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• On This Day in 2009 – Emmanuel Adebayor fined for celebration against Arsenal

  Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor was fined £25,000 and handed a suspended two-match ban by the Football Association for his celebration against former club Arsenal on this day in 2009.

  Adebayor was punished after he ran the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of visiting Gunners supporters after he scored in the 80th minute of a Premier League match.

  The then 25-year-old had already served a three-match suspension for violent conduct in a separate incident during the 4-2 victory at Eastlands on September 12.

  https://x.com/ManCity/status/1701543676080783846?s=20

  The Togo international appeared at Wembley and admitted a charge of improper conduct at a FA regulatory commission hearing.

  Adebayor’s acceptance of his behaviour was taken into account, but also the conduct of Arsenal supporters, who were also criticised for their personal abuse of Adebayor following his departure from the club the previous summer transfer window in a £25million deal.

  “In reaching its decision the commission took into account his admission of the charge, public apology and the extremely provocative nature of the abuse he received,” read a statement from the FA.

  “However, the commission also stated that players have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a proper manner and that such celebrations are unacceptable and have the potential to cause a serious public order incident.”

  Adebayor went on to play for Real Madrid before switching to Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham in August 2012 following a loan spell.

  His Premier League career continued with Crystal Palace before stints in Turkey at Basaksehir and Kayserispor, and he finished playing at Paraguayan Primera Division outfit Olimpia Asuncion.

• Jude Bellingham helps Real Madrid end Girona’s unbeaten start

  Jude Bellingham continued his fairytale start to life at Real Madrid with another starring performance in a 3-0 victory over previously undefeated Girona.

  Bellingham set Real on their way with a superb assist for Joselu’s first-half opener and, after Aurelien Tchouameni had made it 2-0, the England midfielder wrapped things up with his seventh goal for the Spanish giants.

  Real Madrid’s victory, their seventh in eight LaLiga games, saw them return to the top of the table with Girona dropping from second to third.

  The final scoreline was harsh on a Girona side who had recorded six successive wins since their opening-weekend draw at Real Sociedad, but the Catalan underdogs paid the price for not taking their chances.

  Madrid have developed an unwelcome habit of conceding early goals this season and Girona could easily have been 2-0 up inside the opening five minutes.

  Yangel Herrera should have done better with a header which cleared the crossbar before Viktor Tsygankov struck the outside of the post with a far-post header that left flew across the outstretched hand of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

  Real were riding their luck but took the lead in the 18th minute following a moment of magic from Bellingham.

  The summer signing from Borussia Dortmund curled in an inch-perfect cross with the outside of his right foot which picked out Joselu’s run at the far post and the Spain striker’s finish was too powerful for Paulo Gazzaniga to keep out.

  The buoyant visitors were celebrating a second goal barely three minutes later when Tchouameni escaped his marker at a corner to power home a header.

  Girona were suddenly looking shaky at the back and Bellingham almost made it 3-0 in the 28th minute after racing onto Vinicius Jr’s pass, with Gazzaniga denying the 20-year-old.

  Gazzaniga also produced a fine save to tip over Toni Kroos’ effort on the stroke of half-time as Madrid looked to finish their opponents off before the break.

  However, Girona managed to keep the deficit at two goals going into the interval and, like in the first half, they came out all guns blazing at the start of the second and should have pulled a goal back.

  The unmarked David Lopez saw his powerful header from a free-kick parried away by Kepa before Herrera headed another good opportunity down into the ground and over the bar.

  That was as close as Girona would come to getting back into the game, though, and Real wrapped up the points with Bellingham again centre stage.

  The £88.5million man was denied at close range by Gazzaniga just after the hour but there was no stopping the red-hot midfielder in the 71st minute as he made it 3-0 with a clinical finish.

  Joselu saw his shot parried back to him by Gazzaniga and, after the ball looped up into the air off the forward, Bellingham pounced to fire a volley into the ground and past the helpless Girona keeper.

  The hosts would have breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Bellingham substituted soon after, but the damage has been done, although Real’s win was soured following a late red card for Nacho Fernandez.

  The visitors’ captain was initially shown a yellow card for his flying studs-up challenge on Cristian Portu, but that was quickly changed to a red after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor, and a touchline melee involving both teams followed.

• Man City failed to execute their ‘process’ in defeat at Wolves – Pep Guardiola

  Pep Guardiola said Manchester City failed to properly execute their “process” and was keen to praise Wolves after his side’s 100 per cent start to their Premier League title defence ended with a 2-1 loss at Molineux.

  City went into the contest looking to make it seven league victories at the start of a campaign for the first time.

  But the treble-winners were condemned to defeat by Hwang Hee-chan’s 66th-minute finish, eight minutes after an early Ruben Dias own goal had been cancelled out by Julian Alvarez’s free-kick.

  City boss Guardiola, who watched from the stands as he served a one-match ban for picking up three yellow cards, said: “Congratulations Wolves, they defended really well.

  “We had our moments. We didn’t do properly our process, to attack (with) a little bit more fluidity and that’s why we struggled a little bit.

  “And the transitions – (Pedro) Neto (who was key for the first goal) was better than us, so they beat us in that situation.

  “When they defend that well, (Mateo) Kovacic or Ruben has to attack central defenders of the opponents and we didn’t do it, that was why it was more difficult.

  “The opponent played really good, defended really well, and after, when they contact with the players up front, they had the ability to keep it and drive and dribble and drop you. They are so strong.

  “Today some details didn’t happen, because it’s football, because the players, it happens, maybe I apply bad some decisions, I don’t know.”

  City’s starting line-up included Matheus Nunes, signed from Wolves last month, with it reported that he had stopped training with the midlands outfit ahead of the move.

  The Portuguese was the subject of boos and chants from the crowd during the first half before being brought off at the interval for Oscar Bobb.

  Guardiola said, when asked why he had made the change: “I needed more dynamic. Oscar is really good to find in small spaces, the creativity he has.

  “That was the reason why – not because he wasn’t playing not good at all. It’s just because I thought Oscar could give us something different.”

  On having to watch from the stands, Guardiola said: “The view is perfect. The problem is when you are banned and you are in the hotel. But they allow you to be here…in the Champions League it cannot happen.

  “I spoke before the game, half-time and after the game. During the game you can be involved in something, but not much.”