MARCUS RASHFORD

Marcus Rashford has committed himself to five more years at Manchester United after the most prolific season of his career.

Arsenal is chasing its first Premier League title in 19 years but knows it will have to hold off a growing double threat from Manchester.

Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho responded in style to cruel taunts from Leeds fans as Manchester United came from behind to salvage a 2-2 draw in the Premier League.

It was a very good day for Manchester United, whose revival under Erik ten Hag is really taking shape.

Marcus Rashford struck the winner as Manchester United came from behind to beat Manchester City 2-1 in the Premier League.

Arsenal couldn’t have asked for a much better end to the year.

For some children in low-income areas in England, a school lunch may be the only nutritious hot meal they get in a day.

For Harry Kane the wait for a first goal at this World Cup goes on.

Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden both scored to put England into the last 16 of the World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Wales.

Marcus Rashford didn't think the jeers from England’s fans really were necessary.

Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford put the last year’s European Championship loss behind them in England's 6-2 rout of Iran at the World Cup.

It's been nine years since then-English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke set the national team the bold target of winning the 2022 World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s explosive TV interview with Piers Morgan seems certain to end his Manchester United career.

Lionel Messi is back in supreme form and it’s just in time for the World Cup.

Pep Guardiola says he can sense the coming tide and the Manchester City manager will be even more convinced of the new threats to his team’s dominance after the latest round of Premier League games.

Harry Maguire has been dropped by Manchester United despite being its club captain and the most expensive defender in soccer history.

It wasn't long ago that there was a crisis at Manchester United but that seems like a dim and distant memory now.

Manchester United delivered a performance of intensity and spirit against a backdrop of protests against the club’s ownership to beat fierce rival Liverpool 2-1 and finally claim its first points in the Premier League this season.

Man City dropping points, Newcastle winning a game and a drone stopping play.

Tottenham has staged the latest-ever comeback to win a Premier League game.

Eighty-six gamblers in New Jersey thought they'd found the Holy Grail of sports betting: being able to bet on a game that had already ended.

Soccer star Marcus Rashford has received an honorary award from Prince William for his successful campaign to provide free meals to disadvantaged children during the pandemic.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has celebrated a vital win with Manchester United after doubts were raised about his future.

Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life and the Liverpool forward scored his latest wonder goal in a 5-0 win at Watford in the English Premier League.

Britain’s education secretary says he had made a “genuine mistake” for mixing up two Black sportsmen who back giving more help to the nation's poor children.

British police have made 11 arrests in connection with the online racial abuse of England soccer players following their team’s loss to Italy in the final of the European Championship last month.

Through the pens and pencils of children, England is fighting back against racism.

British police have opened investigations into the racist abuse of three Black players who failed to score penalties in England’s shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.

Three Black players who missed penalty kicks for England in the decisive European Championship shootout against Italy were subjected to racist abuse online.

The European Championship final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium on Sunday has all the makings of a tight and tense title match.

Many British people of color have long had an ambivalent relationship with symbols of Englishness and England's national soccer team.

Liverpool has won 4-2 at Manchester United to maintain its hopes of still trying to qualify for the Champions League.

Defending leads used to be a forte of Jose Mourinho but not anymore.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford rests during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, March. “It’s the life of a footballer — we can rest when we retire,” Rashford said Wednesday, a day before appearance No. Indeed, his priority is winning trophies with United, which hasn’t happened for nearly four years now — since capturing the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the semifinals have been the ceiling for United in cup competitions and Rashford said it’s time to put that right. “We unfortunately got kicked out of the Champions League and our focus was to win the Europa League," he said, "and we are not going to be happy with anything less than that.

Manchester United won 2-0. Manchester United's 2-0 victory on Sunday halted City's winning run at 21 matches in all competitions. The most important number to Guardiola is 11 — the points advantage City holds over second-place United. City running away with the title seemed unimaginable in November when it lost to then-leader Tottenham. After a one-two with Marcus Rashford, the left back scored his first league goal since 2018, putting the ball through Rodri’s legs.

Racist abuse. And social media accounts allowed to stay active even after spreading bile. English football has reached breaking point with players, coaches, referees and officials aghast at the ongoing proliferation of hate aimed at them on Instagram and Twitter. This is being enforced almost two years after players in England boycotted social media for 24 hours. The government is also introducing legislation — the online safety bill — that could see social media companies fined for failing to protect their users.

The leaders of English soccer have asked the heads of Facebook and Instagram to show basic human decency by taking more robust action to eradicate racism and for users identities to be verified. There has been growing outrage that players from the Premier League to the Womens Super League have been targeted with abuse on Twitter and Facebook-owned Instagram. “The language used is debasing, often threatening and illegal,” the eight English soccer leaders, including from the Football Association and Premier League, wrote to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook chairman Mark Zuckerberg. The letter was signed by the CEOs of the English Football Association (Mark Bullingham), Premier League (Richard Masters), English Football League (Trevor Birch), Professional Footballers’ Association (Gordon Taylor) and League Managers’ Association (Richard Bevan). Threats of violence on social media have also alarmed English soccer this week.

Arteta had billed the coming week, starting with the visit of Chelsea, as a “crucial” period that would determine which direction Arsenal was heading this season. A first league victory in nearly two months was vital, therefore, to boost Arsenal players' fragile confidence — even if it only lifted them into 14th place. “It's something to build on.”It took 90 minutes for the scrutiny that was hovering over Arteta to drift toward his Chelsea counterpart, Frank Lampard. That's three losses in the last four league games for Chelsea, which has dropped to seventh place and whose identity — and best lineup — is increasingly hard to decipher. The result kept Leicester above United in the standings after they started the day in second and third place.

Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne takes a shot at goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. There have been 150 top-flight Man U v Man City derbies with United having won 58 and City 45, with 47 draws. (AP Photo/Paul Ellis/ Pool via AP)MANCHESTER – Being shut out of the Manchester derby might not have seemed so bad for fans after all. United and City drew 0-0 in a drab Premier League encounter that saw the rivals manage only two shots each on target between them on Saturday. So the 183rd Manchester derby was the first one in an empty stadium.

The fans — 2,000 from West Ham, 2,000 from Chelsea — had contrasting experiences on opposite sides of London. Chelsea’s players treated their select group of attending fans to a comeback of their own at Stamford Bridge. The match saw respective managers Frank Lampard, of Chelsea, and Marcelo Bielsa, of Leeds, meet for the first time in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Guardiola didn’t make a single substitution, at a time when he is pushing the Premier League to increase the number of replacements from three to five for player-welfare reasons. It’s now 11 goals in 11 games for the Everton striker after scoring the equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Burnley.

The British government has made another U-turn and now says it will provide free meals to disadvantaged children over upcoming holidays. That follows a hugely popular campaign to fight child hunger by Manchester United soccer star Marcus Rashford. His petition demanding the Conservative government pay for free school meals for disadvantaged students over the holidays attracted more than 1 million signatures. The new money comes a month after the Conservative government failed to back a motion from the opposition Labour Party to extend free school meals. But she said the government needs to help another 1.7 million poor students who miss out on free school lunches because the qualifying income is set far too low.

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 file photo, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks from 10 Downing Street to a meeting with his ministers at the Foreign Office, in London. Less than a year after winning a landslide election victory, Johnson is facing multiple crises with few political friends. Johnson himself spent a week in hospital with the virus in April, some of it on oxygen in intensive care. “Our constituents have been some of the hardest hit by this virus, with many losing jobs, businesses, and livelihoods,” said group leader Jake Berry, demanding a road-map out of coronavirus restrictions and a jobs plan for the north. Even supportive lawmakers say Johnson’s government needs to show it cares about issues that matter to millions of people.

Pediatricians are urging the British government to reverse course and provide free meals for poor children during school holidays as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes more families into poverty. (Tim Goode/PA via AP)LONDON – Pediatricians are urging the British government to reverse course and provide free meals for poor children during school holidays as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes more families into poverty. The House of Commons last week rejected legislation that would have provided free meals during all school holidays from October through the Easter break. The doctors say some 4 million children live in poverty, and a third rely on free school meals. Rashford’s campaign helped pressure Johnson's government into providing free meals during a nationwide coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, and he has gathered more than 800,000 signatures on a petition to extend the program.

Restaurants, cafes and even some local governments across England have mounted a grassroots effort inspired by soccer star Marcus Rashford to feed students during the upcoming school break. “Blown away by news of local businesses stepping up to fill the voucher scheme deficit during the October half term. Voting against free school meals for kids in poverty is inhumane. In June, Rashford successfully lobbied British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to extend free school meals through the summer. More than 1.4 million children benefit from free school meals, according to the Labour Party.

The 22-year-old England international successfully lobbied British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government in June to extend free school meals through the summer. This is not politics, this is humanity.”More than 1.4 million children benefit from free school meals, according to the Labour Party. The debate raged on social media, as well, as Rashford and Conservative members of parliament sparred about how best to feed hungry kids. Ben Bradley, a Conservative MP, named Rashford on Twitter in a post that said extending the free school meals program “passes responsibility for feeding kids away from parents, to the State. "Nobody said this was simple...”Just this month, Rashford was honored by Queen Elizabeth II for his earlier effort to feed kids.

Another trip to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. In a heavyweight contest on the opening night of the group stage, United reproduced its stunning exploits from the 2018-19 competition by beating PSG away thanks to Rashford's 87th-minute strike in a 2-1 win on Tuesday. YOUNGSTERS SHINEMessi now has 116 goals in the Champions League, and extended his run of scoring at least one goal in the competition in 16 consecutive seasons. Messi and Ronaldo — two players who have been at the top of the world game for more than a decade — are in the same Champions League group for the first time and are set to meet next week when Juventus hosts Barca. AMERICAN PRESENCEU.S. national team goalkeeper Ethan Horvath is one of a record 10 Americans eligible for the group stage with various clubs.

Early in what proved to be a painful Merseyside derby for Liverpool, Van Dijk was the subject of a reckless lunge by Jordan Pickford that saw the Everton goalkeeper clatter into the extended right leg of the Netherlands defender. Van Dijk roared in agony and, tellingly, stayed down. There was no official word from Liverpool on the potential length of his absence, but Van Dijk reportedly left hospital on crutches in the evening. Van Dijk might have been marking Keane and Calvert-Lewin for both of those Everton chances. For Southampton’s second goal, Kurt Zouma underhit a back pass before goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made two errors in a matter of seconds to allow Che Adams to score.

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a save in front of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Portugal at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)MILAN – Portugal and France lost their perfect records in this season’s UEFA Nations League after playing out a 0-0 draw against each other on Sunday, and Belgium saw its 13-match unbeaten run ended by a 2-1 defeat against England. France’s Kylian Mbappe was substituted near the end after having failed to make an impression against the Nations League champion’s resolute defense. Portugal stays top in Group 3 of League A, ahead of France on goal difference, with both teams on seven points. England moved a point ahead of second-place Belgium and three above Denmark which beat Iceland 3-0.

(Richard Heathcote/Pool via AP)Manchester United began its Premier League campaign with a performance as disjointed as its offseason. Maybe the 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday shouldn’t really have come as a surprise. After all, United only ended a pandemic-prolonged 2019-20 season 33 days ago with a demoralizing loss to Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals. “We knew Manchester United didn’t play last week and that we had the mental advantage,” Palace winger Andros Townsend said. On a day when 21 goals were scored in four games, there were also wins for Everton, Leeds and Arsenal.

(Ina Fassbender/Pool Via AP)COLOGNE Luuk de Jong scored the winning goal as Sevilla came back from a goal down to beat Manchester United 2-1 on Sunday and reach the final of the Europa League. Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept his team in the semifinal at 1-1 with a string of saves either side of halftime, before de Jong won it. With the game at 1-1 and heading for extra time, Sevilla substitute de Jong made the breakthrough in the 78th minute. United had taken the lead in the ninth minute with yet another penalty in a season packed with them. Diego Carlos tangled with Marcus Rashford as the United forward had his shot saved, and then Bruno Fernandes stepped up to send the penalty into the top-left corner.

LONDON The British issue of Vogue is devoting its September issue to activism, with a cover featuring two Black activists and produced by a predominantly Black team. The cover features 22-year-old Manchester United soccer star Marcus Rashford, who in June successfully campaigned to force Britains government to grant free food vouchers to poor families during the summer holidays. They were photographed by Misan Harriman, the first Black photographer tasked with shooting the magazines September issue traditionally seen as the most important one in the Vogue calendar. The fold-out cover features 18 other faces, including campaigners for the Black Lives Matter movement, feminists and anti-racism activists. He said that the incident highlighted how despite his achievements, "the first thing that some people will judge you on is the color of your skin.Last year, the September issue of British Vogue was guest-edited by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Manchester United's Mason Greenwood celebrates after scoring a goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, July 4, 2020. (Peter Powell/Pool via AP)Some of the top Premier League teams are putting their faith in youth in the high-stakes finale to the longest-ever soccer season in England. Jamie Vardy passed the 100-goal mark in Premier League goals by netting twice as Leicester beat Crystal Palace 3-0 for its first win since the restart. With five more rounds left, Leicester stayed a point clear of Chelsea and three points ahead of fifth-place Manchester United. Finishing in sixth will earn the team a berth in the Europa League next season, as may seventh.

FILE - In this Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 file photo, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates during an English Premier League soccer match against Manchester City at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England. Manchester United and England player Marcus Rashford is urging the government to provide free meals for needy students over the summer holidays. My day job, the Manchester United striker tweeted this week alongside a picture of him at practice at the teams training facility. They are qualities the United manager sees in Rashford the soccer player, too, having already made him his No. He has changed the lives of so many kids this summer, Solskjaer said, which is more important than any game of football he will probably play.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)MANCHESTER A Premier League shutdown that began with the British government trying to shame stars over their wealth ended with admiration for a player's determination to ensure children won't starve. Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford received an unprecedented outpouring of congratulatory messages ahead of Wednesday's resumption of the world's most followed soccer league. It was at the same podium three months ago, early in the coronavirus pandemic, that the government tried to shame stars of the worlds richest league. I think well look back on the last three months with some pride at the way football as an industry has responded to some of the challenge, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said. And alongside fellow players, Sterling launched a #TimeForChange campaign video that ended with him saying: I will never tire of being black.The league is more reticent to say how it can create a more inclusive environment.

LONDON Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal were among the clubs who stepped up their preparations for the Premier Leagues return by holding practice matches on Saturday. The league also announced Saturday that the sixth round of COVID-19 testing of 1,195 players and staff across the 20 clubs on Thursday and Friday produced no positives. Arsenal, which will be in action on the first night back away to Manchester City, hosted second-tier side Charlton at the Emirates Stadium. Eddie Nketiah scored a hat trick in a 6-0 win for the Gunners, with forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette also netting. Players drove to the stadium in their match kit and the match was refereed by fitness coach Charlie Owen.

In this Monday, June 1, 2020 photo, Dnico Perry-Ellis leads a chant on Station Street in Pittsburgh, protesting the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. Dismayed by the death of Floyd and inspired by the actions of Colin Kaepernick, athletes from around the world have come together during one of the most politically charged periods in modern history. Soccer players may also take what has happened to Floyd more personally because of how often black players have been abused inside stadiums around Europe in recent years. Baer-Hoffman said the reaction of sports stars was a reflection of uncertain times around the world since the outbreak of the coronavirus. It scares you and forces you to think I think it stands for something much greater.