NOTTINGHAM — Arsenal's last-flickering hopes of winning the Premier League were extinguished on Saturday by Nottingham Forest, whose 1-0 win courtesy of Taiwo Awoniyi secured their top-flight status.
Eight points clear at the top just two months ago, Mikel Arteta's team have had a dismal end to the season, with their latest defeat ensuring what had become an inevitable-looking consecutive title for Manchester City.
WOLVERHAMPTON — Yerry Mina equalized in the 99th minute as relegation-threatened Everton secured a 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday and a precious point in their bid to avoid dropping out of the Premier League.
Wolves took the lead in the first half as winger Adama Traore carried the ball from the edge of his own box before his shot was parried into the path of Hwang Hee-Chan, who had a simple finish for his fourth goal of the campaign.
LIVERPOOL — Roberto Firmino scored a dramatic late equalizer in his final appearance at Anfield for Liverpool to keep the Merseyside squad's slim chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League alive with a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Firmino, who is one of four players leaving when his contract runs out, scored in the 89th minute to the delight of the crowd who serenaded the Brazilian after the final whistle.
It just had to be him!
Sheffield Wednesday pulled off the greatest comeback in English Football League playoff history as they overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Peterborough United to reach the League One playoff final via a penalty shootout on Thursday.
Wednesday, who narrowly missed automatic promotion from the third tier and finished 19 points above Peterborough in the regular season, looked down and out after Friday's hammering.
In a word, forgettable. Following one of the most exciting matchdays of the MLS season, the league’s first foray into midweek play definitely did not live up to the billing, but there were still a few moments that caught our attention. Despite MLS Matchday 13 being promoted as a continuation of Rivalry Week, there were few games that truly fit that description, and it showed both on the field and in the scorelines.
In the battle between Thibaut Courtois and Erling Haaland the Real Madrid keeper came up victorious. Alas he couldn’t keep out the relentless hordes of Manchester City attacks as the defending Premier League champions won 4-0 (5-1 on aggregate) to book their ticket to the UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday.
City deserve all the credit for their victory. They outclassed Real Madrid on every inch of the field. The area of most difficulty was trying to get past Courtois in goal.
MILAN — A second-half goal by forward Lautaro Martinez earned Inter Milan a 1-0 victory over rivals AC Milan in their Champions League semifinal second leg on Tuesday, sealing a 3-0 aggregate win to book their ticket to the showpiece in Istanbul.
Milan recovered some of the spark they lacked in first leg but Inter's Martinez put the tie to bed when he struck powerfully from close range in the 74th minute at the San Siro.
The 2023 Liga de Expansión MX (Mexico's second division) Clausura Final is set with Tapatío and Atlético Morelia emerging from their respective sides of the playoff bracket.
The semifinal between Atlético Morelia and Celaya (the regular season leaders) was particularly noteworthy with 15,349 attending Sunday's second leg at Estadio Miguel Alemán Valdés after a 1-1 first leg draw.
Celaya took a 2-1 aggregate lead in the 30th-minute but Atlético Morelia scored three second-half goals to advance 4-2 on aggregate.
Winning is great, but it’s even better when it’s against a rival. Goals mean more, away games are more demanding and everything is personal. Though the matches count just as much in the table, it's a day the fans circled on their calendars as soon as the schedules dropped. MLS Matchday 12 featured red cards aplenty, late winners and fans who went home filled with an anger that can only be felt after a loss in Rivalry Week.
BARCELONA - Barcelona claimed their 27th LaLiga title and first for four years on Sunday after two first-half goals from Robert Lewandowski spurred them to a comfortable 4-2 victory over city rivals Espanyol.
Barça moved to 85 points from 34 matches and extended their lead at the summit to an unassailable 14 points over second-placed Real Madrid.
There was little time for jubilation, however, as the visitors had to quickly rush off the pitch after full-time as several Espanyol fans invaded the field as Barça started to celebrate their title.