What a day of sport. The Masters and county cricket live blogs have just been published on the site, if you’re in other sports that aren’t football.
Remember a few weeks ago when the relegation fight seemed done and dusted, the title was virtually Arsenal’s and the only jeopardy was in the fight for Champions League spots? How quickly things can change.
Far from being one of the worst Premier League seasons ever (not my words, mind you), this could be one of the most exciting climaxes in years.
Forest fans, are you confident for today’s clash with Villa? Vitor Pereira’s side could end the day in the relegation zone… if Spurs get their act together.
Finally, in Serie A, AC Milan are now nine points behind the league leaders, Inter, and just six points above Roma, in sixth, in the fight for the four Champions League spots, having been beaten 3-0 at home by Udinese.
Juventus cut the gap to Milan, who are third, to just three points, with a vital 1-0 win away to Atalanta later in the day, Jeremie Boga scoring the only goal.
Table-topping Inter travel to fifth place Como tonight (7.45pm BST kick-off) with second-placed Napoli going to Parma.
Elsewhere in Europe yesterday, the Swiss Super League match between Thun and Basel was postponed after a fire destroyed the first-team dressing room area at St Jakob-Park, damaging kit and other equipment, Basel said. The fire late on Friday damaged the players’ boots and kit, as well as medical and technical equipment.
No one was injured and the reason for the fire was not yet known, the club said.
A statement said: “Due to the damage incurred … and the lack of usable match and medical equipment, FC Basel is unable to play the away match against FC Thun on Saturday.” The league had approved the postponement and a new date will be found.
Basel, the defending champions, are fourth in the table, 18 points behind Thun, the surprise leaders, who have 71 points from 32 games. This weekend’s games are the final ones before the 12-team division splits into two groups of six. Thun, promoted last year, were 12 points ahead at the start of the weekend and are in line for the first title in their history.
And in Spain …
Barcelona took a major step towards the La Liga title with a 4-1 victory over their city rivals Espanyol, moving nine points clear of Real Madrid. Ferran Torres struck twice, assisted by Lamine Yamal both times, in the first half, before Pol Lazano got a goal back for Espanyol. Yamal restored control in the 87th minute with Marcus Rashford adding a fourth from Frenkie de Jong’s cross as Barça moved to 79 points with seven games left.
Atlético Madrid coach, Diego Simeone, rotated heavily for his team’s visit to Sevilla to keep players fresh for the Champions League second leg against Barcelona and Atléti, who are still fourth, fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Akor Adams sent the hosts ahead from the penalty spot and after 20-year-old Atlético reserve defender Javier Bonar levelled, Nemanja Gudelj struck again for Sevilla before the interval. Atlético have a 12-point cushion on fifth-placed Real Betis, who visit Osasuna on Sunday. The victory saw Sevilla climbing out of the relegation zone up to 15th.
Let’s have a spin through the headlines from around Europe yesterday, starting with the Bundesliga:
Bayern Munich crushed St Pauli 5-0 to set an all-time season scoring record while also extending their lead at the top to 12 points with five games remaining.
Bayern, who host Real Madrid on Wednesday in their Champions League quarter-final second leg after a 2-1 win in Spain, are now within touching distance of the title on 76 points, with second-placed Borussia Dortmund still on 64 after a 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
A ninth-minute header from Jamal Musiala put the visitors equal with the record of 101 goals in one season, set by Bayern in the 1971-72 campaign. But they added two more in quick succession, with Leon Goretzka in the 53rd and Michael Olise a minute later, to beat the previous best mark and seal the win.
Nicolas Jackson added a fourth in the 65th before Raphaël Guerreiro slotted in to make it 5-0, with Vincent Kompany having rested several players, including Harry Kane. Bayern are still in the running for three trophies and face Leverkusen in the German Cup semi-final on 22 April.
Leverkusen’s 1-0 victory over Dortmund came courtesy a first-half winner from Robert Andrich, which keeps them in the mix for a top-four finish. The 2024 Bundesliga champions are now fifth on 52 points, one behind fourth-placed Stuttgart, who host Hamburg today. The top four teams are sure to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with the Bundesliga vying with La Liga for a fifth place.
Meanwhile, at Spurs …
No pressure Roberto De Zerbi, but there was precisely zero new-manager-bounce under his predecessor, Igor Tudor, and the Italian needs to see an instant uptick in performance level if he’s to save Tottenham from becoming the richest Championship club of all time.
Enzo Fernández will not feature for Chelsea against Manchester City today, but he’s back in Liam Rosenior’s good books after his agent issued a full and frank apology for the player’s not-so-subtle eyelash-fluttering at Real Madrid.
With Rodri having said something similar regarding an exit from City to Madrid, Jonathan Wilson explains why Chelsea’s existential angst helps to explain why Rosenior and the Blues had to take action where Pep’s fellas did not.
Expect Rodri to dominate the centre of the park at Stamford Bridge today in the conspicuous absence of Enzo.
Have you tried On The Ball yet? It’s the Guardian’s football game. I’m quite into it at the moment, quite pleased with a score of 68 today. Give it a go on the Puzzles section of the app and there’s a handy explainer here.
Celtic and Hearts both picked up three points in the (super-tight) Scottish Premiership title race yesterday, with Derek McInnes’s side leaving it super late to beat Motherwell 3-1 after going a goal down. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored Celtic’s only goal against St Mirren.
All of which puts the pressure on Rangers, who make the relatively short trip to Falkirk today (midday kick-off, BST). A win would cut Hearts’ lead back to a single point, defeat would leave Danny Röhl’s men third.
Barry runs: The London Landmarks Half Marathon gets under way in a couple of minutes. We’ll try and keep an eye on Barry’s progress and let you know how he gets on.
Union Berlin appoint first female coach in Europe's top five leagues
Union Berlin have made Marie-Louise Eta the first woman to manage a men’s side in one of Europe’s top five leagues, as she was appointed interim head coach until the end of the season.
Eta replaces Steffen Baumgart who, along with his coaching staff, was dismissed after a 3-1 defeat at FC Heidenheim on Saturday. That left Union in the lower part of the Bundesliga table, sitting in 11th place with 32 points.
Eta made history in November 2023 when she became the first female assistant coach in the German top flight with Union. She later became the first woman to lead a Bundesliga team from the touchline during a 1-0 win over Darmstadt in January 2024, while then-manager Nenad Bjelica served a suspension.
“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta after her appointment.
“I am delighted the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations. I am convinced that we will secure the crucial points.”
Guardian sport’s very own Barry Glendenning is running the London Landmarks Half-Marathon this morning to raise money for the Great Ormond Street hospital children’s charity. He’s already more than quadrupled his original target of £13,100 but would be grateful for any more donations in the final moments before the race because, well, it’s a brilliant cause and here at Guardian Towers we think he needs every bit of motivation he can get. If you can, donate here.
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This is a good read from Tom Garry on the curiously-timed women’s international break. With the WSL season reaching its climax and the weather improving for fans, an 11-day window for up to three international fixtures seems to take the wind out of the domestic league’s sails.
More from Jamie Jackson/Manchester City here – as Pep Guardiola was asked about Rayan Cherki’s controversial mid-match shirt-swap with an opponent.
Rayan Cherki impressed when Manchester City beat Liverpool 4-0 to reach the FA Cup semi-final but when replaced late on the Frenchman momentarily wore the shirt of Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike, who is a friend. With Cherki also having also showboated on occasion during games, Guardiola was asked his opinion of the 22-year-old.
“I think he’s a little bit of a free soul,” said Guardiola. “You have to understand, every player is completely different. He’s one of the most unbelievably talented players I’ve seen. Just in the future, hopefully he can stay [here] for longer, because he has the attributes to be one of the top players. One of his attributes is difficult to find – in difficult moments, with a lot of pressure, he plays like he is in a friendly game.
“So in the future, what will be his behaviour: to stay humble enough, to stay and work for the team?”
I know criticism of Arteta for supposed negativity is widespread, but I think this comment hits the nail on the head.
Yesterday may have been Arsenal’s first league defeat since January but they’ve now lost three of their past four in all competitions.
Arsenal's angst has happened because they've decided to try to avoid defeat instead of going for the win, I really don't understand Arteta's mindset, you're at home so attack, you'll never score if you're playing too slow or ponderous. Maybe after the Champions League this week he'll have a change of tactics at the Etihad, because if he doesn't they'll get beaten easily and the title will be out of their hands and into City's.
Our reporter Jamie Jackson has been speaking to Manchester City’s goalkeeper:
Ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Chelsea, Gianluigi Donnarumma is aware of the challenge that may await at Stamford Bridge. “It’s always going to be a complicated game,” he said. “It will be a difficult because going there to play is never easy. We hope to get a great result because it’s very important for us for the title race.”
Arsenal’s defeat by Bournemouth dented the Gunners’ title quest, with City able to move within three points with a game in hand by beating them at home next Sunday if they win today at Stamford Bridge. “The destiny [of the title] is no longer in our hands, but we will try to hang on until the end and put pressure on them. These two games for us are important,” said the Italian.
On working under Pep Guardiola, Donnnarumma added: “I think until you live it, you will never understand. Until you experience him, you can’t understand the importance he has and the effect he has on a team. Sometimes you are shocked, you are enchanted, sometimes to hear him speak, to prepare a game tactically. I am very lucky in my career to be coached by him.”
Arsenal: There’s only one place to start when it comes to reacting to yesterday’s action and that’s at the Emirates. After a lacklustre start it looked like the Gunners would find a way to win when Viktor Gyökeres levelled from the penalty spot, after Junior Kroupi’s early strike, but Arsenal remained flat and lacking in ideas. It was a fine goal from Alex Scott that settled the game (how many suitors will the English midfielder have this summer, by the way?) with Arteta describing it as “a big punch to the face” and a “painful day”.
“There’s no grey areas,” he said. “We need to be very, very, very strong and determined to approach it in a different way than we’ve done today, especially when the game wasn’t going our way. There’s a lot, a lot, a lot on our plate to look at ourselves.”
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Preamble
Morning all and welcome to Sunday’s matchday live – and what a Sunday it could be in the Premier League, with potential consequences for the relegation fight, the battle for Champions League qualification and the title race. Oh, and whatever Crystal Palace v Newcastle means. After Arsenal’s catastrophe at home to Bournemouth, can Manchester City capitalise with a win at Chelsea? Can Nottingham Forest and Tottenham respond to West Ham’s thumping win on Friday night? And do Aston Villa have anything left in the tank to revive their top five ambitions?
As always, we’ll be bringing you all the reaction from Saturday and buildup to today’s fixtures. Feel free to drop us an email with your thoughts on the weekend so far, or predictions of what’s to come.
Let’s get straight into it, shall we? I’ll begin by plugging this Paul MacInnes piece from the Emirates yesterday, where many of Arsenal’s flaws were exposed.
Early start on the train to Nottingham. As much as I’ve enjoyed our European escapades this season, the knock-on effect of playing a lot of Sunday matches (with plenty more to come!) irks a bit. That said, the sun is shining and the beer will no doubt be cold and it’s always fun to catch up with the familiar faces so I can’t moan too much.
Onto the match. We could’ve done with Wolves doing us a favour on Friday night but West Ham blew them away to keep the pressure on us. Both ourselves and Villa were away in Europe on Thursday but they played their strongest 11 whilst we rested most of ours. Whether that makes any difference time will tell but I’d happily take the draw if offered. My heart is going for an entertaining 2-2.