Premier League
SOLSKJAER GIVES EXCUSES FOR MANCHESTER UNITED DRAMATIC HOME LOSS
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticised the decision to award Crystal Palace a penalty in a 3-1 home defeat on Saturday (Sept 19) but said the visitors were worth their victory as his side play catch-up after a late start to the season.
With United trailing 1-0 there was a double intervention from VAR – to award Palace a penalty for handball against Victor Lindelof before forcing a retake after goalkeeper David De Gea came off his line – and that ended United’s hopes.
“I feel that it was not a penalty,” Solskjaer said after Wilfried Zaha converted the re-taken spot kick in the 74th minute after Jordan Ayew’s effort was saved and then added a late third to condemn United to defeat in their opener.
“I think the ball comes from so close to Victor – where can he put his hands?
“The decision to retake was probably the right one if you follow the rules. It is harsh, but if you follow the rules then it is right.”
Solskjaer also felt the result was justified, with Andrew Townsend opening the scoring after seven minutes before Zaha’s double and a Donny van de Beek consolation on his debut.
“They deserved the points,” he added.
“They were sharper than us. We started off slowly and that had a knock-on effect.
“We can all look ourselves in the mirror. We all need games and sharpness, and time to get back to our best. But we are playing catch-up.”
It felt like a valid excuse that United are lagging behind. Having not finished last season until Aug 16, they only had time for one pre-season friendly against Aston Villa to prepare for the new campaign before the visit of Palace.
The away side had already played four warm-up matches and two competitive games this term.
The extra sharpness showed, with manager Roy Hodgson pleased with what he saw after they scored more than twice for the first time in 40 league matches.
“When you come here you need to show you are going to play on the front foot and not just defend and let them do what they want on the ball,” he said.
“We started in the right way and finished in the right way.”
-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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