Manchester City have dropped seven points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after they beat Brighton and Hove Albion, while Pep Guardiola’s side drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest

Manchester City have fallen further behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race after drawing 2-2 with Nottingham Forest at Etihad Stadium.

Antoine Semenyo opened the scoring after half an hour, but Morgan Gibbs-White equalised with a deft backheel ten minutes into the second half. Rodri then restored City’s lead soon after, only for Elliot Anderson to level the score again and secure Forest a share of the spoils.

At the same time, an early goal from Bukayo Saka was enough to earn Arsenal three points against Brighton after putting on a solid defensive display to keep another clean sheet and extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Taking all this into account, MEN Sport has carried out a thorough analysis of the upcoming fixtures for the two title contenders.

Manchester City’s next five Premier League fixtures.

West Ham (A) – March 14

Chelsea (A) – April 12

Arsenal (H) – April 19

Burnley (A) – April 26

Everton (A) – May 2/3

Verdict: Further dropped points from City are entirely plausible over the coming weeks, with a resurgent West Ham United awaiting them this weekend at London Stadium. A trip to Chelsea follows before the crucial encounter against Arsenal, a match they now cannot afford to lose. Guardiola and his squad then travel to Burnley and Everton, with both sides struggling on home ground of late, making all six points an absolute requirement.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League fixtures.

Everton (H) – March 14

Bournemouth (H) – April 11

Man City (A) – April 19

Newcastle (H) – April 25

Fulham (H) – May 2/3

Verdict: The FA Cup and Champions League are Arsenal’s immediate priorities, but they return to Premier League action just under 10 days later with Everton visiting Emirates Stadium. The Carabao Cup final and the final international break of the season mean Arsenal’s next league match is not until mid-April, with Bournemouth travelling to north London.

The blockbuster clash against Man City follows, with a victory not currently crucial for Arsenal to retain their advantage in the title race. They then return to home ground with Newcastle United heading south, before Fulham later take on Mikel Arteta’s side.

City of York Council’s executive backed extra Blue Badge parking, rest areas and looking into different opening times and closing on some days to help ease the market’s impact.

Cllr Claire Douglas, the council’s Labour leader, said it was part of efforts to make the city centre open and available for everyone amid remarkably difficult circumstances.

But disabled people told councillors the measures did not go far enough while businesses including pubs and bars warned against changes which could harm them during the lucrative festive period.

Opposition Liberal Democrat deputy leader Cllr Paula Widdowson said traffic restrictions which affected Blue Badge holders during last year’s Christmas Market could be enforced more often.

RECOMMENDED READING:

The executive’s decision on Tuesday, March 3 to look at measures for future Christmas Markets follows a review into the way city centre events operate.

It comes after an Anti-Terror Traffic Regulation Order (ATTRO) brought in during last year’s Christmas Market saw vehicle access to the city centre restricted for Blue Badge holders and others.

The police said it was needed to deter vehicle attacks seen elsewhere but disabled people said it hindered their access to the city centre in the run up to Christmas.

Police officers have now recommended making the ATTRO permanent and the council is set to consult on the proposals.

It would see the restrictions typically lie dormant with the council, police and other emergency services deciding when to enforce them.

A council report stated it could see the measures enforced across a range of events and it would need to be ready to manage the impact on those affected.

Measures costing around £70,000 to help ease the impact are set to come ahead of officials looking into longer-term solutions which will require outside funding.

Last year’s Christmas Market caused problems for Blue Badge holders

Council city development lead Garry Taylor said options for immediate changes were limited but he was confident improvements could be made, though it would take time.

But disability rights activist Flick Williams said making the city centre accessible to all while counter-terror measures become more stringent and public spaces are commercialised was a pipe dream.

Ms Williams said: “I predict that far from lying dormant, a permanent ATTRO will increasingly be used for ever more events including protests, we are staring down the barrel of another permanent Blue Badge ban.”

York Pubwatch said in a statement the Christmas Market was a vital source of income and called for compromise if a permanent ATTRO is implemented.

They said: “This may mean shorter opening times during the day and opening later, these changes would have a negligible effect on our business.

“Ultimately, please don’t take our hugely successful Christmas Market away from the city.”

Andrew Lowson, chief executive of York’s Business Improvement District (BID), said the implementation of similar restrictions in Chester during their Christmas Market had maintained good access for Blue Badge holders.

Green Andy D’Agorne said it was unacceptable that longer-term changes were expected to take three to five years while the city remains without a Dial & Ride service to help.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Widdowson said access decisions should be made solely by the police and Labour now risked breaking its pledge to reverse the previous Blue Badge parking ban.

Labour council Leader Cllr Douglas said alternative opening times and rest days should be among the measures looked at to manage future events.

The leader said: “It’s remarkably difficult and we know it’s tremendously painful for people who feel they can’t access the city centre, its services and the social life they deserve in what is their home town.”

Council deputy leader and economy spokesperson Cllr Pete Kilbane said they wanted to continue putting on events that brought people together in York while maintaining access.

He added Liberal Democrats were in favour of banning Blue Badge holders from the city centre all year.

As acts of vengeance go, which is what Hezbollah says its strikes on northern Israel in the early hours of Monday morning were, this was not especially dramatic.

Six rockets, only one of which the Israelis deemed worth intercepting, the rest falling on open land.

Follow live updates on the war

Israel seized its chance, launching massive air strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and on the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut.

There are evacuation orders now in place for anyone living south of the Litani river.

That’s around 10% of Lebanon‘s entire landmass which Israel wants cleared so that it can have a go at doing what it has always wanted to do – dispatch of Hezbollah once and for all, just as it hopes to do with the militant group’s Iranian sponsor.

The sounds of war

The hilltop town of Metula in northernmost Israel is the best vantage point over into Lebanon. Its name literally means “the lookout” in Arabic.

Beyond the concrete barrier which snakes along the mountainside between the two countries there are the shells of bombed out villages destroyed in Israel’s last war with Lebanon.

Now the sounds of this one ring out across the valley.

Machine-gun fire from Israeli attack helicopters targeting Hezbollah launchers. Grad or Katyusha rockets coming the other way. There is precious little time to take cover when fire is incoming at this range.

We filmed what we had to and left.

You take cover where you can

The IDF says they believe Iran and Hezbollah are coordinating their strike action, with simultaneous barrages coming towards Israel from both directions.

If the alerts sound on your phone, it’s from Iran and you have two minutes to find shelter. If it’s the sound of a rocket up in Metula, you take cover where you can.

Advertisement

Share

What’s happening in Lebanon following Israeli strikes?

Advertisement

The fight is on

Since Monday across most of Israel, there has been a lull in the pace of missiles coming from Iran.

Up in the north though, it’s a different story. You know that the fight with Hezbollah is back on and that Hezbollah is fighting back. You can hear it loud and clear.

Read more from Sky News:
Iran has made a ‘big mistake’, says ex-spy chief
How Trump has had ‘the last laugh’

Lebanon is reeling from Israel’s air strikes and from the thousands fleeing their homes all across the country’s south.

The Lebanese government is furious at Hezbollah for bringing war back to a country which has suffered enough.

Israel is hoping to squeeze Hezbollah between a rock and a hard place, by pummelling its leadership and military capabilities and hoping that the Lebanese government, for its part, enforces the group’s disarmament.

At the same time, Israel says it does not intend to evacuate its civilians from the north, as it did after October 7th. It must not consider Hezbollah the foe it once did.

Life scored by sirens

We were in a supermarket getting supplies. Another alert, and the tannoy directed customers to the bunker.

The first people in were Thai supermarket workers, who clearly weren’t enjoying their day jobs. Israelis seemed more relaxed. They are used to the sirens by now. One war follows the next in such quick succession.

But one girl stayed sitting long after the all clear had come, her head in her hands.

She was having a panic attack.

The Republic is establishing a permanent basic income scheme

The DUP has voiced opposition against a Basic Income for Artists scheme being introduced in Northern Ireland.

At Belfast City Council this week, the DUP Party Group Leader Sarah Bunting spoke out against the idea, as the rest of the council voted to lobby Stormont to introduce the scheme.

The Republic of Ireland is establishing a permanent Basic Income for the Arts scheme, and will pay 2,000 eligible artists €325 per week for three years. The scheme is to be introduced after a long running pilot, and aims to provide financial stability, improve well-being, and reduce the need for alternative employment for artists. Applications are expected to open soon.

READ MORE: Petition to stop Botanic Gardens being dug up for pitch amasses hundreds of signatures in 48 hours

READ MORE: Sinn Féin and DUP criticised for blocking decisions on Roselawn and city centre byelaws

At the March meeting of the full Belfast Council, 35 elected representatives voted in favour of an SDLP motion promoting the idea in the North, with 15 against the motion from the DUP.

The motion states: “The arts, culture and creative sectors are central to Belfast’s social fabric, wellbeing, identity, and local economy. Many artists, performers and creative workers in Belfast and across the North continue to experience insecure, low and irregular incomes, worsened by the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and the ongoing cost of living crisis.

“The Irish Government introduced a Basic Income for Artists pilot in 2022, providing an unconditional weekly payment to artists and creative workers, which has been independently evaluated as improving financial stability, wellbeing, and time spent on creative practice. The Irish Government has now committed to making this scheme permanent, recognising the structural precarity faced by those working in the creative industries.”

It adds: “This council believes that artists and creative workers should not be forced out of their professions due to financial insecurity. It believes Belfast’s creative sector is a vital public good, contributing to community cohesion, regeneration, tourism, mental health, youth engagement and cultural life.

“A Basic Income for Artists scheme in the north would help protect creative livelihoods, retain local talent, and strengthen the city’s cultural ecosystem.”

If passed, Belfast Council will call on the Executive to introduce and fund a Basic Income for Artists scheme, modelled on the Irish Government’s programme, to “provide regular, unconditional income support to eligible artists and creative workers.”

The council would request that the Minister for Communities lead on the development of the scheme, in partnership with the Department for the Economy and the Department of Finance, “engaging directly with the arts and creative sectors in its design” and treating it “as a priority within the Executive’s Programme for Government and budget-setting process.”

The SDLP accepted a “friendly” Green Party amendment stressing fairness in accessibility to any potential Basic Income for Artists scheme.

At the full council meeting, DUP Councillor Sarah Bunting said: “Let me be clear, no one in this chamber disputes the value of the arts. The cultural and creative sector is part of the lifeblood of Belfast. It contributes to our identity, our tourism offering, our community cohesion and indeed to people’s well-being and mental health. That is not in question.

“But what is in question is whether calling for a permanent, unconditional basic income for artists is the right policy, whether it is affordable, whether it is fair, and crucially, whether this council is the forum to be discussing it.

“It is not a matter for Belfast City Council, that responsibility lies with the Northern Ireland Executive and the Assembly.”

She added: “So we have to ask, why is this motion here? If the proposers genuinely believe in this policy, they have MLAs who sit in the Assembly, they have the ability to table motions, they can introduce private members bills, and they can scrutinise ministers. That is where this debate properly belongs.”

She said: “There is a serious question of principle. If we accept artists should receive a guaranteed income because their work is socially valuable, yet financially insecure, then what about others who contribute enormously to society? What about sports coaches who volunteer evenings and weekends, shaping young people’s lives?

“What about community volunteers running food banks and youth groups, what about carers, entrepreneurs trying to build small businesses? Many give their time, talent and energy without any guarantee of financial stability.”

Belfast Council will send correspondence to the selected Stormont departments, and the replies are expected to be published at forthcoming committee meetings at City Hall.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Liam Rosenior says he decided to drop goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for Chelsea’s crucial Premier League clash against Aston Villa because of a ‘gut feeling in training’.

Sanchez has attracted much criticism for his performances at Stamford Bridge and struggled again in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

Rosenior opted to take Sanchez out of the firing line for Chelsea’s trip to Villa Park on Wednesday night, with Filip Jorgensen instead starting the impressive 4-1 win.

Chelsea trailed through Douglas Luiz’s early opener but were ahead by the half-time interval thanks to two goals from Joao Pedro.

Cole Palmer added a third shortly after half-time before Pedro completed his hat-trick and put the game to bed just after the hour mark.

The emphatic win sends Chelsea back above Liverpool into fifth-place, three points behind Manchester United and Aston Villa in third and fourth respectively.

Explaining why he decided to change his No. 1 for the trip to Villa, Rosenior said: ‘Rob [Sanchez] is an outstanding goalkeeper.

‘I just saw Filip [Jorgensen] in training and sometimes as a manager you have to go with your gut.

‘Filip gave us something different and they will both be fighting it out for the rest of the season.’

Discussing Chelsea’s emphatic win, Rosenior added: ‘We knew coming into the game in terms of the season and what we want to achieve that it was a big game.

‘The team stepped up. I thought it was an outstanding team performance. Obviously, Joao will get the plaudits and rightly so but some of our possession play, our incision, pressing, our energy, our commitment to defend was top but it needs to continue.

‘We started the game really, really, well and then they score through a fantastic finish.

‘We’ve had a few setbacks, but we’ve spoken a lot as a group in a positive way and we definitely showed that tonight.’

Pedro, meanwhile, was delighted to register his first Chelsea hat-trick as the Blues gave a superb response to a disappointing derby defeat to Arsenal.

‘I think it is a special night for me,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘I was waiting for this moment.

‘I work a lot to be ready for this moment and I have great players around me so I try to always be in the right place and today I could score three goals.

‘In the whole season we try to be consistent but have dropped too many points at home but now we need to look forward and do our best every game.’

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery admitted his team were ‘dominated’ by their top-four rivals and said it was crucial to ‘find solutions’ after suffering back-to-back defeats.

‘We competed but they dominated more in the first half,’ Emery said. ‘The match was equal in the result and so tight but they were playing better than us.

‘After they scored their third goal they had complete confidence in the match. We tried but it was not enough.

‘We are now in a bad moment. Chelsea are so happy and deserved to win. The consistency is very important but now we are not being consistent.

‘In 29 matches we have been better than them but not today. Now we have to find solutions and recover our confidence and good form.’

Chelsea face Championship side Wrexham in the FA Cup on Saturday while Aston Villa’s next fixture is a Europa League knockout game against Lille.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MORE: Mikel Arteta responds to Fabian Hurzeler slamming David Raya after Arsenal beat Brighton

MORE: Paul Scholes takes dig at Michael Carrick after Man Utd’s defeat to Newcastle

MORE: Martin Keown criticises ‘nervy’ Arsenal star after win over Brighton

As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our
articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local
services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local
community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need
as much support as possible during these challenging times.

​The scale of the dredging campaign in Whitby Harbour is set to be accelerated after restrictions were relaxed by the government’s Marine Management Organisation (MMO).

​Dredging removes silt and sand at the bottom of harbours to help ensure they remain operational.

​Chris Bourne, North Yorkshire Council’s head of harbours and coastal infrastructure, said: “We’ve been somewhat hampered by the conditions that are attached to the dredging licence around the quantities that can be removed and also an exclusion area around Endeavour Wharf.

​“We’ve been working very, very hard to try to remove or relax those conditions and I’m pleased to say that last week the MMO did agree to remove the 5,000 tonne limit per month on dredging.

​“So that does mean we can achieve more dredging and get the harbour dredging subject to the weather and sea conditions.”

​Last summer, the council announced it would resume dredging in Whitby with its vessel Sandsend, after securing a new licence.

​The authority previously said it was “regrettable that the dredging licence was allowed to expire”.

​Dredging work has also been undertaken by the council in Scarborough.

​According to the Environment Agency, dredging and desilting can have “serious and long-lasting negative impacts on the environment”.

​“For example, it can damage or destroy fish spawning grounds and make river banks unstable,” the agency said.

​Speaking at a meeting in Whitby on March 2, Mr Bourne said: “Dredging is without a doubt the most important thing in both of the harbours.

​“There was no dredging for a period of years, and it proved almost impossible to secure the dredging licences.

​“We’ve now managed to secure them, and we’re managing to remove some of the associated conditions with those, so dredging is ongoing now in Whitby, and it will be in Scarborough as well.”

​Mr Bourne said that following the completion of the dredging campaign in Whitby, the council’s dredger, Sandsend, will go to Scarborough, after which it will return to Whitby for a second campaign.

​“Dredging will be ongoing throughout this year,” he added.

She fled the scene, leaving another of her neighbours, who was her passenger, with numerous life changing injuries

A woman who crashed a car while drunk, left her passenger with life changing injuries. Martyna Bryniak, 38, crashed her neighbour’s car into trees in Goldhay Way, Peterborough, after taking it without permission on March 9 last year.

She fled the scene, leaving her passenger with numerous life changing injuries, including shattered bones in her leg. Bryniak was arrested at her home in Hinchcliffe after she was identified as the driver.

She failed the initial breath test and provided an evidential sample which revealed she was over the legal limit of alcohol.

Bryniak pleaded guilty to drink driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking and driving without insurance. The 38-year-old appeared at Huntingdon Law Courts on Thursday (February 26), where she was handed a two-year driving ban and sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The court also ordered Bryniak to pay £5000 in compensation, complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement, and 100 hours of unpaid work.

According to Cambridgeshire Police, the judge, in sentencing, said the devastation and damage was “all caused by your decision to put your foot on the pedal that took you both on that journey.”

Sergeant Ben Chance, who investigated, said: “Bryniak made the choice to not only get behind the wheel of a car without permission, but also knowing she was under the influence of alcohol.

“Her actions have had a significant impact – physically, emotionally, and financially – on the lives of the victim and the victim’s family.”

As an 11-year-old, travelling over from Denmark, Osula had won a soccer school skills competition at Manchester United and this was the football of the playground with a storyline to match.

The noise when the ball nestled in the net almost blew the roof off St James’ Park. As did the roar at the final whistle.

“He had one moment to show his speed and his legs,” Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head coach, said. “It’s a remarkable goal and that is his strength, his speed with the ball. He asked for 10 extra balls after training yesterday to practice that exact finish. He scored eight out 10 and delivered when it mattered most. That was not an easy finish.”

A team under pressure after three successive home defeats in the league; a team, with their backs against the wall during a really challenging period in their season delivered a remarkable victory.

It will silence any talk Howe no longer commands the respect of the dressing room. They gave everything they had to him and each other. To a man they were superb, sharp, aggressive and bold, with 11 men on the pitch and even more so with ten.

“We needed that, we know we did,” said Howe. “We have been in a difficult run in the league, we have found ways to lose games that we shouldn’t but tonight we refused to stop believing we could win this game. That is the biggest compliment I can pay the players. The collective mentality to defend our goal, it was a big step up.”

There is something about adversity, that burning sense of injustice that brings out the best in Newcastle. And this was a performance fuelled by defiance and anger.

Having looked the more dangerous side for most of the first half, the home crowd and players were incensed when Jacob Ramsey was dismissed, shown a second yellow card for simulation in the first minute of added time.

The Justice Department has reportedly abandoned a prospective case about the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, which President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have long alleged were part of a cover-up meant to hide his predecessor’s cognitive decline.

Veteran prosecutors were skeptical of the case to begin with and were unsure of what crime former President Joe Biden or his aides could be charged with committing, The New York Times reports, citing three unnamed people briefed on the probe.

The abandoned investigation, which began in 2025, marks the latest stumble in the president’s campaign to launch high-profile federal investigations against his political rivals.

Biden has said he “made every decision” under scrutiny by his critics, though he used an autopen, which are common for government officials, to sign some documents.

Trump has repeatedly claimed Biden’s actions, including his last-minute pardons of Biden family members including his son Hunter, are void as a result of the autopen allegations.

open image in gallery

A Republican-led House report released in October claimed the autopen allegations ranked among the “greatest scandals” in American presidential history, though it conceded that “not one of the Committee’s 14 witnesses” did “admit that they ever had a concern about President Biden being in cognitive decline.”

The Constitution doesn’t require a pardons be in writing or be directly signed by the president, according to legal scholars.

Trump has hung a portrait of an autopen in Biden’s spot on a recently erected presidential “Walk of Fame” in a hallway at the White House.

Last month, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, which was handling the autopen investigation, reportedly failed to secure a grand jury indictment against a group of Democratic lawmakers targeted by Trump for making a 2025 video urging military members to resist illegal orders.

The office, led by Trump ally and former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, reportedly pushed investigators to rapidly seek an indictment in the video case, even as investigators had only recently held early-stage discussions with lawyers.

open image in gallery

Advertisement

She also tapped two attorneys with scant experience in federal prosecution to help bring the case.

A former prosecutor who once worked in the U.S. attorney’s office has called Pirro’s failure to win a grand jury indictment, a rarity in federal court, a major shock.

“The average person doesn’t appreciate how stunning,” the official told Politico.

“The rules are skewed so heavily in favor of the prosecutor that it’s almost comical,” they added. “But the public is essentially saying, ‘We do not trust you. We are skeptical of you.’”

In Minnesota, meanwhile, the administration’s handling of the investigation into an ICE agent fatally shooting Renee Good in Minneapolis in January has prompted multiple federal prosecutors to resign.

The DOJ has also failed so far to win high-profile cases against Trump critics including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.