Thursday, May 21Thursday, May 21Arsenal’s 5th matchday Premier League fixture against West Ham United ("5_matchday_arsenal_kickoff_wbo") is a pivotal moment in their title challenge. The match, scheduled for a 4:30pm BST kick-off, carries significant weight as a victory would maintain Arsenal’s advantage over Manchester City with only two games remaining in the season. Many analysts, including Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher, believe the title race could effectively end if Arsenal secure three points .
The fixture holds added psychological importance due to Arsenal’s recent struggles at the London Stadium. Their 2022-23 title collapse under Mikel Arteta accelerated after a 2-2 draw at West Ham, where they squandered a two-goal lead and Bukayo Saka missed a penalty. While Arsenal have since scored 11 goals in their last two visits, a scruffy 1-0 win today would be far more meaningful in their pursuit of a first league title in 22 years .
West Ham, meanwhile, are in desperate need of points to avoid relegation, with anything less than a win potentially sealing their fate. Tottenham Hotspur currently sit one point above them, further intensifying the stakes .
The WBO heavyweight boxing title bout between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley ("wbo" in the topic) took place on the same day, with Dubois recovering from two knockdowns to stop Wardley in the 11th round and claim the championship. The fight, described as a bloody epic, saw Wardley suffer severe facial injuries before the referee intervened. Both fighters were praised for their resilience, with Dubois’ technical superiority ultimately deciding the contest . The event was held at Co-op Live in Manchester, adjacent to the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Brentford earlier in the day narrowed their gap to Arsenal to two points .
Nottingham Forest 1-1 Newcastle, Burnley 2-2 Aston Villa, Crystal Palace 2-2 Everton – live ⚽ Premier League updates from the 2pm BST kick-offs⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow on Bluesky | Email Simon 4 mins: A tasty cross from the right for Newcastle, but nobody gets on the end of it. Heres the top of the Scottish Premiership as it stands:The final whistle has blown in the Old Firm game at Celtic Park, where Celtic came from behind to beat Rangers 3-1 and keep the heat on Hearts. The top two play each other next Saturday in their final game of the season, with both also playing in midweek. Continue reading...
theguardian · 10 days ago
West Ham United v Arsenal: Premier League – live ⚽ Premier League updates from the 4.30pm BST kick-off⚽ Live scores | Latest table | And follow us on BlueskyHello. If youre going to win your first title in 22 years, you might as well slay a few demons en route. Arsenals traumatic collapse in the 2022-23 season, their first title challenge under Mikel Arteta, gathered pace during a 2-2 draw at West Ham in which they lost a two-goal lead and Bukayo Saka missed a penalty.Arsenal have scored 11 goals on their two subsequent visits to the London Stadium – but a scruffy 1-0 win today would be far more meaningful. Many people, including Sky Sports Jamie Carragher, think the title race will be over if Arsenal get the job done today. Continue reading...
theguardian · 10 days ago
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle, Burnley v Aston Villa, Crystal Palace v Everton – live ⚽ Premier League updates from the 2pm BST kick-offs⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow on Bluesky | Email Simon And we have some teams! Here they all are: Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
Celtic v Rangers: Scottish Premiership – live ⚽ Scottish Premiership news from the 12pm BST kick-off⚽ Live scores | Motherwell 1-1 Hearts | And email BillyThe context: An Old Firm this late in the season often has the air of a title decider but this season has been different. Hearts, looking to become the first team to break the Celtic-Rangers duopoly for 41 years, lead the Premiership by four points with two games remaining. However the pressure appears to be showing a tad, with Derek McInness side dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Motherwell last night. Hearts were left furious after not being awarded a second-half penalty.That gives both Celtic and Rangers a chance today, with both teams having this game in hand on the leaders. Celtic are four points back and know they will be champions if they win their last three games – they host Hearts on the final day in a potential all-or-nothing game. After a tumultuous season that has included fan unrest, the disastrous tenure of Wilfried Nancy and a shabby Old Firm record in the league, the title would be some tonic for Martin ONeills side. Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
West Ham v Arsenal buildup, a big Old Firm derby, the clásico and more – matchday live ⚽ News, discussion and more before a huge day of action⚽ Todays fixtures | Tables | Follow on Bluesky | Email usHello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! Its a big day in the Premier League, with one match in particular set to have major repercussions at both ends of the table.Relegation-threatened West Ham take on title-chasing Arsenal this afternoon, with both teams in need of a win. Anything less than three points for the Hammers could all but seal their fate, with Tottenham one point clear ahead of their meeting with Leeds United tomorrow. As for Arsenal, a victory would maintain their advantage over Manchester City with two games remaining. Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
Dubois stops Wardley in 11th round to take WBO heavyweight boxing title Daniel Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to win a second world heavyweight title with a stoppage of Fabio Wardley.
aljazeera · 11 days ago
Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in bloody epic to win WBO heavyweight title Dubois recovers from knockdown in opening secondsWardley knocks him down again but stopped in 11th Daniel Dubois completed his latest resurgence with brutal efficiency when he became the WBO world heavyweight champion after stopping Fabio Wardley early in the 11th round of a dramatic and blood-soaked contest. Howard Foster, whose pale blue shirt had turned crimson as if he worked in an abattoir rather than in a boxing ring as a referee, jumped between the courageous fighters to rescue Wardley 28 seconds into the penultimate round.It was a merciful stoppage because the fallen champion, with his face a mask of blood pouring from his badly cut and broken nose, had been examined twice before by the ringside doctor. Both fighters emerged with enormous credit after an epic battle. Dubois was knocked down twice in the fight, and dropped for the first time 10 seconds after the opening bell, but he came back with commendable resolve. He also proved he was the superior technician as, working behind his thunderous jab, Dubois sank one brutal blow after another into the steadily sagging figure of Wardley. But the 31-year-old from Ipswich, who suffered the first loss of his career, simply refused to surrender or even go down at any point during this riveting battle. Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
Daniel Dubois defeats Fabio Wardley by knockout: boxing heavyweight title – live Main-event ring-walks scheduled for 11pm BST Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty | Mail AlexPrediction time! The only big favourite in Wardley-Dubois is that it doesnt reach the final bell: the bookies can hardly split the pair.For what its worth, I reckon the 31-year-old Wardley, who has this uncanny ability to ride punches and get stronger as a fight goes on, has an edge. Dubois doesnt have a poor chin, the 28-year-old just hasnt always shown the incredible mental fortitude of his foe. Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
Fabio Wardley v Daniel Dubois: boxing heavyweight title – live Main-event ring-walks scheduled for 11pm BST Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty | Mail AlexThe Co-op Live arena is right next door to the Etihad Stadium. I walked past Manchester Citys home ground, with the crowd roaring in the final few minutes of their game against Brentford, and it felt a relief that the boxing tonight is inside. Its pretty cold in Manchester this evening but that didnt stop a few of the City security guards jumping around in glee when a very late goal made it 3-0. But attention is now firmly back on the boxing and the Co-op already feels crammed with a sold-out crowd.Its the least that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois deserve for a fight that could be one of the most explosive and compelling heavyweight contests of the year. There is also a decent undercard and the celebs are drifting in slowly. Luke Littler has arrived but I was more interested to see Moses Itauma at ringside. I interviewed him a couple of months ago in Manchester. It was initially a bit of a challenge to get him to open up but, eventually, we got somewhere.Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are very different characters but, in the ring, they share a knockout ratio of 95 in the combined 42 fights they have won. The unbeaten Wardley has knocked out 19 opponents in his 20 victories while Dubois has stopped 21 of 22 vanquished rivals. Its an impressive statistic which belies the vulnerability at the heart of each man.Wardley, the WBO world heavyweight champion, comes from a white-collar boxing background with minimal experience as an amateur. The only blemish on his record is a draw in March 2024 with the Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke – whom he then knocked out with shocking brutality in the first round seven months later. Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago
Man City beat Brentford to close gap to Arsenal to two points in title race Manchester City score twice in the second half of their Premier League match against Brentford to maintain title hopes.
aljazeera · 11 days ago
Manchester City 3-0 Brentford: Premier League – live After a goalless first half, Jeremy Dokus spectacular goal set up a crucial win for CityHaaland has 25 goals, begins Zach Neeley. Arsenals highest is Gyokeres at 14, and not because they score fewer goals (67 to 69). Which is better, the bulk scorer who you know will go out there and usually get something? Or the balanced team, where it can come from so many places?That would make for a great podcast discussion. The short answer: its complicated. (See Van Nistelrooy, Ruud.) Continue reading...
theguardian · 11 days ago