03/04/2025

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 3, 2025

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Wolves take another step towards safety

City striker Haaland out for up to seven weeks Ű BY ANDY HAMPSON

Ű BY SUNNY BADWAL

because we can play better.” Evan Ferguson squandered a chance to give West Ham the lead on his first start for the club before Larsen fired in via a deflection off Max Kilman. The hosts were denied a second when Marshall Munetsi rattled an effort off the upright before Potter’s second half substitutions almost got the Hammers an equaliser. First Niclas Fullkrug hit the crossbar before Emerson missed the follow up and their biggest chance fell for Tomas Soucek, who missed a one-on-one with Jose Sa after Toti’s mistake.

look at my team, I look at a team that at times to celebrate they are together and times to suffer they are together.” Pereira will next take his side to Portman Road on Saturday (10pm Malaysian time) to face third-bottom Ipswich. Despite Wolves’healthy advantage, Pereira does not think his side are out of the woods yet. He added: “The most

WOLVES boss Vitor Pereira was “emotional and very proud” of his side after they moved 12 points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone with a 1-0 win over West Ham at Molineux. Jorgen Strand Larsen’s

deflected strike in the 21st minute settled the contest against Graham Potter’s Hammers. Pereira has taken the club from five points adrift of survival to the brink of safety since taking charge in December and the Portuguese manager could not hide his delight. He said: “I am emotional and very proud of my team today. It showed the true spirit of this team, the supporters, and the connection between them and us. “I’m a simple guy. I like to be with them (the fans), to feel that I’m part of the family and feel the happiness of the supporters. “In this moment when I

MANCHESTER CITY striker Erling Haaland is facing a layoff of up to seven weeks, manager Pep Guardiola has said. The prolific Norwegian forward suffered an ankle injury in the second half of City’s FA Cup quarterfinal victory at Bournemouth on Sunday. The setback will rule the 24-year old out for most of the rest of the domestic campaign but City are hopeful he will still be able to play some part, and then feature at the Club World Cup. Guardiola said: “Sometimes there are years where these kind of things happen and it’s happened all season. “All the injuries that we’ve had this season – I’m so sorry for them and for Erling as well. We want him to recover as quickly as possible and come back. “The doctors told me between five and seven weeks, so hopefully for the end of the season and the Club World Cup he will be ready.” Haaland’s absence is a major blow to City’s hopes of securing qualification for the Champions League. The forward had just struck his 30th goal of the campaign to equalise in the 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium when he was hurt in a challenge with Cherries midfielder Lewis Cook. Sunday’s derby at Manchester United in the Premier League and the FA Cup semifinal against Nottingham Forest on April 26 or 27 are among the key games Haaland will miss. The FA Cup final – which City still hope to reach – takes place on May 17, a day short of seven weeks after he suffered the injury. Their final Premier League game is at Fulham on May 25, with City’s first match in the Club World Cup against Wydad Casablanca being played in the United States on June 18. January signing Omar Marmoush could be given an extended run in the side in Haaland’s place. “We don’t have another player with his skills or his specific qualities,” Guardiola added. “We know that, but we have to adapt. For many years we’ve played different ways up front. “It depends on the quality of the players. We are going to try to find a solution.” – The Independent

important is next game and we will try to compete and win. I feel we need to go

Pereira added: “Toti tried to kill me. In the end, this is why this game is fantastic game because the emotions are (up and down).” West Ham boss Potter said:“Game of two halves. First half we weren’t happy with the performance and Wolves were good. We have a good chance to score which we don’t take. “We had to adjust at halftime and were a lot better. We had a big chance with Tomas but nevertheless we weren’t happy with our first half. “As a team we have to perform in the first half because if we don’t it’s hard to get points. “The most important thing is the team plays well and get points, we haven’t done that tonight.” – The Independent

to the next game with the right mentality. “We cannot, even for one game, I don’t want to stop and relax because I want more points

Bukayo Saka (right) celebrates scoring Arsenal’s second goal with Gabriel Martinelli. – AFPPIC

Saka makes fairytale return England forward scores decisive goal against Fulham on first appearance since December M IKEL ARTETA hailed a “beautiful moment” after Bukayo Saka marked his return from more than three months out injured with a goal in Arsenal’s 2-1 win worrying sight. Nevertheless, Arteta was upbeat following Saka’s explosive return. “A beautiful moment to see how much our people love, admire and respect Bukayo,” he said. “It’s not a surprise to any of us. was already without Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori and who has seen his team’s season badly disrupted by injury. With Real to come at the Emirates next week, the timing could not be worse. Ű BY ROBERT O’CONNOR

mentioned as a possible recruit, with some even suggesting Liverpool could be his preferred destination amid rumoured interest from Manchester United. However, Kane has addressed the speculations, indicating that he has no plans to leave Bayern Munich in the near future. “(There are) a few random stories out there for sure, yeah,” he told ESPN . “I don’t know where they come from, but for sure I’m happy here at Bayern Munich. I think we have a fantastic team, fantastic coaching staff. Whilst I feel like I’m in the best condition, I want to play at the highest level possible and this is as high as it gets.” “The good thing is that it’s been like this the whole season,” said Arteta. “Martinelli we missed three months, we missed Bukayo four months, Kai (Havertz) four months, (Gabriel) Jesus almost the whole season. “How we have managed to be where we are, with all those injuries… “You can imagine, we lose four players in the defensive line in one week; Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel. We still have another four, they are so bloody willing, they will do the job.” Fulham boss Marco Silva reflected on a blip in an otherwise impressive campaign as his team pushes for Europe. “We lost tonight, but we didn’t lose the season,” he said. “We lost three points, and we were not able to get points tonight. “We are going to fight really hard, because we have another big game on Sunday to try to get it right again and to bounce back.” – The Independent

consistency of offside decision-making.” Kane breaks silence on Liverpool, MU transfer rumours DESPITE recent rumours linking him with a sensational move back to the Premier League, Harry Kane appears to have dismissed any possibility of a move this summer. Even though Liverpool are on track to clinch the title, it’s evident that manager Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes will have their work cut out in the upcoming transfer window. Surprisingly, England captain Kane has been Gabriel was forced off with a hamstring injury in the 16th minute, with Jakub Kiwior coming on. Timber, who needed treatment during the first half but played on, was eventually withdrawn 13 minutes from the end. It creates a defensive headache for Arteta, who “The best example is his reaction. Immediately after scoring what does he do? He goes and says thank you for all the hard work all the sports science guys and physios have done for him. “He lifted the stadium, the energy. It’s great to have him back. “He was very positive (after the match). The first one (back) is always the one, ‘how am I going to feel?’ He dealt with it really well. “The downside to it is Gabby and Jurrien. We don’t know how they are going to be. We will be assessing them tomorrow and understand better where we are with those two.”

over Fulham. The England forward, who had not played since Dec 21, came off the bench in the 65th minute to a deafening ovation and soon after took the roof off the Emirates Stadium when he headed Gabriel Martinelli’s flick into an empty net to double his side’s lead. Earlier, Mikel Merino had continued his own fine goalscoring form as his team’s stand-in No. 9, opening the scoring with a deflected strike for his fifth goal in eight matches. Rodrigo Muniz’s goal in stoppage time for Fulham came too late to put the result seriously in doubt. The edge was taken off Arsenal celebrations however as defenders Gabriel and Jurrien Timber both went off injured. Both will undergo assessment today but with a Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Real Madrid a week away it was a

SIDENETTING

offsides will now be used for the first time in the top flight this season, using virtual offside lines and graphics along with optical player tracking for those watching at home or in a stadium. A Premier League statement said: “Semi-automated offside technology automates key elements of the offside decision-making process to support the video assistant referee (VAR). It provides more efficient placement of the virtual offside line, using optical player tracking, and generates virtual graphics to ensure an enhanced in stadium and broadcast experience for fans. The technology maintains the integrity of the process while enhancing the speed, efficiency, and

EPL to introduce offside technology SEMI-AUTOMATED offsides will be introduced in Premier League matches for the latter stages of the current season, the League has revealed. The technology was originally intended to be introduced after one of the international breaks in October or November. It was notably debuted in English football during the FA Cup fifth round at the start of March, featuring in seven of the eight ties being played. Following additional non-live testing in the Premier League, semi-automated