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 Kevin 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 Free daily newsletterKick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football 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 What's gone wrong for Man City in trophyless season 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." Head here to get involved Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page To load Comments you need to enable JavaScript in your browser View comments | 87Top storiesTrailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Alexander-Arnold leaves as modern Liverpool great - but fans will feel hurt Alpine poised to replace Doohan with Colapinto The final series of Man Like Mobeen has arrived John Simm stars in the provocative 90s drama Warm-hearted comedy with Ben Miller and Sally Phillips Follow two ambitious river restoration projects Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week Trailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights VideoZhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights 'Scheffler and DeChambeau wins further raise US PGA excitement levels' Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao 'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time Palmer's brilliance could be key moment in Chelsea's Champions League quest Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney VideoEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney Ask Me Anything the new BBC Sport service designed to serve you Bayern's 'James Bond' - how Kane clinched his first trophy Nine bolters with a shot of making the Lions squad How 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool VideoHow 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool Still number one & 'sparring' with Draper - return of Sinner Saints 'punch' favourites Leinster in game for the ages VideoVardy the best £1m ever spent - Shearer Poppy's tears Elton John & Happy Gilmore - McIlroy on Jimmy Fallon show Two opposing views on football's transgender ban Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. 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 '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/news\/womens\/manchester-united-man-city-match-report-wsl-may-2025-63881951?__cf_chl_rt_tk=cZFVy7An6hZMtKQlIYqHdXQ7nYjL3_GDnT3OSqz0izE-1746492703-1.0.1.1-3risp7gTbcyQxCaJ4XcsPCa1XdvO6j4JWLuWheLoKwU" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); 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 Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice 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 Axing Met’s Royal Parks police unit ‘a very bad decision’ Met Police to cut 1,700 officers and staff amid shock funding fears Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints UK tourists face major travel shake-up as Dubai airport set to close Royals watch historic flypast as huge crowds turns out for VE Day 80th anniversary  Royals watch historic Red Arrows flypast for VE Day 80th anniversary 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. © Planet Sport Limited 2025 • All Rights Reserved Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker 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 ] Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC US EditionUK EditionScottish SunIrish SunSearchMy Account 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 ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app 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 Listen to the latest Football Daily podcast 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 Watch: Fan catches ball while daughter covers his eyes 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 00:01:51Five things to know before Miami Grand Prix 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 Free weekly newsletterNo topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women’s football 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 Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 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 Why isn't Brentford vs Man Utd live on TV in UK today Man Utd XI vs Brentford: Starting lineup and confirmed team news Meal2Deal: on a mission to make food poverty history "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 "\/citytv\/womens\/laia-aleixandri-post-manchester-united-man-city-interview-63881965?__cf_chl_rt_tk=IuNv9ngV_epkVMftwxyTkn4.W6Vj0KgRimNTRNnsvhk-1746492801-1.0.1.1-BczqAfkSX6p2azBvArXziLzPAzFILt8YO1AUB4HQ3gA" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null "\/citytv\/womens\/nick-cushing-post-man-united-man-city-interview-wsl-63881964?__cf_chl_rt_tk=LhF7ba6CCmG6HpX34Ei_0m.A8Xe0vlz06HaNcnH08zE-1746492803-1.0.1.1-vpQkgnDCWpENCw7aZyLmPXcrHwJ3Kz6fDysbIgPz5eM" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null 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.” Alex 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