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The derby between Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague was abandoned on Saturday after hundreds of home fans stormed the pitch in the closing minutes, when Slavia were leading 3-2 at their Fortuna Stadium and seconds away from clinching the Czech league title.
Slavia supporters breached security barriers during stoppage time and flooded the field, with some carrying lit flares and running toward the visiting section. Pyrotechnics were thrown into the stands as players from both teams attempted to leave the pitch.
Czech police intervened to restore order and said they have launched criminal proceedings on suspicion of rioting. Authorities confirmed that Sparta goalkeeper Jakub Surovcik was among those targeted by home fans and was struck by a flare.
The referee later called off the match. Czech media reported that Sparta players feared for their safety and left the stadium shortly afterwards on the team bus under police escort.
Elsewhere in LaLiga today
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Mallorca v Villarreal
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Athletic Bilbao v Valencia
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Real Oviedo v Getafe
Sid Lowe
“The vice-captain was taken to hospital for stitches having been laid out by his midfield partner. Another midfielder said he wouldn’t play any more; as if he was going to play anyway. The manager wasn’t asking for much, just that they didn’t swan out there as if wearing tuxedos, and that’s still asking too much. The centre-back hit the left-back. The winger fell out with the last coach. The captain fell out with this coach. And the superstar, already accused of not caring, swanning off to Sardinia, drives out of the training ground, past the cameras and away from the whole sorry mess, laughing his head off. Now here’s Barcelona…”
Barcelona host Real Madrid in another El Clásico this evening. A win – or even a draw - for Hansi Flick’s men will see them win the league title.
Meanwhile, Los Blancos have endured an eventful week…
Fede Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni clashed in training on Thursday, resulting in the Uruguayan being taken to hospital with a head injury. The pair were subsequently fined a record €500,000 each for the incident.
Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has since defended both players.
Let’s take a step away from the Premier League for a moment and take a look at what is happening elsewhere today…
Liverpool fans, what do you think? Should Arne Slot stay or go this summer?
Arne Slot seems like a genuinely nice guy and, last season, in calming down Klopp’s frenetic heavy metal football just enough, he struck a perfect balance and made the team unstoppable. This season, it’s all gone horribly wrong. Should Liverpool stick or twist? I have no idea. But something needs to change.
It’s a tough one to call between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle today. If the hosts win and West Ham drop points this afternoon, they will be safe. Despite their Europa League defeat to Aston Villa on Thursday, they have maintained good form in the Prem.
Another early start heading to Nottingham. Through a combination of me staying up late to watch the boxing (should’ve been stopped 2-3 rounds before it eventually was) and the cat deciding lie-ins are for losers, I am absolutely shattered.
Hopefully a livener or two at the pub will shake me up but I won’t miss Sunday kick-offs next season. Obviously we’ll still have our fair share but the silver lining after being hammered by Villa on Thursday means no European football next season and hopefully a few more kick-offs at a more civilised time and day.
Onto the match itself - it’s a tough one to call. With us being as good as safe, injuries to key players and the exertion of playing out of our skins recently I think the squad are running on empty. Newcastle themselves haven’t been any great shakes for a while but are coming off the back of a decent result, and with Howe’s future seemingly confirmed, I make them slight favourites. Prediction 2-1 to the away side.
As always, feel free to email in with any thoughts, feelings, predictions, observations and all that jazz. What are your plans for the day? Where will you be watching the football? Supporting West Ham or Arsenal? Let me know!
Jacob Steinberg
“West Ham have been competing with Tottenham this season. The only problem there is that no one had Spurs as relegation candidates. That was an unexpected but welcome bonus for miserable Hammers but even that lifeline is starting to slip away…”
Arne Slot has a big task ahead to get the Anfield faithful back on side.
Feel like Liverpool are not even limping, but walking towards the finish line in a marathon towards the 'goal' of Champions League qualification. I'm not a 'boo-er' but we are lacking in anything resembling a Liverpool style of performance. There is no identity. Regardless of any mitigating factors, Liverpool being front foot at Anfield should be the baseline and we are fallkng below that. This is the problem we have going into next season. It's not the personnel.
I have to say, that little West Ham comment at the end of his press conference yesterday did make me laugh…
Pep, like Klopp, is a colourful character, and I suspect his little antics will be missed once he leaves. For all the brilliance of the football, without those interludes, the modern game can too often feel like metronomic rondos, hopeful hoofing, and the heavy beat of data.
And at Craven Cottage, Bournemouth clinched a 1-0 win against Fulham after both teams went down to 10 men.
At the Amex Stadium, Brighton kept their European hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Wolves.
Elsewhere yesterday, Sunderland held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light.
Arne Slot’s decision to bring off Rio Ngumoha for Alexander Isak against Chelsea was not well-received by fans, but the head coach insisted that he only did it because the 17-year-old winger had been suffering from cramp.
He explained: “Rio had cramps before then when he went to the floor. Then I had contact with him and he said that was enough, that’s why I took him off. It makes complete sense [the boos] if you take off a player who is playing well and had assisted. It wasn’t my intention to take him off but he is not at the level yet where he can play at 50/60% and make a difference. He wasn’t fit enough to sprint.
“I knew the moment his number went up that would be the reaction but that is not the reason. After the game, I think it [the boos] also makes sense because this club should not be happy with a 1-1 against Chelsea. We always aim for a win and if we don’t win we are disappointed, especially in a season when we have not won as much as people expect. It is frustration building up and that came out probably after half-time. The players and myself feel the same way.”
Arne Slot said he understood the boos that greeted Liverpool’s draw with Chelsea and his decision to substitute Rio Ngumoha but remains “100% convinced” he can win back the Anfield crowd next season.
Ryan Gravenberch, who opened the scoring with his first league goal of 2026, claimed the criticism – some of which was aired during the first half – was unfair. “OK, we didn’t win, but I don’t really think we deserved this,” said Gravenberch of the fans’ reaction. “We need them. Hopefully they wouldn’t do it again in the next two games.”
Slot accepted the criticism after another disappointing result but was adamant he could regain the trust of Liverpool supporters with a new-look team next season. The head coach, asked whether he believed he can get the match-going fans back onside, replied: “Yes I do. Not this season, this season the fans will have their opinion and it will not change. But if we can have the summer that we are planning then I am 100% convinced we will be a different team next season. Different in terms of results and different in how things look. For me, it is really clear what we are lacking this season and we are trying [to fix it].”
Enzo Fernández snatched a point for Chelsea against Liverpool yesterday with a 35th-minute equaliser following an early strike from Ryan Gravenberch. The result left the Blues ninth and Liverpool fourth in the table.
Here is how the Premier League table looks ahead of today’s fixtures…
Mikel Arteta has urged his Arsenal players to build on their Champions League semi-final win against Atlético Madrid and channel energy in right way ahead of the final three Premier League games of the season – starting against West Ham.
The manager said: “I think we’re in a really good moment. You could sense the energy the night after the game. I see every single day, here, I know how much we want it, and those are elements that are very, very positive. I think we have to channel that energy in the right way – it’s very, very powerful. They [the players] feel confident. They are convinced, and they are really looking forward to playing on Sunday. That’s probably the best part of it.”
Pep Guardiola ended his press conference with four words yesterday: “Come on you Irons.”
Arsenal cannot be caught in the title race if they win their last three matches, starting at the London Stadium this afternoon. Conscious of this, City manager Guardiola crossed his arms to mimic the hammers on the West Ham badge before saying the phrase.
Manchester City cruised past Brentford yesterday to pile the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. City now sit two points below the league leaders.
Today’s Premier League fixtures
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Nottingham Forest v Newcastle
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Crystal Palace v Everton
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Burnley v Aston Villa
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West Ham v Arsenal
Preamble
Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live! It’s a big day in the Premier League, with one match in particular set to have major repercussions at both ends of the table.
Relegation-threatened West Ham take on title-chasing Arsenal this afternoon, with both teams in need of a win. Anything less than three points for the Hammers could all but seal their fate, with Tottenham one point clear ahead of their meeting with Leeds United tomorrow. As for Arsenal, a victory would maintain their advantage over Manchester City with two games remaining.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest host Newcastle, Crystal Palace take on Everton and Burnley face Aston Villa.
It is also a big day in the Scottish Premiership as Celtic take on old rivals Rangers, with both teams looking to catch league leaders Hearts.
And in La Liga, Barcelona could seal the league title in the perfect way – with a win against rivals Real Madrid.
We’ll be looking ahead at all that and more, so join us!
