List of All Articles with Tag 'gb'

Ilkay Gundogan isn’t leaving it quite as late this year. Twelve months ago, his goals won Manchester City the title: a comeback-clinching 81st-minute decider against Aston Villa on the final day of the season sealed the trophy. Now City’s May has consisted of more Gundogan goals to set up another coronation. After the captain’s brace against Leeds came a still better double at Everton, a volley of improvisational brilliance and a free kick he made look enviably easy, sandwiched by an assist. His 300th City appearance ranks as one of his finest. Having not struck twice in a game since last May, he has done so in successive league matches. When the business end of the season arrives, Gundogan becomes more purposeful. It is inspirational leadership but with a velvet touch. His excellence could render Arsenal’s results irrelevant. He is keeping the Gunners at bay while the newly anointed Footballer of the Year, Erling Haaland, is instead waging war on Everton’s past. His 52nd goal of the campaign means he now needs 11 to equal Dixie Dean’s record for a top-flight English club, set almost a century ago. Although, as he only has one goal in his last three games, the equation is weighted in favour of Everton’s greatest goalscorer. In one respect, Haaland produced a performance of extreme efficiency: when, in the 39th minute, he met Gundogan’s deft cross with a towering leap and an emphatic header, it was only his third touch of the afternoon. But he had scored from 33 per cent of them. He ended up with 13 touches and one goal. In a sense, City reflected Haaland: nothing much happened for quite some time and then they were deadly. Half an hour of nothingness at the start suited Everton, with the league leaders not even registering a shot on target until the 35th minute, but The Toffees conceded three goals within a quarter of an hour either side of the break. They were preceded by a glaring miss, with Mason Holgate hoofing the ball over the bar from four yards, and Everton’s chances of a shock came and went with one wild swing of his right foot. If City had lacked a little incision at the start, it was unsurprising. Pep Guardiola had rested much of his preferred midfield with Real Madrid in mind, taking out Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and the quasi-regista John Stones. But his captain was constant and a catalyst. City’s 11th straight league win stemmed from a couple of touches of class: first with Gundogan’s knee, to control Riyad Mahrez’s cross, and then with his right boot, as he hooked in a volley in a way few others could envisage, let alone execute. The paradox of City is that they have a robotic air, as though putting training ground routines into practice on the pitch, but can sometimes rely on individual virtuosity: five days after De Bruyne’s spectacular strike in the Bernabeu came a different kind of wonder goal. And, a couple of minutes later, a far more familiar one. Haaland’s giant leap has added another dimension to the City attack and he headed in Gundogan’s cross. When the German’s free-kick flew past Jordan Pickford, the goalkeeper perhaps ought to have done better. It was, though, a throwback to past title-clinching exploits. Gundogan had only scored from one previous free-kick in the Premier League: at Brighton, in May 2019, as City finished one point ahead of Liverpool. For Everton, the quest is to end up ahead of two out of Leeds, Leicester and Nottingham Forest, and earn a 70th successive season in the top flight. Last week’s five-goal demolition of Brighton felt like a mirage even if elite opponents called for a very different approach. They began with nine outfield players in a narrow box just outside their own area and were camped behind the ball. The eventual scoreline represented one kind of improvement. At Burnley, Sean Dyche had a habit of losing 5-0 to City, usually playing 4-4-2. Here the gameplan was different: a scorer of two goals against Brighton and involved in four, Dwight McNeil was an auxiliary defender, dropping in at left-back to make five at the back. Dyche ended with a 5-4-1 shape, too, rather than risking any further damage. Which, as his record now stands at 15 defeats in 16 games against Guardiola, with no wins, five goals scored and 54 conceded, is perhaps understandable. There might have been a sixth goal when Ederson tipped Amadou Onana’s header on to the bar. Everton could question if Aymeric Laporte deserved to escape unpunished when he seemed to lash out at Yerry Mina. But they have two games now, against Wolves and Bournemouth, to ensure they evade the drop. For Gundogan, and City, the season may yet bring three trophies. Read More Arsenal won’t stop digging for Premier League title, Mikel Arteta vows Jurgen Klopp backs Liverpool to revive title rivalry with Man City next season Guardiola hails ‘incredible’ Kevin De Bruyne as his stunning goal keeps Champions League tie in balance

Follow live coverage as Arsenal face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Everton face Manchester City in the Premier League today. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, with one eye on next week's Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, made four changes for the trip to Everton. Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva all dropped to the bench after the 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu, with Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden coming in. Everton made one enforced change from Monday's surprise 5-1 win at Brighton with Mason Holgate coming in for absent left-back Vitalii Mykolenko. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Everton face Manchester City in the Premier League today. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, with one eye on next week's Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, made four changes for the trip to Everton. Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva all dropped to the bench after the 1-1 draw in the Bernabeu, with Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden coming in. Everton made one enforced change from Monday's surprise 5-1 win at Brighton with Mason Holgate coming in for absent left-back Vitalii Mykolenko. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Brentford face West Ham United in the Premier League today. Ivan Toney was missing from the Brentford squad for the clash. The striker was ruled out by what the club described as “a minor hamstring injury”. West Ham made nine changes with one eye on Thursday’s Europa League Conference semi-final with AZ Alkmaar. Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen were among those dropped to the bench with Michail Antonio missing out completely. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Stuttgart take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga today. Bayern Munich remain the team to beat in the German top flight with Julian Nagelsmann's juggernaut side 31-time winners of the competition. Boasting some of the best players in the world such as Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer they are always favourites to retain their league crown. Rivals Borussia Dortmund traditionally push them the closest and have won the title five times, most recently back in 2012 under Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Borussia Mönchengladbach were a force in the Seventies winning the league five times but are without a champion team since while Werder Bremen, Hamburg and Stuttgart are all multi-time winners too. RB Leipzig are the newest kids on the block and backed by energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull are now threatening to challenge for a first title of their own. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Montpellier take on Lorient in Ligue 1 today. Paris Saint-Germain are the box-office draw of the French top flight with some of the world's very best players including Lionel Messi and Neymar plying their trade in the capital. After Lille produced one of the shocks of recent seasons in the European game by pipping them to the post in 2020/21, PSG returned to the summit of the French game in 2022. Saint-Etienne are the record winners with 10 league titles in their illustrious history, but none since 1981. Marseille have won it nine times while Monaco, who are actually based in a foreign country making it a cross-border competition, eight-time champions. Nantes hold the record for the most consecutive matches without defeat (32) and also boast the least number of defeats in a single season (1) in 1994/95. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Brest take on Auxerre in Ligue 1 today. Paris Saint-Germain are the box-office draw of the French top flight with some of the world's very best players including Lionel Messi and Neymar plying their trade in the capital. After Lille produced one of the shocks of recent seasons in the European game by pipping them to the post in 2020/21, PSG returned to the summit of the French game in 2022. Saint-Etienne are the record winners with 10 league titles in their illustrious history, but none since 1981. Marseille have won it nine times while Monaco, who are actually based in a foreign country making it a cross-border competition, eight-time champions. Nantes hold the record for the most consecutive matches without defeat (32) and also boast the least number of defeats in a single season (1) in 1994/95. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Follow live coverage as Brentford face West Ham United in the Premier League today. Manchester City are reigning champions after beating Liverpool to the finish line in a neck-and-neck 2021/22 title race where a comeback win on the final day of the season against Aston Villa secured a fourth title in five years for Pep Guardiola's side. Jurgen Klopp's Reds were on course for a quadruple last season but were forced to settle for just an FA Cup and Carabao Cup win and will return trying to win the title again just as they did in 2020. It was a dramatic season for Chelsea a year ago with Roman Abramovich now replaced by Todd Boehly as owner in west London. He will want an instant return on his hefty investment at Stamford Bridge while Tottenham, back in the Champions League, will want to kick on once more too. It's not all about the action at the top though with Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest promoted to the top tier for 2021/22 and hoping to hold their own against the best English football has to offer and avoid the drop. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Joe Fournier has accused KSI of cheating in their boxing match on Saturday, after the YouTube star won with a controversial elbow. KSI, 29, dropped Fournier, 40, in the second round, leaving the businessman and former professional boxer unable to beat the referee’s count. However, replays showed that KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) had actually hit Fournier with an accidental elbow. “He cheated – clear, black and white,” Fournier told Fred Peck. “You’ve all seen the replays, it’s gone viral, it’s all over the world. “He hit me with a clean elbow, and the ref was right there, watched it. Obviously [KSI] owns the promotion; when you’re fighting the promoter on his own show... I’ve never been cheated like that in my life. “I can’t believe... I came on this promotion to teach kids that you’ve got to do the right things, got to be ethical, got to work hard for everything you get – not to cheat and you win. “I saw the punch go past my face, and then he hits me with an elbow. Literally, I felt bone. “Of course you’ve got to run it back; he should be disqualified, that should go down as a loss.” Fournier holds a professional boxing record of 9-0 with nine knockout wins, and he previously lost to David Haye on points in an exhibition fight in 2021. Meanwhile, KSI’s win on Saturday was his fourth straight knockout victory in as many exhibition fights. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow KSI and Tommy Fury separated after heated face-off at Misfits boxing event Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd

YouTube star KSI beat Joe Fournier with a controversial knockout on Saturday, finishing the former professional boxer with an accidental elbow. KSI, 29, landed the bigger punches throughout the first round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Arena, and he tagged Fournier, 40, with a huge overhand right in Round 2. That was followed by an attempted right hook, with KSI (real name Olajide Olatunji) instead making contact with his elbow. The strike sent Fournier tumbling to the canvas and left him staring up at the ceiling, unable to beat the referee’s count. In a post-fight interview, KSI denied that he had stopped his fellow Briton with his elbow, before calling Tommy Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. KSI’s controversial win was his fourth straight KO victory in as many exhibition bouts. The YouTube star, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, previously fought Logan Paul twice, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Meanwhile, Fury – half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – is best known for his time as a contestant on Love Island, but he is also unbeaten as a pro boxer. The 24-year-old outpointed Logan Paul’s brother Jake in February. No fight between KSI and Fury has been scheduled, and for some time KSI has been exchanging words with Jake Paul in hopes of arranging a bout. Jake Paul has gone 6-1 as a pro after stopping KSI’s brother Deji in his amateur debut in 2018. Last time out, in February, 26-year-old Paul suffered his first loss, a points defeat by Fury. The YouTube star is now set to box ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz in August. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More KSI vs Fournier LIVE: Latest Misfits boxing match ends in chaos as KSI wins with controversial knockout KSI knocks out Joe Fournier with controversial elbow Tommy Fury brawls with fellow Love Island contestant in KSI vs Fournier crowd

Jake Paul said rival KSI should be stripped of victory after knocking out Joe Fournier with an accidental elbow. YouTube star KSI knocked out former boxing professional Fournier in the second round of the exhibition bout at London’s Wembley Arena after catching him with his elbow as he attempted a right hook. KSI, who landed the bigger punches throughout the opening round, denied he had stopped Fournier with his elbow in the post-fight interview but replays showed contact had been made. Reacting to a clip of the knockout on social media, Paul said he did not “respect” the way the fight had ended and called for KSI to be disqualified, or that the controversial result should be declared a no contest. “I respect boxing too much to respect what that was,” Paul tweeted. “If that was indeed a real boxing match it will be ruled a no contest or disqualification.” KSI fought Paul’s brother, Logan Paul, twice in the early stages of his boxing career in 2018 and 2019, drawing with his fellow YouTuber in an amateur bout and beating him on points in a professional rematch. Jake Paul has also moved from YouTube into boxing but was defeated by former Love Island star Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia in February in his first career loss. Following his victory over Fournier on Saturday night, KSI called Fury into the ring for a face-off, which ended with the pair being separated. Earlier, Fury, half-brother of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, was seen brawling with Idris Virgo, a fellow ex-Love Island contestant, in the crowd at KSI vs Fournier. YouTube star KSI, who rose to fame as a gamer but also raps, now has four straight KO victories in as many exhibition bouts. Read More Who will KSI fight next? KSI and Tommy Fury separated after heated face-off at Misfits boxing event Who is KSI? From ‘endearing’ class clown to YouTuber who has changed the face of boxing