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The beautiful game
Three changes for Brighton from their last Premier League game, a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Joel Veltman, Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck come in for Maxcim De Cuyper, Yasin Ayari and Georginio Rutter. Gruda and Welbeck starred in the FA Cup victory at Old Trafford eight days ago.
Continue reading...Gian Piero Gasperini is clearly a fan of the on-loan Aston Villa forward who shone in their 2-0 victory at Torino
Was it even a real quote, or only an approximation, a convenient lead-in to columns such as this? After Donyell Malen put the ball in the net for the second time in the first half-hour of his Roma debut, a member of his new team’s coaching staff was reportedly heard asking: “ma chi abbiamo preso?” – who on earth have we just signed?
Nobody would clarify who said this, and frankly it did not matter. The phrase was now canon, repeated in commentary and churned across the oceans of online news aggregation. It resonated because Roma’s supporters were asking the same question of a player who arrived from Aston Villa two days before.
Continue reading...Manchester United jog memories, Nick Woltemade comes up short and there’s a tough crowd for Chelsea’s owners
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was present to see the best victory and performance of his two years of minority ownership. When Ratcliffe bought in, the public impression given was of a billionaire signing up to taste the magic for himself. Saturday, and beating Manchester City, was an undoubted revival act where Michael Carrick’s team played the football of yore. That will almost certainly be unsustainable in the medium term, since most opposition will not play City’s high-line, high-wire act. But in engaging their supporters with determination and aggression, United jogged memories. There was a time when just about every big game had Old Trafford rocking like this, when the opposition could not hear themselves think. Surely that was the myth and legend Ratcliffe wanted to be part of? Would that be possible in the new stadium the Ineos chief has plans for instead of Old Trafford? Tottenham’s recent experiences suggest otherwise. Would Liverpool’s owners cash out the Anfield experience? Surely not. John Brewin
Match report: Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City
Match report: Aston Villa 0-1 Everton
Match report: Wolves 0-0 Newcastle
Match report: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal
Match report: Tottenham 1-2 West Ham
Match report: Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace
Match report: Chelsea 2-0 Brentford
Continue reading...La Liga lead cut to one point after surprise 2-1 defeat
Füllkrug scores first goal in Italy since leaving West Ham
Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defence with a surprise 2-1 home victory as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches. The Catalan side, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now lead their rivals Real Madrid by only a point at the top of La Liga after Álvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.
Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under their new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on.
Continue reading...Newcastle struggled to find a way through a determined Wolves team, who remain unbeaten in 2026
1 min: Sandro Tonali takes the ball deep as Newcastle attempt to pass their way through. Harvey Barnes gets an early touch from a Woltemade layoff. Good energy from the home fans. How long will that last?
Here’s Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining, with the Led Zep medley you will always hear in pre-match at Molineux.
Continue reading...A guide to each club’s setups, from Chelsea’s multi-headed structure to Brentford’s smooth planning and Manchester United’s muddles
The appointment of Andrea Berta as sporting director in March was greeted with much enthusiasm by Arsenal’s supporters, given his impressive track record in more than a decade at Atlético Madrid,. The Italian, who began his career in finance, has made an instant impression. Known as a shrewd negotiator, the suave and softly spoken 54-year-old masterminded Arsenal’s outlay of more than £250m in the summer that included the arrivals of Viktor Gyökeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke. Berta takes the lead on recruitment in consultation with Richard Garlick, who was promoted to chief executive in September, the manager, Mikel Arteta, and the co-chair Josh Kroenke. James Ellis, a former scout who then spent two years as head of recruitment, was appointed as technical director in the summer and is tasked with “delivering the club’s long-term player progression strategy”, with a focus on creating a pathway from academy to first team. Ed Aarons
Continue reading...The points were shared on an evening when Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table but almost certainly left the field feeling a modicum of regret
An email: Arsenal fans will have mixed memories of Sean Dyche teams; probably most saliently here his new-manager-bounce inspiration of a previously useless Everton side to a 1-0 win, smashing a 14-game unbeaten Arsenal run,” writes Charles Antaki. “Admittedly Arsenal haven’t been quite that consistently good this year but Forest have certainly been that consistently bad, so there are omens around for those who care to read them.”
Having paid a visit to Dr Tottenham this afternoon and surprised nobody by leaving his North London clinic with three points and a restorative sense of enormous wellbeing, West Ham have closed the gap to Forest to just four points. No pressure Dychey …
Continue reading...On 65 minutes Michael Carrick’s second tenure went electric as Manchester United scored a classic breakaway goal by Bryan Mbeumo that sent the interim head coach berserk in the technical area.
After a clearing Harry Maguire header, the ball evaded Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes galloped forward. He had Amad Diallo to the right and Patrick Dorgu and Mbeumo on the left; United’s streetwise captain delayed the pass, then found the Cameroonian, whose finish beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Continue reading...Leaders bounce back after trailing at half-time
Ipswich 3-0 Blackburn; Preston 0-1 Derby
Frank Lampard hailed Coventry’s win against Leicester as “massive” after Haji Wright’s first goal since early October secured a 2-1 victory. Jordan James had opened the scoring for the visitors before Ellis Simms equalised shortly after half-time. Wright came off the bench to grab an 85th-minute winner as Coventry claimed a much-needed three points after a run of two victories in eight.
“It was a massive win because it was a tough match,” said Lampard. “They’re a quality team, you can’t get fooled by their league position because if they turn up and play well they give you problems. They gave us problems in the first half which makes us happier that we had half-time, dealt tactically with the problems and the feeling of the game and owned it in the second half.
Continue reading...Lukas Nmecha stepped off the bench to fire a stoppage-time winner as Leeds marked their tribute to Terry Yorath with a valuable win The striker, an 81st-minute replacement for Jayden Bogle, latched on to Ethan Ampadu’s cross in the first minute of added time to clinch victory, which keeps Leeds eight points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Leeds dominated after an even first half, but by failing to take their chances it appeared Fulham would extend their unbeaten run to seven league matches.
Continue reading...Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu scored as Man Utd ran City ragged in Michael Carrick’s first game in charge
Michael Carrick is the first manager of United or City to begin a spell in charge with a Manchester derby.
This is how Man Utd’s post-Fergie managers fared in their first derby; all were Premier League games.
David Moyes 1-4 (A) 2013-14
Louis van Gaal 0-1 (A) 2014-15
Jose Mourinho 1-2 (H) 2016-17
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 0-2 (H) 2018-19
Ralf Rangnick 1-4 (A) 2021-22
Erik ten Hag 3-6 (A) 2022-23
Ruben Amorim 2-1 (A) 2024-25
[On Man Utd’s tactics] No, I don’t know. They could play with a four or a back five; they could play with a false nine or Mbeumo up front. I’d love to know but we have to focus on ourselves.
[On the importance Rodri’s return] It’s not news! He’s so important. He was out for a long time, then he had a setback. We’re trying to manage his recovery.
Continue reading...Michael Carrick faces a baptism of fire as City visit United in the Manchester derby while Tottenham host West Ham
Saturday 12.30pm Sky Sports Premier League Venue Old Trafford
Continue reading...Chelsea need to avoid long-throw blues, plus: a vacant spot for Liverpool and West Ham’s best hope for survival
Can the 198th derby be any spicier for Manchester United and their latest interim manager, Michael Carrick? This is his second caretaker tenure though the three games of November-December 2021 (beating Villarreal and Arsenal, drawing with Chelsea) hardly compares to sending out an XI to try to beat Manchester City in Saturday’s early kick-off. Pep Guardiola’s high-performing unit remain in contention on all fronts. Carrick takes charge of a United suffering the aftershocks of a latest manager sacking, hoping to salvage the season via European qualification. The lad from Wallsend has 17 games to do so – his new team are in seventh place on 32 points, so victory over City would be a fine start. But you wonder if the match might end with Carrick and United humbled or, even worse, humiliated. Jamie Jackson
Manchester United v Manchester City, Saturday 12.30pm (all times GMT)
Chelsea v Brentford, Saturday 3pm
Leeds v Fulham, Saturday 3pm
Liverpool v Burnley, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...Inter 1-0 Lecce, Cologne 1-3 Bayern Munich
Ajax thrashed 6-0 by AZ Alkmaar in Dutch Cup
Francesco Pio Esposito was the hero for Inter, the substitute’s 78th-minute goal earning a 1-0 home win over lowly Lecce to boost their title hopes.
The Serie A leaders laboured against stubborn opposition before Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining. Inter move six points clear of Milan and Napoli with victory in what could be a major turning point in this season’s title race.
Continue reading...Midfielder signs long-term deal after move from Atlético
Thomas Frank: ‘Conor will bring leadership and maturity’
Conor Gallagher has pledged to bring “special moments” to Tottenham after completing a £34.6m transfer from Atlético Madrid. The London club moved quickly for a midfielder they have long admired after losing Rodrigo Bentancur to a hamstring injury at Bournemouth last Wednesday, beating off competition from Aston Villa. Bentancur has since undergone surgery.
Spurs looked at Gallagher at the end of the 2023-24 season only for him to go from Chelsea to Atlético for £34m. Before the Premier League game between Chelsea and Spurs in May 2024 at Stamford Bridge, the home support unfurled a giant banner of Gallagher. “Chelsea since birth,” read the caption about their academy product. The subtext was clear: do not sell him to Spurs.
Continue reading...