
Pep Guardiola: Disallowed Haaland ‘goal’ proves Man City success is on own merit
Pep Guardiola believes the perceived injustice of Erling Haaland’s disallowed goal in Wednesday’s thrilling 1-1 draw at Brighton proves Manchester City are Premier League champions on their own merits. City top scorer Haaland looked to have claimed a late winner at the Amex Stadium but his close-range header from Cole Palmer’s cross was ruled out after VAR spotted a shirt pull on Levi Colwill. Guardiola was visibly angered by the decision after seeing a replay on the big screen inside the ground and was later shown a yellow card by referee Simon Hooper for his ongoing protestations. The City boss claims 36-goal striker Haaland has endured similar physical contact from defenders all season and feels the incident shows his side have not benefited from favourable refereeing calls during their charge to the title. “If it’s disallowed, every action to Erling Haaland by all central defenders is a fault,” he said. “Every action. And we saw one or two (on Wednesday). “It’s a goal because he’s bigger, he’s stronger, he won the position (from Colwill) and it was an incredible action from Cole Palmer and the goal should be given. “But that proved that what we won on the pitch belongs to us, not anyone gave us anything. “He has bruises on all of his body after the games. If he’s faulting in the disallowed goal, every action to him is a fault and never happens.” Haaland, who squandered two excellent first-half chances, nodded home 11 minutes from time in front of the travelling fans after Julio Enciso’s stunning strike cancelled out Phil Foden’s opener. A gripping south-coast contest halted City’s top-flight winning streak at 12 games but mattered little in the context of their season. that proved that what we won on the pitch belongs to us, not anyone gave us anything. That proved that what we won on the pitch belongs to us, not anyone gave us anything. Pep Guardiola Guardiola’s men enjoyed alcohol-fuelled celebrations after lifting the Premier League trophy following Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea and are bidding to complete the treble with FA Cup and Champions League glory. Following Sunday’s visit to Brentford, City face rivals Manchester United at Wembley on June 3 before attempting to become European champions for the first time against Inter Milan in Istanbul a week later. Guardiola has defensive issues moving towards the two finals after Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte and Manuel Akanji missed the trip to Sussex. Jack Grealish was also absent, while John Stones and Foden were withdrawn during the game as a precaution. “Phil had a knock in the first half and problems in his leg and the doctor told me that in this position it is dangerous so we don’t take a risk,” said Guardiola. “John at the end was a little tight but he didn’t feel anything and is fine, he told me, but we didn’t want to take a risk because we had just one central defender with John. “The others are injured so hopefully they can recover as soon as possible. “We sustained no injuries for a long time but the moment we get near the Champions League final, four or five players get little niggles – important ones – and we have to recover them.” Sixth-placed Brighton cemented their spot in next season’s Europa League with the midweek point. Pascal Gross, the Seagulls’ first signing following promotion to the top flight in 2017, told his club’s website: “I’m so proud of the boys, what an achievement for us. “We can’t wait for the Europa League. What a season ahead.” Paraguayan Enciso’s spectacular equaliser followed another goal of the season contender from the 19-year-old in last month’s 2-1 win at Chelsea. “He can have it (goal of the season),” said Gross. “Two incredible goals. “What I like more, he’s getting better and better. It’s not easy coming from far away abroad with no English. “But he’s improving speaking English, he’s improving adapting to the group, a good guy and I think there’s much more to come.”
2023-05-25 19:19

Marc Skinner bemused at lack of praise for Man Utd as they fight for WSL title
Marc Skinner is bemused at the lack of praise for his Manchester United side even though they head into the last Women’s Super League game of the season with an outside chance of winning the title. United head to Liverpool on Saturday afternoon two points behind league leaders Chelsea, who will be crowned champions for a fourth successive time if they defeat relegation-threatened Reading. However, even if the final day unfolds as anticipated and United settle for a runners-up spot, it would still be their highest top-flight finish, in a season where they reached the FA Cup final for the first time. Just five years after being reformed, Skinner believes United gate-crashing the established order of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal should be more widely recognised by those following the game. “We’ve been exceptional this year and I don’t think we get enough credit, I really don’t,” said the United boss. “There’s always a caveat as to why we’re successful. That is other teams’ injuries, other teams maybe not having the run they wanted and having Champions League and I get that. It’s a factor we will have to look at but I just feel the players have been exceptional this year. “It’s not about where we finish in the league right now, that’s not the over-riding factor. We’re growing up in front of the public eye whereas other teams have already done that. I feel this team in a pressure cauldron not only have performed well but won games of football. “We’re still in contention to win and if we don’t we finish second but to do that and disrupt the historical top-three, that is a big, big season regardless of what’s happened elsewhere. “I want people to give this team and the players the credit they deserve.” Aoife Mannion will miss out this weekend after tweaking her knee while blocking a shot in training although Skinner is confident the Republic of Ireland defender will be fit for the World Cup. “We’re hoping so, that’s the plan,” said Skinner, who will also be unable to call upon Maria Thorisdottir because of the Norwegian’s foot injury. “There’s nothing structurally wrong. She won’t be in at the weekend but we’re hoping in a few weeks, she’ll be back.”
2023-05-25 19:19

ECB’s Guindos Says Wages, Margins Pose Upside Inflation Risk
European Central Bank Vice President Luis de Guindos said upside dangers to inflation stem from rising wages and
2023-05-25 18:50

Tottenham identify new first choice for manager after Arne Slot snub
Tottenham Hotspur are strongly considering Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou as one of a few main names after Arne Slot decided to stay at Feyenoord. The Dutch coach had become Spurs' first choice only for the Eredivisie leaders to persuade Slot to give the club at least one more season, since they have qualified for the Champions League. It is also understood that questions were raised about Tottenham’s current structure as they also seek a director of football, and Slot had issues with how he would work in that system. While the feeling in the game had been that the Slot negotiations were close to the finish line, some figures with knowledge of the situation insist Spurs were still conducting discussions about a top list of targets. One of those is Postecoglou, who is being strongly considered, along with Sporting's Ruben Amorim. Daniel Levy would greatly value Luis Enrique but that is seen as more difficult to pull off given the Spanish coach's list of demands when Chelsea interviewed him. Postecoglou has earned huge admirers in the game for his expansive and entertaining work at Celtic, and there is hope that any deal would be smoother to do than with Feyenoord due to good relationships between involved parties. The Australian is commonly seen as one of the most exciting managers in world football. Ryan Mason is currently in charge to see out the season, having taken over from Cristian Stellini who was dismissed following a thrashing at the hands of Newcastle. Stellini himself was only an interim in the role, following the sacking of Antonio Conte earlier this season. Spurs face relegation-threatened Leeds on the final day of the season and sit eighth in the Premier League table ahead of the weekend, a position which would see them miss out on any kind of European football next term. Read More Celtic’s Ange Postecoglou and Kyogo Furuhashi take top PFA Scotland awards Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou named manager of the year at PFA Scotland Awards ‘We never stop’: How Ange Postecoglou restored Celtic’s dominance
2023-05-25 18:22

Shenyang Weighing Takeover of Brilliance China’s Major Owner, Sources Say
The northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang is drawing up plans to take over the biggest shareholder of Hong
2023-05-25 18:19

Microsoft: Chinese hackers hit key US bases on Guam
The malware hit facilities on Guam that would be critical to any US response to an invasion of Taiwan.
2023-05-25 18:16

Meituan’s Revenue Beats Estimates in China Spending Revival
Meituan’s revenue jumped a faster-than-anticipated 27% after a gradually stabilizing Chinese economy drove meal delivery and travel nationwide.
2023-05-25 17:53

Snowflake Plunges as Sales Forecast Miss Signals Cloud Woes
Snowflake Inc. gave a sales outlook for the current quarter that fell short of expectations, suggesting that many
2023-05-25 17:28

EU Blocks More Than €200 Billion in Russian Central Bank Assets
The European Union has immobilized more than €200 billion ($215 billion) in Russian central bank assets since Moscow
2023-05-25 17:28

Europe’s Banks Say They’re Back. So Why Doesn’t Anyone Buy Their Shares?
PacWest Bancorp lost $1 billion in one quarter, saw its stock drop 89% in two months, and has
2023-05-25 17:19

US, South Korea Start Live-Fire Drills Set to Anger North
The US and South Korea began their largest-ever live-fire drills near the border with North Korea, which has
2023-05-25 17:17

Deaths Soar on Everest After Record Number of Climbers Attempt Summit
The latest climbing season on Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is set to become one of the
2023-05-25 16:59