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Tag: Manchester United

Man United, Brighton, Sheff Utd continue in FA Cup, Arsenal go 8 clear in Premier League

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The win comes after Erik Ten Hag’s side reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, but came after a dramatic last 15 minutes when Aleksandar Mitrovic powered Fulham ahead five minutes into the second half.

Fulham were the better side, but everything changed in the 72nd minute when Willian handled a goal-bound shot from Jadon Sancho on the goal-line and was sent off, with Mitrovic following him into the dressing room for his complaints, along with Fulham coach Marco Silva.

Bruno Fernandes scored the resulting penalty and Marcel Sabitzer put United against nine-man Fulham in the 77th minute, before Fernandes scored a third for his side in the 96th minute.

Fourth-tier Grimsby Town’s brave cup run came to an end after they lost 5-0 away to Brighton, who gave them little option and scored four goals in the second half.

Deniz Undav put Brighton ahead after just six minutes, and after the break, 18-year-old Ewan Ferguson scored twice, along with Solly March and Kaoru Mitoma as football logic made itself felt.

Sheffield United qualified for the FA Cup semifinal for the second time in 10 years with a thrilling 3-2 win at home to Blackburn Rovers in an all-second tier tie.

Ben Brereton Diaz’s 21st-minute penalty put Blackburn ahead, only for Sam Gallagher’s own goal to level the scores in the 28th minute.

Sammie Szmodics looked to have put Blackburn into the last four with his 60th minute goal, but Oliver McBurnie equalized nine minutes from time, and Thomas Doyle scored a 91st-minute winner to put United through.

Manchester City booked a semifinal spot on Saturday with a 6-0 pummeling of Championship leaders Burnley.

Erling Haaland scored his second hat-trick of the week and his sixth since arriving at the club, while Julian Alvarez netted twice and Cole Palmer also scored for Manchester City.

In the Premier League, Arsenal took advantage of City’s cup exploits to open up an eight-point lead at the top of the table with a 4-1 win at home to Crystal Palace.

Palace sacked Patrick Vieira as coach on Friday after a run of 12 games without a win, but it made little difference as Arsenal led 2-0 at halftime thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.

Granit Xhaka made it 3-0 in the 55th minute, and although Jeffrey Schupp pulled a goal back for Palace in the 63rd minute, Saka’s second of the match ended any hopes of a fightback 10 minutes later.

On Saturday, Everton held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ellis Simms, after Chelsea had twice led though Joao Felix and Kai Havertz’s 76th-minute penalty.

James Ward-Prowse’s injury-time penalty saw Southampton save a valuable point at home to Tottenham, who had led 3-1.

Pedro Porro put Tottenham ahead in first-half injury time, only for Che Adams to level in the 46th minute. Harry Kane and Ivan Perisic then put Spurs 3-1 ahead, but Theo Walcott gave Southampton hope in the 77th minute and Ward-Prowse capped the comeback from the penalty spot.

Leeds United took a big step towards safety with a 4-2 win away to Wolves, with goals from Jack Harrison, Luke Ayling, Rasmus Kristensen and Rodrigo Moreno, while Wolves duo Jonny and Mateus Nunes were both sent off.

Goals from Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey and Emi Buendia gave Aston Villa a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Bournemouth, while Leicester City ended a four-game losing streak with a 1-1 draw away to Brentford.

Preview: FA Cup quarters and key matches in Premier League before international break

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With Sheffield United entertaining Blackburn Rovers on Sunday lunchtime, there is at least one side from the Championship (second division) guaranteed a place in the last four.

Runaway Championship leaders Burnley are also in the draw, with a short visit to play Manchester City at the Ethiad Stadium. City go into the game after their 7-0 thrashing of BR Leipzig on Tuesday night and after coach Pep Guardiola withdrew Erling Haaland with half an hour left to play after the Norwegian had scored five goals and was looking for a history-making sixth.

League Two (fourth division) Grimsby Town are the massive underdogs and they and around 4,000 fans (all armed with their inflatable ‘Harry the Haddock’ mascot), look to keep the dream alive as they visit an impressive Brighton.

Brighton are clear favorites to progress against Grimsby, but they can’t be too overconfident against a rival that has already beaten three Championship sides and won away to Southampton in the last round of the Cup.

The last tie of the weekend sees Manchester United at home to Fulham, with United looking for success in three cup competitions after their win in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle and their progress to the quarterfinals of the Europa League on Thursday, with a 5-1 aggregate win over Betis.

Manchester City’s Cup commitments give Arsenal a chance to move eight points clear in the Premier League. Despite Thursday’s exit from the Europa League on penalties to Sporting Lisbon, Mikel Arteta’s side is clear favorites to beat Crystal Palace, who travel to the Emirates Stadium after the club sacked Patrick Viera on Friday after a run of 12 games without a win and just four goals in 2023 left them just three points above the relegation zone.

There is an interesting game at Stamford Bridge where an improving Chelsea entertain Sean Dyche’s Everton, who have also got tougher to beat since the arrival of the former Burnley coach.

Three defeats and two draws in five games have halted Nottingham Forest’s recovery and they have a vital match against Newcastle United on Friday night.

Newcastle’s narrow win over Wolverhampton last weekend ended their own run without a win and another three points would put them right back in the hunt for a top-four finish.

Four straight defeats for Leicester City have seen them drop to 16th in the table and they are level on points with 18th place Bournemouth. Leicester face an awkward visit to Brentford, who moved up to eighth on Wednesday after a 2-0 win in Southampton.

That defeat dented Southampton’s hopes of climbing out of the bottom three, but they will have another chance when they entertain Tottenham on Saturday.

Spurs showed the commitment coach Antonio Conte had been looking for with a 3-1 win against Nottingham Forest last weekend, but consistency has been their issue this season and that makes this game hard to call.

Bournemouth meanwhile travel to play Aston Villa, while Wolves entertain Leeds United in a key battle to move clear of the relegation zone.

March 16: Best betting tips with Betnumbers

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16/03
19:45 Betis – Manchester Utd X2   GOAL 1.65
19:45 Feyenoord – Shakhtar Donetsk 1   OVER 1.81
22:00 Ferencváros TC – Bayer 04 Leverkusen X2  OVER 1.80
22:00 Royale Union Saint-Gilloise – 1. FC Union Berlin X2  GOAL 1.75
22:00 AZ Alkmaar – Lazio X2  GOAL 1.67
22:00 Nice – Sheriff 1  1 GOAL 2.10
22:00 Villarreal – Anderlecht 1   OVER 1.80
22:00 West Ham – AEK Larnaca 1   OVER 1.75
22:00 Arsenal – Sporting 1   OVER 1.67

 

Preview: Liverpool eye top-four while Arsenal, Man City both away in Premier League

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Four wins from their last five league matches, culminating in last weekend’s 7-0 humiliation of Manchester United have left Liverpool three points behind Tottenham, with a better goal difference and a game in hand.

The attack of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah looks to be gelling and Jurgen Klopp’s side will expect to warm up for their visit to play Real Madrid next week, with three points from their visit to Bournemouth.

Bournemouth were unlucky to lose to a last-gasp goal away to Arsenal last weekend, but that result has left them bottom of the table and it will take something special to stop Liverpool.

If Liverpool can win, it will make for a difficult afternoon for Tottenham coach Antonio Conte when his side entertain Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

It has been a dreadful few days for Tottenham, who were knocked out of the FA Cup by Sheffield United and beaten away by Wolverhampton.

Manchester City visit Crystal Palace on Saturday with the home side looking to end a run of nine matches without a win in which they have scored just four goals. City should be favorites to extend Palace’s winless run, but should be wary of the fact the side from South London have drawn five of those nine games.

Relegation haunted Everton are at home to Brentford, who have not lost in the Premier League since October 23rd, while Leeds United have a crucial match at home to Brighton in an encounter that pits the visitors’ hopes of playing in Europe next season, with Leeds’ battle to avoid playing in the Championship.

Three straight defeats have left Leicester City (who this week announced record losses of over 90 million pounds) just two points above the relegation zone and they face a Chelsea side that looks to be experiencing a mood change.

Last weekend’s 1-0 win at home to Leeds was followed by a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and coach Graham Potter looks to finally be finding his best side.

Arsenal’s trip to Fulham comes after Mikel Arteta’s league leaders took a useful 2-2 draw in Lisbon in the Europa League and Arteta will dig deep into his squad for a game against a tough rival, who will miss the suspended Palhinha.

Manchester United recovered from last weekend’s humiliation in Anfield with a 4-1 win at home to Betis on Thursday. Erik Ten Hag’s side now take on second from bottom Southampton, who may have won two of their last three matches, but it is hard to see them ended United’s inbeaten run at Old Trafford.

West Ham claimed a comfortable Conference League win in Cyprus on Thursday night, but coach David Moyes is still under pressure after his side’s 4-0 mauling in Brighton last weekend left them dangerously close to the bottom three.

Moyes needs another positive display at home to Aston Villa and his side needs to take advantage of the visitors’ loss of midfielder, Boubacar Kamara with an ankle injury.

Newcastle United’s hopes of a top-four finish have been dented by a run without a league win going back to January 15th. Eddie Howe’s men have struggled to score goals and need England forward Callum Wilson to be back to his best for their home match against an improving Wolverhampton.

March 9: Best betting tips with Betnumbers

Posted on by <a href="https://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/betnumbers/" rel="tag">Betnumbers</a>
09/03
02:10 Flamengo – Fluminense 1X  2-3GOAL 1.92
19:45 Bayer 04 Leverkusen – Ferencváros TC 1   OVER 1.62
19:45 1. FC Union Berlin – Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 1   OVER 1.5 1.42
19:45 AEK Larnaca – West Ham 2   OVER 2.01
19:45 Anderlecht – Villarreal X2  GOAL 1.85
19:45 Sporting CP – Arsenal  X2   2-3 GOAL 1.97
19:45 Sheriff Tiraspol – Nice 2     UNDER  1.57
22:00 Juventus – SC Freiburg 1   OVER 1.5 1.40
22:00 Manchester United – Real Betis 1   OVER 1.73
22:00 Shakhtar Donetsk – Feyenoord X2  OVER 1.87
22:00 Basel – ŠK Slovan Bratislava 1   OVER 1.86
22:00 Fiorentina – Sivasspor 1   OVER 1.73
22:00 Lech Poznań – Djurgårdens IF 1X  GOAL 1.83

Preview: Vital Premier League weekend with Carabao Cup final in background

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The round of matches kicks off on Friday night with Fulham at home to Wolves. The home side has the chance to move level on points with Newcastle in fifth place if they win, while Wolves are looking to recover after last weekend’s surprise defeat at home to Bournemouth.

That defeat highlighted Wolves’ problem in attack, with Julen Lopetegui’s side having scored just 17 goals in 23 games this season.

Relegation comes sharply into focus on Saturday afternoon with a series of matches which affect the bottom three.

Perhaps the biggest of those is at Elland Road, where Javi Gracia makes his debut as Leeds United coach. The former Watford and Valencia boss takes over with Leeds second from bottom, and starts his reign with a massive game at home to bottom club Southampton.

Southampton have confirmed that Ruben Selles will be in charge until the end of the season after he guided them to a 1-0 win away to Chelsea last weekend, and this promises to be a nailbiter of a match.

Everton coach Sean Dyche has called for Goodison Park to become a fortress as he looks to lift his side from danger.

The Toffees have won their two home games since Dyche took charge and now face Aston Villa, who travel to Goodison on the back of three consecutive defeats.

There is also a relegation battle at the London Stadium with West Ham at home to Nottingham Forest. Two defeats and two draws in their last five matches have dragged West Ham back into the relegation zone and David Moyes is another coach in danger of the sack if his side fails to win.

Forest have developed into a very tough-to beat outfit, and the feeling is that West Ham will have to cast off some defensive shackles and abandon Moyes’ conservative tactics in order to take all three points.

Arsenal returned to the top of the table last weekend and face an interesting visit to Leicester City for what promises to be an open match.

Leicester created plenty of chances before losing 3-0 at Old Trafford last weekend, but Arsenal will be optimistic after seeing how Manchester United were eventually able to cut through their defense.

Second-placed Manchester City travel to Bournemouth, who climbed out of the bottom three after last weekend’s victory against Wolves.

City drew 1-1 away to RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek and coach Pep Guardiola has to be concerned at how his side failed to turn possession into goals, both in Germany and in last weekend’s draw away to Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool need to recover from Tuesday’s chastening 5-2 Champions League defeat at home to Real Madrid when they visit Crystal Palace in Saturday’s last game. Madrid brutally exposed Liverpool’s weaknesses in midfield and defense, and even though Wilfried Zaha is out, Michael Olise, Jordan Ayew and Eberechi Eze are players who have the pace to expose Liverpool’s flaws.

Sunday’s only league match promises more drama, with Tottenham at home to Chelsea. Spurs have been consistently inconsistent in recent weeks, but have still climbed up to fourth place, while a run of just one win in eight games reached its nadir for Chelsea last weekend when they lost 1-0 at home to Southampton.

The pressure is increasing on Chelsea coach Graham Potter, and even though he has a five-year contract, defeat on Sunday could make his position virtually untenable.

Man Utd, Tottenham both win in Premier League on Sunday

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Marcos Rashford continued his impressive run of form, with goals in the 25th and 56th minute of the game, with Jadon Sancho scoring Man Utd’s third goal, although David de Gea had a good claim to be named Man of the Match after a series of impressive saves to assure a clean sheet.

The result leaves Erik ten Hag’s side just three points behind neighbors Manchester City and five behind league leaders Arsenal.

Tottenham moved into fourth place ahead of Newcastle United, who lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool on Saturday, after a much-improved second half display saw them to a 2-0 win at home over West Ham.

Emerson Royale put Tottenham ahead in the 56th minute after a measured pass from Ben Davis at the far post and Son Heung-min added a second in the 72nd minute. The South Korean had recently got into the match as a substitute and scored after an assist from Harry Kane.

Arsenal went back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a thrilling 4-2 win away to Aston Villa, with their last two goals arriving deep into injury time.

The win lifted them back above Manchester City, who were held 1-1 away to Nottingham Forest, who were kept in the game in the first half by a series of fine saves by Forest keeper Kaylor Navas.

Bernardo Silva put City ahead in the fourth minute, but Chris Wood scored an important equalizer for the home side with six minutes left to play.

Elsewhere, Seamus Coleman’s cross/shot from a narrow angle gave Everton a win over Leeds United, which lifts Everton out of the bottom three and leads Leeds second from bottom.

Southampton stunned Chelsea with James Ward Prowse’s free kick on the verge of halftime giving the bottom club a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Qatari bid for Manchester United confirmed

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The Sheikh issued a statement on Friday confirming his intention to try to purchase the club from the American-based Glazer family.

“Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani today confirmed his submission of a bid for 100 percent of Manchester United Football Club. The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and – above all – will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United FC once more,” read the statement

“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training center, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports. The vision of the bid is for Manchester United FC to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world. More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops,” the statement continued.

The only other interest in buying the club is from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of petrochemical giant Ineos, who has already said he was “formally” in the process.

The Glazer family have been in full control of Manchester United since 2005, but have never been popular with fans for the way they shifted the loans they used to acquire control of the club onto the club itself, lumbering it with debt.

They said they were open to offers for the club in November 2022, although they are thought to be asking for over five billion pounds from any prospective buyers.

Manchester United hold Barcelona at home in Europa League

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Manchester United held Barcelona to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Europa League tie at Camp Nou on Thursday night.

Barcelona can be content with the draw, because they looked to be on the ropes with United leading 2-1, but United will be satisfied with the draw, which leaves them as favorites, especially as Barca will be without key players when they go to Old Trafford next week.

The first 45 minutes saw entertaining end-to-end football from both sides with both goalkeepers at their best to keep it scoreless.

Manchester United started strongly, with Barca hardly getting a sniff of the ball in the first 10 minutes.

Robert Lewandowski had the first chance with a powerful shot from a narrow angle that David de Gea did well to parry. At the other end Wout Weghorst found space through the middle, but Marc Andre Ter Stegen made himself big to make the block as the offside flag stayed down.

Ter Stegen then produced a flying save to palm the ball away as Marcos Rashford found space on the left of the Barca area and looked to curl home at the far post, before Jordi Alba nearly put Barca ahead after an error from Wan Bissaka, who recovered to take the sting out of the full back’s shot, allowing De Gea to palm the ball wide.

Barca suffered an injury setback just before halftime when influential midfielder Pedri went off with what looked like a muscle injury in his leg, to be replaced by Sergi Roberto.

After the display of both keepers in the first half, the first 15 minutes of the second half saw three goals, with Marcos Alonso taking advantage of some poor marking to head Barca ahead in the 50th minute.

The defender was in tears as he dedicated the goal to his father (also called Marcos Alonso), who died last week.

Manchester United wasted no time in hitting back, led by the outstanding Rashford, who controlled a pass from Fred before smashing past Ter Stegen from a narrow angle in the 52nd minute.

On the hour, Rashford took a short corner from Luke Shaw before turning Alba and hitting in a powerful cross, which flicked off Casemiro, before hitting the unfortunate Jules Kounde and ending up in the net to make it 2-1 to the visitors.

Gavi was then booked for stopping Fred’s powerful forward run by pulling his shirt and he will be suspended for next week’s return leg.

Raphinha equalized with a stroke of fortune with 15 minutes left to play. United failed to clear and his low cross evaded everyone in the area to nestle in the far corner of the net.

A frantic end to the game then saw Casemiro nearly score an own goal, before De Gea saved from Ansu Fati to end a thrilling match.

Barca v Man Utd, Sevilla against PSV Eindhoven in Europa League on Thursday night

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After their disappointments in the Champions League before Christmas, FC Barcelona and Sevilla are both in Europa League action on Thursday night, with Barca at home to an in-form Manchester United, while Sevilla entertain PSV Eindhoven in the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Barcelona entertain Manchester United top of La Liga and in an excellent run of form that has seen them win their last 11 games in all competitions, while their rivals have also come into form as coach Erik ten Hag imposes his style on the side.

United are currently third in the Premier League, just two points behind neighbors, Manchester City and seven points over fifth place Tottenham Hotspurs.

Ten Hag has a long injury list for the trip to the Camp Nou Stadium, with several key players out of action. Christian Eriksen is out until April with an ankle problem, while Brazilian winger Anthony and midfielder Scott McTominay have muscle problems and Anthony Martial has an issue with his hip.

Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer, who arrived in January to cover for Eriksen, are both suspended.

The club will welcome back Casemiro in midfield and the Brazilian will once again face rivals, he caused so many problems for while at Real Madrid.

Barcelona will be without Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Busquets through injury and it will be interesting if Ansu Fati is in the starting 11 after doubts about his future increased after he was an unused substitute in Villarreal on the weekend.

Sevilla have improved their form since the start of the season, pulling clear of the relegation zone to 12th in La Liga thanks to three wins from their last four league matches.

The return of Bryan Gil on loan from Tottenham, plus the return to form of midfielder Fernando and the fact that Youssef En-Nesyri has come back revitalized from the World Cup, has given Sevilla a more positive outlook, although they are still just four points clear of the relegation zone and coach Jorge Sampaoli could rotate his side ahead of a vital weekend trip to face Rayo Vallecano.

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