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AC Milan Consolidate Top-Four Credentials with Win at Cremonese

AC Milan's Italian defender #33 Davide Bartesaghi (L) and AC Milan's Serbian defender #31 Strahinja Pavlovic (R) celebrate at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at the Giovanni Zini Stadium in Cremona, northern Italy on March 1, 2026. (AFP)
AC Milan's Italian defender #33 Davide Bartesaghi (L) and AC Milan's Serbian defender #31 Strahinja Pavlovic (R) celebrate at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at the Giovanni Zini Stadium in Cremona, northern Italy on March 1, 2026. (AFP)
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AC Milan Consolidate Top-Four Credentials with Win at Cremonese

AC Milan's Italian defender #33 Davide Bartesaghi (L) and AC Milan's Serbian defender #31 Strahinja Pavlovic (R) celebrate at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at the Giovanni Zini Stadium in Cremona, northern Italy on March 1, 2026. (AFP)
AC Milan's Italian defender #33 Davide Bartesaghi (L) and AC Milan's Serbian defender #31 Strahinja Pavlovic (R) celebrate at the end of the Italian Serie A football match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at the Giovanni Zini Stadium in Cremona, northern Italy on March 1, 2026. (AFP)

AC Milan moved closer to Champions League football next season after two late strikes gave them a 2-0 win at Cremonese on Sunday.

Strahinja Pavlovic put Milan ahead in the 90th minute with his shoulder before Rafael Leao's simple finish in stoppage time gave the away side a result which flattered a drab display in Cremona.

Milan, who have been without European football this season, have little realistic hope of winning the Serie A title as the seven-time European champions are 10 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Next weekend's Milan derby has little more than local pride riding on it with Inter speeding off into the distance with 11 games remaining in the league campaign.

Milan's stated aim for the season, however, was qualification for the Champions League and Massimiliano Allegri's team are on course for that objective.

"We have a huge goal to reach with teams behind us who continue collecting points," said Allegri to DAZN.

"You have Como, Atalanta still have to play, Napoli won in the end and there are also Roma and Juventus. All we can do is take it one step at a time."

Fifth-placed Como are nine points behind Milan, while Roma, seven points behind them in fourth, face Juventus in Sunday's headline fixture.

Atalanta are five points off the Champions League spots in seventh after falling to a surprise 2-1 defeat at 10-man Sassuolo, their first in the league since the turn of the year.

Raffaele Palladino's team are the only Italian side in the last 16 of Europe's top club competition following their thrilling 4-3 aggregate triumph over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Jamie Vardy's Cremonese are sliding towards relegation to Serie B after a 13th straight match without a win, the promoted outfit sitting outside the drop zone on goal difference.

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Arteta Urges Arsenal to Focus on Premier League Title Push Ahead of Fulham Clash

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP)
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Arteta Urges Arsenal to Focus on Premier League Title Push Ahead of Fulham Clash

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP)
Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta gestures during a Champions League semifinal, first leg, soccer match between Atletico Madrid and Arsenal in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged his players to refocus on their Premier League title push as they prepare to host Fulham on Saturday, days after being held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Arsenal's pursuit of a first Premier League title in more than two decades has entered a tense final stretch, with Arteta's side attempting to end a drought that dates back to their unbeaten "Invincibles" campaign of 2003-04.

"Focus on Fulham. And hunger. ‌Hunger to play, ‌hunger to compete, hunger to win, hunger ‌to ⁠be closer to ⁠achieve our dream," the Spanish coach told reporters on Friday.

"We are playing to win the Premier League. It's exactly where we wanted to be. Four games to go. It's game two. Ready to go."

Having led the standings for much of the campaign, Arsenal's occasional dropped points have allowed Manchester City ⁠to close the gap, with Pep Guardiola's ‌side applying pressure by stringing ‌together a sequence of late-season victories.

The gap between leaders Arsenal and second-placed ‌Man City is three points, with City having a ‌game in hand.

"We have only four games to play now and everything is at stake, so it doesn't get better than that," Arteta said.

The Spaniard confirmed attacker Kai Havertz and center back Jurrien ‌Timber will miss the Fulham clash. Havertz has been sidelined since picking up an injury ⁠against Newcastle ⁠United last weekend, while Timber has been out since March.

Arteta added that Havertz could be back for the second leg fixture against Atletico.

"He's (Havertz) been a huge miss. We're talking about one of the most important attacking players that we have and he's been out for seven or eight months," Arteta said.

"He cannot do this game but hopefully for Atletico he will be available. He is pushing every boundary to achieve that."

Fulham sit 10th with 48 points, two behind sixth-placed Brighton, one behind Bournemouth, and level with Chelsea and Brentford as the battle for European competition intensifies.

Sports

Salah ‘Deserves Big Send-Off’, Says Liverpool Boss Slot

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
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Salah ‘Deserves Big Send-Off’, Says Liverpool Boss Slot

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)

Arne Slot said Mohamed Salah "deserves a big send-off" as he confirmed he expected the departing superstar to return from injury before the end of the season.

The Egypt forward, who will leave Anfield at the end of the campaign, was forced off in last weekend's 3-1 win at home to Crystal Palace, prompting fears he may have played his final game for the Reds.

Salah applauded the fans and was given a standing ovation as he made his way off the pitch.

Liverpool confirmed on Wednesday that Salah, 33, had suffered a "minor muscle injury" and was expected to be able to return to action before the campaign comes to an end.

The club travel to face Manchester United on Sunday after three straight wins put them firmly on course for a place in next season's Champions League.

"We expect him to be back in the final part of the season, but not for Sunday," Liverpool boss Slot said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"It's a big relief that his injury is minor, so that he's able to play for us, that he's able to play at the World Cup.

"And if there's ever a player who deserves to get a big send-off, it's definitely Mo."

Salah has scored 257 goals in 440 appearances since his arrival at Anfield in 2017, behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt in Liverpool's list of leading goalscorers.

He had a public spat with Slot in December, declaring he had "no relationship" with the Dutchman after being dropped for three consecutive games.

But the Liverpool manager later said he had "no issue to resolve" with the forward returning to the fold.

Liverpool, whose Premier League title defense collapsed dramatically from late September, have four games remaining, starting with their trip to face United.

Sports

Japanese Trailblazer Nishikori to Retire at End of Season

Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
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Japanese Trailblazer Nishikori to Retire at End of Season

Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
Kei Nishikori of Japan reacts after defeating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)

Kei Nishikori will hang ‌up his racquet at the end of the 2026 season, the 36-year-old said on Friday, bringing down the curtain on a professional career that saw him break new ground for Japanese tennis.

Nishikori became the first Japanese player to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2014 US Open and was the second Asian man after Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan to make it into the top 10.

He ‌reached a career-high ‌ranking of number four in ‌2015 ⁠and won 12 ⁠titles on the ATP Tour, but has been plagued by injuries for years and has fallen to 464 in the world rankings.

The last time he was ranked in the top 10 was in October 2019 and last month he admitted he ⁠was "barely hanging on" in terms of physical ‌fitness.

"Reaching the ATP Tour, ‌playing at the highest level of competition and maintaining ‌a presence in the top 10 is something ‌I am extremely proud of," Nishikori wrote in a post on social media.

"Whether in victory or defeat, the special atmosphere I felt in packed arenas is irreplaceable ... ‌To be honest, I still wish I could continue my playing career. Even ⁠so, looking ⁠back on everything up to this point, I can proudly say that I gave it my all.

"I am truly happy to have walked this path. I will cherish every moment of the remaining matches and fight to the very end."

Nishikori's most recent appearance in a tour-level event came at last year’s Cincinnati Open, though he has played in five Challenger events this year.

He also won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, defeating Spain's Rafael Nadal in three sets.