List of All Articles with Tag 'a'

Arsenal opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League as two early goals proved just enough to see off Wolves at the Emirates Stadium. With closest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City not in action until Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s side took full advantage as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard struck in the opening 16 minutes before a nervy ending brought about by Matheus Cunha’s strike. The Gunners ultimately ran out 2-1 winners on an afternoon where their early goals were the peak of a performance that promised more than it provided. Having thrashed Lens here 6-0 on Wednesday to ensure safe passage into the last 16 of the Champions League, Wolves proved they were made of sterner stuff and stayed in the contest until the last. Saka needed less than six minutes to put the home side ahead as Arsenal scored their earliest Premier League goal of the campaign so far. It is something manager Mikel Arteta has been keen to improve on, stopping sides being able to sit deep and defend in numbers. Gabriel Jesus fed Takehiro Tomiyasu, who slipped in for Saka to coolly convert and continue what is fast becoming a fine season for the England forward. Saka’s speedy opener gave Arsenal a platform to build on and they doubled their lead just seven minutes later. Jesus was again involved, this time playing in Oleksandr Zinchenko down the left with the full-back then squaring for Odegaard to sweep home and finish off another eye-catching move. Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa appeared to pick up an injury attempting to keep out Odegaard’s effort but was on had to bravely block a Leandro Trossard shot as Arsenal continued to turn the screw. That turned out to be Sa’s final contribution, however, as he limped off to be replaced by Dan Bentley. The visitors enjoyed more of the ball but created very little before being caught on a counter-attack that ended with Gabriel Martinelli hitting the base of Bentley’s post with a curling strike. Jesus then failed to finish a difficult chance at the back post as Saka’s ball in was deflected into the Brazilian’s path. Wolves finally had a telling chance in the dying embers of first-half stoppage time but Hwang Hee-chan could not take full advantage of Zinchenko’s weak backpass as David Raya rushed off his line to block. Cunha stung the palms of the Arsenal goalkeeper early in the second half just after Jesus had a penalty claim turned down at the other end. Declan Rice drilled wide and Saka bent a long-range strike inches over the crossbar as the game seemed to be petering out to a conclusion. Tomiyasu was forced off with what appeared to be a calf injury as Ben White replaced the Japan international for the final 12 minutes. Trossard should have added a third moments later but could not finish when played in on goal as Bentley made a smart stop to deny both the Belgian and Saka, who followed up the initial effort. Instead though, it was Wolves who would reduced the arrears and set up a nervy ending for the hosts as Nelson Semedo nipped the ball off the toes of Zinchenko and Cunha slammed home. Arsenal should have immediately re-established their two-goal cushion but substitute Eddie Nketiah hit a post when presented with a fine opportunity. The Gunners, though, hung on to seal the win and put a gap between themselves and the chasing pack ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Luton. Read More Brentford beat Luton with strong second-half show Five-star Burnley crush Sheffield United at Turf Moor Ronnie O’Sullivan out to ‘ruin careers’ of trophy rivals after reaching UK final Bristol blow Gloucester away for derby delight Police charge more than 40 away fans after major disorder outside Villa Park ‘We never lost trust’: Sarina Wiegman remained confident of England comeback

Germany will host the European Championships next summer as England head to Euro 2024 as one of the favourites. After the Covid-delayed Euros were held across the continent in 2021, the tournament returns to its one-country host format. Germany is set to be a popular destination because of its strong football culture and hosted a memorable World Cup in 2006. The Olympiastadion in Berlin will stage another major final, while Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and Borussia Dortmund’s iconic Signal Iduna Park are two of Europe’s biggest grounds. Euro 2024 draw LIVE: England, Scotland and Wales discover finals opponents for Germany Here’s everything you need to know. Euro 2024 stadiums Berlin - Olympiastadion Berlin Capacity: 75,000 Key games: Final, quarter-final 3 Cologne - Cologne Stadium (RheinEnergieSTADION) Capacity: 50,000 Key games: Last-16 match 3 Dortmund - BVB Stadion Dortmund (Signal Iduna Park) Capacity: 65,000 Key games: Semi-final 2 Dusseldorf - Dusseldorf Arena (MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA) Capacity: 51,000 Key games: Quarter-final 4 Frankfurt - Frankfurt Arena (Deutsche Bank Park) Capacity: 55,000 Key games: Last-16 match 5 Gelsenkirchen - Arena AufSchalke (Veltins-Arena) Capacity: 55,000 Key games: Last-16 match 4 Hamburg - Volksparkstadion Hamburg Capacity: 52,000 Key games: Quarter-final 2 Leipzig - Leipzig Stadium (Red Bull Arena) Capacity: 43,000 Key games: Last-16 match 8 Munich - Munich Football Arena (Allianz Arena) Capacity: 70,000 Key games: Tournament opener, semi-final 1 Stuttgart - Stuttgart Arena (MHPArena) Capacity: 55,000 Key games: Quarter-final 1 Read More Euro 2024 draw LIVE: England, Scotland and Wales discover opponents What time is the Euro 2024 draw and what are the pots? Euro 2024 draw: Top seeds England could face Scotland and Wales What are Scotland’s best and worst scenarios in the Euro 2024 draw? What are England’s best and worst case scenarios in Euro 2024 draw? Euro 2024: The cheapest ways to follow England and Scotland in Germany next summer

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Burnley ended their wait for a Premier League home win in style with a 5-0 rout of fellow strugglers Sheffield United, climbing off the foot of the table and piling pressure on Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom. Jay Rodriguez needed just 15 seconds to head Vincent Kompany’s side in front and Jacob Bruun Larsen doubled the lead in the 28th minute, with United ending the first half a man down after Oli McBurnie collected two petulant yellow cards in quick succession. More pain followed for United in the second half as Zeki Amdouni and Luca Koleosho scored two in the space of three minutes before Josh Brownhill added a fifth, giving Burnley their biggest ever Premier League win. No English league club had ever opened a season with eight home defeats and Burnley could not afford to set that record against a United side who began the day one point better off, with these two starting the day first and second in terms of the worst starts to a Premier League season by promoted sides. Both Burnley’s wins to date have come against teams promoted alongside them in the summer, but after encouraging displays against Crystal Palace and West Ham, three points offer tangible reward for improving performances. For United it was another chastening day, the pain of defeat increased by the loss of McBurnie to a needless suspension. There was no sign of the sort of quality that will be needed to get them out of trouble. Burnley scored the opener with a move straight from kick-off. James Trafford punted the ball forward, Amdouni shifted it to the left and Charlie Taylor whipped in a first-time cross for Rodriguez to head home. It was the quickest Premier League goal of the season, and made Rodriguez the first player in the league’s history to score in the opening 15 seconds of two separate games, 10 years and one day after he pounced for Southampton against Chelsea. Burnley doubled their lead when Bruun Larsen got in front of Luke Thomas to reach Dara O’Shea’s long ball, cutting in off the right before passing the ball under the despairing dive of Wes Foderingham. United’s frustrations soon surfaced. McBurnie, back in the starting 11 after scoring the late consolation in last week’s home defeat to Bournemouth, was lucky to only see yellow for catching O’Shea with an elbow in the 36th minute, leaving Kompany livid on the sideline. Moments later O’Shea caught McBurnie, who delivered enough theatrics to ensure his counterpart also saw yellow, and Kompany joined both players in the book for his remonstrations. More was to follow and when McBurnie caught O’Shea with an arm once again in first-half stoppage time, he earned a second yellow card and a head start on the trudge to the dressing room. Heckingbottom, already forced into one substitution due to an injury for George Baldock, made a triple change at the break as Benie Traore, James McAtee and William Osula came on for Thomas, John Fleck and Cameron Archer. It meant only half United’s outfield players that started the match were still on for the start of the second half. But it did little to change United’s fortunes and the floodgates opened after the 73rd minute. Burnley’s third came when United failed to clear a corner and Jordan Beyer headed the ball down for Amdouni to spring between Jack Robinson and Anel Ahmedhodzic before playing the ball beyond Foderingham. Moments later Koleosho cracked a shot off the crossbar when Foderingham could only parry Amdouni’s shot, but the teenager was soon celebrating his first Premier League goal as he shrugged off a challenge and beat the goalkeeper at his near post. Brownhill rifled in the fifth from the edge of the box with 10 minutes to go. Read More Ronnie O’Sullivan out to ‘ruin careers’ of trophy rivals after reaching UK final Bristol blow Gloucester away for derby delight Police charge more than 40 away fans after major disorder outside Villa Park ‘We never lost trust’: Sarina Wiegman remained confident of England comeback Mauricio Pochettino understands reason behind early struggles for Moises Caicedo Ange Postecoglou knows he can succeed at Tottenham by sticking to plan

Rudolph is famous for standing out, but his red nose blends into this holiday-themed brainteaser.

The Philippines and France agreed to initiate talks for a defense agreement that would allow troop visits, as

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Lionel Messi has insisted he has resolved a dispute he had with Robert Lewandowski over comments he made at the 2021 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

A major trade deal between the European Union and South American economies received a serious setback after French

The Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide face off in the 2023 SEC Championship Game. Here is how you can watch the big game.

Israel pulled its negotiating team out of Qatar, denting hopes that a seven-day cease-fire in its war with

Manchester United's flight to Newcastle was cancelled hours before their match at St James' Park kicks off on Saturday.