The Season: Man United scramble into Europe with FA Cup Final win

FA Cup Final 2024  Attendance 84,814 at Wembley Stadium  Referee Andrew Madley

Manchester City 1 Doku 87
Manchester United 2  Garnacho 30, Mainoo 39

Manchester City Ortega - Walker (c), Stones, Ake (Akanji 46), Gvardiol - Rodri, Kovacic (Doku 46) - Silva, De Bruyne (Alvarez 56), Foden - Haaland  Booked Alvarez
Manchester United Onana - Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot - Garnacho, Mainoo, Amrabat, Rashford - Fernandes, McTominay  Booked Mainoo, McTominay

MANCHESTER UNITED produced an uncharacteristically convincing performance to lift the FA Cup for a 13th time by beating Manchester City at Wembley.

The build-up to the match was dominated by rumours about Erik Ten Hag's position as head coach at Old Trafford after 14 league defeats in 2023-24 and a lowest finishing place since 1989-90.

Man United also went out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion, bottom of a seemingly manageable group featuring Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen.

But the FA Cup was a trophy which the Red Devils seemed destined to win.

In the quarter finals, Liverpool should have been out of sight at Old Trafford - but spurned chance after chance to extend their 2-1 half time lead before the home side won in the last minute of extra time. 

By contrast, the semi final against Championship side Coventry City went the opposite way - Man United sped 3-0 in front through Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.

However, the Red Devils then lost their way altogether - and the Sky Blues forced extra time.

During that 30-minute period, Coventry thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

And, in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United prevailed 4-2.

Finally, in the Final itself, Man City were in sight of a Double after securing yet another Premier League crown last weekend.

There was an early shout for a Man City penalty after Erling Haaland fell under a clumsy challenge by Lisandro Martinez.

Thereafter, though, the match degenerated into a stalemate with Man United sitting deep and Man City passing the ball in unthreatening positions.

Indeed, Man United were deep when, on the half hour mark, Diego Dalot hooked a ball forward and Alejandro Garnacho took advantage of a high defensive line and a terrible mix-up to race onto it.

Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega left himself in no man's land and teenager Garnacho had a simple tap-in to make it 1-0.

Nine minutes later, Man United took complete control of the Final after England squad member Kobbie Mainoo - another teenager - benefited from more blancmange weak Man City defending to score.

At this point, Man United had plenty to hold onto and Ten Hag's men never really allowed their opponents to get up a real head of steam.

True, Haaland hit the underside of the bar in the second half in an otherwise anonymous display - and Jeremy Doku got one back late on by firing a daisy cutter past Andre Onana.

But, despite seven minutes of stoppage time, nothing else significant followed - and, in truth, Man United were able to stroll to victory.

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Man City will console themselves with their unprecedented fourth consecutive English league title following a pretty straightforward win at home to West Ham United.

Phil Foden fired Pep Guardiola's men in front inside 79 seconds with a rocket into the top corner before doubling the lead on 18 minutes.

West Ham have appeared very fragile at times this season, conceding 74 goals - a figure surpassed only by the dire bottom three.

But, in David Moyes's last game as boss in his second spell at the London Stadium, the Hammers showed some resilience - and pulled a goal back on the stroke of half time through Mohammed Kudus's audacious overhead kick.

No matter. Man City were simply too strong for their opponents - and wrapped up a ninth successive league win through Rodri.

For much of the afternoon anyway, there had been little doubt about the destination of the title after Arsenal fell 1-0 behind in their game against Everton.

As it happened, the Gunners pulled it around and generally have shown far more backbone in the title race this year than 12 months ago - but the reality is that Guardiola's men have again proven far too strong for the North London outfit.

That is how it looks in the record books for now at least - but, while the 115 Premier League charges against Man City for alleged financial irregularity remain outstanding, there will always be some doubt over the outright validity of their successes.

For their part, Man City vehemently deny the charges - and some reports suggest it could be at least another year before any verdict.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp said farewell - though perhaps not goodbye - to the Kop, with Liverpool safely nestled in third ahead of their closing 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Aston Villa were clearly already on the beach during their 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace - whose own excellent recent run under new coach Oliver Glasner secured a top-10 position.

Tottenham Hotspur were almost certain of finishing fifth and confirmed their place in the Europa League next season with a facile 3-0 win over rock-bottom Sheffield United.

And fellow capital outfit Chelsea joined Spurs in Europe by finishing sixth - albeit that was only enough for the Conference League after the FA Cup Final result.

The Blues hit a purple patch in the second half of the season with nine wins and 32 points in their 15 league game - although that run was still not enough for Mauricio Pochettino to keep his job following another underwhelming season at Stamford Bridge overall.

Newcastle United finished seventh - above Manchester United for the first time in the Premier League era after scoring 85 league goals.

That is in fact the most in a single top division campaign for the Magpies since 1960-61 - a season which incredibly ended with 109 goals conceded and relegation.

Nevertheless, a ridiculous injury crisis and some equally ridiculous Cup draws in 2023-24 contributed heavily to the fact that Eddie Howe's men failed in their attempt to qualify for European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

At the bottom, all three of the promoted teams made an immediate return to the Championship for the first time in 26 years and only the second time in the Premier League era.

Sheff United were relegated back on 27 April - and, finishing on 16 points, only narrowly avoided being the worst Premier League team ever.

The Blades' desperate record of 104 goals conceded is a Premier League record, though - and they also matched the -69 goal difference recorded by statistically the worst team of all, Derby County.

Across the Pennines, Burnley went down on the penultimate matchday following their 2-1 defeat to Spurs as head coach Vincent Kompany failed to transfer his coaching philosophy in the Championship into sustainable success in the top flight.

Despite this, somewhat astonishingly, Kompany has just been appointed as the new Bayern Munich head coach, no doubt to the raising of more than a few eyebrows. 

Finally, Luton Town were the third side to go down after their first top flight season since 1991-92.

To their credit, as the supposed weakest of the three teams to get promoted in 2022-23, the Hatters officially took their fight to the final day.

Realistically, though, Rob Edwards's men were also already down on the penultimate matchday - and, needing a swing in their favour of three points and 12 goals, their fate was sealed by a 2-1 win for Nottingham Forest at Burnley.

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EFL Championship playoff final  Attendance 86,862 at Wembley Stadium  Referee John Brooks

Leeds United 0

Southampton 1  A Armstrong 24

Leeds United Meslier - Gray, Rodon, Ampadu (c), Firpo (Joseph 83) - Gruev, Kamara (Roberts) - Gnonto (James 66), Rutter, Summerville (Anthony 74) - Piroe  Booked Summerville, Ampadu

Southampton McCarthy - Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens (c) - Smallbone, Downes, Aribo - Brooks (Edozie (Manning)), A Armstrong, Fraser  Booked Bednarek, Fraser (Adams 70), Harwood-Bellis, Adams, Downes, Aribo

SOUTHAMPTON secured an immediate return to the Premier League after beating Leeds United in the Playoff Final.

Adam Armstrong scored the only goal of a largely low-quality contest, striding clear of a poorly-executed offside trap and finishing neatly past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier on 24 minutes.

The Whites actually started more brightly with Willy Gnonto putting an early shot on target - but the fact that their next such effort came in stoppage time at the end of the match tells its own story.

In between, the Saints defence was barely tested despite Daniel Farke's outfit enjoying the majority of the ball - as Russell Martin's men got the better of the Yorkshire club for the third time this season.

Wales international Daniel James came on as a second half substitute for Leeds and injected some much-needed spark to his team's performance, striking the underside of the bar with six minutes of the 90 left.

It was also James who tested the desperately under-worked Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in the 94th minute with a low drive from the edge of the box.

But there was very little to be said otherwise for Leeds' attacking endeavours - as the Saints went marching up.

In League One, Oxford United returned to the second tier for the first time in 25 years after upsetting Bolton Wanderers in the playoff final.

Josh Murphy - the identical twin brother of Newcastle winger Jacob - scored twice in the latter part of the first half as the Yellows cruised to victory under the arch.

Finally, in League Two, Crawley Town completed a remarkable playoff campaign with promotion to the third tier for the first time since 2014-15.

The Red Devils thrashed Mike Williamson's fourth-placed Milton Keynes 5-1 at Stadium:mk on the way to an 8-1 aggregate win in the semi finals - then completed the job against Crewe Alexandra in the Final.

Danilo Orsi and Liam Kelly scored late in the first and second halves respectively against the Alex - although the victory by the Sussex club was well-deserved. 

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023-24

ENGLAND

	Premier League
Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Arsenal
Champions League	Liverpool (3rd), Aston Villa (4th)
Europa League	Tottenham Hotspur (5th), Manchester United (cup winners)
Europa Conference	Chelsea (6th)
Relegation	Luton Town, Burnley, Sheffield United

	Championship
Champions	Leicester City
Runners-up	Ipswich Town
Playoff winners	Southampton (won 1-0 v Leeds United)
Relegation	Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United

	League One
Champions	Portsmouth
Runners-up	Derby County
Playoff winners	Oxford United (won 2-0 v Bolton Wanderers)
Relegation	Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town, Port Vale, Carlisle United

	League Two
Champions	Stockport County
Runners-up	Wrexham
Also promoted	Mansfield Town
Playoff winners	Crawley Town (won 2-0 v Crewe Alexandra)
Relegation	Sutton United, Forest Green Rovers

	National League
Champions	Chesterfield
Playoff winners	Bromley (won 4-3 on penalties v Solihull Moors, following 2-2 aet)
Relegation	Boreham Wood, Kidderminster Harriers, Dorking Wanderers, Oxford City

	National League North
Champions	Tamworth
Playoff winners	Boston United (won 2-1a v Brackley Town)
Relegation	Blyth Spartans, Banbury United, Gloucester City, Bishop's Stortford

	National League South
Champions	Yeovil Town
Playoff winners	Braintree Town (won 4-3a v Worthing, after extra time)
Relegation	Dartford, Taunton Town, Havant & Waterlooville, Dover Athletic

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
League Cup Final	Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, after extra time
FA Community Shield	Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties
EFL Trophy	Peterborough United 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
FA Trophy	Gateshead 2-2 Solihull Moors, after extra time. Gateshead won 5-4 on pens.
FA Vase	Romford 3-0 Great Wakering Rovers

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SCOTLAND

	Premiership
Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Hearts (3rd), Kilmarnock (4th)
Europa Conference	St Mirren (5th)
Relegation	Livingston

	Championship
Champions	Dundee United
Runners-up	Raith Rovers (not promoted; lost 1-6 on agg v Ross County (1-2h, 0-4a))
Relegation	Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Arbroath

	League One
Champions	Falkirk
Runners-up	Hamilton Academical (won 5-3 on agg v Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2-1h, 3-2a))
Relegation	Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City

	League Two
Champions	Stenhousemuir
Runners-up	Peterhead (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Dumbarton (won 4-3 on agg v The Spartans (2-1h, 2-2a))
Relegation	None (Stranraer won 5-3 on agg v East Kilbride (2-2a, 3-1h aet))

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Celtic 1-0 Rangers
League Cup Final	Rangers 1-0 Aberdeen
Challenge Cup Final	Airdrieonians 2-1 The New Saints (Wal)

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WALES

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Conference	Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd), Bala Town (3rd), Caernarfon Town (playoffs)
Relegation	Colwyn Bay, Pontypridd United

FA Cup Final	Connah's Quay Nomads 2-1 The New Saints
League Cup Final	The New Saints 5-1 Swansea City

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Champions	Larne
Europa Conference	Linfield (2nd), Cliftonville (cup winners), Crusaders (playoff winners)
Relegation	Newry City

IFA Cup Final	Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield, after extra time
League Cup Final	Linfield 3-1 Portadown

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EUROPE

	UEFA finals
Champions League	Real Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Europa League	Atalanta (Ita) 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Europa Conference	Olympiacos (Grc) 1-0 Fiorentina (Ita), after extra time
Super Cup	Manchester City (Eng) 1-1 Sevilla (Spa). Manchester City won 5-4 on penalties.

	Selected league champions
Spain	Real Madrid
Italy	Internazionale
Germany	Bayer Leverkusen
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	Sporting Lisbon
Netherlands	PSV Eindhoven
Belgium	Club Brugge
Greece	PAOK Thessaloniki
Turkey	Galatasaray

IIHF World Championship: Kirk holds key to Team GB survival bid

LIAM KIRK will be the man to watch as Team GB attempt to survive at the top level in the ice hockey World Championship - again.

Held in Czech Republic until 26 May, Great Britain skaters will compete against the best teams in the world for the fourth time in five years.

That in itself is a remarkable feat considering Team GB had languished in the lower divisions for exactly a quarter of a century between 1994 and 2019.

The first breakthrough in this new era actually came in 2017 before Kirk had made his debut back when Britain beat Croatia (4-2), Estonia (5-1), Lithuania (5-2), Netherlands (14-0), and Japan (4-0) to gain promotion from the third tier.

One year later, like London buses, a second successive gold medal arrived after victories against Slovenia (3-1), Poland (5-3) and Italy (4-3) set up a tie on the last night against hosts Hungary, from which Britain needed to force overtime for at least a point.

Trailing 3-2 with 15 seconds of regular time remaining, Robert Farmer scrambled in an equaliser - and, for good measure, GB then won the shootout after a goalless period of overtime.

In 2019, Team GB at times endured a tough baptism of fire in the top division in Slovakia, suffering notable thrashings against the hosts (1-7), Canada (0-8) and Denmark (0-9).

But France were also without a win ahead of what became a decider in the final round of preliminary fixtures.

A tight opening period was shaded by Team GB. In the second period, though, the tie shifted decidedly in favour of the French as, devastatingly, they scored three times in four minutes and one second of play.

Two of the goals came just six seconds apart - and a previously even game had taken on a very uneven score.

Yet, remarkably, the British team kept their nerve, and began to dominate. First, Robert Dowd finished neatly from a pass by Ben O'Connor - then, three minutes later, Hammond reduced the lead down to one after O'Connor's shot had been parried.

By then, the momentum switch was obvious - and, with 14 minutes still to go, Farmer found another vital goal in his locker.

Neither team could find a winner in regulation time - but, in overtime, skipper Jonathan Phillips held off some close attention down the left and found Ben Davies in front of the net.

Davies made no mistake - and Team GB were going to Switzerland in 2020 - or so they thought.

Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived putting the whole planet, and not just the ice hockey world, on hold.

The effects were still being felt in 2021, of course - and GB were able to play in the World Championship without fear of being relegated with all of the lower divisions cancelled.

As a matter of fact, though, Britain would have stayed up in any case with their 4-3 win over Belarus - and they had improved notably on their 2019 performance, scoring more goals and conceding far fewer.

In particular, Kirk starred throughout, scoring seven goals which, along with his two assists, led to him being named among the tournament all-star players.

However, the spectre of relegation returned in 2022 - and Britain entered the Championship with a forward line truly ravaged by injury.

Kirk, Hammond and Ollie Betteridge were all ruled out - so it was no surprise that Britain could not stand the heat as they slumped to the bottom of the overall top division standings following seven defeats out of seven,  six of them coming in regular time.

Nevertheless, Pete Russell's men refused to feel too sorry for themselves - and, had the advantage of home ice for the Division 1A campaign at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham in spring last year.

There, they regained their seat at the very top table by beating South Korea (4-0), Poland (5-4 in overtime), Lithuania (3-0), Romania (7-0), and - in a decider - Italy (5-3).

Mere survival again is the order of the day this time then - and frankly those hopes will be placed heavily upon the talented young shoulders of Kirk.

The 24-year-old left wing forward from Maltby in North Yorkshire became the first player born and trained in England to be selected by an NHL team when he was drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in 2018.

Having most recently plied his trade at HC Litvinov on the Czech-German border in the Czech Extraliga, Kirk should feel somewhat at home in Prague. 

Meanwhile, he will be supported in attack by the likes of Cade Neilson, Dowd, Davies, Betteridge and Brett Perlini.

In defence, Team GB strongly favours experience with Mark Richardson, David Phillips, Evan Mosey and O'Connor all well beyond the age of 30.

And if they lack the legs to see out a shift, head coach Russell will need his goalkeepers, first-choice Ben Bowns and back-up Jackson Whistle, to perform at the top of their game - even in the more winnable matches against 12th-ranked Norway and 16th-ranked Austria. 

So, this tournament is expected to be an uphill struggle as ever. Additionally, Britain's form heading into the main event could have been better.

Back-to-back wins over Poland were tarnished by the concession of late goals in both matches, the second of which forced GB to penalty shots - while the latest international against Kazakhstan ended in a 5-2 defeat.

Britain also face a hideous start with ties against the top two in the world rankings - Canada and Finland - on the first weekend.

Russell must hope the confidence of his squad is not too damaged by their opening foray ahead of matches against Switzerland, Denmark and Czech Republic - and the vital last two of the preliminary stage against Norway and Austria.

Nevertheless, squad togetherness has been a feature throughout Russell's 10-year tenure in charge - and that, along with Kirk obvious sparkling quality, might just be enough for Great Britain to get over the line once more.

TEAM GB SQUAD
Head coach Pete Russell
Netminders Ben Bowns (Cardiff Devils) - Lucas Brine (Dundee Stars) - Jackson Whistle (Belfast Giants)
Defence Josh Batch (Cardiff Devils) - Nathanael Halbert (HC Innsbruck) - Sam Jones (Sheffield Steelers) - Evan Mosey (Cardiff Devils) - Ben O'Connor (Guildford Flames) - David Phillips (Belfast Giants) - Mark Richardson (Cardiff Devils) - Sam Ruopp (Lausitzer Fuechse) - Josh Tetlow (Nottingham Panthers)
Forwards Ollie Betteridge (Nottingham Panthers) - Cam Critchlow (Manchester Storm) - Johnny Curran (Coventry Blaze) - Ben Davies (Cardiff Devils) - Robert Dowd (c) (Sheffield Steelers) - Sam Duggan (Cardiff Devils) - Liam Kirk (HC Litvinov) - Robert Lachowicz (Glasgow Clan) - Ben Lake (Belfast Giants) - Cade Neilson (Alaska Nanooks) - Sean Norris (Belfast Giants) - Brett Perlini (Saale Bulls) - Cole Shudra (Sheffield Steelers)

TEAM GB FIXTURES AND RESULTS

			Score	Periods	Team GB goals	Team GB assists
Sat 11-May	11:20	CANADA	L2-4	(1-1, 0-3, 1-0)	Kirk (PP) O'Connor	Mosey, Lake Kirk, Betteridge
Sun 12-May	11:20	FINLAND	L0-8	(0-1, 0-5, 0-2)
Wed 15-May	19:20	SWITZERLAND	L0-3	(0-2, 0-1, 0-0)
Fri 17-May	15:20	DENMARK	L3-4	(2-2, 1-1, 0-1)	Kirk Neilson Halbert	Curran, Ruopp Mosey, Lake Lachowicz, Perlini
Sat 18-May	19:20	CZECH REPUBLIC	L1-4	(0-2, 1-2, 0-0)	Mosey (PP)	Kirk, O'Connor
Mon 20-May	15:20	NORWAY	L2-5	(0-3, 1-1, 1-1)	Perlini Betteridge	Dowd, O'Connor Lake, Mosey
Tue 21-May	11:20	AUSTRIA	W4-2	(0-0, 1-1, 3-1)	O'Connor (PP) Perlini (PP) Mosey Dowd	Lake Dowd, O'Connor Duggan, Tetlow Perlini

TEAM GB PLAYER POINTS
2+3 Evan Mosey
2+3 Ben O'Connor
2+2 Liam Kirk
2+2 Brett Perlini

1+2 Robert Dowd

1+1 Ollie Betteridge

1+0 Nathanael Halbert
1+0 Cade Neilson
0+4 Ben Lake
0+1 Johnny Curran
0+1 Sam Duggan

0+1 Robert Lachowicz
0+1 Sam Ruopp

0+1 Josh Tetlow

TOURNAMENT FIXTURES AND RESULTS

Date	Time	GROUP A		O2 Arena, Prague	Periods
10-May	15:20	SWITZERLAND	5-2	NORWAY	(1-1, 3-0, 1-1)
10-May	19:20	CZECH REPUBLIC	1-0 GWS	FINLAND	(0-0, 0-0, 0-0, 0-0 OT)
11-May	11:20	GREAT BRITAIN	2-4	CANADA	(1-1, 0-3, 1-0)
11-May	15:20	AUSTRIA	1-5	DENMARK	(1-2, 0-1, 0-2)
11-May	19:20	NORWAY	3-6	CZECH REPUBLIC	(3-2, 0-1, 0-3)
12-May	11:20	FINLAND	8-0	GREAT BRITAIN	(1-0, 5-0, 2-0)
12-May	15:20	DENMARK	1-5	CANADA	(0-2, 1-0, 0-3)
12-May	19:20	AUSTRIA	5-6	SWITZERLAND	(2-1, 2-3, 1-2)
13-May	15:20	NORWAY	1-4	FINLAND	(0-2, 1-2, 0-0)
13-May	19:20	SWITZERLAND	2-1 GWS	CZECH REPUBLIC	(1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0 OT)
14-May	15:20	DENMARK	0-2	NORWAY	(0-0, 0-1, 0-1)
14-May	19:20	CANADA	7-6 OT	AUSTRIA	(3-1, 3-0, 0-5, 1-0 OT)
15-May	15:20	CZECH REPUBLIC	7-4	DENMARK	(1-1, 2-1, 4-2)
15-May	19:20	SWITZERLAND	3-0	GREAT BRITAIN	(2-0, 1-0, 0-0)
16-May	15:20	FINLAND	2-3	AUSTRIA	(2-0, 0-1, 0-2)
16-May	19:20	CANADA	4-1	NORWAY	(1-0, 1-0, 2-1)
17-May	15:20	GREAT BRITAIN	3-4	DENMARK	(2-2, 1-1, 0-1)
17-May	19:20	CZECH REPUBLIC	4-0	AUSTRIA	(1-0, 2-0, 1-0)
18-May	11:20	DENMARK	0-8	SWITZERLAND	(0-2, 0-3, 0-3)
18-May	15:20	CANADA	5-3	FINLAND	(2-2, 1-1, 2-0)
18-May	19:20	CZECH REPUBLIC	4-1	GREAT BRITAIN	(2-0, 2-1, 0-0)
19-May	15:20	NORWAY	1-4	AUSTRIA	(0-0, 0-3, 1-1)
19-May	19:20	SWITZERLAND	2-3	CANADA	(1-1, 1-2, 0-0)
20-May	15:20	GREAT BRITAIN	2-5	NORWAY	(0-3, 1-1, 1-1)
20-May	19:20	FINLAND	3-1	DENMARK	(0-0, 0-0, 3-1)
21-May	11:20	AUSTRIA	2-4	GREAT BRITAIN	(0-0, 1-1, 1-3)
21-May	15:20	CANADA	4-3 OT	CZECH REPUBLIC	(0-0, 0-0, 3-3, 1-0 OT)
21-May	19:20	FINLAND	1-3	SWITZERLAND	(0-0, 1-2, 0-1)

Date	Time	GROUP B		Ostravar Arena, Ostrava	Periods
10-May	15:20	SLOVAKIA	4-6	GERMANY	(0-0, 2-3, 2-3)
10-May	19:20	SWEDEN	5-2	UNITED STATES	(1-0, 2-1, 2-1)
11-May	11:20	FRANCE	1-3	KAZAKHSTAN	(1-2, 0-1, 0-0)
11-May	15:20	POLAND	4-5 OT	LATVIA	(1-0, 1-1, 2-3, 0-1 OT)
11-May	19:20	UNITED STATES	6-1	GERMANY	(2-0, 2-1, 2-0)
12-May	11:20	SLOVAKIA	6-2	KAZAKHSTAN	(3-0, 1-1, 2-1)
12-May	15:20	LATVIA	3-2 OT	FRANCE	(0-1, 0-0, 2-1, 1-0 OT)
12-May	19:20	SWEDEN	5-1	POLAND	(2-0, 1-0, 2-1)
13-May	15:20	UNITED STATES	4-5 OT	SLOVAKIA	(0-2, 1-2, 3-0, 0-1 OT)
13-May	19:20	GERMANY	1-6	SWEDEN	(0-3, 0-2, 1-1)
14-May	15:20	KAZAKHSTAN	0-2	LATVIA	(0-0, 0-2, 0-0)
14-May	19:20	POLAND	2-4	FRANCE	(0-2, 2-2, 0-0)
15-May	15:20	GERMANY	8-1	LATVIA	(2-0, 5-1, 1-0)
15-May	19:20	SLOVAKIA	4-0	POLAND	(2-0, 0-0, 2-0)
16-May	15:20	KAZAKHSTAN	1-3	SWEDEN	(0-1, 0-1, 1-1)
16-May	19:20	UNITED STATES	5-0	FRANCE	(4-0, 0-0, 1-0)
17-May	15:20	GERMANY	8-2	KAZAKHSTAN	(2-1, 3-0, 3-1)
17-May	19:20	POLAND	1-4	UNITED STATES	(0-0, 0-2, 1-2)
18-May	11:20	LATVIA	2-7	SWEDEN	(0-2, 2-4, 0-1)
18-May	15:20	GERMANY	4-2	POLAND	(0-0, 2-0, 2-2)
18-May	19:20	FRANCE	2-4	SLOVAKIA	(0-1, 1-2, 1-1)
19-May	15:20	UNITED STATES	10-1	KAZAKHSTAN	(4-0, 3-0, 3-1)
19-May	19:20	SLOVAKIA	2-3 GWS	LATVIA	(0-1, 0-0, 2-1, 0-0 OT)
20-May	15:20	SWEDEN	3-1	FRANCE	(0-0, 1-1, 2-0)
20-May	19:20	KAZAKHSTAN	3-1	POLAND	(1-1, 0-0, 2-0)
21-May	11:20	FRANCE	3-6	GERMANY	(1-1, 2-3, 0-2)
21-May	15:20	LATVIA	3-6	UNITED STATES	(0-2, 1-1, 2-3)
21-May	19:20	SWEDEN	6-1	SLOVAKIA	(1-0, 3-0, 2-1)

The Run-In: Crunch time for Arsenal and Manchester City in title race

	Premier League	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Arsenal	36	26	5	5	88	28	+60	83
2	Manchester City	35	25	7	3	87	33	+54	82
3	Liverpool	36	23	9	4	81	38	+43	78
4	Aston Villa	36	20	7	9	73	53	+20	67
5	Tottenham Hotspur	35	18	6	11	69	58	+11	60
6	Newcastle United	35	17	5	13	78	56	+22	56
7	Chelsea	35	15	9	11	70	59	+11	54
8	Manchester United	35	16	6	13	52	55	-3	54
9	West Ham United	36	13	10	13	56	70	-14	49

ARSENAL find themselves in a familiar position as they lead the Premier League in its closing stages but have Manchester City breathing down the back of their neck.

The Gunners, fresh from holding their nerve in the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur after a fast start, beat Bournemouth comfortably on Saturday.

And Mikel Arteta's men appear to be dealing with the pressure rather better this time than last season ahead of their final couple of fixtures against Manchester United (12 May) and at home to Everton (19 May).

Of course, the big problem for Arsenal is that their fate is not in their own hands.

Man City have a game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 May, as well as fixtures against Fulham (11 May) and West Ham United (19 May) as they seek to extend their current sequence of six wins in a row.

Win all three remaining games - and Pep Guardiola's men will become the first team in English football history to achieve four top division titles in a row, and there is nothing which Arsenal will be able to do about it.

Now, for much of the season, the title race had actually been a three-way tussle - but Liverpool fell away badly in April.

Jurgen Klopp's men dropped 10 points from the 18 available last month - and went out of the Europa League to Atalanta after an unexpected collapse in the first leg at Anfield.

In March, the Reds were beaten 4-3 after extra time by Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter finals at Old Trafford - and all this has left Klopp's ambitions of a glorious trophy-laden conclusion to his nine-year reign on Merseyside rather diminished.

The German will not finish the season entirely empty-handed after Virgil van Dijk headed a late extra time winner against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February.

However, this is not exactly how Klopp would have envisaged his last few weeks in charge at Anfield playing out.

The top three have, of course, secured Champions League football in 2024-25 - leaving only one place remaining after the Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga teams outperformed Premier League clubs in Europe this season to take the new-fangled extra spots.

Despite defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, Aston Villa are still deservedly big favourites to qualify having been almost ever-present in the top four since beating Tottenham away at the end of November.

Unai Emery's outfit need only three points from their last two games against Liverpool (13 May) and Crystal Palace (19 May) to guarantee their place in the premier European premier competition for the first time since 1982-83.

But it may well be less than three required as the signs are that fifth-placed Spurs' race is run following a series of recent damaging defeats.

Since beating Villa 4-0 in their return fixture in March, Ange Postecoglu's side have taken just seven points from their last eight matches with defeats on the road at Fulham, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool compounded by the 3-2 defeat at home in the North London Derby.

By contrast, Newcastle have hit their best form since the autumn - and, in thumping Sheffield United for a second time as well as Spurs and Burnley, Eddie Howe's side have moved up to sixth.

Consequently, the Magpies could yet finish a difficult, injury-ravaged campaign on a high by securing European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

Then again, Chelsea's recent upturn in form - with back-to-back London Derby victories over Spurs and West Ham - has propelled the Blues right back into the reckoning.

Additionally, a favourable-looking fixture list against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth suggests the Stamford Bridge club could yet finish in the top six after all.

Certainly, though, the same cannot be said with any confidence by Man United supporters after the Red Devils stayed in eighth place following their 4-0 humbling at Crystal Palace last night.

Erik Ten Hag's men remain two points behind Newcastle, who they play at Old Trafford on 15 May - while the heavy defeat also meant they slumped back to a negative goal difference.

But, whatever happens from hereon in, this campaign has undoubtedly been a backwards step for the Dutch manager following his team's third-placed finish in 2022-23.

Indeed, it could have been worse if Coventry City had completed their comeback in the FA Cup semi final - or rather had been allowed to.

The Sky Blues forced extra time from 3-0 down with 20 minutes left - and then thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

In the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United won 4-2 - but, even aside from that massive let-off, performances by Ten Hag's men have been unconvincing with just two wins coming inside 90 minutes in their 10 other matches since the start of March.

Now, while there is much yet to be decided at the top end of the Premier League, the battle to avoid relegation has - amid much controversy - started to become a little clearer.

For a start, Sheffield United are definitely down - having suffered throughout a truly dreadful season.

Beaten by four goals or more on no fewer than seven occasions, the Blades have became the first Premier League team since Swindon Town in 1993-94 to concede 100 goals - and there are still two matches left.

Above the hapless Yorkshire club, only three other teams now can be condemned to the other two relegation places.

For now, the two other clubs promoted from the Championship last season - Burnley and Luton Town - remain in most trouble, with Nottingham Forest just outside the bottom three.

In fact, Vincent Kompany's Clarets have been in the relegation zone since the very first day of the season - and their 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle means they will be relegated on Saturday if they fail to beat Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Luton's form - which picked up with 11 points from six matches either side of Christmas - has tailed off badly in the spring.

A run of just one win in 15 games has left Rob Edwards's side in 18th place - although their remaining fixtures against West Ham (11 May) and Fulham (19 May) provide a realistic prospect of points.

The Hatters cannot control their own destiny, though - and at least one of their rivals will pick up points on the final day when Burnley take on Forest at Turf Moor.

The Tricky Trees beat Sheff United on Saturday to improve their chances of survival - but, along with the alarming frequency of the errors made by video assistant referees (VAR), points deductions among the bottom half teams have been the scourge of the season.

Everton were first to fall foul of the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and received a 10-point deduction on 26 February which was reduced to six points on appeal.

Then, on 8 April, the Toffees were hit with another two-point deduction to take their overall penalty to eight points, although again the Merseysiders have lodged an appeal.

At least, for their own sake, Everton have played well enough on the field in recent weeks to pull away from trouble regardless. 

However, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were also given a four-point deduction on 18 March for breaching PSR - and it was announced today that the decision would stand following the failure of the appeal submitted by the East Midlands club.

At least now Forest and the two other potential relegation candidates know exactly where they stand ahead of their final two fixtures.

In the wider scheme of things, though, the highly restrictive nature of PSR has left newly-promoted clubs with one hand tied behind their back in their attempts to improve their squad to compete in the top division.

Moreover, the rules prevent highly-ambitious clubs with wealthy owners like Aston Villa and Newcastle from challenging the established elite.

In response to concerns raised by several Premier League clubs, a new spending cap in place of PSR is set to be introduced from the 2025-26 season onwards - with the threshold linked to a multiple of the amount which the lowest-earning club receives in television revenue.

Strikingly, though, comprehensive details behind the new regulations have yet to be made available. 

17	Nottingham Forest*	36	8	9	19	45	63	-18	29
18	Luton Town	36	6	8	22	49	78	-29	26
19	Burnley	36	5	9	22	39	74	-35	24
R	Sheffield United	36	3	7	26	35	100	-65	16

⚽

	EFL Championship	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Leicester City	46	31	4	11	89	41	+48	97
P	Ipswich Town	46	28	12	6	92	57	+35	96
3	Leeds United	46	27	9	10	81	43	+38	90
4	Southampton	46	26	9	11	87	63	+24	87
5	West Bromwich Albion	46	21	12	13	70	47	+23	75
6	Norwich City	46	21	10	15	79	64	+15	73
7	Hull City	46	19	13	14	68	60	+8	70
8	Middlesbrough	46	20	9	17	71	62	+9	69

JAMIE VARDY hit a brace as Leicester City comfortably beat Preston North End 3-0 last Monday to seal the Championship title following their immediate return to the top flight.

The Foxes gained promotion on the previous Friday without kicking a ball after Leeds United were thrashed 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers.

But all this came much later in the season than expected for Leicester after they dominated the first two-thirds of the campaign.

In mid-February, the title and rise back to the top flight seemed inevitable – Leicester were 12 points clear at the top and had a 14-point cushion to third place, with 25 wins and 78 points from 32 games.

But there followed a run of just one win and four defeats in six matches - and, with Leeds and Ipswich Town both in good form, the gap quickly closed. 

Leicester even fell out of the automatic promotion places over the Easter weekend - but, just as the Foxes faltered, those around them also dropped crucial points.

Leeds took just eight points from six matches while Ipswich similarly stalled with three consecutive draws.

That allowed Leicester to regroup through back-to-back wins against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton - with the 5-0 thrashing of the Saints last Tuesday showing Enzo Maresca's side truly had overcome their wobble.

Nevertheless, the Foxes celebrations have been tempered somewhat by news that they may face an immediate points deduction in the Premier League for breaching PSR after announcing a near-£90 million loss for 2022-23.

Meanwhile, Ipswich - who were only just promoted from League One last season - took the second automatic place after winning 2-1 at Coventry City last Tuesday before beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the sunshine at Portman Road on Saturday. 

It is a magnificent achievement by Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys who became the first team since Southampton made a double bounce between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Consequently, Leeds must now settle for the playoffs alongside fourth-placed Southampton who won 2-1 in front of a nervy Elland Road.

The Saints had already secured a top six position - but will be disappointed having pushed themselves into the top two on the back of a record unbeaten run of 22 league games between September and February. 

Ultimately, though, a slow start and - more critically - a run of three successive defeats in April left Russell Martin's men out of the picture. 

Elsewhere, the last two playoff spots went to West Brom and Norwich City, with the pair swapping places back on the final day after the Baggies beat Preston North End while the Canaries were beaten at Birmingham City.

Hull City, in seventh, had harboured hopes of gatecrashing the playoff places - but lost away at relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle, leading to the sacking today of Tigers boss Liam Rosenior.

Indeed, those fixtures for Norwich and Hull ultimately had more bearing on the battle at the bottom of the table.

With Rotherham United relegated way back on 5 April and Huddersfield  effectively down after their draw on the previous weekend against Birmingham, only one place remained to be avoided.

At one stage, it looked as if most of the bottom half would be involved in the scrap - but, during the course of April, Millwall, QPR and Stoke City all earned a string of key wins to pull away from danger. 

As a result, four clubs were in trouble at the start of the final day - with Birmingham in the bottom three, one point adrift of Plymouth ahead of the visit of Norwich to St Andrews.

The Blues won their own game, beating the playoff-bound Canaries - but the Pilgrims also pulled off that unexpected victory against Hull.

Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday had also mathematically been at risk - but Rovers secured their status against a Leicester side which failed to put on a champions' display at the King Power Stadium.

Elsewhere, the Owls had a plum fixture against a Sunderland side which treaded water for months after the ill-fated Michael Beale tenure ended on Wearside in February.

By contrast, Wednesday manager - 34-year-old German Danny Roehl - revived his team upon taking charge at Hillsborough in October, following the worst start in the club's history.

15	Watford	46	13	17	16	61	61	0	56
16	Sunderland	46	16	8	22	52	54	-2	56
17	Stoke City	46	15	11	20	49	60	-11	56
18	Queens Park Rangers	46	15	11	20	47	58	-11	56
19	Blackburn Rovers	46	14	11	21	60	74	-14	53
20	Sheffield Wednesday	46	15	8	23	44	68	-24	53
21	Plymouth Argyle	46	13	12	21	59	70	-11	51
R	Birmingham City	46	13	11	22	50	65	-15	50
R	Huddersfield Town	46	9	18	19	48	77	-29	45
R	Rotherham United	46	5	12	29	37	89	-52	27

⚽

	EFL League One	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Portsmouth	46	28	13	5	78	41	+37	97
P	Derby County	46	28	8	10	78	37	+41	92
3	Bolton Wanderers	46	25	12	9	86	51	+35	87
4	Peterborough United	46	25	9	12	89	61	+28	84
5	Oxford United	46	22	11	13	79	56	+23	77
6	Barnsley	46	21	13	12	82	64	+18	76
7	Lincoln City	46	20	14	12	65	40	+25	74
8	Blackpool	46	21	10	15	65	48	+17	73
9	Stevenage	46	19	14	13	57	46	+11	71

PORTSMOUTH ended their long absence from the second tier by winning promotion and taking the League One title on the same night.

Conor Shaughnessy's late winner sealed a 3-2 win over Barnsley on 16 April as Pompey ended 12 years of exile in the lower two divisions.

Four of those seasons came in the League Two basement - but, having fallen through the leagues at a rapid rate amid financial turmoil in the early 2010s, the south coast club return to the Championship on a much surer footing.

Derby County took the second automatic promotion place to ensure their own tenure at this level lasted only two seasons.

The Rams were involved in a tight tussle with yet another former Premier League outfit, Bolton Wanderers - but, after a good late run of form, Paul Warne's men needed only a draw on the final day.

A 2-0 victory at Pride Park against already-relegated Carlisle United therefore proved more than enough - and the pitch invasion at full-time signalled a huge emotional release from the sold-out crowd of 31,027.

By contrast, Bolton have now been left to consider how to make it through the playoffs, where the Trotters will be joined by Peterborough United.

Posh's slim hopes of gatecrashing the automatic promotion places were ended in a crushing 5-0 defeat at Oxford United on 13 April - and, coincidentally, the two teams will meet again in the playoff semi finals.

But, despite that recent mauling, Darren Ferguson's side will fancy their chances in that tie.

After all, Peterborough have already proven their knockout credentials at this level this year by beating Wycombe Wanderers to win the EFL Trophy at Wembley.

Furthermore, Oxford - and sixth-placed Barnsley - only sealed their playoff places on the final day after being threatened by a late run of form from Lincoln City.

Indeed, Lincoln beat Oxford on 16 April and, four days later, moved into the top six at the expense of the Us after defeating Cheltenham Town.

But the Imps then lost at home to Pompey on Saturday and allowed Oxford to take the place back again with a 2-1 win at mid-table Exeter City.

Barnsley, meanwhile, used almost all of the comfort room which they had built up - and head into the post-season on the back of a dismal run of two draws and four defeats from their last six matches.

At the bottom, Carlisle were relegated back on 6 April following a 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town - while Port Vale fared only marginally better after taking until 23 March to record their first win of 2024.

Fleetwood Town also failed to take their survival fight to the last day, leaving Cheltenham, Burton Albion and Cambridge United in a scrap on Saturday to avoid the fourth and final place.

Ultimately, Cheltenham went down following defeat at Stevenage, as they paid the price for hideous start to the season.

It took the Robins until 7 October to score a single league goal, let alone win a game - and, though they were vastly improved after Darrell Clarke replaced Wade Elliott as manager, they were never able to clamber out of the bottom four at any stage.

Burton then were left to breathe a sigh of relief as their 3-0 defeat at Fleetwood did not cost them, while Cambridge secured the point which they needed in a stalemate at Vale.

18	Cambridge United	46	12	12	22	39	61	-22	48
19	Shrewsbury Town	46	13	9	24	35	67	-32	48
20	Burton Albion	46	12	10	24	39	67	-28	46
R	Cheltenham Town	46	12	8	26	41	65	-24	44
R	Fleetwood Town	46	10	13	23	49	72	-23	43
R	Port Vale	46	10	11	25	41	74	-33	41
R	Carlisle United	46	7	9	30	41	81	-40	30

⚽

	EFL League Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Stockport County	46	27	11	8	96	48	+48	92
P	Wrexham	46	26	10	10	89	52	+37	88
P	Mansfield Town	46	24	12	8	90	47	+43	86
4	Milton Keynes Dons	46	23	9	14	83	68	+15	78
5	Doncaster Rovers	46	21	8	17	73	68	+5	71
6	Crewe Alexandra	46	19	14	13	69	65	+4	71
7	Crawley Town	46	21	7	18	73	67	+6	70
8	Barrow	46	18	15	13	62	56	+6	69
9	Bradford City	46	19	12	15	61	59	+2	69
10	AFC Wimbledon	46	17	14	15	64	51	+13	65

STOCKPORT COUNTY took another big stride to recovering the ground which they painfully lost between 2002 and 2013 when they dropped from the second tier to the sixth. 

The Hatters went from reaching the League Cup semi finals in 1997 and then playing in five successive Championship-level seasons to enduring a six-year spell in the National League North. 

But promotion from that level finally came in 2019 and they then added the National League title in 2022.

Last season ended in playoff final heartache after a penalty shoot-out at Wembley - but Dave Challinor's side left nothing to chance this time. 

Having been placed in the top two since October, Stockport were promoted on 13 April with a 2-0 win over Morecambe before sealing yet another title with a 5-2 bashing of Notts County. 

Elsewhere, on the same day as the Hatters went up, Wrexham added the latest chapter to their Disney fairytale, thumping Forest Green Rovers 6-0 to confirm their return to the third tier for the first time since 2004-05.

Third-placed Mansfield Town waited only three days longer for their own promotion party which began after Nigel Clough's Stags beat Accrington Stanley. 

And, in truth, there has been little doubt for some time about the trio of clubs who would be promoted automatically. 

Milton Keynes, in fourth place, were the best of the rest - but still ended eight points adrift - while sixth-placed Crewe Alexandra and Crawley, in seventh, were always there or thereabouts.

However, Doncaster Rovers are easily the most remarkable of the playoff contenders. 

Rovers strung together a club record sequence of 10 consecutive wins to rise all the way up from 22nd place on 3 February, eventually finishing in fifth. 

By contrast, Barrow - who had occupied a playoff spot since mid-November - slipped the other way and out of the reckoning on the last day. 

Pete Wild's men took just two points out of the 21 available in April - although at least the Bluebirds still have their Football League status. 

That cannot be said for Sutton United who head back down to the National League, after just three seasons - despite a four-match winning run in March and April giving the south London club hope of surviving the drop. 

Steve Morison's side even made a gallant comeback on the last day in their 4-4 draw at Milton Keynes - but they needed three points at the very minimum. 

Indeed, their result was rendered academic as Colchester United took a home point against Crewe to guarantee safety.

Below Sutton, Forest Green had already been relegated ahead of the final day following that earlier heavy reverse at Wrexham, although they did bow out by beating Notts at the New Lawn. 

Undoubtedly, though, a second successive relegation has left attention-seeing owner Dale Vince and the pitiful fanbase choking on their vegan sausage rolls.

For sure, the Gloucestershire non-entities are unlikely to be much missed by too many opposition supporters in the Football League. 

22	Colchester United	46	11	12	23	59	80	-21	45
R	Sutton United	46	9	15	22	59	84	-25	42
R	Forest Green Rovers	46	11	9	26	44	78	-34	42