List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

Alex Moreno fired Aston Villa into the Europa Conference League knockout stages after a 2-1 win over Legia Warsaw. The defender’s first goal, on his first appearance of the season following a hamstring injury, sent Unai Emery’s side top of Group E. Moussa Diaby opened the scoring before Ernest Muci seized on Boubacar Kamara’s defensive gaffe to level. Victory came after Legia fans clashed with police pre-match, launching missiles and injuring three officers to ensure there were no visiting supporters inside Villa Park. Around 2,000 fans had gathered, despite Legia having a restricted allocation of 1,000 following supporters’ behaviour in Alkmaar, and were barred from entering the stadium, sparking a row between the clubs with both issuing statements criticising each other. There was no love lost between the clubs, yet it was a fairly forgettable game. Four years ago this week Villa boss Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal after overseeing their longest winless run since 1992. He lasted just 18 months after replacing Arsene Wenger at the Emirates but recovered to win the Europa League with Villarreal, the fourth time he had lifted the trophy. Having taken Villa back into Europe for the first time in 13 years, they reached the knockout stage of the newest competition with a game to spare, although need a point in Mostar in two weeks to book top spot. Legia beat them 3-2 in Warsaw in the opening game in September, opening the scoring after just three minutes, but this time it took the hosts 60 seconds longer to take the lead. Youri Tielemans sent Diaby clear down the right and with the freedom to cut inside, with Artur Jedrzejczyk rapidly backpedalling, he curled into the bottom corner. Emery’s side went for the kill and Jhon Duran’s pace saw him tear past Steve Kapuadi and Jedrzejczyk, only to be denied by Kacper Tobiasz before Clement Lenglet nodded the resulting corner wide. The hosts were in control – with no Legia fans in the stadium – but Villa Park was silenced after 20 minutes. It was all of the hosts’ own making when Robin Olsen, handed a rare start, found Kamara on the edge of the area only for the midfielder to play a blind pass straight to Muci. The Albania international, who scored twice against Villa in September, still had plenty to do but kept his cool to lift a fine effort over the stranded Olsen from the edge of the box. With it, Villa lost their mojo and Legia flourished although it took until three minutes after the break for them to go close to adding a second. Pawel Wszolek crossed and Gil Dias stooped to send a looping header onto the top of the bar with Olsen beaten. The escape roused Villa and Tobiasz thwarted Diaby before Moreno grabbed the winner after 59 minutes. The left back, making his first appearance since May, latched onto Douglas Luiz’s free-kick to hook in from close range. From then, Villa saw the game out and could have even had a third with three minutes left when Leon Bailey hit the bar after lobbing Tobiasz. Read More You’ve got to dream big: Lewis Dunk eyes Europa League glory with Brighton David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community

Captain Lewis Dunk says Brighton are dreaming of Europa League glory after securing a spot in the knockout stages on a historic day for the club. Albion guaranteed a top-two finish in Group B with a game to spare thanks to an unconvincing 1-0 victory away to 10-man AEK Athens. Joao Pedro’s 55th-minute penalty proved the difference against the Greek champions as the Seagulls set aside a disjointed display to progress ahead of a final-round fixture at home to Marseille on December 14. Defender Dunk is determined to finish in first place in the pool in order to advance directly to the last 16 and avoid a knockout round play-off against a team falling out of the Champions League. “The next game, we’ve got to win, we’ve got to top the group,” he told Brighton’s website. “I think that’s massive, you miss a round out. “That’s our next aim in this competition but who knows how far we can go? “We want to win it and you’ve got to dream big to achieve it. We’re going to set our sights on reaching the final and winning it.” Brighton, who are enjoying their maiden European adventure, were second best in the first half at AEK Arena and fortunate not to fall behind when Steven Zuber’s shot deflected off Dunk and struck a post. The contest turned during a pivotal 10-minute second-half spell in which Pedro converted a VAR-awarded penalty after being fouled by AEK captain Damian Szymanski and Mijat Gacinovic was dismissed for a second booking. Following back-to-back successes over four-time European champions Ajax, Albion jubilantly celebrated another famous win with the travelling fans. England international Dunk, who made his senior debut when the Seagulls were a League One side, acknowledged the visitors were forced to dig deep. It's a historic day for the football club. Lewis Dunk “It’s massive,” the 32-year-old said of the result. “I think you can see in the celebration at the end what it means. “It’s a historic day for the football club. “We came into this tournament to qualify out of the group and we’ve done that tonight. “It wasn’t the prettiest of our performances but sometimes you’ve got to win like that and it’s all credit to us.” Pedro’s successful spot-kick was his fifth goal in the competition and backed up his match-winning brace as a substitute in Saturday’s 3-2 Premier League victory at Nottingham Forest. Dunk, whose right shoulder was taped up at full-time, was sent off at the City Ground and will miss Sunday’s trip to Chelsea due to suspension. “(I’m) just nursing a few injuries but you just get on with them,” he replied when asked about the strapping. “Frustrating not to be out there (at Stamford Bridge), it’s my fault and I’ve got to deal with that myself.” Read More David Moyes urges West Ham to finish the job and top Group A Tomas Soucek snatches late winner for West Ham in Serbia Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes

Liverpool are back in Europa League action as they host Austrian side LASK an Anfield this evening hoping to get back to winning ways after a shock defeat to Toulouse in their last European outing. The Reds are top of Group E with nine points from their four matches and have a two-point buffer over the French side in second. Jurgen Klopp will have his sights set on topping the table and moving straight into the round of 16. Victory tonight would secure Liverpool’s place in that stage if Toulouse also lose to Union Saint-Gilloise but that is not a guarantee. First the need to get past LASK who are currently third in the Austrian Bundesliga. They will come to Anfield with some confidence having beaten Union Saint-Gilloise 3-0 last time out but that was their first win of the Europa League this season. Can they cause a shock on Merseyside tonight? Follow all the action as Liverpool host LASK plus get the latest odds and tips right here:

Tomas Soucek struck late on yet again as West Ham secured their passage into the knock-out stages of the Europa League despite a Serbian snooze-fest against Backa Topola. The Czech midfielder has now scored in his last five matches for club and country after an 89th-minute volley earned a scratchy 1-0 win. Now they need to finish the job against Freiburg at the London Stadium in a fortnight to ensure they top the group and avoid a two-legged play-off in February. Around 320 hardy West Ham fans made the 2,000-mile journey out to the Balkans, including a 100-mile trek up the motorway from Belgrade to the TSC Arena. Many of them had got their wish, in the absence of injured forwards Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, of a first start of the season for 19-year-old FA Youth Cup-winning striker Divin Mubama. But the youngster barely got a sniff of the ball as West Ham struggled to rouse themselves in the sleepy Serbian town. The hosts came into the encounter on the back of a 4-0 win over Super League leaders Partizan at the weekend, and they made a confident start with Uros Milovanovic forcing an early save from Lukasz Fabianski. Then an error from Aaron Cresswell, handed a rare start in one of seven changes from the side which snatched a late win at Burnley thanks to Soucek’s goal, gifted Aleksandar Cirkovic a shooting opportunity with Fabianski saving again. West Ham registered their first shot on target after half an hour, a tame effort from Said Benrahma on his 150th West Ham appearance which was easily dealt with by Veljko Ilic. But it was a mind-numbing first half neatly summed up by former player Joe Cole, on TNT Sports, as “dross” and “appalling”. Boss David Moyes turned to Danny Ings and the lesser-spotted Maxwel Cornet just after the hour, replacing Benrahma and Mubama, in a bid to inject some life into his unconvincing side. And as the game ticked into stoppage tie Cornet crossed from the left and Soucek hammered in a volley to win it. West Ham have enjoyed a thrilling run in Europe over the past three seasons, including their historic Europa Conference League final triumph in Prague. Although this was not one which will live long in the memory it was an 18th win in 20 matches in Europe, job done for Moyes and his side. Read More Joao Pedro penalty sends Brighton through to Europa League knockout stages Five bad weeks do not define a team – England’s Ben Duckett Daniel Levy ‘proud’ as report reveals Tottenham’s investment in local community Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has vowed to not stand still in his ambition to drive further positive change in the area of the club’s stadium. An in-depth analysis of Spurs’ socio-economic impact from the 2021-22 season by law company EY has found the club now contribute around £900million of gross output to London’s economy, generating an additional £478m of Growth Value Added (GVA) in London. A total of £296m of this GVA is for the borough of Haringey specifically, which is a vast increase on the £120m GVA per annum being generated in 2015 when the club called 36,284-seater White Hart Lane its home. This study, which follows a benchmark report by Tottenham in 2015, also estimated the growth of the club’s socio-economic impact will reach £585m GVA by the 2026-27 season with around 4,300 jobs, in comparison to the 1,800 jobs it supported eight years ago. EY’s report follows the news Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which hosts non-football events all-year round, has been selected as one of the venues for Euro 2028. Spurs chairman Levy said: “Delivering tangible benefits to those living on our doorstep has always been a driving factor since we initially undertook the stadium development project – four years on from the stadium’s opening, this report clearly shows the difference it is making to people’s lives and the economic prosperity it is bringing to our community. “We will not stand still – with plans for further Visitor Attractions, notably F1 DRIVE-London, new homes, a new creative quarter and a hotel in the years to come, this area that we are so passionate about will continue to benefit from the club’s investment and being home to one of the world’s greatest football clubs and stadia. “Everyone involved should be extremely proud of the findings of our latest socio-economic impact report.” Football has the power to unite communities, and this report shows football clubs can play a major role in building a better and more prosperous London for everyone. Sadiq Khan Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, added: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact that the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has had in the local area – from job opportunities and skills learning to local small business investment. “Football has the power to unite communities, and this report shows football clubs can play a major role in building a better and more prosperous London for everyone.” Read More Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge

England complete their group games in the inaugural Women’s Nations League over the next few days, playing the Netherlands at Wembley on Friday and then Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the talking points ahead of the double-header. Must-win This competition provides England with the chance to secure Paris 2024 Olympic qualification for Great Britain, should they first finish top of Group A1 – something they are in considerable danger of failing to do. Lying third with six points from four games, three points behind the Dutch and one behind Belgium, they have to win on Friday to stay in contention. They lost 2-1 in the Netherlands in September, and were also beaten in their most recent outing, 3-2 away against Belgium. Relegation threat If England are defeated again by Wiegman’s old side, and Belgium beat Scotland at home the same night, as well as the Olympic bid being over, the Lionesses will be confirmed as entering the Nations League relegation play-offs. After the highs of the last two years under her management, that scenario would represent some come down for the European champions and World Cup runners-up. The Scotland situation While it remains to be seen what the state of play is come Tuesday, a talking point from the word go as England headed into this competition as the one home nation able to claim Olympic qualification for GB has been that their group includes a Scotland outfit with players also holding Paris hopes. England midfielder Keira Walsh has described the situation as “a little bit strange”, but said of Tuesday: “If I’m putting myself in their shoes, it’s a big game against England. They’re going to want to win.” Wiegman’s team beat Scotland 2-1 in Sunderland in their group opener in September. No Bright England, already without Leah Williamson, also for these two games have the player who has skippered the team in her absence, fellow defender Millie Bright, out injured due to a knee issue. Wiegman has confirmed goalkeeper Mary Earps will wear the armband. Mead’s return England also have a big-name player back in the fold, with the fit-again Beth Mead – like Williamson, absent from the summer’s World Cup as she recovered from an ACL injury – having been recalled. Wiegman said it was as if Mead “hasn’t been away” without confirming whether the forward would start or not on Friday. Any appearance would be her first at international level in just over a year for the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner. Read More Wales call on Chris Coleman in bid to boost Women’s Nations League hopes Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Wales have enlisted the support of former manager Chris Coleman to help them avoid relegation from the Women’s Nations League. Coleman memorably led Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and spoke to boss Gemma Grainger and her squad before Friday’s relegation decider against Iceland in Cardiff. Wales need to probably win by a two-goal margin to stay in League A, as well as boost their Euro 2025 qualifying hopes, and Coleman gave the lowdown on his time as men’s team manager between 2012 and 2017 during a 20-minute Zoom call on Wednesday. “One of the things we have done in terms of the mindset and mentality is being fortunate enough to spend some time with Chris Coleman,” Grainger said at her pre-match press conference. “We spoke to Chris around some of the work he did with the men’s team because that journey is so similar to us. “We are two years into a journey that was similar to the one Chris had with our men’s team. It was great for him to speak to the girls about that. “It was interesting to hear him talk about when the team suffered and what that allowed them to do in terms of ‘Together Stronger’ (the national team’s motto) – the real togetherness of the team and what it takes. “He talked about the criticism that team had, and to me that’s a natural part of when a team is successful. “It was a pleasure to speak to him for me as a coach and also for the players.” Wales remain without a point after four games and are bottom of Nations League Group A3 heading into their final two fixtures. Grainger’s side finish their campaign against two-time World Cup winners Germany in Swansea on Tuesday. So overcoming Iceland, who beat them 1-0 in September, represents Wales’ best chance of securing the third spot they need to avoid dropping into League B and head into the relegation play-offs instead. If Wales win by a one-goal margin, bottom spot could end up being determined by goal difference – and Iceland currently have a superior advantage of four in that department. Grainger said: “We are focused on winning. If we win by one goal then we know what we’ve got to do in the second game. “Two goals would mean that we would likely go through on head-to-head. “It’s an ideal game for us because when we qualify for the Euros we’ll go through stages where one-off games will matter. So it’s a great rehearsal against a top team in Europe.” Wales have lost to Denmark twice and Germany away since losing their opening game in Iceland. But Grainger was encouraged by the narrow 2-1 defeat in Denmark last time out, saying: “We finished that game stronger than they did. We scored in the 72nd minute and we really pushed for the equaliser. “The first game against Iceland was one of our best performances since I’ve been here. “The challenge now is to replicate that because the plan is to stay in League A.” Read More Shameful and not right – Saracens boss condemns Owen Farrell treatment The key talking points ahead of England’s Women’s Nations League double-header Kevin Sinfield vows to keep raising funds to combat MND ahead of new challenge Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Sarina Wiegman is confident England are ready for the task ahead of them as they prepare for Friday’s must-win Nations League clash with the Netherlands at Wembley. The Lionesses are third in Group A1 after four games, having been beaten 2-1 in September by the Dutch and 3-2 last month by Belgium, who they trail by three and one point respectively. Failure to beat the Netherlands in their penultimate group fixture will end their hopes of the first-placed finish they require to have a chance of securing a Paris 2024 Olympics qualifying spot for Great Britain, and boss Wiegman told a press conference: “I think the team is ready. “We’re really excited to play at Wembley tomorrow. I think the camp so far from Monday to now has gone really well. “We’re very clear on how we want to play and what we want to do; I see good things on and off pitch, and that gives me confidence that we’re really ready for tomorrow, and of course we all know what we have to do.” She added: “If you look at the games I don’t think we played really poor, just in moments we didn’t get it over the line and then we got some losses – which is not good, we want to do better. “In football, just as in life, you have ups and downs, and what we want to do is get to the high again, and that is what we are going to try to do.” With Millie Bright having withdrawn from the squad last week due to a knee injury, goalkeeper Mary Earps is set to captain the side. There are a number of defenders in the squad with only a few caps between them, and when asked about a lack of experience at the back, Wiegman said: “With the World Cup, you played the team you think are going to win, and then you change to win the game. “That has also been the case in the Nations League, so we didn’t have that many opportunities at international level to try out things. Of course we do that in training sessions, and we see the players in the Women’s Super League. “I think if it’s needed, they’re ready, and they know what is being asked of them. I hope in the future of course they get the opportunity to play. “Last year around this time we had friendlies, we played lots of players. We are not in that situation right now. “ An experienced player Wiegman has back in the fold is Beth Mead, the Golden Boot winner when England won the Euros in 2022 who, having missed their run to the World Cup final during the summer, has been recalled after recovering from an ACL injury. Wiegman said it was as if Mead “hasn’t been away” without confirming whether she would start or not on Friday. Mead has 50 caps – a landmark fellow forward Lauren Hemp will reach if she plays a part against the Dutch. And the 23-year-old said: “It would be a surreal feeling. To do it at Wembley – there’s no better place. It would be an incredible feeling. “Looking back, a lot of the big games I’ve had have come at Wembley. There’s a lot at stake (on Friday). We know as a group what’s expected of us. I feel like when we’re put under pressure, a lot of the time, we do the job. “I’ve been to an Olympics before so I’ve experienced it once. I want to experience it again.” After Friday’s contest against Wiegman’s former side, England conclude their group games by playing Scotland at Hampden Park next Tuesday. Read More Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather Luke Donald humbled by players’ support for his return as Ryder Cup captain

Scotland are safely through to Euro 2024 after finishing second in qualifying Group A. Steve Clarke’s side were beaten only once across their campaign and secured a famous victory over Spain to help book their place at next summer’s tournament. Their 17-point tally sees them go into Pot 3 for the draw for the Euros. They will not face any of the other five nations in that pot in the group stages of the competition. With three play-off qualifiers still to be confirmed, the pots look like this: Pot 1: Germany (hosts), Portugal, France, Spain, Belgium, England Pot 2: Hungary, Turkey, Romania, Denmark, Albania, Austria Pot 3: Netherlands, Scotland, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic Pot 4: Italy, Serbia, Switzerland, Play-off winner A, Play-off winner B, Play-off winner C So what is the toughest possible draw for Scotland? While the pots are based on qualifying form, and thus a useful gauge of team quality, we will go by Fifa’s world rankings to determine the best and worst case scenarios for Clarke and his team. The toughest possible draw for Scotland (current world ranking 36th) would be: France (2nd), Denmark (19th), Italy (9th). On paper, the easiest draw would be: Germany (16th), Albania (62nd), Kazakhstan* (100th). *Kazakhstan are part of qualifying play-off Path C When is Euro 2024? The 17th edition of the men’s Euros will be held in Germany between 14 June and 14 July. Which cities are hosting fixtures? Berlin Munich Hamburg Dusseldorf Frankfurt Cologne Stuttgart Gelsenkirchen Leipzig Dortmund Read More When is the Euro 2024 draw and what are the pots? Who has qualified for Euro 2024 - and which nations still could? Scotland sign off on successful Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with six-goal thriller Is Scotland vs Norway on TV? Channel, time and how to watch Erling Haaland ruled out of Norway match – only a week before Man City v Liverpool Steve Clarke praises Scotland for keeping their heads after late draw in Georgia

Gabriel Jesus is unconcerned about Arsenal reportedly coveting other strikers as he seeks to stay fit and translate his prolific Champions League form into the Premier League. Brazil international Jesus took his European tally to four goals in as many appearances by claiming the Gunners’ second in Wednesday evening’s 6-0 demolition of French side Lens. Yet the former Manchester City forward has found the net just once in the top-flight this term amid absences due to knee and hamstring injuries. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been linked with potential moves for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Brentford’s Ivan Toney, in addition to an audacious bid to sign Paris St Germain star Kylian Mbappe. Jesus dismissed the significance of the transfer speculation and insisted he offers more than just goals as he defended his scoring record. “This happens you know, maybe it can be agents talking about a lot of things,” he said. “I’m not the most experienced, but I think I have seen a lot of things in football. “Sometimes it is like this, it happened when I was at City even with (Sergio) Aguero and me scoring. I was scoring a lot and people was linking everyone. So here, I don’t care about this. “I know my qualities and I know what I can bring to the team. I can score and I can also help with other things, like opening spaces. But the only people who can see it are those who watch the game and understand. “Those who don’t understand we will say that: ‘Oh he didn’t score today’. But maybe I run and open space for someone and, let’s be honest, I don’t miss a lot of chances. “I think it is not about ‘he doesn’t know how to score’. Sometimes I have to be more in the box, that is the one thing I am working on.” Premier League leaders Arsenal booked a Champions League last-16 spot as Group B winners with a thumping midweek win at Emirates Stadium. Jesus assisted Kai Havertz’s opener and then doubled the advantage with a composed finish before Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard added further first-half finishes, prior to Jorginho’s late penalty. The 26-year-old feels comments he made last week regarding his goal-scoring ability in the aftermath of his country’s World Cup qualifying defeat to rivals Argentina were misinterpreted. “I spoke after the game against Argentina – and people don’t understand sometimes and people took it out of context and said ‘Gabi, his strong point isn’t scoring’,” he said. “I said this, but not in that way. I have other qualities as well, but I can score guys! “Obviously I want to score every game, if it’s possible a hat-trick. But that’s not the reality. “Now my main target is to keep fit because I know I can help everyone here. I’m sleeping better, I’m eating better.” Jesus was a Champions League runner-up with City in 2021 and says the Gunners – beaten finalists in 2006 – must believe they can go all the way in the tournament. “If you talk about experience in this competition, Arsenal have reached the final in their history,” he said. “They didn’t win but Arsenal is big. Arsenal can go and face strong teams, playing good. That is enough to believe. “First we have to believe and then go there and try to win the games.” Read More Andre Onana – Do the numbers back up the criticism? Lancashire sign Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon for 2024 season We have to own it – Scott McTominay urges Man Utd to atone for Galatasaray draw Keira Walsh ‘feeling fresh’ before latest round of Women’s Nations League games He’s amazing – Martin Odegaard hails ‘brilliant’ Declan Rice impact at Arsenal On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing

Andre Onana failed to deal with two Hakim Ziyech free-kicks as Manchester United threw away a two-goal lead against Galatasaray on Wednesday night. It was the latest Champions League drama for the much-scrutinised goalkeeper and here, the PA news agency looks at his United record. Champions League roller coaster The 3-3 draw in Istanbul followed a 3-2 defeat in the first meeting with Gala and 4-3 losses to Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen as United, top scorers in Champions League Group A, prop up the standings. That contributes to Onana’s record of 33 goals conceded in 20 games since Erik ten Hag signed him from Inter Milan this summer to replace long-serving keeper David De Gea. He has conceded only 16 in 13 Premier League appearances – a slight improvement on De Gea’s record under Ten Hag at the same stage of last season, when he had conceded 18 – but remarkably has topped that in only seven appearances in other competitions, which also include a 3-0 Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle. By this date last season, United had conceded 25 goals in 21 games in all competitions – De Gea accounting for 23 in 20, albeit with his European appearances coming in the Europa League. Martin Dubravka was in goal for the 4-2 League Cup win over Aston Villa. One extreme or the other Onana has seven clean sheets with United, including a stoppage-time penalty save in the 1-0 home win over Copenhagen, but has conceded three or more on eight occasions – De Gea did so only six times the whole of last season, though they included losing 6-3 to Manchester City and 7-0 to Liverpool. United have this season lost league games 3-1 to Arsenal and Brighton and 3-0 to City, in addition to the Newcastle tie and the four Champions League games. Eight games represent 40 per cent of Onana’s United appearances to date, while De Gea conceded three or more in less than 10 per cent of games over his 12 years at Old Trafford. That ‘one extreme or the other’ approach this season leaves only five exceptions in which United have conceded either once or twice. They have four clean sheets and have conceded three or four in their other four games since beating Sheffield United 2-1 on October 21. How Onana compares De Gea won last season’s Premier League Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets and conceded 43 goals in 38 games, an average of 1.13 per game. Onana’s current rate of 1.23 would equate to 46.77 goals over the full league season – only twice have United conceded 47 or more, 54 in 2018-19 and 57 in 2021-22. De Gea was ever-present in the league for both of those seasons, comfortably United’s worst in the Premier League era. In 2018-19 they conceded 72 in 51 games in all competitions, an average of 1.41 per game. Last season, Ten Hag’s first in charge, United conceded 63 goals in 62 games overall – 1.02 per game. De Gea was ever-present apart from four Carabao Cup games shared between Dubravka and Tom Heaton. In mitigation for Onana, United have allowed more shots on target this season while dealing with injuries in defence. The Cameroon international has made 51 saves in 13 league games, already halfway to De Gea’s tally of 101 in 38 last term and averaging 3.9 per game, up from 2.7. Read More Lancashire sign Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon for 2024 season We have to own it – Scott McTominay urges Man Utd to atone for Galatasaray draw Keira Walsh ‘feeling fresh’ before latest round of Women’s Nations League games He’s amazing – Martin Odegaard hails ‘brilliant’ Declan Rice impact at Arsenal On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again

Scott McTominay says the whole team have to take responsibility for Manchester United’s bleak Champions League predicament after Andre Onana’s mistakes and a lack of killer instinct cost them at Galatasaray. Having lost three of their opening four Group A matches, Erik ten Hag’s side managed to throwaway a two-goal second-half lead in Istanbul as a pulsating, helter-skelter clash ended 3-3. Wednesday’s result leaves United bottom of the pool with only the home clash with already qualified Bayern Munich to come in a fortnight’s time. Copenhagen’s draw in Germany later that day keeps the Red Devils’ faint chances of progressing alive, but they must win their final game and hope Copenhagen draw with Galatasaray. “We have to wait and see,” McTominay told the PA news agency. “It’s not in our hands. “We’ve put ourselves in that position and we have to own it and that’s football. “We kept our cool really well, I felt like throughout large portions of the game. “Obviously towards the end it gets a little bit like a basketball game where everyone’s up and down and some tired legs and stuff like that. “We need to rest, recover and there’s is a big game coming up on Saturday, which we will be ready for as well.” United have little time to recover from their draining night in Turkey as attention turns to Saturday evening’s Premier League trip to Newcastle. All eyes are sure to be on goalkeeper Onana in the North East after the summer signing endured another chastening Champions League night for the Red Devils. Guilty of gaffes away to Bayern and in the reverse fixture against Galatasaray, the Cameroon international was somehow beaten by two Hakim Ziyech free-kicks on Wednesday. The second was particularly shocking and proved the catalyst to the hosts’ comeback but McTominay refused to blame him and acknowledged that outfield players should have put the game to bed. “We’re so disappointed not to come away with more goals than three, to be honest,” said the midfielder, who had put United 3-1 up in the 55th minute. “If you had said that to us before the evening started (we would score three) we would have been delighted with that, hopefully get another clean sheet. “But football’s football. There’s mistakes and different things that can happen in the game and it’s partly our fault at the other end of the pitch for not killing the game as well. “We had control and we were playing some good stuff. “That’s football. It can happen and there’s no individuals in this team. We all want to be a collective and push each other forwards together. “But, yeah, there’s another game on Saturday which we’re looking forward to and we’ll learn from this one for sure.” McTominay added that “whatever happens at both ends of the pitch we need to stick together” as United look to shake off their challenging Champions League disappointment. Newcastle have also been in midweek action away to Paris St Germain and St James’ Park is set to provide another hostile environment for Ten Hag’s team. “There’s no intimidation in football,” McTominay added. “You’ve just got to go there and take it on its head on and go for it. “That’s the way that this team wants to operate – we want to go and fight every challenge head on and that’s it. “There’s no ducking and diving out of situations. We want to go and push ourselves and test ourselves against some really good teams as well.” Read More Keira Walsh ‘feeling fresh’ before latest round of Women’s Nations League games He’s amazing – Martin Odegaard hails ‘brilliant’ Declan Rice impact at Arsenal On This Day in 2004 – Sir Matthew Pinsent announces retirement from rowing Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man Utd set to face Galatasaray in Champions League despite bad weather