The Black Stars attacker made a substitute appearance as the Sky Blues secured a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in the highly competitive clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Semenyo replaced Belgian-Ghanaian forward Jeremy Doku in the 77th minute.

However, the victory was overshadowed by injury concerns involving several key players, including Semenyo, Erling Haaland, Nico O’Reilly, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic.

Speaking after the match, Maresca expressed hope that Semenyo’s injury was not a serious one.

“Hopefully they [Semenyo and Haaland] are good, but they are big players for us.

“Same for any team losing their best two players. It’s difficult for everyone, but we’ll see what’s happened and hopefully find a solution,” Maresca told Sky Sports after the game.

The former Chelsea manager provided further details on the players’ conditions while speaking to the club’s media.

“I asked all of them. Mateo said he was okay, Matheus said he was okay, Erling said he was also okay. Nico, it’s still his back. The only one we need to wait on was Antoine, and we will see,” he said.

The Ghana international has continued to make an impact for the Premier League giants this season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in nine appearances across competitions.

The Dutchman, 47, guided the Reds to their 20th league title in his debut season but they have struggled during his second year, finishing fifth in the Premier League.

Recently departed Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is the leading contender to replace Slot.

BBC Sport understands there has been an initial approach to discuss the role.

“That this was a difficult decision for us to make as a club goes without saying. The contribution Arne has made to Liverpool FC in the time that he has been with us has been significant, meaningful and – most importantly of all to supporters and ourselves – successful,” Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) said in a statement.

“As such, our appreciation for everything he has achieved could not be greater, particularly as it was underpinned by a work ethic, a diligence and a level of expertise which further underlined our view that he is a leader in his field.

“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it.”

Despite still qualifying for next season’s Champions League, Liverpool finished with 60 points – their lowest tally since the 2015-16 campaign and 25 points behind champions Arsenal.

The decision was made by Michael Edwards, FSG’s chief executive, and Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director.

Liverpool had insisted that a change of head coach was not on the agenda, but after assessing the situation following the end of the season last weekend, the club’s hierarchy believe the next phase requires a more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football.

Iraola, 43, is one most highly-rated coaches in Europe and is known for his attacking style of play.

The Spaniard was appointed at Bournemouth when Hughes was technical director at the Cherries, a role he left in 2024 to join the Reds.

Bournemouth finished only one place and three points behind Liverpool to qualify for next season’s Europa League.

Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss in 2024 after the German stepped down at Anfield after nine years as manager.

Earlier this month, forward Mohamed Salah said the club must return to being a “heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear” after “crumbling” to a defeat at Aston Villa.

Much of Liverpool’s success under Klopp – where they won every major trophy – came through this style of play.

“The conclusion we have come to is built on a belief that the team’s trajectory is best addressed through a change of direction. That does not diminish the work Arne has done here, or the respect we have for him. Nor is it a reflection of his talents. Rather, it is indicative of the need for a different approach,” the statement added.

“Arne leaves with our gratitude, with a Premier League title to his name, and with the knowledge that he and his family will always be welcomed back at Anfield.”

Liverpool spent £415m last summer on six players – the highest outlay in a single window by a British club – in a bid to retain their title.

They broke the British transfer record to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle for a fee of £125m and also bought Bayer Leverkusen and Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz for a club record £116m.

In July, forward Diogo Jota died in a car crash – a player who featured regularly under Slot.

“We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title,” the statement added.

“That accomplishment – made all the more remarkable as it arrived in his very first season in charge – was built on outstanding coaching and leadership every single day.

“He also helped guide the club through one of the most difficult periods imaginable following the loss of Diogo. The compassion and humanity he showed throughout that time said a great deal about him as a person.

“As such, we can only wish Arne well in the next stage of his coaching career, with our expectation being that he will continue to be successful. We do so in the knowledge that his Liverpool legacy is intact and will become yet more meaningful in the years and decades to come.”

Tuesday’s result on the south coast leaves Mikel Arteta’s men four points clear of City before the final round of games take place on Sunday, with the Gunners set to lift the trophy at Crystal Palace.

Build-up to this game had been overshadowed by dramatic reports that Guardiola is set to step down as City manager at the end of this season.

He told television broadcasters before the game that speculation over his future had “absolutely zero” impact on preparations, but his side were outplayed and outfought by the brilliant Cherries, who extended their unbeaten run to 17 matches.

Buoyed on by a raucous following at the compact venue, teenager striking sensation Junior Kroupi curled in a sublime finish six minutes before half-time.

Home goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic making a vital save to deny Nico O’Reilly early in the second half and although Erling Haaland scored a late equaliser, the hosts held on.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola announced he will leave at the end of this season – and this result ensures the Spaniard has helped achieve the magnificent feat of securing European football for next term.

Man City analysis: A day of celebration on Sunday?

If Guardiola’s 10-year trophy-filled tenure is drawing to a close, he will have to make do with the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as a final flourish.

City’s chase for the title came to a halt in Bournemouth and the 55-year-old will leave the job having won six Premier League titles while in charge, but having had two consecutive seasons without finishing top for the first time in his career.

This was a must-win game for City if they wanted to extend the race for five more days, but the home game against Aston Villa on Sunday is now anticipated to be Guardiola’s farewell.

City had beaten their opponents in 16 of their 17 Premier League meetings but have now failed to win back-to-back games at this stadium, with this setback proving decisive as they ended with a whimper.

The visitors played like a side that were distracted by other matters and despite a rally in injury-time when Rodri struck the post and Haaland pulled a goal back in the 95th minute, a draw was not enough.

The returning Antoine Semenyo thought he had scored against his former club but his effort was ruled out for offside, while the league’s top scorer Haaland saw a thumping shot from the angle blocked by Evanilson.

Guardiola and his side must gather themselves for one final game which is bound to be an emotional affair, as Italian Enzo Maresca waits in the wings to take over.

Credit: Guardian

With six goals to his name already since arriving at the club from Bournemouth in January, it’s been a seamless transition for the 26-year-old, who has emulated his impressive performances at the Vitality Stadium.

How though? How does one make a mid-season switch from mid-table battles to a title race so effortlessly? It begins with a simple message from Pep Guardiola.

“The first thing he said to me when I came was, just continue playing your game,” Semenyo told Sky Sports. “Play free, express yourself, shoot, dribble, do whatever feels right for you.

“He doesn’t want me to take away from my game because it’s a passing team and we keep the ball.

“There’s going to be moments in the game where I can express myself, so that gives me a lot of confidence.”

Previously criticised for a perhaps robotic approach to the game, which works to the detriment of his freer thinkers, Guardiola’s messaging to Semenyo is suggestive of a ‘new Man City’.

Guardiola has found space for maverick-type flair in his team and Semenyo is reaping the rewards.

Expanding further on what he’s learned so far from Guardiola, Semenyo said: “I feel like the way Pep wants to play, it’s almost like you want to commit defenders.

“You want to commit midfielders. And once the space is opened up, you either go into it or you go behind.

“It’s just so many minor things that I wouldn’t think about, but he thinks about. It’s like I’m now thinking about it because of what he says a lot.”

“Adjusting to this system has definitely been key for me. I feel like the players I have around me, they make it so easy for me.

“And they give me so many instructions, just being positive as well, and they obviously set me up to score my goals. So they make life easy for me.”

Life is easy for Semenyo at Man City, and also a lot different to what he had been used to. Despite the team’s shortcomings, compared to their previously held high standards, Semenyo has walked into a machine still geared to win.

It may feel like the side that won six of the last eight league titles at City is now one of a bygone era, but it took just 26 days for Semenyo to already reach a cup final with his new side.

“It feels crazy, man. Honestly, I’ve never been in a final before,” Semenyo said, speaking at the Adidas Pred v F50: The Game event.

“I’m just pinching myself, obviously playing against Arsenal. It’s going to be a top final, a top team.

“These are the moments every footballer dreams of. I’m lucky I’m living that reality.”

Guardiola will be stressing to his Man City side that they mustn’t feel ‘lucky’ to be there, though. The games are coming thick and fast and City have four competitions to win.

That starts with a trip to Anfield on Sunday to take on Liverpool in a game that’s become England’s answer to Spain’s El Clásico in recent meetings.

Having already starred at Anfield this season for his previous club, scoring two on the opening day for Bournemouth, Semenyo is relishing the chance to do it all over again on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

“It’s a statement game,” Semenyo said.

“It’s probably one of our most important games of the season. So we want to go there, pose our threats and be victorious at the end of the day.

“As an outsider watching, it’s always been sick to watch, but being part of it, it’s a different level. Just that fire in your belly, these games bring it out.”

If the season ended now, Semenyo would have already had the best goalscoring campaign of his senior career. But that’s not enough.

Simply the freedom to express himself at Man City doesn’t satisfy, either.

Semenyo wants tangible returns for a season that he feels makes him worthy of a Team of the Season spot, and he will stop at nothing to ensure he gets them.

“I always thought, I want to be part of Man City,” Semenyo said.

“But the hard work continues. If we want to be as successful as the previous Man City teams have been, we need to catch up with Arsenal now and hopefully win all the other trophies that we’re in.

“Obviously, there have been results that haven’t gone our way and there have been a couple of draws here and there.

“The manager said to us before the Newcastle game that we need to have that fire in our bellies again.

“That fire in our bellies is what’s going to kick-start a new run for us and hopefully us being victorious at the end of the season is the plan.”

Credit: Sky Sports

The short answer is simple. They don’t have much in the way of exceptional dribblers, and new manager Thomas Frank clearly wants to add one to their attack.

Kudus is a genuinely elite dribbler. Only Manchester City’s Jérémy Doku completed more dribbles (107) in the Premier League last season than Kudus (92). On a per-90 basis, too, only Doku (6.4) could better Kudus (3.2) among players with at least 1,000 minutes under their belt.

And it’s also noteworthy that Doku was playing for a team who saw a hell of a lot more of the ball and did a hell of a lot more attacking than Kudus’ West Ham. Doku averaged 71.9 touches of the ball per 90, while Kudus had just 52.2.

Kudus looks to beat a man remarkably often. He admits that he can’t help but try and take the ball into space as soon as he gets it, telling The Athletic last year: “When I see space with the ball at my feet, I don’t care what’s in front of me. I have to go for it.”

Last season, he attempted more dribbles (195) than any other player in the Premier League. Dribble attempts made up 12.9% of his on-ball actions. His dribble success rate of 47.2% was on the higher side among the most active dribblers in the league. (As an aside, Dejan Kulusevski was the only one of the 22 players to attempt 100+ dribbles who played for Spurs, and he had the worst dribble success rate of the lot – 31.9%.)

So, in Kudus, Tottenham are getting a high-volume, high-output dribbler, and one who is up to speed with the Premier League, having spent the last two years at West Ham. That was largely a successful time – hence Spurs paying big money for him – although his most recent season, when he scored five Premier League goals and added three assists, was underwhelming compared to his debut campaign in England, when he scored eight goals and got six assists as West Ham finished ninth.

West Ham wasn’t a very fun place to be by the end of 2024-25, and reports suggest a sale was necessary to fund the rebuild Graham Potter requires. In the end, Kudus was happy to be sacrificed.

The opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League once again was undoubtedly alluring, and so too was the chance to play in a team who dominate the ball more. A team who could get the ball to Kudus more often. Not since his impressive 2022-23 campaign at Ajax that convinced West Ham to pay almost £40 million to sign him has he played for a possession-dominant team.

While Kudus is a transitional threat and he did well enough in a West Ham side who largely attacked on the transition in his two years there, he will surely do better in a team who dominate territory. His exceptional dribbling and ability to wriggle out of tight spaces should help Tottenham break down low blocks more effectively than they did under Ange Postecoglou.

He is a different profile of attacker to anyone else at Spurs. Tottenham players attempted more dribbles than those of any other team in the Premier League last season (790), but they ranked ninth for successful dribbles (308), with the worst dribble success rate in the league (39.0%). They also have no standout dribbler, instead boasting lots of players who attempt dribbles fairly consistently, and none of them do it particularly well.

None of the top 20 players for successful dribbles per 90 in the Premier League last season played for Spurs (500+ minutes played), whose most prolific dribblers were full-back Djed Spence (1.9 successful dribbles per 90) and the now-departed and largely ineffective Timo Werner (1.8). Mathys Tel was their best-performing winger who is still at the club, with 1.5 per 90.

Tel and Wilson Odobert are tricky players who can beat a man, but Postecoglou largely favoured wingers who could run hard and run fast. Listing out all Premier League players in order of the top speed they hit last season, Spurs had more players in the top 40 (five) than any other club. No other team had more players overall in the top 40 positions than Spurs had wingers alone (four).

Under Postecoglou, Spurs sought to release their quick wingers down the flanks to put low balls across the face of goal. They scored a lot of goals playing that way, but they also chucked too many men forward with every attack and struggled to balance attack with defence (if you somehow aren’t aware, they conceded 65 goals in 38 league games and finished 17th in the table). Someone like Kudus, who can beat his opponent more effectively than any of his new teammates, should theoretically reduce the need for so many players to pile forward, and therefore might even help improve Spurs’ woeful defensive record.

The truth is, however, that Kudus didn’t have the best 2024-25 season and, as well as being able to dribble past players, Spurs will obviously want end product from their new £55m man. In Premier League games last season, the Ghanaian recorded 40 carries (moving at least five metres with the ball) that he followed up with a shot or a chance created, but not a single one ended up with a goal or an assist.

Of the 47 players to register 25+ carries followed by a shot or chance created, Kudus was the only player to fail to record a single goal involvement from any of them. Some of that will be down to his teammates, but it is still a noteworthy failure of his from last season, and something he will need to improve on.

It is the season before that will really have caught the eye of Spurs and Frank, who is said to have been a long-time admirer of the player. The 24-year-old picked up seven goals or assists from his 49 carries that ended with a shot or a chance created in 2023-24. That is the player Spurs hope they are signing.

The club will also hope Frank’s history of improving forwards such as Bryan Mbeumo, Ivan Toney and Yoane Wissa means he can unlock the best of Kudus. Doing so is likely to require playing him in his best position.

At West Ham, Kudus was forced to play in a variety of positions, partly because he is versatile enough to play all across the front line, but also because Jarrod Bowen’s preference was to play from the right.

When Kudus signed for West Ham, he said he prefers to play centrally as a number 10, but he didn’t play there all that much in east London. At Spurs, his opportunities there are likely to be even more limited given they will also have James Maddison, Kulusevski and the incoming Morgan Gibbs-White to play the attacking midfield roles. And considering they have Son Heung-min, Tel and Odobert as options on the left wing, Kudus is likely to play on the right. He can also provide back-up in the centre-forward position, but it doesn’t seem likely that will be where he is used.

It remains to be seen if Kulusevski plays on the right for Frank, but he was so good centrally last season that one would assume his future lies there. That would leave Kudus and Europa League final hero Brennan Johnson to battle it out for the spot on the right flank.

Kudus is more comfortable on the right, too. In Premier League games last season, there was a stark difference between his per-90 numbers when playing on the right and left: he had more touches, touches in the opposition box, shots, shots on target, chances created, possession regains, possession regains in the final third, and shot-ending carries when deployed on the right wing.

He likes being able to come off the flank and attack goal on his stronger left foot, while he can also go around the outside and head for the byline on his right. On the left flank, his game is far more limited.

There was an obvious weakness in the Spurs squad, and Frank has set about addressing it in his first few weeks at the club. Kudus adds something Tottenham lacked, so he has the capacity to improve the team immediately.

This appears to be a signing that makes perfect sense.

Credit: The Analyst

The 28-year-old Portuguese forward died in a crash near Zamora, in northwestern Spain.

His brother, Andre, was also killed in the crash early on Thursday morning on the Rias Bajas Highway (A-52) near Palacios de Sanabria, heading towards Benavente.

The Guardia Civil in Zamora told Sky Sports News the accident happened at 12.30am.

“A vehicle left the road and everything indicates a tyre burst while overtaking.

“As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both people were killed. Pending the completion of forensic tests, one of the deceased has been identified as Diogo Jota, a Liverpool FC player, and his brother, Andre Felipe.”

It comes just 10 days after the player had got married, before sharing photos from the wedding on his social media.

He had three children.

Jota signed for Liverpool in September 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of more than £40million.

His brother, Andre, 26, played for Pennafiel, a Portuguese second division club.

Credit: Sky Sports

The 31-year-old started and lasted the entire duration as the a late John Stones strike denied Arsenal a famous victory at the Etihad Stadium.

Partey joined Arsenal in the summer of 2020 and has now netted six goals and delivered three assists for the North London club.

The former Atletico Madrid star has been key figure for the club since moving to England.

Interestingly Partey made his debut against Manchester City, reaching a half-a-century of matches against the same side he made his 100th appearance against.

“The Ghana international completes his century of league games for us at the same venue and against the same opponents that he made his Gunners debut against back in October 2020 after signing from Atletico Madrid,” began a report on the official website.

“This season Partey netted against Aston Villa last month – his first goal since scoring in the famous 3-2 win against Bournemouth in March 2023. He has played for us 120 times in total.

“Partey is also making the 300th league appearance of his career today having registered 200 games in La Liga and La Liga B during his time in Spain with Real Mallorca, Almeria and Atleti.

Credit:

Manchester City led nine minutes into the game courtesy of their prolific striker and the current highest goal scorer in the premier league, Erling Haaland.

John Stones’ 98th minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester City against 10-man Arsenal in a bad-tempered clash between the two favourites for the Premier League title on Sunday.

Arsenal played the entire second half a man down after Leandro Trossard was sent-off but were seconds away from inflicting City’s first home defeat since November 2022.

Ten-man Arsenal were just seconds away from a famous victory at the Etihad Stadium after perfecting the 5-4-0 formation in the second half to frustrate Manchester City.

But just as three points loomed, John Stones popped up inside the penalty area to snatch a 2-2 draw for the hosts and spark furious scenes on and off the pitch. City return to the top of the table, with Arsenal two points back.

John Stones celebrates

February 2023 saw the process kick off when City were referred to an independent commission over the alleged breaches over provision of accurate financial information which go back to the 2009-10 campaign.

FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY City, champions for the past four seasons, are also charged with failing to comply with Premier League rules requiring clubs to follow UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations from the 2013-14 to 2017-18 seasons and failing to follow Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) from the 2015-16 to 2017-18 seasons.

City, who beat Brentford 2-1 at home on Saturday, have always denied any wrongdoing and insisted they would vehemently contest the charges. The hearing, behind closed doors, is expected to last 10 weeks with a verdict by the end of the year with any appeal to be settled by the end of the season.

PENALTIES IF City could face penalties such as a points deduction or relegation if found guilty. Everton and Nottingham Forest had points deducted last season for breaching PSR regulations.

The consequences are almost unimaginable for the world’s most high-profile league and its dominant club which boasts a network of 13 teams across five continents under the ownership of a billionaire member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family.

A guilty verdict would cast an immense shadow over not only City’s achievements in the past decade but the future of manager Pep Guardiola – whose contract expires at the season’s end – and his players. It could also generate comopensation claims from other clubs.

Rui Pinto role

The saga was set in motion six years ago by Rui Pinto, a Portuguese computer hacker, whose access to “millions of documents” about various clubs’ financial dealings provided ammunition for the Football Leaks website.

Last year Pinto was handed a four-year suspended sentence by a Lisbon court on counts of attempted extortion, illegal access to data, and breach of correspondence.

The damage, however, had been done. In 2018, the German publication Der Spiegel claimed City had manipulated contracts to circumvent UEFA rules and published leaked documents, including emails purportedly sent between top City executives over several seasons after the club’s Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.

They alleged that these showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from state-owned airline Etihad and state-controlled telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from its holding company (Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group, or ADUG) as sponsorship income by channelling the funds through the companies’ accounts.

The rulebooks

This, it was alleged, was a means of meeting financial fair play rules introduced by Uefa in 2011, and Profit and Sustainability Rules brought in by the Premier League in 2012, limiting clubs’ permitted losses.

Further allegations followed of alleged misreporting of financial information centred on documents that claimed to show secret ‘off-the-books’ payments to then-manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi, and paying players more money than registered in the accounts so that recorded spending was less than it actually was.

City – who have always maintained that ADUG is a private fund rather than an arm of the state – refused to comment on any of Der Spiegel’s revelations, saying the leaked emails were obtained illegally, and that they were an “attempt to damage the club’s reputation”.

UEFA action

Both club and companies strongly denied breaking any financial rules. But that did not stop both UEFA and the Premier League launching investigations as a result.

City had already been fined millions of pounds by UEFA in 2014 as part of a settlement after they were found to have breached FFP rules. In 2020 they were banned European club competition for two seasons after being found to have committed new breaches.

Subsequently the Court of Arbitration for Sport quashed the ban, saying that it had found “no conclusive evidence that they disguised funding from their owner as sponsorship”, and that most of the alleged breaches of rules were either not established or ‘time-barred’ because they fell outside the five-year statutory limit for prosecution.

However, it did find City had committed a “severe breach” by failing to co-operate with UEFA’s investigation, with an initial £25m fine reduced to £8m.

Investigations rolled on behind the scenes. In July 2021 a High Court judge revealed that the Premier League had effectively accused City of delay tactics by failing to agree to hand over documents, ordering the club to do so.

Then, in early 2023, City were hit with the mass of 115 charges, relating to every one of the years since the club was bought by Sheikh Mansour.

Credit: AIPS Media

The 24-year-old midfielder, who joined the Hammers from Ajax last summer, started and lasted the entire duration as West Ham travelled to Craven Cottage to pick a point.

In his 50 appearances for the club, Kudus has scored 14 goals and delivered seven assists.

The Ghana international has become a key figure at the London Olympic Stadium, featuring in all four Premier League games this season.

Despite waiting for his first goal of the new season, Kudus has thrilled fans with his wizardry dribbling skills, an attribute that places him above some of the best dribblers in Europe.

The highly-rated midfielder dominated the headlines during the summer transfer window with clubs from Saudi Arabia and England interested in his services.