Brentford beat a yet more underpowered United selection than is normal, even for this season of historic mediocrity. A deserved home victory was secured via a fine headed double from Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa’s tap-in following a first goal gifted by the comically lax defending that has been a regular feature of United’s season.
focus was understandably on midweek and the Europa League
Senior players selected were for reasons of match fitness
Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt forming a three-man defence with Tyler Fredricson
With an average age of 22 years and 270 days
Manchester United’s starting XI became the third-youngest Premier League selection
making a second successive start for the first time since February 2024
nodded back a hopeful Brentford punt to Altay Bayindir
only to find the Turk had lost the flight of the ball
Then came chances for Schade with Bryan Mbeumo
linked on Sunday with a summer move to Old Trafford
Brentford also had Europe in mind. Though kicking off in 11th, a path to the continent next season remains open. They ended the day in ninth. United had been embarrassed at the Gtech before, a pre-match video reminding everyone of the August 2022 4-0 crushing that no longer seems like a freak result
“Every game in the Premier League is difficult
“We were in complete control from minute one,” said Thomas Frank
Kobbie Mainoo sent away Alejandro Garnacho
and Mason Mount made the type of decisive run into the box trademarked at Chelsea but unseen since joining United in 2023
one of many lost souls in the Marie Celeste that is the club’s recruitment policy
with whom Mount collected the 2021 Champions League
was watching on; Mount’s last England appearance was the 2022 World Cup quarter-final
“He’s getting there,” said his club manager
The outstanding Michael Kayode’s aggressive winning of a second ball
which smashed off Shaw and beyond the rooted Bayindir
View image in fullscreenKevin Schade scores his second goal of the match for Brentford
Photograph: John Walton/PAHopes of avoiding injury were dashed in the moments preceding Brentford’s second
De Ligt damaged himself tackling Wissa and as he called for attention
Christian Nørgaard was played in by Kayode
the cross stood up for the back post for Schade
“He’s grown a lot this season,” said Frank; all three of his forwards have scored 10 goals or more this season
I don’t know.” The jinking wing wizard of San Mamés was soon put through his defensive paces
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Shaw was withdrawn as a precaution for Thursday while Amad Diallo
talismanic during his manager’s early weeks in charge
beyond a couple of Mount efforts finding him unable to repeat his previous proficiency
Home fans entertained themselves with Bayindir’s discomfort as a ball-playing keeper
and either booing or applauding Christian Eriksen
when the former Bee became United’s latest arrival
came when Damsgaard played in Mbeumo to supply his partner
was already due to be subbed off; a smiling Frank was apologetic
supplied by the still-rampaging Kayode who made it four
“He was very strong,” said Frank of the Fiorentina loanee
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Old TraffordPublished4 May 202587 CommentsMelvine Malard celebrated her equaliser like it was a stoppage-time winner and the Old Trafford crowd gave an outpouring of adulation
It reflected the significance of this result for Manchester United
Not only did they come from 2-0 down - and with 10 players after Aoife Mannion was sent off - to secure a point against bitter rivals Manchester City
it confirmed Champions League football for next season
United ended City's own hopes of playing in Europe
Marc Skinner's side can now prepare for a new future
looking at unique recruitment strategies and eyeing up financial gains
while City will assess where it all went wrong
Simply put, the 2-2 draw on Sunday was really a victory for United
then go down to 10 players and then to see the game out..
it absolutely feels like a win," said manager Skinner
"It obviously secured Champions League football so it is a huge moment for this young team
They haven't faced many moments like that
Man Utd comeback against Man City seals Europe spot
Man City 'fall short of standards' to miss out on Europe
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Manchester United will compete in a third successive FA Cup final this month
United have been in this position before in 2023
but failed to progress from the qualifying rounds a few months later
Women's Super League champions Chelsea will go straight into the group phase of the competition next season
while second and third place go into the qualification rounds
meaning United will still have to navigate that
But they want to go one step further and will attempt to attract the biggest names in Europe to compete in the competition
Reaching the group stages of the Women's Champions League means they would receive just over £430,000 as a starting fee and bonus payments on top
The next step is that we have to recruit the right way," added Skinner
"In order to go into the depths of the Champions League - and from our perspective actually qualify for the group stages - we have to add the quality of depth
People want to come to a Champions League team
Hopefully it opens that market for us."
European football also gives United an elevated status in the women's game
They no longer need to rely on the brand of Manchester United as a club - but the success of their performances as a team
It is also a boost in their efforts to convince United co-owner
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his staff that the women's team are worth investing in
Skinner added: "The club has a big status but the women's team has a young status
We qualified [for Europe] two seasons ago but now we have done it again and that does give us a big status
it's always about whether we get to the Champions League - that is what the agents are saying
"That status opens up more doors to give us better conversations."
While United are planning for bigger things
they must prepare well for the crucial transfer window Skinner has constantly referred to
United signed World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa
goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce and Brazilian winger Geyse
But American Tullis-Joyce did not break into the first team until this season
They needed more physicality and experience
but the challenge this time around is to recruit players who can make an instant difference
"I have not stopped all year to be honest in terms of our recruitment
We haven't just waited," said Skinner
"We have that moment now to reflect - but it will be a big summer for us
How will United make sure it's a successful window
The club are developing their own analysis system which looks at data and statistics to help them talent spot the players who are right for them
Technical director Jason Wilcox and women's head of recruitment Harvey Bussell are working together to lead the task
the strategy route we will go down," added Skinner
then we have to look at the budget and how we progress in the market
"Those are the little details that we'll have to work through."
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MANCHESTER, Jamaica— A Manchester man has been charged with murder in an incident that was reportedly captured on video.
Charged with murder is Nicholas Stewart, otherwise called ‘Big Tree’, a resident and farmer of the Colleyville district in Manchester. He is also charged with conspiracy to murder, possession of a prohibited weapon, unauthorised possession of ammunition and using a firearm to commit a felony.
Police accuse Stewart of killing Cleon Russell, 32, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, about 4:30 pm near the northeast Manchester/south Trelawny border.
Police said Russell was at a shop along the line of Parish main road when a blue Toyota Mark X drove up and Stewart alighted from the car before pouncing on Russell. After a brief conversation, Stewart reportedly opened fire on the victim, who fell to the ground before more rounds were fired.
Stewart reportedly walked away from the scene of the incident, which was reportedly captured on CCTV.
Last month, police spotted Stewart in the Christiana Market and arrested him.
He was charged with the offences last Saturday. His court date is being arranged.
Man Utd secure European spot in derby showdown
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Old TraffordManchester United secured their place in next season's Women's Champions League after coming from behind to draw with rivals Manchester City in a thrilling showdown at Old Trafford
Marc Skinner's side needed just a point to secure their spot in Europe and Melvine Malard delivered the crucial equalising goal after coming off the bench
United were 2-0 down after conceding goals from Laia Aleixandri and Rebecca Knaak in the first half but responded through Grace Clinton and Malard
who scored five minutes after she was introduced in the second half
lapped up the adulation from home fans in the Stretford End as she ran off to celebrate
It was a chaotic few minutes as fellow substitute Aoife Mannion - brought on for the injured Jayde Riviere in the first half - was sent off for a second booking
leaving United to finish the game with 10 players
But they held on to inflict a crushing blow to rivals City
who had to win at Old Trafford and hope United dropped points in their final game to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League themselves
boosted by the return of England internationals Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp
who started their first games since undergoing knee surgeries - but it was not enough
It is just the second time United have secured a Champions League spot
though they failed to progress from the qualifying rounds in 2023 so will look to go one better in the competition next season
City's campaign has been one to forget and this rubs salt into the wounds of a season without a trophy
Melvine Malard scored five minutes after coming on as a substitute
What are Man Utd's next steps after sealing European spot
Malard's equaliser felt like a stoppage-time winner as the stands erupted into celebration
aware of the significance a point would provide
But knowing that was all they needed before the game kicked off
United were scrappy in the first half and took time to settle into the match
with Elisabeth Terland's disallowed goal shaking City's defence
but it only seemed to spark a response from the visitors
Moments later Greenwood curled in a cross for Kerolin
but her first-time effort was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce who dived low to her left
it was City who played the better football
coming close through Knaak and Kerstin Casparij before Aleixandri eventually broke the deadlock
Kerolin was a constant threat and had rolled away from defender Millie Turner in the build-up to the opener
Knaak's header put City 2-0 up and gave them a strong lead
It did not flatter them but United were given a lifeline when Clinton got in front of Casparij to halve the deficit two minutes and 27 seconds later with another powerful header
That meant United ended the first half with momentum on their side and they lifted their level in the second half
putting pressure on City and searching for the crucial equaliser
United were primed to push on but had to defend nervously for over 20 minutes after Mannion's sending off sent them down to 10 players
The crowd whistled and cheered as each sliding challenge came in
and roared on their players as they attempted to slow the game down and spoil City's rhythm
even sending up goalkeeper Khiara Keating and bringing on midfielder Jill Roord to play as a number nine
Cushing's interim spell has been a difficult one with injuries impacting their ability to compete - but ultimately it has been a poor season which they must improve on next year
United are looking ahead to bigger and better things and are planning for a significant summer of recruitment to build their squad depth for a European challenge
After the opportunity to rate players has closed
the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users
The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made
Yamashita Match OfficialsReferee: Emily HeaslipMatch StatsKey
Gracie Prior (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half
Foul by Elisabeth Terland (Manchester United Women)
Anna Sandberg (Manchester United Women) is shown the yellow card
Khiara Keating (Manchester City Women) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul
Foul by Khiara Keating (Manchester City Women)
Grace Clinton (Manchester United Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half
Aoba Fujino (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked
Fourth official has announced 5 minutes of added time
Kerolin (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right
Laura Blindkilde Brown replaces Laura Coombs
Kerolin (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left following a corner
Jill Roord (Manchester City Women) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked
Laura Coombs (Manchester City Women) right footed shot from outside the box is too high
Laia Aleixandri (Manchester City Women) wins a free kick in the defensive half
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Ruben Amorim admits he is concerned for Matthijs de Ligt after he was forced off during Manchester United’s defeat by Brentford on Sunday
The Netherlands international appeared to pick up an injury prior to Brentford’s second goal of the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium
The 25-year-old received treatment on the pitch but could not continue and was replaced by Harry Maguire
United were left angered as Kevin Schade scored with De Ligt still on the ground
United head coach Amorim says he is still in the dark over the exact nature of the injury or how long he may or may not be sidelined for
“I don’t know so I’m really concerned — not about Thursday (the Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Club),” Amorim told Sky Sports
“We took off Luke Shaw at half-time to protect and have players for Thursday
but I’m more concerned whether it is a small or big injury and thinking about next season.”
“I hope it’s nothing serious,” he added to the BBC
Shaw had to go out because we need players for Thursday.”
United are already without fellow central defender Lisandro Martinez
who suffered a season-ending knee injury in February
Sunday’s game was De Ligt’s first start in any competition since April 2 after missing United’s last six matches
He returned from the bench against Athletic Club on Thursday
United lead the tie 3-0 after two goals from Bruno Fernandes and one from Casemiro ahead of Thursday’s second leg
With that game at Old Trafford in mind Amorim made eight changes to his side for the trip to west London
Two goals from Schade alongside one for Yoana Wissa and a Shaw own goal saw Brentford emerge as 4-3 winners despite replies from Mason Mount
Defeat leaves United 15th in the Premier League table
who are now six without a win in the league
News | Crime
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London’s crime rate may be rising – but mayor Sir Sadiq Khan claims the capital is not the worst in the country
In short: yes - though it also depends which crimes are compared
Analysis of the latest official crime statistics by The Standard supports the mayor’s assertion – and shows that Greater Manchester has a higher overall crime rate than London
There are far more crimes reported in London than in Manchester – 957,481 in the year to December 2024 in the capital
compared with 323,954 in Greater Manchester
And crime is growing in London - there were an extra 24,194 offences in 2024
an increase of 2.6 per cent - but falling in Manchester
But when the population of each city is factored in
London (8.9m residents) is statistically safer than Manchester (2.9m residents)
according to the Office for National Statistics
in its most recent release of crime data last week
said there were 107 crimes per 1,000 population in London and 109.9 per 1,000 people in Greater Manchester
But Manchester is not the most crime-ridden area of the country
Stockton-on-Tees and Middlesbrough – was the worst
The London figures covered both the Metropolitan police and City of London police areas
Last week’s statistics revealed that the soaring rate of shoplifting had continued in London, with offences up 58 per cent year on year
Theft from the person up by 41 per cent – but fell by 28 per cent in Manchester
But possession of weapons offences fell 20 per cent in London
violence with injury decreased by 15 per cent
and stalking and harassment dropped 10 per cent
Manchester had proportionately more stalking offences
sexual offences and public order offences than London
But the capital had higher rates of shoplifting
residential burglary and theft than Manchester
who helps to fund the Met police and is London’s police and crime commissioner
said the figures showed that “Londoners are less likely to be a victim of violence resulting in injury than across the rest of England and Wales”
The Met police is expected to lose about 1,700 officers and civilian staff due to the need to make budget cuts
A Greater Manchester police spokeswoman said that crime was falling across its region
This was backed up by the ONS data – its crime rate of 109.9 crimes per 1,000 residents was down on 122 per 1,000 residents recorded in 2023
London’s total crime rate has risen from 105.3 to 107 over the same period
The Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said: “Crime is actually falling here because of proactive approach of officers and staff increasing a problem solving approach to fighting crime
and our positive outcome rates are continuing to rise.”
Greater Manchester Police said total crime levels had fallen by 7.2 per cent year on year – meaning 25,000 fewer crimes and 18,735 fewer victims
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority said its homicide rates
knife crime and hospital admissions due to assault by a sharp object were lower than in London
last month extended the contract of Greater Manchester chief constable Stephen Watson until May 2028
Both Greater Manchester police and the Met police have come out of special measures
Mr Burnham said: “Greater Manchester Police has been transformed under Stephen Watson’s leadership
and his strong commitment to neighbourhood policing
crime is down across the board and more criminals are being brought to justice.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) said: “In recent years Greater Manchester Police has made significant progress in recording more crime and public confidence in the force has risen
“Under the leadership of Chief Constable Stephen Watson
Greater Manchester’s crime rates have fallen
Total crime is down eight per cent in the last year
violence against the person down seven per cent
Knife crimes and violence against women may surge without more funding
London crime hotspots revealed as capital faces ‘tidal wave’ of offending with 1,700 Met police officers and staff axed
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The Champions League race is alive with possibility
including Arsenal failing to qualify and Brentford reaching Europe after shaming Manchester United
That is pertinent because of a run-in which features the visit of Aston Villa and a trip to Manchester City
neither of which should hold any trepidation for a group which has already won at the Emirates
Old Trafford at St James’ Park this season
Bournemouth have already broken club records for points and wins in a Premier League campaign
with the bars for goals scored and conceded both almost certain to be beaten
Combine all that by securing their highest-ever finish of eighth and potentially
The feeling persists that Iraola might not be able to replicate this success on the shakier foundations which come higher up the ladder with less time and patience
but it remains an entirely tantalising prospect we must one day witness
It is impressive how the Spaniard seems able to contort himself into fitting numerous different job specifications. When the Spurs links started to formalise he wisely embarked on a winless run which included exiting a cup competition to show his suitability
before undoing Arsenal with set-piece mastery to plant some possible post-Arteta seeds
Their previous Premier League victory over any of Arsenal
Liverpool or Manchester City was so long ago that Thomas Tuchel was the manager
Romelu Lukaku the opening scorer and Roman Abramovich the owner
It was fair to doubt whether Enzo Maresca and his players had the minerals for this Champions League race but three wins on the bounce is a fair riposte
the Italy youth international has found his stride
Three Premier League starts have coincided with Brentford’s first run of three consecutive Premier League wins of the season and his stated aim of “helping them reach European competitions next season” is alive
It was Kayode ugly for Manchester United but beautiful to watch a 20-year-old acclimatise so seamlessly to the league
misplacing one pass and completing more than twice as many dribbles as any other player at the Gtech
Brentford have muddled through without a proper right-back for long enough
January and February could yet prove catastrophic to those hopes
and it will require a slip or two from some of those above
but Villa are in as good form as anyone and primed to capitalise if an opening presents itself
If only Ollie Watkins started to turn up
Kevin de Bruyne bowing out from the club with a fine impression of his former unparalleled self should not shake the foundations of what is the fair decision to allow his contract to expire
This form and fitness might be sustainable and a post-Etihad career flourish could make Manchester City look foolish
But it is not a gamble even the impossibly rich should overthink if there is to be any sort of emphasis on building for the future
His final gift has been to hold Manchester City’s hand into the Champions League after this campaign’s substantial scare
simultaneously displaying himself in the shop window for those interested in parting with a ludicrous signing-on fee and wage
Bernardo Silva said that “a little bit of the soul of this team is going” with De Bruyne and it reinforces the belief that despite the Portuguese’s own personal struggles, he should be persuaded to stay for yet another year before his own deal expires in 2026
Pep Guardiola would surely prefer not to lose the two most-used players in his entire managerial career over the course of one summer
with decisions to come soon enough on Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic too
The manager recently admitted his reluctance to use the club’s inexperienced academy graduates in this season’s more difficult moments was a mistake
like Nico O’Reilly further embedding himself in a side anchored by that spine containing four 30-something midfield pass masters who have helped Manchester City rediscover their identity before they make necessary moves to update and improve it
Almost 300 players have played 1,000 minutes in the Premier League this season and Enciso ranks first of those for shots per 90 (4.12)
Those numbers are skewed only slightly by a productive first half of the season at Brighton; the Paraguayan’s shots per 90 for Ipswich sandwich him between Mo Salah and Alexander Isak as an outlier among the league’s biggest strugglers
It would be no surprise to see Ipswich and McKenna learn from this season’s harsh lessons to return to this level soon; far more shocking would be if Enciso isn’t back immediately
shooting from ridiculous positions and earning weirdly respectful handshakes from a beaten Jordan Pickford
Newcastle had made a decent fist of that balance by simply winning 20 of their last 26 matches and losing the rest
That all-or-nothing approach ended their trophy drought and made Champions League qualification a live possibility
Only 11 teams in Premier League history had ever gone longer without a draw than Newcastle
who finally made sure they followed their manager’s advice and didn’t lose on one of the increasingly rare occasions when victory was not possible
A first draw for five months in any competition could be crucial
keeping the Magpies above Chelsea and Nottingham Forest regardless of their results in this tireless race
Avoiding a ruinous seasonal hat-trick of losses in the Yankuba Minteh/Dan Burn/James Milner/Chris Wood/Aaron Hughes/Tim Krul/Dan Ashworth derby was just a welcome bonus
The good news is that Vitor Pereira and Wolves are on track to win the actual title by 2030
going basically full-strength to build momentum
The potentially season-shattering risk of an avoidable
belief-shattering defeat to an excellent side was the trade-off and while PSG themselves were beaten at the weekend by Strasbourg
they made ten changes to the starting XI which conquered the Emirates and will be fresh at the Parc des Princes
Arteta can only try to harness this and it might be that the “rage
frustration and a bad feeling in the tummy” is actually what Arsenal need to pull them through and into the Champions League final
Yet the Gunners have not looked so vulnerable in as many different areas in some time, from set-piece defending to lead-squandering
The very real and very funny prospect of Arsenal failing to qualify for the Champions League while Liverpool
Chelsea and one of Manchester United or Spurs all win a trophy and reach the European Promised Land is on
and it starts with Nottingham Forest beating Crystal Palace on Monday night
It is a perfect summary of the fine margins Silva relies on that Fulham have had 18 games decided either way by a single goal in the Premier League this season
and they have won nine and lost nine of them
While it guarantees safety – which is an achievement a recently promoted club should not take for granted – it also places a ceiling on what Fulham can do
It inhibits them as much as it enhances them
That is why Fulham’s longest winning run matches their worst losing streak of two games
why they have had consecutive Premier League victories only once since November
why they can beat the distant champions and by far worst team in the division in between four defeats to clubs in the Premier League’s hard-boiled centre
It is also quite weird that Fulham have now ended two games this season with ten men despite not having someone sent off
with an injury suffered after all their substitutes were made
Not sure Emi Martinez can be blamed for that
But the idea that Manchester United can actively sacrifice their Premier League season without severe censure feels doubly cowardly. It’s as if they think them giving up on it meaning anything in a material sense pre-emptively counteracts criticism or scrutiny. And when ruthless redundancies are being made, the haemorrhaging of potential prize money is an absolutely atrocious look.
In any event, a ludicrously expensive squad and coach should be able to hold their own and at the very least have an identifiable style, no matter how many changes are wrought. Never allow Manchester United being this abysmal to be normalised, accepted or forgotten.
It does feel as though the second wedding’s honeymoon is over, that the bloom is off the rose somewhat and Everton have slipped back into their worst habits. And when their worst habits were established at the start of the season as proving 2-0 to indeed be the most dangerous lead, that isn’t ideal.
Their relative ease in sweeping into a two-goal lead over Ipswich underlined how much better than the bottom three they are, but the implosion to hand Ipswich their first points from a losing position since November emphasised the work that needs to be done to steer Everton in the right direction next season.
Moyes has earned the opportunity to oversee these steps into a brave new era but he will know that performance and more generally the last few weeks have not really been good enough.
Sean Dyche was sacked for a run of two wins, seven draws and four defeats; Moyes is currently on two wins, seven draws and three defeats and saying “we controlled the game” after being outshot eight to 12 at home to a relegated team sounds eerily like his predecessor.
One record will almost certainly fall. Four sides share the honour of having lost 29 games in a Premier League season. Southampton are on 28 and have just had the league double done over them by the next-worst team. It’s not looking great.
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but few give credit to heroes born abroad as Amhrán na bhFiann does
Irish international football changed irrevocably
Few people watching the 1-0 victory over Spain on May 5th
could have known that Manchester-born Shay Brennan
who was among the green shirts for the first time that day
was to be the forerunner to more than 100 other international footballers born “beyond the wave”
The previous year, Fifa had overhauled the regulations concerning national teams’ representation
As the proposal read to the 1964 Fifa conference in Tokyo noted: “A player who is a citizen of a country by virtue of his birth or by the nationality of his father ..
is qualified to play in international or representative teams for that country.“
footballers couldn’t switch nations once they turned 18
While Northern Ireland’s Harry Cavan spoke in Tokyo, the FAI‘s delegate – if present – was silent on the change
The news also failed to make any Irish newspaper pages
now no longer able to cap three-time nation-hoppers such as Alfredo Di Stefano or László Kubala
as Andres Merce Varela of Barcelona’s El Mundo Deportivo admitted
because switching countries had “detracted from the idea of football between nations ...”
Questions remain as to why the FAI had not previously sought players born abroad, given that the IRFU had long picked “Anglos” and most Irish footballers played in Britain
a journeyman born in Durham made four appearances for the Irish Free State between 1927 and 1932
was a desire to avoid treading on the toes of the Football Association by taking “their” players
the FAI remained reluctant to search the English football league for Irish names
James Quinn claims in No Foreign Game that they ignored Matt Busby’s initial tip-off about Brennan
because of what he believes was embarrassment at acknowledging Britain’s hidden Irish community
FAI secretary Joe Wickham passed Brennan’s name to the selectors
but not before tentatively contacting the FA to see whether he was likely to be called up by Alf Ramsey
Fifa removed the discriminatory “paternal” clause
Londoner Chris Hughton became Ireland’s first mixed-race player
qualifying to play for the country through his mother
This milestone was achieved before colonialist countries such as Spain or Belgium
while Hughton’s debut coincided with the first time a majority of a Republic of Ireland starting XI was foreign-born
Irish citizenship law allowed a shift to not just grandparents but great-grandparents
who proved the lack of Irish birth or close generational ties did not hamper commitment
told Marca in 2012: “When I played with Ireland
I felt something more powerful than when I played with Liverpool
I felt that I was defending an important nation.” Mind you
weeks before his debut in Paris in October 1980
he had responded to the question in Match Weekly “Who would you like to meet most?” with “[England manager] Ron Greenwood on business.”
And here lay a major problem with the “granny rule”: footballers were often accused of choosing Ireland more from their head than their heart
It seemed to confuse some onlookers that the likes of Andy Townsend
That simplistic view missed the point that being of mixed heritage meant that split loyalties were entirely natural
and not an issue for the player involved at all
It is very easy to cheer for more than one country if you have roots in more than one country
Qualification for Euro 88 brought the granny rule into the crosshairs of the English press
After Ireland beat England at that tournament
the Daily Mail’s Jeff Powell led the charge
raging that England had lost to “a bunch of international mercenaries recruited from their own First Division”
Many in the English media sought to undermine the Irish team’s authenticity
and shoneen Irish journalists willingly joined in
But ultimately the foreign-born footballers brought a belated recognition of the diaspora in Ireland
Most Irish football fans are now aware that a significant number of their travelling companions are also foreign-born with foreign accents
Perhaps the most significant feature of the granny rule is how other countries now use it
often with the same angst about commitment and damage to the local game
Albania has emerged recently as a more aggressive pursuer of qualified players than the FAI ever were
69.23 per cent of its panel was foreign born
beating the 65 per cent of the Irish squad in 1988
although still below the 72.73 per cent for Italia 90
[ Giants in Green: Michael Walker’s greatest all-time all-Ireland XIOpens in new window ]
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Ciaran Wiseman
Chido Obi-Martin set a new club record by making his first Premier League start for Manchester United
The teenage striker was named in the starting line-up by Ruben Amorim for Sunday's 4-3 defeat to Brentford
It came at 17 years and 156 days old for Obi-Martin
making him the youngest-ever player to start a Premier League match for United
The youngster was also making his seventh appearance for the Red Devils first-team since arriving at Old Trafford
Obi-Martin completed a move from Arsenal back in October to link up with the United academy
He was handed his Premier League debut in February, appearing as a substitute against Fulham
Despite that, he has already scored 12 times in just 10 appearances for their Under-18s.
Explaining his decision to hand Obi-Martin his first league start, Amorim told Sky Sports: "We need to focus a lot on our young players.
"For me, it is not a massive game for Chido. I know it's important for Chido, but I don't want a lot of pressure on Chido.
I feel he is ready to cope with the demands of the Premier League."
he added: "It is really hard because we want to improve in the table
In this moment I think everyone can understand our choice."
Amorim made a string of changes from Thursday's win over Athletic Bilbao for the clash with the Bees
academy starlets Harry Amass and Tyler Fredricson were also included in the starting line-up
The Portuguese's XI had an average age of just 22 years and 270 days
It is the third youngest starting line-up in Premier League history and the youngest since 2009
Middlesbrough set the current record of 20 years and 181 days against Fulham back in May 2006
The Red Devils took a giant leap towards the Europa League final in midweek
Their victory in Spain means they will defend a 3-0 lead in this week's second leg
a win at Brentford on Sunday would lift them up to 13th in the table
You have reached ESPN's UK edition. Stay on current site or go to US version
playAmorim: Brentford loss 'a reflection of our season' for Man United (1:43)Ruben Amorim assesses Manchester United's performance during their 4-3 loss to Brentford and praises the young players that featured
saying the club's focus is entirely on their Europa League campaign
United fell to a club record 16th Premier League defeat with a starting lineup that had an average age of just 22 to remain in 15th place while the victory boosted Brentford's European hopes as they moved up to ninth
United cannot finish in the top half of the table anymore but Amorim said he rested his senior players for Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg
"We as a club we need to understand in this moment we have a big responsibility
We have to prepare a squad for different competitions," Amorim said in a post-match interview
"I have no doubt that we are playing better
At this moment we are losing games in the Premier League
We are fighting for the Europa League and Thursday is the most important game for us
"It is good for the players that everyone is playing
United have put all their eggs in the Europa League basket as winning the competition is their only chance of qualifying for the Champions League
Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim left a number of senior players on the bench in their loss to Brentford Sunday. Getty ImagesBut Amorim said his squad is not yet ready to compete next season
"We are not ready to play Premier League competitively and be in the Champions League
but we need to win and we need to win this competition to give something to our fans," he added
"Then we will have time to prepare the team to cope with those two competitions."
Midfielder Mason Mount
said winning the Europa League was the "most important thing" as the campaign draws to a close
"The season we've had in the Premier League is something we need to look at massively," he said
"But if we can get into the final and win that
Information from Reuters was used in this story
just as the previous system – Financial Fair Play – made football’s ecosystem anything but fair
The system in its current form isn’t working for anyone. Man United had their accountants operating at full throttle to dodge a PSR breach in 2023-24 and sales are needed to fund a root-and-branch revamp of the squad this summer
It’s a familiar story for an increasing contingent of Premier League clubs
Everton and Nottingham Forest are so far the only sides to have been penalised for breaching PSR
while Leicester City escaped on a technicality earlier this season
Aston Villa and – despite some very creative accounting making them seem bullet-proof – Chelsea have had to revise their business plans because of Profit and Sustainability Rules
In football finance
retail therapy simply isn’t what it used to be
As far as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers are concerned, the sentiment towards PSR at Old Trafford is mixed
Ratcliffe has called plans to introduce an anchoring system wherein clubs would be limited to spending a multiple of what the Premier League’s bottom-placed club earns in TV money “absurd.”
As a free marketeer, Brexit advocate and resident of tax-free Monaco, the Ineos billionaire’s reflex is to champion less regulation, not more. See also: the 72-year-old’s positions on the proposed independent watchdog for English football, Manchester City’s challenge to the Premier League’s APT rules
and the internecine lawfare that is currently dominating the domestic game
while a more libertarian approach to PSR might be in United’s short-term interests
it’s almost certainly a case of better the devil you know for the Red Devils
Yes, it’s frustrating being constrained in the transfer market and banking on a backdoor route to Champions League qualification via the Europa League to comply with nebulous spending rules
but it would be a whole lot worse if spending was not indexed to profit and revenue
United would be overwhelmed by competitors rolling in sovereign wealth and private equity money
The Glazers and Ratcliffe are worth about £25bn collectively. Setting aside the fact that the Glazer family aren’t interested in putting their own cash into the club
that’s the kind of money that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (Newcastle)
Silver Lake (Manchester City) or Clearlake (Chelsea) barely bother getting out of bed for
With plans to build a new stadium to replace Old Trafford and a peerless commercial brand
the club will – in time – have more PSR headroom than just about anyone else
But the macroeconomic realities of football and hypothetical financial modelling aren’t of any concern to Ruben Amorim at the moment – he’s got a super tanker to turn around
loophole exploitation – whatever you want to call it
it’s rife among clubs desperate to carve out breathing space under PSR
used ultra-long contracts to amortise signing fees over an extended period
Ahead of last summer’s PSR deadline when the monitoring period rolled over
they were also among the teams to use quasi-swap deals
with players traded between clubs in separate transactions for roughly equivalent fees so as to create a short-term player trading profit
they have moved onto intra-company asset sales – effectively taking money out of one pocket and putting it in the other
and a portion of their training ground to sister companies to create artificial PSR profits worth £100m-plus in recent years
The Blues banked an artificial PSR profit of £200m by selling the Women’s team to themselves in the last financial year
which allowed them to turn a profit in 2023-24 and meet Premier League spending rules despite gigantic
United may consider doing the same to get within the £105m allowable loss threshold next season
suggests that United have likely escaped a breach under Premier League and UEFA rules this season
But next season’s compliance could rest entirely on whether United, who beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 night in San Mames last night
‘PSR, however, would undoubtedly be a challenge if United have no Europe at all in 25/26. Sir Jim Ratcliffe may well be looking at the sale of the Women’s team in that scenario,’ he writes
REVEALED: The clubs at risk of 24/25 PSR and UEFA FFP issuesPreparations are underway for the first transfer deadline of the Summer window – the much maligned 30 June accounting year end
While the Premier League is yet to close the intra-company sales loophole
United wouldn’t have carte blanche to sell the Women’s team to themselves at whatever price they like
The Premier League is assessing the Chelsea sale for fair market value
a provision which is designed to prevent clubs from striking artificially inflated deals with owners to subsidise squad spending
but Chelsea are currently in talks with a potential buyer of a minority stake whose investment they hope will justify the valuation
United’s Women’s team has been nowhere near as successful as Chelsea’s
victory over United Women at Leigh Sports Village last Sunday delivered a sixth successive Women’s Super League title for the Blues
A tough one to take.#MUWomen || #WSL
United Women won the FA Cup last season and are on course to finish 3rd in the WSL in 2024-25
though Ratcliffe has been accused of leaving them behind since his part-takeover in February last year
“There’s only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men’s team
you get spread too thinly,” he said last year
“We need to sort out the main issue – the men’s team
Women’s football is growing really quickly in popularity and size.”
Even if they are some way off the Blues on the pitch and in terms of investment
the United brand means that the Women’s team would be worth a similar amount as far as the fair market value assessment is concerned
The business generated around £7m last year
Manchester United superstar Bruno Fernandes is attracting strong interest from the Saudi Pro League
A dreadful start to the season saw the sacking of Erik ten Hag in October and the arrival of Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP
Despite the managerial change at Old Trafford, two things remain consistent: United’s abysmal form in the Premier League, and Fernandes delivering on a regular basis
United currently find themselves languishing in the 15th place in the Premier League but the Portuguese maestro is enjoying an impressive season
no player in England’s top flight has created more chances than the 30-year-old
who also boasts eight goals and 10 assists in the league so far this term
Fernandes is also spearheading United’s Europa League charge
having been directly involved in 11 goals in the competition
his phenomenal form has sparked interest from Saudi Arabia
According to journalist Abdullah Al-Hanyan (via Utd District)
Al Hilal are keen on signing the United captain
the Saudi Pro League has been exploring the market for a new marquee name to lead their project
It is claimed they want to sign Fernandes before the Club World Cup
it is understood that the Portugal international’s “lawyer and agent met with the management” of Al Hilal on Monday
especially since United are set to face Athletic Club in the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals this week
Considering the importance of the tie and the commitment the player has consistently shown to United during his time in Manchester
it is difficult to see Fernandes and his representatives holding transfer talks at this stage of the campaign
it is best to take the claim with a pinch of salt
Fernandes is inarguably United’s most important player so it is not far-fetched to assume Ineos would not entertain any talks of exit
He is tied to the club until the summer of 2027
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
Vishal has worked in the football media industry for over six years
and editing content for several major outlets
he covers Manchester United — a club he has been religiously following and supporting since 2012
Big fan of ball-playing centre-backs and Harry Maguire’s knee-slide celebration
Congrats to Bayern Munich on winning the Bundesliga title this weekend...now on to our normal freak show..
“Even in the future nothing works” — Lord Helmet
No, Rick Moranis’ character was not talking about the prospects of Bayern Munich’s academy system during that 80s classic
the Bayern Munich fan base is desperate to see more homegrown stars
but it has proven to be a difficult journey to navigate for many players
when seeing Aleksandar Pavlović play in the midfielder or when watching highlights of Lennart Karl
but until the academy starts producing stars consistently
some rumors indicate that Tom Bischof’s free agent signing has left some within the academy operations resentful and feeling like the homegrown talent could face a roadblock:
The transfer of Tom Bischof is causing questions at the FC Bayern Campus and was seen as a bit of an ‘affront’ within the academy because it blocks the path for academy players with similar profile/position(s) (Wanner
there are critical voices at the Campus because since the emergence of Aleksandar Pavlović last season
there has been no integration of other academy players with the first team this season
So...maybe the academy coaches have a point in some respect
but Paul Wanner does not appear to be ready
while Bischof has played for an equally underperforming squad and has done better
some of those other players referenced are far from looking ready to contribute consistently next season
Seeing Arijon Ibrahimović or Javier Fernández would be awesome
but it does not appear likely for 2025/26 — at least right now
Bischof on a free transfer was too good to pass up
Former Bayern Munich defender David Alaba could be on his way out at Real Madrid:
Real Madrid is looking to move on David Alaba this summer
The Austria international is now 32 and has struggled with injuries over the last two seasons
The Club World Cup could be his last involvement with the Spanish giants
Bayern Munich is in need of some versatile defensive help
so…would you bring Alaba back to be part of the mix if he would agree to a club friendly deal
Bayern Munich was crowned Bundesliga champions during a watch party
We have a full slate of topics to untangle
This is what we have on tap for this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works Show:
Juventus is rumored to be a big fan of Manchester United’s Rasmus Højlund and might now be able to get him:
Serie A giants Juventus have taken the first steps to signing Rasmus Højlund from Manchester United this summer
who moved to Old Trafford from Atalanta two years ago
has struggled to adapt to life in England and has scored only four Premier League goals this season
The 22-year-old is available for transfer as Ruben Amorim plans a significant rebuild
with a return to Italy the most likely outcome
With Dusan Vlahovic set to leave Juve due to a contract impasse
the Turin club have identified Højlund as a suitable replacement
The original plan was to sign another former Serie A forward struggling at United
and Amorim’s desire to give the ex-Bologna player another chance
Dean Huijsen and Bournemouth could be set to talk about his future very soon:
Huijsen is rumored to be on Bayern Munich’s radar
but funding could be an issue if the Bavarians secure the signing of Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz
Bayern Munich traveled to RB Leipzig and earned a tough 3-3 draw in a match that will not leave either side satisfied
Bayern Munich needed the win to clinch the title
while RB Leipzig needed three points to help keep its European hopes alive
then fought all the way back to take the lead...and collapsed in an utterly deflating fashion
Let’s talk about all of that and more on the Bavarian Podcast Work — Postgame Show
Rumored Bayern Munich transfer target Christopher Nkunku is reportedly ready to leave Chelsea FC:
While Bayern Munich could use some new blood in its attack
Nkunku will likely be too expensive if the Bavarians sign Wirtz
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is still drawing interest from English clubs — including Chelsea FC, Arsenal FC, and Aston Villa:
Arsenal and Aston Villa are all holding internal talks about making a move to sign free agent Kevin De Bruyne
The 33-year-old is finishing the season strongly having announced that he will leave Manchester City
Bayern Munich is in the homestretch of the season
but the news surrounding the team continues to heat up
Let’s talk about everything going on with the squad on this edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show:
According to a report from Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäffl
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has two Genk youngsters on his sight:
Vincent Kompany is a fan of Konstantinos Karetsas (17) and Lucca Brughmans (16) from Genk and is keeping an eye on them
Both are considered perspective players for the future
Borussia Dortmund could be in line to acquire Arsenal FC’s Oleksandr Zinchenko:
Oleksandr Zinchenko looks set to leave Arsenal in the summer with Borussia Dortmund increasingly confident of getting a deal over the line
Casemiro will reportedly receive a huge pay rise if Manchester United win the Europa League this season
and we are looking forward to playing on Sunday
“It’s all about recovery from the final whistle last night [Thursday] until basically two hours before the game on Sunday
As reported on Wednesday, Aaron Hickey and Igor Thiago have returned to full training. Full-back Hickey (hamstring) has been unavailable since October 2023
while striker Thiago (knee) has been restricted to four appearances since his move from Club Brugge in the summer
with the most recent of those coming against Newcastle United in December
One player who will not feature again this term is midfielder Vitaly Janelt, who recently had surgery to address an issue in his heel.
Fábio Carvalho (shoulder) is also unlikely to feature again this campaign, while Josh Dasilva (knee) remains sidelined.
Sunday’s opponents Manchester United are 14th in the Premier League table, three places and 10 points worse off than the Bees, but Frank believes that Ruben Amorim’s side have deserved more points from their performances.
“It’s a team that is very structured; they know what they want to do offensively and defensively,” he said.
“The performances in Europe show that there is potential and actually in the Premier League they have not got what they have played to.
“There are a lot of games with high expected goals and chances, the rhythm of the games, they have deserved more.
“It’s Man United, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. They will put a very competitive team out there on Sunday.”
ending their hopes of overtaking United or Arsenal
who are on 45 points with two games remaining
City needed a win to keep their top-three chances alive and to push United into a must-win scenario on the final day
though both returned to the XI for the derby
They reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League this season, winning the first leg 2-0 but lost out to Chelsea after The Blues responded with a 3-0 victory in the second leg
United secured passage to the continental competition after a second-place finish in the 2022-23 season however they failed to make it past the qualification stage, losing to Paris Saint-Germain
who have reached the Champions League final this season
A win would secure a second place finish ahead of the final game of the season where they face United
with two games to spare to mark domestic victory for Sonia Bompastor
Manchester United have clinched Champions League qualification at the expense of rivals Manchester City thanks to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford
They reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League this season, winning the first leg 2-0 but lost out to Chelsea after The Blues responded with a 3-0 victory in the second leg
United secured passage to the continental competition after a second-place finish in the 2022-23 season however they failed to make it past the qualification stage, losing to Paris Saint-Germain
Newcastle secured a point at Brighton as they look to secure Champions League football
while Brentford and Manchester United played out a classic
The final report is in, and it comes in courtesy of Jonathan Wilson from the Amex.
Updated at 17.05 CEST1d ago16.59 CEST“Did autofill substitute ‘supposed’ for ‘surprise’, or is this some British irony I don’t get as a dumb Midwesterner?” writes Joe Pearson.
It was a weird game that never seemed like being particularly thrilling. Large parts were pedestrian. But who can complain about seven goals?
1d ago16.58 CESTFull time: Brighton 1-1 NewcastleNote a bad point overall for Newcastle but with Champions League football on the line, the two dropped could prove key.
Updated at 17.07 CEST1d ago16.56 CESTFull time! Brentford 4-3 Manchester UnitedThe Bees with a supposed seven-goal thriller.
1d ago16.55 CESTBrentford 4-3 Manchester United: Bayindir produces a fine save to stop Wissa from sealing the win.
1d ago16.54 CESTFull time! West Ham 1-1 TottenhamThe points are shared.
1d ago16.54 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: WHAT A SAVE! Wilson ping a shot from eight yards and Verbruggen tips it over.
1d ago16.54 CESTGOAL
Brentford 4-3 Manchester United (Diallo 90+4)GAME ON
1d ago16.51 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: Veltman cleans out Gordon on the left wing to give Newcastle a free-kick in a dangerous position. It comes to nothing.
1d ago16.49 CESTBrentford 4-2 Manchester United: SEVEN ADDED ON! (THIS MATTERS LESS)
1d ago16.49 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: NINE MINUTES ADDED ON!
Updated at 16.50 CEST1d ago16.47 CESTGOAL! Brighton 1-1 Newcastle (Isak, pen, 89)Isak steps up … and sends the keeper the wrong way. Then fights Verbruggen to get the ball back.
1d ago16.46 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: A long look … AND A PENALTY IS GIVEN! Third time lucky for Newcastle.
1d ago16.45 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: VAR is having a look …
1d ago16.45 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: PENALTY
The visitors have a free-kick in a very dangerous position on the edge of the box … Schar lines it up
it breaks through the wall off Ayari’s arm
1d ago16.41 CESTGOAL
Brentford 4-2 Manchester United (Garnacho 81)The Argentinian produces a stunner into the top corner
plays a one-two with Eriksen and whips it into the top corner
1d ago16.38 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: O’Reilly is penalised for a foul on Tonali in the Newcastle box.
1d ago16.38 CESTWest Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Paqueta is booked for trip the young lad Moore.
1d ago16.35 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: “I loathe VAR, but at least it’s doing its job today,” says Paul (a bitter Boro fan). “Two dodgy penalties to Newcastle? Sounds about right. I’ve long thought St. James Park is the Bermuda Triangle of football. A place where normal laws of football apply only to the away team.”
1d ago16.35 CESTGOAL
Brentford 4-1 Manchester United (Wissa 74)Jensen slips a pass through to Kayode who crosses for Wissa to tap home from close range
There is a check for offside … and it is eventually given
1d ago16.32 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wilson is being prepared for Newcastle.
1d ago16.31 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: NO PENALTY
Fair play to Pawson for admitting a second error
A decent effort by Willock but not good enough
Brentford 3-1 Manchester United (Schade 70)Mbeumo crosses and Schade does the rest
1d ago16.27 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Ayari and Veltman on for Brighton, Hinshelwood and Adringa off.
1d ago16.26 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Barnes beats the defender, gets to the byline and pulls the ball back to Isak who does what he can, sending a backheel towards goal but Verbruggen deals with it.
1d ago16.24 CESTWest Ham 1-1 Tottenham: All quite end of season on the other side of London, where Spurs win their first corner of the matchin the 61st minute.
1d ago16.23 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Jensen is preparing to come on for the Bees.
1d ago16.23 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: It is all quite slow in west London. Are both teams very tired?
1d ago16.22 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Barnes is on the right now and cuts in to fire a shot with his left but it’s straight at the keeper.
1d ago16.17 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: OVERTURNED
1d ago16.16 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: PENALTY? Lamptey kicks Gordon just outside the box but a penalty is given. Will it be overturned?
1d ago16.15 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Former Bees man Eriksen is brought on for Mount.
1d ago16.14 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: That is the final action for Murphy, who is replaced by Gordon.
1d ago16.13 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Murphy takes aim from 20 yards but his shot is very wayward.
1d ago16.12 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wieffer is replaced by Lamptey. No point in taking the risk with him as Brighton do not want to go down to 10.
1d ago16.10 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Garnacho is booked for moaning about being penalised for a soft foul.
1d ago16.10 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wieffer slides in on Tonali
He is on a booking but Pawson does not think it is worthy of a second
Manchester United rallied to grab a point through Rasmus Højlund and dent their 10-man hosts’ European hopes
Ha. It’s certainly striking what has happened when Amorim has ditched the dogma. In the frantic final acts when he has switched to a back four, United now have two mini-wins and a mini-draw: it was 0-0 at Forest, 2-0 v Lyon and 1-0 here. In the same games, the back three was losing every time – 0-1, 3-4 and 0-1 again.
27 Apr 202517.11 CEST“That red card,” says Andy Flintoff, “was similar to one for Fernandes earlier in the season, which was reduced on appeal as he slipped too. It doesn’t help Bournemouth now, of course.”
27 Apr 202517.05 CEST“The glower of Sir Jim Ratcliffe,” says Eric Peterson, “gives him an uncanny resemblance to Roger Waters, as if he’s thinking about all those times the other jerks in Pink Floyd had the nerve to have musical thoughts of their own.”
27 Apr 202517.05 CEST“If Liverpool had stopped playing at Christmas,” says Marie Meyer in Santa Fe, “they’d still have more points than Man United.” Ha. According to Whoscored.com, it would actually be a tie – 39 all. But point taken.
27 Apr 202516.57 CEST90+9 min Obi goes down just inside the box, but it’s just a collision. Corner to United… they try something too elaborate, which ends with Shaw overhitting a cross.
27 Apr 202516.56 CEST90+7 min Iraola replaces Ouattara with Jebbison, probably to kill time.
27 Apr 202516.55 CESTGOAL
Bournemouth 1-1 United (Hojlund 90+6)They’ve found the net
Hojlund adds a flick to someone else’s shot
27 Apr 202516.52 CEST90+3 min Chances for Garnacho, Eriksen and Fernandes! The first two were scrappy but Fernandes had a clear sight of goal. His shot from distance was curled artfully but not quite sharply enough.
27 Apr 202516.50 CEST90+2 min Final United sub: Dorgu is replaced by Eriksen, who takes over from Fernandes on corner duty.
27 Apr 202516.49 CEST90+1 min Chance for Obi! Sent through by Shaw, he does well to keep his balance and shoot for the top corner, where Kepa paws it out.
27 Apr 202516.48 CEST90 min There will be NINE more minutes
Dorgu’s cut-back reaches him near the penalty spot
27 Apr 202516.44 CEST86 min Shaw wins a corner with a classy cross. He’s still got it.
27 Apr 202516.43 CEST85 min Bournemouth sub: Senesi for Semenyo as Iraola shores up his defence. Exit Semenyo, pursued by a big hand.
27 Apr 202516.37 CEST78 min United on the prowl again. Garnacho’s cut'-back can’t find a team-mate. As Bournemouth threaten to counter, Shaw takes one for the team.
27 Apr 202516.35 CEST77 min Chance for Obi! Shaw, now at left-back, executes a model overlap and cut-back, but Obi can’t quite sort his feet out in time to put any power into his shot.
27 Apr 202516.34 CEST76 min Amorim sends on a fourth sub, and it’s a bold one: Chido Obi, the teenage centre-forward, for Mazraoui, the seasoned odd-job man.
27 Apr 202516.33 CEST75 min And Bournemouth can still be a danger on the break. Some good work from Tavernier wins them a corner, which they can’t turn into a chance.
27 Apr 202516.29 CEST71 min Bournemouth subs: Tavernier for Kluivert, Cook for Scott.
27 Apr 202516.29 CESTRED CARD! EvanilsonBankes had given a yellow, but now he brandishes a red. And the VAR, much to Alan Smith’s disgust, has not mentioned the possibility of a slip. “Dumbfounded about that one… It’s a total accident.”
Chief football news reporterManchester United dragged their season out of the ashes in quite extraordinary fashion as they scored twice in the final minute of extra time to complete a staggering comeback from 4-2 down against 10-man Lyon at Old Trafford
United appeared to be heading out of the competition in the worst possible manner as they tossed away a two-goal lead in the space of seven minutes before conceding twice in extra time
Supporters were streaming for the exits in their droves but Bruno Fernandes breathed new life into United when he converted a penalty six minutes from time after a video assistant referee intervention for a foul on Casemiro that had initially gone unpunished
Kobbie Mainoo somehow kept his cool to curl an equaliser into the corner of the Lyon goal as the tie entered its final minute
But there was no inclination to settle for penalties from the hosts
In front of legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson
United produced an ending right out of his 1999 Champions League-winning playbook as Casemiro lifted the ball into the penalty area and makeshift centre-forward Harry Maguire rose to send it arcing into the corner
the substituted and anyone else who could get there joined in the celebrations
It was up there with the most famous games this stadium has ever seen and means Ruben Amorim's side now face a semi-final with Athletic Bilbao
'More than a miracle' - how Man Utd won in remarkable extra time
Amorim 'inspired' by 1999 for United comeback
Man Utd begin to show never-say-die DNA'
it is pointless trying to make sense of this game
Bloody Hell' comment after the 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich
which featured two injury-time goals to win it
sprang to mind as Maguire headed off down the tunnel at the end of the game
Amorim responded to his goal by chasing off down the touchline
just as Jose Mourinho famously did when Porto won in this stadium in 2004
was shown jumping up and down with delight
United still have a semi-final to play - and
an all-English final with Tottenham - before they can claim a Champions League place by winning the Europa League and grabbing some silverware to at least make this desperate campaign a success
But it will be a while before the memories of what happened fade
that is over 100 years old and has played host to the Busby Babes - the only other United side to win a game by a 5-4 scoreline when they beat Arsenal in the match before the Munich tragedy - the Holy Trinity of George Best
But this single game stands alongside any those illustrious predecessors produced as one of the very best
It is Amorim's job to piece through the ridiculous events that unfolded at Old Trafford
United produced arguably their best performance under him as Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot put them within touching distance of a place in the last four
But they were made to pay for the failure to take one of numerous chances to score a tie-sealing third and then simply tossed away their advantage
The start of their unravelling was a straightforward free-kick into the box
Former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette got a flick on and Corentin Tolisso nipped ahead of Leny Yoro to head home
The goal seemed to suck all the certainty and purpose out of the home side
Substitute Malick Fofana began to threaten and Thiago Almada skied an excellent chance over from the edge of the area
But United were rocking and they were unable to stabilise themselves before the French visitors levelled
This time there was an English element as Ainsley Maitland-Niles let fly with cross-shot that fizzed to Nicolas Tagliafico at the far post
the Argentina defender scuffed his effort but Andre Onana
could not prevent the ball crossing the line
It was a seven-minute spell that summed up everything that is bad about Amorim's team
with substitute Mainoo operating as a false nine and Mason Mount in support
not even after Tolisso had been unluckily dismissed for accidently tripping Yoro
there was greater purpose about Lyon and it was no real surprise when man of the match Rayan Cherki put the visitors ahead from the edge of the area in the first period of extra time
The jubilation that followed that goal was nothing compared to the celebrations after Lacazette sent Onana the wrong way from the spot after Yoro and Luke Shaw had combined to upend Fofana inside the penalty area
There was going to be no European football next season for only the second time since English clubs returned to Europe in 1990 following the Heysel tragedy
The financial cost of missing out on the Champions League is immense
Manchester United defenders Noussair Mazraoui and Victor Lindelof had to leave Old Trafford to attend urgent family issues
Mazraoui did not appear for the second half after starting the game while Lindelof appeared to be getting ready to come on but in the end
Both issues were independent of each other and United sources said both players were fine
substituted for Abner at 107 minutesSubstitutesNumber 40
Yellow Card at 120 minutes plus 1Number 55
Ćaleta-Car Match OfficialsReferee: Sandro SchärerVideo Assistant Referee: Fedayi SanAssistant Referee 1: Stéphane De AlmeidaAssistant Referee 2: Jonas ErniFourth Official: Lionel TschudiAssistant VAR Official: Christian DingertMatch StatsKey
Scroll LeftScroll RightThis will be the third time that Manchester United have faced Lyon in European competition at Old Trafford
with the Red Devils winning both prior meetings (2-1 in November 2004 & 1-0 in March 2008)
Lyon have lost just one of their last nine European games against sides from England (W4 D4)
a 3-0 defeat to West Ham during the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League
Manchester United have lost each of their last two home European games against sides from France (2-0 & 3-1 vs PSG in February 2019 and December 2020)
after remaining unbeaten across their prior 14 matches between 1965 and 2017 (W10 D4)
Lyon are unbeaten across their last 12 away UEFA Europa League games (W9 D3)
since a 1-0 defeat to Atalanta in December 2017
Manchester United remain unbeaten across their 11 UEFA Europa League games this season (W6 D5)
The last time the Red Devils began a European campaign unbeaten across their opening 11 matches they eventually went on to lose 3-1 in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona
Across major European competition when drawing the first leg of a knockout clash on home soil
Lyon have failed to progress from all nine of their prior ties between 1964 and 2019
Rasmus Højlund has recorded 12 goal contributions for Manchester United across European competition (10 goals
Amongst Premier League players to have recorded 10 or more in that time
only Mohamed Salah (80) and Bukayo Saka (88) have a better minutes per goal contribution ratio than the Danish international (96)
After netting Lyon’s equaliser in the first leg
Rayan Cherki has now recorded 11 goals contributions across his 11 UEFA Europa League games this season (3 goals
That’s the highest tally in the competition this season
whilst no player has ever recorded more assists in a single UEFL campaign (also Diego in 2011-12)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half
Moussa Niakhaté (Lyon) wins a free kick in the defensive half
Delay in match because of an injury André Onana (Manchester United)
Mason Mount (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half
Abner Vinícius (Lyon) is shown the yellow card
Harry Maguire (Manchester United) header from the right side of the six yard box to the bottom left corner
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right
Delay in match because of an injury Lucas Perri (Lyon)
Duje Caleta-Car replaces Nicolás Tagliafico
Wolves’ winner was simple: on 77 minutes Pablo Sarabia, on as a substitute only 120 seconds before, placed a 20-yard free-kick sweetly to André Onana’s left, Christian Eriksen having been culpable for the foul.
Read moreCue those who motored up from the Black Country taunting the opposition lustily
as they also hailed their club’s fifth top‑flight win in a row for a first time since 1970
we were the better team but in the end it doesn’t matter because if we don’t score goals
and one set piece changes the game and that’s it – really frustrating to end the game like this.”
Amorim’s team have scored only 38 times – one for each of their points. Referencing not scoring shines a light on his critically misfiring No 9, Rasmus Højlund, who has only one goal in 29 hours and 28 minutes – against Leicester before the last international break
Asked if it might be time to give the Dane a break from the fray
we have several players that missed big chances
the game is to score goals because he is a striker
United are targeting Ipswich’s Liam Delap as a potential centre-forward recruit in the summer
Amorim was asked if a reliable scorer is required
“Of course we have an idea of what this team needs,” he said
“But all the team needs to score more goals
We need to improve as a team because if you don’t score goals in this league it’s impossible to win.”
Amorim is correct to point the finger at his whole attack
Mason Mount twice spurned close-range openings to grab at least a share of the points: first he scooped over wildly; then after Eriksen’s outside-of-the-right-foot delivery
nor would you dream this battle of 14th versus 17th to be so soporific
When Højlund collected the ball by the touchline near Amorim’s technical area
left Emmanuel Agbadou trailing and galloped into yards of grass
the game had a first moment of skill and verve – 50 minutes in
starved of service all term as his manager says
there was a dash of pantomime as Nélson Semedo
On 58 minutes Amorim made a triple change – a function of wishing to shake up proceedings
Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte a rest after their endeavours on Thursday
Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot and United continued to be the brighter side
keeping and flicking the ball about inside Wolves’ territory
A slick move had Eriksen passing the ball to Alejandro Garnacho who sprinted down the left-sided channel and crossed: Højlund was inches away from stabbing home but the ball slid past
This was about it – before and after Sarabia’s winner
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then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.Was this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.At the end of the 90
Robert Jones added six minutes of time and the quip was the referee might add six hours and what was on show would still be tame
this could be written up as a prime illustration of how not to follow a heart-stopping comeback to keep your season alive – as United’s 5-4 victory against Lyon here did in the Europa League
this was a welcome beginning to the first team soured by defeat
The 20‑year‑old Mancunian may need to be accustomed to the feeling – and quickly
“We are building something good for the future,” the Wolves manager said
Harvey Barnes’ double set up a convincing win and moved Newcastle up to fourth in the Premier League
13 Apr 202519.34 CESTAnd here’s Steve in Washington – DC, not Co. Durham. “As things stand,” he reckons, “Newcastle is one of only 3 teams (Liverpool and Arsenal being the other two) who still have a chance at winning this year’s title. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a long shot.”
13 Apr 202519.32 CEST“Thank you for making my afternoon,” says Sarah Dobson. “Loving the MBM commentary.” Ah thanks. That’s what we’re here for.
13 Apr 202519.30 CEST“Football, bloody hell, eh?” says Simon McMahon. “I blame Fergie.”
13 Apr 202519.30 CEST“Physically, mentally, they’re a weak team,” says Roy Keane of the club he used to captain. “They got what they deserved. This talk that there are signs they’re getting better – well, I can’t see it. I worry for this group of players.”
13 Apr 202519.29 CESTThe upshot is that Newcastle go fourth. They are one point above Man City, and now only one behind Forest. Man United pay the price for this heavy defeat by sliding to 14th on goal difference behind Everton. Spurs, Wolves and West Ham are all within three points of them. Bad to worse.
13 Apr 202519.25 CESTNewcastle do the league double over the other United for the first time since 1931. Their fans celebrate with a lusty rendition of Rockin’ All Over The World.
13 Apr 202519.23 CESTFULL TIME: Newcastle 4-1 Man UnitedA thumping win for Newcastle
13 Apr 202519.22 CEST90+3 min Hojlund gets into the box with some good movement, but then can’t make up his mind whether to pass or shoot. The shot comes too late and is easily blocked.
13 Apr 202519.20 CEST90+2 min We are having five extra minutes. “Ruben Amorim,” sing the travelling fans, or what’s left of them – there are plenty of gaps.
13 Apr 202519.19 CEST90 min A glimmer for Man Utd as Mainoo crafts a move down the right with his elegant feet. It ends with Shaw, on the other side, sending in a classy cross, which is headed wide by Hojlund.
13 Apr 202519.17 CEST89 min Bayindir comes close to emulating Onana with his second howler of the game, but just manages to wiggle the ball away from the man rushing onto him. Man Utd have been quite unable to cope with the Newcastle press.
Updated at 23.00 CEST13 Apr 202519.15 CEST86 min Two more subs from Jason Tindall: Longstaff and Miley for Guimaraes and Joelinton. There have now been so many substitutions that the atmosphere has gone from fever pitch to no more than mild gloating.
13 Apr 202519.11 CEST82 min Ruben Amorim has sent on a couple more subs too – Luke Shaw, at long last, for Mazraoui, and Kobbie Mainoo for Fernandes.
13 Apr 202519.09 CEST80 min Subs! Three from Jason Tindall, whose day is now going rather well – Wilson for Isak, Krafth for Trippier and Gordon for Murphy, with Barnes presumably staying on in the hope that he can collect a hat-trick.
Updated at 23.00 CEST13 Apr 202519.06 CEST78 min Bayindir, under pressure from Isak, played the ball out – onto the peroxide head of Joelinton. He nodded it down to Guimaraes, who placed a calm low shot in the corner.
Updated at 22.59 CEST13 Apr 202519.04 CESTGOAL
Newcastle 4-1 Man United (Guimaraes 77)A howler from Bayindir
13 Apr 202519.00 CEST70 min Barnes again threatens to run away from Mazraoui, who manages a tackle, at the expense of a corner.
“This is so, so bad,” says Rob Hisnay, “under this fraud Ruben. Commiserations for having to do MBMs of this.” Thanks, but it’s still a privilege. And I’ve had plenty of practice: I also write about the England cricket team.
Updated at 22.57 CEST13 Apr 202518.57 CEST69 min Man Utd were unlucky with Mazraoui’s slip, but in 24 minutes since half-time they have had only one touch in the Newcastle box – by Dalot, if I remember right.
Updated at 22.57 CEST13 Apr 202518.55 CEST66 min Fernandes, who will never say die, sends a chip down the left for Dorgu, but the flag goes up.
Updated at 22.57 CEST13 Apr 202518.53 CEST64 min Harvey Barnes has surely won the match for Newcastle. He pounced as Mazraoui slipped, charged through the middle of the Man U defence, and blasted a shot past poor Bayindir.
13 Apr 202518.51 CESTGOAL
Newcastle 3-1 Man United (Barnes 64)He’s done it again
Updated at 22.56 CEST13 Apr 202518.49 CEST60 min As the hour glass flips over, Newcastle are in the box again. A pech of a cross from Murphy on the right finds the formidable head of Dan Burn, but his header is over the bar.
13 Apr 202518.46 CEST58 min Dorgu’s next contribution is a better one – a block on a cross from Murphy, which leads to a corner.
Updated at 22.56 CEST13 Apr 202518.45 CEST57 min Dorgu’s first contribution is to foul Trippier.
13 Apr 202518.43 CEST55 min Man Utd subs: Hojluind for Zirkzee, Dorgu for Amass, Mount for Garnacho.
Updated at 22.55 CEST13 Apr 202518.42 CEST53 min Just when he was looking so much better, Joshua Zirkzee pulls up lame. He went on a mazy run, kept the ball when he should surely have fed Fernandes to his left, and ended up straining a hamstring.
13 Apr 202518.40 CEST51 min As it stands, Newcastle are up to fourth, one point above Man City and two clear of Chelsea and Villa
13 Apr 202518.38 CEST50 min Livramento did well, bustling down the left and crossing. The ball made its way across to the other wing, where Murphy whipped in a low cross of his own and Barnes, in the centre-forward slot, helped himself to a tap-in.
13 Apr 202518.37 CESTGOAL
Newcastle 2-1 Man United (Barnes 49)Another neat move
Updated at 22.55 CEST13 Apr 202518.34 CEST46 min Isak gets the second half under way. Newcastle are soon in the Man United box, with Barnes and Livramento combining neatly, but Mazraoui sees off the danger.
Updated at 22.54 CEST13 Apr 202518.28 CESTIn other Man Utd news, the women’s team have reached the FA Cup final. Here’s Suzy Wrack with a match report.
13 Apr 202518.24 CEST“Some fool,” goes the subject line of the next email. Ah yes, him (see 38 min, below). “Did also say,” adds Kevin Simons, “he could see Utd nicking one on the counter, so some other fools shouldn’t be too hard on him.” Thank you!
13 Apr 202518.17 CEST45+1 min There’s one more minute to go. Dalot sends in long throw ... straight into the arms of Pope. Before that, Garnacho managed another shot, from the left this time.
13 Apr 202518.16 CEST45 min Man Utd bustle up the other end, where Fernandes fails to get a cross in as he’s caught in two minds. Understandable when you play in two positions.
Updated at 22.51 CEST13 Apr 202518.15 CEST44 min Amass is 18, Yoro 19. Schar is 33 and ought to know better.
13 Apr 202518.13 CEST41 min As Newcastle have a corner, Schar again tries to bully Amass, and they both end up on the goal line, on the floor. Leny Yoro tries to stick up for his mate and gives Schar a shove, which earns a yellow card.
13 Apr 202518.11 CEST41 min That was Alejandro Garnacho’s tenth goal of the season, but (I think) only his third under Ruben Amorim.
13 Apr 202518.10 CEST40 min Trippier and Schar gang up on little Amass, leaving him winded. If they’d done that a month ago, they would have been had up by Safeguarding.
13 Apr 202518.09 CEST38 min Well, well. Dalot got away again on the break and poked a pass out to Garnacho, who raced in from the right and poked a left-foot shot past a surprised Pope. And some fool was saying it could be a rout.
13 Apr 202518.07 CESTGOAL
Newcastle 1-1 Man United (Garnacho 37)They’ve nicked one on the counter
13 Apr 202518.04 CEST33 min Save! By Bayindir from Isak, whose latest volley had “Goal” written all over it.
13 Apr 202518.02 CEST31 min United escape through Dalot, who fends off some close attention from Joelinton and feeds Garnacho. His cutback can’t quite find Fernandes, barrelling into the box.
13 Apr 202518.00 CEST30 min As the half-hour comes round, Newcastle are beginning to dominate.
13 Apr 202517.59 CEST28 min Newcastle have a corner on the right. The ball goes back to Tonali, 40 yards out. He feels like having another shot and it’s not a bad one, though it goes just wide.
13 Apr 202517.57 CEST27 min On their last two trips to St James’ Park
Counter-terror police lead investigation after Hashem Abedi’s ‘vicious’ assault at HMP Frankland
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation into an attack on three prison officers by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber
attacked three prison officers with hot cooking oil at a high-security prison
the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) said
The Prison Service confirmed Abedi carried out the “unprovoked” and “vicious” assault on Saturday at HMP Frankland in County Durham
He is reported to have thrown boiling oil at the officers before stabbing them with “homemade weapons”
The POA said they had sustained life-threatening injuries including burns
All three officers were treated in hospital
with one female officer discharged by 4pm on Saturday
Abedi was jailed for life in August 2020 for assisting his brother
in carrying out the suicide bombing at Manchester Arena in 2017
The attack killed 22 people and injured hundreds more
Responding to the assault, the secretary of state for justice, Shabana Mahmood
wrote on X: “I am appalled by the attack of three brave officers at HMP Frankland today
My thoughts are with them and their families
I will be pushing for the strongest possible punishment
Violence against our staff will never be tolerated.”
It is understood the incident took place inside a separation centre – a special facility that aims to isolate prisoners with extreme views
said: “Separation centres hold the most dangerous terrorist offenders who simply do not wish to alter their ideology
are determined to inflict violence on those who hold them securely.”
He called for an urgent review of the privileges available to terrorist offenders in custody: “We must now review the freedoms we allow separation centre prisoners to have.”
“I am of the opinion that allowing access to cooking facilities and items that can threaten the lives of staff should be removed immediately
“These prisoners need only receive their basic entitlements and we should concentrate on control and containment instead of attempting to appease them
A spokesperson for the Prison Service said: “Three prison officers have been treated in hospital after an attack by a prisoner at HMP Frankland
Police are now investigating so it would be inappropriate to comment further
and we will always push for the strongest punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff.”
Nunes’s far-post strike from Jérémy Doku’s cross from the left also disappointed Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United and Chelsea in the race for the top-five berth that secures a Champions League place.
scoring Villa’s goal – from the spot – as he menaced City’s backline until his removal on 75 minutes: 17 seconds were all the 27‑year‑old forward needed to splay City
Youri Tielemans made a mug of Josko Gvardiol and found Rashford
who twisted Rúben Dias’s blood and shot: the ball bounced from the base of Stefan Ortega’s left post and the game remained scoreless
and this was precisely how Omar Marmoush undid the visitors
The Egyptian swooped around Matty Cash and fired in a cross from the left that deflected into Bernardo Silva; the Portuguese unloaded and a weak Emiliano Martínez parry only pushed the ball in
For his United connection Rashford was booed each time he collected so
when roaring along the left in the move that led to the penalty
and Craig Pawson initially refused the spot-kick
It seemed obvious so there was scant surprise when the VAR
To Guardiola’s fury Pawson gave the penalty and Rashford
Martínez’s self-proclaimed “all powerful” on-field persona nearly took another battering moments later. A poor clearance from the Argentinian went straight to Silva, who headed it back into the area for Marmoush to take aim. But rushing out, Villa’s No 1 smothered the ball, so he and Villa escaped.
Rashford, in for Ollie Watkins as one of five Emery changes, was near unplayable. Lucas Digne was found on the left, the Villa No 9 fashioned a curving sprint that kept him onside, shredded City’s rearguard and took him in behind. What ensued was a clumsy touch – a Rashford achilles heel – and an attempted dink above the advancing Ortega that was fluffed – his finishing another weakness.
The point each team headed for at this juncture was not the best in the hunt for the Champions League so, with a burst forward, Morgan Rogers tried to wrest the contest his side’s way. The Villa forward went down under Josko Gvardiol’s attentions, but Pawson was not interested. On show was a bout between two foes who parried, jabbed and counterpunched and City did the latter, launching a raid that claimed a free-kick that pushed Villa back.
McAtee’s delivery, from an inside‑left channel, was scrambled out by Onana for a corner and City had three in succession: one from the right, the others from the left, all taken by Kevin De Bruyne, all failing to breach Villa.
Guardiola spoke of McAtee, who was City’s nominal No 9, having special qualities required for this game. When De Bruyne passed to him and he took aim, here was a chance to show finishing – but, while the lob over Martinez was audacious, it flew wide to the keeper’s left. The Catalan puffed his cheeks, the crowd “oohed” and, soon, Rashford caused a similar reaction when barrelling in and rounding Ortega, the effort, from an angle on the right, missing.
In City’s last home match McAtee scored – against Crystal Palace – while spurning several chances and a further miss when Nico O’Reilly delivered from the left again suggested he may not be as lethal as required. Towards the end Marmoush put the ball in the net but was rightly ruled offside. Next came Nunes’s priceless moment of glory.
“I am overall proud of everything we are doing,” Emery said.
End of image galleryPublished4 May 2025Bryan Mbeumo attracts interest from Manchester United
Manchester City want Morgan Gibbs-White and Real Madrid are eyeing William Saliba
Manchester City also plan to advance their interest in agreeing a deal with Nottingham Forest for their 25-year-old England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Arsenal and Aston Villa are eyeing Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, 25, with the Serie A club expected to ask for around £42m for the Serbian. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Everton are prepared to rival Manchester United for the signature of Ipswich's English striker Liam Delap, 22. (Teamtalk), external
Manchester United are prepared to make an offer for Barcelona and Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo, 26, if they qualify for the Champions League. (Football365), external
Leeds have made Marseille's Argentina centre-back Leonardo Balerdi, 26, one of their top summer transfer targets. (Sun), external
Real Madrid sent scouts to watch Bournemouth's Spain centre-back Dean Huijsen, 20, and Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, 21, during Saturday's win at Arsenal. (TBR Football), external
The Spanish giants are also targeting Arsenal and France centre-back William Saliba, 24, who is under contract with the Gunners until 2027. (L'Equipe - in French), external
West Brom want Tottenham's English coach Ryan Mason, 33, to become their new manager. (Sun), external
Fulham's Portuguese boss Marco Silva, 47, is a contender to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham if the 59-year-old Australian is sacked after the club's disappointing season. (Football Insider), external
Nkunku wants to leave Chelsea - Sunday's gossip
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Top storiesTrailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China
246 CommentsThe FA Cup final between Manchester City and Crystal Palace will kick off at 16:30 BST on Saturday
The Football Association said the time was agreed following collaboration with the two clubs
started at 15:00 as police would not allow them to be later
while the 2022 final between Chelsea and Liverpool was at 16:45
No Premier League matches have been scheduled for the day
City's semi-final against Nottingham Forest last weekend saw thousands of empty seats in the blue half of Wembley
with fans blaming the cost of tickets and travel as well as the timing of the match - 16:30 on a Sunday
the last direct train back to Manchester from Euston is at 21:09
which should give fans enough time even if the match were to go to extra time and penalties
Pep Guardiola's side booked their place in the final for a third successive year with a 2-0 victory over Forest while Palace, who have never won the FA Cup, made it to the final for just a third time after a 3-0 win against Aston Villa
The 2024-25 FA Cup final will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast
Get football news sent straight to your phone
View comments | 246Top storiesTrailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China
Fourth-placed City needed to beat rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford to keep alive their hopes of European football next season, but drew 2-2 after leading 2-0 in the first half
Cushing, who managed City from 2013-2020, took over on an interim basis until the end of the season following Gareth Taylor's sacking in March and was tasked with steering the club to a top-three finish in the Women's Super League
it was about winning trophies and qualifying and we haven't been able to be able to deliver that," he said
"We have been a team that has delivered trophies consistently over a seven-year period when I've been involved
This team should always be delivering trophies and competing in the Champions League
"The league position is far below what I expect
Victory over third-placed United would have taken City to within one point of them in the table and set up an exciting finish to the race for European football on the final day of the season
City host already-relegated Crystal Palace on 10 May
Last year City pushed Chelsea all the way in an enthralling title race - coming second only on goal difference - but will end this season with no silverware and no European football
They also went out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage to United
while Chelsea dumped them out of the Champions League quarter-finals and beat them in the League Cup final
Their campaign has been blighted by injuries
forward Vivianne Miedema and top goalscorer Khadija Shaw all enduring long stints on the sidelines
"We're trying to build a puzzle here with a piece missing," added Cushing
"We are forever trying to complete it
but it has been tough with all the players injured."
who has often played out of position this season because of the injury issues
"Sometimes when there's obstacles we need to get together and not give up
We will be better and we will be a winning team I'm sure."
Dwelling outside of the Champions League places is unfamiliar territory for Cushing
who led City to their first and only WSL title in 2016 along with four other major trophies
"It's painful," he admitted
this falls below the standards we set at the start of the season and what we expect
but it's football and it's been a challenging moment."
Whether the 40-year-old will remain at City beyond the end of this season remains to be seen, but the club have said they would be open to it
The former New York City FC boss was brought back to Manchester to try to instil some stability and there were positive signs
but ultimately he did not have enough time to turn things around
"I will be involved in the review process because this team is engrained in me
Unless told they don't want me involved
I will be involved," added Cushing when asked about his City future
"This team will be forever engrained in me
It is a team I have followed throughout my time in America
"There has been no conversations from myself either
We have been concentrating on the challenges we have had and we have had many things to focus on."
View comments | 49Top storiesTrailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China
the last five minutes of added time felt like an age
United just needed to hang on to claim one point to secure Champions League qualification
City sought one more goal at Old Trafford to snatch the European prize from their rivals
qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in their seven-year existence
United’s desperation to get just one point showed. In the first half there was an intention to be forward-thinking, but they hardly played in the “full throttle” manner with which head coach Marc Skinner wanted them to attack this game
They lacked quality and discipline in what was a stop-start game and found themselves 2-0 down within 42 minutes
Skinner said his team were “passive” as City scored a beautifully worked goal
finished off by Laia Aleixandri while Gabby George failed to track Rebecca Knaak
who headed home City’s second from a corner
in front of 31,465 fans in the unfamiliar setting of Old Trafford — don’t forget they lost to Chelsea 6-0 on the final day of the season here last year — United showed resilience to come back from 2-0 down with one less player for the majority of the second half
Grace Clinton’s header had halved the deficit just before half-time
Skinner got his players into a tight huddle and reminded them to be patient
Melvine Malard came off the substitutes’ bench in the 63rd minute
and within five minutes took her chance with a one-touch finish to guide the ball past Khiara Keating and level the score
Despite Aoife Mannion being sent off for a second yellow card a minute after the leveller
United gritted their teeth and saw out the game
but their biggest asset is their real want to win,” said Cushing after the game
United beat City away from home for the first time in January and did so again in the FA Cup semi-final in April, although they did lose 2-1 in the League Cup. On Wednesday, despite losing 1-0 to Chelsea, Skinner said it was the first time they accepted they could have won the game against the league champions
United had a higher expected goals (xG) value (1.8) than Chelsea’s (1.3)
“This team has the most immense spirit and now we need to add the depth too in order for us to be challenging at the top,” said Skinner post-match
and then United were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain in the second round of Champions League qualifying
During that summer window ahead of the 2023-24 season
a deal made permanent last year; Phallon Tullis-Joyce
who has been imperious this season as Mary Earps’ replacement; Geyse
who left after one season for Liverpool; Irene Guerrero
who joined Club America after just a year; Emma Watson
currently on loan at Everton; Evie Rabjohn
who is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury
Tullis-Joyce and Miyazawa have proven to be huge successes
Having the Champions League badge opens doors for recruitment
Playing in Europe is a huge pull for enticing players
given that the best footballers want to play in the biggest competition in women’s football
Skinner feels they have added physicality in midfield with the additions of Dominique Janssen
Now he wants more physicality in attack and experienced Champions League players — like Janssen
who slotted in at right-back to cover for Mannion — to couple with his young and hungry squad
Skinner must also make the players he already has better too
are aware of the backing they will need to qualify for the Champions League proper
According to the latest set of accounts from the 2023-2024 season
out of those currently within the Women’s Super League (WSL) top four
United’s total expenditure was the lowest at £9million ($11.94m at current conversion rates)
Chelsea spent £20.2m ($26.8m) — more than double United — Arsenal came second on £15.4m ($20.43m) while City were only just ahead of United on £10.1m ($13.40m)
United’s expenditure has increased from the £6.8m ($9.02m) spent in the 2022-23 season
they will have to up their investment to stand any chance of mixing it with their rivals
The club have set an ambitious target of winning the WSL by 2028
Chelsea and City — Champions League finalists
semi-finalists and quarter-finalists respectively
That means they need potential Champions League-winning players
The succession plan should have already started
there is no way they will win the WSL by 2028
so United’s recruitment will have to be extremely savvy
The club are designing their own in-house data analysis for men’s and women’s recruitment
Technical director Jason Wilcox is putting a data team in place
has been working on it to check for any bugs in the system
“It allows us to look at statistically the right players
who described the process as “still in its infancy” but “much more robust”
the Champions League affects the commercial value of the club and can unlock areas of revenue
from increased brand visibility to a global audience
to building player profiles and the fanbase
(Top photo: Manchester United celebrate their draw; by Gareth Copley via Getty Images)
Charlotte Harpur is a football writer covering Manchester United and women's football for The Athletic UK. Follow Charlotte on Twitter @charlotteharpur
FT: Man Utd 2-2 Man City - Marc Skinner's side secure top-three finish and end City's Champions League hopes
FT: Spurs 0-1 Chelsea - Champions extend unbeaten record
FT: Liverpool 0-2 Everton, Crystal Palace 2-2 Leicester, West Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only
Thanks for joining us this afternoon for an action-packed day of WSL football
We'll be back again tomorrow afternoon as Brighton host Champions League finalists Arsenal
But for now, head over to the live text of Chelsea v Liverpool in the Premier League
41Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingHow the table lookspublished at 17:03 British Summer Time 4 May17:03 BST 4 MayHow the WSL table looks heading into the Brighton v Arsenal tomorrow night
Manchester United secured Champions League football
32Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingToday's resultspublished at 17:01 British Summer Time 4 May17:01 BST 4 MayIf you missed any of today's matches
you can catch up on all the drama by reading our reports..
London City promoted with dramatic at Birmingham
Chelsea beat Spurs to close in on unbeaten WSL season
Man Utd comeback against Man City seals Europe spot
Everton seal derby double against wasteful Liverpool
Relegated Palace draw with Leicester in frantic finale
Aston Villa beat West Ham to extend winning streak
11Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:58 British Summer Time 4 May16:58 BST 4 MayOh actually
Arsenal take on Brighton tomorrow afternoon and then it's another WSL weekend done and dusted
51Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:55 British Summer Time 4 May16:55 BST 4 MayAnother weekend of WSL football done and dusted
only one more to go before the end of the season
51Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingFULL-TIMEpublished at 16:54 British Summer Time 4 May16:54 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
It's all over and it's a fine win from Aston Villa
They showed great grit to come back from a goal behind to take all three points
272Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:52 British Summer Time 4 May16:52 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
A late chance for West Ham to lump the ball into the Villa box
It's sent in but it then trickles out for a goal kick
91Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:50 British Summer Time 4 May16:50 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
Villa have the ball right where they want it deep in the West Ham half as the clock ticks on
101Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'London City will be able to attract big players'published at 16:50 British Summer Time 4 May16:50 BST 4 MayFT: Birmingham City 2-2 London City Lionesses
Fara WilliamsFormer Chelsea midfielder on BBC Two
What she's done really well is bring those experienced players
the Jakobsson's that have WSL experience
They have real pedigree in their team as well along with that experience
The fact that she's prepared to pump the money in
I think that's the good thing about them coming into the league because when you come up players might not want to sign for you knowing they might go straight back down
knowing they can give you that little bit of extra money it might attract better players
They could bring big players in the summer
63Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingINJURY TIMEpublished at 16:49 British Summer Time 4 May16:49 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
Four minutes have been added on at the end of this one
Can West Ham find an equaliser or will Villa hold on
41Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingYELLOW CARDpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 4 May16:48 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
12Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 4 May16:46 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
West Ham are wanting to end their WSL home season not on a defeat but they're struggling to make a dent in this Villa defence
82Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingKang fronts Lionesses celebrationspublished at 16:46 British Summer Time 4 May16:46 BST 4 MayFT: Birmingham 2-2 London City Lionesses
Owner Michele Kang has been front and centre of the London City Lionesses' celebrations
143Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:44 British Summer Time 4 May16:44 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
Villa deal with the West Ham pressure well as Anna Patten is well placed to cut the pass out and deal with it
51Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing'Kang is empowering women throughout the game'published at 16:44 British Summer Time 4 May16:44 BST 4 MayFT: Birmingham City 2-2 London City Lionesses
Anita AsanteFormer Arsenal defender on BBC Two
I have a lot of admiration for Michele Kang because I think she is empowering women throughout the game
It's the fact she believes in the value of women's football
and she's driving that investment and she wants to compete at the highest level and she wants her players to have the opportunity to keep on excelling
96Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:42 British Summer Time 4 May16:42 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
Rachel Daly goes wide left to Katie Robinson and Villa break at pace
Robinson's cross is disappointing and behind Chasity Grant though
40Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingSUBSTITUTIONpublished at 16:41 British Summer Time 4 May16:41 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
A late change for Villa as Lucy Parker makes way for Danielle Turner
23Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:40 British Summer Time 4 May16:40 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
The tempo has really slowed in this one as we get closer to the full-time whistle
40Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:39 British Summer Time 4 May16:39 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
The ball in from West Ham is a massive waste and it bounces safely into the hands of Sabrina D'Angelo
41Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingPostpublished at 16:38 British Summer Time 4 May16:38 BST 4 MayWest Ham 2-3 Aston Villa
Rachel Daly gives away a free-kick inside her own half
Chance for West Ham to deliver into the box
Match of the Day 2 pundit Wayne Rooney says Manchester United have "big problems" after their 4-3 defeat by Brentford
READ MORE: Brentford 4-3 Manchester United
Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionEditor's recommendationsEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney
00:02:40Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney
2:40Up Next
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00:00:19Watch: Fan catches ball while daughter covers his eyes
0:19'It's hard to watch' - Solskjaer discusses Man Utd woes
00:02:02'It's hard to watch' - Solskjaer discusses Man Utd woes
2:02Moyes & Pickford share favourite Goodison Park memories
00:01:06Moyes & Pickford share favourite Goodison Park memories
1:06Five things to know before Miami Grand Prix
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1:51Nobody expected this - Amorim on first-leg win in Bilbao
00:01:34Nobody expected this - Amorim on first-leg win in Bilbao
1:34Maresca praises 16-year-old Chelsea debutant Walsh
00:01:08Maresca praises 16-year-old Chelsea debutant Walsh
1:08Beckham at 50: His first taste of Man Utd
00:01:28Beckham at 50: His first taste of Man Utd
1:28'He's quite fussy!' - meet the craftsman who makes O'Sullivan's cues Video
00:02:09'He's quite fussy!' - meet the craftsman who makes O'Sullivan's cues
2:09Yamal is a genius
0:52Bompastor proud of WSL title winners Chelsea
00:01:10Bompastor proud of WSL title winners Chelsea
1:10Arsenal need 'something special' to reach final - Arteta Video
00:01:14Arsenal need 'something special' to reach final - Arteta
“I think it’s stressful to lose games – when we’re fighting for a title it’s not stressful,” Amorim said in reference to United’s midweek need to defend their 3-0 lead against Athletic Club to reach the Europa League final. He made eight changes here, for the third youngest Premier League starting XI on record.
He defended his callow selection, saying: “We as a club we need to understand in this moment we have a big responsibility. We have to prepare a squad for different competitions.”
United suffered the first-half loss of defender Matthijs de Ligt to what appeared a serious injury
“I don’t know,” said his manager of the extent of the issue
with Harry Maguire coming on and Luke Shaw going off with the Athletic tie in mind
And despite defeat and being outplayed by Brentford
Amorim said United’s youngsters should have taken plenty from the experience: “You can train a lot with the first team but to have that feeling playing with the players
A delighted Thomas Frank saw his team revive their hopes of playing European football next season by climbing to ninth
“I think we definitely have momentum,” he said
“The last 13 we’ve had a really good run of games
The next one is the most important game and that’s Ipswich away
let’s see if it can be a good or incredible season.”
playCan Man City clinch second from Arsenal in the Premier League
(1:40)Don Hutchison questions whether Manchester City can catch second-place Arsenal in the Premier League
with only three points separating the teams
Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men's January grades | Women's January grades
with 18 goals and six assists from 35 appearances
Capable of playing on either flank or through the middle
Mbeumo could suit Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 formation nicely and
could move to a bigger club as he approaches his 26th birthday in August
Rogers has been in impressive form for the Villans this season
having scored 14 goals as well as assisting 10 in 51 matches across all competitions
ESPN's Alex Kirkland on growing speculation around the future of forward Rodrygo
Rodrygo's future at Real Madrid is in doubt -- but for very different reasons
the presumption was that Kylian Mbappé's arrival at the Santiago Bernabéu meant a likely departure for the Brazil forward
Mbappé would replace Rodrygo in Carlo Ancelotti's front two -- alongside Vinicius Junior -- and the Brazilian would leave
Ancelotti insisting on maintaining his "fantastic four" frontline despite the resulting imbalance between attack and defence
Rodrygo has made 30 appearances in Madrid's 33 LaLiga games
He can't complain about a lack of opportunities -- he just hasn't made the most of them
he's scored one goal in the last three months
including in Madrid's Champions League elimination to Arsenal
and the Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona
when he was hauled off for Mbappé at half-time
has led go a growing feeling that Rodrygo might leave at the end of this season
Some journalists who are close to the club
although a source close to the player has denied to ESPN that Rodrygo is considering pushing for a move
there's a good chance he'd thrive in the right environment
it means Mbappé and Vinicius -- who's expected to sign a new deal -- could play as a front two
Endrick would be the first-choice alternative in attack
with Brahim Diaz as a different kind of option
Madrid could use the funds raised by Rodrygo's exit to spend elsewhere in the team
where it's badly needed: in midfield and defence
play1:38Ogden questions if leaving Liverpool is a good move for Alexander-ArnoldMark Ogden wonders if Trent Alexander-Arnold's best chance of success on the pitch is at Liverpool
rather than a likely switch to Real Madrid
- Manchester United are confident they can land Atalanta midfielder Ederson in the summer if they win the UEFA Europa League and seal progress to next season's Champions League. (GMS)
- Atletico Madrid defender Reinildo has extended his contract until after the Club World Cup. The 31-year-old's terms had ended on June 30, but he's penned a short extension so he can play in the tournament. (Marca)
- Flamengo right-back Wesley has Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona on his trail, but the Brazilian club want at least €35m for his transfer. (Caught Offside)
- Morgan Gibbs-White is open to leaving Nottingham Forest if they miss out on Champions League qualification, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle are all monitoring the situation. But Forest would want a fee of around £100m to let the midfielder go. (Bleacher Report)
- Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo has impressed Manchester United and could make a £70m move north. The former Bristol City star has enjoyed a strong season for the Cherries, with nine goals and five assists in the Premier League. (Football Insider)
- Paris Saint-Germain could make a move to sign Bournemouth centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi, 22, or Club Brugge's Joel Ordoñez, in the summer. (Sky Sport Switzerland)
- Arsenal are interested in bringing Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sané back to the Premier League when his contract expires in the summer. The former Manchester City forward has switched agents amid talks over a new contract, casting doubt over whether new terms will be agreed. (Florian Plettenberg)
- Marseille centre-back Leonardo Balerdi, 26, is one of Leeds United's top targets for their return to the Premier League next season. (Sun)
- Ipswich striker Liam Delap, 22, has long been linked with a £30m move in the summer but Everton could rival Manchester United for his signature. (TEAMtalk)
- Fiorentina are reported to have signed Union Berlin defender Robin Gosens for his clause of €7m. (Nicolo Schira)
- Ajax and Feyenoord are among the clubs monitoring Crystal Palace U21 midfielder Hindolo Mustapha for both loan and permanent deals. (Fabrizio Romano)
- Atletico Madrid are closing on the €60m signing of Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero. (Nicolo Schira)
- If Madrid do hire Alonso then they might move for Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapié, who has a €60m release clause but Madrid are confident they could land the Ecuador international for around €40m. (Relevo)
- Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers are keeping tabs on Villarreal and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pépé following a recent return to form. (Foot Mercato)
- Brentford are leading the race to sign €20m-rated Genoa and Denmark international midfielder Morten Frendrup. AC Milan are also interested, and they are preparing to make a final decision over whether to challenge for his signature. (Calciomercato)
- Chelsea remain intent on parting ways with forward Christopher Nkunku in the summer. He was linked with Bayern Munich in January. (Fabrizio Romano)
- Talks over a free transfer are set to commence between Marseille and the representatives of Lille midfielder Angel Gomes when his contract expires in June. (L'Equipe)
- Flamengo have begun talks over a move to sign on-loan AC Milan forward João Félix when he returns to Chelsea in the summer. (SBT Rio's Vene Casagrande)
- Negotiations over a new contract between Lazio and attacking midfielder Pedro are set to continue in the next few days, with the Serie A club looking to sign him to a new one-year contract extension. (Nicolo Schira)
- Atletico Madrid are planning to activate the €3m clause to sign defender Santiago Mouriño back from Deportivo Alaves. (Mundo Deportivo)
- Defender Lisandro Magallán is set to leave Liga MX side Pumas at the end of the season. (Super Deportivo)
In front of more than 38,000 fans at Old Trafford, Marc Skinner’s side were made to work hard for their place in next year’s Champions League, with goals from Laia Aleixandri and Rebecca Knaak having given City a two-goal lead. United could feel aggrieved though, having had a goal from Elisabeth Terland ruled out prior to City’s double, with the decision, the forward adjudged to have pushed Aleixandri, looking extremely harsh.
Read moreThis was unfamiliar territory for United
the home team had only conceded three goals in their 10 home games prior to the visit of Nick Cushing’s side – who welcomed back England duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood to the starting XI for the first time since their respective knee injuries
United defender Aoife Mannion’s ball towards the back post turned in by the head of Grace Clinton to reduce the deficit before the end of the half
to prevent the final European berth being decided on the final day of the season
when Arsenal host United and City play relegated Crystal Palace
arrived in the 68th minute – Terland nodded the ball down to Malard and the French forward raced clear and slotted coolly past the onrushing Khiara Keating
Skinner’s side were dealt a blow soon after
when Mannion exited the pitch after receiving a second yellow for a foul on Brazilian forward Kerolin
A furious Ella Toone was withdrawn in place of Dominique Janssen as United looked to hold on to the point they needed to confirm a top-three finish
City pushed for a winner as they attempted to salvage the last remaining “prize” from their hugely disappointing season but United clung on to give themselves a boost before they meet Arsenal in their final WSL game and face Chelsea in a third successive FA Cup final appearance
Newly-crowned champions Chelsea earned a 1-0 win over Tottenham in north London to maintain their unbeaten league season with one game remaining
Catarina Macario’s first-half penalty was the difference between the London teams and helped Chelsea extend their lead over Arsenal to 12 points
with the Gunners playing Brighton tomorrow night
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Abbie Larkin’s late goal for Crystal Palace cancelled out what had looked to be a stoppage-time winner for Leicester City from Shannon O’Brien
The dramatic end came after Hannah Cain’s opener had given Leicester the lead at the end of the first half
before Annabel Blanchard’s penalty put the score at 1-1 going into added time
West Ham and Aston Villa traded blows before Chasity Grant’s effort secured a 3-2 win for the Villans
Shekiera Martinez’s ninth goal in 10 games cancelled out Ebony Salmon’s goal for Villa before Riko Ueki put the Hammers ahead and Rachel Daly levelled
Grant swung the game in favour of the resurgent Villa
with four of those coming in their last four games
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Ruben Amorim rang the changes as Manchester United prepared for their crucial Europa League semi-final second leg against Atletico Club with defeat away to Brentford
and little to play for in the Premier League
the starting XI had an average age of 22 years and 270 days — the third-youngest side named for a Premier League match
Only Middlesbrough’s team against Fulham in May 2006 at 20 years and 181 days and Arsenal’s versus Portsmouth in May 2009
becoming United’s youngest Premier League starter at 17 years and 155 days
United began brightly and took a 14th-minute lead when Mason Mount finished off a flowing move
It did not last long as Luke Shaw’s own goal and Kevin Schade’s header
after Matthijs de Ligt went down injured and was then replaced by Harry Maguire
Leny Yoro and Amad came off the bench at half-time for captain Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu
Mount also exiting soon after for Christian Eriksen
but it was Brentford who secured all the points when Schade headed in his second with 20 minutes remaining and Yoane Wissa added a fourth on 74
Alejandro Garnacho reduced the arrears with a fine finish in the 82nd minute before Amad added a third when he cut and beat Mark Flekken in the fifth minute of added time
Laurie Whitwell analyses the action of a match that was United’s sixth in the league without a win
United’s youngsters showed glimpses of why Amorim gave them the chance in this rotated line-up
while demonstrating the jump to the first team is big
starting his first United game in place of Rasmus Hojlund
His only chance came in the second half when found by Garnacho
Obi wanted a penalty when felled as he ran clear
but referee Anthony Taylor blew for a foul by the Dane in the build-up
but his left-foot strike was blocked by Sepp van den Berg
Obi found it hard to get hold of the ball generally
earned chants from United fans when he won a tackle by the away fans
but at another moment was beaten by Schade
who cut inside and tested Altay Bayindir with a firm shot
Fredricson played an excellent pass down the line to Mount
whose cutback found Garnacho — only for an air-shot to let the chance slip by
was beaten by Christian Norgaard in the air at a Damsgaard free kick
His best movement came to meet Eriksen’s chipped pass into the box
Amass took the ball nicely but blasted his shot high and wide rather than pick out a team-mate
Both scored very good goals cutting in off either flank to reduce the margin of defeat
Amorim will be thankful they have at least found their shooting boots ahead of the Europa League
Mount has been threatening a goal in his sequence of cameos since returning from a hamstring injury
He was a whisker away from scoring with his first touch back as a substitute away to Nottingham Forest on April 1
and he should have at least got his finish on target when set up by Garnacho against Wolverhampton Wanderers
He also had decent efforts against Newcastle United and Bournemouth
on his first start for United since he suffered that muscle tear at Manchester City on December 15
the move started when Kobbie Mainoo found Garnacho in space down the left with a delicate chip
Garnacho was able to run onto the ball and cross first time with his left foot
Mount let the ball roll across his body to slot in with his right
Mount has very good anticipation and sense of where to find space
He had two more shots just after the break
from the same route when Garnacho cut the ball back to Mount on the edge of the area
His first attempt with his left was blocked
his second with his right rolled tamely into Mark Flekken’s hands
who has been guarded on starting Mount until now
Mount was brought off on 57 minutes for Christian Eriksen
and perhaps he will have a role to play against Athletic Club
Shaw was a notable choice as captain by Amorim
and the 29-year-old had an eventful game despite only featuring for 45 minutes
he watched a high pass from Keane Lewis-Potter that was aimed at Schade but floated a little too high
Shaw looked to nod it back to Altay Bayindir
but United’s deputy goalkeeper suddenly made a dart to collect the ball himself
the ball rolled past the post rather than into the net
who did score an own goal in the 27th minute
Michael Kayode’s long throw was only half-cleared by Kobbie Mainoo
and Kayode then beat Harry Amass on the rebound
One of Brentford’s major strengths is keeping the ball alive at set pieces
Mikkel Damsgaard hooked a cross that glanced off Shaw’s shoulder past Bayindir
De Ligt had also tried to run to block but that only caused confusion
De Ligt was a contender to wear the armband
injuring his knee when stretching to tackle Yoane Wissa
He was down as Brentford scored their second through Schade’s header
took the captaincy when Shaw went off at half-time
with Amorim looking to avoid any more injuries
“The game is a little bit of a reflection of our season
“We suffered a lot through throw-ins and set pieces
but we already knew that our team would struggle against this team because we didn’t have the height that would be necessary for this kind of game
They scored twice in these kind of moments
even with Mattha (De Ligt) on the floor (with an injury)
I felt that we were near the draw and then we suffered a goal and then like other times
we disconnect and then another goal five minutes later
but we didn’t have the time to do better.”
we don’t know what will happen on Thursday if we don’t have Luke Shaw available
then we can have a problem as we won’t have enough defenders for the game.”
what I am saying is we have to protect some players at half time
He is a third midfielder that can reach the box
Sometimes I have to push him back and take him off the pitch because we wants to do so much more
(Top photo: Obi on his full Premier League debut
Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim handed injury scare ahead of Europa League semi-final second leg
Sport | Football
All eyes are on Europe for Manchester United after another frustrating weekend in the Premier League
Ruben Amorim’s side were beaten 4-3 by Brentford on Sunday and they sit 15th in the table
but the focus was clear when the United boss made eight changes ahead of Thursday night’s second leg against Athletic Bilbao
There was still an injury problem for Amorim, when Matthijs de Ligt was forced off
and that is a fresh concern for him as he looks to ensure United do not surrender the three-goal aggregate lead they hold in the semi-final tie
Amad Diallo is now back to fitness, but the likes of Diogo Dalot, Ayden Heaven and Joshua Zirkzee remain out
Here is the latest on Manchester United injuries..
Matthijs de Ligt is facing another blow on the injury front
The centre-back made his return off the bench in the first leg against Athletic Bilbao and then started against Brentford on Sunday
but was forced off in the first-half with a fresh injury
Potential return date: Unknown
It remains to be seen whether Diogo Dalot plays again this season
The full-back has missed United’s last three matches with a calf injury and he is in a race against time to feature before the end of the campaign
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"We don't know how long he's going to be out,” Amorim said last month
"There is that possibility [he could miss the rest of the season] but I don't know
There has been no new update provided on Ayden Heaven’s fitness
The defender is believed to have suffered a setback after returning to the squad against Newcastle last month
and he once again missed out for the trip to Brentford
Amorim has said only that Heaven is “not ready”
with the severity of the injury still uncerain
who will not play again this season due to a hamstring injury
The forward came off against Newcastle last month after a burst forward and his focus is not on returning to fitness in time for pre-season
Amorim said: “He’s not going to play more this season
I think he’s improving in all aspects of the game
but this is football and he has to be ready now to recover."
Toby Collyer is believed to be closing in on a return to action
The midfielder has been out since Amorim said he picked up a “small issue” a month ago
but Collyer returned to individual training on the Carrington pitches ahead of the first leg against Athletic Bilbao
He did not make the squad for that match or the clash with Brentford
Potential return date: Sunday May 11 vs West Ham (H)
Lisandro Martinez suffered an ACL injury in February and underwent successful surgery
He is now on the long road back to fitness
with the defender facing a battle just to be back in time for the start of next season
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United and City meet at Old Trafford on Sunday with European qualification on the line
they will secure a place in Europe for only the second time and to make it even sweeter
would do so at the expense of Manchester City
who would be consigned to fourth spot and a season without Women’s Champions League football
Throw in that City are the visitors to Old Trafford for Sunday’s midday kick-off and it becomes one of the most pivotal games of this WSL campaign and a decisive one for the clubs’ medium-term trajectories
To beat City and celebrate in front of the Stretford End would be a symbolic moment for an improving team
is keen to play down the venue as a factor
but the reality is I have to take the stadium away and be like: ‘We have to win the game regardless,’” he said
Both of us have the goal of winning the game
They [City] want to qualify for the Champions League and so do we
If it’s at Old Trafford in front of all our fans
Skinner’s side also have a chance to do something United’s women have never done: complete a league double over City, having won 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium in January
and beat them at Old Trafford for the first time
A victory would mark the women’s team’s greatest Old Trafford moment
United have won five of their seven WSL matches there but those have been three victories over West Ham and wins against Aston Villa and Everton
whereas they have lost both meetings with top-four opponents
against Chelsea and Manchester City last term
City have lost only two of 10 WSL Manchester derbies and they have been buoyed by the return in last Sunday’s 1-0 win at Leicester of England’s Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood for their first appearances of 2025
said: “It was always the plan to bring them off the bench in that game to give them the best possible chance to be able to return for this game
It is nice to get Laura Blindkilde Brown and Aoba Fujino back in training this week
The fact they were in training means they are in contention.”
View image in fullscreenAlex Greenwood returned to action last weekend after a long spell out with injury
who need victories in both remaining league matches and must hope United fail to win at Arsenal on 10 May’s final day if they are to finish in the top three
“It’d be huge,” Skinner said on the prospect of United returning to Europe
“We want to go further than we did before but we know we’ve got to qualify first
because I feel people want to come to Manchester United but maybe we get pipped because we’re not in the Champions League.”
United have been defensively resolute this season
They will hope to move into second place ahead of Arsenal
and then go to the Emirates with a chance of claiming the runners-up spot
For Cushing a fourth-placed finish would be hugely disappointing and the former New York City FC coach said of City’s hopes of European qualification: “It’s about the status of our team
We have worked hard over the last 10-15 years to make sure our football club is at the level that I expect of a Manchester City team
Not being in contention [for] the Champions League is really disappointing and something that is beyond our thinking
It’s still possible so we have to attack it and make sure we do everything possible to get there.”
Mason Mount opened the scoring for the Red Devils inside 15 minutes before Manchester United conceded after Luke Shaw put the ball in his own net
Kevin Schade put Brentford 2-1 up against United in the 33rd minute and the Bees held onto their advantage until the half-time whistle in the Premier League clash
Thomas Frank’s men put United on the back foot after Kevin Schade completed his brace in the 70th minute before Yoane Wissa added Brentford’s fourth of the tie
United fought back against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium and Alejandro Garnacho pulled one back in the 82nd minute with a stunning strike
Big week, Reds — and we're all in this together 💪#MUFC pic.twitter.com/VMoEstkz21
Amad Diallo climbed off the bench in the second half and the 22-year-old Ivorian winger netted United’s third against Brentford deep into injury time
However, Ruben Amorim’s men were unable to find an equaliser and Thomas Frank’s side sealed all three Premier League points in their 4-3 win
United languish in 15th place in the Premier League table and the Red Devils have only three league matches remaining in their disastrous 2024-25 league campaign
READ MORE: Man Utd fans all in agreement about Ruben Amorim’s player who showed major weakness vs Brentford, ‘no two ways about it’
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim rotated his squad for the defeat to Brentford and youngster Tyler Fredricson came into the Red Devils defence
Tyler Fredricson started as the right-sided centre-back in Amorim’s tactical system for United and the 20-year-old defender picked up valuable first-team minutes
The United centre-back played 76 minutes on Sunday afternoon and Amorim withdrew him and replaced him with Victor Lindelof in the 4-3 defeat
Fredricson has come through the United youth academy and the United talent has been brought into the Red Devils first team under Amorim this season.
Speaking after the result at the Gtech Community Stadium, Amorim said that Amad Diallo needed to help Fredricson out after Kevin Schade scored Brentford’s third.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited)
“It’s really important. They have to understand in this season, this season is really important, and also to understand that we cannot do this anymore,” he explained, as per Manchester United’s official website
They need to understand what it is to play for Manchester United
but then they have to play 90 minutes because we have to change some other players to save them for Thursday
“And I think we can help even more the young kids
He did quite well but for the third goal he needs more help from Amad
with these small things I think we can help them more
but I’m really happy with the performance of the young kids.”
READ MORE: Man Utd fans all saying same thing about Chido Obi after performance vs Brentford, ‘true taste’ point is so perfect
Amorim admitted that he once again spotted United’s failure to ‘control’ the pace of the match against Brentford and they were exposed by throw-ins and set pieces
“I think it’s a little bit of a reflection of our season,” he said
“We suffer a lot with the throw-ins and set pieces
but we already knew that our team would struggle against this team because we didn’t have the height [that] will be necessary for this kind of game
“They score twice in these kind of moments
even with Matta [Matthijs de Ligt] on the floor
United have now suffered 16 league defeats from 35 matches and the Red Devils will end the season with their worst finish in the table in the Premier League era
Manchester United are keen on signing one of the best midfielders in Europe
which has revealed manager Ruben Amorim’s grand plan involving him and Manuel Ugarte
It has been a dire season for Man Utd
who lost to Brentford in London on Sunday and are now 15th in the Premier League table
The Red Devils were a huge disappointment under Erik ten Hag
and performances and results have not improved under Amorim
there is still a good chance that Man Utd could salvage their season and book their place in the Champions League for the 2025-26 campaign
The Red Devils are in the Europa League semi-finals and have a foot already in the final
Man Utd eased past Athletic Bilbao 3-0 away from home at San Mamés Barria in the first leg of their semi-final tie and are now favourites to progress to the final
According to GiveMeSport
this has enhanced Man Utd’s chances of signing Ederson from Atalanta in the summer transfer window
TEAMtalk’s Italian football correspondent, Rudy Galetti, revealed interest from Man Utd in Ederson back in February 2025
GiveMeSport has now claimed that Man Utd have ‘moved one step closer to making an offer for Ederson’ since they are almost in the final
‘The Red Devils have pinpointed the defensive midfielder as a serious target’
GiveMeSport has added that although Ederson is valued at £50million by Atalanta
Man Utd are ‘confident’ that they will be able to sign the Brazil international defensive midfielder for less than that price
‘GMS sources have been told that Manchester United have identified Ederson as a quick-fix solution as Amorim goes in search of making his side more physical after they have been struggling to take their Europa League form into domestic action over the course of the campaign’
Praised by former England head coach Fabio Capello in La Gazzetta dello Sport in December 2024 as being “out of this world for his ability to combine running
Ederson has been at Atalanta since 2022 and won the Europa League with the Italian club in 2023-24
READ MORE ➡️ Man Utd will pursue surprise striker if missing out on Liam Delap
GiveMeSport has further revealed Man Utd boss Amorim’s plan regarding Ederson
Amorim believes that the Brazilian star is the ‘ideal option’ to become Ugarte’s partner in the middle of the park
Man Utd believe that Ederson could either provide Ugarte with support or come in as a replacement for the Uruguay international midfielder when he is injured or suspended
Ederson has scored five goals and given two assists in 46 matches in all competitions for Atalanta this season
the Brazilian ace has made 136 appearances
scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in the process
Atalanta are third in the Serie A table at the moment with 68 points from 35 matches
six points behind second-placed Inter Milan and five points ahead of Juventus in fifth
Arsenal are determined to stop Man Utd from signing one of the best strikers in Europe
Man Utd midfielder Mason Mount is not happy with how the team played against Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday
as Amorim has revealed his concern over an injured defender
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been linked with a shock move for a Man Utd outcast
The north London club are said to have already made an inquiry over bringing him to the Emirates Stadium
POLL: Who has been Man Utd’s best signing from Serie A in the past 10 years