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Ante Rebic's eighth Serie A goal of 2020 and a late penalty from Hakan Calhanoglu dented Roma's top-four hopes as Milan claimed a 2-0 Serie A win at San Siro.

The Giallorossi were seeking four successive top-flight victories for the first time all season but hot and humid conditions in Milan seemed to sap them of any creativity.

Edin Dzeko missed the target with a close-range header in the first half and the contest was heading for a dour draw until Rebic popped up with the opening goal 14 minutes from time to continue his fine form since the turn of the year.

Theo Hernandez was then tripped in the box by Chris Smalling with two minutes to go, allowing Calhanoglu to make sure of the points with an emphatic penalty.

Both sides were slow to get going but it was Roma who eventually seized some sort of control.

Dzeko really should have scored with a header when unmarked six yards out but he could only flick Justin Kluivert's deflected cross wide.

It was a similar story at the other end when Calhanoglu nodded off target from Hernandez's delivery, with the presence of Antonio Mirante possibly putting the Milan man off.

Milan failed to register a single shot on target in the first half but they twice worked Mirante in quick succession midway through the second period following the introduction of Lucas Paqueta and Alexis Saelemaekers from the bench.

Calhanoglu got behind the Roma defence via a one-two with Saelemaekers but Mirante denied the Turkish midfielder with his legs before pushing away an effort from Paqueta.

A Milan goal did eventually come, though, after Davide Zappacosta gave the ball away to Rebic in his own half.

Mirante saved from Franck Kessie and then diverted Rebic's first attempt onto the post but the in-form forward rifled the rebound into the roof of the net.

Hernandez's driving run then paid off when he reached the ball before Smalling, and Calhanoglu converted his penalty to give Milan breathing space.

What does it mean? Top four a tall order for Roma

Fonseca's side still have Atalanta in their sights but the team currently occupying fourth won their fifth league match in a row by beating title contenders Lazio on Thursday.

Roma can therefore not afford any slip-ups, and this was a damaging result for their Champions League aspirations as they failed to close the gap to three points.

Rebic finds a way through

Chances were few and far between in this one and, though he squandered the first opportunity that came his way, Rebic made amends with the rebound.

After a slow start to life at San Siro, the former Eintracht Frankfurt star has come alive and has scored eight of their 18 Serie A goals – 44 per cent - in 2020.

Oh no, Dzeko

While Rebic was ruthless with his finishing, Dzeko was unusually wasteful when opportunity knocked early on.

The ex-Manchester City striker has scored four times against Milan in Serie A but he failed to make that five on an afternoon when he won only a third of his aerial duels and was taken off.

What's next?

Milan have a midweek trip to SPAL before visiting Lazio while Roma host Udinese on Thursday prior to a trip to Napoli on Sunday.

Former Germany and Bayern Munich forward Mario Gomez says he will probably retire after helping Stuttgart earn promotion back to Bundesliga.

Stuttgart’s immediate return to the German top flight was confirmed on Sunday despite a 3-1 home defeat to Darmstadt in their final game of the season, with Heidenheim’s loss to champions Arimina Bielefeld meaning Pellegrino Matarazzo’s side finished runners-up.

Gomez was Stuttgart’s scorer in Sunday’s defeat to take his total for the season to seven in 24 appearances. The 34-year-old is in his second spell at the Mercedes-Benz Arena having returned to his boyhood club in January 2018.

After suffering the ignominy of relegation last season, Gomez said he wanted to help the team back into the top flight before he left. With that mission now accomplished, the striker admits he is now ready to bring his playing career to a close.

"It was my absolute goal to say goodbye here as a first division player,” Gomez told SID.

"I was sure at the beginning of the season that we will go up. So I decided that this will be my last year at Stuttgart, in Germany and probably as a football player.”

Stuttgart Sporting director Thomas Hitzlsperger says he is ready to offer Gomez a coaching role at the club should the former Germany international decide to end his playing career.

"I think we owe it to him as an club and I would be glad if someone with his experience and charisma helped Stuttgart again,” said the former Aston Villa midfielder.

Gomez is a firm favourite among Stuttgart fans thanks to a hugely successful five-year spell at the club at the start of his career.

He scored 87 goals in 156 appearances, helping the club win the Bundesliga title for the fifth time in the club’s history in 2006-07 and be named German Footballer of the Year.

His goalscoring exploits earned him a move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2009, where he would win seven major trophies including two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in 2013. He left Bayern for Fiorentina in the summer of 2013 and would also play for Beskitas and Wolfsburg before returning to Stuttgart.

Gomez also scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the German national team, representing Die Mannschaft at two World Cups and three European Championships.

Former Cameroon defender Lucien Mettomo has revealed that fallen Cameroon legend Marc-Vivien Foe “felt a little tired” on the eve of the fateful 2003 Fifa Confederations Cup match against Colombia.

Foe collapsed and died of heart failure during the semi-final encounter against the South Americans at Stade de Gerland in Lyon on June 26, 2003.

Mettomo who was also Foe’s teammate at Manchester City shared a room with the late midfielder at the Saint-Etienne hotel where Cameroon stayed.

“We were in Saint-Etienne, and Marc felt a little tired, he had a stomach bug, but nothing really to be worried about,” Mettomo told Radio Sport Info.

“Besides, during the day he trained normally, he went to the massage room, all that is most normal. He always had his plate of fruit close at hand.

"The morning of the match I woke up earlier than him, I went to have breakfast, he went to see the physiotherapist directly and we found ourselves at lunchtime.

“After the meal, we returned to our room. I fell asleep a little and it was he who woke me up to tell me that it was time to meet the others for the stadium. While he was dressing up, I packed our things in the bag that we both shared.

“And when we left [the hotel], he says to me ‘Lucien, today is the match of death, if someone has to die, it is today.’

"At the time, nothing special because he simply wanted to say that this semi-final against Colombia was the moment to make an impression on the world level as we wished.

“But with hindsight and the years that followed, I tell myself that this statement sounded like a premonition.”

It was a statement Foe was to repeat on the team bus on their way to Stade de Gerland and said it again at half-time in the dressing room.

Cameroon took the lead nine minutes into the match through Pius N’Diefi and Foe was shown a yellow card on 23 minutes.

“[The match was going] pretty good since we lead 1-0 at the break. In the dressing room, we had to settle the debate on the marking of a Colombian striker who moved a lot,” continued Mettomo.

“Rigo [Rigobert Song] wanted an individual marking and I wanted us to play in zone marking. Marco settled the debate by asking Rigo to man-mark the Colombian. I had to stay on the cover.

“After that, he [Foe] got up and called out to all the other players about the fact that we had 45 minutes left to write history and that if someone had to die on the stadium, well, it should happen.”

Four minutes after Bill Tchato was red-carded, tragedy then struck in the 73rd minute as the Indomitable Lions were trying to defend their lead with 10 men.

Foe fell to the ground and never stood up again.

“It’s Eric Djemba [Djemba] who tells us that Marco is down. Doctors came onto the pitch and carried him out. At this point, we do not measure the gravity of what has just happened,” Mettomo added.

“When the match ended, it was the euphoria of qualifying for the final. ...but the physical trainer tells us that Marco had a problem. So I decided to go to the treatment room and on my way, I met Salomon Olembe in tears like the doctor of Olympique Lyonnais at the time. I saw the body of Marco lying, lifeless.”

Cameroon had defied their numerical disadvantage to hold on and claim victory and stormed into the final where they faced hosts France.

Then-Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer is said to have intended to substitute Foe a few minutes before he collapsed after noticing that the player appeared fatigued.

Back at the hotel, emotions got the better of a traumatised Mettomo who could not take it in that his close friend had died.

“[The return to Saint Etienne was] very heavy. I remember that when I got back to the hotel room, the most painful moment was when I opened the bag I shared with Marc-Vivien and I had to unpack his things,” said Mettomo.

“I left the door open and it was Joel Epalle who was passing by who came in and asked me what's going on. I'll tell him ‘Joel I'm waiting for Marco.’ This answer pushed Joel and he went to alert the staff that I had a problem.”

Psychologically devastated, both the Indomitable Lions and France contemplated skipping the Confederations Cup final but Foe’s widow Marie Louise convinced them to fulfil the fixture.

The death of Foe attracted global sympathy and Cameroon went on to lose the emotional final 1-0 after an extra-time golden goal from Thierry Henry.

Manchester City are set to sign teenage Juventus forward Pablo Moreno in a swap deal which will see Felix Correia move in the opposite direction.

Goal can confirm that Spain Under-18 international Moreno is due to have a medical in Manchester on Monday ahead of signing a four-year contract.

Moreno joined Juventus from Barcelona's La Masia academy as a 16-year-old having scored over 200 goals for the Blaugrana's age-group sides, but has yet to play for the Italian champions.

He has, however, continued to impress in Turin and was expected to push for a place in Maurizio Sarri's first-team squad.

Former boss Massimiliano Allegri named the 18-year-old forward among the substitutes for a Serie A clash with Genoa last season, though that remains his only involvement with the senior team.

Moreno is now expected to complete his move to City this week, with Portugal U19 international Correia to depart for Turin.

Correia, 19, joined City from Sporting C.P. in 2019 and has spent the campaign on loan at Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Correia has made 23 appearances for AZ's U21 side, contributing three goals and five assists this season.

Moreno, who in April was named on Goal's NxGn list of the top 50 teenage footballers on the planet, could also potentially also go out on loan next season to gain playing experience.

Barca had wanted to keep the youngster, who can play anywhere across the forward line or as an attacking midfeilder, before his switch to Juventus in July 2018 in a deal worth a reported fee of approximately €700,000.

During his four years at La Masia he broke a number of goalscoring records. In his first season with the Alevin A, or U12s, he scored 72 goals in 27 matches. He backed that up with 41 goals the next year, 66 the year after that and a further 34 in what proved to be his final season with Barca.

So impressive were his performances that he earned a call-up to Spain's U16s squad at the age of just 14.

Meanwhile, Bulgaria U19 international Filip Krastev is also expected to join City from Slavia Sofia.

The Bulgarian side said in a statement that the 18-year-old agreed terms with City after passing a medical.

Krastev, 18, is expected to sent out on loan, with Belgian club Lommel - who were recently added to the City Football Group - a possible destination.

U.S. Under-20 men's national team star Konrad de la Fuente has signed a new deal with Barcelona as he commits his future to the Spanish giants.

De la Fuente's new deal will run through 2022 - including the option of a further two years - with the winger set to make the permanent leap to Barcelona B next season, having started this season with the U-19s.

The 18-year-old winger has played five games with Barca B so far, scoring one goal - a stoppage-time game-winner in a February win over AE Prat.

De La Fuente and Barca B could be playing in the Spanish second division next season if the club secures promotion from the third tier in July.

Under the terms of the new deal, De la Fuente will have a release clause of €50 million ($57m/£45.5m) while he remains with Barca B, with that fee rising to €100 million ($114m/£91m) if he makes the leap up to the first team.

Konrad signed his new contract at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, alongside Barca B director Xavier Vilajoana and technical secretary Eric Abidal.

"I am very happy to continue in the best club in the world," the winger said in a statement. "It has always been my dream to play in the first team and that is why I want to stay here to try to achieve it.

"The first objective now is to move up with Barca B to Segunda A."

The news comes in the wake of links to a move away from Barcelona, with the winger heavily linked with a move to Hertha Berlin earlier this year.

De la Fuente, who was born in Miami to Haitian parents, joined La Masia in 2014 and has risen through the club's youth ranks in recent seasons.

The 18-year-old was the second-youngest member of the U.S. U-20 team that participated in the U-20 World Cup in 2019, where he played alongside players like Sergino Dest, Timothy Weah and Ulysses Llanez.

In the end, the U.S. fell to Ecuador in the quarter-final round following a round of 16 victory over highly-favoured France, with De la Fuente starting all five matches in the tournament.

Ross Barkley came off the bench to secure Chelsea a 1-0 victory at Leicester City and take Frank Lampard's side into the FA Cup semi-finals.

Lampard made three substitutions after an underwhelming first-half display and they changed the game for the Blues, with Barkley – one of those introduced – getting the decisive goal.

Leicester looked the better side in the opening period and appeared to have greater control of proceedings, though their final pass did not match up to promising build-up play.

Chelsea produced a marked improvement in the second half after Lampard tinkered with his team and Barkley ended the deadlock with a smart finish in the 63rd minute, earning his team a place alongside Manchester United and Arsenal in the last four.

Chelsea were guilty of a sloppy start, but Leicester lacked ruthlessness and did not call Willy Caballero into action until the 20th minute when Youri Tielemans saw his 20-yard effort turned wide.

Lampard's men had another couple of escapes soon after, as Harvey Barnes blazed high and wide before Jonny Evans failed to direct a free header on target from a free-kick.

But Leicester had to rely on Kasper Schmeichel to avoid going behind in the 30th minute, the Danish goalkeeper producing a fine reaction save to deny Christian Pulisic.

A seemingly unimpressed Lampard made three alterations at half-time and it led to an improvement – Tammy Abraham finding the net in the 55th minute, only for celebrations to be cut short by an offside flag.

A Ben Chilwell cross hit the crossbar at the other end, but that was a momentary lapse in Chelsea's second-half domination and they deservedly went ahead just past the hour – half-time substitute Barkley expertly turning in Willian's low cross.

The Blues should have finished Leicester off on the break in the 89th minute, but Barkley's initial pass to Ruben Loftus-Cheek was poor and when the ball was returned to him the former Everton midfielder's shot was saved in unorthodox fashion by Schmeichel.

It had no impact on the result, however, as Chelsea head to Wembley.

What does it mean? Chelsea's depth serves them well

Few would have taken issue with Lampard's starting XI. After all, the three players taken off at half-time – Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Reece James – are all fine prospects.

However, when it was not working out, Lampard was able to turn to the likes of Barkley and Mateo Kovacic on the bench, and both were very bright after coming on.

Where there's a Willian, there's a way

His days at Stamford Bridge may be limited, but Willian proved that he certainly still has his uses. Not only did he set up Barkley's winner, he exhibited his hard-working nature with a match-high five tackles.

Mount and Gilmour hooked

Chelsea endured a very poor first half and the performances of their midfielders appeared to contribute to that. Mount struggled to really influence matters in attack, while Gilmour was guilty of a few wayward passes that put his team in real trouble. It was not a surprise to see them both withdrawn at the break.

Key Opta Facts

- Leicester have now lost each of their past five quarter-final matches in the FA Cup – with each of the previous three being against Chelsea (also 2012 and 2018).
- Chelsea have reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup for a 10th time in the 21st century, a joint-high in this time along with Arsenal (also 10 when including 2020).
- Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers remains winless in all 15 of his meetings with Chelsea as a manager (D8 L7), the most he has faced a single opponent without winning.
- This was the first time Leicester had conceded a goal in this season's FA Cup, making them the last of the 123 sides to participate in the competition proper in 2019-20 to concede a goal.
- Since his competition debut in January 2014, Willian has been directly involved in 17 FA Cup goals (11 goals, six assists) – at least six more than any other Chelsea player in this time.

What's next?

Leicester go to Everton in the Premier League on Wednesday, while Chelsea face London rivals West Ham the same day.

Odion Ighalo’s goal for Manchester United against Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday means that the ex-Nigeria striker has equalled a club record that has stood for 95 years.

In netting against the Canaries, Ighalo became only the second player in the club’s history to have scored in each of his first four competitive starts for the Red Devils.

According to Opta, the previous player to do this was Jimmy Hanson, who achieved the feat in 1925 when he scored in consecutive starts against Hull City, Blackpool, Derby County and Aston Villa.

The Manchester-born Hanson signed for United in 1924, but suffered a serious injury five years later, and was forced to retire.

Back in 2016, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on the brink of equalling Hanson’s record when he scored in three consecutive competitive outings for United.

However, while the then-34-year-old made a strong start to life with the Red Devils after signing on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, he drew a blank in his fourth competitive start - against Hull - and missed out on Hanson’s record.

Ighalo, however, has emulated Hanson’s achievement during a remarkable run early in his United career.

The former Watford man began his scoring run with a goal in United’s 5-0 victory over Club Brugge in late February, before scoring twice against Derby County in the FA Cup in early March.

On his third start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, against LASK Linz in the Europa League, he scored and contributed an assist in a 5-0 victory, before opening the scoring against Norwich on Saturday.

Ighalo’s opener was cancelled out by a Todd Cantwell effort from range, although Harry Maguire bagged in extra time to send the northern giants through at the expense of Daniel Farke’s strugglers.

Despite his immense scoring record in matches in which he’s started for United - all of which have been in cup competitions - the striker is yet to score in the Premier League for the Red Devils.

He has made six appearances - all from the bench - amassing 83 minutes of action back in the top flight.

"It is great to have the option to rotate,” Solskjaer told BBC Sport after the match. “Anthony Martial came on and did brilliant, but Odion gives me a chance to rotate.

"He's a proven goalscorer and played his part in both goals," the Norwegian coach continued. "He is a great person to have around the dressing room too.

“Odion knows how much we value him in and around the dressing room; he’s a goalscorer, a poacher, he’s strong, we can play the ball into him, he showed for the second and Paul [Pogba] found him.”

Hamburg were thrashed 5-1 by Sandhausen on the final day of the 2. Bundesliga as they missed out on a promotion play-off, but Stuttgart are back in the top flight despite losing to Darmstadt.

Relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time back 2017-18, Hamburg needed to better Heidenheim's result to book a place in a play-off with Nordderby rivals Werder Bremen, who finished 16th in the top flight.

Heidenheim were beaten 3-0 by champions Arminia Bielefeld but Hamburg could not get the job done at home against mid-table opposition.

Hamburg manager Dieter Hecking made two changes from the side who lost last Sunday to Heidenheim, with the injured Timo Letschert being replaced by Ewerton in the middle of defence

Jordan Beyer also took a place on the bench, as Gideon Jung moved into the back three, leaving space for Adrian Fein to move back into one of the two defensive midfield slots. 

They were 2-0 down at the break through Rick van Drongelen's own goal – deflecting a cross by Julius Biada past Julian Pollersbeck - and Kevin Behrens' 21st-minute effort after Hamburg failed to clear a simple long ball.

Aaron Hunt pulled one back from the penalty spot but Behrens converted from 12 yards himself in the 84th minute to make it 3-1 before Mario Engels and Dennis Diekmeier rounded off a rout.

Heidenheim will now face Werder in a two-legged play-off. The first leg takes place on Thursday with the return leg held four days later.

Defeat for Heidenheim meant Stuttgart's 3-1 home reverse at the hands of Darmstadt was immaterial.

Mario Gomez equalised in his final Stuttgart game after Serdar Dursun had given Darmstadt the lead. Matthias Bader and Tobias Kempe sealed the points for the visitors but Stuttgart make an immediate return to the Bundesliga following relegation last season.

By contrast, Nurnberg - relegated with Stuttgart in 2018-19 - face a play-off to avoid dropping into the third tier. Their 1-1 draw with Holstein Kiel was not enough to secure safety as Karlsruher moved fourth bottom on goal difference with a 2-1 win at Greuther Furth.

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermain Jenas believes Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial do not score the type of goals scored by Odion Ighalo after he netted in Manchester United’s 2-1 extra-time win in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup against Norwich at Carrow Road on Saturday.

The Nigerian broke the deadlock in the 51st minute by tapping in Juan Mata’s lofted ball from Luke Shaw’s cross.

The Canaries ensured the game went to extra time with Todd Cantwell’s 75th-minute strike, but United captain Harry Maguire scored the winner just two minutes away from a penalty shootout to progress to the semis

Ighalo’s goal was his fifth in what was just his fourth start for the club and 11th overall appearance for the Red Devils. He became only the second United player to score in his first four competitive starts after James Hanson did so 95 years ago.

“That right there is the attraction and the beauty of Odion Ighalo – the right place, right time type of striker,” Jenas told BBC Sport.

“Look at the concentration, he just knew he needed to get good contact on it. It’s a really good finish, with the way he had to adjust his body.

“You don’t see Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial scoring those type of goals – the fox in the box type goals.”

Rashford and Martial are the leading scorers for United this season, with 19 goals apiece, 14 goals each in the Premier League.

The latter scored a first career hat-trick in their last Premier League match against Sheffield United which ended 3-0. It was also the first hat-trick for the club in the post-Alex Ferguson era.

Ighalo is yet to start a game in the Premier League but has appeared six times.

His most impactful performance came in the 2-0 derby win over Manchester City. The former Watford man held the ball well from Joao Cancelo in added time before releasing it for Fred.

The Brazilian midfielder’s pass failed to reach Daniel James and was gathered by City goalkeeper Ederson, who threw the ball into Scott McTominay’s path, who scored a long-range goal into an unguarded net.

Ighalo has played thrice in the Europa League, scoring in games against Club Brugge and LASK.

Prior to the Norwich game, the 31-year-old had scored a brace in the previous FA Cup round against Derby County which ended in a 3-0 win at Pride Park.

The players of I-League club East Bengal have received their salaries for the month of April, Goal can confirm. 

With the Coronavirus pandemic hitting football hard, East Bengal's investors Quess Corp decided to activate the Force Majeure clause on the contracts and the players were asked to sign a letter of termination in April. However, the players refused to accept the move and their salaries remained unpaid. 

It has now been learnt that although the players have not signed the letter of termination,  the investors have cleared the salaries of April. The salaries for the month of May remains unpaid. 

Quess East Bengal FC was the first club in I-League to activate the Force Majeure clause. After the Kolkata club made their decision, former I-League champions Chennai City FC also joined the party in cancelling the existing contracts of their players by activating the same clause.

Several clubs across the world are taking this step of activating the Force Majeure clause after the football season was halted due to the pandemic. Players and coaches of some of the top European clubs like Juventus, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona have unanimously decided to take a pay cut and help their clubs in this extraordinary situation.

Earlier this week, East Bengal’s assistant coach cum physical trainer Carlos Nodar had blasted Quess Corp over non-payment of salaries and non-cooperation during the lockdown in India. Foreign players Johnny Acosta and Kassim Aidara have also publicly criticised Quess East Bengal for their attitude during the ongoing crisis. 

Kylian Mbappe would face a tough battle to get into the Liverpool team, according to Reds great Bruce Grobbelaar.

Liverpool fans have been baying for the club to sign the Paris Saint-Germain and France attacker, amid speculation Jurgen Klopp wants him to join the Premier League champions.

Such a signing would be an extraordinary statement of long-term intent by Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), given Mbappe is just 21 and looks set to be a global superstar for many years to come.

But Grobbelaar insists World Cup winner Mbappe would not walk straight into Liverpool's first XI.

"Well, if he comes to Anfield he's going to have to prove his worth up front for sure. And that's only if and when he comes," Grobbelaar told Stats Perform News.

"We do not know what the circumstances is. It will be up to Klopp and FSG who will reveal something probably in the new season.

"But whoever comes to Anfield, as you see with [Takumi] Minamino, he's going to have to improve a hell of a lot more to get into the side."

Grobbelaar claimed any footballer that does not want to join Liverpool should "go to see the doctor very quickly".

The former goalkeeper played for Liverpool from 1981 to 1994, winning six top-flight titles, three FA Cups and a European Cup, among a host of honours.

He knows the thrill of being part of a successful Anfield outfit but can see some players leaving before long, with the likes of Dejan Lovren and Xherdan Shaqiri perhaps nearing the end of their Liverpool careers.

"The squad is brilliant at this stage, it's up to FSG and the Klopp advisers that are going to determine whether those players go or remain. I, for one, think they will be going because they want first-team football," Grobbelaar said.

"Listen, at this moment in time every player wants to come and play for Liverpool because we're the Premiership title holders and anybody who doesn't must go to see the doctor very quickly, because we are the best team and we will be the best team for so many years."

Mikel Arteta must solve Arsenal's defensive issues if the club want to compete for trophies regularly, according to Robin van Persie.

The Gunners made it through to the last four of the FA Cup on Sunday, defeating Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramall Lane thanks to a stoppage-time winner from substitute Dani Ceballos.

However, the late goal helped overshadow the shoddy defending that had allowed United to draw level in the closing minutes, Sead Kolasinac's weak clearance hitting Shkodran Mustafi to inadvertently set up David McGoldrick.

Arsenal have conceded 41 goals in 31 Premier League games and, while supporting Arteta's appointment, Van Persie feels reinforcements are required to strengthen a long-standing area of weakness.

"What I believe is it is very important for Arsenal and for Mikel to find a way to fix the set pieces," the former Arsenal and Manchester United forward said while speaking alongside Rio Ferdinand on BT Sport.

"Corners, set pieces, crosses, you're always holding your breath and thinking: 'Arsenal might concede'. You fix that with mental toughness.

"It's like when I played with you [Ferdinand] and Vida [Nemanja Vidic], you would die to save the ball. You would put your head first, you would give everything to block the ball.

"That mentality is needed to compete for trophies. To be honest, I don't really see that now and that's not new either, we talked about this before and it was even an issue in my time there.

"You need to find defenders who want to do absolutely everything to block that ball. They should try to find those types of defenders.

"I'm not saying these guys are bad, but there is another level up if you want to win trophies."

David Luiz made his return to action in the FA Cup following his red card in the Premier League defeat at Manchester City.

The Brazilian centre-back played 54 minutes before going off with an ankle injury - Arteta revealed the player will be assessed on Monday in his post-match interview - after signing a new one-year deal this week.

Van Persie, however, is not convinced, suggesting before kick-off he would be attempting to rough up the defender if he was in the opposing team.

"If you play against him, I would go at him, almost try to bully him and to make physical contact with him and move around him, try to tease him a little bit because he is vulnerable," the Dutchman said.

"The first job you have to do is to defend, be solid and be trustworthy. If you have extra, you can dribble, do some nice passes, perfect. But he needs to focus on his job."

Manchester United have welcomed DJ Cuppy as their newest fan after the Nigerian musician vowed she would pledge allegiance to the Red Devils if Odion Ighalo scored against Norwich City in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Writing on Twitter ahead of the quarter-final clash, the 27-year-old suggested that he would be her national duty to throw her support behind United if Ighalo got among the goals.

“As a Nigeria, I think it’s only right that, if Odion Ighalo scores a goal today, I will officially join Man United as a fan,” she wrote on her @CuppyMusic Twitter handle.

Maintaining his excellent recent record in front of goal, the ex-Super Eagles frontman duly obliged, opening the scoring against the Canaries with a classic poacher’s effort.

While Norwich responded through Todd Cantwell to take the tie to extra time, Harry Maguire struck from close range at the death to take United into the semis.

It appears Manchester United were monitoring Cuppy’s decision, and after Ighalo’s goal went in, they duly welcomed her to the Red Devils fanbase.

It remains to be seen whether the Lagos-born DJ has already been brushing up on her United history, or invested in one of the club's replica jerseys, but she did share some fan artwork on social media on Sunday which depicted her, alongside Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, signing on the dotted line at Old Trafford.

The radio host’s football allegiance has been the subject of some scrutiny over the years, with Cuppy revealing recently that her troubled relationship with Arsenal had come to an end.

The timing of her tweets this week suggested that the club’s decision to offer contracts to David Luiz, Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari was at the root of her change of heart.

“It’s not me, it’s you,” she wrote, in a tweet addressed to the Gunners, earlier in the month. “[There’s] only so much heartbreak a girl can take, Arsenal.

“I can no longer stay in this toxic relationship, I’m sorry.”

Lagos-born Cuppy moved to London in her early teens, getting a degree from King’s College London before moving to the United States for her master’s degree.

Earlier this year, the music producer became the first African DJ to host a radio show on Apple radio.

Mainland Premier League giants Simba SC have retained the title despite a 0-0 draw against Tanzania Prisons.

Simba needed just a point to ensure they kept the league title and their performance at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya gave them just that even though the hosts gave an equally brave fight to keep the champions at bay.

An additional eight minutes did not frustrate Wekundu wa Msimbazi in ensuring they went back to Dar es Salaam as champions again.

The draw means Simba collected four points at Sokoine Stadium after their previous encounter against Mbeya City which they won to close in on their 21st league title.

It is the first league title for coach Sven Vandenbroeck who arrived in December 2019 to take charge of the second most successful Tanzanian club. 

The 2019/20 successful league outing will also mean Simba have maintained their slot in the Caf Champions League competition. Vandenbroeck will be expected to perform better than his predecessor Patrick Aussems who got knocked out from the preliminary stage by UD Songo of Mozambique in Dar es Salaam.

The league victory underlines Simba and Yanga's dominance in the Tanzanian competition in the last decade. The two arch-rivals and Azam FC in one attempt, have bagged the title alone.

Timu ya Wananchi have won the league five times while Wekundu wa Msimbazi had clinched it four times in the last 10 seasons.

Simba's three successful consecutive campaigns, in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and in the 2019/20 seasons has matched Yanga's record achieved in the 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

The Mbeya record, however, is not the best that the club has achieved as it managed to defend the title in five consecutive seasons from 1976 to 1980. In 2001 to 2004, the Wekundu wa Msimbazi bagged the title in four uninterrupted campaigns as the Msimbazi street-side started what became another successful decade in their history.

It is the second time Simba have been champions in three straight campaigns as the same fete was achieved from 1993 to 1995.

They won the inaugural Premier League title, then known as Sunderland, in 1965 and 1966.

Apart from Yanga and Simba, no other Tanzanian club has managed to win the league gong and defend it in three or more consecutive seasons.

Simba will now shift focus and energy to the FA Cup tournament where they will take on Azam in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Polisi Tanzania defeated Mbao FC 1-0 with Waziri Junior scoring the only goal of the encounter in the 65th minute at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.  

Orlando Pirates striker Justin Shonga has rubbished reports he wants out of the club due to his lack of game time. 

In a chat with Pirates fans on the club's App, the Zambia international told his fans that he has no plans of leaving the club in the near future. 

Not so long ago, Luc Eymael confirmed Yanga SC's interest in Shonga but said the player's high salary demands made it impossible for the Tanzanian club to pursue him further. 

Shonga's agent Karabo Mathang recently confirmed Portuguese side SC Maritimo has shown interest in her client. 

However, Shonga re-assured Pirates supporters that he still belongs to them, adding that it's only a matter of time before he starts playing again. 

"I don't have those plans at the moment. I am enjoying too much and I am still a Pirates player. I am not leaving," said Shonga. 

The 23-year-old has featured just 11 times for the Sea Robbers this season, including eight in the league and is yet to find the back of the net.  

"I am happy at Pirates and it's just a matter of time before I start playing again," he revealed. 

Asked about his relationship with coach Josef Zinnbauer who arrived in December 2019 to take over from Rhulani Mokwena, Shonga said: "The relationship with the new coach is good and I am happy to work with him." 

"I am really working hard to gain my last season's form back," he added. 

Shonga further said there is no difference between the way Zinnbauer and previous coach Milutin 'Micho' Sreodojevic handled the team. 

"Life is good. He (Zinnbauer) is a good coach just like Micho and we are enjoying as we used to," he assured the Bucs faithful.

Meanwhile, Shonga expressed delight at the fact that the season will resume and be completed, and he's already looking forward to reuniting with his Pirates teammates. 

The season has been suspended for over three months due to the coronavirus pandemic coupled with the lockdown imposed by the South African government.

"It's a nice feeling that we will be back to the field and do what we love," said Shonga. 

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke expects Jadon Sancho to remain at the club next season because he does not believe any club can afford to buy him.

The 20-year-old winger has been linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea said to be interested. However, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp ruled out the English champions making a bid, while United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dodged the question this week.

Although the England international is eager to return to his homeland, Dortmund are demanding upwards of €100 million (£91m/$112m) for him.

Watzke says Sancho has given no indication that he wants to leave, however, and insists Dortmund will not drop their asking price because of the coronavirus crisis.

“If Jadon comes up to us and says he absolutely wants to leave - which has not been the case so far - and a club wants to pay what we want, then we will discuss it,” he told Sport1. “I don't think a club will pay the sum. There is also no coronavirus discount on him.

“We have left the period where we had to sell players. I don't think there will be a summer transfer.

“We have a more unusual situation next year than usual. With the exception of Achraf Hakimi, the team will stay together. That helps with development.”

Asked if January signing Erling Haaland could make a move this year, Watzke said: “A transfer is completely out of the question for Haaland.”

One player whose exit has been confirmed is midfielder Mario Gotze, who will leave when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Watzke had recently suggested the World Cup winner could stay but now admits he does not know where he will end up.

“Mario is old enough, he knows what he's doing,” he added. “We have no influence anymore. He didn't ask me, so he should have told me what's on the table.

“I have lost contact with the team through corona. I couldn't get into the dressing room, there was only a phone.

“When I said goodbye, I was even afraid to hug him. There would be a shitstorm immediately because you violate the health precautions. We even had masks on, all emotion is lost.”

Manchester United are still a "year or two" away from competing with Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title, says Roy Keane.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first year in permanent charge of United's senior squad has been a turbulent one, to say the least.

The Norwegian was awarded a three-year contract in March 2019 after an impressive interim spell, but his honeymoon period ended as the Red Devils slipped to a sixth-place finish in the top flight last season.

United forked out a combined £145 million ($179m) on Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire last summer as Solskjaer's squad rebuild began in earnest, but familiar struggles for consistency resurfaced in the first half of the new season.

Results have only started to improve noticeably since the January arrival of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting, who has justified his £50m ($62m) transfer fee by contributing four goals and four assists in his first 12 appearances for the club.

The Portuguese has inspired his new team-mates to raise their game, culminating in a 14-match unbeaten run across all competitions, which continued as United booked a spot in the semi-finals of the FA Cup by beating Norwich 2-1 on Saturday.

Solskjaer's men are also still in the hunt for Europa League glory, however Keane is more concerned by the fact his old club are currently sitting a staggering 37 points behind newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool.

City are also well clear of their local rivals, and the United legend cannot see the gap being closed next season.

"They're a few players off yet," Keane told the Irish Independent. "They have obviously strengthened but the league table doesn't lie. Look at their points total.

"I know people say they've had one or two decent results - against Man City and Liverpool - but it's all about the points.

"So, no, I don't see United competing in the next year or two for the league.

"I think there's going to be improvement and they will close the gap, but there is a bit of work to be done for Ole and the players. They're missing something.

"They haven't been consistent enough."

The former Red Devils midfielder went on to suggest that more defensive reinforcements will be needed if Solskjaer's side are to make the "leap" from top-four challengers to title winners.

"People have analysed it and said United's strength at the moment is on the counter-attack. But the problem has been when they had a lot of possession; breaking teams down," Keane added.

"With one or two players coming back, United will certainly be pushing to get that fourth position but trying to get fourth and winning the league is a big leap.

"They need one or two players. I think United are short at the back."

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag has resigned himself to losing Nicolas Tagliafico in the next transfer window, while midfielder Donny van de Beek may depart Amsterdam too.

A year ago an Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-finals - and came within a whisker of making the final - was broken up as Frenkie de Jong was sold to Barcelona and Matthijs de Ligt to Juventus.

Now a few more key figures from that double-winning side of 2018-19 may leave too, with Hakim Ziyech's transfer to Chelsea already confirmed.

Left-back Tagliafico, 27, is the most likely to depart and the Argentina international is thought to be interesting both Chelsea and Arsenal.

Van de Beek, linked to Real Madrid and Manchester United, and goalkeeper Andre Onana are another two Ten Hag fears will exit if the price is right.

"The transfer market will start in August - the top leagues are now being played out, so the money flows are maintained," Ten Hag told Het Parool.

"The market value of players will be slightly depressed, but not much. Based on their performance and ambition, a number of our players also want to make the move abroad.

"Agreements have been made with Andre Onana, Donny van de Beek and Nicolas Tagliafico, but it remains to be seen whether the market is indeed breaking loose. 

"For Onana and Van de Beek, another year of Ajax could certainly be an option, for Tagliafico it is slightly different because of his age."

Another Ajax youngster on the radar of Europe's major clubs is Sergino Dest.

Bayern Munich have been linked with the Netherlands-born teenage defender, who has already represented the United States at senior level, but Ten Hag would rather the 19-year-old continued to develop with Ajax.

"I can only argue why he should stay," he said.

"I know how it is. If I can't convince him and the right price is paid, I can't rule out going. In general, I say you have to make the step abroad if you are ready for it. If you go too young, there is a chance of failure. 

"The culture and structure in which you grow up is your support. In order to stay upright in another country, in another competition, at the age of 20, you have to do a lot."