#rashford goal?? against city??

[reijndeers]

laaaa what have i just witnessed??

[killa-trav]

manchester united have had the most var decisions against them so far this season in the premier league yet other fans of certain clubs think they are purposely targeted

[player1064]

ahh royghty parenting plss

YESSSS okay so basic premise of this fic:

Gary, Phil, and Tracey are all kids but everyone else is normal age (except Carra but he only shows up later in the fic when Gary's a teenager)

No gnev & carra at Sky means that Roy and Wrighty host MNF together instead

giving u a whole section bc i just really enjoy the whole thing

---

Kelly's eyes stray to something behind the camera and the corner of her mouth ticks up in a poor attempt to smother a smile.This is never a good sign, especially not when a few seconds later Roy hears an excited shout of "DAD!" before he's had any time to brace himself.

They're shooting live, but somehow his charming little brat of a son still manages to slip past the crew and come crashing into Roy, his skinny arms wrapping tight around his waist. Roy looks over at where his husband is stood on the sideline mouthing 'sorry' with an amused expression that suggests he's not really sorry at all.

"Oh? Seems we have a guest for this evening's pitchside chat," Kelly says. "Roy, d'you want to...?"

Roy, because he's got an image to present, rolls his eyes at the camera with a smirk and teases "can't get the help these days, can you?" He nudges Gary, who's sort of half-hiding behind him now that he's aware he's on camera, and he holds his microphone out to him. "You want to introduce yourself?"

Gary looks up at Roy, then he looks at the microphone and leans towards it with a little frown of concentration, and says "Erm, hello. I'm Gary and I play for Manchester United's under-9s."

He nudges Roy's hand to move the mic away from him again and looks back up at him, waiting. Roy gives him a little wink of approval and rests his free hand on his shoulder to give it a squeeze.

To his right, Redders holds out a fist for Gary to bump in greeting, who returns the gesture and then has to cover his mouth to hide his giggles at the stupid little explosion noises Redders makes as he moves his hand back.

"Alright, Gaz?" he asks, "What'd you think of the game?"

More confident now that he's been reminded he's among familiar faces, Gary grabs Roy's wrist to bring the microphone back down to his level. "Um. My dads say that we probably can't catch City this late in the season, but I think it's still good to get a win, erm, especially at home against Liverpool."

Roy takes the mic back. "And your man got two goals, eh?" He turns to Kelly and Redders, tries to switch them all back into Serious Punditry Mode. "I mean, Rashford played brilliantly tonight, didn't he?"

They manage to make it through the last couple of minutes of the segment without incident, and when they call cut he scoops Gary up into his arms, spinning him round while he ignores his laughing protests of "I'm not a baby, Da!"

"You're a menace is what you are," Roy says fondly, carrying him over to Wrighty and plopping him unceremoniously in front of him. It then occurs to him that if Gary's the one crashing live shoots then there's no limit to the kind of trouble his siblings might be causing, so he glances at Wrighty and asks "the twins...?"

"They bullied Shaun into taking them to the Everton game," he says, like it's perfectly normal for two six-year-olds to be able to bully a man in his mid-thirties. "I did text you, don't go lookin' at me like that."

He feels a tug at his sleeve, and he looks down at Gary bouncing around excitedly. "Da. Da, are you nearly ready to go home? Dad said we could have pie and chips for supper. As a treat, like."

"Did he now?"

"He did, I promise. Can I have a whole pie to myself?"

[seedlessmuffins]

aren’t you a new football fan? celebrating like you’ve won the fucking world cup after one arsenal win lmfao. i’m not a city fan but don’t get used to assna wins when you lot lose the league to city again. embarrassing behaviour

hi anon! let's clear the air, yeah?

first of all, yes! i am a new football fan, i just started watching seriously after the world cup, and i am also a new arsenal fan. however, i still care very deeply about the sport and my team's successes in said sport! that is what being a fan is all about <3 just because i didn't grow up watching european football doesn't mean that i have less of a right to enjoy it then you do! also, it is the most popular sport in the world with billions and billions of fans globally, and out of the entire sport, the english premier league is the most viewed league in the world. of football, but also of any sport. so you can't really gatekeep it, sorry!

second of all, i'm aware that this was only a regular matchweek, not the world cup. but there are two important caveats to that those being:

who we were playing

and

the fashion in which we won

for who we were playing, it's not a secret that outside of the spurs and the north london derby, manchester united is one of arsenal's biggest rivals and has been since the start of the premier league when they were competing against each other for titles and trophies. i won't go into premier league history with you, i am just a new fan who knows nothing after all, but you should know that beating a rival is always exciting, especially when you are competing against them for points and jockeying for the title to compete with man city. every win is important, and winning is better when it is against a historical rival team.

for the fashion in which we won, it was a close game until the very end. rashford scoring in the 27th minute, and odegaard answering back 35 seconds later. the teams were trading chances and possession, there were good chances and var calls that went either way, it was a close game where the teams were fighting hard. and then, in the 95th minute, rice scores an absolute screamer and it was truly scenes at the emirates. gabi jesus caps it off with a 101st minute beaut, and arsenal win the game. winning in the last 3 minutes of regulation time, with a bonus goal over 100 minutes into the game is exciting! it was thrilling to watch, and seeing a team that i support win that emphatically in that dramatic of a manner was so much fun. its an exciting thing to watch and its ok to be excited when there's a win like that!

it also isn't just one win, this has just been our best win this season (imo)! we have only played four games, and we have won three and drawn one. so that is three wins actually, i am just celebrating this one the most, again, because of who we won against, how we won, and how we played to secure the win.

if the bit about "not getting used to arsenal wins" (i don't think you can call them assna when they came second in the premier league last season, and this season they haven't lost and they're in the champions league, right? but what do i know i'm just a new footy fan <3) is about the post where i said i forgot how good it feels to watch my team win, i don't think you understand what i have been through in the past 12 years as a sports fan. my hockey team has been on a losing streak almost this whole time, and we have been one of the flops of the league for awhile. just take a look at these gorgeous statistics from my favourite hockey team (that i have been a fan of since i was two, thank you very much)

do you want to talk losing? i know about losing. i know about losing for a long time, in an embarrassing manner. if you want more examples from football, from january to april 2023 i watched psg play every week. that was embarrassing losing in football for real. i might be new to football but i'm not new to sports, and i have to be perfectly honest: coming second is not losing. and what happened today wasn't a loss at all! in fact, it was the opposite! it was a win!

idk about losing the league to manchester city, it seems to me that arsenal has a good system with talented players that can ball out. we will see what comes, as the season is long and there are many other competitions for arsenal to compete in, but i have faith in the gunners and i believe that they can win! (and ill let you in on a little secret: that's what being a fan is all about <3)

i'm not sure if the embarrassing behaviour at the end is for my behaviour or arsenal's behaviour, however i am not being embarrassing, i am just being a fan, and arsenal certainly wasn't embarrassing with their performance today. idk what you're seeing, but bestie i think you might be blind <3

thanks for coming into my inbox anon, hope this cleared everything up for you! next time, let's let people enjoy things yeah? i try my best to be positive on here, i'm hardly ever a hater and i like to spread joy. why don't you take some of that energy alright? alright. hope you enjoyed your stay <3

ps: arsenal definitely are winning the world cup :)

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Liverpool 3-0 Manchester United

Whatever.

This one will be a quick one because I only managed to watch the highlights. Did we deserve to lose? Yes. Were we dramatically outplayed? No.

The positives - More minutes in the tank for players and fitness ahead of the new season. Notably so for Amad and Mason Mount, who will hopefully have big parts to play in this season. Rashford is also looking a lot sharper than last season, as is Casemiro (who also looks slimmer).

The negatives - United were not clinical. More chances than Liverpool, no goals. Casemiro also had a howler moment, which exposed Toby Collyer, and the half team split (front 5/back 5) thing was apparent yet again. Hopefully something being worked on by the new coaching staff, and that just showed based on who was available (still a bunch of internationals back at Carrington).

No Hojlund and Zirkzee makes a difference up top, but I do feel Wheatley should have been started at CF over Sancho. He's a makeshift and didn't do well. He's much better at link up play and being a clever, tricky bastard. I get why him central over Marcus, because that experiment has been tried and proven ineffective, but still. Wheatley is a solid third choice striker for a few mins here and there this season. Why deprive him of a rare start?

Anyway, tour over. Back home we go. Prep for next Saturday's Community Shield derby against City is underway and hopefully we can go two games, two wins, two trophies against the noisy neighbours. Doubtful, but not impossible.

[bongaboi]

Manchester United: 2023-24 FA Cup Winners

Manchester United pulled off a thrilling Emirates FA Cup triumph as teenage sensations Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo inspired a 2-1 win against rivals Manchester City.

Garnacho took advantage of a City mistake to put United ahead on the half-hour before Mainoo calmly doubled their lead, as the Red Devils stunned Pep Guardiola’s domestic double hopefuls in the first half.

City laid siege to United’s goal after half-time and hit the cross-bar through Erling Haaland, before substitute Jeremy Doku set-up a grandstand finish with a low shot into the bottom corner in the 87th minute.

However, United held firm to win the 13th Emirates FA Cup in their history, moving to within one of Arsenal’s record, and book their place in next season’s Europa League.

This marks their second trophy under manager Erik ten Hag and comes at the end of a wild Emirates FA Cup journey. United required extra-time to beat rivals Liverpool 4-3 in a pulsating quarter-final and then penalties to see off Coventry City in the semi-finals following a sensational 3-3 draw.

While this did not quite match those matches for drama, it was a nail-biting final and a fine way to end a difficult season for United that saw them finish eighth in the Premier League, 31 points behind champions City in the table.

City have the Premier League trophy to show for another excellent campaign but missed out on the chance to become the first side in English history to win back-to-back league and cup doubles.

Last year’s Emirates FA Cup triumph came against the very same opponents and this marked the first repeat final since 1885. That day, City scored after just 12 seconds – Ilkay Gundogan’s spectacular volley sending them on the way to a 2-1 win – and this match threatened an equally explosive start.

First, a long United pass forward sent Marcus Rashford through on goal but City captain Kyle Walker raced back to deny him a shot inside the box. Seconds later at the other end, Lisandro Martinez barged Haaland over in the penalty area, prompting claims for a City spot-kick.

United were content to sit back and pin their hopes to the counter-attack, and that almost bore fruit in the eighth minute when Bruno Fernandes found Garnacho inside the penalty area, but the winger shot straight at Stefan Ortega.

While that was a difficult opportunity, his next was gift-wrapped by some slack City defending.

Diogo Dalot sent a long and high ball upfield for Garnacho to chase, though City seemed to have it covered with Josko Gvardiol in front of the winger and Ortega rushing out of his goal. However, a lack of communication resulted in a costly error, as Gvardiol headed the ball over Ortega’s head and left opportunist Garnacho a simple tap-in.

With that, the mood changed. United were suddenly alive to every ball and confident enough to press City higher up the pitch, and, with the defending champions a touch off their best, it paid dividends.

Garnacho escaped City’s defence again and crossed for Rashford to tap into an empty net, sparking wild celebrations in the east stand that quickly were cut short by an offside flag. Nonetheless, City were warned, but – much to Guardiola’s frustration - they failed to listen.

Two minutes later, United cut City open with a scything move from left to right. It started with Rashford’s pin-point cross-field pass to Garnacho, who had time and space to pick a pass to Fernandes, unaccompanied on the edge of the box.

City defenders rushed to close down a potential shot, but the United captain brilliantly flicked the ball on to an unmarked Mainoo, who shot low and hard across Ortega and into the bottom corner. Suddenly, United were in firm control and City desperately playing catch up.

In response, Guardiola wasted no time in re-setting his team at half-time, sending the pacey winger Doku on in place of midfielder Mateo Kovacic in an attacking substitute.

The Belgian’s direct dribbling added an instant threat he twice went close to an assist with a pair of slippery cut-backs, first for Phil Foden, who scuffed his shot, before another later found Erling Haaland, whose vicious shot smacked the cross-bar.

Those 30 all-action seconds transformed the mood, with City - and their vocal fans behind the goal - growing in belief.

Walker reacted with a howitzer of a shot from 30 yards that forced Andre Onana into a sensational save, before another City substitute – Julian Alvarez – shot narrowly over the bar when well-placed inside the box. United were on the ropes.

Alvarez then wasted another fine opportunity, as he raced on to a sublime Foden pass inside the box but slid his shot wide of Onana’s right-hand post from just 10 yards out.

Walker forced Onana into another save with a snarling long-range shot, but City’s charged started to flatline as full-time approached.

However, Doku sparked a nail-biting finale when he drifted onto his right foot on the left wing and beat Onana at his near-post with a low shot from the edge of the box.

But they failed to create another major opportunity and United survived to the final whistle, sparking jubilant celebrations in the red halves of Wembley and Manchester.

[cryingforcrocodiles]

now that united's season is over i'm going to be rating how dick hardening some of matches were. thanks for sticking around. here's my season journey through slideshows n reaction memes bascially. this is the first 9.

this is a lot words so i expect no one to read these. this slide are poor quality but atp ... just enjoy the experience. vibe twin jst vibe

the first prem match of the season. united loves disappointment as per usual so i feel like... most of us were like "ha okay this is a disgrace but wow i knew it this would happen deep down." but not this bad holy shit. but [gestures to picture] i think own goals are amazing when we're not the own getting goaled so i had a little fun with this one. also "Erik ten Hag is the first Manchester United manager to lose his first Premier League game in charge since Louis van Gaal in August 2014 against Swansea City." is an amazing way to sum up the season in a whole. breaking real records...

i had to sedate myself. and the kits were ugly.

🔥🔥🔥🔥 NO LINEUP BC WE DOMINATED AND DON'T HAVE TO DEMEAN OURSELVES. 🔥🔥🔥🔥 ARENT WE THE BEST CLUB IN THE WORLD??? SANCHO ON THE SCORESHEET 🔥🔥🔥 NO ONE CAN BEAT US (UNLESS YOU'RE OUTSIDE THE BIG SIX) 🔥🔥🔥.

not much to say about this one tbh. j-ward is going to hell. not for anything he did this match but i'm just letting yk. 3 points! onechester united.

sancho said "these niggas are so boring" and finally snuck a goal. thank you sancho i live and breathe you. onechester united x2

THREECHESTER UNITED. saka gives arsenal hope but rashy crushes it. rashford brace 💖 ... all rashford fcers were having the time of their life (I WAS SO FUCKING HAPPY!!). rashford had 3 goals at this point. 3 points.

i like watching penalties even if its against me. adrenaline Mhm. but otherwise whatever it's the groupstage n first one. so. i didn't rlly care. spanish teams beat and own our ass so. another day! moving on.

i meant to put FC in there but i forgot. so it's just "the sancho" except "the sancho fc" well. yes sancho goals make the planet go round and round. that's why the world stopped after fulham match.

4 bc the goals were nice ig. but getting hattricked by a norwegian and the devil himself was enough to get some tears out of me. you'd get teary jerky too. also streak ended but 🔥🔥🔥 manchester is still red

[dailyreddevils]

Manchester City 1 - 2 Manchester United

United were down but they refused to be out! After Grealish put the visitors ahead, United put their heads down and got to work. Bruno Fernandes equalized for United but it would be a few seconds before the goal was actually given because Rashford had been in an offside position. However, after a review it was determined that Rashford never touched the ball and did not impede the defenders. Five minutes later United would go ahead thanks to a Rashford tap in. 

This win puts United solidly in third place, just 1 point behind City and 5 points behind Arsenal. 

Next up for United is an away match against Crystal Palace

[rashfordxbruno]

Matchday! United return to Premier League action on Sunday evening, making the short trip to Merseyside to face Frank Lampard's Everton at Goodison Park

The Reds will be buoyed by our recent triumph in the Europa League on Thursday night, as a brace from Marcus Rashford and a goal from Anthony Martial ensured we took all three points against Omonia over in Cyprus.

Having bounced back from last Sunday's 6-3 defeat against City, with the 3-2 win over Omonia on Thursday evening, the Reds will hope to build on positive start to life under Ten Hag in the Premier League.

Bidding to close the gap on the top-four, United currently sit 6th in the table, having amassed 12 points from our seven league games so far.

Considering our recent record against the Toffees at Goodison Park, I don't seem so much confident. But if we pull out a positive result, then good. Let's see how the game will unfold.

[doux-amer]

Loveeee watching a match against Utd and seeing Mo own them. :') Some Mo stats from today, most of which come from OptaJoe:

Ten goals in nine appearances at Old Trafford for Liverpool in all competitions

Second player to score 10+ goals at a single away ground for a Premier League club since 1992–93 after Alan Shearer (let's see him break that record this season, please)

Top goalscorer against Utd in Premier League history

Most goals by an opposing player at Old Trafford in Premier League history (he already had this record at 6 goals so he beat his own record today with his 7th)

Fifth in most goals scored at Old Trafford in all competitions since January 2021 behind Rashford, Fernandes, CR7, and McTominay lmao

Either scored (10) or assisted (6) 16 of Liverpool's last 22 PL goals against Utd

He just lovesssss scoring against Utd (and City!)

[thefreedomlake]

Joao Pedro gives Brighton a point and puts Manchester United in dire straits

2024/08/25 01:52

Joao Pedro gives Brighton a point and puts Manchester United in dire straits

New owners (partially), new players, new atmosphere, but it was a familiar story for Manchester United. Joao Pedro scored the winner five minutes into added time and United will lament a ridiculous offside penalty that denied them the lead late on, but Brighton looked set to score for all but ten minutes of the second half. For United, it was a performance that may have been better than last season's equivalent, but still not good enough.

The winning goal came after sustained pressure. Simon Adingla finally dropped the ball at the back post, with three Brighton players lined up to finish it off. United may have taken quiet courage from the way they pressed Brighton, from their sense of shape and structure, but they lacked conviction and ruthlessness. And fundamentally, there is a baffling inability to get the simple things right. Where were the markers? Why was half the six-yard box empty in the ninth minute?

The first goal was no different. In the 32nd minute, the ball was played to João Pedro on the right and everyone stood back from him. He had time to bend a dangerous ball across the six-yard box and nobody touched it, but it found its way to Mitoma Kaoru just beyond the far post, who slotted it in behind Nousser Mazraoui. As he smashed a low ball across goal, Harry Maguire couldn't reach it - "I didn't see the ball," he explained lamentingly to Casemiro - and Danny Welbeck tucked it in.

Welbeck was once United's future, a local lad with a knack for scoring goals. He left the club in 2014. Two years earlier, another local lad with a knack for scoring goals, Marcus Rashford, had arrived. Rashford, too, was beginning to look like a player who would never fulfil his potential at Old Trafford. It was Rashford who intercepted Billy Gilmour's pass intended for Bruno Fernandes on the opener against Brighton.

Rashford finished last season in dismal form and has struggled this season - he missed two chances in the Community Shield against Manchester City and featured spasmodically at best against Fulham last week - and he comes across as a player lacking self-confidence and out of step with the world.

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A quick attempt to take a free kick just before half-time but losing the ball for nothing was a classic example. His sense of urgency has given way to a tendency to rush things and take chances. On a number of occasions he has run a little too early and been offside. He looks frustrated. Perhaps he just needs a goal to get going again but at the moment it feels like a rest, if not a transfer, is in order.

As per usual, Erik ten Hag changed the shape at half-time, introducing Joshua Zergzee, and the victim was Mason Mount, arguably the biggest player in the Premier League since Tom Huddlestone (curiously, Huddlestone left the United coaching staff in the summer to take up the role with the England national team; perhaps Carrington was literally too big for both of them). He couldn't stop gliding like a giant on water, and perhaps a smaller man would have been better off when he inadvertently kneed Alejandro Garnacho's goal-bound shot over the line and was ruled out for offside.

New owners (partially), new signings, new atmosphere, but it was a familiar story for Manchester United. Joao Pedro scored the winner in the fifth minute of added time. United will bemoan a ridiculous offside late on that denied them the lead, but for all but ten minutes of the second half Brighton looked like they were going to score . For United, it was a performance that may have been better than the equivalent game last season, but still not good enough.

The winner came after sustained pressure. Simon Adingla finally dropped the ball at the back post with three Brighton players waiting to finish it off. United may have taken quiet courage from the way they pressed Brighton, from their sense of shape and structure, but they lacked conviction and ruthlessness. And fundamentally, there is a baffling inability to get the simple things right. Where were the markers? Why was half the six-yard box empty in the 95th minute?

Brighton v Manchester United: Premier League – For real

Read moreThe first goal was similar: in the 32nd minute, the ball was played to Joao Pedro on the right and everyone kept their distance from him. He had time to curl a dangerous ball across the six-yard box and nobody touched it, but it sailed past the far post to Mitoma Kaoru, who slotted it past Nosair Mazraoui.

Zirkzee scored the winner against Fulham and made a noticeable difference to United's attacking prowess at least. Defensively, there still looked to be holes. James Milner's shot was cleared on the goal-line and Welbeck headed the ball against the bar late on after Mazraoui fed Amad Diallo . He got inside Jack Hinshelwood. Defenders will one day realise that the Ivorian only shoots with his left foot. His shot was deflected wide by Jan-Paul van Hecke past Jason Steele.

It was a back-and-forth affair after that but by added time the home side were in enough control that victory felt close. Brighton are shaping up to be a very entertaining team this season. United may still fear they won't be, for entirely different reasons.

Please subscribe.

[jfbuckley]

A fantastic article. Worthy of journalism of the year award in my humble opinion.

—————

hi - sport like life has its ups and downs - for united fans 2023/24 was the biggest roller coaster of a season that fans of my vintage (58 years of supporting) have ever experienced

in the summer of '23 those that left united included de gea and fred - those that arrived included mount, hojlund, amrabat, onana and old red evans - onana was the direct replacement for de gea - de gea was an old style keeper who made great saves but wasn't rated as being able to play out with his feet - onana was trumpeted as excelling as a footballing keeper - manager ten hag talked of playing on the front foot - hojlund was an exciting young striker - it all sounded quite exciting though pre season games were a tad underwhelming - the proposed take over was rumbling in the background and was finally resolved in january '24

united kicked off with a scrappy home win over wolves who should have had a late penalty after a reckless challenge by onana - onana made a poor first impression in early games as he didn't come over as a great shot stopper - defeat at tottenham was followed by a home game to forest where united found themselves 2 down after 4 minutes - united fought back to win 3 - 2 but the defensive concerns were there - bayern scored 4 and galatasaray 3 as united made a disastrous start in the champions league - both arsenal and brighton also hit 3 as united mooched around in mid table mediocrity - sancho was 'excommunicated' for insubordination and martinez disappeared for another foot operation - a 3rd successive home league defeat was only averted by 2 injury time goals by mctominay against brentford

as autumn morphed into winter 22/23's 30 goal hero rashford had scored just once - hojlund hadn't scored any - newcastle gained revenge for the carabao cup final by dumping out united at old trafford and in the league city cruised to 3 points and 3 goals - the champions league provided no comfort

nothing more typified united than 2 home games in december - chelsea were beaten as a mctominay double capped a vibrant display - a few days later bournemouth strolled to a 3 goal win in what was arguably the worst united showing i have had the misfortune to witness - then after yet another comeback win at home to villa united fell at forest - up and down, up and down - finishing bottom of their champions league group united could put their passports away for another year - as we raised a toast to the new year we could always hope for a cup run

united seemed revived in the early months of '24 - cup banana skins were safely negotiated and 4 league games were won in a row - the highlight was west ham at old trafford where young guns hojlund, mainoo and garnacho posed for an iconic photo on the back of a 3 - 0 win - united were 6th with forward momentum - then suddenly form disappeared and momentum came to a dead stop

fulham grabbed a last minute winner at OT which triggered a run of 1 win in 6 - united blew 4 points by conceding injury time goals at brentford and chelsea - in the midst of this liverpool came to old trafford in the cup to finish united's season off - liverpool were riding high at the time and were clearly the better team but somehow united equalised late on to force extra time and in the 120th minute fashioned a thrilling winner from amad - we didn't know it but this was the start of liverpools gradual fading away from the battle for honours

injury hit united were now in the semi finals and faced coventry - united found themselves 3 up with 20 minutes left but contrived to completely squander the advantage as the match moved into extra time - united's world came crashing down when they conceded the winner with the last kick of the game - all was lost and united's followers sat in stunned silence as they tried to understand what they had witnessed - then came the miracle - VAR - the eye in the sky judged that there was a marginal offside and the goal was disallowed - a short time later united won a penalty shoot out but drained reds hardly felt like celebrating

united had 6 league games to play before the cup final - the nadir was a 4 goal beating at crystal palace but the last 2 were won as united trailed in 8th to cap a poor league season - it was ironic that united were about to play city in a replay of last season's cup final in the year when the FA decided to scrap replays altogether

on cup final day most of united's squad were fit for selection - city were champions again and very few pundits gave united much of a chance - yet on the day united were up for the fight - defensively strong, tactically adept and quick on the break united led 2 - 0 at half time - city pressed in the 2nd half but united held on for a famous win which means the europa league and thursday night footy at OT - big cheer everyone

a few statistics to mull over - united were involved in 5 games that ended 4 - 3 - they conceded at least 3 in another 9 games - 14 games and over 40 goals conceded - clearly not defensively secure - they conceded 2 more than they scored and lost 14 league games -  a major explanation might be that of united's defence only onana and dalot played more than 30 games - the maximum the rest played was in the high teens - of the left backs shaw started 12 and malacia none - united were involved in just one goalless draw (Liverpool away)

up front 58 league goals is not a recipe for success - rashford had a poor season scoring just 7 as opposed to last years 30 - hojlund showed promise but could do with a bit of support - it didn't come from the departing martial who made just 5 starts and 1 goal

worthy of praise are dalot, fernandes, garnacho and mainoo who looks destined for a stellar career - it promises to be a busy summer of ins and outs as sir jim ratcliffe's lieutenants prepare for their first transfer window

one issue that has been resolved is that ten hag will continue as manager - INEOS were perfectly entitled to conduct a season review - Ten hag was appointed by the previous regime and INEOS may have had another manager in mind but in the end despite unfounded press reports Ten Hag has been retained - for what it is worth this correspondent is pleased - changing manager every 2 or 3 years does not bring success - Ten hag and INEOS working together might just be a winning combination

bye

[killa-trav]

i forgot to do the post match analysis so here it is a day late as per:

honestly what a win, deffo up there for one of our best performance of the season but not the best because my god was that first half scrappy. thank fuck for david de gea and he fr silenced the haters and showed why he is still one of the best gks in the prem. i can’t analyse the first half too much bc i listened to the majority of it on the radio so i didn’t really see much play

i did see all 3 goals and it’s a shame rashford didn’t get a hatrick but two is better than nothing. it’s so nice to see sancho on the score sheet and for him to score against leicester at home and away. wout weghorst mate idk what u have done to the team bc literally everyone was trying to get u to score but it just wasn’t meant to be for whatever reason. the licha header was close but dalot bro u should’ve banged ur chance in had u used ur left foot.

in terms of overall play, the second half was far better and united were in control of the game. i still think garnacho is better when he comes off the bench but if we don’t start him, he won’t improve and he’s young too like i’m not ripping in to him, he’s a phenomenal player but he makes way more difference coming off the bench than he does starting and that’s just bc of the speed of play and how different the game is at the start vs the end

last thing is the title race. i’ve been saying for quite some time now i still don’t think despite the results, united are capable of winning the league bc yes we are playing phenomenal, yes we are only 5 points behind arsenal and 3 behind city but unlike them two, we are still in 4 competitions and we lack the squad depth city and arsenal have. as in if any of our midfield gets injured we will have to turn to mainoo and iqbal to step up bc we don’t have anyone else. top 4 and carabao cup are still what i want from this season and anything else is literally a really nice extra surprise. i think we could come close but this squad is far from the finished product and when we get the players we need maybe then we can talk about title races and that

overall a solid 8.7/10 would be higher but the first half was just far too poor apart from rashy’s goal and david de gea’s saves

next up: the return leg for barcelona in the europa league at home up the reds!

[novumtimes]

How to watch FA Cup Final? Date Time TV channels and online streaming

The FA Cup final is one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the British sporting calendar. It evokes memories of Jimmy Montgomery’s wonder save, Norman Whiteside’s curler, Keith Houchen’s diving header, the emotional post-Hillsborough disaster game between Liverpool and Everton, Eric Cantona’s volley, the list goes on and on. Hoping to write another chapter in the history books this weekend are Manchester City and Manchester United. It’s a fixture that needs little extra spice adding to it but both sides have plenty riding on it. City need a win to complete back-to-back domestic doubles while, for United, it would be a strong end to a disappointing season. Quite simply, it’s not a match you want to miss.   Date and Time The game takes place on Saturday, May 25. It kicks off at 3pm UK BST.   Manchester City v Manchester United: TV Channels The game is being screened in the UK by both ITV and BBC. Alternatively, you can watch it on a betting site. Click below for your site of choice.   The Key Battles If you were to choose your combined XI, it is doubtful there’d be a single Manchester United player involved. And that means the Red Devils are going to need some big performances from their big-name players for them to stand any chance. Marcus Rashford, for example, has a point to prove. Left out of England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad this week, what better opportunity to show Gareth Southgate he was wrong than to play well at Wembley. And then there is Bruno Fernandes, United’s heartbeat. A captain’s display from the Portugal midfielder could pave the way for a major shock. City are in a strong position. No real injury concerns, bar goalkeeper Ederson, and with all their star men firing, they look a formidable side. Haaland has regained his touch in front of goal, Kevin De Bruyne has grown into the season after a long injury lay-off while Phil Foden continues to shine, even among the talent around him. They also possess boss Pep Guardiola, who is unlikely to lose the tactical battle against Erik ten Hag.   What if I fancy a bet? We have you covered! Source link via The Novum Times

[ghanashowbizonline]

Sports News - ‘Not a lot of people do that’ – Man United star praised by Thierry Henry

Ghana Sports Today; bringing you all trending sports news as it happens. Get daily comprehensive summary of the recent sports – football news that have rocked the online scene. Check out the news below. Thierry Henry has given Bruno Fernandes high marks for his performance against Manchester City last weekend and for setting up Marcus Rashford’s goal. Since Thierry Henry is regarded as one of…

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester United 3-2 Real Betis

Don't let the scoreline deceive you - this was a solid performance and a solid win out in San Diego.

When Real Betis took an early lead through a VERY strange Tom Heaton fumble we'd have been forgiven for thinking "here we go again" but United's tactics have been sharper in this pre-season.

Is that down to new coaching recruits, and the departure of Mitchell Van de Gaag and Steve McClaren? Only time will tell.

United's midfield on paper was so so; Eriksen, McTominay and Casemiro all have a wealth of experience but none are United's first choice really. That said, they held their own and did what was asked, which allowed United to play the squeeze on Betis. The Red Devils had a smidge less of possession than Betis but pressed well, and as a unit a lot of the time.

Statistically it was very even for shots and possession, but United were obviously the more deadly on target and got the goals as a result - with Betis being gifted one of course. Rashford's cool penalty, and goals from Amad and Casemiro sealed the win for United in the first half - even if Diego Llorente bagged mid second half.

For United, the good came in the form of both Amad Diallo - who is having a stormer of a pre-season - and Harry Amass; the young LB prospect yoinked from Watford who has two injury prone seniors ahead of him. While he has a bit of that youthfully haphazard aggression about his play, his driving attacks up the wing and for the overlap are exactly what United want and need from a full back - and he gets back to defend properly too.

One game remains now against rivals Liverpool, before returning home to prepare for the Charity Shield and a rematch against Manchester City after our FA Cup Final win. I know it's a nothing trophy, but it'd be nice to deprive them and start the season off brightly... we live in hope.