the CSD annulled the agreement between the Spanish top flight and the country’s football federation (RFEF).
The CSD said the two players’ registrations remain valid as the RFEF acknowledged that “there is no federation resolution that agreed to the cancelation of the licenses” and their decision not to grant a license is “null and void.”
“In any case, the professional careers of Dani Olmo and Pau Victor have been protected since January 8 by the urgent precautionary measure granted by the CSD, with the sole aim of avoiding irreparable harm until this procedure is resolved,” it said.
“In short, for reasons of incompetence, for not having followed the appropriate procedures established in the regulations, and for not being the body authorized to make decisions, the agreement of the Monitoring Committee of the RFEF-LaLiga Coordination Agreement must be considered null and void, and all effects derived from it invalidated.”
In January, the CSD had allowed Barcelona to provisionally register the pair, four days after Spanish football authorities rejected their requests.
Liverpool’s Slot happy to let Premier League title bid take its course
- “We are not working on theories about how many points this is, this, this,” said Slot
- “We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, where we have to be at our best again, like yesterday, to get a result”
LONDON: Arne Slot says Liverpool are unconcerned by how soon they can win the Premier League title after going 12 points clear again with victory in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby.
A day after second-placed Arsenal cut the gap to nine points by beating Fulham 2-1 at home, Liverpool responded by defeating Everton 1-0 at Anfield.
Liverpool next face Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Slot, in his first season as Liverpool manager since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, was asked Thursday how close he felt to clinching the title.
“We are not working on theories about how many points this is, this, this,” said Slot.
“We are taking the challenge of Fulham on for Sunday, where we have to be at our best again, like yesterday, to get a result.
“We’ve played 30 games now. Maybe there were three or four where the score was so clear that in the last 20 minutes it wasn’t a problem anymore. Almost all of our other games have been really tight.
“That probably tells you as well how big of an accomplishment it is that we are 12 points clear at the moment and doing so well.”
Arsenal play Everton at Goodison Park in a Saturday lunchtime kick-off.
“We have more than enough rest for the Sunday game, so it’s not a problem for us,” added Slot.
“But I do feel for Everton, that they play on a Wednesday night and have to have the early kick-off on Saturday.
“The good thing is they play at home and I know how much their fans can influence the game.”
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who missed the Everton game due to concussion, and right-back Conor Bradley are being assessed ahead of Sunday’s fixture. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez remain sidelined.
“With Ali (Alisson), it’s simple,” said Slot. “It’s a concussion and you have to tick all the boxes. The moment he does, he will be in goal. The moment he doesn’t, we are following the protocol.”
Jack Hendry primed for first Dammam derby with Al-Ettifaq
- The Scotland defender spoke to Arab News about playing under Steven Gerrard and the ‘Eastern Derby’ against Al-Qadsiah
LONDON: Al-Ettifaq center back Jack Hendry knows a fair bit about cross-city rivalries. He played for Dundee against Dundee United, for Club Brugge against Cercle Brugge and, most notably, for Celtic against Rangers in the Old Firm Derby.
On Saturday, Hendry will face a new foe when he lines up in Al-Ettifaq’s defense against high-flying Al-Qadsiah. For the past few years, Al-Ettifaq has been Dammam’s leading club, but this season it has been undeniably usurped by rivals Al-Qadsiah.
Michel’s newly promoted side has enjoyed a stellar season on its return to the Kingdom’s top flight, currently lying third in the Saudi Pro League table and making it to the final of the King’s Cup.
“Hats off to Qadsiah, they’ve had a very good season,” Hendry told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “They’ve had good recruitment, bringing in players that have worked well for them.
“We really want to match that and will continue to work hard to be the main team in Dammam. I think we’re very much capable of doing that. It’s been a disappointing season but we are extremely motivated to be the No. 1 team in the city for our fans, because we know how much it means to them.”
He added: “This is something I am really hungry for. I moved to Al-Ettifaq to accomplish something in football; we don’t want to be finishing mid-table, we want to be winning the King’s Cup, qualifying for Asian competition and challenging at the top of the league.”
Hendry’s winning mentality is ingrained after spells at Celtic in his native Scotland and Club Brugge in Belgium — both clubs expected to consistently challenge for every domestic trophy.
It was this hunger that initially convinced him to move to Al-Ettifaq in summer 2023, excited by the possibility of working under Steven Gerrard. The coach’s own glittering playing career yielded myriad trophies at Liverpool before he also won the Scottish Premiership as Rangers boss in 2021.
“I had lots of opportunities to go to different places across Europe, but Steven really sold the project to me,” Hendry said. “It was an opportunity I thought I couldn’t let go.
“I picked up a lot from Steven and it was a great honor to play for him as he was one of my idols growing up. The winning mentality is something he obviously had as a player and he definitely brought that to his coaching too.”
In January, after 18 months at the helm, Gerrard left Al-Ettifaq and former Saudi Arabia U-23s’ coach Saad Al-Shehri returned for his second stint.
Hendry admits he was sad to see Gerrard go but praised his teammates for their professionalism in quickly adapting to their new coach’s approach — the team are now seventh in the Pro League table with victories including an impressive 3-2 away to Al-Nassr in February.
“To lose a figure, a role model like Steven with all his experience in the game is always disappointing,” Hendry said. “But in football, you get setbacks and things you don’t expect — you have to learn from it rather than dwell on it.
“We’ve now got a new manager who is extremely positive and highly ambitious for the football club. It matches my ambitions as well so I’m delighted he has those high standards and I’m really looking forward to the future.”
Al-Shehri’s arrival has coincided with Hendry’s return to the Al-Ettifaq starting lineup. The Saudi coach clearly sees the 29-year-old as a key figure both on the pitch and in the dressing-room, but it comes after a difficult first half of the season for Hendry.
After playing every minute of every game in the 2023-24 campaign, Hendry found himself initially omitted from the 2024-25 Saudi Pro League squad after suffering an injury. His return came quicker than anticipated, meaning he faced a painful wait for the end of the winter break to return to action.
“I was really happy with how I played last season and I really put my body on the line for the team,” Hendry says. “I played in a couple of games when I had a broken nose and a fractured cheek as well. This is the sort of player I am — I want to put in everything for the team.
“That’s why the first half of this season was so tough. It was a difficult situation but I worked extremely hard to … be fit as soon as possible because I knew the impact I could have on the side. Unfortunately, that then meant I needed to spend longer watching the team as I couldn’t play.
“I want the club to be as successful as possible and feel that when I am on the pitch we have a better chance of keeping the goals out. Thankfully now I’m back in the team and hopefully those circumstances won’t happen again.”
While Hendry has helped bring some solidity back to the Al-Ettifaq defense, the team has been struggling at the other end of the pitch. Al-Shehri’s side goes into the Dammam derby without star striker Moussa Dembele, who in February was ruled out until the end of the year after rupturing his Achilles.
“He is a very talented footballer, a very powerful striker,” Hendry says of Dembele, who was also his teammate at Celtic. “Moussa is going to be a big miss — no team wants to lose their No. 9. But we need to react to that in a positive way, do our best for him and hope he has a good recovery.”
Al-Ettifaq’s attackers will have their work cut out on Saturday against an Al- Qadsiah side that has the Saudi Pro League’s meanest defense this season — they have conceded just 21 goals in 25 games.
Hendry is nonetheless relishing the opportunity to play in his first Dammam derby. While he admits the rivalry might not have the ferocity of the Old Firm or Bruges games, he hopes Al-Ettifaq vs Al-Qadsiah might develop into something just as special.
“Obviously the fans of Celtic and Rangers absolutely live and breathe the Old Firm Derby in Scotland,” Hendry explains. “It means a lot and that creates an unbelievable atmosphere — it would be impossible to experience that kind of a game anywhere else.
“The passion in Scotland and in Belgium were amazing but we are talking about generations upon generations of fans. There is the potential with what’s going on right now in Saudi Arabia that it can reach that level.
“We already have many very loyal supporters at Ettifaq. I know it would mean the world to them to beat Qadsiah and we need to go out there and make them proud of the football club — that’s what we’ll try to do.”
World Cricket Association lights a fuse with views on game’s governance
- In a comprehensive review last August, the WCA said it had ‘given up hope’ on a structure in which international cricket and domestic leagues could co-exist
Everyone associated with cricket knows the international calendar is overcrowded. Everyone also knows India is the game’s powerhouse and is shaping it to its will. Solutions and remedies to these situations are in short supply, especially given the interests vested in maintaining them.
Last August, in recognition of this, the World Cricketers’ Association initiated a comprehensive review of the game’s global structure. At the time, its chair said they had “given up hope” the game’s leaders could establish a clear, coherent structure in which international cricket and domestic leagues could co-exist. A six-person panel was established with a remit to produce recommendations to the WCA board after talking with players, administrators, team owners and broadcasters.
Between September 2024 and March 2025, 64 interviews were conducted. Of these, 19 were with players, split almost equally between men and women; 14 with current or past cricket administrators; 17 with individuals operating in the media or with commercial interests; and 14 representing player associations. What is striking is the low-level of input from both the International Cricket Council and India — one Indian journalist was interviewed, along with the CEO of an IPL team, an executive of JioStar and a legendary former Indian female cricketer.
Whilst disappointing, this failure to engage is hardly a surprise. Neither India nor Pakistan has recognized player associations. There is an Indian Cricket Association, formed in 2019, but its membership is restricted to former players and it is not affiliated to the WCA. This reticence to allow the formation of a genuine players’ union is underpinned by the Lodha Committee. In response to the 2013 IPL betting scandal, it was instructed by the Supreme Court to recommend reforms to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Although it recommended the formation of the ICA, it specified it should not act as a union. This lack of player representation further strengthens the BCCI’s power.
The extent of this power is laid bare in the WCA report, “Protecting History, Embracing Change: A Unified, Coherent Global Future.” It focuses on four areas — scheduling, economics, regulation and leadership — and suggests solutions to address a “broken global structure”. It is likely that many outside India will accord with this but therein lies the problem. India is now the dominant actor.
Under the ICC’s current revenue distribution model, the cricket boards of Australia, England and India together receive almost 50 percent, with the BCCI receiving the lion’s share at 38.5 percent. Some 87 percent of bilateral cricket revenues are retained by the same three countries. Only 2 percent of cricket’s global revenue is distributed to countries ranked 13th-108th by the ICC. This is not new information but perhaps the report will help these facts reach more eyes. Its proposed solution will certainly resonate widely.
The report proposes a new model in which each of the top 24 countries receives a minimum of 2 percent and maximum of 10 percent of ICC revenue. It also suggests countries ranked 25th and below should collectively receive a minimum of 10 percent. With the best will in the world, it is difficult to envisage this being acceptable to the BCCI, whose share would reduce from 38.5 to 10 percent.
Unsurprisingly, this suggestion has been received critically by the Indian press. It points out that the report does not talk about the contributions of the BCCI to the ICC’s revenue pool. Estimates vary as to the exact extent, but it is at least 70 percent. The WCA report also fails to recognize the sale of media rights for the India market which is generating an unparalleled inflow of funds for the ICC. In turn, this has led to an influx of advertisers and sponsors.
A further observation by the WCA which is guaranteed to rile Indians is that “the IPL accounts for almost half the global cricket but shares only circa 0.3 percent of revenue with other countries and less than 10 percent with players.”
No doubt the Indian response is to point out that the IPL is an Indian tournament and revenues should be used to benefit the Indian game. This is the case with other franchise leagues. As for distribution to players, there will be few who doubt the IPL pays handsomely.
Although the WCA’s case for economic reform looks to be on thin ice, its take on the game’s governance and regulation is likely to receive a better hearing, at least outside the current body vested with that responsibility. One recommendation which straddles these two areas is: “All distributions from the ICC to National Governing Bodies to be publicly accounted for and independently audited against clear KPIs and enforcement mechanisms.” The fact this is considered at all is suggestive of currently imperfect control systems.
Famously, the previous ICC Chair said the governing body was not fit for purpose, a view shared by many. Upending and replacing the ICC is a task not for the faint hearted since it would directly take on Indian interests. The ICC is a members’ club answerable to no one and, as such, is unlikely to vote for its own abolition. A revolution is not in the air, yet. In recognition of this, the WCA boldly proposes an interim step of an “independently chaired Global Game Leadership Committee to make recommendations to the game and ICC Board,” comprised of “25 percent national boards, 25 percent DT20 leagues/franchises, 25 percent players and 25 percent independents.
It is obvious that the review undertaken by the WCA ought to be one conducted by the ICC. The fact it has not done so reflects its strategic inertia and constricted leadership faculties. An overcrowded calendar can be laid at its door. As a minimum, the WCA has suggested four three-week windows in the calendar that would be reserved for “core international cricket,” with commercial rights pooled.
Whilst a number of the WCA’s recommendations are unlikely to be either practical or acceptable, it has done a service by bringing together a raft of fragmented concerns which plague the game’s future direction. Every so often cricket is subject to transformational tremors. We may be on the brink of another.
