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BURKE STRIKE EARNS SHEFFIELD SHOCKING VICTORY AT MANCHESTER UNITED.

Oliver Burke earned bottom club Sheffield United a surprise 2-1 win at Manchester United, as the hosts missed out on returning to the top of the table.

The Scot’s 74th-minute strike deflected in off Axel Tuanzebe to hand the Blades only their second victory of the campaign, and their first away from home.

Man Utd started brightly, with Marcus Rashford firing wide, before Sheff Utd’s Billy Sharp forced a fine save from David De Gea.

Kean Bryan then put Sheff Utd in front on 23 minutes, as he headed in his first Premier League goal from John Fleck’s corner.

Harry Maguire equalised for Man Utd on 64 minutes, heading in Alex Telles’s corner.

But Sheff Utd restored their lead 10 minutes later when Burke’s first PL goal went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Defeat leaves Man Utd in second on 40 points, one behind Manchester City, who have a match in hand.

Sheff Utd remain bottom, but they now move within 10 points of safety.

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POGBA’S SUPER STRIKE DOWNS FULHAM AS UNITED RETAIN TOP SPOT.

An equaliser by Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba’s brilliant winner sent Manchester United back to the top of the table as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1.

Fulham went ahead on five minutes at Craven Cottage, when Ademola Lookman met Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s ball over the top and dispatched a crisp finish into the far corner.

United levelled after 21 minutes when Bruno Fernandes, who had struck a post moments earlier, whipped over a cross that Alphonse Areola fumbled into the path of Cavani, who stabbed home.

Fulham started the second half as positively as they had the first but Lookman shot tamely at David De Gea.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side edged ahead on 65 minutes when Pogba picked up the ball on the edge of the area and turned to hit an unstoppable curling drive beyond Areola’s reach.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek fired over Fulham’s best chance to claim a point nine minutes from time.

United return to the top on 40 points, two clear of Manchester City, who have a match in hand.

Fulham remain 18th with 12 points.

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OLE GUNNAR SOLKSJAER DENIES BRUNO FERNANDEZ IS TIRED AND NEEDS REST.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dismissed suggestions that Bruno Fernandes is tired and needs a break following the Manchester United star’s ineffective display against Liverpool.

The 26-year-old hit the ground running after arriving from Sporting Lisbon last January, scoring 19 goals and providing 14 assists in just 32 Premier League appearances.

Fernandes’ Player of the Month award for December was a record-breaking fourth of the year, yet the midfielder has failed to scale the same heights in the opening weeks of 2021.

The playmaker was below par in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Liverpool – something pointed out by former United skipper Roy Keane – but Solskjaer does not believe the frantic festive schedule has taken its toll on the Portuguese.

His form is very good,” the United boss said. “He was just voted Player of the month. He’s not tired. No chance.

He is one of the players who runs and covers the ground in every single game. Very good at recovering, very good at recharging his batteries.

“If he’d scored his free-kick or just had a little air on the ball when Luke (Shaw) put the cross in, he would have been lauded as the best player in the Premier League again.

“Since he’s come in, he’s been absolutely immense. No, he’s not tired. If I ask him there’s absolutely no chance he’ll say he’s tired.

“He’s expected to create goals, score goals and sometimes the margins are against him.

“That free-kick, I saw that one in! There was a couple of passes that he plays through and it’s just marginal as to whether the player was on or off.

“So he’s always on the verge of creating something, even when he loses the ball, and that’s the position I want him in and that’s what he’s been told to do. He has to be the creative one. I want him to play the passes he sees.”

Fernandes could well play a key role for United on Wednesday as Solskjaer leads his table-topping side to improving Fulham, with the Norwegian waiting to see if there are any unwanted surprises regarding his options.

“Well, we’ve not got test results from Covid yet and that’s almost 30 hours ago since we did the testing, so hopefully we get them soon,” Solskjaer said.

“Everyone trained this morning more or less. Brandon (Williams) and Phil Jones didn’t train and the rest were on the pitch.”

United’s ability to rotate and maintain fitness during such a frantic period has been key to their recent rise.

Solskjaer has underlined the importance of maintaining that advantageous strength in depth this month, meaning the Norwegian will have to be careful when deciding who can follow Timothy Fosu-Mensah out of the club.

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UNITED DIDN’T EXPLOIT LIVERPOOL’S INJURY WOES- OGS

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt his side missed an opportunity to end Liverpool’s long unbeaten home league record after failing to “pounce” on their injury problems.

With no fit centre-backs again, the hosts fielded midfield duo Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in the centre of their defence but the pair were not really exposed, even if goalkeeper Alisson Becker had to make two good saves to keep out Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in the goalless draw.

The top-of-the-table clash failed to live up to its billing and there was not even a penalty incident never mind a controversy, one of the major points of debate leading up to the fixture, to talk about over the course of 90 minutes.

But Solskjaer admits United left Anfield disappointed they were not able to open up a six-point gap over their arch-rivals at the top.

“They are a good side and they have some injury problems but we didn’t pounce on that,” he said. “I felt we grew into the game and got stronger and stronger and were closer to winning.

“We were a bit disappointed in the performance, not just the result.

“We didn’t do well enough to cause them problems in the first half but we defended well and they didn’t create too many chances.

We know we have players who can win you a game in the blink of a second and Bruno and Paul almost did.

“But I think everyone was a bit disappointed with the way we started the game but that is a good feeling to have that we were disappointed in the performance.”

Although Liverpool’s long unbeaten home league run was extended to 68 games they failed to properly test David De Gea in the visitors’ goal and for the first time since March 2005 the Reds have failed to score in three consecutive league matches.

Manager Jurgen Klopp insists he was happy with the performance as chances are still being created – they had 18 shots but only three were on target – and he is confident the goals will return.

We have a point more than before the game,” he said. “I think the performance was good enough to win it but to win a game you have to score goals and we didn’t do that, so that’s why we had that result.

“There is nothing fundamentally different, it is just the result is different.

“We try and score and we try not to not score. We have not to worry about it but we obviously have to ignore the fact and hope it will be good again.

“We did that, but the only possibility we have is to create situations and be ready to fail and do it again.

That is a massive different to when you are flying, because then you deal with the missed chances better.

“I saw my team playing tonight a really good team with a clear idea with super passes and great counter-pressing and great desire to score and we didn’t score.

“We will create chances and we will score. It is not as if we decide we will score a goal and now we will do it.

“I will help as much as I can to change the situation.”

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UNITED RETAIN TOP SPOT AFTER EARNING A POINT AT ANFIELD.

Manchester United kept their place at the top of the Premier League table with a goalless draw at defending champions Liverpool, as goalkeeper Alisson’s heroics denied them a victory at Anfield.

Liverpool enjoyed much of the first-half possession and created several chances, including Andy Robertson’s half-volley over the crossbar and Roberto Firmino’s tame effort into the hands of David De Gea.

Man Utd came close to breaking the deadlock with their only shot of the opening period, Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick flying inches wide of Alisson’s goal.

After the break, Harry Maguire denied Roberto Firmino a tap-in before Mohamed Salah fired wide for the hosts.

Alisson then kept out Fernandes with a fine reaction save before superbly keeping out Paul Pogba’s close-range strike late on, either side of Thiago forcing De Gea to palm his long-range shot wide.

A 12th match unbeaten takes Man Utd to 37 points, two more than second-placed Leicester City.

Liverpool are three points behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team in third.

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BRUNO FERNANDES WINS HISTORIC PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARD.

Bruno Fernandes has made Premier League history after being named the EA SPORTS Player of the Month for December 2020.

The Manchester United midfielder has become the first player to win the award four times in a calendar year, having also done so in February, June and November 2020.

“Three goals and four assists was a complete month,” Fernandes said after receiving the award. “Scoring and assisting your team-mates is perfect. I want to achieve other trophies and awards but I’m really happy to make history.”

Fernandes began December by inspiring a 3-1 comeback win at West Ham United as a half-time substitute, assisting Paul Pogba for the equaliser.

He then scored twice and created another in a 6-2 victory over Leeds United, before being involved in all three goals against Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Man Utd are three points clear of champions Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, ahead of the visit to their nearest rivals at Anfield on Sunday.

“It’s a long way before we can start talking about being champions,” he added. “We have to keep working. We play against one of the best teams in England and we know what it means to the fans. But the main point is the same: three points.”

The Portuguese topped an eight-man shortlist that included Anwar El Ghazi, Emiliano Martinez, Ben Mee, Marcus Rashford, Mohamed Salah, Tomas Soucek and John Stones.

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CHILD FOOD CAMPAIGN ONLY JUST BEGINNING – RASHFORD

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has pledged he is only at the beginning of a long campaign to end child food poverty and his bid to make sure the next generation start life with a level playing field.

England international Rashford has seen his profile raised on and off the field during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the 23-year-old awarded an MBE during October in the delayed Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Rashford successfully lobbied the Government into a U-turn over its free school meals policy in England during the first coronavirus lockdown, ensuring children in need would receive food over the summer.

The United forward has again led the way in January when tackling the issues over poor-quality food parcels which have been sent out to families, revealing on Twitter he had spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and been assured “a full review of the supply chain” is under way.

On Thursday, Rashford was honoured with the Football Writers’ Association 2021 Tribute Award in recognition of his outstanding campaign, which the FWA said “goes even wider than simply a football context”.

Despite having achieved so much already, Rashford maintains there is still more work to be done.

We are at the beginning of what I see as a long journey,” Rashford said in an interview on www.footballwriters.co.uk.

“I am definitely not at the stage of relief yet, I feel that there is a lot more which needs to be done and a lot more steps which need to be taken forward.

“On the positive side we have started to take a few steps in the right direction, but for me now just because we have done that (it) is not about just sitting back now and being happy with what we have done.

“It is about what is next in the chapter of these children’s lives.”

Rashford continued: “That is a big issue for me and my team who are working on it – the numbers who still don’t have the support they need.

We know we have managed to reach a lot more people that weren’t getting reached, but there are still people out there who are really struggling.

“If we can make a five or 10 per cent difference to every single one of their lives, then it puts everyone at a good baseline and then we can start to work on foundations for the future.

“But until everyone is on the same playing field, it is difficult to start jumping ahead and asking for things that are necessary, but the timing would be wrong.

“We need to make sure everyone is on the same level first and then we can start to improve that level until they are where they belong.”

Former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson paid a personal tribute to Rashford’s “truly amazing achievement”.

The 79-year-old told the FWA: “Marcus has shown to young people in particular there is a different way of dealing with life.

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UNITED READY TO COMPETE FOR THE TITLE – NEMANJA MATIC.

Nemanja Matic believes Manchester United showed their title credentials by beating Burnley to go top of the Premier League on merit heading into Sunday’s mouth-watering clash at rivals Liverpool.

Paul Pogba’s second-half volley fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ever-improving side to their ninth win of an impressive 11-match unbeaten league run, with Tuesday’s 1-0 victory propelling them above Jurgen Klopp’s reigning champions.

United had to dig deep, remain patient and regain their composure after frustration threatened to bubble over at the end of the first half to win at Turf Moor, where they went top at this stage of the season for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s victorious farewell 2012-13 season.

“I think that this kind of win shows that we are ready to compete for (the) title,” Matic, a two-time Premier League winner during his time at Chelsea, said.

“Sometimes (in the past) we looked like a team who wants to score as soon as possible, then we get panicked.

“I think today we showed more maturity, we showed that we are more clever and on this pitch here, in this stadium against Burnley, it’s always hard to win the games.

“Not to concede a goal from the long balls, set-pieces, so we prepared the game well and I think that we deserved these three points.

“In our team we have lots of quality and in these kind of games you have to use that.

“You have to be patient, not to panic, because when you have that much quality during 90 minutes one situation will decide (the game) and it was exactly what we did today.

“I’m happy. I’m happy for the team, for the team performance, for our team spirit and let’s see Sunday against Liverpool.

“It’s the biggest derby in England. We go there to compete with them, to see where we are (against) one of the best teams in the league, so I think that we are ready.”

United head to Anfield on Sunday boasting a three-point cushion over their nearest rivals – a far cry from the 30-point gap that Klopp’s men opened up over the Red Devils when they last met in January 2020.

Solskjaer has understandably downplayed the importance of going top at this stage, but Matic believes they deserve to be top of the pile.

“We played 17 games, we are top of the table, so that shows something,” he said.

“We didn’t play five or six games and you’re top, then you can say ‘maybe it’s lucky’.

“But after 17 games definitely it’s not lucky. Definitely there is a quality

But we can’t relax. We have to be concentrated until the end – to go game by game.

“Always in football the next one is the most important, the next one is the biggest final. We’re going to take like that and we will see.”

Matic was among United’s best performers at Burnley but Pogba was the star man, capping a fine display with his match-winning volley.

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BAYER LEVERKUSEN SIGN MANCHESTER UNITED DEFENDER TIMOTHY FOSU-MENSAH.

Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah has joined Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen for £1.75million.

The 23-year-old left the Ajax youth set-up to link up with the Red Devils in 2014 and went onto play 30 times in all competitions for the first team.

Fosu-Mensah made nine of those appearances under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for much of the 2019/20 campaign.

But the Holland international, who previously spent spells on loan at Crystal Palace and Fulham, has not appeared since the 3-2 loss at RB Leipzig on December 8.

Fosu-Mensah has now signed a deal until 2024 at Leverkusen, who the PA news agency understands paid United in the region of 2million euros (£1.75million).

The defender’s contract was expiring at Old Trafford this summer and Solskjaer last week made it clear the defender would be leaving the club soon enough.

“I’m not sure if Tim is going to stay or if he’s going to take an option now,” the United boss said.

He’s not played enough, so of course he’s been allowed to speak to clubs with a view to leaving now in January.

“It’s difficult when you’ve got good players, talented players, and you can’t give them game time and he’s now at the stage where he needs to go and play again.

“It might be end of January or it might be in the summer that he finds somewhere else.

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BUR 0-1 MUN: POGBA’S SECOND HALF STRIKE HELP UNITED CLIMB TO TOP OF EPL TABLE

Paul Pogba scored the goal that took Manchester United top of the Premier League table, as they won 1-0 at Burnley.

Pogba met Marcus Rashford’s cross to send a 71st-minute volley through Nick Pope’s legs and into the net with the aid of a deflection.

Man Utd had the better of the chances, with Anthony Martial firing just over before being denied by Nick Pope, while Harry Maguire had a header ruled out for a foul late in the first half.

Burnley twice came close to equalising late on, with substitute Matej Vydra’s effort deflected wide in the 87th minute and James Tarkowski miskicking a golden chance in added time.

United held on to move on to 36 points, three points clear of defending champions Liverpool, whom they play on Sunday.

Burnley stay 16th with 16 points – five above the bottom three.