LONDON: Manchester United threw open the race for the final Champions League qualification spots in the Premier League by beating fourth-place Chelsea 2-0 thanks to headers by Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire on Monday.
With 12 games remaining, seven points separate Chelsea and 11th-place Burnley, with the team finishing fifth also set to earn a place in next season’s Champions League following UEFA’s decision to punish Man City for serious breaches of financial regulations by handing the English champions a two-year European ban.
Martial glanced in a header off a right-wing cross by Aaron Wan-Bissaka to give United the lead in the 45th minute at Stamford Bridge, before Maguire planted home a corner from January signing Bruno Fernandes in the 66th.
Maguire, United’s captain, was perhaps fortunate to still be on the field, with the match officials opting not to punish the England defender for appearing to kick out at Michy Batshuayi after tumbling off the playing surface in front of the dugouts.
“I know I caught him but I felt like he was going to fall on me and the natural reaction was to straighten my leg so that if he was to fall on me, to hold him up,” Maguire said. “It probably looks worse than it was.
“I did catch him ... but I knew at the time I had no intent to hurt him or kick him.”
Chelsea was on the wrong end of two other decisions by VAR, firstly disallowing a volleyed goal by Kurt Zouma in the 56th because of a push by Cesar Azpilicueta on United left back Brandon Williams. Azpilicueta seemed to have been pushed a split-second earlier by Fred.
Then, with 13 minutes to go, substitute Olivier Giroud had a goal ruled out by VAR for a tight offside, leaving Chelsea manager Frank Lampard looking thoroughly glum as he sat in his technical area.
Chelsea has long been in fourth place, but has only won three of its last 11 games in the league to give a slew of rivals clubs hope of catching up.
One of them is United, which climbed to seventh place with this win — three points behind Chelsea and two adrift of fifth-place Tottenham.
“This season, we have been far too inconsistent,” Maguire said. “We have won at Manchester City, beat Chelsea at home, got a point against Liverpool, but we have let ourselves down against the teams where the pressure is on to break them down.”
Injury problems are starting to bite at Chelsea, too. Top scorer Tammy Abraham and winger Callum Hudson-Odoi missed the game because of injury, while central midfielder N’Golo Kante lasted 11 minutes before hobbling off. Center back Andreas Christensen didn’t come out for the second half after sustaining a knock to the head late in the first period, just before Martial beat the Denmark defender to a header for the first goal.
Lampard’s main gripe, though, was his team’s failure to finish off chances once again. Batshuayi was the biggest culprit, spurning two great chances in the first half in his first start in the league this season.
“We are fourth because of some of the good stuff we’ve done and because of the nature of the league, everyone taking points off each other,” Lampard said. “But there’s a lot of work to do because you can see the problem — that’s putting the ball in the back of the net.
“I feel like a broken record. We have to put things to bed by scoring goals.”
Chelsea hosts Tottenham on Saturday and would finally get overtaken with another loss.
“The season starts here,” Lampard said.
Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo, who signed for United on deadline day in the January transfer window, came on in second-half stoppage time for his debut and had a late chance saved by Willy Caballero, who again started in goal ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Two players struck the post from free kicks in the second half, Fernandes for United and Mason Mount for Chelsea.
Man United beats Chelsea 2-0, throws open race for Champions League spots
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Man United beats Chelsea 2-0, throws open race for Champions League spots
- Headers by Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire ensured the win
Al-Ittihad win to pull away at top of SPL table
- Second half goals from Fabinho and Houssem Aouar means that Al-Ittihad have 30 points from 11 games
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad beat Al-Fateh 2-0 on Sunday to move two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League to complete what has been a perfect weekend for the Jeddah giants with title rivals with Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr both losing.
Second half goals from Fabinho and Houssem Aouar means that Al-Ittihad have 30 points from 11 games, two clear of Al-Hilal in second and eight ahead of Al-Nassr in third.
It was a hard-fought game against the bottom team but the Tigers thought they had taken the lead after 16 minutes as Saleh Al-Shehri fired home when a corner found its way to the far post but the ball was adjudged to have bounced off Fabinho’s hand.
There were not many other clear chances. Al-Fateh may have started the day at the very foot of the league but knew that a victory would take them out of the bottom three while a point would be welcome.
Al-Ittihad redoubled their attacking efforts after the break but there were so many white shirts in and around the penalty area but three minutes before the hour Fabinho showed his class. Mario Mitaj passed from the left of the area and the former Liverpool midfielder reacted quickly to steer the ball inside the near post with the goalkeeper caught wrong-footed.
Steven Bergwin almost sealed the win with 17 minutes remaining as he sprinted free of the defence but Peter Szappanos got a hand to the shot to keep Al-Fateh in the game.
There was nothing he could do as Aouar struck in the last minute, sweeping home a fine cross from Abdulrahman Al-Oboud.
Earlier in the day, Ettifaq drew 0-0 at Al-Riyadh, a result that does not relieve the pressure on coach Steven Gerrard who has seen the team now go eight games without a win.
Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland teams announced for 2025 Team Cup
- Six Ryder Cup players confirmed; 11 players to make debuts in event taking place in Abu Dhabi
DUBAI: The first 18 competitors for the 2025 Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland Team Cup sides have been announced by European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, with an exciting mix of Ryder Cup stars and some of the DP World Tour’s brightest talent scheduled to compete at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort from Jan 10-12, 2025.
After consulting with respective Team Cup captains Francesco Molinari, of Continental Europe, and Justin Rose, of Great Britain & Ireland, Donald has confirmed the first nine competitors in each side for next year’s matchplay contest, who between them have won 70 DP World Tour victories, with six representatives from recent Ryder Cups.
Molinari will lead Continental Europe in their defence of the Team Cup, which they won in 2023 after defeating Great Britain & Ireland 14½-10½ in the three-day matchplay contest. The teams will compete in one session of fourballs on the Friday, two sessions of foursomes on the Saturday and one session of singles on Sunday, with every player taking part in each session.
Each side will have three Ryder Cup players, with three-time Ryder Cup player Molinari joined by Nicolai Hojgaard and Thorbjorn Olesen, and six-time Ryder Cup star Rose teeing it up alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton.
Olesen, who represented Europe at the 2018 Ryder Cup, was one of the four automatic qualifiers for Molinari’s side, with fellow Scandinavians Rasmus Hojgaard and Niklas Norgaard and Italian Matteo Manassero also earning an automatic place in the Continental European team.
Rasmus had been selected to compete in the 2023 edition of the match play contest but was forced to withdraw due to injury. Since his return to competitive action he has won his fourth and fifth DP World Tour titles, becoming the first Dane to win Made in HimmerLand last year and he then held off the challenge of Rory McIlroy to win the Amgen Irish Open two months ago.
Norgaard claimed his maiden victory at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, while Manassero made a welcome return to the winner’s circle this year, claiming his first DP World Tour title for nearly 11 years at the Jonsson Workwear Open.
Rounding out the Continental European side are the French pair of Matthieu Pavon, who this year became the first Frenchman to win on the PGA Tour in more than 100 years, and Antoine Rozner, who played in 2023 and recently earned dual membership on the PGA Tour, and the Danish duo of Ryder Cup player Nicolai Hojgaard and Challenge Tour No. 1 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
Nicolai was called up to replace his brother in the Continental Europe side for the 2023 edition of the Team Cup and then went on to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, near Rome.
Both Fleetwood and Hatton, who also competed in the 2023 edition of the event, automatically qualified for the Great Britain & Ireland side alongside Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Paul Waring and five-time DP World Tour winner Matt Wallace.
Wallace will be making his second appearance in this event after recently winning his fifth DP World Tour title at the Omega European Masters. He also became a PGA Tour winner in 2023, claiming the Corales Puntacana Championship. While Waring became the DP World Tour’s most recent first-time Rolex Series winner after carding a career-low round of 61 and setting a new low 36-hole score to par in Abu Dhabi.
Joining them on Rose’s side will be Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, who earned dual membership on the PGA Tour for 2025 after another strong season, two-time DP World Tour winner Jordan Smith of England, his compatriots Laurie Canter, who earned a maiden title at the European Open, and Aaron Rai, who is the most recent English winner on the PGA Tour after claiming the Wyndham Championship in August.
The final member of each side will be selected after the Nedbank Golf Challenge, the third event of the 2025 Race to Dubai, which concludes on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Donald, who will captain Europe for a second time at Bethpage Black next September, said: “Fran, Justin and I are really excited by the two teams which will assemble at the Team Cup in January. There’s a great mix of youth and experience on both sides and there will certainly be a competitive atmosphere at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort.
“This event provided valuable insight for a number of players who eventually made it to Marco Simone, with six of the 20 competitors in 2023 going on to play in the Ryder Cup, three of those making their debut appearances, and we’re excited to see who can make their mark next year as they try to earn a place in my side for New York City.”
Molinari, the 2018 Open champion and three-time Ryder Cup player, said: “It may be a new-look Continental European side but I’m really excited to lead these players at Abu Dhabi Golf Resort as we bid to defend the Team Cup next year.
“There is a fantastic blend of players who have hit the ground running at the start of their careers and those with a lot of experience on their side, and most of them have played in team competitions in the past as amateurs, which will have given them a great insight into these environments.”
Rose, who won the US Open in 2013 and will captain the Great Britain & Ireland side for the first time, said: “Having two Ryder Cup teammates in Tommy and Tyrrell in the team will be invaluable, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the team step up to this new arena. Having also played in 2023, I’m sure Matt and Jordan will be keen to go out there and win the cup so it’ll be great to watch them in action again.
“Most of my team have also had the opportunity to represent either Great Britain & Ireland or England and Ireland separately in the past, so they have a lot of experience to draw on from their amateur days. They are all proven winners on tour, but I think Europe as a whole is going to benefit massively from next year’s Team Cup as we look towards the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.”
Zimbabwe stuns new-look Pakistan in rain-affected first one-day international
- Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before rain denied further play, giving Zimbabwe 80-run win
- The hosts now have a 1-0 lead against Pakistan in the ODI series ahead of three T20 matches
BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: All-rounder Sikandar Raza inspired Zimbabwe to a stunning 80-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method in the rain-affected first one-day international against a new-look Pakistan white-ball team on Sunday.
Raza made a crucial 39 runs and lifted Zimbabwe from a precarious 125-7 to 205 all out by sharing a 62-run eighth wicket stand with number nine batter Richard Ngarava, who top-scored with 48.
Under overcast conditions, Raza picked up two wickets in one over as Pakistan limped to 60-6 in 21 overs before it rained and denied further play as Zimbabwe took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Pakistan’s second-string new ball bowlers – debutant Aamer Jamal and Mohammad Hasnain – couldn’t make an impact on Zimbabwe’s openers after the visitors had rested frontline pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the white-ball series in Zimbabwe.
Pakistan also rested its ace batter Babar Azam for the first time in an ODI since 2019 as it experimented with its bench strength ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.
Tadiwanashe Marumani (29) flicked Jamal to square leg for a six and Joylord Gumbie (15) hit three fours against the seamers as they combined in a better than run-a-ball opening stand of 40 runs against a wayward Pakistan pace attack.
Gumbie got run out in a mix-up with Marumani in the sixth over before Pakistan came back hard through its spinners and struck at regular intervals. One of the three Pakistan debutants – left-arm wristspinner Faisal Akram took 3-24 and vice-captain Salman Ali Agha claimed 3-42 as Zimbabwe slipped to 125-7 in the 26th over.
However, Ngarava and Raza thwarted Pakistan’s spinners and pacers alike in a 69-ball stand to give the total respectability. Raza perished when he tried an expansive hit against Akram and was caught on the edge of the boundary while Ngarava was the last man to get dismissed after hitting five fours and a six when he chopped Hasnain back onto his stumps.
Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani used the home conditions to perfection and snared the early wickets of Saim Ayub (11) and Abdullah Shafique (1), who both got caught behind inside the first three overs from the tall pacer.
Kamran Ghulam (17) and skipper Mohammad Rizwan (19 not out) couldn’t pace the chase before Pakistan lost four wickets in the space of 18 runs against the spinners. Ghulam tried to break the shackles but Sean Williams (2-12) got a thick edge and earned Marumani his third catch behind the wickets before Raza had two in three balls.
Raza pinned Salman plumb leg before wicket of his second ball and one ball later Haseebullah Khan was out for zero in his ODI debut when he played the wrong line and was clean bowled.
The three-match ODI series will be followed by three T20s with Bulawayo hosting all the matches.
Two-day Tata IPL mega auction begins in Jeddah
- Abadi Al-Johar Arena hosts the mega event, where squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized
- Arshdeep Singh becomes first player to go under the hammer in the IPL auction 2025, Rishabh Pant costliest buy in the IPL history
JEDDAH: With the stage set for the much-anticipated Indian Premier League mega auction, the bidding war began at the Abadi Al-Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday, where the squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized over two days from a pool of 574 players.
Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and chairman-elect of the apex cricket body, the International Cricket Council, arrived in the Red Sea city of Jeddah ahead of the TATA IPL 2025 auction.
“This marks Saudi Arabia’s first-ever international cricket event, set to take place on November 24-25, 2024,” the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation said in a statement to Arab News.
Shah was warmly received at the airport by Prince Saud bin Mishal Al-Saud, chairman of SACF, along with Vice Chairman Nawaf Al-Otaibi and CEO Tariq Sagga.
A number of investors, franchise representatives and officials from the BCCI also arrived in Jeddah in preparation for the highly anticipated auction, which is a key event in the global cricket calendar.
“This historic event marks a new chapter for cricket in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom continues to strengthen its position on the global sports stage, in line with its Vision 2030,” SACF said.
The IPL will enter its 18th season next year, and the Red Sea City is an important stop en route, where the squads of the ten franchises — Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad — will be finalized at the mega auction.
After the news of the mega auction to be held at an overseas venue came out, the names of Dubai, London, Riyadh and Jeddah started doing the rounds before the Red Sea City was finalized by the BCCI for the marquee event.
The Abadi Al-Johar Arena, named after the famous Saudi singer, and which has seating capacity of 15,000, hosts the mega event, where the squads of the 10 franchises will be finalized.
Out of a stellar list of marquee players featuring in the TATA IPL auction, Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh raked in the money, becoming the first player to be sold in the Jeddah IPL auction. He received $2.13 million as Punjab Kings used their right-to-match card to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Star India player Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League as Lucknow Super Giants spent a mind-boggling $3.19 million on the wicketkeeper-batter.
The ten franchises are gunning to set their team for the next few years; on Day 1, however, only 84 top cricketers will go under the hammer. On Day 2, the 10 franchises will nominate a set of players who will be auctioned in an accelerated manner, followed by the last round, where the unsold players will be back for auction again.
Unlike regular auctions, the mega auction that takes place every three years is spread over two days instead of one. It is one of the most-followed events in cricket, as the ten IPL franchises build their squads for the next three years (2025-27).
As the Tata IPL auction, cricket’s most lucrative event, takes place in Jeddah, franchise representatives will spend more than $71 million across two days.
The Tata IPL 2025 mega auction will see plenty of twists, turns, unexpected signings and records broken, as the availability of Indian and international stars is greater than ever and all ten franchises are looking to rebuild their squads from the start.
A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars such as Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, have created a buzz within the cricket fraternity. Players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names.
These players will go under the hammer over the two-day mega auction in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents and 318 uncapped Indian players, according to the cricket reference book Wisden.
‘Star is born’: From homeless to Test hero for India’s Jaiswal
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, 22, put India in driving seat against Australia in Perth with stellar century
- A young, homeless Jaiswal used to sell snacks on the streets to finance cricketing ambitions
NEW DELHI: India’s Perth Test hero Yashasvi Jaiswal, who hit a stunning century on Sunday, rose to stardom from being homeless and selling snacks on the streets to finance his cricketing ambitions.
The 22-year-old opening batsman turned an overnight 90 into 161 on day three in the opening match of the five-Test series against Australia.
It was his fourth ton in his 15th Test.
He hit 171 last year on his debut against the West Indies, off a grueling 387 deliveries over more than eight hours at the crease in Dominica.
He smacked two double centuries against visiting England earlier this year.
The attacking left-handed batsman burst into the consciousness of cricket-mad India with a stellar showing in the Indian Premier League last year.
He was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 IPL auction and last season made one half of a fearsome opening pair with England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler, amassing 625 runs with a strike rate of more than 163.
After his latest heroics, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said it was all the more special because he had “come the hard way.”
The batting great called Jaiswal a “wonderful role model for those who come from the villages to the cities,” showing how if “you work hard, you’re dedicated, you have a dream, you can fulfil it.”
“This boy is a man,” Gavaskar said in his commentary show.
English commentator Mark Nicholas said:
“This innings will announce him as a star is really born.”
Jaiswal dreamed of playing for India and moved to the financial capital Mumbai at just 11 years old, leaving his parents back home in their village.
“I used to sleep in a dairy and then stayed at my uncle’s place, but it wasn’t big enough and he asked me to find a different place,” Jaiswal told AFP in an interview in 2020.
“I then started to stay in a tent near Azad Maidan” — a field considered the birthplace of cricket in India — “and would play cricket there during the day.”
In between he sold popular street snacks to make enough money to pay for his own meals, supplementing a side hustle in cricket scoring and ball fetching in club games.
Jaiswal eventually won a place in the Mumbai state team in 2019 and became the youngest batsman, at 17 years and 292 days, to score a domestic one-day double century.
