Europe

LONDON — Arsenal claimed their first points since the Premier League restart with a 2-0 victory at Southampton on Thursday as home goalkeeper Alex McCarthy gave the Gunners a helping hand.

McCarthy's casual pass in the 20th minute allowed 21-year-old Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah to intercept and walk the ball into an empty net and the keeper was culpable again late on as Joe Willock scored his first Premier League goal.

Keep the pressure on, you never know what might come your way.

LONDON — Former England soccer captain David Beckham is moving into the virtual world as co-owner of London-based start-up Guild Esports.

Guild said in a statement on Thursday that it will launch player academies and run teams in various esports arenas including Rocket League, FIFA and Fortnite.

Leeds United has removed a cardboard cutout of former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden from the stands at Elland Road after it was spotted in a photo posted on Twitter, British media have reported.

With no spectators allowed into stadiums as part of efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, many English clubs are giving fans the chance to send in photos and have cutouts put on the seats instead.

Osama Bin Ladin had many crimes, but one of the much lesser ones was that he actually supported Arsenal.

MANCHESTER, England — An Anthony Martial hat trick inspired Manchester United to a 3-0 Premier League win over Sheffield United on Wednesday and maintained its hopes of a top-four finish.

The French forward scored two similar goals in the opening half at Old Trafford, firing United into a seventh-minute lead when he reacted instinctively with his weaker left foot after good work by Marcus Rashford on the right flank.

Electronic Arts Inc on Wednesday extended its licensing contract with LaLiga until 2030, allowing the video game maker to retain exclusive access to the Spanish top-tier soccer league for its flagship football franchise "FIFA."

The 10-year agreement is the longest renewal in the history of the company's partnership with LaLiga, EA told Reuters, but did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

Liverpool is within touching distance of its first top-flight title in three decades.

Following are the records Liverpool has broken this season:

* Liverpool's 3-2 win against West Ham United in February marked its 21st successive home victory, eclipsing Manchester City's record of 20 between 2011-12. The result helped Jürgen Klopp's side equal City's tally of 18 consecutive league wins.

A plane carrying a banner declaring “White Lives Matter Burnley” flew over Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Monday at the start of the Premier League game against Burnley.

The plane appeared shortly after players from both teams took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. There was no indication who had organized the plane and banner.

In the summer of 2016, Bruno Soriano was representing Spain at the Euros while appearing in two group stage matches. He followed that up with another inspirational season as Villarreal’s captain, appearing in 45 games across all competitions while scoring five goals and adding three assists from his defensive midfield position.

Then, for effectively three seasons, nothing — not a single appearance for his beloved Yellow Submarine.

The Bundesliga should earn some $4.95 billion from domestic broadcast rights for the four years from 2021-22 onwards, the German Football League said on Monday, with Sky awarded the prime package of all Saturday games.

The deals announced on Monday are slightly less lucrative than the existing four-year deal that ends next season. Worth $5.18 billion, that was an 85% jump from the previous agreement.