Sports
BREAKING: Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool: Gunners end Liverpool hopes of record-breaking points tally
Jurgen Klopp always insisted he did not think, or care, about records. It is just as well then because, last night, quite a significant one slipped from Liverpool’s grasp.
Manchester City’s 100 points in a single season, 2017-18. It will stand now. Following this, their third defeat of the season, the most Liverpool can now attain is 99. It’s still incredible, of course. It’s still the second greatest total in history, and still the quickest the title has ever been won.
Even so, there will be a tinge of disappointment for those fans who were hoping their team might erase Pep Guardiola’s men from the record books entirely. At one stage, that looked almost inevitable. Not so long ago, it was thought Liverpool might overtake Arsenal’s Invincibles, too.
It just shows how hard this competition is; how hard it is to go a season unbeaten, even with more than a few draws; how hard it is to reach treble figures. Perhaps Liverpool were just too good, their supremacy too apparent from way out. On average, Premier League champions accrue 0.5 points per game fewer once the deed is done – and Liverpool had further to travel with their feet up than any team in history.
That is certainly what will be read into last night’s reverse, both Arsenal goals coming from Liverpool defensive errors, and the home side barely creating a chance that was not gifted to them. Yet that is not the whole story.
Mikel Arteta left out many of his first-choice players – in particular striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – no doubt to focus on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City.
He was rewarded with a gutsy display of admirable determination, not least in the second-half when Liverpool dominated the ball in search of an equaliser. For long periods, the champions recorded possession statistics above 80 per cent, but Arsenal’s back line stayed strong.
Sure, there were close shaves, not least a momentous scramble in the 49th minute that saw David Luiz bravely thwart Trent Alexander-Arnold and then Mo Salah. Just five minutes later the pair combined again – Alexander-Arnold finding Salah who attempted a brilliant up and down chip from close range which goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez kept out with a fingertip save.
Takumi Minamino, on as a substitute for Roberto Firmino, came close with a low shot after 63 minutes and delivered a busy performance, including an impassioned penalty appeal soon after, claiming he had been hampered in the area by the excellent Kieran Tierney.
The pressure was at times relentless. Sadio Mane struck a cross which deserved a better finish from Salah, and Virgil van Dijk headed wide from an Andrew Robertson cross. The left-back then put Mane through but he shot wide from Liverpool’s 20th attempt of the game.
Yet Arsenal held firm – and it’s not often we’ve been able to say that of late. Liverpool may end the season stuck on 99 – it is testament to this team that they’ll probably be disappointed with that.
It was a very strange first half. Liverpool completely on top and leading – that wasn’t the strange part – before conceding two goals down to mistakes by arguably the most reliable players of their season.
Virgil van Dijk and Alisson. The league’s most outstanding defender, and a candidate for Footballer of the Year, and its best goalkeeper. Both guilty of calamitous errors, 12 minutes apart. Would it have happened had the title rested on this match? We can never know – but it didn’t happen too often when it was still being contested. Both men have turned in near flawless seasons to here.
The first 30 minutes? Well that went pretty much as expected. Mikel Arteta, having fielded a side with more than one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City, was getting pretty much what that decision merited. His team could barely get out of their half and Liverpool’s goal was a matter of when, not if.
It looked as if it would come after 12 minutes initially, when stand-in goalkeeper Emiliano Martinex dawdled too long with the ball at his feet, before clipping the outstretched leg of Roberto Firmino as he tried to launch it clear. The ball ricocheted and struck a post before spinning clear – a lucky escape.
It was Martinez’s boot that began the move that ended in Liverpool’s goal, however, swerving away to the right and collected in front of Jurgen Klopp on the touchline for a typically swift counter-attack.
Firmino ended up driving it and finding Andrew Robertson on the overlap. So well-drilled is this Liverpool team that he didn’t need to look up, his cross falling perfectly for Sadio Mane who finished it from close range.
And that looked to be that. Arsena; had shown no sign of matching the champions and when, after 32 minutes, Alexandre Lacazette was caught more than a metre offside, it seemed to sum up the sloppiness that is so often the product of a weakened side. Scratch that, then, because within the same minute he had put Arsenal level.
Van Dijk was rattled and served up a panicked and weak emergency escape pass to Alisson. It fell short, allowing Lacazette to intercept.
He took the ball around the goalkeeper and finished into an empty goal. Somehow, having created nothing of their own, Arsenal were level.
The second goal was of Liverpool’s hapless creation, too. Alisson attempted a pass to Robertson on the left which was again underhit and stolen by Lacazette who must have been wondering how many goals he might have scored with this kind of service.
He cut it inside to Nelson, who displayed a calm that belied his years, as good as picking his spot through a reasonably crowded area. It nestled in the far corner, Alisson unable to correct his mistake.
Arteta would have twirled a moustache fiendishly if he, or any Arsenal strategist, had played any part in this remarkable fightback.
International
US ELECTION: Second Attempt To Assassinate Pres. Trump Fails, Other Historical Assassination Attempts
This time it was Ryan Wesley Routh sticking out an AK-47 Riffle through a fence beside the golf course in Florida where Mr Trump was playing, but before he fired a shot, the Secret Service spotted him.
On Sunday the 15th of September, there was a second attempt to assassinate the 45th US President, Donald John Trump, while golfing at his Trump’s International Golf Course in Florida.
On July the 13th, a would-be assassin, Matthew Crook, shot at him during a rally in Butler Pennsylvania, nicking his right ear, killing a bystander and injuring others, raising urgent concerns about Trump’s security as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination,
This time it was Ryan Wesley Routh sticking out an AK-47 Riffle through a fence beside the golf course in Florida where Mr Trump was playing, but before he fired a shot, the Secret Service spotted him.
Ryan had fled the scene but was later apprehended by the Secret Service unlike Matthew Crook who was gunned down on the spot in July.
Though President Trump confirmed safe and unhurt, but the incident puts the Secret Service under new scrutiny.
The two failed assassination attempts on President Trump have raised questions about who is trying to get the 45th US President and Republican Party’s Presidential nominee for the November elections out of the way at all cost.
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There have been allegations and accusations of the Democrats, while others point fingers at the Republicans, globalists, etc. but a matter of life and death, more especially, concerning the US 45th President must not be politicised.
According to reports, these “incidents involving President Donald Trump have prompted a bipartisan call for the condemnation of violence and a reflection on the state of political discourse in the country. It is a moment that requires leaders and citizens alike to reaffirm their commitment to a politics free from violence and intimidation.”
The FBI described the incident as an “attempted assassination,” marking the second time in two months that Trump has been targeted. The attack occurred while Trump was golfing, prompting swift action from the Secret Service, which fired at the assailant before he fled the scene.
The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, of Hawaii, was armed with an AK-47-style rifle with a scope and was hiding in the bushes near the edge of the golf course. According to local law enforcement, Routh was spotted about 400 to 500 yards from Trump. He fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after by sheriff’s deputies on Interstate 95.
RYAN WESLEY ROUTH
This assassination attempt intensifies ongoing concerns about political violence in the US, especially amid the ongoing presidential campaign. Given Trump’s polarizing role in American politics, these incidents underscore the heightened risks faced by presidential candidates in an increasingly charged political environment.
This assassination attempt intensifies ongoing concerns about political violence in the US, especially amid the ongoing presidential campaign. Given Trump’s polarizing role in American politics, these incidents underscore the heightened risks faced by presidential candidates in an increasingly charged political environment.
The recurrence of such attempts is alarming, particularly as Trump continues to hold public events and rallies. The fact that Routh, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, was able to get within shooting distance of Trump again raises serious questions about the level of protection being provided. Trump’s status as a former president, rather than a sitting one, has led to a lighter security detail, but his public visibility and controversial nature make him an ongoing target.
These incidents are also likely to increase scrutiny on the US Secret Service and its ability to secure candidates, especially as the 2024 presidential election draws near. Political violence has been a growing concern in recent years, with fears that it could escalate as the election nears.
Trump’s campaign, already shaped by his legal battles and public appearances, now faces the additional challenge of ensuring his personal safety amid the threats against him.
Here are some historical examples of political violence:
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1865): The 16th President of the United States was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate sympathizer, at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. This event marked the first assassination of a U.S. president.
Wilmington Insurrection (1898): In Wilmington, North Carolina, white supremacists overthrew the local government, which was elected with a significant African American voter base, in a violent coup that left many African Americans dead or expelled from the city
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914): The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb nationalist, leading to the outbreak of World War I.
The October Revolution (1917): The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Russian Provisional Government in a coup, leading to the establishment of the Soviet Union.
The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi (1948): Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule, was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist.
The Troubles in Northern Ireland (Late 1960s-1998): A complex conflict characterized by sectarian violence, paramilitary operations, and political strife between mainly Protestant unionists and mainly Catholic nationalists.
The Rwandan Genocide (1994): Political violence escalated into a genocide against the Tutsi population, with estimates of up to a million people killed.
The Assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1995): Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir, an Israeli ultranationalist, due to his role in the signing of the Oslo Accords.
Sports
2024 Women’s U20 World Cup: Nigeria drawn with Germany, Korea Republic, Venezuela
Cup holders Spain are in Group C alongside three-time winners USA, Paraguay and another African representative team, Morocco.
2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup quarter-finalists Nigeria have been drawn to play three-time winners Germany, Venezuela and Korea Republic in Group D of this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals.
The final competition, which will welcome 24 teams for the first time, will be staged in four venues in three cities in Colombia, 31st August – 22nd September.
Cup holders Spain are in Group C alongside three-time winners USA, Paraguay and another African representative team, Morocco.
Two-time winners Korea Democratic People’s Republic will contend with Argentina, Costa Rica and the Netherlands in Group F, while hosts Colombia are up against Australia, Cameroon and Mexico in Group A.
Full draw
GROUP A: Colombia, Australia, Cameroon, Mexico
GROUP B: France, Canada, Brazil, Fiji
GROUP C: Spain, USA, Paraguay, Morocco
GROUP D: Germany, Venezuela, Nigeria, Korea Republic
GROUP E: Japan, New Zealand, Ghana, Austria
GROUP F: Korea DPR, Argentina, Costa Rica, The Netherlands
Kamaru Usman has been handed a massive 180-day medical suspension after breaking his nose against Jorge Masvidal.
The Nigerian Nightmare, 33, suffered a broken nose as he retained his UFC welterweight title last weekend.
He will also be forced to avoid any contact for at least three weeks while the nose heals.
Meanwhile, Masvidal, 35, will miss a month himself due to a forehead laceration sustained in his defeat.
The American veteran took the fight on just six days’ notice but failed to pull off a miraculous win.
Masvidal has now been handed a 30-day medical suspension to allow a nasty gash on his face to heal.
As with Usman, he will be forced to avoid any contact work for three weeks. Vanguard
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