List of All Articles with Tag 'cma'

Liverpool have made a formal request to receive the recording between officials from the weekend defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, while internal discussions have taken place within the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] over when to release the audio file. While it is now expected that will eventually happen, there has been a growing pressure to do so sooner rather than later. That all comes amid disquiet among some of the other Premier League clubs over the strength of Liverpool’s statement. Refereeing body PGMOL were forced to issue an apology for a “significant human error” after Luis Diaz scored in the first half, only to see the offside flag go up to rule out his strike. What has since followed can only be described as one of the more chaotic and improbable scenarios in the Premier League since the introduction of the video technology, as it was revealed VAR official Darren England drew lines to check for offside and determined Diaz was actually onside - but failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. That meant they relayed a “check complete” decision, intending to mean a goal, but actually giving the go-ahead for a restart with a Tottenham free-kick, thus leaving Liverpool without a perfectly legitimate 1-0 lead in a match where they ended up having two sent-off and lost 2-1 late on. The Anfield club released a statement saying “sporting integrity [was] undermined” and that they would “explore the range of options [...] for escalation and resolution” - with their first step now being to now formally request to PGMOL for the audio between officials to be released to them. The Independent has been told that there have been internal discussions over whether to publish the audio as early as Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football broadcast for the match between Fulham and Chelsea. There is a feeling the matter will only be settled once the recording is released, although one counter-argument is that a full review should take place first. A number of officials at other Premier League clubs are expressing increased disgruntlement about the controversy, with a growing feeling that Liverpool should just accept that mistakes happen to get on with it like everyone else has. While there was initial sympathy for the Anfield club about the scale of the error, the strength of the subsequent statement perturbed other executives. Among the reasons for that were a feeling that it could “open a can of worms” that sees every decision disputed in a way that sport can’t function, a suspicion that this could see referees pressured, and the basic idea that “it is what it is”. Other clubs have been privately stating that they have lost points and millions of pounds in prize money due to refereeing decisions, but they have accepted that’s just the nature of the game. None of this has yet led to significant backlash or open debate, but it is a sentiment that has been growing. As was reflected in Liverpool’s statement, the Anfield club would argue that the scale of the error for the Diaz offside warrants greater transparency, and that it is for the better of the game as a whole. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed

By Saturday evening, as has become protocol but also a frustrating norm, Howard Webb felt he had no choice but to apologise to Liverpool for the Luis Diaz decision. Jurgen Klopp might well repeat the question as to who that actually helps, but a failure to communicate such a sentiment would have made it worse. That’s partly because it is actually a failure of communication that is at the core of the controversy, which now poses a genuine credibility crisis for the Premier League. "It's an image problem," as one involved figure put it, with Liverpool themselves describing the situation as “unacceptable” in an unprecedented statement. Because, for all the focus on the nature of VAR, this is an issue that really comes down to basic human error. The details at the root of the story, though, are remarkable. If we are to take the referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL)’s explanation at face value – that this represented a “momentary lapse in concentration” – the VAR didn’t actually know what it was supposed to be looking at. Darren England and Dan Cook thought they were checking whether a goal should stand, rather than an offside call as referee Simon Hooper ruled, which was partly why the decision was made so quickly. It ended up creating the farcical situation that a communication of “check complete” led to a fair strike being wrongly disallowed in a completely preventable fashion. After that, how was it that play was allowed to proceed, given those involved would have had immediate knowledge that this was wrong? The IFAB rules dictate that play cannot be called back once it has resumed, but was no one watching in the meantime? Would hasty shouts not have been made as soon as they saw Spurs shaping to take the free kick? It has since emerged that the VAR and fourth official team of England, Cook and Michael Oliver were officiating a game in the UAE Pro League as late as Thursday evening, which has raised fair questions within the game over fatigue was a potential explanation for that “momentary lapse in concentration”. Whatever the reason, it has created a credibility crisis, to go with much wider-reaching controversies like the unresolved Financial Fair Play cases involving Manchester City and Everton. That is all the worse for the Premier League since this is an issue the competition prides itself on and is seen as a significant factor in its status as the most popular league in the world. Fans could trust what they were seeing. Instead, this latest controversy also comes on the back of a long-term and increasing hostility and suspicion of VAR from a significant part of football's support. It was for this reason that Webb was recently brought in as PGMOL chief in the first place, and many within the game say he has been gradually realising the scale of the challenge. Hostility to VAR goes hand in hand with a widely perceived “crisis” in the level of refereeing, which is commonly cited as the worst in years. It should be stressed that this is all in circumstances where officials are under far more scrutiny than ever before. There are more cameras to reveal every element of a decision – and whether they should have taken a different one – in a manner that was unimaginable in the supposed golden days right up to the mid-2000s. Even Klopp acknowledged the extreme “pressure” on officials, which undoubtedly plays into errors that they obviously don’t make “on purpose”, as the Liverpool manager put it. Discussions such as this should never go without mentioning how the real crisis with refereeing is at lower levels, and the scale of the abuse they receive. It has undeniably affected the talent pool at the top, and there is a bigger debate to be had over whether it should be a better-remunerated profession to match both the talent they are overseeing and their necessity in getting the game played. The introduction of VAR itself was nevertheless supposed to be a remedy for all of this and – at its core – an “aid” for referees. It has instead had the inadvertent effect of making all discussion much more poisonous and pressurised. That comes from a disconnect between the implied expectation and stated intention of VAR, the actual application and the communication. The very nature of the technology has created an expectation of perfection, even though it was only ever supposed to improve accuracy to around 98 per cent. This has happened, but the fundamental problem is that the remaining 2 per cent tend to be hugely high-profile errors. That is by definition given the threshold for VAR to get involved. There has previously been very little communication on how those decisions were made, which has had the effect of only deepening suspicion among supporters. The vacuum of information inevitably leads to speculation and then to conspiracy theories. While this isn’t to say there is any legitimacy whatsoever in the latter, since the most likely explanation is always basic human error, it does have the real-world effect of further toxifying the atmosphere around refereeing. This in turn puts even more pressure on them, because their integrity is unfairly questioned. It is why the very technology of VAR has deepened this problem. Whereas error could previously have been written off as officials going off their own sight and instinct – even if the reason VAR was introduced was because of criticism of referees in the first place – they now have access to so much more technological aid. Many more fans consequently see the only possible explanation as some kind of corruption. You only have to take a glance on social media. This is why better communication is essential. Webb’s great mission has been to improve that, and he has generally done a better job, but it’s fair to say the response to Saturday made this worse. Liverpool were perplexed at how long it took for a statement to be made about the offside, the PGMOL eventually only commenting in the middle of Klopp’s post-game press conference. It was actually The Independent that made him aware of their statement, to the Liverpool manager's increased bemusement. The explanation that the VAR actually checked for the wrong call then came even later, as it felt like every development deepened the crisis. There are at least a number of logical steps that can be taken to address that. One of those is not to just remove VAR, since this is a non-starter that goes way beyond England and up to Fifa. It is here to stay. That’s also why it’s just vital that cases like this lead to improvement. One first step is to limit this extra work abroad – as England and Cook’s appointment in the UAE was within the rules and actually approved by the FA. Another is to improve the communication so there is absolutely no ambiguity. It is simple to go from “check complete” to “the decision should be a goal”, or equivalent. That also raises the most obvious solution of all. All of the communication between the referee and VAR should be made audible and accessible, so as to eliminate any ambiguity. People might still disagree with decisions, but they would at least be able to understand why they are made. That goes a long way to creating acceptance of VAR. When it was raised whether the audio from this decision would be made public, one response was that Match Officials Mic’d Up is now a monthly show so it will likely feature on that. The reality is that the Premier League could do with it coming out now, because of the number of questions that are being asked. Liverpool themselves called for the review to have “full transparency”. "This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again,” the club said. It doesn’t help that this comes amid even greater credibility questions for the Premier League, as everyone awaits the outcome of the charges against Manchester City and Everton over alleged Financial Fair Play breaches. Many of the sport’s “stakeholders” are now livid at this. Even for broadcasters, this affects the credibility of the product they put on television. That trust is what the game is founded on. In the meantime, Liverpool are exploring “the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution”. An apology, evidently, is not enough. Read More Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Every VAR apology so far: From Liverpool offside to Man City handball More VAR disapproval as Nottingham Forest and Brentford both berate decisions Liverpool to ‘explore options’ in response to ‘unacceptable’ VAR error

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Carabao Cup but Mauricio Pochettino remains under pressure to get a Premier League victory as the Blues travel to Fulham in the west London derby tonight. Chelsea have won just once in the Premier League this season and last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa left Pochettino’s side with just five points from their opening six fixtures, despite another window of heavy spending. Fulham, who finished above Chelsea last season for the first time in 40 years, will be looking to pile the misery back on their neighbours after Wednesday’s victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge brought an end to their winless run. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League fixture. When is Fulham vs Chelsea? The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Monday 2 October at Craven Cottage. How can I watch Fulham vs Chelsea? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with build-up only being shown as part of Monday Night Football from 6:30pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Fulham are set to be without Kenny Tete and Calvin Bassey, while Willian is in line to start against his former club. Ben Chilwell is the latest Chelsea player to join the club’s long injury list after Mauricio Pochetinno confirmed the left-back had suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Brighton. Reece James is also out, with his replacement Malo Gusto suspended after his red card in the defeat to Aston Villa last weekend. Nicolas Jackson is also suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season. Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke could return. Predicted line-ups Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Decordova-Reid, Reed, Palhinha, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez Chelsea: Sanchez; Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Gallagher, Fernandez; Palmer, Sterling, Mudryk Read More Mykhailo Mudryk trying hard to adapt to Chelsea culture after difficult start Fulham boss Marco Silva warns Chelsea ‘tough’ opponents despite recent form The Premier League now faces a credibility ‘crisis’ — and latest VAR farce is just the tip VAR officials who made Liverpool error took charge of UAE match just 48 hours before Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed Football rumours: Juventus seeking new long-term deal for Adrien Rabiot

The VAR officials who failed to intervene when Liverpool had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside in their defeat to Tottenham have been stood down from the rest of this weekend’s fixtures. VAR Darren England and assistant Dan Cook have been replaced for this afternoon’s match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford as well as Monday night’s game between Fulham and Chelsea. The VAR team failed to overturn Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal, despite the Liverpool forward clearly being onside, while the referees’ body admitted after the match that a “significant human error” had been made. Howard Webb also spoke to Liverpool after the match and there was an apology from the referees’ chief. It has been revealed that Diaz’s goal was incorrectly ruled out for offside because the VAR checking the decision mistakenly thought that the on-field decision was onside. It has emerged that VAR lead official England drew the lines to check for offside and followed the process correctly to determine Diaz was onside for the goal. But in reaching their decision, the VAR team failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. Therefore, when the VAR relayed a message of “check complete” to the on-field referee, Hooper and his team disallowed Diaz’s goal and awarded a free-kick to Tottenham. What is not clear, however, is when the VAR officials realised that they had failed to intervene. Under the rules of the game, when Tottenham took the free-kick to restart the match, the officials would have been unable to go back and award Diaz’s goal. Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error. "Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL statement. "We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier. "I don’t know why the people...are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick I would say for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is." Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reacted to the decision on Twitter/X and said: "It’s an horrendous mistake no matter how they did it. But if they knew just after the Spurs free-kick was taken that they’d made a huge mistake, it’s nonsense they can’t bring it back just because a free-kick has been taken." Includes reporting from PA Read More Bizarre reason why Liverpool goal wrongly ruled out by VAR revealed Tottenham take their moment of fortune as Liverpool are left with only fury and frustration PGMOL admit Liverpool offside goal should have stood after ‘significant human error’

Luis Diaz’s goal for Liverpool at Tottenham was incorrectly ruled out for offside because the VAR checking the decision mistakenly thought that the on-field decision was onside. The referees’ body, PGMOL, admitted after the match that a “significant human error” was made when checking Diaz’s goal, which came in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Spurs. The Independent also understands Howard Webb spoke to Liverpool after the match and there was an apology from the referees’ chief. It has now been revealed, however, that VAR official Darren England drew the lines to check for offside and followed the process correctly to determine Diaz was onside for the goal. But in reaching their decision, the VAR team failed to realise that on-field referee Simon Hooper and his assistant officials had initially ruled the goal out for offside. Therefore, when the VAR relayed a message of “check complete” to the on-field referee, Hooper and his team disallowed Diaz’s goal and awarded a free-kick to Tottenham. What is not clear is when the VAR officials realised that they had failed to intervene. Under the rules of the game, when Tottenham took the free-kick to restart the match, the officials would have been unable to go back and award Diaz’s goal. Liverpool went on to finish the match with nine men and suffered stoppage-time heartbreak when Joel Matip deflected Pedro Porro’s cross into his own net in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but the post-match discussions focused on the crucial first-half error. "Who does that help now? We had that situation in the Wolves-Man United game. Did Wolves get the points? No," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reflected when informed of the PGMOL statement. "We will not get points for it so it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on field but we all thought when VAR comes in that it might make things easier. "I don’t know why the people...are they that much under pressure? Today the decision was made really quick I would say for that goal. It changed the momentum of the game, so that’s how it is." Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher reacted to the decision on Twitter/X and said: "It’s an horrendous mistake no matter how they did it. But if they knew just after the Spurs free-kick was taken that they’d made a huge mistake, it’s nonsense they can’t bring it back just because a free-kick has been taken." Includes reporting from PA Read More VAR officials who missed Liverpool’s ‘onside’ goal to be replaced PGMOL admit Liverpool offside goal should have stood after ‘significant human error’ Tottenham take their moment of fortune as Liverpool are left with only fury and frustration

Everything keeps going Ange Postecoglou’s way, as Liverpool will argue everything went against them – not least Joel Matip’s 96th-minute attempt to divert Pedro Porro’s cross. That brought a 2-1 win for Tottenham Hotspur, who will doubtless say it came from the adventure they keep showing under the Australian. Something bigger is happening at Spurs, as could be sensed in the raucous atmosphere after another late victory, but their biggest yet. They are level with Manchester City on points, only behind the champions on goal difference. Who would have expected that after the lukewarm response to Postecoglou’s appointment at the start of the summer. Liverpool might fairly say they would have been ahead of City had it not been for much smaller moments. Jurgen Klopp’s side endured two red cards – for Curtis Jones and substitute Diogo Jota – that they greatly disputed, as well as an offside call for a Luis Diaz finish that seemed the most borderline possible. Later, the referees’ body, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted it was the wrong decision to disallow Diaz’s effort, blaming human error, and “should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention”. On such events seasons can swing. On the other side, strokes of fortune are often the sources of greater success, especially when you put yourself in the position to take advantage of that. Spurs will argue that’s what Postecoglou’s approach absolutely does. There’s a bravery to it. There was only a fury and frustration to Liverpool, even if some solace could have been taken from the resolve… until the own goal. Again, Klopp will say it shouldn’t have come down to that. Liverpool had been the better side, and would have been ahead had it not been for two brilliant successive saves from Guglielmo Vicario. He kept out both Cody Gakpo and Andy Robertson, although the former’s decision to dwell on the ball that bit too long would doubtless influence his next chance. That only came after the game turned, from referee Simon Hooper overturning a big decision. Curtis Jones had gone in rashly on Yves Bissouma but the lack of reaction from the players seemed to vindicate the official’s initial decision that it was no more than a yellow. On reviewing the footage, though, Hooper felt he had no choice but to send Jones off. Liverpool’s impetus started to go. Luis Diaz still turned the ball in but his fine finish was ruled out for what ended up looking the most marginal of offsides. That felt like it changed Liverpool’s mindset even more than the red card. Spurs sensed an opportunity and immediately went about creating one, then another and another. Postecoglou at one point reacted as if Bissouma missed a sitter when the midfielder merely hesitated on the ball and played a sideways pass. The Spurs manager wanted it forward much quicker. He eventually got that, and the sort of goal that Postecoglou no doubt sees as an ideal. A wondrous move at speed involved two luscious single touches from both Richarlison and Son, the Korean’s diverting the ball past Alisson. Liverpool could well have been furious with how the half had played out, but it partly played into their hands. The unusual amount of first-half stoppage time allowed another attack, from which Gakpo this time proved assertively decisive. With the ball headed down, he ensured he turned on time, lashing the ball past Vicario. He was almost too decisive, though. Appearing to over-extend himself to make the shot, Gakpo was visibly in pain as he celebrated, and then went off at half-time. His replacement, Jota, got much less time on the pitch, after almost negligible time between two yellow cards. Just 22 minutes after coming on, the Portuguese received a first booking before immediately fouling Destiny Udogie for a second. That only deepened the inevitable pattern of the game, which was Spurs controlling all play near Alisson’s area, and Liverpool looking to counter. The goalkeeper was on supreme form, probably surpassing Vicario with the pass of the match as he kept out James Maddison’s viciously swerving effort. He’d had so many individual moments of sparkling creativity that it felt a winner could come from there. Mohamed Salah’s breaks meanwhile felt the best source of a Liverpool goal, only for Klopp to take him off. From that point, it was always too much of a stretch to create a chance. Liverpool had to expend too much energy on defending against two more players. There was, inevitably, always one man over. In the very final seconds, after it looked like Liverpool had weathered the storm, that man was Porro. He drilled the ball across, more in optimism rather than real accuracy. It was enough. Matip tried to clear only for the ball to fly past Alisson into the top corner. Spurs surge past Liverpool in the table. It might take Liverpool a while to look past this one. Read More Ange Postecoglou hopes key duo will be fit to face Liverpool Ange Postecoglou had a love of Liverpool as a youngster but says ‘things change’ Tottenham vs Liverpool LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Why new-look midfields will decide Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham Football rumours: Ivan Toney can leave Brentford if the price is right I don’t understand handball rule – Spurs’ Ange Postecoglou bemused by penalty

Liverpool have been told they should have had the opening goal of the match in their late 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, after a “significant human error” during the VAR process which should have checked the offside call initially given. The Reds were down to ten men at the time after Curtis Jones’ red card - and would finish with nine as Diogo Jota followed - but Luis Diaz ran through to beat Guglielmo Vicario to score what he thought was the first of the match. An offside flag denied him and referee Simon Hooper blew the whistle to cut celebrations short, but replays showed Diaz looked onside - only for VAR to erroneously uphold the decision. A statement released shortly after the match by the sport’s referee organisation acknowledged that shouldn’t have been the case and although no specifics were offered, relayed that another full review would be launched. “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” it read. “The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials. This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene. “PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.” Manager Jurgen Klopp dismissed the review as irrelevant to his team after the decisions contributed to his team’s defeat, while also making reference to an incident earlier in the campaign under the same referee, where Wolves were denied a late penalty when Andre Onana should have been penalised for a clear foul. That incident ended in referee Hooper being stood down immediately into the new season, but he has since returned for three Premier League games. “How’s the statement help now? We had the situation in the Manchester United game and did Wolves get points for it? No. And we will not get points for today,” Klopp said. “So it doesn’t help. Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions on-field. “We all thought when VAR came in it might make things easier, but I don’t know why people in VAR… are they under that much pressure? “The decision was made really quickly. It changed the momentum of the game. I knew at half-time, in the first moment I saw it’s a clean onside. “With normal, normal pictures, easy to see, but pretty sure that whoever did that made a decision. didn't do it on purpose.” Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Son Heung-min’s opener shortly before half time, only for Liverpool’s Joel Matip to score an own goal deep into injury time to hand Spurs the points. Read More Spurs take their fortune as Liverpool are left with only fury and frustration Man City failed to execute their ‘process’ in defeat at Wolves – Pep Guardiola Rob Edwards ‘very, very proud’ of Luton after landmark Premier League win Spurs take their fortune as Liverpool are left with only fury and frustration Man City failed to execute their ‘process’ in defeat at Wolves – Pep Guardiola Rob Edwards ‘very, very proud’ of Luton after landmark Premier League win

Tottenham face Liverpool in the Premier League as Jurgen Klopp’s in-form Reds face their toughest test of the season at Ange Postecoglou’s resurgent Spurs. Both sides are unbeaten so far in the Premier League, with Liverpool winning five of their opening six fixtures to lead the challenge to Manchester City in the early standings. But Tottenham are only two points behind after battling back to a thrilling draw at rivals Arsenal last weekend, as James Maddison and Son Heung-min starred in the comeback. Now Postecoglou’s side face a Liverpool team who are also reborn from last campaign with a new-look midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning strike helped the Reds to their seventh win in a row in all competitions in midweek, and there will be talk of Klopp’s side fighting for the title should they beat Spurs for the first time this season. Follow live updates from Tottenham vs Liverpool in the Premier League below and check out the latest match odds here. Read More Why new-look midfields will decide Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham Liverpool announce investment through new minority shareholder

WOLVERHAMPTON, England Hwang Hee-chan scored a second-half winner as Wolverhampton Wanderers ended champions Manchester City's perfect start to

Perhaps it sums up the modern-day Manchester United that even as a Dane scored a high-class winner at Old Trafford, it was not their £72m striker. In fairness to Rasmus Hojlund, who was only denied a fine strike of his own by a goal-line clearance, the newcomer figures quite some way down the list of culprits for United’s fifth defeat of a season that has not even reached October. But as boos greeted the final whistle, Joachim Andersen delivered a goal that meant Roy Hodgson, whose managerial career began when Tommy Docherty was in charge of United, added a victory over Erik ten Hag to the two he secured at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s expense at Old Trafford. And United, whose two-game revival swiftly came to look a false dawn, were confronted with the reality that one of Ten Hag’s signature feats of his first season is no more. Old Trafford became something of a fortress under the Dutchman. When Brighton visited two weeks ago, United were unbeaten on home turf in 20 league matches, spanning over a year. Now it is two losses in two. Their problems are not confined to the road now and their latest setback came with all four of Ten Hag’s major summer signings starting together for the first time. Not for the first time, issues abounded and compounded one another. United were disjointed, at times shambolic at the back. They looked susceptible to the counter-attack, long a strength of Palace’s, and frail at set-pieces. After keeping consecutive clean sheets, Andre Onana conceded in a manner that posed the question if he might have done better. Sofyan Amrabat’s full Premier League debut came at left-back and suggested the Moroccan midfielder is not a left-back. He struggled and was booked for hauling down the quick, persistent winger Jordan Ayew. The mitigating – and sadly typical - factor is that United’s three senior left-backs are all sidelined yet it was also remarkable when Ten Hag substituted both central defenders who started, bringing on Harry Maguire to operate on his own. Further forward, United displayed neither the necessary conviction nor the requisite quality. Hojlund was much the best of the front three, with Marcus Rashford poor and Facundo Pellestri utterly ineffectual; Ten Hag may parachute the watching Antony back into the team at the first possible opportunity. Alejandro Garnacho, who came on for Pellestri, was altogether more threatening. There was a perverse logic to Casemiro finishing the game on the right wing – United’s top scorer looks their most dangerous attacker at the moment – but it was nevertheless ridiculous. There was a lack of genuine invention, even though the midfield contained both Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes. United should not take solace in the statistics. They had 77 percent of possession and 19 shots, but as the home side and the favourites who trailed for the best part of 70 minutes, that might be expected. Sam Johnstone denied Fernandes and Hojlund but was not required to make any especially difficult saves. Andersen and Marc Guehi were outstanding but United were not. Subdued before the break, more urgent thereafter, they often seemed to lack both the final ball and the finishing touch. The most invention came from Raphael Varane, whose overhead kick almost yielded a remarkable equaliser and who guided a clever header just past the post. Of the starters, he and Casemiro seemed likeliest to make something happen, and the Brazilian headed just over, but United should not be as reliant on a defensive midfielder in attack. That said, Palace prospered when their centre-backs went forward. They almost combined for a goal when Andersen crossed and Guehi headed wide. Then the Dane delivered a wonderfully clean strike, dispatching a half-volley from 14 yards after Eberechi Eze’s free kick flicked off Hojlund’s head and fell to him. It was an unfortunate assist for a player waiting for his first Old Trafford goal. The majority present had been cheered by the earlier sight of Hojlund on the charge, the new striker powering forward, poking a shot past Johnstone but being denied by Tyrick Mitchell, who executed a goal-line clearance. But a promising start by United gave way to a mediocre display. Perhaps Palace lulled United into a false sense of security with their limp display in the midweek Carabao Cup tie between the sides. With six changes, an altogether stronger side married defensive resolve with menace on the break. In the process, they brought their veteran manager a rare distinction. Only Pep Guardiola had won three away Premier League games at Old Trafford. Hodgson is not often bracketed with the serial Champions League winner but joined him. More immediately, he took Palace above United in the table. And if that may only be a temporary state of affairs, United’s malaise may endure. Read More Manchester United enter another moral maze as Antony return poses questions Antony return to Manchester United will not be a distraction – Erik ten Hag Man United allow Antony to resume training despite assault investigations Manchester United’s struggles continue as Crystal Palace win at Old Trafford Manchester United vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Latest Premier League updates Manchester United enter another moral maze as Antony return poses questions

The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.

Tottenham host Liverpool in an early meeting of two unbeaten sides in the Premier League. Ange Postecoglou’s side came from behind twice to claim a point at Arsenal in the north London derby last weekend and now face another big test in Jurgen Klopp’s resurgent Liverpool. FOLLOW LIVE: Team news and all the action as Spurs face Liverpool The Reds have won seven matches in a row in all competitions, including their last five in the Premier League. Liverpool won both games against Spurs last season but the hosts should be a different proposition under Postecoglou. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Premier League fixture. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here and see the latest odds and tips for Tottenham vs Liverpool here. When is Tottenham vs Liverpool? The match will kick off at 5:30pm BST on Saturday 30 September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. How can I watch Tottenham vs Liverpool? It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with build-up only being shown on the latter from 5pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. What is the team news? Tottenham forwards Son Heung-min and James Maddison both trained on Friday after they were taken off late on against Arsenal last weekend with injury concerns, so they are available for selection. Brennan Johnson has been ruled out, however, after he picked up an injury on his first Spurs start at the Emirates. Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit again for Liverpool and is set to return to the line-up. The Reds are still without Thiago while Stefan Bajcetic now has a minor calf injury. Predicted line-ups Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Solomon; Son Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Mac Alliser, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Diaz Read More Why new-look midfields will decide Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham Liverpool announce investment through new minority shareholder Premier League promised land turns into nightmare for new boys