Shambolic Manchester United endure crowd dissent after humbling defeat to Brighton
In a sense, Erik ten Hag is back to where he began at Old Trafford with a loss to Brighton. In others, it is far worse than that. On and off the pitch, the problems are multiplying for Manchester United. A troubled start to the season has already encompassed three defeats and, with Bayern Munich next and the prospect of a fourth, it threatens to become a terrible one. A disastrous result was accompanied by dissent in the stands. Ten Hag had carried the Old Trafford crowd with him when he won his power struggle with Cristiano Ronaldo. But when he substituted his new £72m forward Rasmus Hojlund for Anthony Martial, the decision was met with whistles and boos. It was a rare public rebuke of a manager who has been popular but United have faced three probable top-half sides this season and lost to them all. On this evidence, Brighton look likelier to get a top-four finish. Given the ease with which Roberto De Zerbi’s wonderfully incisive Albion eviscerated United, it was hard to argue that the absence of Jadon Sancho, last spotted watching the Under-18s as he is punished by Ten Hag, was the reason for defeat; nor that of Antony, the Dutchman’s costliest signing who is on a leave of absence while he addresses serious allegations of assault by three women. But for a manager who had talked on Friday of setting standards, those on the field of play have been too low in an increasingly shambolic beginning to the campaign. Ten Hag had also lost his first game in charge to Albion. But, 13 months on, with £400m spent in his reign, with an initial 11 who arrived for £347m, defeat to a patched-up Brighton side whose starting 11 cost a mere £20m was more damning. For all United’s trials and tribulations, their injuries and absences, this ought to have been a fine time to face Brighton. For various reasons, none of Evan Ferguson, Solly March, Joao Pedro, Billy Gilmour or Pervis Estupinan began at Old Trafford. Instead, Simon Adingra marked his first Premier League start with one assist, Tariq Lamptey his first in six months – and when playing out of position on the left – with two. There was a certain predictability to two of their scorers: Danny Welbeck, sold by Louis van Gaal, has found the net against United under their last four permanent managers and Pascal Gross, whose seventh goal against them continued his status as their unlikely scourge. Pedro came off the bench to add the third, completing another act of catalytic brilliance by De Zerbi. United, though, had another day when plans backfired. Lacking a right winger, Ten Hag switched to a midfield diamond, using Hojlund and Marcus Rashford as wide strikers. The Mancunian was dynamic, bringing everything but the goal, but the narrow shape left United’s full-backs exposed. Brighton, brimming with counter-attacking menace, created all three goals on the flanks. For the first, the debutant Sergio Reguilon, an emergency signing on deadline day, was found wanting. For the other two, Diogo Dalot was afforded too little protection. The centre-backs were fooled by dummies for goals, Victor Lindelof for the first, the similarly out-of-form Lisandro Martinez for the second. United ended up playing with Lindelof as a lone central defender and required an injury-time save from Andre Onana to stop Ansu Fati from adding a fourth Albion goal. It was still Ten Hag’s heaviest home defeat. His more chastening days had tended to come on the road while United went 20 league games unbeaten at Old Trafford. Now, home and away, Brighton have four consecutive league wins against United; virtually every Albion supporter can recall a time when that would have sounded inconceivable. Not now. They were deserving winners and showed the clinical touch United lacked. First Welbeck completed a one-two of sorts with Adingra, releasing the winger and meeting his cutback with a neat finish. The other crucial contribution came from Adam Lallana, who dummied Adingra’s cross. On his first start since January, the veteran’s footballing intelligence was apparent. On the first start of his Premier League career, the youngster had an assist. Then Gross had latched on to Lamptey’s pass and fooled Martinez before beating Onana. Pedro found the top corner after another Lamptey pass. United’s response came from a rookie. Hannibal Mejbri, brought on with Martial, rifled in United’s only goal from 20 yards. Another should escape the harshest of the criticism. Rashford was electric, if unable to apply the final touch. He had one shot saved by Jason Steele, another deflected onto the bar by the sliding Joel Veltman. A third flew just wide, a fourth was rifled into the side netting. Hojlund celebrated a first United goal, prodded in from Rashford’s low cutback, until VAR ruled the ball was out of play before the Mancunian crossed. If it was the first decision involving Hojlund, who showed a couple of promising touches, to irritate the majority at Old Trafford, it was not the last. His departure brought jeers. It may not be a tipping point for Ten Hag just yet. But United, no strangers to a crisis over the last decade, could soon find themselves teetering on the brink of another. Read More Erik ten Hag says he inherited Manchester United with ‘no good culture’ Erik ten Hag unsure whether Jadon Sancho will play for Manchester United again Liverpool leave it late to come from behind and beat Wolves Erik ten Hag wants to see ‘how strong’ Manchester United are after Brighton loss Pep Guardiola hails impact of Jeremy Doku in Man City’s win at West Ham Roy Hodgson ‘feeling better’ after missing Crystal Palace defeat at Aston Villa
2023-09-17 02:46
Paul Heckingbottom criticises officiating after Sheffield United lose to Spurs
Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom let rip into Premier League officiating after he watched his team concede twice in stoppage time to lose 2-1 at Tottenham. The Blades were on course for a maiden win since their return to the Premier League after Gustavo Hamer fired them in front after 73 minutes in the capital. A minimum of 12 minutes were added on at the end of the 90 and Spurs punished the newly-promoted side, with Richarlison levelling in the eighth added minute before Dejan Kulusevski grabbed a dramatic winner two minutes later. There was still time for Oli McBurnie to receive his marching orders for a second yellow card and the United manager bemoaned the display of referee Peter Bankes following their latest last-gasp defeat. “Something needs to be done now and this is not me moaning. I said it (at) half-time and when we were 1-0 up as well. The focus is on time-wasting, so the referees are dictating how we play,” Heckingbottom insisted. “We set up from the back, then Spurs push forward and then that dictates how we play, but no, we’re just told to play long. You can’t do it. “Wes (Foderingham) got a yellow card for handling outside the box and then got threatened with a sending-off (for time-wasting) you can’t do it. “The officiating is appalling and it’s not about the football decisions. It’s just game management. “My worry is all the focus is on yellow cards for time-wasting and when I talked to the referees, they haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about. They’re officiating the game, they simply do not know the game. “We need to sort that and sort that quick. It’s ruining the spectacle and then to sum it all up we get Oli McBurnie sent off for telling the referee someone is pulling his shirt. “We’ve just seen someone lead with an elbow into our goalkeeper who needs stitches and that’s the same offence. What’s going on? Seriously what’s going on with our game?” It was a different story for Tottenham after a euphoric victory inspired by substitute Richarlison following a difficult week. Richarlison had been pictured in tears after being substituted in Brazil’s 5-1 win over Bolivia and revealed in midweek that he would seek “psychological help” following a turbulent time in his personal life. After scoring only once in the Premier League last season following his £60million switch from Everton last summer, Richarlison grabbed the leveller with a header from Ivan Perisic’s corner to set up a grandstand finish in N17. Two minutes later and a slick team move ended with Richarlison teeing up Kulusevski, who fired through Jack Robinson’s legs to spark wild celebrations before Spurs captain Son Heung-min urged the Brazilian to soak up the applause at full-time. “Richy was great,” Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou said. “I thought all the subs who came on really helped, but that’s been a consistent theme. “Yeah for Richy, I think it’s the point I was trying to make yesterday. For him to understand that you try and maintain a balance in life and his football hasn’t been that bad. He’s still been contributing for us. “Sometimes when you struggle with certain parts of your life, you let it go into other areas, but the football is one area where he can control and he works hard every day in training and really got his rewards today. “And hopefully that gives him a bit more of a settled feel to deal with the other areas in his life. For everyone, it’s about not letting it overwhelm you and hopefully a day like today helps him.” Read More Brighton beat Manchester United to increase the pressure on Erik ten Hag Richarlison ends difficult week by inspiring dramatic comeback win for Tottenham Ange Postecoglou says Tottenham will give support to troubled Richarlison Richarlison to seek psychological help after tears in Brazil Erik ten Hag wants to see ‘how strong’ Manchester United are after Brighton loss Pep Guardiola hails impact of Jeremy Doku in Man City’s win at West Ham
2023-09-17 02:20
Marco Silva talks up Fulham matchwinner Carlos Vinicius
Fulham boss Marco Silva praised substitute Carlos Vinicius’ second-half cameo in a 1-0 win over Luton in the Premier League. Willian’s cross was parried by Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski into the path of Vinicius, who tapped in after 65 minutes. Silva talked up the striker who took his opportunity off the bench despite finding himself second choice behind the misfiring Raul Jimenez. “He made the impact that we needed in that moment on the pitch not just because he scored, of course that’s what is important for the striker but with his dynamic we needed him in that moment,” Silva said. “We knew that around 60 minutes we should make the change. It was nice to see Carlos score and it was a very good week for him and he deserved the chance to come on “It is nice to see him being decisive in the game for us and competition between them (strikers) is always important for us.” Joao Palhinha returned to the starting XI and shone in the middle of the park just weeks after his failed transfer to Bayern Munich on deadline day. Silva praised the professionalism of the midfielder, who renewed his contract in west London until 2028. Silva added: “He’s a top player, a top professional and a top guy. Since the first minute he joined the club he’s showed his quality and his commitment. “Any professional always wants to improve their career so it’s no surprise when one of the biggest clubs in the world wants a player they want to go and improve. “I never had doubts about his commitment here and it’s nice to see him renew his contract alongside Harrison Reed – they’re both great use for this club 100 per cent.” Luton have now lost four straight games and sit at the foot of the Premier League table. Manager Rob Edwards praised his team’s efforts and admitted that missed opportunities from Jacob Brown, Amari’i Bell and Tom Lockyer cost the Hatters. “We were in the game to the 94th minute and I’m very proud of the lads but we missed three golden opportunities today. Brown’s header in the first half, Bell’s chance and Lockyer’s at the end,” Edwards said. “Carlton Morris should also have had a penalty so I think we could be in here talking about a very different result. I’m really proud, they committed to the tactics very well, we were fine with Fulham having the ball, we wanted to set traps and be a threat on the counter and I do genuinely think we should be here saying we took something from the game. “We’re disappointed because we’re winners and we want to get points but I’ve seen progression again. I saw a very organised team who attacked quickly and were a real threat. It was hard for Fulham to play through us and to create key opportunities, we limited them to very few.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Brighton beat Manchester United to increase the pressure on Erik ten Hag Jason Roy sweating over World Cup place as England ‘regroup’ before naming squad Aston Villa leave it late to beat Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson misses match
2023-09-17 01:58
Roy Hodgson ‘feeling better’ after missing Crystal Palace defeat at Aston Villa
Crystal Palace first-team coach Paddy McCarthy said Roy Hodgson is feeling better after the manager was forced to miss his side’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa. The 76-year-old was taken ill on Saturday morning and did not travel to Villa Park, but looked like he was going to receive the perfect tonic as his side led through Odsonne Edouard’s early second-half goal. However, Jhon Duran levelled for Villa in the 87th minute and then added-time goals from Douglas Luiz, a penalty that survived a rigorous pitchside check by referee Darren England, and Leon Bailey saw Villa take all three points in the Premier League clash. Despite the late heartache, Hodgson is on the mend. McCarthy, who took charge along with coach Ray Lewington, said: “He is feeling better, so we are hopeful that he can continue to feel better and be back with us sooner rather than later. “All the preparations were done with Roy. It was early, sort of between breakfast and the pre-match meal that he felt unwell, that is when we found out about it. We just continued as we had prepared. “Before the game we had contact and then there was a lot of stuff going on. It was before the game we had contact and we will obviously speak to him after the game.” There was over four minutes between referee England awarding a penalty for a foul by Chris Richards on Ollie Watkins and standing by his decision after being invited to check it by the VAR. England decided that a foul had taken place before the Palace defender won the ball. However, McCarthy says such a delay suggests it was not a foul. “To concede a goal in the 87th minute and then to concede a goal in controversial circumstances later on is disappointing,” he said. “If it takes five minutes to make a decision that tells you everything you need to know. People in the studio have asked him to go and have a look. Whatever he has seen on the monitor has not changed his mind.” Aston Villa equalled a post-war record of nine successive home league wins with their late turnaround, which was reward for an industrious performance. Boss Unai Emery said his side won because they used their hearts. “Today was a very different match, this is the 10th in a row we have won, nine in the Premier League and against Hibernian in the Conference League,” he said. “But it was completely different. We want to play like we played in the first half, but scoring goals because we deserved to score. “We weren’t playing the second half like I want but sometimes we have to use our heart and use our passions. We needed the referee giving us the minutes that he added and created chances in the second half when playing a different way. “I enjoyed it. It is difficult after we conceded the goal, they had one or two chances to score. But sometimes in my experience I know we have to take the decision of playing with the heart and more emotion than normal and today was like that.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Marco Silva talks up Fulham matchwinner Carlos Vinicius Brighton beat Manchester United to increase the pressure on Erik ten Hag Jason Roy sweating over World Cup place as England ‘regroup’ before naming squad
2023-09-17 01:48
When is the last time South Carolina beat Georgia? Records, matchup history
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2023-09-17 01:28
Brighton beat Manchester United to increase the pressure on Erik ten Hag
Manchester United slumped to their third Premier League defeat of the season as Brighton won 3-1 at Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck scored against his former club and further goals from Pascal Gross and substitute Joao Pedro increased the pressure on United boss Erik ten Hag. Hannibal Mejbri’s first United goal gave the home fans some hope, but boos rang out at the final whistle with another defeat leaving United in the bottom half of the table. Manchester City maintained their 100 per cent start to the season after hitting back to win 3-1 at West Ham. James Ward-Prowse’s diving header – his second goal of the season – gave the Hammers a half-time lead against the run of play. Jeremy Doku struck his first goal for City within a minute of the restart and Bernardo Silva put them in front with 14 minutes left before Erling Haaland’s seventh goal in five league games sealed the points for the champions. City retained their two-point advantage over Liverpool, who had briefly gone top after their 3-1 win at Wolves in the lunchtime kick-off. Liverpool left it late to clinch their fourth win of the season after trailing to Hwang Hee-Chan’s early opener, with Cody Gakpo’s second-half equaliser followed by Andrew Robertson’s late effort and Hugo Bueno’s own goal. Tottenham struck twice in stoppage-time to snatch a 2-1 home win against Sheffield United. Gustavo Hamer gave the Blades a surprise lead and they held on until deep in stoppage time when Richarlison equalised and then set up Dejan Kulusevski for the winner in the 10th minute of added time. Aston Villa also scored three late goals as they came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Villa Park. Odsonne Edouard put Palace ahead early in the second half before John Duran’s late equaliser and two further goals from Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey. Carlos Vinicius scored in his first appearance of the season for Fulham – five minutes after stepping off the bench – to secure his side a 1-0 home victory against winless Luton. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jason Roy sweating over World Cup place as England ‘regroup’ before naming squad Aston Villa leave it late to beat Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson misses match Richarlison ends difficult week by inspiring dramatic comeback win for Tottenham
2023-09-17 01:16
Manchester United’s challenging fortnight ends with home defeat to Brighton
Brilliant Brighton secured a famous 3-1 win at Manchester United as things went from bad to worse for Erik ten Hag’s side after a challenge-filled fortnight. Jadon Sancho has been banished from the first-team squad and Antony given a leave of absence following assault allegations against him since the galling, last-gasp loss at Arsenal. Brighton heaped further misery on United as attention returned to on-field matters on Saturday afternoon, with Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro scoring before Hannibal Mejbri’s consolation effort. The comprehensive end of the Red Devils’ 31-game unbeaten home run in all competitions came against the side that last beat them in the league at Old Trafford in Ten Hag’s first match in charge. Welbeck opened the scoring against his former club, before a Marcus Rashford strike hit the woodwork and Rasmus Hojlund’s first goal for the club was ruled out by the VAR. Gross netted both goals in last season’s Old Trafford win and fired Roberto De Zerbi’s men further ahead early in the second half, before substitute Pedro landed another body blow. Boos greeted Ten Hag’s decision to bring Anthony Martial on for full debutant Hojlund, but fellow introduction Hannibal did his bit when striking home his first for the club from distance. But there was to be no stirring comeback like in United’s last home game against Nottingham Forest as attention now turns to Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Bayern Munich. Brighton have a historic Europa League match against AEK Athens to look forward to themselves after winning at Old Trafford for just the second time in their history. De Zerbi surprisingly made six changes on Saturday, when Ten Hag made three and plumped for a midfield diamond that caused the visitors early problems. Rashford’s skill and perseverance ended with a low drive being saved by Jason Steele and Hojlund headed over, before nearly combining when the new boy stretched for the homegrown star’s cross. But De Zerbi’s side looked unruffled and took a 20th-minute lead at the end of a well-worked move. Welbeck burst towards the box having played wide to Simon Adingra, whose low ball from the right was smartly left by Adam Lallana for the 32-year-old to smash home. The opener gave Brighton fans an extra pep in the step and the goalscorer tried his luck from distance, with United offering little in response until the 34th minute. Casemiro swept the ball out to Rashford on the left, with the forward darting inside and getting away a drive that Joel Veltman turned onto the woodwork with an unorthodox block. United bounced back from that near miss and celebrated an equaliser five minutes before the break. Rashford followed stepovers by darting to the byline and pulling back for Hojlund, who turned and prodded in what appeared to be his first United goal. But with play ready to resume at 1-1, referee Jarred Gillett was informed by VAR Chris Kavanagh that the ball had gone out of play before Rashford could get the pass away. The England international continued to look dangerous and went close in stoppage time, then struck into the side-netting when the second half got under way. But Brighton were still pursuing a second and their warning shots across the bows went unheeded. Gross ran onto a pass by Tariq Lamptey just inside the box, sent Lisandro Martinez flying with a drop of the shoulder and fizzed past Andre Onana in front of the away fans. The 53rd-minute effort left United reeling and Ten Hag turned to his bench, but the decision to replace Hojlund with Martial was audibly unpopular. Rashford saw a free-kick stopped as the hosts desperately looked to claw a goal back, only to be hit by a Brighton third in the 71st minute. Lamptey raced down the left and cut back for substitute Pedro, who opened his body to hit a first-time, right-footed shot that Onana could not stop finding the net. Punch-drunk United managed to pull one back immediately through youngster Hannibal, who lasered an effort past Steele from 25 yards two minutes later. Victor Lindelof headed over but intelligent Brighton were able to take the sting out of proceedings, exposing gaps left by the desperate hosts. Kaoru Mitoma, substitute Evan Ferguson and debutant Ansu Fati saw shots saved as the clock wound down. Onana stopped the latter again in stoppage time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa leave it late to beat Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson misses match Richarlison ends difficult week by inspiring dramatic comeback win for Tottenham Late Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland goals keep Manchester City top
2023-09-17 00:58
Aston Villa leave it late to beat Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson misses match
Aston Villa scored two stoppage-time goals to complete a late turnaround as they won 3-1 against Crystal Palace, who were without their unwell manager Roy Hodgson. The 76-year-old was taken ill on Saturday morning and did not travel to Villa Park, but looked like he was going to receive the perfect tonic as his side led through Odsonne Edouard’s early second-half goal. But Jhon Duran fired home an exquisite equaliser in the 87th minute and then Douglas Luiz struck from the penalty spot in the eighth minute of added time after the decision had survived a rigorous pitchside monitor check by referee Darren England. Leon Bailey’s goal two minutes later sealed what was a worthy victory for the hosts, who bossed the majority of the game. It was their ninth home league win in a row, which equals their best post-war record as things continue to look up under Unai Emery. Palace did not say how poorly their manager was before the game, but did confirm he would be in touch with first-team coaches Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington throughout the encounter. But his mood would not have been improved after the chaotic end to the match where his side conceded three times in 13 minutes. Palace also endured a tough opening, with Villa’s pace and running causing them problems. They did not make it easy for themselves either and Joel Ward presented Ollie Watkins with a golden chance to open the scoring as he misplaced a pass and the Villa striker went clean through on goal but Sam Johnstone produced a good save to rescue his captain. Hodgson would not have enjoyed what he was seeing remotely and it looked like they fell behind in the 34th minute. Moussa Diaby, living on the shoulder of the Palace backline, was superbly picked out by Pau Torres and the France international raced clear and clinically fired home. However, he was marginally ruled offside by VAR and Palace again escaped. There were more sighs of relief soon after as Matty Cash miskicked his shot after good work by Nicolo Zaniolo and then the Poland right-back headed over another good chance. Palace had barely threatened in the first half, but went ahead inside two minutes of the restart. Jean-Philippe Mateta spun Torres on the right and sent in an inviting cross for Edouard to slide past Emiliano Martinez, who had slipped but would have been out of position anyway. It was the 25-year-old striker’s fourth Premier League goal of the season and gave Palace a lead out of nowhere. Palace threatened to build on that advantage and should have gone 2-0 up on the hour-mark but Ward could only divert Joachim Andersen’s header wide of the post from close range. They could have done with that going in as Villa launched an assault in search of an equaliser. Duran fired straight at Johnstone with his first touch after coming on before the hosts came within inches of levelling. Watkins and Bailey both had shots blocked in quick succession and the ball again went to Watkins, and his first-time curling effort hit a post before rebounding off Johnstone and just wide. The breakthrough eventually came three minutes from time as Duran superbly controlled Lucas Digne’s cross on his chest and then lashed in a fierce left-footed shot. Five minutes later they were awarded a penalty when Chris Richards brought down Watkins, with referee England taking nearly three minutes in front of the monitor to decide a foul had been committed after the Palace defender impeded his opponent. Luiz stroked home from 12 yards and then Bailey sealed the win at the end after converting from close range. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Richarlison ends difficult week by inspiring dramatic comeback win for Tottenham Late Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland goals keep Manchester City top Manchester United’s challenging fortnight ends with home defeat to Brighton
2023-09-17 00:54
Richarlison ends difficult week by inspiring dramatic comeback win for Tottenham
Richarlison ended a difficult week by coming off the bench to score and inspire Tottenham to a dramatic 2-1 win over Sheffield United. Spurs were heading for their first Premier League defeat under Ange Postecoglou after Gustavo Hamer put the newly-promoted side 1-0 up in the 73rd minute in north London. Postecoglou turned to Richarlison and the £60million forward rewarded the faith of his head coach with a headed equaliser in the eighth minute of added time for only his second league goal since joining from Everton last summer. There was still time for a grandstand finish and it arrived in the 10th minute of stoppage time when Richarlison set up Dejan Kulusevski to rifle home to make it four league wins in a row for Tottenham ahead of next weekend’s derby away to Arsenal. It was a cruel ending for Sheffield United, who had Oli McBurnie sent off for a second yellow card before full-time and remain winless after five matches. Tottenham were unchanged from their 5-2 victory at Burnley before the international break, which meant Richarlison was again restricted to a place on the bench after he revealed in midweek his desire to seek “psychological help” following a turbulent time on and off the pitch. An excellent start to life under Postecoglou earned him manager of the month for August, but Spurs were provided an early warning by Sheffield United when McBurnie turned neatly in the area, only for his curled effort to hit strike partner Cameron Archer. Eventually the hosts settled into their stride and Wes Foderingham saved well from Yves Bissouma’s left-footed effort in the 19th minute after a slick move. Spurs captain Son Heung-min was next to test Foderingham with a curled strike before Guglielmo Vicario got down well to James McAtee’s low shot, which would have been ruled out anyway. Postecoglou’s team continued to push for the opener and James Maddison called Foderingham into action before the Sheffield United goalkeeper required lengthy treatment for a muscle injury. Foderingham was fine to carry on and penalty appeals had been waved away for the hosts by this point after Maddison went down under contact from Chris Basham. The Blades goalkeeper was booked on the stroke of half-time for handling outside his area before boos greeted the end of the first 45 after only three minutes were added on despite several stoppages. Foderingham was at the heart of the action at the beginning of the second period when he was caught by Micky van de Ven and needed a concussion check, but the ex-Rangers goalkeeper stayed on to lap up his role as pantomime villain. Cristian Romero headed wide after fine work by Bissouma soon after, but frustration was starting to get the better of the hosts. Play was twice halted by referee Peter Bankes after a second ball was thrown onto the pitch before Maddison and Manor Solomon were shown yellow cards in quick succession. Solomon did fire over soon after and the Blades then provided Tottenham with a sucker-punch in the 73rd minute. Jack Robinson’s long throw was not dealt with by Pape Sarr or Romero and it dropped for Sheffield United summer signing Hamer, who drilled in at the back post via the woodwork to delight the travelling faithful behind the goal. Postecoglou reacted with a triple substitution as deadline day addition Brennan Johnson, Richarlison and Ivan Perisic were brought on, which lifted the hosts. Perisic and Johnson both put the ball in the net not long after their introduction but the offside flag denied them and it was left to Richarlison to steal the show. The Brazil number nine was pictured in tears last weekend following another blank in a 5-1 win over Bolivia for his nation but headed home Perisic’s corner deep into added time. Better was to follow for Tottenham when a superb move involving Perisic and Richarlison saw the latter tee up Kulusevski, who fired through Robinson’s legs to spark wild celebrations as the feelgood factor at Spurs continues. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa leave it late to beat Crystal Palace as Roy Hodgson misses match Late Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland goals keep Manchester City top Manchester United’s challenging fortnight ends with home defeat to Brighton
2023-09-17 00:52
In the Market: Looking at the Top QB Prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft Class, Week 2 edition
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2023-09-17 00:19
Luton suffer another defeat after Carlos Vinicius scores winner for Fulham
Luton remain pointless in the Premier League after Carlos Vinicius’ goal secured Fulham a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage. Substitute Vinicius opened his account for the season with his second-half strike which was enough for Marco Silva’s side to claim an important win weeks after they lost 5-1 at Manchester City. A fourth defeat in a row will be a frustration for Rob Edwards as Luton now sit at the foot of the Premier League table after they failed to take their golden first-half opportunities. The hosts were caught on the break by Tahith Chong in the fourth minute but his effort hardly tested Bernd Leno. Luton continued their theme of a low block which favoured the technical Joao Palhinha, who returned to Silva’s XI after a failed deadline-day move to Bayern Munich. Andreas Pereira’s whipped corner found the head of Kenny Tete but the full-back failed to keep his effort on target and it narrowly went over Thomas Kaminski’s crossbar. The Hatters patiently waited for openings and in the 26th minute Issa Kabore went down the right from wing-back and his pinpoint cross found the head of Jacob Brown whose attempt cannoned off the post. Edwards lauded the spirit of his side on Thursday and it was shown through the likes of Brown and Carlton Morris who defended from the front as well as Marvelous Nakamba who battled in the middle to win any loose scraps. Brown forced a booking and a free-kick out of Issa Diop in added time and referee Michael Salisbury waved away Morris’ appeals in the area for a penalty when he was brought down. It was Brown who created the first chance after the break in the 47th minute when he found a neat pocket of space in the channel and delivered a well-crafted cross to Amari’i Bell at the back stick but the wing-back’s shot found the gloves of Leno. Fulham broke the deadlock in the 64th minute. Pereira found Willian out wide before the winger’s cross forced Kaminski to parry the ball into the feet of Vinicius who was fresh off the bench to tap his side into a 1-0 lead. Willian nearly doubled the lead straight after with a long-range effort. Tete’s testing pass found Vinicius who could not keep his composure through on goal late on to add a second before Fulham were able to see out the game during four minutes of added time. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool ‘were not ready’ for first half after win at Wolves Current Davis Cup format set to stay despite being branded ‘a clear disaster’ Ford’s final audition and Sinckler returns – England v Japan talking points
2023-09-17 00:15
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool ‘were not ready’ for first half after win at Wolves
Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool’s first-half struggles left him questioning his side – before the Reds hit back to win at Wolves. Andrew Robertson’s late strike and Hugo Bueno’s injury-time own goal completed Liverpool’s 3-1 victory at Molineux. Cody Gakpo had levelled earlier in the second half as Liverpool earned a third comeback victory of the season and fourth straight win. They are now unbeaten in 16 Premier League games, stretching back to last season. Hwang Hee-Chan’s opener had put vibrant Wolves in command and only a shocking miss from Matheus Cunha stopped them from adding to their lead. Klopp had criticised the early kick-off after the international break – with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Alisson and Alexis Mac Allister all returning from South America on Friday – and conceded he was worried during a wretched first half. He said: “In the first half I thought ‘WTF?’ a couple of times. We were not ready in the first half but Wolves did really well. “With these boys, some of them we’ve had seven, eight, nine weeks with, some of them longer, I know if they can be, they are there. Today they couldn’t in a lot of moments. “I know if you get through the first half with a reasonable result, you can turn it. “The team needed help and we could deliver the help a little bit with the changes and change of system. They were completely different halves. “The same players who looked rusty in the first half, in the second half it looked much easier. “Wolves played a super first half but in the second half we were really good and controlled the game. “We stayed calm, there was no rush, 3-1 was a result I didn’t expect after 20 minutes but during the second half we deserved it.” Wolves dominated early and Hwang grabbed a seventh-minute goal when he swept in Pedro Neto’s low cross. Livewire Neto caused chaos and he gift-wrapped a chance for Cunha after 33 minutes when he breezed past Joe Gomez to cross for the striker to miscue an unmarked header from five yards. It kept Liverpool in the game and, after introducing Luis Diaz at the break, the visitors levelled 10 minutes later. Gakpo and Diaz managed to smuggle the ball to Salah on the right and his low ball was turned in by the unmarked Gakpo. Wolves lost all their first-half fearlessness, failing to create another chance, but it took until the 86th minute for Liverpool to capitalise. When we were on top we could have taken one or two of our good situations Gary O'Neil Jose Sa’s poor clearance fell for Robertson just inside Wolves’ half. The defender burst forward to swap passes with Salah and finish from seven yards. Harvey Elliott’s 20-yard strike then deflected off Bueno in stoppage time to seal victory. Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said: “If you look at the two sides, the gap in quality, it takes a big effort to close that. “I thought we did for a very long time. The organisation and structure managed to help us bridge that gap. “When we were on top we could have taken one or two of our good situations. “We were digging in and then we make a strange decision, create a bit of chaos and concede the second goal. “At 1-1 they’ve had a lot of the ball but we made a strange decision and it cost us a goal. Up until 80 minutes to have pushed Liverpool that close was a very good effort. “We conceded a crazy second goal which is what I’ve been trying to get out of the players since I’ve been here.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Current Davis Cup format set to stay despite being branded ‘a clear disaster’ Ford’s final audition and Sinckler returns – England v Japan talking points Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti hails ‘consistent’ Jude Bellingham
2023-09-16 23:15