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Premier League roundup: Gunners overtake Spurs, Man City fourth

By Nicholas MendolaMay 15, 2016, 12:56 PM EDT
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Despite the title and relegation race having been run, the Premier League season still sent us off with plenty of entertainment and a bit of North London Derby drama on Sunday.

Arsenal rose above Spurs for the 21st straight season thanks to a pair of relegated sides: rampant Newcastle United and a listless Aston Villa.

Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa — RECAP

Olivier Giroud scored a hat trick and Arsenal added a late own goal as the Gunners rose above Spurs on the table for the 21st straight season. It was an emotional goodbye for longtime captain Mikel Arteta and stalwart veteran Tomas Rosicky.

Newcastle United 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Georginio Wijnaldum (L) of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal with his team mate Moussa Sissoko (R) during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on May 15, 2016 in Newcastle, England. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Spurs conceded the final three goals with Newcastle down to 10 men, and Mauricio Pochettino‘s charges eventually gave away second place in the Premier League.

Where was this Newcastle team in 2016? Rafa Benitez gave St. James Park a show in its last Premier League match for at least a year, with Georginio Wijnaldum scored two goals to go with one each for Rolando Aarons, Daryl Janmaat and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was sent off for an abhorrent tackle on Kyle Walker.

Manchester United – Bournemouth — POSTPONED

A suspicious package caused Old Trafford to be evacuated and the match postponed. More details to come.

Swansea City 1-1 Manchester City — RECAP

Kelechi Iheanacho‘s eighth goal of the PL season was all Man City needed to clinch a Top Four spot (barring a ridiculous scoreline when United-Bournemouth is played). Andre Ayew’s free kick deflected off Fernando for Swans’ goal.

West Brom 1-1 Liverpool — RECAP

Salomon Rondon gave the Baggies an early lead, but Jordon Ibe nabbed an equalizer at the Hawthorns. Liverpool could’ve risen to 7th with a win, while the Baggies finish 14th.

Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City — RECAP

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Danny Drinkwater of Leicester City is closed down by Bertrand Traore of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on May 15, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The hosts gave former manager Claudio Ranieri and his Foxes a guard of honor, then went out and drew them. Cesc Fabregas converted a penalty for the Blues, while Danny Drinkwater scored for the champions.

Everton 3-0 Norwich City— RECAP

USMNT and Everton hero Tim Howard kept a clean sheet in his final match at Goodison Park, which saw the Toffees trounce relegated Norwich City in their first game without manager Roberto Martinez. Kevin Mirallas, Leighton Baines and James McCarthy netted for Everton.

Southampton 4-1 Crystal Palace — RECAP

Saints got goals from Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle,Ryan Bertrand and Steven Davis to qualify for the UEFA Europa League after winning five of their last six games to finish the season. Jason Puncheon scored for Palace, who finished miserably after a hot start but still have an FA Cup final. Is Alan Pardew‘s job in jeopardy if they lose?

Stoke City 2-1 West Ham United — RECAP

The Hammers were more dangerous all day, but Stoke took its chances well as Mame Biram Diouf and Giannelli Imbula scored second half goals to lift the Potters to a come-from-behind win. Michail Antonio scored for the visitors.

Watford 2-2 Sunderland — RECAP

Jack Rodwell and Jeremain Lens twice gave Sunderland the lead, with Sebastian Prodl and Troy Deeney equalized in Quique Sanchez Flores’ final game in charge of Watford. The Black Cats sealed promotion at midweek by thumping Sunderland.

Fan banned from all NWSL games after investigation

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Associated PressSep 15, 2019, 12:32 AM EDT
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A person who directed racist taunts at Portland Thorns’ goalkeeper Adrianna Franch has been banned from attending National Women’s Soccer League games.

A fan at the Sept. 6 game between the Thorns and Utah Royals in Salt Lake City first called attention to the unidentified person on Twitter. The tweet was later deleted, but both the Thorns and Royals, as well as the league, investigated the incident.

The NWSL issued a statement Saturday saying the person was identified. In addition to being banned from NWSL matches, the person – who was not identified publicly by the league – was also banned from attending events at Rio Tinto Stadium.

“NWSL will not tolerate inappropriate fan behavior,” the league’s statement said. “Racism has no place in our sport.”

The Royals also offered “thanks in no small part to assistance from fans seated in the vicinity,” for identifying the offending party.

A few days after the incident, Franch posted a statement to Twitter: “The situation surrounding our game Friday night is not a NEW issue, nor is it a first for me. RACISM is NOT okay in any form!! We as a HUMAN RACE can be better and should be better. We as a SPORT can help show the way.”

Franch was on the roster of the U.S. national team that won the Women’s World Cup this summer in France.

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports

MLS Wrap: What we learned

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By Joel SoriaSep 15, 2019, 12:25 AM EDT
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Here’s what we learned from MLS’ jam-packed action on Saturday.

[ MORE: All of PST’s MLS coverage ]

NYCFC rally to edge San Jose, remain first in Eastern Conference 

Dominating possession and taking a healthy amount of shots, it seemed like the San Jose Earthquakes were going to pull off a Matias Almeyda-era victory in New York City on Saturday.

But in just the span of three minutes, NYCFC changed the landscape of the game completely, scoring twice right before halftime. Keaton Parks recorded his first league goal in the 40th minute. In the 43rd, the Eastern Conference leaders put together this (yes, the covered half the field just like that):

Like in the sequences that led to the home side’s goals, the Quakes’ confidence to overtake the scoreline took a hit, failing to finish a number of chances following attack-heavy substitutions in the second half. As a result, San Jose, who are fighting for a playoff spot, dropped their fourth straight game on the road.

Speaking with media after their 2-1 loss, Almeyda – despite praising NYCFC as being one of the league’s best – took shots at Yankee Stadium’s field size. Should the league care? Absolutely. NYCFC? Not at all, just look at their record.

FC Cincinnati win first game under Ron Jans

FC Cincy supporters can finally rejoice, even their 1-0 win in Montreal wasn’t ideal.

The league’s youngest team ended up with 10-men late in the game. Kendall Watson was shown a straight red card, but Ron Jans earned his first three points at the helm. Early in the game, Allan Cruz’s goal foreshadowed what was to come for the Ohioan side following the final whistle: a celebration.

 

The Impact (37 points) remain three points behind New England, while Cincinnati (21 points) look to finish strong in order to avoid the ugly side of the history books. 

Carlos Vela rejoins LAFC, scores

There’s no way around it: LAFC is a completely different team with (or without) Carlos Vela, who can’t stop scoring.

The Mexican recorded his 28th goal of the season (six behind Jose Martinez’s single-season record) in the Supporter Shield favorite’s 1-1 draw in Philadelphia. It wasn’t a Vela-esque sequence at all, but it was enough to change the score.

The Union, who played without Marco Fabian because of his absence in the team’s meeting on Friday, opened the scoring. Three minutes in, Kacper Przybyłko’s floating header surprised Tyler Miller, giving the home side a perfect start in front of a noisy Talen Energy Stadium.

Just a couple of months ago, these were the two best teams in the league. LAFC remain atop of the Western Conference. The Union, however, are now five points behind NYCFC.

Crew trounce Atlanta United 3-1 despite Josef Martinez’ goal

Caleb Porter’s Columbus Crew, arguably, play the most effective soccer out of all the teams that are on the outside looking in when it comes to qualifying for the playoffs this season.

On Saturday, despite being statistically outdone by Atlanta United, the Crew managed to execute their chances, scoring three goals on only four shots on target. Gyasi Zardes, a pivotal piece of their attack, scored his 12th goal of the season. Costa Rican Luis Diaz added one of his own in the second half, before Miles Robinson’s own-goal 25 minutes later sealed three points for Columbus.

No goal, however, had as much significance as Josef Martinez’s.

The Venezuelan scored for a 14th consecutive game, making it the third longest streak in the history of the sport. The 26-year-old is now seven games away from Lionel Messi’s world record set in 2014.

Third in the Eastern Conference, nine points away from NYCFC with six games to go, don’t count the single-season scoring king to hold back from wanting to break the record.

Elsewhere in MLS

Chicago Fire 4-0 FC Dallas 

Orlando City 3-3 New England Revolution

Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Houston Dynamo

Serie A roundup: Inter edge 10-man Udinese

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By Joel SoriaSep 14, 2019, 10:34 PM EDT
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Napoli and Inter Milan walked away winners in Saturday’s Serie A action.

Inter Milan 1-0 Udinese

After three games, Antonio Conte‘s spell at Inter Milan remains in immaculate shape.

According to the table, there is no better team than I Nerazzurri, who have won their first three league matches – notching seven goals and conceding only one along the way. In other words, the Italian’s astute coaching style remains effective.

Despite, Inter’s convincing play throughout the 90 minutes, only a goal would separate them from visiting Udinese, who played a with 10 players from the 35th minute on, following Rodrigo De Pual’s slap to the back of Antonio Candreva’s head.

In the 44th minute, Stefano Sensi – one of the smallest players on the field – headed the ball into the back of the net. Late in the game, Alexis Sanchez nearly scored in his Inter debut.

In the end, Udinese were no match for Antonio Conte and Co., who find themselves in prime form heading into their Champions League return midweek.

Up next for Inter in league play: Derby della Madonnina. Udinese, on the hand, host Brescia.

Napoli 2-0 Sampdoria

Dries Mertens is the gift that keeps on giving for Napoli.

To be exact, the Belgian gifted his team two goals on Saturday. 13 minutes in, following a perfectly-placed cross from Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mertens’ first-time strike was unstoppable for Emil Audero.
Emiliano Rigoni had Sampdoria’s best chance of the night in a one-on-one opportunity with Alex Meret. The Argentine, however, wasted one of the visiting side’s two chances all night.
Then in the 67th minute – with some luck on his corner -Mertens completed his brace off a deflected shot, giving his team their second win of the season.

Quick turnaround for Napoli as they host Liverpool midweek before traveling to take on Lecce in league play, while Sampdoria take on Torino next.

Elsewhere in Serie A

Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus

La Liga roundup: Real Sociedad spoil Atletico Madrid’s perfect start

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By Joel SoriaSep 14, 2019, 9:33 PM EDT
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Atletico Madrid’s first hiccup of the season headlines Saturday’s La Liga action.

[ FOLLOW: PST’s La Liga coverage ]

Real Sociedad 2-0 Atletico Madrid

La Liga had an upset of their own.

Atletico Madrid remain league leaders, but their undefeated record is no more after a 2-0 loss to Real Sociedad in San Sebastian.

Both sides played to a quiet first half, but in the 58th minute Martin Odegaard opened the score in front of a packed Anoeta, as his left-footed shot was deflected by Stefan Savic.

Just two minutes later, in his Real Sociedad debut, longtime Arsenal fullback Nacho Monreal tapped in a second chance inside the box, following an initial stretching save from Jan Oblak.

Diego Simeone’s side pushed desperately in the latter stages of the game; not enough to get passed Miguel Moya, though.

La Reala sets their sights on Espanyol, while Los Colchoneros, with Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at their heels, look to bounce back against Celta Vigo.

Real Madrid 3-2 Levante

Real Madrid conceded two goals in the second half in Saturday’s game, but their formidable first 45 minutes was enough to help them walk away a wet Santiago Bernabeu with three, precious points.

Coming on in the 60th minutes, Eden Hazard and Militao made their La Liga debuts with Zinedine Zidane’s side.

With two goals in six minutes, Karim Benzema gave the home side an early comfortable lead. Shortly before the halftime whistle, Casameiro added his own, following an assist from Vinicius Junior.

Despite falling short, Levante quickly got after evaporating Real Madrid’s first-half dominance. In the 49th minute, Borja Mayoral, cutting through Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos, put one past Thibaut Courtois.

Following Benzema’s post-rattling shot and disallowed Real Madrid goal by VAR, Gonzalo Melero’s header gave the visiting side their final goal of the bout.

One point behind rivals Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid look for another victory against Sevilla. Elsewhere, Levante, who are in decent shape, host Eibar next.

Elsewhere in La Liga

Barcelona 5-2 Valencia

RCD Mallorca 0-0 Athletic Bilbao

Leganes 0-3 Villareal