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Showing posts with the label MUFC

United held in Ruben's first match

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Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Manchester United Manchester United had to settle for a point at Ipswich in Ruben Amorim's first game in charge, despite striker Marcus Rashford providing an excellent start with an opener just 81 seconds into the match. Author - Olivia T Omari Hutchinson equalized for Ipswich before halftime, while United goalkeeper Andre Onana made two stunning saves to deny Liam Delap.  The outcome was disappointing for Amorim, as his team struggled to contain Ipswich at times and often faced a resolute home defense, which thwarted potential scoring opportunities.  Captain Bruno Fernandes narrowly missed with a late free-kick, but Ipswich fully deserved their point, and without Onana's brilliance, they likely would have scored more goals. Amorim's ambitious choice to start wing-back Amad Diallo paid off when he delivered the low cross that Rashford converted, marking the striker's fifth goal of the season. This was also Rashford's first goal in the Premier

A big weekend of fantasy football awaits

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Are you looking to make some changes in fantasy football this weekend? This article will explore the players you may want to bring in. Author - Mark Lee Jurrien Timber - Arsenal The Dutchman is poised to secure a run of starts in Arsenal’s back four due to an injury to fellow defender Ben White.  Timber's potential for assists is underscored by his impressive statistics. Despite starting only eight of the first 11 matches of the season, he has recorded 10 key passes, placing him fourth among Arsenal players. The 23-year-old also took six shots, which is second only to Gabriel among his side's defenders. After facing a difficult set of opponents, Mikel Arteta's team is now entering a more favorable schedule, making their defenders worth considering for your picks. Ollie Watkins - Aston Villa The Aston Villa forward has been struggling with his performance, scoring just one goal in his last five matches. However, with three favourable home games in the next few weeks, W

Ruben Amorim prepares for first game as United boss

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It will be all change for Manchester United this weekend Their match against Ipswich will see a new face in the dugout as Rúben Amorim takes charge for the first time. Flickr user  freeela sawkaka | Flickr  explores the new manager's tactics The deal to bring Amorim from Sporting Lisbon was finalised on 1 November, but the Portuguese club requested he remain until the international break before moving. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had been serving as interim manager following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, has also departed. The former United striker was not included in Amorim’s plans for his backroom staff. Amorim's first challenge will be this trip to Ipswich Town. He's expected to introduce his favoured 3-4-3 formation, marking a significant shift from the four-man defence United played under Ten Hag. However, preparations for the match has been disrupted. Many United players have been away on international duty and might only return two days before the game. United fans will

Win for United in Ruud's last match as Interim Manager

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Manchester United 3 - 0 Leicester City Bruno Fernandes celebrated his 250th appearance for Manchester United by delivering an impressive performance as Ruud van Nistelrooy concluded his time as interim manager with a 3-0 victory over Leicester in the Premier League. Author - Olivia T Fernandes opened the scoring and later netted a second goal that was officially credited as an own goal by Victor Kristiansen. He also assisted Alejandro Garnacho for a brilliant third goal, helping United secure their third win in four matches since the departure of Erik ten Hag as manager. The home fans serenaded Van Nistelrooy at the final whistle . The Dutchman can be pleased with the return of three wins and a draw from four games, even if United remain in the bottom half of the table. He now leaves Old Trafford after it has been confirmed that he won't form a part of the new manager's coaching staff.  Super Reds News Post Match Review: United 3 - 0 Leicester Fernandes shines for Ruud

Amad shines for Manchester United

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Manchester United 2 - 0 PAOK Amad Diallo’s second-half brace handed Manchester United a crucial win over Greek champions PAOK, jump-starting their Europa League journey and giving incoming manager Ruben Amorim a real chance at securing a top-eight spot. Author - Olivia T Amad was United’s standout attacking threat, breaking the deadlock just five minutes into the second half with a looping header into the far corner. The Ivorian then wrapped up the win with a curling shot from the edge of the box, 13 minutes from time. PAOK’s best opportunity fell to Tarik Tissoudali, who couldn’t find the target from eight yards out with only Andre Onana to beat. Onana also pulled off an acrobatic save to deny Mady Camara, helping United through a relatively uneventful first half. This victory marks United’s second win in their last 12 European matches, and their first of this season after a run of t hree straight draws in the expanded Europa League. In three weeks, United will take on Norwegian s

A closer look at the career of Raphaël Varane

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"Champions League Varane..." Raphaël Varane is a former French professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Real Madrid, Manchester United and the France national side. Author - Peter Grainger from GMCR Football Varane playing for France. Photo credit -  Xavier NALTCHAYAN | Flickr The start of his career with Lille Varane began his career at French club Lens, starting with their youth team. Ahead of the 2010–11 season, he began training with the senior squad and appeared on the bench in several league games. He made his professional debut in 2010 at just 17 years old.  Becoming an iconic defender at Real Madrid After one season as a professional, he joined Real Madrid, where he spent ten years, from 2011 to 2021, winning eighteen trophies. These included three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, four UEFA Champions League titles , and four FIFA Club World Cups.  Known for his pace, composure, and partnership with Sergio Ramos , many fans believe that he was in

Caicedo earns Chelsea draw

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Manchester United 1 - 1 Chelsea Moises Caicedo’s precise volley secured Chelsea a well-earned point against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Author - Liam C United’s interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is filling in as the club awaits the arrival of new head coach Ruben Amorim, looked on course for a second straight win when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, following a foul on Rasmus Hojlund by Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Van Nistelrooy celebrated wildly on the touchline , but United’s joy was short-lived, lasting only four minutes before Caicedo fired a superb shot past Andre Onana from the edge of the box. The result was a share of the points from an otherwise low-key encounter. Wesley Fofana rattled the woodwork with a first-half header, while Marcus Rashford also struck the angle of post and bar with a volley before the break. A closer look at Manchester United's performance Van Nistelrooy has managed to draw p

PL News: Amorim appointed as Man United head coach

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Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as their new head coach. The 39-year-old Portuguese manager, currently with Sporting Lisbon, will make the move to Old Trafford on 11 November and has signed a contract lasting until June 2027. Author - Liam C The post Ten Hag era started with a 5-2 win in the EFL Cup Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United striker who stepped in as interim manager after Erik ten Hag’s departure on Monday, will remain with the team for the next three matches. Amorim becomes the sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26-year tenure ended with his retirement in 2013. Sporting confirmed in a statement that United agreed to pay €11 million (£9.25 million) to activate the release clause in Amorim’s contract. Amorim’s debut match leading the Red Devils is set for 24 November in the Premier League against newly promoted Ipswich, following the international break. His first game at Old Trafford will be on 28 November against Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in

EFL Cup: United progress after difficult few days

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Manchester United 5 - 2 Leicester City  Ruud van Nistelrooy began his tenure as Manchester United’s interim manager on a high, with his team cruising past Leicester to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Author - Olivia T Just two days after stepping in following Erik ten Hag's dismissal , Van Nistelrooy’s call for an exciting performance was more than delivered by his players. Casemiro got the party started with a stunning long-range strike and went on to score again before half-time. After an initial header rattled off both posts, the Brazilian reacted quickly to slot the ball in from eight yards out. Alejandro Garnacho contributed his fifth goal of the season , and captain Bruno Fernandes had a bit of luck with his free-kick, which deflected off Leicester’s James Justin and into the net. Defensively, United weren’t flawless. Some familiar issues allowed Bilal El Khannouss and Conor Coady to pull goals back for Leicester before the break. Coady’s finish, a firs

PL News: Ten Hag sacked by Man United

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There has been a managerial change at Old Trafford. Manchester United have sacked manager Erik ten Hag due to the club's disappointing start to the season. Author - Olivia T Ten Hag's last match ended in a 2-1 defeat against West Ham , leaving the club in 14th place in the Premier League with only three wins from their first nine matches. The Red Devils are also 21st of 36 teams in the Europa League league stage, having drawn their three opening matches. Club sources from the club have reportedly suggested that this was a difficult decision but a unanimous one among all the key decision makers.  The club exercised a one-year extension in Ten Hag's contract after their FA Cup final win against Manchester City in May . However, just over three months later, he has been dismissed. United currently sit on 11 points after nine games, marking their second-lowest tally in the Premier League at this stage (only slightly better than the 10 points they had in the 2019-20 season)

Premier League: Controversial penalty wins it for West Ham

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West Ham United 2 - 1 Manchester United Manchester United will be wondering how they have lost this game. Jarrod Bowen scored a penalty in injury time to condemn The Red Devils to a 2-1 defeat. Author - Olivia T A closer look at what happened at the London Stadium That late penalty from Jarrod Bowen handed Manchester United a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League, easing the pressure on West Ham’s manager, Julen Lopetegui. Casemiro had briefly revived United’s hopes of taking a point, heading in with less than ten minutes to go to cancel out Crysencio Summerville’s 74th-minute goal.  Controversy struck with just three minutes remaining when referee David Coote was called to the pitchside monitor by the Video Assistant Referee to review Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on Danny Ings in the box. Despite protests from United’s players, who claimed a handball by Ings, Coote awarded the penalty, and Bowen kept his cool to slot the ball past André Onana. Click here for more Premier League news

UEL: Mourinho sent off as United held

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Fenerbahce 1-1 Manchester United  Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho was shown a red card as Manchester United battled to secure a 1-1 draw in their Europa League clash in Istanbul.  Author - Liam C The former United manager was dismissed midway through the second half when tensions escalated after the home side were denied a penalty following Manuel Ugarte's challenge on Bright Osayi-Samuel, with the scoreline locked at 1-1. A closer look at what happened United had gone into the break with a lead, thanks to Christian Eriksen’s fourth goal of the season. However, four minutes into the second half, the hosts drew level when Youssef En-Nesyri slipped between United's defenders to nod in Allan Saint-Maximin’s close-range cross. As the atmosphere intensified and the noise levels soared, Mourinho was sent off by French referee Clément Turpin just before the hour mark. The dismissal came after Mourinho led fervent appeals for a penalty when Bright Osayi-Samuel went down following

Premier League: Man United fight back against Brentford

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Manchester United 2 - 1 Brentford The Red Devils came from behind to claim a vital win over Brentford at Old Trafford, easing the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag. Author - Olivia T United found themselves trailing at half-time after Ethan Pinnock headed Brentford into the lead in controversial fashion, with the goal coming while Matthijs de Ligt was off the pitch receiving treatment for a head injury. However, early in the second half, a stunning goal from Alejandro Garnacho ended United’s 316-minute Premier League goal drought with a stunning first-time strike from Marcus Rashford’s cross, bringing the home side level. The decisive moment came in the 62nd minute when Rasmus Højlund latched onto a brilliant flicked pass from Bruno Fernandes, expertly chipping the ball over the onrushing Brentford goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, to secure the win for United. While the match didn’t have the late drama of last season's injury-time double from Scott McTominay that dashed Brentford’s hop

Sliding Doors Moments: What if Scholes wasn’t offside?

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It's time to for another sliding doors moment in football  We travel back to 2004. Manchester United face Porto in the last-16 of the Champions League.  Author - Liam C What actually happened? A ontroversial offside call against Paul Scholes became a pivotal moment in European football history. The disallowed goal cost United a place in the quarter-finals, while Porto, managed by the up and coming manager José Mourinho, went on to win the competition and launch Mourinho into the managerial elite. But what if Scholes hadn’t been ruled offside? How might this alternative scenario have changed the landscape of world and European football? Scholes wasn’t offside: United progress Had the linesman not flagged Scholes for offside, Manchester United would have progressed to the next round of the Champions League. Scholes' goal was legitimate, and had it stood, United would have won the tie on aggregate, knocking out Porto and ending their European dreams. With the Red Devils moving

Sliding Doors Moments: What if Shearer signed for Manchester United in 1996?

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The first sliding doors moment we are going to explore involves Manchester United and Alan Shearer. Author - Liam C In the summer of 1996, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson made a huge effort to sign England striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers.  Shearer was the most prolific goal scorer in English football at the time, having just won the Premier League Golden Boot in both 1995 and 1996.  Ultimately, Shearer chose to join his boyhood club, Newcastle United, for a then-record fee of £15 million. However, an alternative scenario in which Shearer decided to sign for Manchester United could have dramatically affected both the club and the footballing landscape in the Premier League. The Old Trafford club decided to sign a certain unheard-of Norwegian at the time. He didn't do too badly... So, what if Shearer moved to Manchester United in 1996? In this alternate reality, Manchester United sign Shearer and he joins a team fresh off winning the Premier League and FA C

WSL: Man United maintain their perfect start

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Manchester United 3 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur Elisabeth Terland netted her first two goals for Manchester United, guiding them to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Tottenham in the Women's Super League. Author - Olivia T Terland, who made the switch to United from Brighton in July, opened the scoring at Leigh Sports Village by smashing in a cross from ex-Spurs forward Celin Bizet, with the ball bouncing in off the underside of the crossbar. The Norwegian duo combined once more just a minute later, with Terland nodding in Bizet's curling cross to the far post, giving United a solid advantage before half-time. Captain Maya Le Tissier rounded off the scoring, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Ashleigh Neville was penalised for handball in the box. Click here for more news and stories from the Women's Super League Terland came close to securing a hat-trick, but Becky Spencer managed to tip her low shot onto the post. The Norwegian forward left the pitch to a warm stand

Premier League: Dull draw at Villa Park

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Aston Villa 0 - 0 Manchester United Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that the hard-fought draw at Aston Villa eases some of the intense pressure surrounding his role. In contrast to recent performances, United showed signs of the resilience that had been sorely lacking during the home defeat to Tottenham and the defensive frailty witnessed against Porto in the Europa League. Ten Hag called upon experienced defenders Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans to bring stability to the backline, though Maguire was forced off with an injury just before half-time. Marcus Rashford twice tested Villa’s goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, while United captain Bruno Fernandes came closest to scoring with a second-half free-kick that rattled the crossbar in front of the Holte End. Substitute Antony also drew an impressive acrobatic save from Martinez with a long-range effort. Meanwhile, United’s goalkeeper, Andre Onana, had a relatively quiet evening but made an excellent save to deny a power

UEL: Maguire to the rescue for Man United

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Porto 3 - 3 Manchester United Harry Maguire salvaged a dramatic draw for a 10-man Manchester United side, who had thrown away a two-goal lead and seen Bruno Fernandes sent off in their Europa League clash against Porto. Maguire's injury-time header could be a lifeline for under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag, with the team just seconds from suffering their fourth defeat in ten games at the start of the season. In the first of five added minutes, Maguire leapt to meet Christian Eriksen's corner and expertly nodded the ball into the bottom corner, securing a crucial point. A closer look at what happened Marcus Rashford put United ahead in the seventh minute, cutting in from the left and skillfully beating two defenders before his low shot slipped past Porto’s goalkeeper Diogo Costa at the near post. Rasmus Hojlund, making his first start of the season, added a second after 20 minutes, finishing off a swift United counter-attack to give them firm control. Porto weren’t done yet

PL Reaction: Spurs fans respond to memorable afternoon

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Manchester United 0 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur After a poor result against Arsenal, the pressure was starting to build on the Tottenham manager.  At Old Trafford, during this 3-0 victory, Tottenham looked like a completely different team.  These fans are die-hard Spurs supporters, and they were thrilled with both the result and the performance that went with it. After some difficult Premier League matches, this was a Spurs side full of confidence. The fans have since responded in an equally positive way. Greg, a Spurs fan living in Halifax, said: "We put in a fantastic performance. Manchester United were below par, and we took full advantage of that. Delighted with the 3-0 win, although it could have been even more emphatic. Timo Werner should have put away those one-on-one opportunities, and Dominic Solanke also missed a clear chance. Nevertheless, I'm pleased with the team's effort and superb result." Peter watched the match from the home stands Old Trafford. He said

The Big Discussion: What needs to change at Manchester United

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Does there need to be a change in tactics? Do they need a new manager? What's next for the Old Trafford club? Despite last season's FA Cup win, United fans views on the future of Ten Hag were split. After finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, many fans wondered if he was the right man to lead the club back to its former glories.  Some supporters also argued that his tactical approach was too rigid, and there was additional growing concerns about his ability to adapt to the demands of the English game.  Debate about Ten Hag's future again Once again, the Dutchman's position at the helm of one of football's giants has shifted from persistent uncertainty to genuine crisis following a 3-0 defeat against Tottenham. For United's hierarchy, the choice to stick with the ex-Ajax manager is proving to be one that may cast a shadow over the early phase of his reign at Old Trafford. But the question now is whether they should double down on their decision