Category: Sport News

LONDON: Manchester United ended a turbulent week with a 1-1 draw against arch-rivals Leeds United in the Premier League, piling pressure on manager Michael Carrick.

The result at Elland Road saw United continue to struggle to find their best form after only recording two wins in nine matches in all competitions this season.

The club’s crisis also intensified after defender Lisandro Martinez criticized United’s management following the 0-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, midweek.

The Argentine defender claimed Carrick was not provided with a strong enough squad after a disappointing summer transfer window.

However, Carrick insisted the issue had been resolved and Martinez remained in the starting line-up against Leeds.

The match started with intense action from both teams, but dangerous opportunities were limited in the early stages.

United goalkeeper Senne Lammens was the first player tested when he successfully saved Nico Elvedi’s header which went into the top corner of the goal in the 26th minute.

United then increased the pressure and Bryan Mbeumo almost opened the scoring with a header that went wide before his effort was saved by Leeds goalkeeper James Trafford.

However, Mbeumo finally broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when he finished off Youri Tielemans’ low pass from the right for his fourth goal in the EPL this season.

Martinez was taken off at half-time and replaced by Noussair Mazraoui, but United failed to maintain their lead as Leeds equalised in the 51st minute.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin finished off a close-range chance after Tarik Muharemovic headed in a corner kick to revive the home side’s challenge.

Leeds then dominated most of the game and limited United to counter-attacks, forcing Carrick to bring on Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha in search of a winner.

However, both teams failed to score any more goals and had to settle for one point.

The result saw United remain in 13th place after only recording one win in seven league matches, while Leeds occupied seventh place.

In other action, Brighton seized second place in the league, at least temporarily, after thrashing Crystal Palace 5-0.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez criticised the club’s top management after his team lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League early this morning, insisting he expects greater investment to help the team compete at the highest level.

The Argentina international was particularly critical of the club’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, insisting United needed more new players to compete with the challengers and build a squad capable of competing in Europe.

“I expect more from our technical director. I have to be honest. As players, we also have to do more,” Martinez told Amazon Prime.

Atletico opened the scoring through Pablo Barrios in the first minute at the Metropolitano Stadium before Ademola Lookman secured the home side’s victory in the 79th minute, shortly after United defender Leny Yoro was sent off.

The result extended Michael Carrick’s winless run to five matches across all competitions, and saw United remain with three points in the Champions League group stage after opening the campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah FK.

United return to the Champions League after a two-season absence, following a group-bottom finish in their last appearance in the 2023-24 season.

“We enjoyed a great season last season and now we expect more efforts from the top, including bringing in more players to enable us to compete because many other teams have also signed many new players,” added Martinez.

United, who are currently 13th in the Premier League, will travel to Leeds United this Sunday before facing Como in their next Champions League match on October 21.

MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s sensational forward Erling Haaland has revealed that his decision to cut his iconic long hair has given him an unexpected advantage off the pitch.

The Norwegian striker surprised fans earlier this season when he swapped his synonymous ponytail hairstyle for a much shorter cut.

Haaland was previously one of the most easily recognizable figures in world football, largely due to his sharpness in front of goal and unique ‘Viking’-style image.

However, the 26-year-old thinks it’s time to make a drastic change that will shock the sporting world.

Despite his global icon status, the prolific striker has found that his new aesthetic image allows him to blend in and ‘get lost’ in crowds more easily than before.

“I’m not so well known on the street anymore. You don’t see that beautiful blonde hair anymore. It’s a good change and I think it’s quite nice,” he told Sky Sports.

Haaland initially expected his new hairstyle to cause a bit of a stir on social media, but the scale of the international attention was beyond his expectations.

Global media and fans were quick to scrutinize every detail of her personal transformation, making her new hairstyle headlines around the world.

Despite facing such intense scrutiny, City’s main star took the extra attention casually.

“I expected it to go viral, but I didn’t think the whole world would notice my new haircut. It was kind of funny,” he said.

The move to ditch the ponytail marks a major change for Haaland, who previously claimed his long hair was a source of his strength on the pitch.

In fact, he once revealed that the legend, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, once advised him not to cut his hair before Haaland finally chose his own path this season.

MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson hopes to live long enough to witness the opening of Manchester United’s new stadium which will replace Old Trafford.

The 84-year-old legend admitted that he wondered if he would ever see the 100,000-capacity stadium open.

“I wonder if I’ll still be around to celebrate the opening.”

“I hope construction can begin soon because if it takes five years, I will be approaching 90 years old.

“However, I knew I would be at the event in some way, whether physically or as a memory,” he said in the book Games of My Life.

United had previously targeted a move to a new stadium in 2030, but that date has been cancelled and the club has not set a new date.

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe proposed a new 100,000-seater stadium in 2024, with the design unveiled by Foster+Partners in March 2025.

United also bought land near Old Trafford for £63.5 million for the project.

Ferguson, who was appointed United manager in 1986 before retiring in 2013, won 13 Premier League titles and managed 724 matches at Old Trafford.

In honour of his services, the North Stand of Old Trafford was named the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in 2011, before his statue was erected outside the stadium a year later.

LONDON: Thomas Tuchel has said Manchester City are the talk of the town in the England camp after the club was found guilty of several breaches of Premier League financial regulations.

He, however, stressed that the case would not influence his decision in selecting players for the match against Croatia, this Sunday.

The independent commission’s decision announced earlier this week has sparked a major shock in English football.

City, who have dominated the EPL for the past 15 years, face severe punishment including the possibility of being relegated from the top division.

Marc Guehi and Elliott Anderson are the two City players still in Tuchel’s squad for the UEFA Nations League match against Croatia in Rijeka after Nico O’Reilly was forced to withdraw through injury.

“We have a little break and a period between matches, and it’s a big topic,” Tuchel said in a press conference today.

“Of course the players are talking about it, so are the City players and we have spoken to them too, but briefly.

“They’re ready to go out and play, that’s what they’ve shown on the field and in camp, but of course it’s a big topic.”

City denies any wrongdoing and has appealed the decision.

However, if they fail to overturn the commission’s decision, City are likely to face at least a points deduction, which could affect their position in the Premier League.

Tuchel was asked whether the club’s players would still be considered for selection if they played in a lower division.

“There are always possibilities,” he said. “I will always try to choose the best team for the camp, for the matches and for the tournament. I will not exclude those who do not play in the top league of their country.

“So, we need to look at this on a case-by-case basis.”

England’s meeting with Croatia, which will take place behind closed doors, is the third of four Nations League matches in this international window.

The Three Lions lost 3-2 to world champions Spain at home last weekend, but bounced back to beat the Czech Republic 2-0 yesterday.