Manchester United – Sports Africa

Sheffield Utd claim first win, Man Utd go top for first time since 2017

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LONDON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) — Billy Sharp’s 73rd minute penalty gifted Sheffield United their first Premier League win of the season as they beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.

The Blades completely deserved the win after controlling 67 percent of the ball and managing 17 shots against a Newcastle side reduced to 10 men following Ryan Fraser’s 45th-minute red card.

The win still leaves the Blades nine points from safety and increases the pressure on Newcastle’s Steve Bruce.

Paul Pogba’s 71st minute volley gave Manchester United a 1-0 win away to Burnley to take them top of the table for the first time since 2017.

The French midfielder took advantage of good work from Marcus Rashford and his crisply hit shot took a deflection on its way to the back of the net.

Earlier in the game, Harry Maguire had had a goal ruled out, and Luke Shaw escaped a red card after consultation with VAR.

Everton won 2-1 away to Wolves thanks to an excellent defensive display coupled with goals from Alex Iwobi and Michael Keane, who nodded home the winner from a corner in the 76th minute after Ruben Neves had cancelled Iwobi’s opener.

Man Utd, Arsenal, Leicester advance in FA Cup

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MADRID, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Manchester United qualified for the fourth round of the FA Cup with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Watford thanks to an early goal from Scott McTominay on Saturday evening.

McTominay scored a fifth-minute header as Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fielded a side filled with fringe players for their tie against the Championship side.

Arsenal needed two goals from Emile Smith-Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to give them a 2-0 win at home to Newcastle United, whose coach Steve Bruce, had questioned the morality of playing in the middle of the ongoing pandemic.

Sam Allardyce’s start at West Brom continued to be difficult after his side was beaten 3-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw following 120 minutes of football away to Blackpool from League One. Burnley needed a 94th-minute equalizer to save themselves from defeat to MK Dons, before going through 4-3 on penalties.

Leicester City had far fewer problems as they brushed past Carabao Cup semi-finalists, Stoke City, 4-0 away from home, while Everton made hard work of Championship strugglers Rotherham with Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 93rd-minute winner giving Carlo Ancelotti’s side a 2-1 win.

Sheffield United won their first game of the season to progress into the fourth round after a 3-2 win away to Bristol Rovers: Jaydon Bogle netted the winner.

Fulham won a west London derby 2-0 away to Queens Park Rangers, although they needed extra-time goals from Bobby Reid and Neeskens Kebano to see off the motivated rival from the Championship.

The big shock of the day came thanks to Chorley FC from the National League North (sixth tier of the English league), who beat Derby County 2-0 with goals from Connor Hall and Mike Calveley.

Derby missed a host of first-team players with the coronavirus and fielded a team of youngsters. Aston Villa also played with juniors due to Covid-19 and they put up an impressive display before falling 4-1 at home to Liverpool.

Man United debt soars to $600 million

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LONDON, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) — English Premier League club Manchester United revealed Wednesday its debt mountain has exceeded 600 million US dollars.

The club blamed a massively reduced income on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which has seen teams playing behind closed doors in shutdown stadiums.

The loss was revealed in the club’s annual report for 2019-20 which also reported income from broadcasting matches had fallen by almost 42 percent.

Manchester United’s net debt is 474.1 million pounds (602 million US dollars) more than double the 203.6 million pounds (266.4 million US dollars) it was 12 months ago, a 132.9 percent rise.

The club reported its commercial revenue for the year was 279 million pounds (365 million U.S. dollars), an increase of 3.9 million pounds (5.10 million U.S. dollars), or 1.4 percent, over the prior year.

Sponsorship revenue was 182.7 million pounds (239 U.S. dollars), an increase of 5.6 percent, over the prior year, while retail, merchandising and product licensing revenue was 96.3 million pounds (126 million U.S. dollars), a decrease of 5.7 percent, over the prior year. This was due to the closure of the Old Trafford Megastore from mid-March 2020 to mid-June 2020.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward told investors Wednesday: “We are looking back today on what has been one of the most extraordinary and challenging seasons in recent history. There are still big challenges and uncertainties ahead as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt our way of life across the globe.”

He said the pandemic disruption was clear to see in the financial results, adding the club expected the impact to remain visible for quite some time to come.

“However, the past year has also demonstrated the underlying strength and resilience of the club; the special role that sport plays in our societies; and the meaningful impact the club can make in our communities through this period of adversity,” he added.

Referring to a call for a shake-up in English football, Woodward referred to discussions taking place about plans to address the near-term financial predicament created by the pandemic for clubs in the lower leagues.

“We have been playing an active role in those discussions because we strongly believe in supporting the English football pyramid, both in the short term, to address the issues created by Covid-19, and in the long term to improve financial sustainability at all levels of the game.

“There will always be intense debate around any changes to the structure of football, just as there was before the formation of the Premier League 28 years ago. Now, at this critical juncture for the game, we must ensure that the huge success of the Premier League is reinforced while ensuring that the wider football pyramid continues to thrive in a rapidly changing media environment.”

He said on the pitch, Manchester United has strengthened its team over the summer and remains committed to an objective of winning trophies, playing entertaining, attacking football with a blend of Academy graduates and high-quality recruits, while carefully managing resources to protect the long-term resilience of the club.

Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world.

In the club’s 142-year history, they have won 66 trophies, enabling them to develop a global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers.

The Red Devils have 13 million followers in China’s social media Weibo.

Penalty after final whistle gifts Man Utd win over Brighton

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LONDON, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) — A penalty awarded by VAR after the final whistle gifted Manchester United a 3-2 win away to Brighton in the Premier League new season on Saturday.

The game had already seen more than its fair share of drama after Solly March had headed Brighton level in the 95th minute, when it had looked as if a Lewis Dunk own goal and a cool finish from Marcus Rashford would give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men three points after Neal Maupay had put the home side in front from the penalty spot.

Brighton hit the woodwork five times during the game before Maupay turned from hero to villain when Harry Maguire’s header following a corner hit his outstretched arm in the last action of the game.

Although the referee had already blown the final whistle, VAR awarded a penalty.

Then Bruno Fernandes, who had conceded the penalty that gave Brighton the initial lead, smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

“The point is to score goals, not hit the crossbar or post.”

“It sometimes happens to us as well. We can do much better, especially on the goals we conceded,” commented the Portuguese after the final whistle.

Everton go to bed as league leaders on Saturday night after a strike from Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison’s penalty, given by VAR for handball, gave them a 2-1 win away to Crystal Palace in a game between two sides that had begun the season with two wins from their first two matches.

Chelsea fought back from 3-0 down away to West Brom to claim a 3-3 draw thanks to an injury-time goal from Tammy Abraham. Chelsea boss Frank Lampard benched much-criticized goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and replaced him with Willy Caballero, but his side trailed 3-0 at the break as Callum Robinson netted in the fourth and 25th minute and Kyle Bartley made it 3-0 in the 27th minute.

However, West Brom’s defense is also porous and after Mason Mount gave Chelsea a lifeline in the 55th minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi netted their second with 20 minutes left to play to set the stage for Abraham’s late equalizer.

Saturday’s last game saw Danny Ings’ fifth-minute goal against one of his former clubs give Southampton a 1-0 win away to Burnley for their first win of the season.

Key game for Manchester United, fans wait for Liverpool vs Arsenal

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LONDON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) — The Premier League jumps straight in at the deep end this weekend with Manchester United’s visit to Brighton opening the third round, although fans will be forced to wait until Monday night for the star attraction when Liverpool entertain Arsenal.

Last weekend’s home defeat to Crystal Palace was a shock to Manchester United fans, immediately prompting fears that last season’s progress could be lost after a frustrating summer in the transfer market.

Brighton meanwhile impressed with a 3-0 thrashing of Newcastle United and the game is already looking like a watershed moment for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who needs a quick reaction in order to calm jittery Old Trafford nerves.

Crystal Palace’s win at Old Trafford means they are one of five teams with six points from two games and they will face another team with a perfect start when Everton visit Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.

The game sees the side with the best pass completion numbers in the Premier League (Everton 88.3 percent) against Palace, who have the worst a pass completion rate (56.4 percent), so it’s probably fair to say we can expect a contrast in styles.

It is also worth bearing in mind that Palace have failed to score in six of Everton’s last seven visits to south London.

West Brom have had a difficult return to the top-flight, conceding eight goals and scoring just two in their opening games, and things may not get much easier when they entertain Chelsea this Saturday.

West Brom acted to shore up their defense in the week with the signing of former Chelsea legend Branislav Ivanovic and the man who played 377 times for the ‘Blues’ could go straight into the ‘Baggies’ starting 11 on Saturday.

Meanwhile all eyes will focus on whether new signing Edouard Mendy goes straight into the Chelsea side or if Frank Lampard keeps faith with Kepa Arrizabalaga after another bad error last weekend.

Saturday ends with Southampton facing a tricky visit to play Burnley.

Southampton have lost both league games so far and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Brentford, while Burnley lost their only league game away to Leicester City, before bouncing back to beat Milwall in the Carabao Cup.

They have a good record against Southampton with four wins and three draws against them since October 2016.

There should be goals when Sheffield United face Leeds United in Sunday’s Yorkshire derby, which could be a baptism of fire for Leeds’ new signing Diego Llorente given that his side has scored seven times and conceded the same number in their first two games of the campaign.

Both Tottenham and Newcastle have produced Jekyll and Hyde starts to the season, with Spurs losing to Everton and then scoring five away to Southampton, while Newcastle beat West Ham before being thrashed at home to Brighton and then netting seven in the Carabeo Cup.

Given those records anything could happen when the two teams meet at White Hart Lane.

Leicester City will be without Wilfred Ndidi for 12 weeks with a groin injury and he will be an important absentee for their visit to face Manchester City, who kicked off their season with a 3-1 win away to Wolves, who visit West Ham.

West Ham will have Alan Irvine on the bench after David Moyes tested positive for Covid-19 along with Issa Diop and Josh Cullen ahead of their midweek Carabao Cup win against Hull City, while Nelson Semedo could make his Wolves debut after joining from Barcelona.

Monday ends with Fulham looking for their first points at home to Aston Villa, before Liverpool entertain an Arsenal side that defeated them on penalties in the Community Shield at the end of August.

A month has passed since then and the game will be a good test of Liverpool’s ability to defend their title after beating Chelsea a week ago and also of how much Arsenal have improved under Mikel Arteta.

Premier League roundup: Man Utd stunned by Crystal Palace

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LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) — Manchester United suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace in first Premier League match this season, with Old Trafford old boy Wilfried Zaha scoring twice against his former club.

Zaha’s solitary goal a week ago gave Palace a 1-0 win at home to Southampton, and he was on target twice more to produce the surprise of the weekend.

Palace took the lead in the seventh minute through Andros Townsend when Zaha stepped up to retake a harsh penalty given for handball.

Although David de Gea saved Jordan Ayew’s initial effort, he was adjudged to have moved too early, and Zaha netted the retaken kick.

New signing Donny van de Beek came into the game as a substitute and gave United a chance with a goal on his debut, but Zaha’s excellent second strike five minutes from time condemned them to defeat.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin hit a hat-trick as Everton also made it two wins from two games with a 5-2 thrashing of newly-promoted West Brom, who have now lost twice and conceded eight times on their return to the top flight.

The Baggies opened the scoring thanks to new signing Grady Diangana in the 10th minute, but Calvert-Lewin leveled with a back heel that was given after consultation with VAR.

James Rodriguez then put Everton in front, shortly before receiving a hand in the face from West Brom defender Kieran Gibbs, who was sent off for his trouble.

Two minutes into the second half, Matheus Pereira curled home an excellent free-kick to level the scores, but Everton were soon back in front when Michael Keane prodded home from close range, and the home side then ran riot, with Calvert-Lewin netting twice more to complete his first hat-trick for the club.

There were also seven goals in the game between the newly-promoted pair of Leeds United and Fulham, with Leeds winning 4-3 to claim their first points of the season.Helder Costa opened the scoring for Leeds, before Aleksander Mitrovic equalized for Fulham from the penalty spot.

Mateusz Klich reestablished Leeds’ advantage from the spot in the 41st minute and the home side looked to be cruising after further goals from Patrick Bamford and a second from Helder, before further goals from Bobby Decordova-Reid and Mitrovic gave Leeds a nervy last 25 minutes.

Arsenal continued their winning start to the season against West Ham with goals from Alexandre Lacazette and young striker Eddie Nketiah, who scored the winner five minutes from time after Michail Antonio had equalized just before the break.

Chelsea-Liverpool the main course, while Manchester City, United back in action

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LONDON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — There is no doubt Sunday afternoon’s clash between Chelsea and Liverpool is the main course of the weekend in the Premier League and an early test of both Liverpool’s ability to defend their title and Chelsea’s chances of challenging for the trophy.

Not for the first time Chelsea have been the big spenders in England and their opening day win away to Brighton gave a tantalizing indication of what Frank Lampard’s side could be capable of in attack, where Timo Werner impressed.

Lampard’s men still looked vulnerable at the back and will still be without Ben Chilwell and Hakim Ziyech on Sunday, while the at times erratic Kepa, remains in goal.

Liverpool thrilled in their league opener with a 4-3 win at home over Leeds United, but conceding three times to a newly-promoted team is not the route to winning the title and coach Jurgen Klopp will want to see more defensive application in what promises to be a thrilling game.

Manchester City’s return to action doesn’t come until Monday night, but also promises to be revealing as Pep Guardiola takes his team to play Wolves.

Nuno Espiritu Sanchez’s team kicked off their campaign with a solid 2-0 win away to Sheffield United and will cause problems to City, whose already suspect defense has been weakened by Aymeric Laporte’s COVID-19 positive test, while John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi’s lack of match practice could give new signing Nathan Ake the chance to make his debut.

It has been a good start to the season for Arsenal, who brushed aside newly-promoted Fulham 3-0 in their first game, before club captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang put pen to a new contract during the week.

Both Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette will fancy their chances of scoring at home to West Ham United, who were comfortably beaten by Newcastle on the opening day to set early alarm bells ringing around the London Stadium.

Manchester United begin their season with a home match against Crystal Palace: New signing Donny van de Beek could make his United debut in an impressive looking midfield alongside Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba, while Marcos Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial will lead a pacy front line for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Leeds United impressed at Anfield but received a reality check in midweek when they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by League One outfit, Hull City: Marcelo Bielsa’s men need to bounce back with a home game against Fulham in a clash between two newly promoted sides.

Fulham were outplayed by Arsenal in their league opener and Leeds are favorites for their first points of the campaign.

Gareth Bale could be back at Tottenham by the time Jose Mourinho’s side visit Southampton, where Bale began his career, but Spurs will need to improve from their Europa League performance in Bulgaria if they are to get anything from their trip to the south coast.

Leicester City entertain Burnley in a good test of both team’s ambitions this season, while Newcastle United can build on their opening day win against West Ham, with a win at home to Brighton. Brighton can play pretty football, but at times lack bite, while Callum Wilson’s arrival at Newcastle looks as if it could give the goals Steve Bruce’s men were lacking last season.

Everton’s new boys impressed as they won 1-0 at White Hart Lane a week ago and James Rodriguez and company should have too much for newly promoted West Brom, while Aston Villa entertain Sheffield United on Monday evening in a clash between two teams beginning that ‘difficult’ second season in the elite.

Man Utd sign Van de Beek from Ajax

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THE HAGUE, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) — Manchester United have signed midfielder Donny van de Beek from Ajax, both clubs announced on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Dutchman has signed a five-year contract at Old Trafford, with an option to extend by a further year.

The transfer fee is 39 million euros (46 million U.S. dollars), which may increase to 44 million euros if certain clauses are met.

A product of the Ajax youth academy, Van de Beek made his first-team debut in 2015. In total, he played 175 official matches for Ajax, scoring 41 times.With Ajax, Van de Beek won the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup in 2019 and made it to the semifinals of that year’s UEFA Champions League.

The midfielder has also been capped 10 times for the Dutch national team.

Rashford out of England team with ankle injury

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LONDON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Manchester United star Marcus Rashford has withdrawn injured from the England side preparing for two UEFA Nations League matches, confirmed the Premier League club on Monday.

The Three Lions will travel to Iceland to face their first opponent in Group A2 of the Nations League on September 5, followed by a visit to Denmark three days later.

The other team in the group is Belgium.Rashford was selected by manager Gareth Southgate to the 24-man squad last week but has had to withdraw due to a slight ankle problem.

“Gutted,” the 22-year-old forward said on social media. “Never want to let this team down but these fixtures just come a little too soon for me. I have to focus on starting the season at my strongest now.”

The English FA also confirmed on Monday that the Southgate’s side will be without Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks, but Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has received his first call-up to England’s senior squad.

Maguire withdrawn from England squad after being found guilty by Greek court

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LONDON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming two UEFA Nations League games in September after being found guilty of three charges by a Greek court on Tuesday.

A few hours earlier on Tuesday, Gareth Southgate named a 24-man squad for their Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark. The 27-year-old Maguire was selected by the Three Lions manager initially despite his trial being underway in Greece.

However, after the Manchester United captain was found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery on the Greek island of Syros, Southgate decided to drop Maguire from the squad.

“In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark,” Southgate was quoted by the English Football Association website.

“As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation. Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week.”

The Manchester United captain has been charged for aggravated assault and attempted bribery of an official. He was given a suspended sentence of 21 months after Tuesday’s trial even though he pleaded not guilty of any charge.

According to a British media report, Maguire was involved in a brawl last week while on holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos. He spent two nights in custody after he was arrested.

Maguire maintains his innocence. “Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing,” he said.

Manchester United believed that Maguire’s defense team was given little time to prepare. “It should be noted that the prosecution confirmed the charges and provided their evidence late on the day before the trial, giving the defense team minimal time to digest them and prepare.

A request for the case to be adjourned was subsequently denied,” read a club statement.

“On this basis, along with the substantial body of evidence refuting the charges, Harry Maguire’s legal team will now appeal the verdict, to allow a full and fair hearing at a later date.” England will travel to face Iceland on September 5 before heading to Copenhagen to face Denmark on September 8.

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