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           2020  Mariappa’s Own Goal Gifts Seagulls         Ancelotti’s Everton Close
                        At Point At The Amex
           12th,  Mariappa’s                                On European Place With
               Adrian
           February  own goal

             salvaged a

           |  1-1  draw                                     Win Against Eagles
                 o
             f Brighton & r
           EXAMINER  in the bottom three.
             Hove Albion against Watford that leaves the Hornets

               Abdoulaye Doucoure opened the scoring after 19
           IRISH  minutes, driving forward from just inside the
             Brighton half before firing past Mat Ryan from 18
             yards.
               Aaron Mooy was denied superbly by the feet of
             Ben Foster moments before Mariappa turned the ball
             into his own net from Brighton substitute Alireza
             Jahanbakhsh’s cross with 12 minutes remaining.
               Leandro Trossard could only flick the ball over the
             crossbar late on as both teams had to settle for a point.
               Brighton remained 15th with 27 points, three clear
             of 19th-placed Watford. C

                   Guardiola Dismisses Rumors Of
                   Messi Move To Manchester City

                                   Pep Guardiola has dis-
                                missed         suggestions
                                Manchester City could sign
                                world player of the year
                                Lionel Messi.
                                   The Barcelona playmaker
                                has again been linked with
                                City after reports of unrest at
                                the Nou Camp.               Richarlison celebrates scoring a superb goal to restore Everton’s lead
               Messi, 32, is reported to have a clause in his con-  icharlison’s superb indi-  against Manchester City and  the ball he swapped flanks to try
             tract that would allow him to leave Barca on a free  vidual goal helped lift   Arsenal but they only briefly  his luck on the right and thought
             transfer at the end of the season.             REverton to within five         looked like giving manager Roy  he had won a penalty when he
               There is an obvious connection between the six-  points  of  the  Champions  Hodgson   his  first  win  at  cut across Pickford but the goal-
             time Ballon d’Or winner and Guardiola, under whom  League places after a 3-1 win  Goodison Park in nine attempts  keeper was adjudged to have
                                                            over
                                                                                                                           taken the ball.
                                                                                            early in the second half when a
                                                                                  Crystal
                                                                    struggling
             he won two Champions League titles at Barcelona,  Palace.                      previously anonymous Wilfried    The same could not be said
             but the current City manager is not expecting to  The performance included     Zaha came alive for a short spell.  minutes after half-time when
             renew their partnership.                       the bad – Jordan Pickford’s       He teed up Benteke for his   Zaha played in Benteke. The
               “He is a player from Barcelona and he will stay  howler for Christian Benteke’s  first Palace goal since April and  Belgium international’s shot had
             there, that’s my wish for him to stay in Barcelona,”  equalizer – and the brilliant –  had Everton panicking for 15  all the hallmarks of a striker low
             said Guardiola, who remains a Barca fan and has fre-  wonderful  strikes  from  minutes before his thunder was  on confidence having not scored
             quently been asked about Messi throughout his  Brazilians    Bernard     and   stolen by Richarlison racing half  in over nine months, but he
             tenure at the Etihad Stadium.                  Richarlison – before Dominic    the length of the field to score  would have been delighted to
               “I’m not going to talk about players for other  Calvert-Lewin’s late goal added  and tip the balance back in the  see Pickford make a complete
             clubs. I think he will finish his career there, that’s my  further gloss for the Toffees.  hosts’ favor.      hash of trying to save it, going
             wish.” C                                          Carlo Ancelotti’s side moved   Prior to that the only real  down so slowly he allowed the
                                                            above Manchester United and     piece of quality had been      ball to go under his outstretched
                  Community Shield To Move From             level on points with fifth-placed  Bernard’s goal, the Brazilian exe-  hands and body.
                          Wembley In 2021                   Sheffield United, who host      cuting exquisite controlled tech-  Richarlison bailed out his
               The Community Shield is set to move away from  Bournemouth on Sunday.        nique to take a Theo Walcott   team-mate with his exhilarating
             Wembley in 2021 because of the Women’s European   It is hard to imagine two    cross, which had just flown over  run and finish as he raced onto
             Championship.                                  months ago the team were in the  the head of Calvert-Lewin, low  Calvert-Lewin’s flick-on, holding
               The PA news agency reported that the Football  bottom three having just sacked  down on the volley to beat  off Gary Cahill in the process,
             Association is in discussions about moving the tradi-  Marco Silva, but the turnaround  Vicente Guaita, who had kept  before Pickford redeemed him-
             tional opening fixture in the men’s club season away  the Italian has overseen has been  his place in goal despite last  self somewhat with a point-
             from Wembley, and possibly outside London.     hugely impressive.              week’s howler against Sheffield  blank block from Benteke’s
               The 16-team women’s tournament runs from July   A total of 17 points from his  United.                      header.
             7 to August 1, with Wembley hosting the final.  eight matches in charge is bet-  Walcott’s   50th   Premier     Then it was Guaita’s turn to
               It is understood the Community Shield will not be  tered only by near-neighbors and  League assist was to be his last  pull off a stunning save, throw-
             moved outside England, with some countries having  runaway Premier League leaders  involvement as he departed to  ing up a hand to deny Gylfi
             opted to play their equivalent match overseas.  Liverpool over the same period.  injury soon after, ending the per-  Sigurdsson after he weaved his
               The match, known as the Charity Shield until    Palace, however, are heading  sonal momentum he had built   way into a scoring position.
             2002, has traditionally been played at Wembley since  in the opposite direction with no  up with his winner last week  Calvert-Lewin  wrapped
             1974 – except when the national stadium was being  wins and just four points in their  against Watford.       things up late on by poking
             rebuilt and also in 2012, when the showpiece took  last seven matches.           Zaha, on his 350th Palace    home after Richarlison’s header
              place at Villa Park due to the Olympic Games. C  Two of those points came     appearance, had seen so little of  rebounded off the crossbar. C
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