Manchester United – Sports Africa

Man City hit Watford for five as Arsenal trounce Man Utd

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Manchester City ran riot against Watford with a huge 5-1 demolition at the Etihad to retain top spot on Saturday.

Brazilian ace Gabriel Jesus scored four goals as City put the pressure on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

The Brazilian netted in the 4th, 23rd and 52nd minutes, and scored a 49th minute penalty as Pep Guardiola’s side warmed up for Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal first leg against Real Madrid with a comfortable 5-1 win at home to Watford, who look increasingly set for a quick return to the Championship.

Hassani Kamara gave Watford brief hope with his goal in the 28th minute, but Rodri’s 34th minute goal for City quickly put the game out of reach.

The win leaves City four points clear of Liverpool, who entertain struggling Everton in Sunday’s Merseyside derby.

Arsenal ended Manchester United’s hopes of a top-four finish and damaged their chances of playing in any European competition next season with a 3-1 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal were quickly ahead with Nuno Tavares’ third minute goal and Bukayo Saka’s penalty in the 32nd minute.

Cristiano Ronaldo gave United a lifeline in the 34th minute with the 100th Premier League goal of his career, but after Bruno Fernandes missed the chance to level the scores after his spot-kick went the wrong side of the post, Granit Xhaka assured a big win for Arsenal with 20 minutes left to play.

That win puts Arsenal back in pole position for a place in next season’s Champions League after Tottenham were held to a 0-0 draw away to Brentford, who had former Spurs player Christian Ericksen in their starting 11.

Tottenham were lucky to come away with a point after Harry Kane cleared one ball off the line and Ivan Toney hit the post in injury time with a header.

Newcastle United continued their excellent second half to the season with a 3-0 win away to Norwich, who (like Watford) looked doomed to the drop.

Joelington scored twice for Newcastle before the break, and Bruno Guimaraos scored the third three minutes into the second half as Eddie Howe’s men made it 10 wins and a draw from their last 14 matches.

Leicester City and Aston Villa drew a forgettable game 0-0, although the result at least ends a run of four consecutive defeats for the visitors.

April 23 – Best Betting Tips

Posted on by <a href="https://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/betnumbers/" rel="tag">Betnumbers</a>

Kashima Antlers – Oita Trinita	1 1.40		OVER 1.65
	SCP 14:00	Motherwell – Glasgow Rangers	2 1.35	2-3 GOAL 1.97
	ENP 14:30	Arsenal – Manchester United	1X 1.35	UNDER 1.65
	ENC 14:30	Luton Town – Blackpool	1 1.85	GOAL 1.75
	FI1 15:00	HJK Helsinki – FC Inter Turku	1 1.62	GOAL 1.82
	FI2 15:00	TPS – JaPS	1 1.30	OVER 1.50
	IT1 16:00	FC Torino – Spezia Calcio	1 1.70	UNDER 1.72
	IT1 16:00	Venezia – Atalanta	2 1.51	OVER 1.60
	DE1 16:30	1 FC Cologne – Arminia Bielefeld	1 1.52	OVER 1.67
	DE1 16:30	Greuther Furth – Bayer Leverkusen	2 1.40	GOAL 1.62
	DE1 16:30	RB Leipzig – Union Berlin	1 1.55	OVER 1.52
	ENP 17:00	Μanchester City – Watford	1/1 1.44	OVER 1.40
	ENC 17:00	Sheffield United – Cardiff City	1 1.60	UNDER 1.82
	EN1 17:00	Crewe Alexandra – Ipswich Town	2 1.60	UNDER 1.72
	EN1 17:00	Milton Keynes Dons – Morecambe	1 1.57	OVER 1.67
	EN1 17:00	Portsmouth – Gillingham FC	1 1.75	UNDER 1.75
	EN1 17:00	Sunderland AFC – Cambridge Utd	1 1.40	OVER 1.65
	EN1 17:00	Wigan Athletic – Plymouth Argyle	1 1.83	GOAL 1.82
	EN2 17:00	Exeter City – Rochdale AFC	1 1.70	UNDER 1.72
	EN2 17:00	Mansfield Town – Crawley Town	1 1.70	UNDER 1.78
	ENT 17:00	Chesterfield – Dover Athletic	1 1.20	OVER 1.65
	ENT 17:00	Notts County – Weymouth	1 1.30	OVER 1.55
	ENT 17:00	Yeovil Town – Stockport County	2 1.45	OVER 1.78
	SC1 17:00	Cove Rangers FC – Dumbarton	1 1.35	OVER 1.62
	NL1 17:30	NEC Nijmegen – Ajax Amsterdam	2 1.22	OVER 1.45
	AT1 18:00	LASK Linz – SCR Altach	1 1.38	OVER 1.62
	FR1 18:00	Olympique Lyonnais – Montpellier	1 1.35	OVER 1.45
	CH1 18:30	FC Zurich – FC Sion	1 1.55	GOAL 1.62
	CH1 19:00	Aarau – Kriens	1 1.25	OVER 1.35
	IT1 19:00	Internazionale – AS Roma	1 1.67	GOAL 1.65
	ENP 19:30	Brentford – Tottenham Hotspur	2 1.65	GOAL 1.62
	DE1 19:30	Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund	1 1.40	GOAL 1.42
	NL1 19:45	ΑΖ Αlkmaar – SC Heeerenveen	1 1.45	OVER 1.62
	FR1 20:00	AS Saint Etienne – AS Monaco	2 1.82	GOAL 1.72
	PT1 20:00	Benfica Lisbon – FC Famalicao	1 1.35	OVER 1.57
	CZ1 21:00	Sparta Praha – Banik Ostrava	1 1.50	GOAL 1.62
	NO2 21:00	SK Brann – Sogndal Fotball	1 1.53	OVER 1.57
	CH1 21:30	BSC Young Boys – Servette FC	1 1.53	GOAL 1.57
	FR1 22:00	Paris Saint-Germain – RC Lens	1 1.32	OVER 1.45
	NL1 22:00	Cambuur Leeuwarden – PSV Eindhoven	2 1.35	OVER 1.42
	US1 22:00	Philadelphia Union – Montreal Impact	1 1.65	GOAL 1.75

Man United appoint Eric Ten Hag new coach

Posted on by <a href="https://www.sportsnews.africa/byline/xinhua/" rel="tag">XINHUA</a>

After years of ‘trial and error’ Manchester United may have finally landed the right man for the managerial role at Old Trafford.

Manchester United on Thursday ended speculation over their future when the club confirmed the appointment of Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their new manager on a three-year-deal with the option for a further 12 months.

The 52-year-old who will replace interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of the season, told the Manchester United website that it was “a great honor to be appointed manager of Manchester United.”

“I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve,” commented the Dutchman.

Ten Hag said it would be “difficult” to leave Ajax, but promised to “focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

Manchester United’s Football Director John Murtough commented that “during the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team’s attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth.”

“In our conversations with Erik leading up to this appointment, we were deeply impressed with his long-term vision for returning Manchester United to the level we want to be competing at, and his drive and determination to achieve that.”

Ten Hag faces a difficult task of renewing and lifting a team that looks likely to miss out of a top-four place this season and who was humiliated 4-0 away to Liverpool on Tuesday night and their big-name players once again failed to perform.

Six managers later, the Man United experiment continues

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Manchester United are hoping to appoint a new manager before the season closes as they look to reverse the fortunes of the club that has been on a downhill trajectory since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

With interim manager Ralf Rangnick set to step aside at end of the season, the Red Devils are reportedly keen to have someone in place as soon as possible.

Ajax’s Erik ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino are some of the hot-favourites to take over in summer.

Man United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013

David Moyes – appointed on May 9, 2013 .

Louis Van Gaal – announced on May 19, 2014 .

Jose Mourinho – named Manchester United manager on May 27, 2016.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – appointed caretaker manager in December 19, 2018, and later named permanent manager in March 28, 2019.

Ralf Rangnick – interim manager from December to June 2022.

Carlo Ancelotti could be headed to Machester United this summer

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It is now emarging that Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti could be on his way back to England for the third time this summer.

Regarded as one of the greatest and most successful managers in the world, Ancelotti could be in line to take up the reins at Manchester United as the club ramps up efforts to secure a world-class manager in summer.

The 62-year-old has a close cordial relationship with legendary former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who still calls the shot at the club

Ancelotti is one of only three managers to have won EUFA Champions leugue three times, twice with Ac Milan and once with Real Madrid.B ob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane are other manegers.

Nicknamed Carletto he boast an impresive CV having coached the likes of Real Madrid Everton Juventus Bayern Munich Paris Saint Germain Napoli Chelsea to name but a few

Ancelotti previous stint in England saw him bag the Premier League and the FA Cup with Chelsea, but was unlucky not to have won any trophy at the Goodison Park

His current team Real Madrid sit at the summit of LaLiga , with six point cushion

Rumour has it that Paris Saint-Germain Manager Mauricio Pochettino could replace Ancelotti at Real Madrid if he leaves.

Sterling steers Man City with hat-trick as Man Utd slip again

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Raheem Sterling scored a hat-trick as Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points above Liverpool with a 4-0 win away to struggling Norwich City.

Sterling put his side ahead in the 31st minute and Phil Foden netted early in the second half to put Pep Guardiola’s side out of reach of a rival that worked hard, but suffered from a gulf in class.

Sterling then rounded off the win with goals in the 71st and 90th minutes to pressure Liverpool ahead of their visit to Burnley on Sunday.

Manchester United missed a chance to move into fourth place after being held 1-1 at home to Southampton.

Che Adams’s goal early in the second half cancelled out Jadon Sancho’s first Premier League goal in front of his home fans, and although Harry Maguire almost won it at the end for United, Southampton had plenty of chances of their own to take all three points.

Everton won their first Premier League game under Frank Lampard and will breathe a lot easier after goals from Seamus Coleman, Michael Keane and Anthony Gordon gave them a 3-0 win at home to Leeds United.

Coleman and Keane had put Everton 2-0 up by the 27th minute and the result leaves Everton five points above the bottom three, with Leeds just a point above them.

Watford remain rooted in the relegation zone after sliding to a 2-0 defeat at home to Brighton. Neal Maupay fired Brighton ahead at the end of the first half and Adam Webster netted the second from close range with eight minutes left to play.

Brentford ended a run of five consecutive defeats with a 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace, who themselves have just one win in 2022. A tight game began after Brentford fans gave recent signing Christian Eriksen a standing ovation as he was presented on the pitch and saw both sides have penalty appeals turned down.

Man United knocked out FA Cup by Middlesbrough

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Manchester United hit a new low night after they were elininated from the FA Cup by Championship side Middlesbrough Friday night.

The Championship side Middlesbrough came from behind at Old Trafford and then emerged victorious in a nail-biting 16-shot penalty shootout.

Young striker Anthony Elanga ballooned his shot over the bar to give Chris Wilder’s side a win that was celebrated in enthusiastic fashion by a 9,000-strong visiting support.

United will complain about Middlesbrough’s controversial equaliser, scored by Matt Crooks, who tapped home despite Duncan Watmore clearly handling in the build-up.

However, they only had themselves to blame after failing to take numerous chances in a game where they had 30 shots at goal, the clearest of which came when Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty in the first half.

Jadon Sancho seemed to have put United on the road to the last 16 when he marked his FA Cup debut with a goal.

Instead, United’s most realistic chance of silverware has now disappeared.

The draw for the FA Cup fifth round will take place at 11:40 GMT on Sunday.

Mason Greenwood’s career in limbo after arrest over rape and assault claims

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Could this be the end of the road for one of football’s most promising talents?

Mason Greenwood, at just 20-years-old, was Sunday arrested by the Greater Manchester Police on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations on social media with images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.

And now Manchester United have suspended the playeruntil further notice even as he remains in custody for questioning and inquiries are ongoing.

Manchester United said the player would not return to training or matches until further notice.

The club said they “do not condone violence of any kind” and had been made aware of the allegations on social media but would make no further comment until the “facts have been established”.

The player has not responded to the social media allegations.

Greenwood made his debut for the club in March 2019, signed a four-year deal in February 2021 after rising up through the ranks of the United academy.

Ronaldo admits he’s not happy with Man United dressing room situation

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Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted the he is not happy with the dressing situation at Manchester United and there needs to be a turning point.

The 36-year-old , who completed an emotional Old Trafford return at the end of the summer window, has now urged his team-mates to use the new year as the perfect opportunity to start afresh and right the wrongs from the first half of the campaign.

“2021 is coming to an end and it was far from being an easy year, despite my 47 goals scored across all competitions,” he wrote on Instagram.

“At Juventus, I was proud to win the Italian Cup and the Italian Supercup, and become the Série A Top Scorer.

“For Portugal, becoming the Euro Top Scorer was also a high point this year. And of course, my return to Old Trafford will always be one of the most iconic moments in my career.

“But I’m not happy with what we are achieving in Man. United. None of us are happy, I’m sure of that.

“We know that we have to work harder, play better and deliver way more than we are delivering right now.”

He continued: “Let’s make this New Year’s Eve a turning point of the season! Let’s embrace 2022 with a higher spirit and a stronger mentality.

“Let’s take us above and beyond, let’s reach for the stars and put this club right where it belongs!

“Join us, we’re counting on all of you! Happy New Year and see you soon!”

Ronaldo and his Red Devil team-mates will be back in action on January 3, when they take on Wolves at Old Trafford, before a full week off gives Rangnick valuable time on the Carrington training pitches.

Eric Bailly recalled from Ivory Coast Afcon team

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Eric Bailly has reportedly returned to Manchester United days after joining the Ivory Coast Squad for the 2022 Africa Cup Nations set to start on January 6.

United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has taken drastic action ahead of the midweek clash with the Burnely, with the Daily Telegraph claiming Bailly has jetted back to the UK.

The former Villarreal star had been granted permission to link up with his international teammates early to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations. The Ivory Coast kick off their campaign against Equatorial Guinea on 12 January.

The centre-back, 27, could feature against the Clarets in the Premier League on Thursday as Rangnick frantically searches for solutions in defence.

The Red Devils were fortunate to leave St James’ Park with a point and had David de Gea to thank for limiting Newcastle to one goal in Monday’s 1-1 draw.

Having been on the sidelines for a while due to a thigh injury, Raphael Varane could be to blame for failing to be fully present at the All Saint-Maximin’s opener.

Harry Maguire also staged a doubtful performance on Tyneside, and Rangnick disclosed that his side had a physical shortfall, having failed to win the direct duels.

Man United managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013

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