MANCHESTER: Manchester United suffered another home humiliation as Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Saturday to raise further questions over the future of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Eric Bailly’s own goal and Bernardo Silva’s strike on the stroke of half-time was the difference between the sides on the scoreboard.
But that did little justice to the chasm between the teams as only a string of stunning saves from David De Gea prevented United from a thrashing similar to the 5-0 humbling they were handed by Liverpool less than two weeks ago.
Solskjaer bought himself some time with a 3-0 win at Tottenham last weekend.
But United have now won just one of their last six Premier League games and could finish the day 11 points off the top of the table should Chelsea beat Burnley at Stamford Bridge.
Solskjaer’s switch to a back five worked a treat at Spurs, but that owed much to the return of Raphael Varane from injury.
Without the French World Cup winner, who sustained a hamstring injury against Atalanta on Wednesday, the Norwegian’s decision to retain the same system quickly backfired.
Bailly was included for the first time in the Premier League this season and took only seven minutes to give City the perfect start when he sliced Joao Cancelo’s cross into his own goal.
United have won just five of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 13 appearances since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner returned to the club.
Had things gone differently in the final days of August, Ronaldo could have been lining up for City as they pursued the 36-year-old to fill the void left by Sergio Aguero.
Ronaldo’s goalscoring heroics have kept United alive in the Champions League, but he has netted just once in the last six Premier League games.
The Portuguese nearly bailed out a terrible first 45 minutes from the Red Devils when his volley was brilliantly saved by Ederson and Mason Greenwood failed to turn the rebound into an empty net.
But it was De Gea who was by far the busier ‘keeper.
The Spaniard spread himself to miraculously block from Gabriel Jesus before saving from Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and denying a second own goal off the boot of Victor Lindelof.
However, even De Gea was at fault for City’s second when Silva got an outstretched leg to Cancelo’s cross and the United stopper flapped the ball into his own net.
Boos greeted the half-time whistle as the traveling City support gleefully chanted “Ole’s at the wheel” to mock the United boss.
Solskjaer responded by introducing former City winger Jadon Sancho, who has failed to hold down a place in the United team in recent weeks despite costing £73 million ($98 million) to sign from Borussia Dortmund in July.
Sancho injected a little more pace into the United attack, but the home side were still barely able to sustain any pressure as City’s passing triangles left them chasing shadows in the Manchester rain.
Phil Foden hit the post and Jesus had strong appeals for a penalty waived away as City could easily have won by a far more comprehensive margin.
A shock 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend left Pep Guardiola’s men with little margin for error in the title race.
City, though, have often saved their best performances for the big occasion this season as they have now taken seven points from a possible nine in away games against Chelsea, Liverpool and United.
Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table is cut to two points as City move up to second, a point ahead of Liverpool, who travel to West Ham on Sunday.
Manchester City outclass crisis-hit Manchester United
https://arab.news/2k8t4
Manchester City outclass crisis-hit Manchester United
Man City boost top five bid, Southampton snatch late leveller
They remain on course to achieve their bare minimum target after a hard-fought success on Merseyside
LONDON: Manchester City bolstered their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a dramatic 2-0 win at Everton, while Southampton’s last-gasp equalizer at West Ham ensured they will not have sole possession of the lowest points total in Premier League history.
City were heading toward a damaging draw before Nico O’Reilly’s 84th minute strike put them on course for a vital victory that was sealed by Mateo Kovacic’s goal in the final seconds.
Pep Guardiola’s side climb to fourth place, four points ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea, who face Fulham on Sunday in their game in hand.
Fifth-placed Nottingham Forest, who travel to Tottenham on Monday, are one point adrift of City.
At a stage of the season when they are usually embroiled in a battle to win the title, City — champions in six of the previous seven campaigns — have been reduced to scrapping for a Champions League berth after a dismal season.
They remain on course to achieve their bare minimum target after a hard-fought success on Merseyside.
In the 84th minute, Matheus Nunes’s low cross into the six-yard box was met by the 20-year-old O’Reilly, who got in front of Michael Keane to poke home from close range.
O’Reilly has emerged as an unlikely hero for City after the Manchester-born midfielder scored last week in the win against Crystal Palace and netted twice against Plymouth in the FA Cup.
Kovacic wrapped up City’s victory on their last visit to Goodison Park before Everton move to a new stadium next season.
The Croatian guided Ilkay Gundogan’s pass into the bottom corner to give City a third win from their last four league games.
“To win here at Goodison Park, where Liverpool and Arsenal couldn’t, is massively important,” Guardiola said.
“Now it is in our hands. Three games at home, two away and hopefully we can achieve this big success to qualify for the Champions League.”
Relegated Southampton rescued a 1-1 draw at West Ham to guarantee they won’t have the indignity of being the lone club with the Premier League’s worst ever points tally.
Jarrod Bowen struck for the Hammers in the 47th minute, holding off Ryan Manning before lashing a fierce finish past Aaron Ramsdale.
But Lesley Ugochukwu equalized three minutes into second half stoppage-time as he lashed past Alphonse Areola.
Bottom of the table Southampton are now on 11 points — the same number Derby managed in 2007-08 — and have five games left to leave the Rams with the lowest total ever recorded in the Premier League.
Brentford beat 10-man Brighton 4-2 to damage the Seagulls’ prospects of qualifying for Europe with their first home win since December.
Thomas Frank’s side took a ninth minute lead when Lewis Keane-Potter’s precise pass through the heart of the Brighton defense picked out Bryan Mbeumo and he confidently slotted home
Danny Welbeck hauled Brighton level in first half stoppage-time with a powerful header from Mats Wieffer’s cross.
Mbeumo restored Brentford’s advantage three minutes after half-time, his strike taking a hefty deflection off Brighton defender Lewis Dunk on its way past Bart Verbruggen.
Yoane Wissa bagged Brentford’s third in the 58th minute, running onto Mbeumo’s pass and finishing with the help of a deflection off Jan Paul van Hecke.
Brighton striker Joao Pedro was sent off in the 61st minute for a needless kick at Nathan Collins.
Japan forward Kaoru Mitoma reduced the deficit in the 81st minute, but Christian Norgaard headed home in stoppage-time to end Brighton’s hopes of a late escape.
Crystal Palace held on for a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth despite playing half the match with 10 men.
Palace were reduced to 10 men just before half-time at Selhurst Park when Chris Richards was sent off for a second booking after the defender fouled Justin Kluivert.
Third-placed Newcastle will look to step up their Champions League qualification surge when they travel to Aston Villa in Saturday’s late game.
Morocco U-17 make history after winning their first AFCON title
- Atlas Lions beat Mali 4-2 on penalties after goalless final
- Goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch emerged the hero, saving two spot-kicks
BEIRUT: Morocco’s U-17 national football team made history on Saturday by winning their first Africa Cup of Nations 2025 title after edging past Mali 4-2 on penalty shootouts.
The final match saw little in the way of clear chances, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock throughout 90 minutes of a goalless draw.
In the second half, the Atlas Lions increased their tempo, obviously paving their way for a breakthrough, but could not hit the Malian net.
With no goals to separate the two, the match went to penalties, where Morocco held their nerve.
Goalkeeper Chouaib Bellaarouch emerged the hero, saving two spot-kicks to secure a historic victory for his teammates, winning their first continental title at the U-17 level.
With this victory, Morocco has now conquered every single AFCON title, from U-17 to U-20, U-23 and the senior level.
On the way to the final game, tournament hosts Morocco faced off against Cote d’Ivoire in the semifinal and edged them out 4-3 on penalties following a goalless draw.
Meanwhile, runners-up Mali beat Burkina Faso 2-0 in the second semifinal.
The Atlas Lions had topped Group A with seven points ahead of Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania. Meanwhile, Mali came second in Group D, six points behind leaders Cote d’Ivoire, who led the group with seven points.
Jos Buttler fires Gujarat to top of IPL table in intense heat
- Chasing 204 for victory, Gujarat rode on Englishman’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target
AHMEDABAD: England’s Jos Buttler struck an unbeaten 97 to power Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad’s intense heat on Saturday.
Chasing 204 for victory, Gujarat rode on Buttler’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target with four balls to spare at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler and impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, a left-hand West Indies batter who hit 43, put on a key stand of 119 to steer Gujarat to their fifth win in seven matches and the top of the 10-team table.
Delhi slipped to second.
Rutherford fell in the 19th over. Delhi’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc needed to defend 10 off the final six balls but the left-handed Rahul Tewatia finished off with a six and four.
Buttler, who hit his third half-century of the season, was left three short of a hundred that would have put him level with Virat Kohli’s record eight IPL tons.
Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, elected to field first on a hot afternoon as the temperature soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Delhi reached 203-8 but the total could have been more had it not been for four wickets by Gujarat pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who now leads this season’s bowling with 14 scalps.
Buttler was the hero as his batting charge stood out after his work behind the stumps for 20 overs in the heat as he gloved two catches.
Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill fell run out for seven in the second over after he attempted a tough single and a direct throw from Karun Nair rattled the stumps.
The left-right batting pair of Sai Sudharsan and Buttler put the innings back on track as they balanced caution and aggression in their stand of 60.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav took down Sudharsan for 36 but Buttler found another partner in Rutherford, who took on the bowling and hit three sixes.
Earlier Delhi skipper Axar Patel top-scored with 39.
KL Rahul made 28 before Krishna trapped him lbw with a yorker and then cut short Nair’s knock in the ninth over.
Veteran pace bowler Ishant Sharma bowled two overs but went off after he struggled to cope with the scorching heat.
Ishant came back to bowl another over but again went back to the dug out and was subbed out with figures of 1-19.
Tristan Stubbs was out for 31 before Krishna sent back Axar and Vipraj Nigam with successive balls but the hat-trick was avoided.
Ashutosh Sharma hit 37 to boost the total.
Bayern roar past Heidenheim with 34th title in clear sight
- The table now shows Bayern at the top with 72 points, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen
- Urbig was sharp and alert, diving low to deny Sirlord Conteh with a smart save
HEIDENHEIM, Germany: Bayern Munich had little trouble beating lowly Heidenheim 4-0 on Saturday to put themselves within touching distance of their 34th Bundesliga title.
The table now shows Bayern at the top with 72 points, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen who face St. Pauli on Sunday, with four rounds left to play.
With Bayern racing into a three-goal lead after just 36 minutes — courtesy of Harry Kane’s precision, Konrad Laimer’s drive and Kingsley Coman’s flair — there was little doubt about Saturday’s outcome.
Kane could have doubled his tally after 22 minutes, with the pressure on the Heidenheim goal reaching a boiling point, but the Bundesliga’s leading marksman steered a close-range header just wide, letting the hosts off the hook.
Joshua Kimmich then took his time before rifling a shot into the corner for 4-0 in the 56th minute as Bayern surged ahead at full throttle in their relentless pursuit of another league crown.
Heidenheim, fueled by pride and eager to salvage something from an otherwise dismal performance, came close to pulling back a goal just after the hour mark. But Bayern keeper Jonas Urbig was sharp and alert, diving low to deny Sirlord Conteh with a smart save.
For the hosts, the situation looks bleak: they are third from bottom in the relegation play-off places with 22 points, seven behind St. Pauli, who occupy the last safe spot.
Bayern will host Mainz next Saturday before facing RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach, then wrapping up their campaign with a trip to Hoffenheim on May 17.
Palestinian Oday Dabbagh scores as Aberdeen beat Hearts 2-1 to reach Scottish Cup final
- Hearts levelled in the 28th minute
- Aberdeen swiftly took advantage to reach their first Scottish Cup final in eight years
GLASGOW: Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh scored a late extra-time winner as Aberdeen eventually ground down nine-man Hearts to win 2-1 on Saturday and reach the Scottish Cup final.
The Dons struck first against the run of play when Pape Gueye’s header came back off the crossbar and ricocheted into his own net off the back of 42-year-old Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Hearts levelled in the 28th minute when captain Lawrence Shankland met James Penrice’s cross from the left, took a touch and rifled a clinical finish through the legs of Dimitar Mitov.
The Edinburgh side suffered a huge blow a minute before the break when Michael Steinwender was shown a straight red after bringing down Topi Keskinen.
But the 10 men held out for well over an hour against an Aberdeen side lacking in invention.
Hearts’ task got even tougher when Cammy Devlin was shown a second yellow card with four minutes left of extra-time.
Aberdeen swiftly took advantage to reach their first Scottish Cup final in eight years when Dabbagh fired in the rebound after Jack Milne’s shot was saved by Gordon.
Jimmy Thelin’s side will face the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between Celtic and St. Johnstone at Hampden on May 25.
