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Man City 2-1 Arsenal (Cherki 16′, Haaland 65′ | Havertz 18′)

ETIHAD — Mikel Arteta talked of Arsenal having the “fire” to win the Premier League title but his team have once again turned into April arsonists, singeing if not quite torching their best chance of glory in two decades.

They remain top of the table – for now. But this was a humongous win for Pep Guardiola’s mentality monsters, who brushed off the most farcical of first concessions to assert their authority over Arteta’s wobbling Gunners.

"Manchester City in charge, again!"

Erling Haaland powers through to find the back of the net pic.twitter.com/tt04wbQnaz

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 19, 2026

Win at Burnley on Wednesday and Manchester City will usurp Arsenal at the summit for the first time since 20 December. They might need to win all six of their matches to hold off Arsenal but still, we have been here before. Only a brave man would wager against them now.

Arteta really only has himself to blame. For weeks it has been screaming for Arsenal to loosen the straitjacket and here he did, to an extent, genuinely setting out to win the game. But what might have worked against Bournemouth was an invitation to an in-form City, who had Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly causing havoc in the pockets of space where their two crucial goals were created.

You only had to witness the wild celebrations at the end to feel the significance of the result. Unfurling a banner proclaiming “Panic on the streets of London” felt, like that bloke chugging from an Arsenal bottle, as if it was for the television cameras but the eruption of noise at the end was certainly not confected. Guardiola punched the air while a pumped up Gianluigi Donnarumma leapt into the crowd. Eberechi Eze, by contrast, folded his shirt over his head. Dejection was etched across red and white faces.

By the time he came out for the press conference, Arteta’s mood had turned to defiance. He was right that his team played well. There was no inferiority complex or Viktor Gyokeres but he didn’t park the bus. Arsenal created chances, probed City and left space. They were also unfortunate, brushing the woodwork twice. Eze’s effort, which curled off the inside base of the post before rebounding into the penalty area, will bring the red half of North London out in a cold sweat for years to come.

But the big moments belonged to City, none more so than the decisive one that saw Erling Haaland hook the winning goal past David Raya midway through the second half.

The move was started by Donnarumma, hurling the ball to the outstanding O’Reilly. His combination with Jeremy Doku was superb, skimming a ball across the penalty area for Haaland to finish.

How he relished that moment, the high point of a brutish running battle with Gabriel Magalhaes. The pair engaged in their own running battle that was a throwback to a bygone era, right down to Haaland resisting the urge to sprawl to the floor when the Brazilian thrust his head at him.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Everton pay the price for David Moyes’ lack of courage
• Bobby Manzi: Man Utd’s talisman is about to eclipse Henry and De Bruyne

He was the headline grabber but not the game-changer. Bernardo Silva and O’Reilly vied for that title while Cherki was a joy to watch. His slaloming run and impudent finish on 16 minutes felt like a liberty in a game of the magnitude, setting the tone for a game played at breakneck speed.

Sure enough their lead lasted no more than two minutes. Much has been made about Arsenal’s inability to score goals but here they were presented with one: Donnarumma dawdling before being charged down by Kai Havertz for a gift-wrapped equaliser.

At that point Arsenal were edging it. But, as Arteta is finding out, the last thing you want is to tussle with Guardiola and City in springtime.

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Everton 1-2 Liverpool (Beto 54′ | Salah 29′, Van Dijk 90’+10)

HILL DICKINSON STADIUM — They filled the Hill Dickinson Stadium with hope that this new place might mark the start of a new future too. European football was on the agenda; it still might be. More immediately, they aimed to set the tone against the neighbours.

Everton were the better team for all of the first half and some of the second; that doesn’t matter at all now. There have been too many sickening late moments for this fanbase in this fixture. As the Liverpool end sang and danced for 15 minutes after full-time, you added this one to the list.

Virgil van Dijk scores in the 100th minute! pic.twitter.com/akencyyjoX

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 19, 2026

Until Virgil van Dijk’s cruel late blow, this was an afternoon to conclude that there is little to separate Liverpool and Everton for quality and endeavour.

Beto was the goalscorer, a striker transformed and the perfect leader of an attack designed by David Moyes. He occupied both Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, won headers, pressed from the front, laid the ball off to teammates and scored Everton’s equaliser.

Injured after colliding heads with Konate, Beto was given a standing ovation and had his name chanted as a player who exemplifies everything good about this team: industry, self-improvement, squeezing the most out of his strengths and an ability to shut out the mistakes. His is a genuinely heartwarming tale.

But there are psychological headaches and hangovers that exist in this fixture and punish those who lack courage. Everton were guilty of sitting on a draw in the game’s final throes, 11 added minutes allowing Liverpool to accrue a little momentum.

The European dream can still happen. Everton can still be great under Moyes ahead of schedule. But this one will hurt for a while.

Read more

• Bobby Manzi: Man Utd’s talisman is about to eclipse Henry and De Bruyne
• Daniel Storey: Coventry City’s promotion is a monumental victory for resilience

Roughly 60 seconds before Mohamed Salah opened the scoring, the stadium announcer lauded Iliman Ndiaye as the first Merseyside derby goalscorer in this new Everton home, etching his name in history. Salah did not get the same treatment, unsurprisingly.

He will not care. Liverpool’s wavering form and Champions League exit, combined with questions over Arne Slot’s future, have rendered Salah’s farewell tour a little unhelpful. The only way for him to flip that narrative is to contribute in the final third. Remarkably this was only Salah’s second league goal away from Anfield since October.

Thanks to the events of the 100th minute, you suspect that Salah will always remember this one. Liverpool have a grip on a Champions League place again and the Egyptian is theirs for another five months at least.

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Chelsea 0-1 Manchester United (Cunha 43’)

STAMFORD BRIDGE — Is there a more influential player in the Premier League than Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes?

For all of United’s struggles in recent years, there has not been a season in which Fernandes’ goal contributions have not been in double figures since he joined the club in January 2020. He has steered United through a difficult period and is leading them through what they hope is the other side, setting an unmistakably high standard.

Victory over Chelsea on Saturday was the 11th top-flight match in 13 that he had scored or assisted in for Manchester United. Not only is Fernandes closing in on a personal milestone of the most assists in a single season, but he is also responsible for 44.8 per cent of United’s league goals this season, with eight scored to accompany his 18 assists.

His 18th assist of the season placed him within two of Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry, who hold the record for most assists in a single Premier League campaign. With five games left, he will surely eclipse the pair.

United required the moment from his masterful playbook. It had been all Chelsea in west London, but it was the absence of their very own amulet that came back to bite them, as Fernandes pioneered the United lead against the run of play with minutes left in the first half.

Receiving the ball on the right, he bypassed not one but two blue shirts to carry the ball to the byline before a pinpoint pass with his right foot into the penalty area found Matheus Cunha free to blast into the top corner.

United had lacked creativity, but Fernandes – as he often does – stepped up when they needed him most to claim the lead and extend United’s grip on a Champions League spot to 10 points.

United may be overreliant on Fernandes, but he possesses such a phenomenal quality that he naturally steps up to run the show. His trademark ball over the top came out to play once at Stamford Bridge, as he found Bryan Mbeumo down the right. Mbeumo centred to Cunha, but a poor touch from the goalscorer prevented a shot from an intelligently carved opening.

The biggest worry for United is that Fernandes could be prised away, as just 13 months remain on his contract – although there is an option for a further year.

Fernandes wants to know that United are heading in the right direction and can compete at the very top of the Premier League. There has been evidence since Carrick took the reins to suggest they are, but United have been here before.

The priority for the decision-makers at United must be to ensure the Portuguese attacker commits to fresh terms. But at 31, he wants trophies to accompany his unceasing quality. United must prove they can offer that, and confirming a Champions League spot will be advantageous.

Read more

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Kat Lucas: ‘Go f**k yourself’: Non-league chair sacked after leaked email row

It was by no means a vintage performance by Michael Carrick’s side at Chelsea, albeit they found a way to win after a difficult defeat to Leeds United on Monday and edged closer to a Champions League return.

Their defence was on top. An unconventional centre-back pairing of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui deserve kudos for stepping up amid suspension and injuries at centre-back. The highlight came when Mazraoui slid in on former United attacker Alejandro Garnacho in the 83rd minute, cleanly sweeping up a Chelsea attack down the left – despite penalty appeals from the hosts.

Chelsea did go close twice in the second half, striking the crossbar on both occasions, but the makeshift centre-back pairing deserved their luck.

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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Brighton (Porro 39′, Simons 77′ | Mitoma 45+3′, Rutter 90+5)

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM – “All Together. Always.”

Despite a draw snatched from the jaws of victory, perhaps relegation is not quite the utter inevitability which some Tottenham Hotspur fans have stoically believed.

However, it does remain a real possibility, thanks to a couple of sublime goals from Brighton in added time of each half to dilute the introduction of new boss Roberto De Zerbi in the home dug out.

The sun and the Spurs flags were out. And the feeling was one of sheer optimism – misplaced or not – despite ten home league defeats this season and a club mired in 18th place, with their fourth boss in ten months.

The notes of defiance in the air for the latest incarnation of a team in peril. Goals from Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons looked like they might be enough to crawl past Brighton. Georginio Rutter blasting in a late equaliser was merited for the Seagulls and only increases the uncertainty around this Tottenham side as the weeks compress in on them.

De Zerbi has all been about harnessing the spirits of flat lining players. It is now his task to lift them amid another deep disappointment. At least it was a point this time.

The Italian made all the right noises in his programme notes. “I am here to give the players confidence, to allow them to play with clear minds.” For these beleaguered, underachieving Spurs players it really is as uncomplicated as that.

Yet, new manager or not, it is not easy to engineer. Pep Guardiola is a big fan of De Zerbi, although it remains to be seen if this is admiration for crisis management.

For the afflicted here, it had been thirty one days of disaster, which began with defeat at Manchester United before caving in against opponents with either title or survival objectives, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, respectively, has dragged the north Londoners to this springtime existential struggle. De Zerbi’s arrival is to quickly water the spirits rather than oversee idealistic flower arranging. A team bonding session over a dinner in Mayfair in midweek is just one of the basic ideas to steer Tottenham in the right direction.

Of course, De Zerbi’s first league game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium had to be against Brighton, the club which he invigorated between 2022-24, guiding the Seagulls to the knock out stage of the Europa League. Still, the hope around these parts is that his fiery nature is somehow contagious. The returning Simons curling, peachy 76th-minute goal almost restored desperately sought optimism for Spurs.

De Zerbi’s fresh 4-3-3 formation shows a certain faith. Even if Tottenham had issues with energy levels, the surge of adrenalin which greeted Simons’ strike spiked like precious little else all season. Like so many games, the excitement is too fleeting and too exposed.

In short – Spurs have five games to save themselves. Only two of those – against Leeds United and Everton – are at home. And always living dangerously, it seems.

Brighton, meanwhile, were merely the latest opponent to visit N17 with no fear and for long spells they were the better, zestier side.

Read more

• Mark Douglas: Reality has just hit Tottenham – De Zerbi is managing a broken club
• Michael Hincks: The cost of Tottenham relegation: 75% pay cuts, four key sales and £200m lost

Rodrigo Bentancur and Kevin Danso may have their faults, but their return to the Spurs team brought an alertness amid the Seagulls’ continual attacks. Neither could be blamed for the sparkling equaliser from Kaoru Mitoma. If much of the fare was scrappy, at least relative desire by Micky Van De Ven and Destiny Odogie could seen by the Tottenham fans, despite plenty of taxing moments.

Looking ahead, it doesn’t help Tottenham that, a few miles east, there is growing encouragement. Watching West Ham in recent weeks, you get the impression that Nuno Espirito Santo – he of once fleeting Tottenham employ – has moulded a team who actually want to scramble out of the quicksand.

At least Tottenham showed signs, albeit uncomfortably so, of the same. But skittish defending is a major flaw for attack minded teams, like Fabian Hurzler’s team, to exploit.

Still without a league win in 2026, time is running out. A point here may, in the final analysis not be enough for Tottenham amid the battle. Those hangdog expressions from the dejected players at the end said it all.

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Blackburn 1-1 Coventry (Morishita 54′ | Thomas 84′)

EWOOD PARK – They arrived into Blackburn unspeakably early, but then when you have waited a quarter of a century, what difference does a few hours make? On the way up the M6 had a cup final aesthetic, scarves billowing out of windows and supporters chatting through open windows in stuck traffic. They piled into the Fenhurst for afternoon pints when they got there, Bolton Road their own Wembley Way.

It was hardly pretty. Blackburn were the better side for long periods and fully merited a lead. Frank Lampard went for a risk-averse back three that barely worked at all until it was changed. The away end occasionally groaned and griped, a symptom of superfluous nerves. It does not matter. Another set-piece goal, blue flare smoke hanging over 7,100 supporters and three blasts of a whistle shortly before 10pm. That was what they came for.

This promotion is for St Andrews and Sixfields, two stadiums that were never home and where Coventry City should never have been on repeat. This for the 48 years from 1970 onwards, when Coventry never finished in the top six of a division. This is for November 2016, when only 2,175 supporters watched Coventry play a home FA Cup tie. This is for those four straight games in 2017 in League Two when they didn’t score: Barnet, Accrington, Forest Green, Colchester.

This is for Sisu, not because they are part of the success but because they caused the decay and inadvertently forged a fighting spirit from which so much grew – there were anti-SISU chants at Ewood for old time’s sake. This is for Fankaty Dabo, whose penalty miss haunted him and a fanbase. This is for Mark Robins, who did so much to bring this club back and merits as much love as anyone still here.

There is always a misguided supposition that broken football clubs will just come back via some nostalgic world order. Nothing is guaranteed and Coventry City were given nothing for free. It takes non-ending fight against regimes that have become counterproductive to your recovery. It takes campaigning without thanks and when some of your peers can’t believe that there is even a point.

It takes the right owner and goodness knows they understand that here. Doug King never claimed to be perfect, but he is a local guy who used his business success as a platform to save something dear to him. In the context of their previous experiences, Coventry City won the lottery when he arrived.

I was fortunate to sit down with King at the start of last season, his first exclusive national interview. He spoke of the Premier League and transfer investment, but his greater focus was on the legacy projects that he believed could make a lasting impact. On 23 August, 2025, King was able to bring the stadium back under club ownership. It was the best news of all.

In hindsight, the seeds of this promotion were fed and watered last summer. Without the luxury of parachute payments and after the last-gasp playoff semi-final defeat to Sunderland, the club could have chosen to back away a little. Instead they sold only Luis Binks and Ben Sheaf and invested £7m in two players and signed the best goalkeeper in the EFL this season on loan.

And when January brought a wobble, signing Frank Onyeka was a significant statement and Romain Esse added unpredictability on the wings. Haji Wright stayed, and has been their top goalscorer. Milan van Ewijk stayed and has provided the most assists. Jack Rudoni stayed and is capable of changing any Championship match.

Coventry’s domination has been the most extraordinary aspect of this Championship season, almost unprecedented for a non-relegated club. They have scored the most goals and kept the most clean sheets, had the most shots on target and scored the most set-piece goals. They lost one league game before December and from that point everyone else was effectively playing for second place.

Lampard has been a revelation, a reputation restored after his Premier League experience. The tactical principles are fairly simple but make complete sense: make the most of your greatest strengths, rotate players for form within a deep squad, rely upon a magnificent goalkeeper and have your central midfielders create a solid platform that allows your full-backs to attack. It has worked a charm and Lampard will be linked to other jobs this summer.

Read more

• Daniel Storey: Gibbs-White is stung by England exile – Forest have reaped the rewards
• Daniel Storey: I experienced football as a blind fan – it was harder than I ever imagined

One of the phenomenons of Premier League promotion is how it warps your reason. Be a Sunderland not a Southampton, as if it is as easy as choosing. Those loyal servants that got you promoted – we must improve upon them. We need to buy half a new squad. We need to show some ambition. It’s so easy for universally positive situations to take on a negative spin. Welcome to the Premier League; it’s a jungle up here.

My only advice to Coventry supporters: park all that for as long as possible. The weeks between now and June are the best of your football life: watching the play-offs not gripped by fear; watching your own side on multiple laps of honour; re-remembering multiple times a day that your team got up and you feel a tangible part of the movement.

Those fans deserve it more than most. This is for the 25 years away. Back then, English football wondered when Coventry would be back. Over time it began to consider that they might never be. Never take what they have been through for granted. This is a monumental victory for resilience. For so long it was storm clouds and rain. Now the sky and their whole world is blue.

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My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s peek behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. Micah Richards was part of the Manchester City squad that won their first Premier League title in 2012 and appeared 13 times for England, before retiring at just 31 after a series of knee injuries. He is now a successful pundit and podcaster.

I started out as a striker

I grew up in Leeds and everyone thought I was going to be the next Alan Shearer. When I was at school I’d score 40, 50 goals a season and I got picked up by Leeds United.

But the older I got, the faster the games got, I just couldn’t hack it there. Leeds released me. I realised there’s a big difference between being fast and making the right type of runs. So I moved back into midfield, spraying balls around like a young Patrick Vieira!

The first time I played right-back in a proper game was actually my full Premier League debut for Manchester City at 17.

It was eye-opening. I just thought, “This is a different level”. I remember Darren Bent powering a header over me and I had a decent leap. You think, “Do I deserve to be here?”.

Everyone said, “He’s good, he’s strong, he’s quick but positionally he’s a bit off”. I was winging it! I didn’t have a clue the runs to make, I was making it up as I went along but within a year I was in the England squad.

Roberto Mancini was my best manager – but it was tough love

Mancini was a genius. Tactically he was brilliant in the year we won the league and his coaching was absolutely first class. He had this knack of sussing out during the game exactly what was needed – whether that was changing formation, making a substitution, or being unafraid to see out the game.

He used to call me Swarovski, like the glass. He’d say, “You’re big, you’re strong but you’re like glass. You always break down!”. It was hard to take but I thought, “I’ll show you”.

Off the pitch he could speak to you about anything, he’s really well read and a smart guy. I went to see him when he was Italy manager and, even though I wanted England to win Euro 2020, I was so pleased he won it.

He is just so cool: his hair, his clothes, the way he speaks. Everything about him, he’s top notch. I actually love him.

Management was the plan – and then I fell in love with the camera

I had my coaching badges booked at the same time as my first punditry gig. I was keen but as soon as those camera lights came on, I fell in love with it.

The first time I did it, I froze. Dan Walker asked me what I’d been up to since retirement and I couldn’t get my words out – I just mumbled and said, “I can eat more pies”. We had to re-record it and since then I’ve never had a problem. I love doing live stuff, it’s really just a bit of me.

I’ve had a taste of coaching with the Specsavers Best Worst Team campaign, being assistant manager for Warley FC, who didn’t win a game last season. We got them a chef, James Milner’s come in to do fitness stuff with them. They’ve got 12 points now, I’m dead proud of them.

I did give them some advice on formation but really I’m just the hype man. I’ve brought some Big Meeks energy to them!

I love Roy Keane but I like ‘poking him’

Off camera he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, he’s so funny and just a joy to be around. But when the football comes on, something triggers inside of him where he just becomes very passionate.

People are seeing the other side of his personality now. I think that started with his double act with Ian Wright and I’ve just tried to follow the lead. I try to challenge him a little bit, have fun with him and sort of poke him a bit.

You can’t be late with Roy, he’s a stickler for it. We were shooting something together one day and I was warning the film crew – come on, hurry up, if we don’t get to where Roy is on time he’ll leave. We were five minutes late in the end and he wasn’t happy at all!

I’ve nearly been cancelled on CBS

What we do with CBS and the Champions League is just different. It’s a personality-led serious football show and the chemistry is just brilliant. We’re lucky in a way because it’s not shown in the UK so the clips of us that go viral are our best bits.

We take a lot of risks on that show and I always joke that we’re going to get cancelled one day. The producer Pete Radovich is a genius and doesn’t really mind if something doesn’t land, he says we’re trying new things. It’s great fun.

It’s true, Mel B used to babysit me

We’re all from Leeds, my sister knows her sister and my brother knows her sister Danielle. In the old days people used to just go around each other’s houses, you know?

My mum said years ago that Mel used to babysit me, then my sister confirmed it and I thought “Ooh!”. She’s a proper icon so I was buzzing.

I don’t remember anything about it but I’ve got two sources now saying it happened! I don’t know where it was but I can now confirm it definitely happened. The last time I spoke to Mel she wanted to do some filming with Thierry Henry and she said: “I remember when you were a baby!”.

So it is real. But I don’t have her number or anything. I couldn’t ask her for a pint.

Micah Richardswas talking to promote Specsavers’ Best Worst Team campaign, bringing grassroots football back to the forefront.

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Yoane Wissa’s value has crashed during his first season at Newcastle United – leaving the Magpies with headaches as they plot an overhaul of their attacking department this summer.

Wissa was signed from Brentford for a fee of £50m plus £5m for hitting easily achievable add-ons in a deadline day deal that some insiders now admit was motivated by “panic” at the unfolding Alexander Isak situation.

As part of a trading strategy that insiders describe as “fluid”, Newcastle would consider offers but The i Paper understands that one Premier League club who would be interested rate him around the £15m to £20m mark. Wissa will be 30 shortly after next season kicks off, and his age is a big part of the reason his valuation has depreciated steeply, while an injury-hit campaign has seen him drop to become Eddie Howe’s fourth-choice striker.

Wissa has scored three times this season but only once in the Premier League. He has played a grand total of 17 minutes in the league since starting the 3-2 defeat to Brentford on 7 February and Howe has admitted that he is in desperate need of a “full pre-season” before Newcastle fans see the best of him.

The nature of the rebuild Newcastle are plotting means there is some uncertainty around whether that happens.

Newcastle will sign at least one specialist striker this summer but if Anthony Gordon departs – and Bayern Munich’s interest is deemed serious by sources, even if the asking price is closer to £80m – they will seek to replace him with another forward. The i Paper has been told the recruitment strategy will be a combination of established names with some up-and-coming stars unlikely to be on the radar of supporters. Driving down the age profile of the squad is a key part of planning, which has ramped up significantly in the last fortnight.

Newcastle’s dilemma is that they will have to operate a “one in, one out” policy, partly to comply with financial regulations. “The days of acquiring £100million players to just hold onto them are gone,” one senior St James’ Park source told The i Paper this week.

While Isak’s struggles have been headline news after his British record transfer move, Wissa is another cautionary tale about the perils of going on strike to force a move.

While the transfer did happen – Newcastle’s transfer team requiring special sign-off from their Public Investment Fund owners given the numbers involved and the fact Wissa was out of the normal age profile for signings – there were red flags.

Those involved in the deal said he became “totally deconditioned” during the summer, to the point that his stats were significantly behind his teammates. He ignored advice to keep training in an attempt to force through his move to Newcastle and then sustained an injury on international duty shortly after completing his move.

The nature of Newcastle’s stop-start season, with little opportunity to train at full pace with his teammates, has left him unable to catch up. It feels as if Howe, who preferred Will Osula at Selhurst Park last week, has written off his chances of making an impact this term.

“He’s had a very difficult season and I think the most difficult part for Yoane is that he got back fit and of course there was a huge feeling inside of him that he wanted to rush back and show everyone how good he is and then we haven’t been able to train him how we would normally train him,” the Newcastle manager said.

“It’s [been] very small groups, a game every two or three days, stop-start for him, he was never able to get a rhythm. We’ve probably seen the best of him in his time at Newcastle this week, we’ve been pleased with him physically.

“He’s been trying, he’s been really wanting to make a difference. There have been physical things stopping him from doing that. No injury, just time on the pitch, he needs training to get his body up to full speed. The best is yet to come.”

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