Category: Football (Soccer)

• Former midfielder ahead of Solskjær after interviews

• Darren Fletcher admits he is in the dark over his position

Michael Carrick has emerged as the favourite candidate to be Manchester United’s interim manager for the rest of the season ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the interview process, with the club’s executive expected to finalise the decision on Monday.

While Omar Berrada, the chief executive, and Jason Wilcox, the director of football, are understood to have not made a formal offer, they are leaning towards Carrick, sources have informed the Guardian. This follows both Carrick and Solskjær having face-to-face discussions with the hierarchy. Berrada and Wilcox met Carrick on Thursday and Solskjær on Saturday at the club’s Carrington training ground.

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Manchester United’s hunt for trophies is over inside the second week of January after a ruthless Brighton took advantage of yet another loose defensive performance. This FA Cup third-round knockout means the 13-time winners have been dumped from the competition and the League Cup at the first opportunity for a first time since 1981-82.

By the end of May, United’s season will stand at a total of 40 games – their lowest number in a complete campaign since 1914-15. If the Carabao Cup penalty shootout elimination at Grimsby in August was dire, this disappointment was as concerningly insipid. Goals from Brajan Gruda and Danny Welbeck, one in each half, (probably) ended Darren Fletcher’s record as the interim manager as winless – this defeat following the draw at Burnley in the Premier League on Wednesday.

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The ageless Danny Welbeck scored the decisive goal against his old club, who had the teenage substitute Shea Lacey sent off

3 min Moments later, Dalot blooters over the bar from the edge of the area.

Cunha wanders infield and curls a marvellous long pass to put Dalot through on goal. He scampers into the area and is denied by the outrushing Steele. Dalot needed to lift it but his first touch was slightly heavy and that allowed Steele to close the gap.

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After Macclesfield defeat, club must invest wisely to bolster a weak squad and convince their manager to stay

Oliver Glasner’s face told the story. The Crystal Palace manager watched in exasperation as the FA Cup holders headed towards ignominy on Macclesfield’s artificial surface and was still in shock when he conducted his post-match interview. “Honestly, I have no explanation for what I have seen today,” said Glasner.

A mere 238 days since the greatest day in Palace’s history, when he and the club stalwart Joel Ward paraded their first major trophy at Wembley, Marc Guéhi’s first thought after the final whistle at the weekend was to face the music from the diehards who had made the trip to Cheshire from south London. Accompanied by the assistant manager, Paddy McCarthy, the Palace captain held intense discussions with several supporters as Macclesfield’s celebrated their historic victory with a pitch invasion.

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A hat-trick from Gabriel Martinelli helped Arsenal come from behind to beat Portsmouth with plenty to spare

At Pride Park, Leeds have come from behind to lead Derby. They’re playing with so much confidence now they’re setting up in a 3-5-2.

Bad news for Liverpool:

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Liam Rosenior got off to a flying start as Chelsea head coach with an emphatic victory at the Valley

5 min Badiashile gets an early yellow card for pulling down Leaburn, who was in the Chelsea academy until the age of 16.

4 min Campbell’s low cross from the left is put behind for a corner by Andrey Santos. Bree takes, Jorgensen punches a little unconvincingly but gets away with it.

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Rob Smethurst’s resurrection of a troubled but proud club is timely reminder that football can still be the people’s game

From extinction to the impossible dream of becoming the greatest FA Cup giantkillers of all, Macclesfield’s story reminds that community will forever be football’s greatest asset. As fans celebrated victory over the holders, Crystal Palace, many took their time to peel away from the stadium. Not too long ago, many feared they may never return to Moss Rose.

Macclesfield Town FC, 1874-2020 was the etching on the gravestone of the club that died, mourned quietly by a town that had slowly lost touch with events at the shambling football ground on its southern tip, pretty much the last stop before the long drive to London begins.

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Aaron Ramsdale was Newcastle’s hero as they edged past Bournemouth into the FA Cup fourth round on penalties. The on-loan Southampton keeper saved from Evanilson, Álex Jiménez and Bafodé Diakité to seal a 7-6 shootout win after a pulsating encounter had ended 3-3 after 120 minutes on a bitterly cold afternoon. However, Eddie Howe was counting the cost, with Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Manchester City in mind.

Marcus Tavernier had taken the tie to penalties with an equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of extra time seconds after Harvey Barnes thought he had won it for the much-changed Magpies. The hosts had led through a Barnes goal, but trailed 2-1 after Alex Scott and David Brooks scored in quick succession before Anthony Gordon’s late spot-kick.

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• Wolves beat Shrewsbury 6-1 to continue revival

• Leicester win 2-0 at Cheltenham to avoid giantkilling

David Moyes refused to criticise the players who missed all Everton’s penalties in a 3-0 shootout defeat to Sunderland in the club’s first FA Cup tie at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Unconvincing efforts from James Garner, who had scored from the spot in the 89th minute to cancel out Enzo Le Fée’s first-half strike, Thierno Barry and Beto were all saved by Robin Roefs. It was the first time in Everton’s history they had failed to score a single penalty in a shootout, and they became only the second top-flight team to lose an FA Cup shootout without scoring after Blackburn, also against Sunderland, in 2003.

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After 52 minutes, joy for Antoine Semenyo on his Manchester City debut. Rayan Cherki’s pirouette presaged him threading the ball in behind Exeter’s defence for the wideman to run in and beat Joe Whitworth to cap a memorable display. A little later Semenyo was replaced to an ovation and, from his seat in the stands, the suspended Pep Guardiola, in a flat cap and winter coat, approved, too.

Tijjani Reijnders’ curled finish, Nico O’Reilly’s flicked header, an 18-yard shot by another debutant, Ryan McAidoo, and Rico Lewis’s second completed City’s goal-plunder, while the substitute George Birch, 19, smashed home a memorable first Exeter goal for their consolation.

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Arthur Okonkwo was the hero of the shootout as the Championship team downed Forest

Big noise from both sets of fans on a chilly night in what used to be known as Clwyd.

Sean Dyche, of course, is wearing shorts as he carries out his pre-match duties.

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National League South side face Grimsby in the third round and those at the club are desparate for the ride to continue

Weeks on from the FA Cup third-round draw, inside Weston-super-Mare’s modest clubhouse at their stadium a couple of miles from the holiday haven beachfront, there is still a tinge of incredulity at what might have been. Bridget Bolland, operations manager and one of the mini-army of staff who keep the part-time sixth-tier side ticking, relays how, normally, visiting teams have their post-match meal on a bench beside the skittles alley, sausage and chips usually the offering. The thought of Bruno Fernandes or Erling Haaland tucking in here is yet to fully evaporate.

But the draw meant Weston, the promotion-chasing National League South side who have reached this stage of the Cup for the first time, have been preparing for a different challenge: a tie at fourth-tier Grimsby Town, who beat Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in August. “As a United fan, I hated them that night,” says Weston’s manager, Scott Rogers. “I was going mad at the TV. But I’m hoping we can do something similar. There’s always an upset in the Cup: why can’t it be us?”

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Macclesfield and Weston-super-Mare carry the non-league hopes while fringe players need to seize their chances

Silly goals conceded, chances missed, a lead surrendered and points squandered against relegation fodder. On the face of things, Manchester United have changed manager but nothing else. The reality is different. They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them – and pretty much every other team – far better than Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 before, midway through the first half, they started to play. The deployment of Bruno Fernandes close to the opposition goal, along with a wide player, Patrick Dorgu, playing on his natural side, meant Benjamin Sesko was, for the first time, provided with decent service. Then, following Jaidon Anthony’s equaliser, Darren Fletcher’s side risked defeat by going all out for the win – one nearly achieved through the timely introduction of Shea Lacey, a richly talented 18-year-old. Brighton will present far stiffer opposition but, for the first time in a long time, United are doing what United are meant to do. Daniel Harris

Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday 4.30pm (all GMT)

Macclesfield v Crystal Palace, Saturday 12.15pm

Grimsby v Weston-super-Mare, Saturday 5.45pm

Manchester City v Exeter, Saturday 3pm

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