Aleksandar Mitrovic gets eight-game ban for pushing referee; Marco Silva also banned

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Fulham will be without talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic until May after he was handed an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh, while manager Marco Silva has also been handed a two-game ban.

However, the ban for both may be increased as the English Football Association are pushing for harsher punishments.

Both Silva and star striker Mitrovic were sent off of Fulham’s 3-1 loss to Manchester United in an FA Cup quarterfinal at Old Trafford on Sunday, March 19.

The pair reacted violently when Willian was sent off when VAR reviewed what was revealed to be a clear handball and Denial of a Goal Scoring Opportunity by the Brazilian when the match was 1-0 in the Cottagers’ favor.

[ MORE: JPW chats with Gabriel Jesus ]

Mitrovic barged into referee Chris Kavanagh after the referee was sent to the screen to review footage, while Silva berated officials and was said to have thrown a water bottle in the direction of Kavanagh.

The statement below from the independent Regulatory Commission states that Mitrovic will be banned for eight games, while Silva will be banned from the sidelines for two games.

FA statement on Aleksandar Mitrovic, Marco Silva

“Fulham FC, Marco Silva and Aleksandar Mitrovic have been sanctioned by an independent Regulatory Commission following a hearing in relation to their tie against Manchester United in The FA Cup on Sunday 19 March.

“Marco Silva admitted that he used abusive and insulting words, gestures and behaviour towards the match referee around the 72nd minute; that he used abusive and insulting words towards the fourth official before being sent off; and that he used abusive and insulting words, gestures and behaviour towards the fourth official after being dismissed. However, he denied that he threw a water bottle in the direction of the assistant referee and that his behaviour in doing so was improper. The Regulatory Commission upheld the outstanding charge against him, and imposed a two-match touchline ban and a £20,000 fine. The manager also admitted that comments he made in the post-match press conference constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias, question the integrity of the match official, and bring the game into disrepute. As a result, the Regulatory Commission imposed an additional £20,000 fine.

“We claimed the standard punishment which would otherwise apply to Aleksandar Mitrovic for the sending-off offence of violent conduct that he committed towards the match referee around the 72nd minute was clearly insufficient. The forward denied this, but it was upheld by the Regulatory Commission, and a three-match ban was imposed. This is in addition to the three-match ban he had already received for the red card offence.

“The forward separately admitted that his behaviour and language after being sent off was improper, abusive, insulting and threatening, and the Regulatory Commission imposed an additional two-match ban and £75,000 fine. In total, the Regulatory Commission has suspended Aleksandar Mitrovic for eight matches. One of these has already been served, and therefore the forward will be unavailable for Fulham FC’s next seven matches.

“Finally, the club admitted that it failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion around the 72nd minute, and the Regulatory Commission imposed a £40,000 fine. We await the Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these decisions, which will be published in due course.”


What next?

The English Football Association released the following statement on the bans handed out by the independent Regulatory Commission, as they will appeal the sanctions and want lengthier bans for both.

As things stand, Mitrovic will next be available to play for Fulham away at Southampton on May 13, while Silva will at least miss their games against West Ham and Everton over the next two weekends.

Premier League all-time goal leaders: Harry Kane passes Wayne Rooney

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Alan Shearer is the king of Premier League goal scorers, but Harry Kane is racing to challenge his crown.

Shearer scored 260 Premier League goals during his remarkable career with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, and that figure’s even more impressive when you consider his first professional seasons were played prior to the Premier League era with Southampton.

Wayne Rooney’s incredible career, played almost entirely in the Premier League, saw him become the second player to bag 200+ goals in the competition. The former Manchester United and Everton star counts 208 goals as his haul.

[ MORE: Premier League all-time assist leaders ]

Now ahead of Rooney? Harry Kane, whose 213 goals are 47 behind Shearer.

Kane, 29, scored 30 goals this Premier League season and would be running away with accolades were It not for some fella named Erling Haaland bagging goal after goal for Manchester City.

Will the Tottenham legend stay in England in a bid to chase down Shearer and, if he does, will he do it?

Read the full list of the Premier League’s all-time goal scorers, after the jump.

Premier League all-time goal leaders

bold denotes active player

  1. Alan Shearer, 260
  2. Harry Kane, 213
  3. Wayne Rooney, 208
  4. Andrew Cole, 187
  5. Sergio Aguero, 184
  6. Frank Lampard, 177
  7. Thierry Henry, 175
  8. Robbie Fowler, 163
  9. Jermain Defoe, 162
  10. Michael Owen, 150
  11. Les Ferdinand, 149
  12. Teddy Sheringham, 146
  13. Robin van Persie, 144
  14. Mohamed Salah, 139
  15. Jamie Vardy, 136
  16. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 127
  17. Robbie Keane, 126
  18. Nicolas Anelka, 125
  19. Dwight Yorke, 123
  20. Romelu Lukaku, 121
  21. Steven Gerrard, 120
  22. Raheem Sterling, 115
  23. Ian Wright, 113
  24. Dion Dublin, 111
  25. Sadio Mane, 111

Premier League all-time assist leaders: Kevin De Bruyne climbs

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Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne tied Premier League legend Frank Lampard on the all-time assists leaderboard on Wednesday when his free kick service to John Stones gave City a 2-0 lead over Arsenal in their huge Wednesday match at the Etihad Stadium.

“KDB” now has 102 Premier League assists, and 100 PL assists is a feat that can be claimed by only four other players and has never been done faster than De Bruyne’s achieved it.

The assist is De Bruyne’s 16th of this Premier League season.

[ MORE: Premier League assist leaders ]

De Bruyne may not track down Ryan Giggs’ 162 career PL assists, but the other members are the top three are within his reach if he plays at least one more season with Man City.

DC United boss Wayne Rooney is next: He recorded 103.

Second place could take some doing, as Cesc Fabregas record 111 assists between Arsenal and Chelsea.

There are several other active Premier League players in and around the top 25 for all-time assists. Check the full list after the jump.


Premier League all-time assist leaders

bold denotes active player

  1. Ryan Giggs, 162
  2. Cesc Fabregas, 111
  3. Wayne Rooney, 103
  4. Frank Lampard, 102
  5. Kevin De Bruyne, 102
  6. Dennis Bergkamp, 94
  7. David Silva, 93
  8. Steven Gerrard, 92
  9. James Milner, 87
  10. David Beckham, 80
  11. Teddy Sheringham, 76
  12. Thierry Henry, 74
  13. Christian Eriksen, 74
  14. Andrew Cole, 73
  15. Ashley Young, 71
  16. Darren Anderton, 68
  17. Gareth Barry, 64
  18. Alan Shearer, 64
  19. Matt Le Tissier, 63
  20. Nolberto Solano, 62
  21. Riyad Mahrez, 61
  22. Stewart Downing, 59
  23. Steve McManaman, 59
  24. Raheem Sterling, 59
  25. Mohamed Salah, 59
  26. Peter Crouch, 58
  27. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, 58
  28. Andy Robertson, 57
  29. Eric Cantona, 56
  30. Theo Walcott, 56
  31. Kevin Davies, 55
  32. Didier Drogba, 55
  33. Damien Duff, 55
  34. Steed Malbranque, 55
  35. Danny Murphy
  36. Paul Scholes, 55
  37. Eden Hazard, 54
  38. Juan Mata, 54
  39. Mesut Ozil, 54
  40. Trent Alexander-Arnold, 54
  41. Jordan Henderson, 54
  42. Leighton Baines, 53
  43. Emile Heskey, 53
  44. Robin van Persie, 53
  45. Heung-min Son, 52
  46. Roberto Firmino, 50
  47. Nick Barmby, 50
  48. Aaron Lennon, 50
  49. Gylfi Sigurdsson, 50
  50. Dwight Yorke, 50

Premier League assist leaders: Kevin De Bruyne wins Playmaker of the Season

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Kevin De Bruyne’s gaudy assist numbers give rise to any number of considerations, and we have to wonder if the Manchester City star has ever wondered if the Premier League record would be his in a world in which Jose Mourinho found better use for him at Chelsea.

De Bruyne’s 16 assists this Premier League season were four more than his nearest competitor s– Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah — and give him 102 for his career. That’s fourth all-time, one fewer than Wayne Rooney and 60 (?!) behind record holder Ryan Giggs.

[ MORE: Premier League Golden Boot race ]

The Belgian star, 31, arrived at Chelsea from Werder Bremen at the age of 22 and managed only 425 minutes in a half-season before being offloaded to Wolfsburg. Back in the Bundesliga, De Bruyne got six assists the rest of the way before setting up 21 goals the next season to set up a move to Man City.

He’s now won the nascent Premier League Playmaker of the Season Award thrice, including a 20-assist 2019-20 season. Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, and Eden Hazard have also won the award, which is only five years old.

De Bruyne also led the Premier League in assists in 2016-17, the year before the league but a name on the honor.

His stats hint that there’s more to come, as ‘KDB’ is creating gaudy numbers. After a season in which he scored 15 times with eight assists, De Bruyne is back taunting those who’d dare chase him in terms of setting up goals (Some guy named Erling Haaland is helping…).

Premier League 2022-23 assist leaders

  1. Kevin De Bruyne, Man City — 16
  2. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — 12
  3. Leandro Trossard, Arsenal/Brighton — 12
  4. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal — 11
  5. Michael Olise, Crystal Palace — 11
  6. Riyad Mahrez, Man City — 10
  7. James Maddison, Leicester City — 9
  8. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool — 9
  9. Andy Robertson, Liverpool — 8
  10. Ivan Perisic, Tottenham Hotspur — 8
  11. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United — 8
  12. Christian Eriksen, Manchester United — 8
  13. Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest — 8
  14. Pascal Gross, Brighton — 8
  15. Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford — 8
  16. Erling Haaland, Man City — 8
  17. Martin Odegaard, Arsenal — 7
  18. Solly March, Brighton — 7
  19. Jack Harrison, Leeds — 7
  20. Granit Xhaka, Arsenal — 7
  21. Dominic Solanke, Bournemouth — 7
  22. Kieran Trippier, Newcastle United — 7
  23. Alex Iwobi, Everton — 7
  24. Jack Grealish, Man City — 7
  25. Dejan Kulusevski, Tottenham Hotspur — 7
  26. Jacob Ramsey, Aston Villa — 7
  27. Andreas Pereira, Fulham — 6
  28. Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa — 6
  29. Rodri, Manchester City — 6
  30. Joe Willock, Newcastle — 6
  31. Mathias Jensen, Brentford — 6
  32. Douglas Luiz, Aston Villa — 6
  33. Heung-min Son, Tottenham Hotspur — 6
  34. Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal — 6

Premier League top scorers: Erling Haaland wins Golden Boot race

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Harry Kane scored 30 goals on the season and finished six goals behind the Golden Boot winner, as an attack-heavy Premier League season saw Manchester City’s Erling Haaland rewrite the single-season goals record book.

No one’s ever scored more goals in a 38-game Premier League season than Manchester City’s Erling Haaland did this season when he bagged 36 in his first season in the competition.

Haaland surpassed the record set by Newcastle’s Andy Cole and Blackburn’s Alan Shearer, who each bagged 34 goals during 42-game seasons.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

There was something somewhat dull about knowing the identity of the 2022 Golden Boot winner, the lone curiosity being the final number of his final tally, we get it, but most of what Haaland did this season was simply marvelous and to be admired without much fear.

Haaland piled up 20 goals in a single Premier League season faster than any player in history… by seven games (Kevin Phillips of Sunderland did it in 21). Now he’s beaten Phillips’ record for most goals in a debut Premier League season.

He passed Salah and could’ve found his way to 40 if City wasn’t focused on keeping his prepared for big games in other competitions.

Which records did Erling Haaland break?

Haaland did not hit 40 goals, but the Premier League record is his and no one’s going to say 40’s impossible in the future.

Haaland nearly toppled the record for goal involvements (goals plus assists) in a single season, including beating the 42-game record. Alan Shearer put up 47 over 42, while Thierry Henry holds the 38-game record with 44.

He also broke Phillips’ record of goals in a first Premier League season when he bagged his 31st of the season versus Leicester City on April 15.

Read on to see the latest Premier League goal totals for the 2022-23 season, as Haaland looks to claim a Golden Boot in his first PL season.

Premier League 2022-23 Golden Boot race

    1. Erling Haaland, Man City — 36
    2. Harry Kane, Tottenham — 30
    3. Ivan Toney, Brentford — 20
    4. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool — 19
    5. Callum Wilson, Newcastle — 18
    6. Marcus Rashford, Manchester United — 17
    7. Gabriel Martinelli, Arsenal — 15
    8. Martin Odegaard, Arsenal — 15
    9. Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa — 15
    10. Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham — 14
    11. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal — 14
    12. Rodrigo, Leeds United — 13
    13. Harvey Barnes, Leicester City — 13
    14. Miguel Almiron, Newcastle — 11
    15. Roberto Firmino, Liverpool — 11
    16. Phil Foden, Man City — 11
    17. Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal — 11
    18. Alexander Isak, Newcastle — 10
    19. James Maddison, Leicester City — 10
    20. Alexis Mac Allister, Brighton — 10
    21. Eberechi Eze, Crystal Palace — 10
    22. Heung-min Son, Tottenham — 10
    23. Taiwo Awoniyi, Nottingham Forest — 10
    24. Darwin Nunez, Liverpool — 9
    25. Bryan Mbeumo, Brentford — 9
    26. Julian Alvarez, Man City — 9
    27. Pascal Gross, Brighton — 9
    28. James Ward-Prowse, Southampton — 9
    29. Leandro Trossard — Brighton/Arsenal — 8
    30. Danny Ings, Aston Villa/West Ham — 8
    31. Brennan Johnson, Nottingham Forest — 8
    32. Ilkay Gundogan, Man City — 8
    33. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United — 8
    34. Kai Havertz, Chelsea — 7
    35. Solly March, Brighton — 7
    36. Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton — 7
    37. Phillip Billing, Bournemouth — 7
    38. Kevin De Bruyne, Man City — 7
    39. Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace — 7
    40. Dwight McNeil, Everton — 7
    41. Yoane Wissa, Brentford — 7
    42. Cody Gakpo, Liverpool — 7
    43. Diogo Jota, Liverpool — 7
    44. Granit Xhaka, Arsenal — 7