Premier League
AS RACE FOR TOP 4 HEIGHTENS, MANCHESTER UNITED EXTEND UNBEATEN RUN
Manchester United kept up the heat on the top four as the Reds cruised to a 3-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium thanks to another Bruno Fernandes-inspired display. In so doing, the Red devils have also extended their unbeaten run to eight Premiership league matches.
The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are back up to fifth place with 52 points. A brace form Fernandes, including a second-half volley to round off a stunning counterattack, followed a first-half strike from Mason Greenwood to help to clinch a first win for the club away at Brighton since 1982.
The victory at the Amex means United have now gone 15 games unbeaten in all competitions, including three wins and a draw since the restart earlier this month.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side move up to fifth in the table ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference and just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and only three behind third-placed Leicester City, although both teams have a game in hand.
United kicked-off on the South Coast and quickly set about putting our plan into action, controlling the ball inside the Brighton half of the field. However, it was the home side who produced the first shot of the evening when Dale Stephens fired well over the bar from distance after the ball dropped to the him from a Harry Maguire clearance.
The Reds came close to taking the lead themselves in the 13th minute when Fernandes struck the woodwork with a venomous low effort. Maguire got the move going with a delightful diagonal ball to Aaron Wan-Bissaka, before the full-back worked it to Paul Pogba who offloaded to Fernandes.
As the ball rebounded back off the post Pogba was first to it, but the Frenchman couldn’t keep his follow-up down. Ole’s side continued to build pressure around the box and there were shouts from the United bench for a penalty when Marcus Rashford went down in the area under the challenge of Dan Bunn, but referee Andre Marriner was unmoved – as was VAR.
The onslaught continued and the Seagulls’s resolve was broken by the inspired run of Greenwood on 16 minutes. The young forward burst into the box, danced past Lewis Dunk, who was making his 300th appearance for the club, and stroked the ball left-footed into the bottom corner.
A well-deserved lead might have been doubled when Pogba was brought down just outside the Brighton penalty area following some intense pressing from United, though Fernandes lifted the free-kick over the bar. Maguire too went close soon after, heading a corner back across goal but just wide to bring up the first drinks break.
Any fears that the brief interval may disrupt the rhythm of the Reds was short lived. Luke Shaw broke along the near touchline and drove a cross into the middle that was crying out for an attacker to meet it.
Although the ball was cleared, it was recovered almost immediately and Pogba was able to play it to Fernandes. The Portuguese unleashed an effort from the edge of the area that deflected and flew past Mathew Ryan and into the back of the net to give the Reds a 2-0 advantage.
Five minutes into the second half Fernandes had another. Swift out the blocks once again United had the hosts on the back foot, allowing Greenwood to turn provider and swing an inch-perfect cross to Fernandes at the far post. Having already proved his eye for goal the Portuguese attacker made no mistake, converting on the volley from close range for his sixth goal for the club and certainly the pick of our three on the night.
Although still firmly in control, United were just beginning to let Brighton in around the hour-mark, with Leandro Trossard having a couple of chances. In response Ole looked to freshen things up with a triple change of Scott McTominay, Andreas Pereira and Brandon Williams for Pogba, Fernandes and Shaw on 64 minutes.
David De Gea was called into action for the first time in the match when Aaron Connolly stuck a firm shot towards the top right corner 21 minutes from time, but the Spaniard was alive to the danger and brilliantly tipped the ball over. Six minutes later and De Gea again denied the hosts with a strong right glove to keep out substitute Neal Maupay’s deflected effort.
Brighton continued to press to find a consolation goal but go no reward, allowing the Reds to regain dominance in the final 10 minutes. Substitutes McTominay and Daniel James will consider themselves unlucky not to have added to the goal tally after seeing shots saved by Ryan, but that takes nothing away from a very comfortable display for the Reds which increases our unbeaten run to 15 games.
Manchester United cruised to a rare comfortable home Premier League victory as goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko secured a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.
With the pressure growing on manager Ruben Amorim after a disappointing start to the season, Mount calmed the nerves around the ground with a fine early finish to break the deadlock.
United continued to dominate, with a spectacular save from Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs preventing Bruno Fernandes from adding a sumptuous second before Sesko netted his first Old Trafford goal after 31 minutes.
Sunderland were awarded a penalty late in the first half, a decision that was overturned following a VAR intervention, but they never really threatened after the break as United eased to a third home league victory of the season.
The result put United in provisional eighth place with 10 points from seven games, two places below Sunderland on 11.
Wins, especially comfortable ones, have been in short supply for Portuguese Amorim since he took charge in November.
United supporters have slowly started to turn on the new manager as a result, with nothing short of victory over promoted Sunderland, despite the visitors’ impressive start to the season, enough to appease the disgruntled masses.
Mount’s superb control and finish was just what the beleaguered boss needed. The fine strike was the earliest United have scored in the Premier League since Marcus Rashford’s goal at Ipswich Town in Amorim’s first game in charge.
It was only a matter of time until the hosts scored again, such was their dominance. From a long throw, Sesko was alert to the flick-on before steering home his second in as many games.
United thought they had shot themselves in the foot as Sesko was penalised for a high boot in his own penalty area, only for VAR to deem it not to be a foul.
The hosts took their foot off the gas in the second half, but still should have added to their tally, with veteran Brazilian Casemiro blazing their best chance over the bar.
Sunderland did manufacture a late gilt-edged chance but Senne Lammens, making his debut in the United goal, stood tall to block, completing an assured performance from the keeper and his new teammates.
-Reuters
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Premier League champions Liverpool dropped points for the first time this season when they lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace in the eighth minute of added time as Manchester United and Chelsea suffered 3-1 defeats on Saturday.
United slumped at Brentford and 10-man Chelsea were beaten at home by Brighton & Hove Albion, who scored twice in stoppage time.
Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-1 thanks to two own goals and a late brace from Erling Haaland while Leeds United were held to a 2-2 draw after Bournemouth equalised in added time through 19-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi.
There was also a late twist at Tottenham Hotspur when Joao Palhinha struck an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
LIVERPOOL SUFFER FIRST LOSS
Liverpool were on the back foot early on when Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through a set-piece when the ball fell to Ismaila Sarr who smashed it home.
Liverpool would have conceded more if not for goalkeeper Alisson while Jean-Philippe Mateta nearly made it 2-0 when he hit the post.
Although Liverpool equalised through Federico Chiesa in the 87th minute, fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah provided late drama when he scored the winner in the 97th minute, with Selhurst Park celebrating the goal twice after VAR confirmed he was not offside.
“The boys are in really good form and think we can win every game and today we showed that,” Nketiah told the BBC.
Palace ended the day in second place, three points behind leaders Liverpool although Arsenal can go second if they beat Newcastle United on Sunday.
OWN GOALS, HAALAND GIVE MAN CITY WIN
Burnley’s Maxime Esteve became only the sixth player to score two own goals in a Premier League game as City climbed up to fourth.
Esteve scored the first when he tried to deny Phil Foden but Jaidon Anthony made it 1-1 with a shot that deflected off Ruben Dias.
Matheus Nunes restored City’s lead with a close-range effort before Esteve’s second own goal came when he looked to stop Oscar Bobb from finding the net.
Haaland struck twice in the dying minutes to hand Burnley their biggest loss of the season.
MANCHESTER UNITED LOSE AT BRENTFORD
Bryan Mbeumo received a warm welcome from the Brentford fans as he returned to his former club for the first time since his move to Manchester United but the reception paled in comparison to the roars when the home side went 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.
Igor Thiago capitalised on United’s high line for the opener when Jordan Henderson sent him through on goal in the eighth minute, before the Brazilian forward grabbed his second when United keeper Altay Bayindir spilled a save right into his path.
United pulled one back when Benjamin Sesko scored his first goal for the club but Bruno Fernandes had a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher before Mathias Jensen put the game out of reach in added time with a rocket from outside the box.
“We didn’t control the game, we played the game of Brentford. We were really confused (on) second balls, first balls, set pieces,” United manager Ruben Amorim said.
“The crucial moments, they were against us. Tough to lose again.”
CHELSEA SEE RED AGAIN
Chelsea had a player sent off for a second time in as many league games when Trevoh Chalobah saw red for denying Brighton a goal-scoring opportunity at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez had given Chelsea a 1-0 lead with a close-range header but Chalobah’s red card in the 53rd minute reduced the home side to 10 men and Brighton made it count when Danny Welbeck opened his account for the season with the equaliser.
Brighton capitalised again in the 92nd minute when Maxim De Cuyper powered home a header and the visitors sealed all three points when Welbeck scored in the 10th minute of added time.
Bournemouth took the lead at Leeds when Antoine Semenyo scored from a free kick but the home side made it 2-1 when Joe Rodon and Sean Longstaff netted either side of halftime.
With Leeds close to taking three points, Kroupi volleyed home from inside the box in the 93rd minute to lift Bournemouth into a group of three clubs on 11 points.
Sunderland moved to 11 points and fourth place by beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground to leave Forest’s new manager Ange Postecoglou winless after five games in charge.
Omar Alderete’s first-half goal was the difference between the two sides with Sunderland mounting a staunch rearguard action as Forest laid siege to their goal.
Wolves were seconds away from earning their first win of the season after losing their opening five games in their worst ever start to a league campaign.
They led through Santiago Bueno’s scrappy goal early in the second half but Palhinha guided in a superb finish to send Tottenham to third place on goal difference.
-Reuters
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said his side must match the level of urgency they showed against Chelsea on Saturday if they are to keep on winning.
Having tasted victory just once this season going into the game, on the back of their lowest top-flight league finish last term since they were relegated in 1973-74, the pressure was on Amorim ahead of Chelsea’s visit in the Premier League.
The early dismissal of Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gave United the platform to earn a vital win with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro but the performance, from the off, reached levels of intensity that had been lacking in recent struggles.
“Sometimes we have some moments that we feel an urgency to have a result,” Amorim said. “Today we won, it’s nice to win, but let’s not forget that return to that urgency in our game.
“We need to win the next game. That is the most important thing. In this big club it’s not a feeling that today is a really good game, let’s relax a little bit. Let’s keep that urgency. That is the most important feeling we have to take for the next week.”
In true United fashion, the hosts still made things difficult for themselves from a seemingly unassailable position, 2-0 in front with a numerical advantage in the driving Manchester rain.
Casemiro’s sending-off late in the first half gave the visitors a lifeline, with Trevoh Chalobah’s header ensuring a nervy finish at an expectant Old Trafford.
“We showed that when everything is going well, we arrange something to make it difficult,” Amorim said. “But we suffered together in the end. That was a good thing, if you look at the game we deserved to win.
“We were trying to do things a little bit too much, making a tackle that maybe we shouldn’t. It’s hard to say, because that is the pressure. I feel more pressure in some young guys sometimes.
“Maybe it’s because Casemiro cares. We score one and he has that tackle. Sometimes it’s not the pressure, they wanted too much in that moment.”
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