Football

Manchester City's dominance in the English Premier League (EPL) was put to the test by Nottingham Forest, a team languishing in the lower half of the table. Despite City's superior position, Forest proved to be a formidable opponent, showcasing the unpredictability of the EPL.City's early dominance was met with resilience from Forest, who counter-attacked effectively and kept the City defense on their toes. The deadlock was broken in the 32nd minute when Gvardiol headed in a corner, demonstrating his exceptional vision and movement.Nottingham Forest refused to be disheartened and continued to threaten City's goal. Woods and Murillo missed golden opportunities to equalize, leaving the City faithful on edge. The first half ended with City holding a slender 1-0 lead, but the match was far from over.The second half began with Forest continuing their attacking intent. Elanga's cross found Wood, but his delayed tap-in was too weak. Pep Guardiola responded by introducing Erling Haaland, who proved to be the catalyst for City's second goal. De Bruyne's pass found Haaland in the box, and the Norwegian striker used his deft footwork to beat Murillo and fire the ball into the far corner.Forest continued to press, but City's defense held firm, and the match ended 2-0 in favor of the reigning champions. Despite their victory, City were not at their brilliant best, highlighting the competitive nature of the EPL.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur locked horns in a thrilling encounter that had major implications for both teams' aspirations. Arsenal, with the league title within their grasp, faced a determined Tottenham side desperate to secure a Champions League berth.Tottenham, sitting in fifth place, needed a victory to close the seven-point gap to Aston Villa. However, Arsenal's recent form was formidable, having won four of their last five matches. Tottenham, on the other hand, had a mixed record, winning two, losing two, and drawing one.Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou emphasized the importance of attacking football, but Arsenal's resolute defense, led by Mikel Arteta, posed a significant challenge. The Gunners' sharp attack, known for exploiting open spaces, added to Tottenham's concerns.The match began with Arsenal dominating possession and creating early chances. Tottenham responded with attacking intent, but their eagerness left gaps for Arsenal to capitalize on. The opening goal came from an unfortunate own goal by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who inadvertently headed the ball into his own net.Tottenham nearly equalized from a corner, but Cristian Romero's header went inches wide. Moments later, Romero hit the post, leaving Tottenham frustrated. Despite their attacking efforts, Tottenham's finishing let them down.Arsenal extended their lead when Bukayo Saka found himself unmarked and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper. Tottenham felt aggrieved as they had appealed for a penalty moments before, but Arsenal took advantage of their lapse in concentration.Tottenham continued to press, but Arsenal's defense, despite some sloppy moments, held firm. The Gunners then punished Tottenham's defensive lapse with a third goal from Haavertz, who headed in from a corner.Son Heung-min had a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit, but a poor bounce sent his shot over the goal. Aston Villa fans would have been delighted with the result, as it strengthened their hold on fourth place.The second half began with Tottenham piling on the pressure, and Arsenal's goalkeeper, David Raya, made a costly error by passing the ball straight to Cristian Romero, who gratefully accepted the gift and scored.Tottenham managed to pull another goal back, but time was not on their side. The final score remained 3-2 in Arsenal's favor, leaving Tottenham's Champions League hopes hanging in the balance.

Lionel Messi's scoring prowess continues to shine in Major League Soccer (MLS), as the Argentine maestro netted a brace to lead Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday. The win extends Miami's winning streak to three games, with Messi contributing five goals during that run.Despite New England taking an early lead through Tomas Chancalay, Miami equalized through Messi's first goal in the 32nd minute. The 36-year-old then put Miami ahead in the 68th minute with a clinical finish after a superb pass from Sergio Busquets.Messi's influence continued in the final stages, as he assisted Benjamin Cremaschi and Luis Suarez for Miami's third and fourth goals, respectively. The victory sees Miami climb to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino praised his team's performance, highlighting the importance of their recent win over Kansas City. "The Kansas City game was a key for us, because we had just been eliminated by Monterrey and the team showed their character," he said.New England coach Caleb Porter acknowledged Messi's brilliance, stating, "That's Messi. You have to look at both those moments because I thought they were able to find two goals when we felt pretty good about the way we were limiting their effectiveness in creating clear chances."Elsewhere in MLS, Christian Benteke scored twice for D.C. United in their 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake moved to the top of the Western Conference with a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union, while defending champions Columbus Crew were held to a goalless draw by Montreal.

Liverpool's Premier League title hopes suffered a major setback on Saturday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by West Ham United. The result leaves the Reds four points behind leaders Arsenal with just three games remaining.West Ham took the lead through Jarrod Bowen in the first half, but Liverpool responded with goals from Andy Robertson and an own goal from Alphonse Areola. However, Bowen struck again in the second half to earn the Hammers a share of the spoils.The draw was Liverpool's fourth in their last five league games, and it leaves them facing an uphill battle to catch Arsenal. The Gunners have a game in hand and are in pole position to win their first Premier League title since 2004.Manchester City, who play Nottingham Forest on Sunday, are also in contention for the title. Pep Guardiola's side are two points behind Arsenal and have two games in hand.Elsewhere on Saturday, Newcastle United boosted their hopes of European football next season with a 5-1 win over Sheffield United. The victory condemned the Blades to relegation to the Championship after just one season in the top flight.Manchester United's push for Europe was held up by Burnley in a 1-1 draw. Antony scored his first Premier League goal for United, but Zeki Amdouni equalized from the spot in the 87th minute.Aston Villa's top-four challenge was dented by a 2-2 draw against Chelsea. Marc Cucurella's own goal and Morgan Rogers' strike had put Villa in control, but Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher scored in the second half to earn Chelsea a point.Everton secured their Premier League status with a 1-0 win at home to Brentford. Idrissa Gueye scored the only goal of the game in the 60th minute.

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea were denied a dramatic late victory at Aston Villa on Saturday, as a controversial VAR decision disallowed a goal that would have sealed a 3-2 win. The Blues had fought back from two goals down to earn a hard-fought point, but Pochettino was left furious by the intervention of the video assistant referee.Villa took an early lead through an own goal from Marc Cucurella, and Morgan Rogers doubled their advantage before half-time. Chelsea responded with goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher, but their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Axel Disasi's effort was ruled out for a foul by Benoit Badiashile.Pochettino was incensed by the decision, claiming that it had "damaged English football." He said: "The referee is unbelievable and it's ridiculous. It is difficult to accept. They didn't see a foul on the pitch and then VAR changed the decision of the referee. For me that was a normal challenge."It is painful as it has damaged English football. Villa's players and their fans didn't understand why the goal was disallowed. For me it damaged a little bit the Premier League. If we want to be the best league in the world it should be protecting the spectacle and the decision."The draw was a blow to Villa's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, but they remain seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have three games in hand. Unai Emery's side will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last season, when they missed out on a top-four finish on the final day.Chelsea, meanwhile, remain ninth in the table, but Pochettino insists that he has the backing of his squad. The Blues have spent over £1 billion on new players since Todd Boehly's takeover, and Pochettino will be under pressure to deliver results in the coming months.

AC Milan and Juventus played out a disappointing 0-0 draw in Serie A on Saturday, extending their recent struggles. The result leaves Juventus looking over their shoulders in the race for Champions League qualification, while Milan's hopes of a top-four finish are fading.Juventus, who have won just two of their last 13 league matches, were the more dominant side in Turin but failed to find a breakthrough. Milan, depleted by injuries and suspensions, defended resolutely and had their chances on the counterattack.The Bianconeri had the best chance of the first half when Dušan Vlahović's free kick was brilliantly saved by Marco Sportiello. Sportiello was again in inspired form after the break, making a double save to deny Filip Kostić and Danilo.Milan also had their moments, with Rafael Leão and Olivier Giroud both going close. However, the Rossoneri were unable to find the winning goal and had to settle for a point.The draw leaves Juventus third in the table, 11 points above Atalanta but with two games in hand. Milan remain fifth, five points behind Juventus. The top five teams in Serie A qualify for next season's Champions League.In other Serie A action, Lazio moved into sixth place with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. Mattia Zaccagni scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute.Lecce took another step towards safety with a 1-1 draw at home to Monza. Nikola Krstović thought he had won it for Lecce in stoppage time, but Matteo Pessina equalized from the spot after a handball by Lorenzo Venuti.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant, the defending ISL knock-out champion, faces an uphill task as it prepares to host Odisha FC in the second leg of semifinal 1 of ISL-10. The match, scheduled for April 28 at the Salt Lake Stadium, will be a crucial encounter for both teams, with Mohun Bagan needing to win by a minimum two-goal margin to qualify for the final.Odisha FC holds a slender 2-1 advantage from the first leg, which was played at the Kalinga Stadium five days ago. This means that a draw will be sufficient for the visitors, while the hosts must find a way to score at least twice without conceding to overturn the deficit.Mohun Bagan will be buoyed by the massive support of its home crowd, which is expected to be around 62,000 strong. The team has a history of performing well in front of its home fans, having recently won its maiden League Winner's Shield at the same venue.However, Odisha FC will not be an easy opponent. The team has been in good form throughout the season and will be confident of holding on to its lead. Odisha FC will be without Spanish defender Carlos Delgado due to suspension, while Mohun Bagan SG will miss Albanian forward Armando Sadiku for the same reason.The match is expected to be a closely contested affair, with both teams having their strengths and weaknesses. Mohun Bagan will need to be clinical in front of goal and avoid making any defensive errors, while Odisha FC will need to be disciplined and organized in its defense.The winner of this match will face either Hyderabad FC or ATK Mohun Bagan in the final on May 21.

Liverpool's title hopes suffered a major setback as they were held to a thrilling 2-2 draw by West Ham United at Anfield. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, the Reds were unable to capitalize on their opportunities, leaving them out of the title race.West Ham, on the other hand, showed their resilience and determination, scoring two well-taken goals to earn a valuable point. The Hammers took the lead through Jarrod Bowen's header in the 42nd minute, capitalizing on Liverpool's defensive lapse.Liverpool responded strongly in the second half, with Andy Robertson equalizing in the 48th minute. Cody Gakpo's deflected shot gave the Reds the lead in the 65th minute, but West Ham refused to give up. Michail Antonio's header in the 77th minute leveled the score once again.Liverpool continued to press for a winner, but their finishing let them down. Mohamed Salah, who came on as a substitute, was unable to make an impact, and the Reds were left to rue their missed chances.The draw leaves Liverpool in eighth place, 19 points behind leaders Arsenal. Their title hopes are now all but over, as they need both Arsenal and Manchester City to lose multiple games in order to have a chance of catching up.West Ham, meanwhile, move up to seventh place, just one point behind Manchester United. The Hammers will be pleased with their performance against a strong Liverpool side and will be confident of continuing their push for a European spot.

Leicester City has secured an automatic return to the English Premier League after Leeds United suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers. The Foxes' promotion was confirmed when Leeds, trailing by four points, were thrashed at QPR.Leicester achieved promotion at the first attempt after being relegated from the Premier League last season, finishing third from bottom. The Foxes currently lead the second-tier Championship with two games remaining.Leeds' loss leaves them just one point ahead of third-placed Ipswich Town, who have two games in hand. Ipswich's victory over Reading on Saturday had put pressure on Leeds, who needed to avoid defeat at QPR to maintain their automatic promotion hopes.However, QPR took control of the match from the outset, scoring twice in the first half through Ilias Chair and Chris Willock. Leeds' misery was compounded in the second half as Lyndon Dykes and Stefan Johansen added further goals for the hosts.The result means that Leicester will return to the Premier League next season, while Leeds' hopes of automatic promotion are now hanging by a thread. Ipswich will be confident of overtaking Leeds in the remaining two games, leaving Leeds to face the prospect of the playoffs.