Arsenal and Newcastle to meet in Premier League showdown as Champions League race intensifies

Arsenal and Newcastle set up a Premier League showdown next weekend as the race for the remaining Champions League spots intensified Sunday.

After a weekend of upsets and comebacks in the Premier League, the six-way battle to qualify for European club soccer's top competition looks set to go down to the wire.

With the top five qualifying for the Champions League next season, just six points separate second-placed Arsenal and seventh-placed Nottingham Forest with two rounds to go. And only two points separate Arsenal and Newcastle in third ahead of their penultimate league game at the Emirates Stadium next Sunday.

Arsenal rallied from two goals down against champion Liverpool to draw 2-2 at Anfield on Sunday, and Newcastle beat Chelsea 2-0.

Manchester City is a point further back in fourth after being held 0-0 by last-placed Southampton on Saturday.

Forest’s chances were hit by a 2-2 draw against relegated Leicester on Sunday that led to owner Evangelos Marinakis appearing to remonstrate with manager Nuno Espirito Santo on the field after the match.

Europa League finalists Manchester United and Tottenham maintained their woeful domestic form — both losing 2-0 at home.

United was beaten by West Ham and Spurs lost to FA Cup finalist Crystal Palace.

Dumped out of the Champions League semifinals by Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the week, Arsenal's main focus now is ensuring a return.

But trailing 2-0 after just 21 minutes against Liverpool, it looked like another sobering day for Mikel Arteta's team, which was already on a run of just one win from its last five league games.

Now it's one in six, but Arsenal successfully avoided defeat after a second-half fightback through goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino, who was later sent off.

The Gunners paid the price for a lackluster start as they conceded twice in quick succession, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz.

“What we did in the first half is nowhere near the level, so to do it after is too late. We reacted, great, but the standards in those 20 minutes were unacceptable," Arteta said.

Six days after confirming that he’ll leave Liverpool as a free agent, Trent Alexander-Arnold was given a hostile reception by some Liverpool fans when he was booed when coming on against Arsenal as a second-half substitute.

“I said to everyone that asked me that question (about the reception) that it is a privilege to live in Europe, where everybody can have his own opinion and everybody can express his own opinion,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. “A few of them were not happy with him. I think all of them are not happy with him leaving the club. But a few of them showed it in a way that they booed him. And a few of them clapped.”

Two points will guarantee Champions League soccer for Arsenal next season, but a third straight runner-up spot could be in doubt if it fails to beat Newcastle, which will have second place in its sights after victory against 10-man Chelsea at St. James’ Park.

Sandro Tonali fired the home team ahead from close range in the second minute and Nicolas Jackson was sent off for Chelsea in the 35th, following a VAR review, for a foul on Sven Botman.

Chelsea pushed for an equalizer after the break, but Bruno Guimaraes’ dipping shot from distance in the 90th killed off the visitors’ hopes of a comeback.

“We still have two games to go and lots of twists and turns that could be around the corner," Howe said. “We have to drive forward, reflect on our next game and make sure we’re ready for Arsenal because that is a very, very tough match."

Forest's rise from relegation fighter to Champions League contender has been one of the surprise stories of the season.

But it looks in danger of falling away in the final weeks of the season after being held at home by relegated Leicester.

While a point meant Forest will be playing European soccer of some description next term — in the Europa League or Conference League if it misses out on the big one — owner Marinakis didn't look to be in the mood to celebrate after the final whistle at the City Ground.

Approaching Espirito Santo on the field, the Greek businessman looked frustrated and appeared to remonstrate during a brief exchange before they went their separate ways.

“It is because of the owner and his passion that we are growing as a club. He pushes us. He wants us to be better,” said Espirito Santo, who explained Marinakis had been frustrated because of a miscommunication between the bench and medical staff after an injury to striker Taiwo Awoniyi late on.

Forest had come back from a goal down to lead 2-1 against Midlands rival Leicester, but Facundo Buonanotte leveled the game in the 81st.

As well as the top five, England will be represented by a sixth team in the Champions League next season after United and Tottenham advanced to an all-English Europa League final, with the winner also qualifying.

But based on domestic form, neither team looks like they should be mixing it with Europe's elite.

United's latest defeat was a club-record extending 17th loss in the Premier League to leave it languishing in 16th place.

“Everybody is focused on the final. The final is not the biggest thing in our football club,” said United coach Ruben Amorim. “We need to change a lot of things. If we don’t change the way we play and perform and feel this urgency of winning every game, we should not play in the Champions League.”

It's even worse for Tottenham - now down to 17th with a club record 20th loss in a Premier League campaign.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Arsenal's Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Arsenal, at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, left, and Ryan Yates appear dejected during a Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, Sunday May 11, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Sunday May 11, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Harry Maguire walks on the pitch in dejection at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game, during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Chelsea at St James' Park, in Newcastle, England, Sunday May 11, 2025. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)