Premier League
AFTER 14-MATCH UNBEATEN STREAK, MAN UNITED ARE IN MOOD FOR BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONS’ LEAGUE SPOT
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is happy his team is doing well and are on a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions, but he is also cautiously targeting a top-four finish in the Premier League because of the tough competition this season.
The Red Devils lie sixth on 49 points, three behind Wolverhampton Wanderers but with a game in hand. They are five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea with seven games left, and are only six points ahead of ninth-placed Arsenal.
As it stands, finishing the campaign in fifth could also be enough for a Champions League spot as Manchester City – who are second – await their appeal against their two-season European ban for flouting Financial Fair Play rules.
Speaking ahead of today’s trip to Brighton, Solskjaer believes his players are finally translating his ideas onto the pitch as they look to finish the season strongly.
He said: “The players are working really hard and want to do as well as they can. As a team we’re trying to implement our ideas. We talk about 14 games (unbeaten) and we go into the next game knowing you’ve won the previous game. It’s a good place to be in.”
The Norwegian saw his side reach the last four of the FA Cup by beating Norwich 2-1 last Saturday and knows finishing in the top four of the league will be another tough task.
“I think there are many teams for that battle for third and fourth, Leicester, Chelsea, us, Wolves doing really well, Tottenham, Arsenal and Sheffield United wanna put a run together and put a challenge in there,” the 47-year-old said.
“I think every year you’re in the Champions League is a great experience. For the players it’s a step forward, for us it’s what we’re striving to do winning trophies and we need to focus on one game at a time.”
United have yet to beat Brighton away in the Premier League, losing to the Seagulls twice in 2018 at the Amex Stadium.
“They’re a good footballing side, they play football and make it hard for you,” Solskjaer said of today’s opponents, who lie in 15th.
Graham Potter’s men have four points from two matches since the season restarted, beating Arsenal 2-1 and grinding out a 0-0 draw against third-placed Leicester last Tuesday.
“You want to challenge yourself against the best, like we have done in our last two matches, and now we have another opportunity to play well again,” midfielder Leandro Trossard told Brighton’s website.
United will have a fully fit squad after resting key players against Norwich. Brighton, meanwhile, await news on whether centre-back Adam Webster will be fit after he was forced off against Leicester.
Solskjaer also said that he is not concerned that forward Marcus Rashford, who was able to recover from a back injury during the coronavirus shutdown, is yet to add to his 19-goal haul this season.
“I think he’s looked sharp,” he said. “He came on and looked sharp again against Norwich. Against Sheffield United he missed one or two chances but the goals he created (two assists in the 3-0 win) I think is what we’re focusing on. He’ll definitely score a goal soon.”
Off the pitch, Solskjaer is bracing himself for the loss of teenage midfielder Angel Gomes, whose United contract expires today.
The highly rated 19-year-old came through the academy and made his debut aged 16 in May 2017, becoming the youngest player since Duncan Edwards in the 1950s to feature for the first team.
But Gomes has only made 10 first-team appearances and contract talks hit a roadblock, with Solskjaer now expecting the midfielder to leave when his contract runs out.
Asked at his press conference if Gomes would be staying, the United boss said: “I’ve got no news, nothing, so it doesn’t look like it. To be honest, it seems like they haven’t managed to agree (a deal).”
-AFP
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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