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Tag: Man Utd

  • Amorim says things need to change after Man Utd latest defeat

    Amorim says things need to change after Man Utd latest defeat

    Ruben Amorim said Manchester United “need to change” after their 4-3 defeat at Brentford.

    Kevin Schade scored twice at Gtech Community Stadium as United’s miserable Premier League campaign took another blow, with their winless league run stretching to six matches.

    United boss Amorim, whose team beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final on Thursday, made eight changes to his starting line-up for the clash in west London.

    “It was a reflection of our season,” Amorim said after the loss, United’s 16th of the league campaign.

    “We started well and controlled well, we suffered with the set pieces and throw-ins so we knew we would struggle against them.

    “They (players) have to understand we cannot do this anymore, we know the context of the season and we need to change that.”

    Mason Mount scored his first goal of the campaign to put Amorim’s men ahead but a Luke Shaw own-goal and Schade’s first meant the hosts led at the break.

    Schade’s got his second with a close-range header from Bryan Mbeumo’s delivery, before Yoane Wissa made it 4-1 from six yards out.

    United showed more grit than previous weeks however, rallying with Alejandro Garnacho’s 82nd-minute goal and Amad Diallo’s stoppage-time effort.

    On Mount, Amorim added: “It’s not just the finish, it’s the position he has on the pitch, he’s a third midfielder who can reach the box, he’s really intelligent and he’s getting there.

    “He trains really hard, sometimes too hard and I have to pull him back and take him off the pitch because he wants to do more. He wants to play more minutes and I’m really happy with him.”

    Victory for the Bees represents a second win in three days after their 2-0 win at Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest on Thursday.

    “It was a very good performance, we were in control from minute one,” boss Thomas Frank said.

    “We were on top, pressed aggressively, we produced a lot of crosses and two of our goals were fantastic.

    “I’m very happy with the performance and it was a deserved win…against Man United who are a massive club.”

  • REVEALED: How Man Utd missed out on signing Eden Hazard

    REVEALED: How Man Utd missed out on signing Eden Hazard

    Man United reportedly missed out on the signing of Eden Hazard after refusing to pay the player’s agent a “huge backhander”.

    An explosive report from The Times has revealed that the Belgian was close to sealing a move to Old Trafford but talks fell through due to an unexpected fee.

    The report made several allegations regarding John Bico’s conduct, stating that United refused to pay him directly for facilitating the deal.

    Hazard would go on to sign for Chelsea, joining from Lille for a reported fee of £32 million, a then record sale for the club.

    The situation came to light after Bico was investigated for unconnected charges of financial crime in Belgium.

    The Premier League are also looking into the allegations after a £6 million made by an offshore company belonging to Roman Abramovich was made to Bico back in 2013.

  • Amorim defends Hojlund after latest Man Utd disasterclass

    Amorim defends Hojlund after latest Man Utd disasterclass

    Man United manager Ruben Amorim has defended striker Rasmus Hojlund after yet another underwhelming performance in their 1-0 Premier League defeat to Wolves.

    The 22-year-old hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since their 3-0 win over soon-to-be relegated Leicester City in mid-March.

    Hojlund has bagged just eight goals and provided two assists in his 45 games across all competitions so far this season as Man United’s striker problems continue.

    Still, Amorim leaped to the Denmark international’s defence after the 1-0 defeat to Wolves, insisting he isn’t the only problem.

    Amorim said: “We were the better team but in the end, it doesn’t matter because if we don’t score goals, nothing matters. We lack a lot of things in our team, including that we miss chances. If we do not score goals, we are not going to win.

    “We have a lot to do and to focus on improving the team, and understand until we do, the league is going to be like this.

    “I think if you look at the games, we have several players that missed big chances, not just Rasmus. But for Rasmus, the game is to score goals because he is a striker. But it is a team thing.

    “I have already said that. Our team should score more goals. It is not just Rasmus missing chances, it is all the team.”

    Despite sitting down in down in 14th with 38 points from their 33 games, United still have the chance to qualify for the Champions League should they win the Europa League.

  • Europa: Maguire’s dramatic winner sends Man Utd into semis

    Europa: Maguire’s dramatic winner sends Man Utd into semis

    Manchester United are in the Europa League semi-finals after Harry Maguire’s late goal secured them a dramatic 5-4 win against Lyon in extra-time.

    Manuel Ugarte and Diego Dalot gave United a 2-0 lead in the first half.

    But the French side roared back with Nicolás Tagliafico and Corentin Tolisso to claim a 2-2 draw, the same scoreline from the first leg, and force extra-time.

    Lyon started extra-time with 10 men after Tolisso was sent off in the 89th, but still managed to turn the game around through Rayan Cherki and Alexandre Lacazette.

    United, however, didn’t give up. Bruno Fernandes pulled one back from the spot and Kobbie Mainoo levelled the score – just a minute before Maguire’s header completed the fantastic victory.

    The Premier League side will now face Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.

    In Rome, Europa League sensation Bodø/Glimt claimed a 3-2 win on penalties to oust Lazio and set up a semi-final tie against Tottenham.

  • Newcastle beat Man Utd to boost Champions League hopes

    Newcastle beat Man Utd to boost Champions League hopes

    Newcastle United strengthened their push for a Champions League spot in the absence of unwell boss Eddie Howe with a crushing win over Manchester United at St James’ Park.

    Howe was admitted to hospital on Friday having felt unwell for a number of days.

    Assistants Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones took charge against United and the players responded with a fine performance as they recorded a first league double over their opponents since the 1930-31 campaign.

    United boss Ruben Amorim dropped first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana after his two mistakes against Lyon in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw, but replacement Altay Bayındır was guilty of a serious error to seal an easy home win.

    The Turkey international clipped a ball straight to Joelinton who headed into the path of Bruno Guimaraes to make it 4-1 in the 77th minute.

    By then, though, Newcastle were in complete command.

    They were the better side from the first minute to the last and opened the scoring when Alexander Isak’s lobbed pass over the visiting defence ended with Sandro Tonali finding the net.

    Italy midfielder Tonali went close to doubling the lead from distance, while Bayındır did well to deny Isak, before Manchester United equalised against the run of play.

    Alejandro Garnacho kept his composure eight minutes before the break to shoot beyond Nick Pope for his side’s first goal in three top-flight games.

    But Newcastle moved up to fourth spot – just a point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest – when Harvey Barnes put the game out of reach with two second-half goals.

    After tapping home Jacob Murphy’s pass across the six-yard area to make it 2-1 in the 49th minute, Barnes produced a ruthless finish 15 minutes later after a slip by Noussair Mazraoui. Bayindir’s howler just compounded United’s misery on Tyneside.

    United, who lost Joshua Zirkzee to a suspected hamstring injury, dropped below Everton on goal difference to 14th in the table – and just three points off fourth-bottom West Ham – after a 10th defeat in 21 Premier League games under Ruben Amorim.

    BBC

  • Man Utd, Tottenham advance into Europa League quarter-finals

    Man Utd, Tottenham advance into Europa League quarter-finals

    Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and Wilson Odobert was on target twice for Tottenham Hotspur as the two Premier League strugglers reached the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.

    Fernandes converted two penalties and got the other from open play as United came from behind to beat 10-man Real Sociedad 4-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.

    The Spanish visitors had led early from the first penalty at Old Trafford converted by Mikel Oyarzabal, but their comeback hopes ended in a red card for substitute Jon Aramburu, and Diogo Dalot got the final United goal.

    Spurs overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit against AZ Alkmaar with a 3-1 over their Dutch opponents from Odobert’s brace and James Maddison.

    They next face 2022 champions Eintracht Frankfurt who completed a 6-2 aggregate success over Ajax with a 4-1 home win which included a brace from German 2014 World Cup hero Mario Götze.

    United’s quarter-final opponents are Olympique Lyon, whose Georges Mikautadze and Ernest Nuamah also got two goals each in a 4-0 demolition of Romania’s FCSB for a 7-1 aggregate success.

    Spurs and United are far off the European berths in the Premier League, and their only realistic chance of European football lies in winning the Europa League which earns a Champions League berth.

    Elsewhere, Spain international Nico Williams scored twice as Athletic Bilbao remained on course towards the May 21 final in their home stadium with a 3-1 success over 10-man Roma, which overturned a 2-1 defeat in Rome. The Italians had Mats Hummels sent off early.

    Bilbao now take on Rangers who prevailed 3-2 on penalties over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce who had locked the aggregate score at 3-3 with a 2-0 in Glasgow.

    The other quarter-final tie set for April 10 and 17 is between Lazio and Norway’s Bodø/Glimt, who ousted Conference League champions Olympiacos.

  • EPL: Declan Rice rescues Arsenal from defeat

    EPL: Declan Rice rescues Arsenal from defeat

    Arsenal came from a goal down to draw 1-1 against Manchester United in the Premier League (PL), the second consecutive H2H to end level after 90 minutes as the Red Devils ended a four-match losing streak in league H2Hs.

    Fresh from their sensational midweek victory over PSV Eindhoven, Arsenal looked bright in the early stages and almost had an early opener when Mikel Merino fired marginally wide in the 10th minute.

    While Alejandro Garnacho caused occasional problems down the right, the visitors largely remained in control but struggled to break through the Red Devils’ backline, with Martin Ødegaard seeing his strike from range saved by André Onana.

    Thomas Partey then became the latest visiting player to have an unsuccessful shot from outside the box. Leandro Trossard then fired wide following an improvised touch and could only divert the ball from Ødegaard’s dinked pass into Onana’s grasp.

    Despite having offered very little going forward during most of the first half, United went ahead before half time as Garnacho won a free-kick that Bruno Fernandes sent flying into the top corner with his side’s first shot on target of the match.

    Ayden Heaven came on for his PL debut ahead of the restart having joined United from Arsenal in January, and the 18-year-old settled quickly.

    The Gunners still worked opportunities from corner variations, although Ødegaard and Rice were both unable to beat Onana.

    The hosts’ wing-backs combined shortly after as Diogo Dalot found Noussair Mazraoui, who forced a brilliant save from David Raya.

    The Gunners goalkeeper then stopped an instinctive flick from Zirkzee, before Trossard’s attempt at the other end trickled harmlessly wide.

    Rice eventually added the clinical touch the visitors had been craving, sending a first-time effort from Jurriën Timber’s pass in off the post.

    There wasn’t to be a second for either team as Onana palmed Gabriel Martinelli’s strike past the post.

    Rice and Gabriel Magalhães then made vital interventions to deny Rasmus Højlund, while Raya made a brilliant save to deny Fernandes in stoppage time as Arsenal played out their second consecutive draw in the PL, which leaves the Gunners 15 points behind leaders Liverpool.

    This was also United’s third draw after 90 minutes from their last four matches across all competitions, which was enough to take them up one place.

    Tribalfootball

  • Arteta explains Arsenal letting Obi move to Man Utd

    Arteta explains Arsenal letting Obi move to Man Utd

    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has explained the situation around losing teenage striker Chido Obi to Manchester United last year.

    Obi rejected pro terms at Arsenal after spending several years inside the academy ahead of leaving for United. The 17-year-old has since made three senior appearances for United.

    “Obviously, when a player decides that the best pathway for him is to leave, there’s not much you can do,” said Arteta.

    “Very unfortunate because we want to keep our players from the academy and to be very successful with the first team. But in that case, with Ayden (Heaven), we weren’t able to do that.

    “To persuade a player to stay a player has to be willing to be with us and commit to us and I don’t know specifically, both parties will feel very different about it.

    “The reality is that he has decided to move and we have moved on from that.”

    Asked about Obi’s qualities, he said: ‘‘Massive goal threat, an attitude and love to be inside the box and a capacity to score in many different ways. That was him.”

  • Fulham defeat Man Utd to reach FA Cup quarter-finals

    Fulham defeat Man Utd to reach FA Cup quarter-finals

    Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the hero with two saves in the penalty shootout to knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup.

    After three precise spot-kicks from both sides, Leno denied Victor Lindelof, then, after skipper Antonee Robinson had extended Fulham’s perfect record, the German also kept out Joshua Zirkzee’s effort to send the Cottagers into the quarter-finals.

    Fulham had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time when Calvin Bassey was left free at the far post to head in from close range after Rodrigo Muniz had flicked on a corner.

    But, days after former United captain Roy Keane had condemned the influence of current skipper Bruno Fernandes, the Portuguese dragged his side level with a superb equaliser, driving home a low shot from the edge of the area after Diogo Dalot had found him with a pass from the touchline.

    Both sides could have won it without the need for penalties. Emile Smith-Rowe, denied superbly by Andre Onana before the home side levelled, was repelled by the Cameroon international again before the tie went to extra-time.

    Then, 17-year-old United substitute Chido Obi flicked a shot towards goal that Leno kept out with an outstanding reaction save.

    It added to a catalogue of saves from Leno that also included denying United substitute Alejandro Garnacho. The real heroics were saved for the shootout though as Fulham continue to dream of emulating their only FA Cup final appearance in 1975.

    BBC

  • EPL: Man Utd have ‘more problems than solutions’ – Amorim

    EPL: Man Utd have ‘more problems than solutions’ – Amorim

    Manchester United currently have “more problems than solutions”, says head coach Ruben Amorim.

    The Red Devils suffered a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, taking their tally to 12 Premier League defeats in 25 matches so far this season.

    They have won only four of the 14 league games since Amorim took charge in November and travel to Everton on Saturday, with the Toffees rejuvenated since David Moyes – who succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager – took charge.

    Much has been made about United’s issues at both ends of the pitch – keeping only seven clean sheets at the back and netting just 28 goals up front.

    Asked what is working for his side at the moment, Amorim told BBC Sport: “What I feel is that sometimes you don’t feel improvement in the team but some games you think we can play and create situations. That is a good thing.

    “In this moment when you watch the games, you see more problems than solutions. That is clear. When we play some games, I see things are there and we are capable but we have to be consistent.”