Premier League
Resurgent Man United seek revenge against Man City
Manchester United were outclassed by Manchester City in the last local derby, but the mood could not be more different as they prepare to host their city rivals in the Premier League on Saturday in the middle of a remarkable run of form.
Arsenal lead the standings on 44 points after 17 games, five ahead of defending champions City. United are fourth on 35 points, level with third-placed Newcastle, who have played a game more.
Since being thrashed 6-3 by City on Oct 2, United have won 15 out of 18 matches in all competitions and lost only once, while they are on a run of eight consecutive victories.
When asked on Friday what has changed since, manager Erik ten Hag said: “It was a lesson, we took the lesson and from that point on, we have made huge progress.
“That game was a setback, then you have to act, to deliver. You have to go through certain steps, you need a clear vision, a clear point where you want to go, a direction.
“Then it is about development. We have to prove that tomorrow on the pitch. Last time we didn’t do well and we have to do it better. We have to be brave, have to believe and have to play our game.”
United’s resurgence has been led by in-form striker Marcus Rashford, who has scored seven goals in his last six matches, and midfielder Casemiro.
The latter was surprisingly left out of the line-up for the last derby but has started all 10 of United’s league games since then and has added some much-needed stability, as well as aggression, to ten Hag’s midfield.
The Brazilian has made more tackles than any player in the league’s top six this season, according to statistics website FBref.com, and has contributed two assists and two goals despite being tasked with mostly defensive duties in midfield.
Another key influence in United’s turnaround is ten Hag, who has been firm with players on team discipline, dropping Rashford to the bench when he turned up late to a team meeting and banishing the now departed Cristiano Ronaldo for leaving a match early.
“Nobody is bigger than the team. That’s not about 11 players but the whole squad,” he told radio station TalkSport this week.
“Everyone has one aim and they’re working hard for that with togetherness. When we keep this going, we can achieve a lot.”
Diogo Dalot is a doubt with a hamstring problem, while Bruno Fernandes will be back in the line-up after missing the League Cup quarter-final win over Charlton Athletic due to suspension.
City have rarely reached the heights of that sparkling performance in October and are in stuttering form ahead of the derby, dropping points twice in their last four league matches while they slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat by Southampton in the League Cup on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola has warned his players that it will be another tough game on Saturday.
“I have the feeling every time at Old Trafford or the Etihad it’s been a difficult game,” said the City boss, who will be missing the injured Ruben Dias and John Stones.
“Both teams always want to try to win the game. A lot of quality players in both sides. It will be a good game.
“Of course it’s a big week we cannot deny it, (but) many games to play.”
Separately, City defender Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault on Friday, while jurors could not reach verdicts on one count of rape and one of attempted rape.
– Reuters
Premier League
Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to remain top of the Premier League as Arsenal and Manchester City came from behind to win on Saturday.
City were 3-2 victors over Fulham to stay one point behind Liverpool, alongside Arsenal who saw off Southampton 3-1.
Arne Slot has now won nine of his first 10 games since succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, but was frustrated that the visitors invited a late onslaught from the winless Eagles.
Jota prodded the Reds into the lead from Cody Gakpo’s cross on nine minutes.
The Portuguese international was then guilty of missing two big chances to extend Liverpool’s advantage.
Palace failed to make them pay, but victory came at a cost for Slot as goalkeeper Alisson Becker limped off with a hamstring injury.
“If you score the second you break them mentally,” said Slot. “All the fans kept believing in a result because it was only 1-0, even though in my opinion we were the dominant team.”
Fresh from a dominant win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal were expected to sweep aside winless Southampton.
But the Saints shocked the Emirates 10 minutes into the second half when Cameron Archer fired in his first Premier League goal since a summer move from Aston Villa.
The lead only lasted three minutes before Kai Havertz scored for the seventh consecutive home game.
Gabriel Martinelli was introduced after an hour and took just eight minutes to make his mark with a finish on the volley from Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Having set up Arsenal’s first two goals, Saka pounced on a loose ball to score the third himself.
Fulham’s outrageous opener
Rodri’s season-long absence due to a serious knee injury is expected to be a major blow to City’s chances of retaining the title for a fifth consecutive season.
But it was the Spaniard’s deputy Mateo Kovacic who scored twice to turn the game around for the champions at the Etihad.
The visitors had not lost since the opening night of the season at Manchester United and led thanks to Andreas Pereira’s finish from an outrageous backheel assist by Raul Jimenez.
Kovacic’s deflected effort quickly brought City level before a cleaner strike less than two minutes into the second half made it 2-1.
Jeremy Doku then smashed into the top corner from outside the box to give City a two-goal cushion, which they needed.
Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham hope on 88 minutes, but City held out for a 17th consecutive win against the Cottagers.
West Ham eased the pressure on new boss Julen Lopetegui by ending a run of three home defeats to start the new season.
Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta struck for the Hammers in a 4-1 win over Ipswich, who are still waiting for their first Premier League win 22 years.
There were six goals before half-time as Brentford beat Wolves 5-3 to leave the visitors still rooted to the foot of the table.
Leicester secured their first league win of the season as Facundo Buonanotte’s strike beat Bournemouth 1-0.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces a huge match if he is to remain in charge when the Red Devils visit Aston Villa in the pick of Sunday’s action.
-AFP
Premier League
Premier League rejects City request to delay next season’s games after Club World Cup
The Premier League has rejected Manchester City’s request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the U.S., the club’s manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League’s season will begin in August.
An increasingly packed soccer calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players’ union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.
The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.
“I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)… maybe we’ll play less games,” Guardiola told reporters.
“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don’t postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?”
He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.
-Reuters
Premier League
Ten Hag’s Man United future not my call, Ratcliffe says
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said a decision about under-fire manager Erik ten Hag is not his call, and was reticent about whether he still has faith in the team’s boss amid their worst start to the Premier League season since 1986-87.
“I don’t want to answer that question,” Ratcliffe told the BBC. “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.
“That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April — Omar (Berrada, CEO), (Sporting Director) Dan Ashworth — they only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there . . . you can count it in weeks almost — they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.”
Ten Hag’s job was the subject of speculation for much of last season en route to the team’s lowest Premier League finish of eighth. After an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and an end-of-season review, however, Ten Hag signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026.
“Our objective is very clear, we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously, that’s very clear,” Ratcliffe said.
Ten Hag continues to plead for patience from fans with the team languishing 13th in the Premier League table, having lost three of their six opening games. They were headed towards defeat by Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before Harry Maguire scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a 3-3 draw.
-Reuters
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