• Manager accepts full responsibility for 3-0 loss
• ‘I didn’t see my team out there. They wanted it more’

Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa as the worst of his managerial career but was at a loss to explain a performance in which – as he put it – “I didn’t see my team out there”. Arsenal were second best in every department and Arteta was scathing about his team’s attitude as well as their execution.

“They wanted it more than us,” he said. “I’m struggling to find the reason, but obviously there was something there. If you can’t defend your box, it’s a really complicated way to win matches. We haven’t been scoring a lot of goals and today we looked open in transition, and if you don’t put chances away you have no chance to win. I take full responsibility.”

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Keane is setting an example for Maguire, Liverpool can expose Manchester City’s vulnerability and will Southampton go top?

The knives are out again for Ole Gunnar Solskjær following Manchester United’s slapdash defeats to Arsenal and Basaksehir. Beating Everton is the only acceptable way to fight back. Solskjær is likely to go with a counterattacking formula that has generally worked well for him, although his job stability could still hinge on Harry Maguire’s ability to subdue Dominic Calvert-Lewin. As Maguire struggles to play his way out of a prolonged wobble, he might do well to seek inspiration from Michael Keane who, Everton’s two recent defeats notwithstanding, has improved hugely this year. One aspect of Keane’s play that has become especially noticeable in silent stadiums is how well he communicates with and guides his teammates. PD

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Manchester City and United have found the right formula, Leicester are still looking for it, and Fulham need a win

“Manchester United struggle against a low block” is a criticism trotted out so regularly that it is accepted as fact, but the reality is somewhat different. When any Premier League team defends deep and in numbers, scoring goals against them is difficult. Since signing Bruno Fernandes, United have played 33 games, winning 22, drawing seven and losing four, the defeats linked not by the opponents’ set-up but by United’s poor goalkeeping, defending, finishing and fitness. They look to have resolved those issues, and may also have found the best way of setting up. Though a 4-4-2 diamond means selecting only two of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial – who is suspended for Sunday’s game – the formation makes the strikers extremely difficult to mark. A tight midfield four behind affords the defence greater protection and allows Ole Gunnar Solskjær to pick two playmakers. After a long search, United look to have found the right balance. DH

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• Real Madrid avoid fourth straight European loss in Germany
• Inter held by Shakhtar as João Félix shines for Atlético
  

Real Madrid scored two goals in the final minutes with Karim Benzema and Casemiro to rescue a 2-2 draw at Borussia Mönchengladbach in their Champions League Group B match to avoid a fourth successive defeat in the competition.

Related: Liverpool maintain perfect start against Midtjylland but lose Fabinho to injury

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Axel Tuanzebe should start, Everton’s and Aston Villa’s credentials will be tested and Rhian Brewster returns to Anfield

Following their last-ditch heroics against Tottenham, West Ham host Manchester City and in this white-knuckle rollercoaster ride of a season not even the combined forces of Mystic Meg, Nostradamus and Sally Morgan could boldly predict what might happen. City came from behind to beat Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday but their win was far from convincing. The Portuguese side carved open the City defence on several occasions, while Ederson was lucky to survive an uncharacteristic howler. Already without Kevin De Bruyne, Aymeric Laporte, Benjamin Mendy and Gabriel Jesus, City were dealt a further blow with the news Fernandinho will be sidelined for four to six weeks. While undeniably valuable to their cause, the Brazilian may not be quite the loss Guardiola fears – the season before last, City averaged 2.7 points per top flight game in which he played, compared with 2.0 in those in which he didn’t. Last season, with Fernandinhooften covering in City’s now-replenished central defence, they earned more points in the eight games without him (2.4 per game) than in matches he played in (2.13). BG

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• Midfielder forced to fill void left by Virgil van Dijk
• Fabinho’s acrobatic clearance off the line seals win
  

Jürgen Klopp believes Fabinho’s ­confidence and stature in the heart of Liverpool’s defence will continue to grow after the Brazilian produced a dominant display in the Champions League victory at Ajax.

Related: Liverpool edge out Ajax in Champions League after Nicolás Tagliafico own goal

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• Juventus forward has been accused of rape by American woman
• Portugal star will not face criminal charges over allegations

Cristiano Ronaldo’s legal fight against a woman who accuses the Juventus star of raping her in his suite at a Las Vegas resort more than 10 years ago is heading toward a trial before a federal judge in Nevada.

No date was immediately set, but US district judge Jennifer Dorsey said she will hear arguments and decide herself whether Kathryn Mayorga was mentally fit to enter a 2010 hush-money agreement with Ronaldo’s representatives that paid Mayorga $375,000.

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Chelsea and Liverpool could both be vulnerable, Nathan Aké has a rare chance and are Newcastle the Entertainers again?

Last season Liverpool won 15 league games by the odd goal, and began their title defence in similar style, beating Leeds 4-3 in an indecently entertaining match. But this habit is not an easy one to sustain, and it is worth nothing that they have lost five of their past 14 games, conceding 19 times in the process. It is true that now is a good time to play Chelsea – Kepa Arrizabalaga is still first choice, Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech are unfit, and Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have not fully settled. But Werner still looked sharp against Brighton, while Havertz can change the course of a game at any moment. If Chelsea somehow refrain from tossing goals in their own net, they will ask some serious questions of a back four that has looked more vulnerable of late. DH

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Brendan Rodgers’ team can be brilliant but could go backwards if they do not adequately address shortcomings

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 7th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 5th

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Will Marcelo Bielsa’s team be another Sheffield United or more like Norwich? Much may depend on record signing Rodrigo

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Louise Taylor’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 1st in the Championship

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As ever, much depends on Aleksandar Mitrovic. More than anything, though, Fulham need to trust in the collective

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 19th (NB: this is not necessarily Jacob Steinberg’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 4th in Championship

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• Manager rebukes players for inviting women to team hotel
  
• ‘There has to be a consequence to what happened’

Gareth Southgate said that Mason Greenwood and Phil Foden have to regain his trust before he considers calling them up for England again.

Foden and Greenwood were sent home in disgrace on Monday after inviting women to the England team hotel in Iceland and Southgate, whose side ground out a dour 0-0 draw with Denmark in the Nations League on Tuesday night, is yet to decide whether to include the youngsters in his next squad.

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Chris Wilder will not entertain talk of Second Season Syndrome – and with good reason given the Blades’ blend of solidity and style

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 11th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul Doyle’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 9th

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• Double in Stockholm takes Ronaldo to 101 international goals
• France put four past Croatia, Belgium rally to thrash Iceland

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo rattled home a superb first-half free kick against Sweden for his 100th international goal – and struck another spectacular effort in the second half to seal a 2-0 Nations League win in Stockholm.

The 35-year-old was a constant threat to Sweden’s defence, and the hosts made their task even tougher when Gustav Svensson received his second yellow card for a reckless challenge on João Moutinho. Ronaldo stepped up and smashed a dipping free kick beyond the despairing dive of Robin Olsen and just under the crossbar.

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United need to improve again and there are plenty of questions facing Ole Gunnar Solskjær as the season approaches

Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie Jackson’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 3rd

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Thomas Müller didn’t do much that registered on the approved statistical records. But he was still key to Bayern’s triumph

It had to be him, one way or another. Throughout this evenly matched Champions League final the knobbly-kneed figure in the deep forward position had roamed, disrupting the patterns of Paris Saint-Germain and teleporting himself into useful attacking spaces, a man playing football with his toes and thighs and elbows in the middle of all that high-speed grace.

Thomas Müller does, however, know how to win games; and specifically how to make Bayern Munich win. For 58 minutes in Lisbon PSG’s defence had been impressively tight, lines compressed to create a dark blue double bolt.

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The Catalans had a superb season under Lluís Cortés and have kept the squad together, including star forward Jenni Hermoso

When the Spanish league was interrupted by the coronavirus crisis in mid-March, Barcelona were having their best ever season. The team had won 19 out of 21 matches, as well as the Supercopa and had qualified for the Copa de la Reina semi-finals and WCL quarter-finals. Once the season was officially cancelled, Barcelona were awarded the league title, their first since 2015.

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Bernardo and David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden started on the bench as City’s manager tried to play rope-a-dope

You failed. No matter. Fail again. Fail in pretty much exactly the same way.

How many times, Pep, how many times? The idea that Pep Guardiola over‑complicates knockout games has become such a truism it seems impossible a manager of such clarity of thought could still be following that pattern; still finding ways to insert his own anxieties,his maniacal intellectualism into the fine details of elite knockout football.

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• Teams face off as league prepares to return to regular season
• A much-need respite or foolish risk? MLS welcomes back fans
• Email Beau with your thoughts or tweet @duresport

1.20am BST

Officiating news

The center ref is Ismail Elfath, but the story here is Kathryn Nesbitt, the AR who will be the first woman to officiate an MLS final.

1.11am BST

Yes, that’s the Nani, the former Manchester United player and Portuguese international. He was superb in the Lions’ 3-1 semifinal win over Minnesota United.

English striker Dom Dwyer, the husband of U.S. women’s striker Sydney Leroux, is out injured. The man up front is Tesho Akindele, from Canada by way of the Colorado School of Mines.

Your Lions for tonight's #MLSisBack Final. @orlandohealth | #PORvORL

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• Defender has not been offered new deal by José Mourinho
• Roy Hodgson pessimistic over hopes of keeping Wilfried Zaha

Jan Vertonghen is set to leave Tottenham after his teammates paid emotional tributes following the final game of the season at Crystal Palace.

The Belgium defender has not been offered a new deal and will leave after eight years service during which he made more than 300 appearances and was one of the most reliable centre-backs in the Premier League. The goalkeeper Michel Vorm is also departing with the club set to confirm their exits on Monday.

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