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‘Man City Are Back’, Says Guardiola After Thrashing Ipswich

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Pep Guardiola claimed Man City are back to their best after Phil Foden starred in a 6-0 rout of struggling Ipswich on Sunday.

Foden netted either side of Mateo Kovacic’s eye-catching goal as City blew Ipswich away with three first-half goals at Portman Road.

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Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and James McAtee scored after the interval to give fourth-placed City their biggest league win this season.

Guardiola’s side have won three of their last four league games as they begin the long climb back to respectability after a dismal start to the season.

“We are really pleased, we are back in many things that have defined this team in the last decade, the last years,” Guardiola said.

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READ ALSO: BREAKING: Manchester City Win First Champions League Trophy

Really pleased for the players, they deserved it a lot. We recovered some identities that we lost in this path.

“Really pleased for the three points and to climb a little bit because qualification for the Champions League next season will be really tough.”

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Sterner tests lie in wait for City, including a vital Champions League trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday and looming Premier League clashes with Chelsea and Arsenal.

But this was the kind of confident display City used to make look routine during their march to four successive English titles.

Winning is almost certain to prove beyond them as they trail leaders Liverpool by 12 points.

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Guardiola will settle for restoring City’s pride this term as he rebuilds a team that suddenly grew old and inconsistent before his eyes.

READ ALSO: Flights Cancelled At UK’s Manchester Airport After Power Cut

The most important thing is that the players, they saw themselves recognise what we are, so that is the best thing I can say,” he said.

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Haaland, who has scored 112 goals in just 127 appearances for City, this week committed himself to the club until 2034 when he signed a new nine-and-a-half year deal.

But Kyle Walker was again absent from the City side amid reports that AC Milan are ready to bid for the unsettled England right-back.

In City’s first visit to Portman Road for 23 years, the champions emphasised how powerful they can still be at peak form.

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Ruthless City –

Haaland scored a hat-trick when City beat Ipswich 4-1 in August and he threatened to net in the opening moments in Suffolk.

Kovacic’s pass split the Ipswich defence and sent Haaland clean through on goal, but the Norway striker’s shot was pushed away by Christian Walton.

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READ ALSO:Man City To ‘Reset’ From Zero, Says Guardiola After Liverpool Humbling

Omari Hutchinson almost put Ipswich ahead against the run of play with a stinging strike from just inside the area that hit Haaland and flashed just over.

But City’s pressure was rewarded in the 27th minute when Doku and Kevin De Bruyne combined to set up Foden for a clinical close-range finish.

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Foden turned provider as ruthless City doubled their lead three minutes later.

Kovacic strode onto Foden’s pass on the edge of the area and smashed a superb low strike past the flat-footed Walton for his first goal since October.

Guardiola’s men were rampant and they struck again three minutes before half-time.

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READ ALSO: Guardiola Breaks Silence On Leaving Man City To Take England Job

Set free by Doku, De Bruyne raced into the area and cut the ball back for Foden, whose shot from five yards evaded Walton’s weak attempted save.

The England forward’s fifth goal in his last four games maintained his recent improvement.

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City have scored 25 first-half goals in 22 games, more than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Ipswich were powerless to stem the tide. Doku danced through their defence to score City’s fourth with a low shot that hit Dara O’Shea on its way past Walton in the 49th minute.

City showed no mercy and Haaland joined the party in the 57th minute.

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Jack Clarke conceded possession and Doku teed up Haaland to drill past Walton for his 22nd goal in all competitions this season.

McAtee came off the bench to bag City’s sixth in the 69th minute, the 22-year-old looping a header over Walton from Kovacic’s cross.
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Arsenal Release Names Of 20 Players To Be Offloaded This Summer [Full List]

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Arsenal release names of 20 players to be offloaded this summer [Full list]
Arsenal have released the names of 20 players set to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer following the expiration of their contracts on June 30.

The list includes individuals from the men’s senior team, under-21s, under-18s, and the women’s squad. These departures are part of the club’s annual end-of-season review and include players who have represented Arsenal across various levels.

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Full List of Departing Players

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Nathan Butler-Oyedeji
Reece Clairmont
Khayon Edwards
Jakai Fisher
Romari Forde
Teyah Goldie
Jimi Gower
Jack Henry-Francis
Lina Hurtig
Amanda Ilestedt
Jorginho
Max Kuczynski
Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand
Ismail Oulad M’Hand
Neto
Brian Okonkwo
Elian Quesada-Thorn
Zacariah Shuaib
Raheem Sterling
Kieran Tierney

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While many of the exits from the women’s team had been previously confirmed, this update provides a full overview of all players moving on.

Arsenal noted that the contracts of Chloe Kelly, Thomas Partey, and Michal Rosiak are due to expire in June 2025.

However, the club revealed that discussions are ongoing with these players, and further updates will be provided once decisions have been finalised.

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Man City Agree Fee With AC Milan For Midfielder Reijnders

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Manchester City have agreed a deal with AC Milan for Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders — their first major signing of the summer transfer window, reports said Wednesday.

The deposed Premier League champions are set to pay 55 million euros ($63 million) for the 26-year-old, who is understood to have agreed a five-year contract, with the formalities yet to be finalised.

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City hope to complete the deal for the Netherlands international in time for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, which kicks off on June 14.

READ ALSO: Real Madrid Get New Manager

Reijnders joined AC Milan from AZ Alkmaar in 2023 and scored 15 goals for the Italian club in 2024/25.

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He will boost Pep Guardiola’s midfield options following the departure of Kevin De Bruyne.

The veteran Belgium international is not expected to be involved at the Club World Cup, with a move to Serie A champions Napoli looking increasingly likely.

Midfielder Mateo Kovacic has been ruled out of the tournament after undergoing surgery on an Achilles injury.

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READ ALSO: EPL: Man City Confirm Kyle Walker’s Loan To AC Milan

Pep Guardiola’s team endured a disappointing 2024/25 campaign, finishing third in the Premier League and failing to win a trophy for the first time in eight years.

Last week City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admitted the club “probably should have been more aggressive” in the transfer market ahead of the campaign.

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Guardiola’s men will travel to the expanded 32-team Club World Cup as defending champions after winning the competition under its previous guise in Saudi Arabia two years ago.

They open their campaign against Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on June 18.

The transfer window is open until June 10 to accommodate clubs wanting to sign players for the Club World Cup. It reopens on June 16.

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Messi, Inter Miami Fight Back For 3-3 Draw At Philadelphia

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Inter Miami fought back from 3-1 down to grab a 3-3 draw at MLS Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia Union on Saturday thanks to a stoppage-time leveller from substitute Telasco Segovia.

Israeli forward Tai Baribo scored twice for Philadelphia to give them the two goal advantage but Lionel Messi gave Miami hope with an 87th-minute free-kick before Venezuelan Segovia dramatically grabbed the point.

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Quinn Sullivan, called up this week by Mauricio Pochettino to the US national team squad, fired Philadelphia ahead in the seventh minute with a sweet strike after Miami’s defence had failed to close down.

Baribo made it 2-0 with an instinctive finish in the 44th minute as Miami’s defensive troubles continued.

READ ALSO:Transfer: Cristiano Ronaldo Could Join Messi In America

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The visitors got a foothold in the game in the 60th minute when Noah Allen floated in a cross from the left which was met by a firm header from Argentine Tadeo Allende.

But Philadelphia restored their two-goal cushion when, from a long throw, Miami were unable to clear and Jean-Jacques Danley pounced on the loose ball and Baribo fired home.

Messi beat Union keeper Andrew Rick with a characteristically well driven free-kick for his sixth goal of the season three minutes from the end of regulation time to set up a frantic finale.

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Jovan Lukic hit the bar from inside the box early in stoppage time as Philly looked to wrap-up the win but they were left crestfallen in the fifth minute of stoppage time when, after good work from Messi, Segovia pounced and blasted home.

READ ALSO:Messi’s Six World Cup Shirts Sell For $7.8m

There was still time for one more chance but an unmarked Danley, who had an outstanding game in midfield, somehow headed wide from close range.

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While the result was a welcome sign of character from Miami, they remain with just one win in their past eight games in all competitions having conceded 23 goals.

Javier Mascherano’s side are sixth in the Eastern Conference and the former Barcelona and Argentina midfielder praised his team’s response.

“We showed character, personality. It was another difficult start of the game for us because in the beginning we conceded the goal… but the guys showed they want want to fight to get out of this situation,” said the Miami coach.

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READ ALSO:Messi Not The GOAT – Spain Coach, De La Fuente

We are in a bad trend, but with a lot of spirit to come back to be the team we were at the beginning of the season,” he added before demanding better from his back line.

We cannot concede every single corner kick and every single throw in and give opponents opportunities to score… we need to be more focused in those situations,” Mascherano said.

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USA forward Patrick Agyemang had scored twice for Dean Smith’s Charlotte but Malte Amundsen looked to have earned the Columbus Crew a point before Spaniard Pep Biel grabbed a 75th-minute winner for a 3-2 triumph.

READ ALSO:Why I No Longer Have Whatsapp Group With Messi, Neymar – Suarez

Mexican star Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano’s stoppage-time header earned San Diego a 2-1 victory over the winless defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Former Arsenal and France striker Olivier Giroud’s 77th-minute goal earned Los Angeles FC a 2-2 draw at Montreal while Duncan McGuire’s first league goal of the season gave Orlando a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers.

Argentine Max Urruti’s 84th-minute goal gave the New England Revolution a 3-3 draw at Sporting Kansas City after the visitors had let an early 2-0 lead slip.

 

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