Author: Opalim Lifted

The bare facts suggest Arsenal have made a solid start to the season, as this was their first league defeat, and they lie in third place, only three points behind Saturday night’s leaders, Manchester City. However, if you look closer, there are indications that manager Mikel Arteta will be concerned about because the Gunners are still lacking the fluidity and vigour that allowed them to lead the title race for so long last season before Manchester City pulled them in. And there are questions surrounding two of Arteta’s summer signings, goalkeepers David Raya and Kai Havertz. They were both involved…

Anthony Gordon’s controversial second-half winner gave Newcastle United victory over Arsenal in a feisty encounter at St James’ Park. Gordon’s scrappy 64th-minute strike summed up a dogfight of a game, with the video assistant referee checking for whether the ball had gone out of play, for a foul, and for offside before Newcastle were finally allowed to celebrate. It condemned Arsenal to their first Premier League defeat of the season as referee Stuart Attwell found himself at the centre of several contentious moments even before Gordon’s decider. Newcastle were furious when Kai Havertz escaped a red card for a wild…

Jeremy Doku produced a sparkling performance as Manchester City moved to the top of the Premier League by thrashing Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium. The 21-year-old Belgium winger opened the scoring with a scuffed finish after half an hour following a one-two with Rodri and proceeded to set up the next four. Bernardo Silva slotted home the second from Doku’s cutback, and City scored their third in seven first-half minutes when the Belgian’s left-foot shot was then deflected in off Manuel Akanji. City took off top scorer Erling Haaland at halftime after the striker hobbled down the tunnel at the break,…

Bruno Fernandes scored a 91st-minute winner against Fulham to alleviate the pressure on Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag. United looked to be heading for another game without a win or a goal when Fernandes drilled low past Bernd Leno. In a poor game with few chances, Scott McTominay thought he had given the visitors an eighth-minute lead, but it was ruled out for offside after referee John Brooks viewed it on the pitchside monitor. Fernandes, before his winner, forced Bernd Leno into an acrobatic save, while Andre Onana made two saves to deny Harry Wilson and Joao Palhinha. Up…

Shehu Sani, a former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, has said that the presidential yacht cannot be a priority for the country’s defence needs. Sani noted that Nigerian troops on the frontlines have been complaining of a lack of adequate basic weapons, food to eat, and medical support. The former lawmaker disclosed this in a post on his verified X handle on Saturday. “Why not drones or operational vehicles?” he asked. Sani’s post read, “A yacht can’t be a priority for our defence needs. Ali Ndume says presidential yacht was ‘delivered’ before public outcry…

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will not play a part in Saturday’s Premier League game away at Fulham after suffering a knock in training, manager Erik ten Hag said. Rashford was initially available for selection despite attending his birthday party celebrations hours after the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City last weekend, which Ten Hag said was ‘unacceptable’. “He was travelling with us, but he didn’t make it. He was tested this morning, but his leg wasn’t good enough. He’s not fit,” Ten Hag told TNT Sports. Marcus, who scored 30 goals in all competitions last season, has netted only once…

The founder of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, has undergone surgery following a knee injury suffered during training for an upcoming mixed martial arts competition. Zuckerberg suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and shared this in an Instagram post on Friday. Sharing an update on his surgery, he wrote, “I am on the road to recovery. “Zuck tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it. “I am grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. Musk vs Zuckerberg: Proposed cage fight to be live-streamed on X “I was training for a competitive MMA fight…

Sandro Tonali’s breaches of rules on betting on matches caught Newcastle United by surprise, and the Premier League club is conducting an internal investigation into the Italian midfielder’s transfer, said sporting director Dan Ashworth. The 23-year-old Italy international was sanctioned with an 18-month ban last month by the Italian Football Federation, eight months of which will be commuted to alternative treatment after an agreement was reached with the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, said it granted a request by the Italian federation to apply the ban worldwide. Tonali joined Newcastle from Serie A side AC Milan in July…

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford’s birthday party celebrations hours after the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City last weekend were “unacceptable,” manager Erik ten Hag has said. England’s Rashford, who turned 26 on Tuesday, held a pre-planned party at an exclusive Manchester nightspot on Sunday, something that did not go down well with the United boss. “It is unacceptable. I told him. He apologized, and that is it,” Ten Hag told a press conference on Friday. “So he makes a mistake, but it doesn’t say he is not fitting in. He makes one mistake but is also off-the-pitch in what he…

UEFA’s financial body have rejected an appeal from Barcelona after the club were hit with a €500,000 fine over misreporting in their financial results. The governing body of European football informed the Catalan club in July of this year that they were in violation of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations during a turbulent time off the field. Barcelona were joined by Manchester United in getting hit with a hefty bill, with the Camp Nou side due to pay half a million euros, while United were fined €300,000. Despite UEFA rejecting an appeal from the dominant La Liga teams, the Club…