Tag: Manchester United

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ISTANBUL 2-1 MAN UTD: RED DEVILS SUFFER SHOCKING LOSS IN TURKEY.

Manchester United suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday, the English side’s first loss in three Champions League group matches and the Turkish champions’ first victory in Europe’s premier club competition.

United fell behind after 12 minutes when Edin Visca’s long pass found Demba Ba in acres of space and the striker ran forward before finishing neatly past goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Basaksehir doubled their lead five minutes before halftime after Deniz Turuc nicked the ball from Juan Mata and passed to Ba who set up Visca to score.

Anthony Martial’s header two minutes later gave United hope but despite enjoying plenty of possession in the second half, they were unable to break down the Turkish side’s disciplined defence.

“The performance wasn’t good enough against a team that worked and ran and they hit us on the break a couple of times and scored two goals like sometimes you do in Europe when you don’t defend well enough,” United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told reporters.

Basaksehir scored their first Champions League goals and clinched their first points in the competition on a historic night for the club.

“We played well in the first two games too, but finally we secured a win. This is a big result for us, we are really proud,” Visca said.

United, who beat last season’s runners-up Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in their first two games, top Group H with six points from three matches. RB Leipzig sit second in the group after their 2-1 victory over PSG, Thomas Tuchel’s side sit in third and Basaksehir remain bottom.

United, who have made a poor start to the Premier League season with three losses in their first six games, played poorly in the first half and although they showed greater urgency after the interval, they only managed one more effort on target.

Solskjaer sent on Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani as substitutes and in stoppage time Alexandru Epureanu brilliantly cleared off the line to prevent an own goal as United’s 18-match unbeaten away run in all competitions ended.

“We hoped we had enough to create chances, we just didn’t. Emotions don’t matter – when you lose, well you can think to yourself how we feel after we lose, that’s not something we go out to do,” Solskjaer said.

“We played against a lot of good individuals in a good team. They were well set up, well organised and we were not good enough. That’s it.”

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MAN UTD 0-1 ARSENAL: GUNNERS FINALLY WIN AT OLD TRAFFORD.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Arsenal beat hosts Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to secure its first win for 14 years in a Premier League match at Old Trafford.

With both teams playing a cautious game, a foul by United midfielder Paul Pogba turned out to be decisive when he kicked Hector Bellerin’s foot in the United penalty area. Aubameyang sent goalkeeper David De Gea the wrong way with his 69th-minute spot-kick to give Arsenal the lead.

Arsenal hadn’t beaten United away since an FA Cup game in 2015, part of a longstanding run of poor form for the Gunners when facing England’s biggest clubs on the road. Arsenal’s last win at Old Trafford in an EPL game was in 2006, when Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were the managers and current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still playing for the club.

Arsenal had the better chances in a quiet first half Sunday, with Aubameyang narrowly missing a cross at the far post after a mistimed lunge, and Willian brushing the crossbar with a lob. Harry Maguire could have given United the lead in the 55th but his header at a corner went just wide of the left post.

Arsenal needed a slice of luck to cling on to its lead when a mistimed block from Mohamed Elneny bounced off goalkeeper Bernd Leno’s head and onto the post before being cleared.

The defeat leaves United with only seven points from its first six games of the season with fatigue from the extended 2019-20 campaign appearing to play a role.

Arsenal moved closer to the Champions League spots following its first victory in three league games after losses to Manchester City and Leicester.

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MAN UTD 5-0 LEIPZIG: MARCUS RASHFORD INSPIRES RED DEVILS TO RESOUNDING VICTORY.

Marcus Rashford was again the star for Manchester United in the Champions League with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thumping of RB Leipzig on Wednesday as Barcelona put their off-field troubles to one side to win 2-0 away to a Juventus side deprived of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rashford’s late goal earned United a 2-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain last week and at Old Trafford the England striker came on as a second-half substitute and scored three times from the 74th minute on in what was a fine win against last season’s semi-finalists.

Paul Pogba released Mason Greenwood to open the scoring in the first half, before the youngster made way for Rashford after the break and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ran away with the game to make it two wins from two in Group H.

Anthony Martial also netted from the penalty spot as United ruthlessly exposed the side who currently top the German Bundesliga and went clear at the top of the section.

We looked dangerous throughout and that we could score every time we went forward,” said Rashford. “It was a real team performance.”

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MENDY DENIES UNITED AS CHELSEA FORCE RED DEVILS TO BARREN DRAW.

Edouard Mendy produced a spectacular save to deny Marcus Rashford scoring a stoppage-time winner for Manchester United as they shared a goalless draw with Chelsea.

The Chelsea goalkeeper, who had thwarted the United striker when one-on-one with an outstretched leg in the first half, went full length to parry away Rashford’s curling strike.

Mendy had also turned behind Juan Mata’s curled effort in a first half of few chances.

United substitute Edinson Cavani almost scored with his first Premier League touch just before the hour, but his flick found the side-netting.

United are still searching for their first home win of the season and stay 15th with seven points.

A fourth match unbeaten leaves Chelsea sixth on nine points.

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OGS GIVES TRIPLE FITNESS NEWS AHEAD CHELSEA TIE.

Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has delivered a promising injury update ahead of his side’s clash against Chelsea.

Harry Maguire, Edinson Cavani, and Mason Greenwood are expected to be available for Manchester United against Chelsea.

None of the trio were included in the matchday squad for Tuesday night’s Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain for differing reasons.

Maguire missed the game through injury, as did Greenwood who also sat out last weekend’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United which had been described as a ‘niggle’.

Meanwhile, Cavani – an arrival at Old Trafford on transfer deadline day – only started training with his new teammates on Sunday and stayed behind as the rest of the squad travelled to France.

But in a huge boost to United, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to have all three available for the big game against Chelsea.

“I hope and expect all three of them to be available for selection,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“Of course we’ve got a training session this morning which is the last chance of preparation, but they’ve all got a chance, all of them.

“Edinson needs to tick all the boxes that he’s gone through in his programme to be ready and make an impact.

“I’ll have a discussion with him today, as well as with Mason and Harry.”

With Anthony Martial suspended after being sent-off in United’s 6-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur before the October international break, Cavani could be in line to make his debut.

If so, he could come up against Thiago Silva – his former teammate at PSG – and he’s already sent a message to the Blues defender.

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UNITED RAIN LATE GOALS TO EASE PAST NEWCASTLE AT ST. JAMES’S PARK.

A flurry of late goals helped Manchester United to a 4-1 victory over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.

The visitors were behind through a Luke Shaw own goal after two minutes before captain Harry Maguire restored parity 21 minutes later, heading in Juan Mata’s corner.

Referee Craig Pawson awarded Man Utd a penalty in the second half after reviewing Jamal Lewis’s challenge on Marcus Rashford on the pitchside monitor, but Bruno Fernandes was denied by Karl Darlow.

The Portuguese redeemed himself with a curled finish high into the net with four minutes of normal time remaining, before Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s powerful strike made it 3-1 on 90 minutes.

Rashford raced through to complete the scoring in the sixth minute of stoppage time, giving the Red Devils their second win of the season.

They now sit 14th in the table, one point and three places behind Newcastle.

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UNDER-FIRE HARRY MAGUIRE DOUBTFUL FOR UNITED’S TRIP TO NEWCASTLE.

Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire is keen to play on and overcome his poor recent displays for club and country but could miss Saturday’s Premier League clash at Newcastle United with a knock, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Friday.

Maguire endured a torrid time in United’s 6-1 thrashing by Tottenham Hotspur before the international break and sustained an injury before being sent off in England’s 1-0 Nations League defeat by Denmark on Wednesday.

But Solskjaer backed the 27-year-old, who also featured in England’s 2-1 win over Belgium, to give his critics a fitting response if he is fit enough to play this weekend.

“When Harry is part of the England team that beats number one-ranked Belgium it’s a normal day. Then you get the headlines when you get a sending off, that’s football. You have to deal with it,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“Harry has got great resilience. He knows he will bounce back. He wants to play and work his way out of the last couple of games he’s been criticised for.

“But he picked up a knock just before he came off the other night so we’ll have a look at him today.”

United’s defeat by Spurs left them in 16th place with three points from as many matches and Solskjaer said his players were ready to turn their fortunes around.

“We know we’ve started the season badly and that game ended really badly… we know we have to perform better but we’ve now had two weeks to think about it, work on it,” Solskjaer said.

Solskjaer brushed off comments made by midfielder Paul Pogba who is out of contract next June and said on France duty that he would love to play for Real Madrid one day.

“Paul’s our player, he’s going to be here for another two years and sure he’s focused on doing his best for us and we want to see the best for Paul,” Solskjaer added.

“In the next couple of years I’m sure we’ll get the best out of him.”

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RASHFORD COMMITTED TO FIGHTING POVERTY AFTER MBE.

Marcus Rashford says it is an honour to receive an MBE in recognition of his services to help children across the United Kingdom at risk of going hungry during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m incredibly honoured and humbled,” he tells Man Utd’s official website after learning of his MBE, full title Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

“As a young black man from Wythenshawe, never did I think I would be accepting an MBE, never mind an MBE at the age of 22. This is a very special moment for myself and my family, but particularly my mum who is the real deserving recipient of the honour.”

Rashford helped to raise £20million and provide 2.8m children with meals while schools were closed due to COVID-19.

Not done there, the Manchester United Academy graduate stepped up his efforts to tackle childhood poverty by campaigning for an expansion in free school meals and holiday provision in a move to help a further 2.6m children and 290,000 pregnant women.

Now, Rashford says his work has still only just begun.

“The fight to protect our most vulnerable children is far from over,” he says.

“I would be doing my community, and the families I have met and spoken with, an injustice if I didn’t use this opportunity to respectfully urge the Prime Minister, who recommended me for this honour, to support our children during the October half-term with an extension of the voucher scheme, as the furlough scheme comes to an end and we face increased unemployment.”

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UK GOVERNMENT SLAM LIVERPOOL AND UNITED’S “PROJECT BIG PICTURE”

The United Kingdom government has strongly criticised plans reportedly driven by Manchester United and Liverpool to overhaul the Premier League and English club football.

A report on Sunday by The Telegraph detailed a set of proposals called “Project Big Picture”, which would cut the number of teams in the Premier League from 20 to 18 and abolish the competition’s one-club, one-vote principle – handing greater power to the nine longest-serving teams in the division.

That number includes all of the so-called “big six”, who would have effective veto power on a range of issues, including potential new owners taking control of a rival club.

The plans also focus upon supporting the wider league system amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, with a £250million rescue package to be allocated to the English Football League (EFL) and a £100m gift to the Football Association.

EFL chairman Rick Parry – the former Liverpool chief executive and a key figure in the Premier League’s breakaway from the Football League in 1992 – has publicly backed the plans, which would see 25 per cent of the Premier League’s annual revenue diverted to the EFL and lead to the EFL Cup and Community Shield being scrapped.

However, the Department for Media, Culture and Sport joined the Premier League itself in condemning the mooted changes, decrying Liverpool and United’s alleged involvement in “backroom deals”.

“We are surprised and disappointed that, at a time of crisis when we have urged the top tiers of professional football to come together and finalise a deal to help lower league clubs, there appear to be backroom deals being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game,” a statement read.

“Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that may undermine them is deeply troubling.

“Fans must be [at the] front of all our minds and this shows why our fan-led review of football governance will be so critical.”

The Premier League, which has come in for criticism over recent days after the announcement of a pay-per-view television model to run while fans are not allowed into stadiums, urged its members to contribute to ongoing restructuring talks “through the proper channels”.

“English football is the world’s most watched, and has a vibrant, dynamic and competitive league structure that drives interest around the globe,” its statement read.

“To maintain this position, it is important that we all work together.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.

“The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding.”

In a statement published on the EFL’s official website, Parry confirmed talks around Project Big Picture had been ongoing for some time but insisted the financial pressures of the COVID-19 crisis had sharpened the need for transformative action.

“Now is the time to address both the long-term health of the game and the most challenging short-term crisis it has ever faced,” Parry said.

“Project Big Picture provides a new beginning which will revitalise the football pyramid at all levels. This new beginning will reinvigorate clubs in the lower leagues and the communities in which they are based.

“The whole of English football has been negatively impacted by this pandemic and the English football pyramid as a whole is only as healthy as those at its base.

“Through this proposed restructuring we aim to strengthen those who need it most at a time when they need it most. This is about building on what is good and making the most of what works well in order to benefit the game as a whole, while simultaneously tackling those issues which trouble all of us.

“This is a blueprint for the future of English football and for everyone who cherishes it.

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MAN UNITED, LIVERPOOL BACK PREMIER LEAGUE OVERHAUL PROJECT.

Manchester United and Liverpool are backing a radical plan to overhaul English football, led by the English Football League, which would see control over the Premier League switch to the top teams, sources have confirmed.

The plan has been called “Project Big Picture” and would see an overhaul of the finances of the Premier League and the EFL.

Proposed by the EFL and its chairman, Rick Parry, the plans include reducing the Premier League to 18 teams, giving controlling power to the nine clubs who have been in the league the longest, and abolishing the League Cup and the Community Shield.

The Premier League has been governed by the one-club, one-vote rule but if this change is accepted power would shift to the big six of United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea as well as Everton, Southampton and West Ham. Changes would need the votes of just six of these clubs to be brought in.

“It is definitely going to be challenging and it is an enormous change, so that won’t be without some pain,” Parry told news men.

“Do I genuinely think it’s for the greater good of the game as a whole? Absolutely. And if the [big] six are deriving some benefit then why shouldn’t they. Why wouldn’t they put their names to this otherwise?”

In return for accepting the proposals, the Premier League would give 25% of its annual revenue to EFL clubs as well as gifting £250 million to the league to sure up clubs during the pandemic and a further £100m to the Football Association.

With the reduction of places in the Premier League, there would be two automatic promotion places for Championship clubs and then the third, fourth and fifth-placed clubs would compete in a play-off tournament with the 16th-placed Premier League club.

A Premier League statement, however, rebuked the plan and said it was important for all sides to work together.

“Both the Premier League and the FA support a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the game, including its competition structures, calendar and overall financing particularly in light of the effects of COVID-19,” the statement said. Football has many stakeholders, therefore this work should be carried out through the proper channels enabling all clubs and stakeholders the opportunity to contribute.

“In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support. The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding. This work will continue.”

A conversation around these proposals began as early as 2017 but has been accelerated in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has continued to affect clubs up and down the English football system.

“What do we do? Leave it exactly as it is and allow the smaller clubs to wither? Or do we do something about it? And you can’t do something about it without something changing. And the view of our clubs is if the [big] six get some benefits but the 72 also do, we are up for it,” Parry said.