MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Even if Erling Haaland is expected to miss out on the Ballon d'Or next week, his campaign to win it in 2025 is well underway.
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior is the favorite to take soccer's most prestigious individual prize on Monday in Paris, but Haaland has been in near-unstoppable form this season.
The Norwegian goal machine scored for the 14th time in 13 games for Manchester City to send the defending English Premier League champion to the top of the standings after beating Southampton 1-0 on Saturday.
He needed just five minutes to produce the decisive goal at Etihad Stadium, following on from his double against Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday, which included a spectacular heel volley.
His close-range effort against Southampton was more routine, but it was enough to send City two points clear of second-placed Liverpool, which plays Arsenal on Sunday.
On a day of late drama, Aston Villa was third but dropped points after Evanilson scored in the sixth minute of added time to earn Bournemouth a 1-1 draw. Bryan Mbeumo also scored in added time to seal a 4-3 comeback win for Brentford against Ipswich, while winless Wolverhampton scored twice late on to draw at Brighton 2-2.
City manager Pep Guardiola described Haaland as a “guarantee for us” after the forward sealed three points against a Southampton team that has yet to win in the league since its promotion last season.
The league top scorer for the past two seasons leads the way again with 11 goals. Mbeumo is second with eight and Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has seven.
Leading the way in the Champions League, Villa was moments away from moving within a point of Liverpool after Ross Barkley's goal in the 76th looked like being enough to beat Bournemouth.
But Evanilson dashed those hopes.
Also U.S. international Tyler Adams come off the Bournemouth bench to make his first appearance since the Copa America after back surgery.
Villa still moved up to third and a point ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal.
Mbeumo's goal in the sixth minute of added time sealed a 4-3 win for Brentford against Ipswich. Brentford trailed 2-0 early on and blew a 3-2 lead before Mbeumo's winner.
“Let’s put it this way, when we play it is exciting,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank said.
Wolves staged a dramatic fightback of its own by scoring in the 88th and three minutes into stoppage time to salvage the draw at Brighton.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Aston Villa's Youri Tielemans reacts to a missed chance, during the English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Bournemouth, at Villa Park, in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Jacob King/PA via AP)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Southampton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)
Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Southampton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darren Staples)
CANNES, France (AP) — This year's Cannes Film Festival just got going this week, but it's already been an attention-grabbing affair, from new rules for its red carpets, nerves about potential U.S. tariffs and the return of Tom Cruise.
And that says nothing about the films, expected to be a strong slate as Cannes is seen as increasingly important to the Oscars' best picture hopefuls.
Even in a normal year, Cannes is a lot to keep up with. Here's a handy guide of what's happened so far, what to expect and what it may mean.
Cannes opened Tuesday with a starry tribute to Robert De Niro, 49 years after “Taxi Driver” won the festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or. De Niro used the platform to assail U.S. President Donald Trump, a frequent target of his criticism.
He also basked in the adoration of some of film's elite, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino.
Cannes debuted a complex 4K restoration of “The Gold Rush,” one of Charlie Chaplin’s most beloved silent masterpieces, timed to the film's 100th anniversary. “Our grandfather would be really proud to see this, a hundred years later, to see all you here and interested in seeing the film,” said Kiera Chaplin to a packed screening Tuesday.
Tom Cruise took the spotlight on Day 2 with the latest “Mission: Impossible” installment, “Final Reckoning.” For such a high-flying franchise, Cruise kept his feet on the ground (so far) ahead of the film's premiere. That kept up with a recent trend — gone are the days of fighter jet flyovers, Jerry Seinfeld in a bee costume and other big stunts.
On Thursday, news broke that the festival had barred French actor Théo Navarro-Mussy from attending the premiere of the competition entry “Case 137” in what's believed to be a first for the festival in the #MeToo era. Navarro-Mussy has been accused of rape in a case that remains on appeal.
On Friday, Bono premiered his documentary, “Bono: Stories of Surrender." In a wide-ranging interview, the rock superstar talked about the insights the project has given him (including a deeper appreciation for his late father), his concerns about the dismantling of USAID and his first impression of Pope Leo XIV.
Ari Aster also debuted his COVID-era film “Eddington” to mixed reviews.
AP Film Writer Jake Coyle broke down some of the key things about the festival in a thorough primer. Among the things to watch out for: any effects of Trump's talk about tariffs on foreign-made films at the world's largest film market. The festival serves as the start of Oscar season and there's a packed field vying for this year's Palme d'Or.
Outside of competition, there's some starry first-time directors: Scarlett Johansson with “Eleanor the Great,” Kristen Stewart with “The Chronology of Water” and Harris Dickinson with “Urchin.”
Their films are not in the main competition, but as Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho told Coyle about debuting a film at Cannes: “You release a film into that Colosseum-like situation.” He noted premiering a movie at the festival is akin to “a potential invitation to a beheading.”
One of the buzziest moves by Cannes this year so far has been its proclamation that nudity is banned by festivalgoers and so too are “voluminous” outfits, in particular those with a large train.
The move to ban nude looks comes amid the “naked dress” trend on red carpets, including Bianca Censori's Grammys look and many of the outfits worn by Vanity Fair party attendees after the Oscars.
Cannes press officers said earlier this week the festival “made explicit in its charter certain rules that have long been in effect.”
So how did stars at Cannes respond?
Halle Berry, who is on the festival jury headed by Juliette Binoche, told reporters she would abide by it and had changed her opening night look.
While risque looks were in short supply Monday, there were certainly some “voluminous outfits,” including dresses worn by Heidi Klum, Chinese actor Wan QianHui and others.
For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival.
Leonardo DiCaprio, left, and jury president Juliette Binoche pose for photographers during the opening ceremony of the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)
Wan QianHui poses for photographers during the opening ceremony red carpet of the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Tom Cruise, left, and director Christopher McQuarrie pose for photographers during the photo call for the film 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Hannah Waddingham poses for photographers during the photo call for the film 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Jury president Molly Manning Walker poses for photographers at the photo call for the Un Certain Regard jury at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
