Premier League
BIG THREE POINTS FOR MANCHESTER UNITED AFTER WIN AT CHELSEA
Headed goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire earned Manchester United a 2-0 win at Chelsea on Monday (Feb 17), putting them back in the hunt for a top-four Premier League finish.
In a high tempo, if often scrappy, game Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United side made the most of their chances while Chelsea, whose form at home has been suspect all season, squandered a string of opportunities.
A fine glancing header from Anthony Martial just before halftime from an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross put the visitors ahead. It was United’s first Premier League goal in four games.
Defender Harry Maguire made it two in the 66th minute, losing marker Antonio Rudiger to head home from a corner by United’s new Portuguese signing Bruno Fernandes.
Chelsea had two goals ruled out by VAR.
“It was a solid performance,” said Maguire. “We knew we had to get the win to close the gap. It’s a big three points.”
Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta added: “In two key moments we lost the game. We created clear chances and were looking good but we were punished before halftime.”
Kurt Zouma scored from a corner in the 54th but there was a push in the area. Substitute striker Olivier Giroud’s headed effort in the 77th was cancelled when he was adjudged marginally offside.
The loss left Chelsea fourth, a point clear of resurgent rivals Tottenham Hotspur led by their ex-coach Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea may feel hard done by after Maguire appeared to kick Batshuayi in the groin after he fell toward him on the sidelines after the pair challenged for the ball in the first half.
“I know I caught him and I felt he was going to fall on me and my natural reaction was to straighten my leg to stop him,” Maguire said. “It wasn’t a kick out and there was no intent.”
In the second half Chelsea netted twice only to be left disappointed. Kurt Zouma thought he had scored from a corner in the 54th minute but VAR ruled that there was a push in the area by Azpilicueta on United’s Brandon Williams.
Then substitute Olivier Giroud’s header in the 77th was cancelled out when VAR showed the toe of his boot was offside.
“You want the right decisions to be made and we’re happy they were made, because they weren’t being made without that help,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “(Giroud’s effort), that’s offside. (Zouma’s) I just looked at the screen and it looks like a push in the back. So, for me, that’s not a goal.”
Chelsea only had themselves to blame though for their profligacy in front of goal. Until halftime they had looked the stronger side, forging a string of good attacking moves but, as has been their downfall all season, they failed to finish.
“If we’re not finishing chances it’s difficult to win games. We have 20 shots a game and then we don’t score. It’s very difficult,” said Chelsea manager Frank Lampard.
Reece James and Willian shot just wide and over the bar in the first 10 minutes while Batshuayi, playing instead of the injured Tammy Abraham, wasted a golden close-range opportunity from a neat Mason Mount pass in the 26th.
In the second half Batshuayi, Pedro and Willian all missed chances while Mount hit the post as Chelsea toiled in vain.
Chelsea host Spurs on Saturday.
United, another of Mourinho’s old clubs rose to seventh, three points behind Chelsea.
Reuters
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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