Florian Wirtz demonstrated his growing influence at Liverpool with a standout performance in the club’s final pre-season fixture in Asia, as the Reds secured a comeback victory over Yokohama F. Marinos at the Nissan Stadium. The German midfielder, who only recently joined the Merseyside club from Bayer Leverkusen, was instrumental in turning the game around after Liverpool had fallen behind early in the second half.
A pre-season North London derby turned unexpectedly heated when Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta found himself in a physical confrontation with Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro. The incident, which unfolded in the second half of a tense friendly clash, added an edge to what was otherwise billed as a tune-up match ahead of the new Premier League season.
Tottenham Hotspur emerged triumphant in a heated North London derby, held for the first time no foreign soil, defeating Arsenal 1-0 at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. The highly anticipated friendly turned into a showcase for Pape Matar Sarr, who delivered a moment of brilliance to settle the contest in Spurs' favour.
The north London rivalry has found a new lease of life on social media after Tottenham forward Richarlison took a cheeky swipe at Arsenal’s Gabriel following their pre-season meeting in Hong Kong. The Brazilian striker, who played a key role in Spurs’ 1-0 win over the Gunners, took to Instagram to share a photo of his Man of the Match trophy and that sparked a online feud between the two stars.
Mikel Arteta was optimistic about what is to come for Viktor Gyokeres after the new Arsenal striker made his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Former Manchester United team-mates Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard were reunited in South Korea as Barcelona faced FC Seoul during the Asia tour of the pre-season preparations. After the match, the two former colleagues caught up and shared a photograph on Instagram and under the comment section, Paul Pogba sent an emotional message, while Nemanja Matic cracked a joke.
Mason Greenwood extended his impressive run of form by adding another goal to his growing pre-season tally as Marseille secured a 1-1 draw with Spanish outfit Sevilla at the Stade Vélodrome. The 23-year-old forward found the net with a clever, stooping header after meeting a perfectly delivered cross from the left flank by Ulisses Garcia.
Luis Diaz put in a promising performance on his Bayern Munich debut following a €75 million (£65.5m) move from Liverpool. The Colombian winger impressed with his energy and creativity in a second-half cameo, but admitted post-match that he will need time to fully settle into Vincent Kompany's team and contribute at the best of his abilities this season.
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has come under fire for a rash foul on Everton midfielder Iliman Ndiaye during the pre-season 2-2 draw in Atlanta, with fans branding him 'one of the most unlikeable players on earth' after the ugly scuffle that followed. The heated clash overshadowed what had been an entertaining friendly between the Premier League sides.
Mikel Arteta believes £64m ($86m) striker Viktor Gyokeres is making progress at Arsenal ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League opener at Manchester United.
Bayer Munich star Harry Kane opened up on his penalty miss against boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur during 4-0 win in pre-season on Thursday. This was only the second time that the England captain has played against Spurs since leaving the club in 2023. Kane scored the opener for the Bavarian side and three minutes later squandered a penalty as he skied the ball over the crossbar after losing his footing.
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