Big money signing Declan Rice made his first Arsenal appearance as his new side opened their US tour by comprehensively beating Wayne Rooney’s MLS All-Stars.
The 24-year-old midfielder completed his £105million switch from West Ham on Saturday and just four days later made his bow 3,660 miles away from the Emirates Stadium.
Rice was introduced as a second half substitute in Washington DC as Arsenal swept aside the Rooney-managed MLS All-Stars 5-0 in sweltering conditions.
Gabriel Jesus’ audacious clipped effort gave the Gunners an early lead that Leandro Trossard added to with a lasered effort from the edge of the box.
A five-star performance
— Arsenal (@Arsenal)
Jorginho’s penalty, a fine Gabriel Martinelli finish and Kai Haver…
Espanyol must match Atletico Madrid s energy if they want to take anything from Sunday s La Liga cash, according to Cristhian Stuani.
The striker is expected to lead the line at the Vicente Calderon as Espanyol look to extend their four-game unbeaten run in the league.
Atletico are the first of last season s top three that Espanyol will meet in this campaign and Stuani knows they must raise their game if they want to emulate Valencia s win prior to the international break.
Diego Simeone s side suffered a 3-1 at the Mestalla but are unbeaten at home in their last 23 games, a run that stretches back to the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
If we don t equal them in intensity then we ve no chance because they play at 1000 kilometres-an-hour, Stuani said.
AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has explained why he turned down the offer to join Arsenal in 2000.
Before he left Malmo for Ajax in 2001, the Swede was on the verge of completing a move to Arsenal and he now reveals Arsene Wenger even gave him the Gunners jersey with his name on it.
Arsene gave me the famous red and white jersey — the No 9 shirt with Ibrahimovic on it and I was so pleased I even posed for a picture wearing it, Ibrahimovic .
It was a fantastic moment for me. Arsenal had a great team then and here was an Arsenal shirt made just for me.
However, the experienced striker claims he was disappointed by the fact that Arsenal wanted him to undergo a trial at Highbury.
So then I waited for him to convince me that I should join A…
Jose Mourinho might have allowed himself a wry smile when West Ham completed an improbable 3-2 EFL Cup comeback to sink Tottenham at Wembley on Wednesday.
Mourinho s Manchester United host Mauricio Pochettino and Spurs in this weekend s standout fixture a battle of second versus third, of 20 points apiece in an already intriguing battle for Premier League glory and of grizzled elite tactician against continually rising star.
Until finding the embattled Hammers in belligerent mood against his rotated midweek line-up, Pochettino was in the midst of one of those golden periods enjoyed by coaches when their reputations are on a dizzying upward trajectory.
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Each selection call and tactical tweak has seemed to unerringly hit the mark for the Tottenham boss of lat…
A heavily-rotated Croatia side ended Northern Ireland s run of 11 internationals at home without defeat by earning a comfortable 3-0 victory in a friendly at Windsor Park on Tuesday.
Ante Cacic made eight changes to his starting line-up from the 2-0 win over Iceland in World Cup qualifying on Saturday Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic among those left out as Croatia became the first side to beat Northern Ireland on their own patch since Portugal won 4-2 in Belfast in 2013.
Mario Mandzukic, one of the trio that kept their place in the first XI, bundled home his 29th international goal after just nine minutes, moving him up to joint-second with Eduardo in the country s all-time scoring list.
That ended a run of five successive home matches without conceding a goal for M…
Market: QPR win
Odds: 1/1 @
In what is a London derby on Wednesday night, QPR will be looking to extend on their EFL Cup adventure when they travel to Brisbane Road in midweek.
Starting with the hosts, while Leyton Orient might have signed off their pre-season preparations with back-to-back wins, new boss Kenny Jackett will know that his side were lucky to pick up a point over the weekend. Opening this year s League Two campaign away at Salford, the former Portsmouth coach saw his side throw away the lead in a contest that they were heavily outplayed in. Knowing that they should face another stern test when their Championship opponents travel to Brisbane Road in midweek, The O s did show a host of issues at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign. Losing each of t…
Peru must build on their Copa America campaign and qualify for their first World Cup since 1982, coach Ricardo Gareca has claimed.
Gareca s side missed out in a place in the Copa America final after losing to hosts Chile on Monday, but their passage to the last four more than exceeded expectations ahead of their meeting with Paraguay in a third-place play-off on Friday.
Having finished third at the 2011 Copa America, Gareca has challenged Peru to match that effort this year and then build to qualify for Russia 2018.
Every match is special with this shirt because you are representing a country, the 57-year-old said at his pre-match media conference on Thursday.
We have the opportunity of finishing an even better position, third place. We have players of …
Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hailed Kaka, describing the Real Madrid midfielder as an extraordinary player .
Kaka, 30, has been linked with a move away from the Spanish capital after struggling for fitness and form since arriving at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.
PSG have been suggested as a likely destination for Kaka, and Leonardo, who is a close friend of his fellow Brazilian, still rates the former AC Milan star highly.
Kaka is surely a great player, with enormous potential, Leonardo told O Estado de Sao Paulo.
But he has suffered severe injuries, which damaged him.
He is at a very competitive club, in which everything happens very fast. But he has not lost the hunger for the game.
I am very close to Kak…
Paul Pogba s agent says the France international chose to return to Manchester United rather than take the easier route at Real Madrid because of the challenge on offer at Old Trafford.
Pogba left United in 2012 after not renewing his contract, joining Juventus and going on to win four consecutive Serie A titles and reach the final of the Champions League with the Turin club.
The midfielder was linked with a host of clubs during the transfer window but chose to return to United, doing so in a world-record transfer worth £89million.
Pogba was the headline arrival in a busy window for United, with striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan also joining the club, despite them missing out on Champions League qualification last season.
Ag…
Valencia have replaced central defender Nicolas Otamendi with Aymen Abdennour, securing the former Monaco man s signature ahead of Chelsea.
With Chelsea struggling to complete a deal for Everton centre-back John Stones, reports had emerged in the British media that manager Jose Mourinho was keen on Tunisia international Abdennour.
But the 26-year-old was announced as a Valencia player on Saturday, with Abdennour signing a five-year contract with the La Liga club.
Abdennour will step into the shoes of Otamendi, who departed the Mestalla for Manchester City on August 20.
I chose Valencia CF out of all the offers I received, because it is a big club in Spain and Europe, Abdennour said in a statement on Valencia s website.
I had no doubts. I am ha…