LONDON: The supercomputer predicted the final position of the English Premier League this season after Arsenal’s victory at Spurs.

The Gunners remain at the top of the table with a one-point advantage over Manchester City after a 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

However, Mikel Arteta’s squad is expected to once again miss the chance to win the first league title after 20 years because the defending champions, Manchester City, who have played one game less, are the champions.

The super computer, BETSiE, makes rival formulas based on data and match statistics throughout the season and Arsenal are once again predicted to be runners-up.

In third place, Liverpool while Aston Villa fill the fourth and final position for qualification for the European Champions League.

Tottenham were forced to be satisfied in fifth place, followed by Newcastle United in sixth place who managed to ask Manchester United for a slot in the Europa League.

If it comes true, Erik ten Hag’s United – or his successor – will play in the European Conference League.

It’s also unfortunate for Chelsea who are in eighth place without any European action next season.

In the relegation zone, Nottingham Forest is predicted to be safe with Luton and Burnley accompanying Sheffield United to the Championship League next season.

LONDON: Manchester United’s victory over Coventry City via penalty shoot-out in the FA Cup semi-final broke a 139-year-old record.

The Red Devils led 3-0 before the Champions League club came back to equalize and drag the match into extra time and penalties.

Erik ten Hag’s side made it to the final but football observers believe the United manager’s future is fading at Old Trafford.

Man United also broke the old record with the win.

It is shared with Manchester City, who will be United’s opponents after they beat Chelsea in the other semi-final.

For the first time in 139 years, two teams played in the FA Cup final for two consecutive years.

The Manchester derby will take place on May 25, a repeat of last season’s Wembley clash, which Pep Guardiola’s side won for the treble.

This is the second time this situation has happened in the history of the tournament.

The first time it happened was in 1884 and 1885 – a clash between Blackburn and Queen’s Park Rangers at Kennington Oval, London.

Blackburn won the first final 2–1, with goals from Joe Sowerbutts and Jimmy Forrest giving them their first FA Cup title.

Blackburn retained the championship with a 2–0 win over QPR the following year thanks to goals from Forrest and James Brown.

United, 12-time champions of the world’s oldest competition, have not lifted the FA Cup trophy since 2016 – when Louis van Gaal managed it.

Twice they reached the final after that – with Jose Mourinho in 2018 and losing to Chelsea 1-0, and with Ten Hag last year.

Man City won it seven times, three of them since 2011.

MANCHESTER: Alejandro Garnacho was reprimanded after upsetting Erik ten Hag and his teammates by belittling the manager on social media.

Garnacho simply pressed a thumbs-up sign on a pass that claimed the player was to blame for being sent off during the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

The United manager is said to have been angry with Garnacho’s actions, and other players were also disappointed with the Argentine winger.

Garnacho was called up by Ten Hag during Sunday’s training session, and United considers the issue resolved.

The club understands Garnacho’s actions were due to his disappointment at starting the game at the Vitality Stadium despite having only trained once due to health problems, and he was then replaced by Amad Diallo during the break.

Garnacho, however, quickly put a damper on the post, and United felt the situation was different from Jadon Sancho’s post on social media in September – which labeled Ten Hag a cheater.

Sancho, who was reluctant to apologize for his actions, was directed to train alone for four months and was then loaned to Borussia Dortmund in January.

Ten Hag is now increasingly under pressure after going four games without a win ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City at Wembley, this Sunday.

LONDON: Former Liverpool star Paul Ince claims Mohamed Salah is not a world-class player.

Ince admits Salah, who has scored 23 goals in all competitions this season, is a world-class goalscorer.

However Ince insists Salah cannot be considered world class due to his overall game.

Speaking to talkSPORT , Ince, who played for Liverpool between 1997 and 1999, said: “Is he a world-class goalscorer? Yes.

“I think his record proves everything. Is he a world-class player, technically? I disagree.

“But as far as world-class players scoring goals and making things happen, I think yes.”

Since joining Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 209 goals in 340 appearances.

Only Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell have scored more goals for the Reds than Salah in the club’s history.

With Liverpool so far, Salah has won the Champions League, the English Premier League, the FA Cup and two League Cups.

The 31-year-old’s current contract at Anfield will expire in the summer of 2025.

ABHA: Cristiano Ronaldo continued his scoring streak in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr by scoring his first hat-trick against Abha, including two goals from free kicks.

The Portuguese icon is already leading the league scoring charts, and last night gifted his team back-to-back hat-tricks – his 65th career hat-trick.

Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a low free kick and doubled the score 10 minutes later with another free kick.

This time the 39 year old player took a swerving kick which killed Abha’s goalkeeper, Ciprian Tatarusanu.

Ronaldo completed his hat-trick by once again beating Tatarusanu, this time in a one-on-one situation with a stunning finishing move.

Al-Nassr finished the first half with a score of 5-0 after Sadio Mane and Abdulmajeed Al-Sulaiheem also contributed goals.

Ronaldo has now scored 29 times in the league this season and leads the scoring list with the closest competitor being Aleksandar Mitrovic from Al-Hilal.

Overall he has scored 42 goals in 41 appearances in all matches for the Saudi Arabian club this season.

Last Saturday, Ronaldo also completed a hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Al-Tai.

Ronaldo might have been able to feast on goals against Abha, but he was substituted before the break in the second half which saw Al-Nassr add three more goals for an 8-0 win.

Al-Nassr is still 12 points behind leaders, Al-Hilal who are still unbeaten this season.

MADRID: Brazil’s Lucas Paqueta converted an injury-time penalty to snatch a 3-3 draw with Spain in a tense international friendly at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, early this morning.

The hosts took control early in the action with teenagers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams being thorns in the flesh for their opponents on the flanks.

16-year-old Yamal grabbed a disputed penalty for Spain in the 12th minute when he went down after being denied by Joao Gomes following a superb piece of individual play down the right flank.
Replays showed there were minimal touches but the referee awarded a penalty and no VAR was in operation to review the decision.

Spain captain Rodri drilled in a penalty to put the hosts in front before Dani Olmo doubled their advantage in the 36th minute, outfoxing two Brazilian defenders before slotting in.

However, Rodrygo closed the gap before the break after goalkeeper Unai Simon’s mistake and teenager Endrick came off the bench to equalize following a corner four minutes after the break.

Spain were back in front in the 86th minute following another disputed referee’s decision that sparked anger in the visitors’ dugout, with stadium security officials forced to intervene to resolve the situation.

Portuguese referee Antonio Nobre awarded a penalty following Lucas Beraldo’s tackle on Dani Carvajal in the penalty box and Rodri shot into the middle of the goal.

But Brazil managed to equalize five minutes after injury when Galeno was fouled in the box and Paqueta completed the spot kick.

“We often want to win,” Endrick told Brazilian television station Globo.

“We are Brazil and we often want to win, to honor our legacy.

“We are not promising that we will win every match, but we will not reduce our efforts, our resilience, our enthusiasm, we will not lack anything.”

LIVERPOOL: The greatest feud between two English Premier League managers – Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola ended in a draw at Anfield.

Klopp’s Liverpool drew 1-1 with Guardiola’s Manchester City, leaving this season’s title race wide open between three teams – including leaders Arsenal.

Klopp will leave Anfield at the end of the season after almost a decade with Liverpool and won every major tournament and competed fiercely with Guardiola’s men for several titles.

Yesterday’s meeting at Anfield was the 16th Premier League match between the two managers.

Guardiola has now recorded five wins, four losses and seven draws against Klopp in the English Premier League.

The feud between Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho often ends in tension, but the opposite is true for Guardiola and Mourinho when the two managers respect each other and hug at the end of the game.

“He will be back! He loves this job so much. What can I say? He made us a better team, made me a better manager. I hope he will be back soon, because football needs a personality like him.

“Praise to Liverpool. They once again proved that what they did was amazing in this match,” said Guardiola.

Klopp refused to reveal what he said to Guardiola after the final whistle.

“It is personal, even in the football stadium. We respect each other and maybe after this career we will be close friends,” said Klopp.

LONDON: Former referee Mike Dean admitted Paul Tierney made a ‘big mistake’ before Liverpool scored a late victory over Nottingham Forest yesterday.

Darwin Nunez scored the only goal of the game in stoppage time as Liverpool won 1-0 to strengthen their challenge for the Premier League title.

However, much of the post-match analysis focused on Tierney following the incident involving Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Play was stopped after Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate suffered a head injury when Callum Hudson-Odoi tried to cross for Forest.

After Konate recovered quickly, Kelleher resumed play but ended up passing the ball to his friend when he should have given the ball back to Forest.

Liverpool finally managed to find the net with substitute Nunez scoring the winning goal.

Although there was plenty of time between the incident and the goal, Dean felt Tierney should have stopped the game first.

Dean told Sky Sports : “Of course Nottingham Forest are angry, I would be angry too if I was involved with Nottingham Forest, but unfortunately the referee made a big mistake.

“I think he will know this morning that he made a mistake and hopefully he won’t repeat the same thing in the future.

“Unfortunately for Paul it was a mistake and it was a bad mistake, it led to the goal.

“The rules say whoever has the ball when play is stopped, the ball should be given back to them. Hudson-Odoi clearly had the ball and it should have been given to Nottingham Forest on the wing.”

Dean said that a statement should be issued after the match admitting that a mistake had been made.

However Dean said the incident which saw Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis clash with Tierney after the match should not have happened.

LONDON: Chelsea are reportedly drawing up a list of Mauricio Pochettino’s replacements after they lost in the English League Cup final yesterday.

Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim remains under the watch of Todd Boehly.

The Blues lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Wembley following Virgil van Dijk’s header in the 118th minute.

Jurgen Klopp’s team emerged as champions despite fielding several youth academy players in the squad.

Chelsea remain trophyless under Boehly after spending £1 billion since he took over in 2022.

The American has worked with three managers, first sacking Thomas Tuchel before bringing in Graham Potter and Frank Lampard.

According to The Mail newspaper, Boehly may make it four when he starts looking for Pochettino’s replacement.

Top of the Sporting Lisbon boss’ list was Amorim who was the main candidate for the job last summer.

His club is two points behind the Primeira Liga leaders with one game less to play.

Amorim is among several names on the list to replace Pochettino should Chelsea decide to sack him.