Aston Villa and Manchester United were the winners in the Premier League weekend as both the UCL aspirants tightened their hold in the top 4. Man Utd drew their game away to Bournemouth on Friday night before Villa won their home fixture against West Ham on Sunday.Meanwhile, Liverpool and Chelsea dropped points yet again as both teams were propelled to losses away from home. Liverpool lost 2-1 away to Brighton thanks to a brace from former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck, while Chelsea were thrashed 3-0 by Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Villa the winners this weekend as Liverpool and Chelsea falter Everton 3-0 Chelsea:Everton brushed aside Chelsea 3-0 with a Beto brace. The striker was on fire, scoring twice past Sanchez, before Iliman Ndiaye finished the match with a top corner finish. This was Chelsea's fourth consecutive loss, including a thrashing against PSG. Meanwhile, for Everton, this was the first time they won two consecutive matches at their new home stadium. Brighton 2-1 Liverpool:Danny Welbeck rolled back the years and scored a brace as Brighton beat the defending champions, Liverpool, at the Amex Stadium. The former Arsenal and Man Utd striker had a point to prove after being dropped from the England squad and looked back to his best. Liverpool were without Alisson for the match, and their defensive fragilities were on display again. Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham:Aston Villa looked to have found their mojo back as they beat relegation-threatened West Ham at home. Fired up by his England omission, Ollie Watkins scored a rebound in the second half after John McGinn opened the score with a beautiful effort from the edge of the area. Villa solidified their position in the fourth spot after the win. Bournemouth 2-2 Man Utd:In a Friday night thriller, 10-man United salvaged a point. Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty before setting up an own goal. However, A Maguire red card and a penalty for the hosts brought them back in the game. In the end, United got a point with a 2-2 draw and retained their top 3 spot in the table.
23 March,2026 12:11 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniManchester City won the first silverware of the season as they defeated Arsenal by two goals to nil at Wembley. Guardiola's men were the underdogs going into the final but showed fight and class in the second half to extend Arsenal's trophy drought.Arsenal arrived at Wembley dreaming of a quadruple, but that dream was short-lived. Manchester boy and City academy graduate Nico O’Reilly scored twice to hand Arteta a defeat in the Carabao Cup final.The first half belonged to Arsenal, who were good in possession and created chances. James Trafford in City's goal was called into action early on but denied both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz. Both teams went in at half-time with scores level and nothing to separate the two.In the second half, City showed their class. They were aggressive from the start, pressing Arsenal's defence and causing problems. O’Reilly opened the scoring after Arsenal's keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga fumbled a cross. The City youngstar was on hand to score and give his team the lead.The match was effectively over in the next four minutes as O’Reilly doubled City's lead from a header. Nunes put the ball in the box, and O’Reilly attacked it from deep, leaving the Arsenal defenders no chance. After Wayne Rooney and Ronnie Whelan, O'Reilly became the third-youngest player to score twice in a League Cup final. It was a record-breaking fifth League Cup victory for Pep Guardiola, surpassing both Brian Clough and the great Sir Alex Ferguson. Man City and Arsenal are still involved in the title race The Carabao Cup final was a taster for what's to come in the Premier League. Arsenal and City are the top two teams in the league, going head-to-head for the title. Arsenal are currently 9 points clear at the top; however, City have a game in hand and will face Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in April.After the game, Guardiola said that it was 'Arsenal's title to lose', suggesting all the pressure is on the Gunners. However, with 22-years without a league title, Arsenal will have to be mentally strong to take that last step and win the Premier League.
23 March,2026 10:38 AM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniRonald Araujo's header helped Barcelona extend their lead on Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to seven points with a tight 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Alvaro Arbeloa's Real Madrid host Atletico Madrid, fourth, later on in a derby clash. Araujo nodded home Joao Cancelo's corner after 24 minutes to secure the three points at Camp Nou but goalkeeper Joan Garcia's superb display played just as big a part in their victory. "We knew how important it was to get this win before the international break, we did it, but it's true we suffered more than we would have liked," Garcia told DAZN. "They knew how to cause us damage and we weren't at the level we have been with the ball above all. "We knew we had to win and what the other teams do is not up to us." Hansi Flick's side were caught snoozing in the opening stages but Garcia made a fine save to deny Carlos Martin from close range. Called up by Luis de la Fuente to the Spanish national team for the first time ahead of March's upcoming friendlies, Garcia made several excellent saves to keep Rayo at bay, with the Madrid side dominant in the second half. At the other end, Raphinha was guilty of profligate finishing on numerous occasions. The winger scuffed wide after picking Pathe Ciss's pocket and charging through on goal. A few minutes later Ciss appeared to bring down teenage star Lamine Yamal in the area but the Barcelona player's appeals were ignored by the referee. Yamal's superb cross, with the outside of his boot, created another fine chance for Raphinha but the Brazilian's mis-hit effort was tipped over by Augusto Batalla. The champions took the lead through Araujo's header from Joao Cancelo's corner midway through the first half. Araujo has not featured much since taking a mental health break late last year, but came on as a substitute in Barca's 7-2 Champions League rout of Newcastle in midweek. With Eric Garcia rested following a muscle overload, Flick started the Uruguayan at right-back and was rewarded with what proved to be the winner. "I feel very good, physically well, it's important that I can help the team," said Araujo. "I'm in a good rhythm, working hard to be able to support where I have to, I'm always ready to help the team." Barca cling on The Catalans came close to a second after the interval but Yamal dragged a low effort across the face of goal. Inigo Perez's Rayo took control and started generating dangerous chances as they searched for an equaliser. Joan Garcia denied Alvaro Garcia and then produced a spectacular save to push away Unai Lopez's header. Pacha Espino should have pulled the visitors level but, after beating Barca's high defensive line and staying onside, curled over the bar. Garcia pushed away a Jorge de Frutos drive before six minutes of stoppage time were added but Barca clung on to triumph. "This is why we bought him," said Flick. "I know how important he is and how (important) his performance today was." The Barca coach had lots of praise for Rayo coach Perez after his team's impressive display. "We didn't play our best game but we have to say Rayo played a fantastic game, congrats -- Inigo made a fantastic job," added Flick. "His team played really great football, a great style, it's really amazing to see this and I'm really happy for him." Perez's side are 14th and fighting to stay clear of the relegation zone while also playing in the UEFA Conference League. "The second half was perfect but we lacked the goal," Perez. "(Joan Garcia) appeared in the key moments when we might have been able to draw." Later on, Alaves produced a sensational comeback from three goals down to beat Celta Vigo 4-3. Quique Sanchez Flores's team climbed to 16th, three points above the relegation zone. Ferran Jutgla struck either side of Hugo Alvarez's goal as Celta, sixth, racked up a seemingly comfortable lead. However, Toni Martinez pulled one back before the interval to spark Alaves's comeback. Angel Perez added another before Martinez scored again to level and Abde Rebbach cut in from the left and fired home to claim a memorable victory for the visitors. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:02 AM IST | Barcelona | AFPA second-half brace from Braian Sanchez helped Bengaluru FC secure a 3-1 victory over Inter Kashi in the Indian Super League 2025-26 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday. Earlier in the first half, Ashique Kuruniyan put Bengaluru FC in front before Alfred Planas equalised for Inter Kashi. The Blues climbed to fourth in the standings with 11 points from six matches, while Inter Kashi remained eleventh with five points. Braian Sánchez was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning performance. Renedy Singh’s side made a strong start, dominating possession in the opening exchanges. Left winger Ashique Kuruniyan tested Lluis Tarrés early in the 10th minute, while midfielders Sirojiddin Kuziev and Sánchez both came close with long-range efforts shortly after. The visitors were rewarded in the 20th minute through a moment of individual brilliance. Ashique dispossessed Inter Kashi captain Sumeet Passi, drove forward with intent, and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike into the top-left corner to give Bengaluru a 1-0 lead. Bengaluru continued to press, with Tarrés producing a fine save to deny them a second before Namgyal Bhutia was flagged offside. However, Inter Kashi found a way back into the contest in the 38th minute. Alfred Planas finished clinically from inside the box to level the score at 1-1. Both sides pushed forward before the break, but neither could find the breakthrough as the first half ended evenly poised. The second half followed a similar pattern, with Bengaluru looking to regain control while Inter Kashi threatened on the counter. Planas had an early chance after the restart, while Sunil Chhetri tested Tarrés and later headed narrowly wide as the visitors increased the pressure. Inter Kashi came close through Prasanth Mohan in the 65th minute, but his header drifted wide. Moments later, Bengaluru regained the lead in the 69th minute. From a free-kick delivery by Kuziev, Tarrés failed to punch the ball, allowing Sánchez to head the ball into an unguarded net to make it 2-1. Bengaluru looked to extend their advantage in the closing stages, with Vinith Venkatesh and Kuziev both missing the target from distance. Inter Kashi continued to search for an equaliser, with Rohit Danu coming close late on, but the hosts were unable to find the finishing touch. Deep into stoppage time, Bengaluru sealed the result. Tarrés gifted the ball to Sánchez, who capitalised from long range to score his second of the night and make it 3-1 in the dying minutes. The final whistle confirmed a convincing victory for Bengaluru FC, as they secured three points on the road and continued their strong run in the competition. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 08:59 AM IST | Kolkata | IANSNico O'Reilly savoured a weekend to remember after the Manchester City defender's double sealed a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the League Cup final on Sunday -- just 24 hours after his birthday. O'Reilly turned 21 on Saturday and followed his birthday celebration with a man of the match performance at Wembley. The left-back punished a mistake from Arsenal goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to open the scoring with a close-range header on the hour. And O'Reilly struck again with another header four minutes later to give City their ninth League Cup triumph. "Unbelievable feeling. To win a final, to beat this team we know how good they are. We need to build on it, it will give us good momentum. Buzzing with today," O'Reilly said. "Bit of disbelief seeing all the fans cheering like that when I scored those goals. Really a good feeling and a great birthday weekend. "My whole family came down today. They are all in the stand and I know they will be buzzing. I can't wait to celebrate with them." O'Reilly has been converted from a midfielder to a defender by Pep Guardiola since breaking into the City team. The England international said that familiarity with being in attacking positions allowed him to capitalise on Arsenal's mistakes. "Since I was a kid I always played in midfield, I was always arriving in the box and scoring goals," he said. "To bring it in at senior level and the highest level, it's good for me and adds goals to my game. A great feeling." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 08:58 AM IST | London | AFPLiam Rosenior said Chelsea must "forget the noise" as he battles to save the club's season following Saturday's 3-0 reverse against Everton -- a fourth straight defeat in all competitions. In the past 11 days the Blues have suffered a humiliating 8-2 aggregate defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and been been beaten at home by Newcastle before their sorry performance against Everton. Defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium is a major blow to Chelsea's chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League. With third-placed Manchester United drawing on Friday and Liverpool losing at Brighton earlier on Saturday, the Blues had the chance to go fourth, four points behind the Red Devils, but they blew it in spectacular style. Liam Rosenior Beto scored twice and a stunning curler from Iliman Ndiaye put the game beyond Chelsea's reach. The club, who won the Club World Cup and the UEFA Conference League last season, remain sixth in the Premier League, a point behind Liverpool, with seven games to go. The top five teams in the Premier League are almost guaranteed to play Champions League football next season due to the strong showing of English clubs in Europe. Rosenior, who replaced Enzo Maresca as Chelsea boss in January, said he was still learning the ropes at Stamford Bridge. "I'm learning about this club. It's a massive club," the former Strasbourg head coach told Sky Sports. "There's been a lot of noise, a lot of negative noise, rightfully so, about our performances in the last week. "We've had 10 games in the league together as a group. We've got 17 points. I think we're fourth in my time. "So we have to forget the noise. We have to keep our confidence and our composure. The international break has probably come at a good time for us to re-stock, re-energise ourselves and go again for a really important run-in." This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 08:45 AM IST | Liverpool | AFPMichael Carrick described the inconsistency of penalty decisions in Manchester United’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth as “crazy” after his side twice blew a lead on Friday. United took the lead from the spot through Bruno Fernandes (61st min), but were denied a second penalty when Amad Diallo went down inside the box under a challenge from Adrien Truffert. Bournemouth immediately broke to equalise when Truffert teed up Ryan Christie (67th min) to draw level. A James Hill own goal restored United’s lead four minutes later before Harry Maguire was sent-off and conceded a penalty for bringing down Evanilson. The contact on the Brazilian striker was remarkably similar to that ignored by the officials for Truffert’s challenge on Diallo. However, VAR did not intervene on any of the calls to ask referee Stuart Attwell to review his decisions. “To give one and not give the other, I just can’t get my head around. It’s crazy. I can understand that decision [to send off Maguire] but we should have had another penalty and the game would have been different,” said Carrick. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 March,2026 09:16 AM IST | Bournemouth | AFPDanny Welbeck scored twice as Brighton beat Liverpool 2-1 on Saturday to deal a major blow to the Reds’s push for a Champions League spot next season. Liverpool were missing both goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Mohamed Salah at the Amex Stadium. And they suffered a further injury blow early in the game when topscorer Hugo Ekitike hobbled off with an apparent dead leg after a firm challenge from James Milner. The champions found themselves behind when Welbeck headed home from close range in the 14th minute. However, the visitors drew level in the 30th minute after left-back Milos Kerkez nipped in to steal a headed back pass to the goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, flicking the ball over the stranded custodian. But the hosts were back in front in the 56th minute as Welbeck slotted home a cross from the left. “There is always pressure at Liverpool. That is completely normal,” said Liverpool boss Arne Slot after the loss. “There are other games where we should have picked up more points, like last week vs Tottenham [a 1-1 draw]. That is far more unacceptable than this,” he added while acknowledging his team were second best on the day. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 March,2026 09:09 AM IST | Brighton | AFPFootball superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic opted to swap the ball for a snowboard as he showed of his skills in the Alps. Zlatan Ibrahimovic In a series of pictures that the former Manchester United striker shared on Instagram, he can be seen snowboarding effortlessly on the steep snow-clad slopes on his personalised black and red snowboard that bears his name. He captioned the post: “Let’s ride.” The post received over two lakh likes, including one from legendary US Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 March,2026 09:01 AM IST | Manchester | AgenciesArsenal manager Mikel Arteta expressed full confidence in his high-flying team’s ability to beat Manchester City and clinch the EFL Cup when the two sides face off in Sunday’s summit clash. ‘Prepared and confident’ “We are really prepared and confident that we’re going to make it happen [win the EFL Cup]. It can be one of the defining moments [of our season]. In order to be in the final you have to do a lot of things right, as the team has done so far. Now, we need to prove that point [once again] on the pitch,” said Arteta. The Gunners are in the hunt for a historic quadruple — no English Premier League side has won the league title, both domestic cups, and the Champions League in the same season before — and Arteta believes a positive result at the iconic Wembley stadium will provide a huge boost to his charges, who haven’t clinched silverware since the FA Cup trophy in 2020. “When you have been in this position and gone years without winning a trophy, obviously it adds more necessity, but also more drive because you really want it. And that’s something that we have. Obviously you can imagine how nice it would be on Sunday when you win it. It would be a massive energy boost and belief for everybody [that we can win more trophies this year] and that’s why we want it so much, said the Spaniard. Recent history suggests that Arsenal have the edge in this clash. They are unbeaten against Pep Guardiola’s side in their last six encounters. City’s EFL Cup dominance However, the Sky Blues have dominated the EFL Cup over the last few years (six cup wins since 2014). Furthermore, Guardiola’s side are also chasing Arsenal for the league title, and trail them by nine points with a game in hand. A win for Guardiola’s unit on Sunday could be a psychological blow for the Gunners, who in previous years have crumbled in the league during the business end of the season. It will be a big challenge for us: City boss Guardiola Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expects a gruelling fight against a powerful Arsenal side in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, claiming it will be a test for the Sky Blues to see where they stand. “They [Arsenal] are an exceptional team. They control, defend deep, high build-ups, long ball second balls, many good things. They are also very fluid. So, it is a big challenge for us to see our level,” said Guardiola. He also confirmed that James Trafford, who has been starting in the EFL Cup, will retain his place at the expense of Gianluigi Donnarumma. 33No of years since Arsenal last won the EFL Cup; they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the final in 1993 FourNo of times Arsenal have defeated Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in their last five meetings SixArsenal’s current unbeaten streak against Man City across all competitions (two wins, four draws) EightNo of different goalscorers that Arsenal have had in five EFL Cup games this season This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
22 March,2026 08:58 AM IST | London | AgenciesManchester United dropped points away to Bournemouth in a thrilling Friday night fixture. The Red Devils have lost just once since Michael Carrick took over as the head coach. United led through Fernandes before the game opened up and ended 2-2.After a cagey first half which ended all square, Fernandes opened the scoring from the spot after Mattheus Cunha was brought down in the box. Fernandes has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season and continued his fine form at the Vitality Stadium.After Bruno's opener, Man United had another shout for a penalty turned down after Amad was brought down in the box. The United winger seemed to have been pushed off the ball by the Bournemouth defender, but the referee denied a penalty, and just seconds later, the hosts equalised at the other end through Christie.United led again through a set-piece when Fernandes' corner hit James Hill and went in the back of the net for an own-goal. However, Manchester United's lead was again short-lived as Harry Maguire fouled Evanilson, and the resulting penalty was calmly slotted in by teenage substitute Eli Junior Kroupi.Harry Maguire was shown a straight red card for the challenge, and United hung on to a draw with 10-men. Man Utd remain favourites for a UCL spot Despite the dropped points, Manchester United remain in third place with 55 points, maintaining a six-point cushion over fifth-place Liverpool. For Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, the result cements their position in 10th and continues a remarkable season of frustrating the league's "Big Six."United will next be in action after a break of 24 days against Leeds United at Old Trafford. The 'Red Devils' are only competing in the Premier League this season, having already been knocked out of the FA Cup and League Cup, and without any European football this season.Manchester United are the most in-form team in the Premier League, having lost just once since the turn of the year. After Amorim was sacked, Michael Carrick has impressed with his performances, winning at Arsenal and at home to Manchester City.Manchester United will hope to continue the current form and get back in the UEFA Champions League for next season.
21 March,2026 01:32 PM IST | Mumbai | Atharva UpasaniADVERTISEMENT
-1774240622792_d.png?tr=w-436,h-271 "Danny Welbeck (Pic: AFP)")
-1774242283393_d.png "Manchester City (Pic: AFP)")
-1774079934164_d.png "Manchester United (Pic: AFP)")