Premier League
Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United lose on day of late drama
Premier League champions Liverpool dropped points for the first time this season when they lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace in the eighth minute of added time as Manchester United and Chelsea suffered 3-1 defeats on Saturday.
United slumped at Brentford and 10-man Chelsea were beaten at home by Brighton & Hove Albion, who scored twice in stoppage time.
Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-1 thanks to two own goals and a late brace from Erling Haaland while Leeds United were held to a 2-2 draw after Bournemouth equalised in added time through 19-year-old Eli Junior Kroupi.
There was also a late twist at Tottenham Hotspur when Joao Palhinha struck an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers.
LIVERPOOL SUFFER FIRST LOSS
Liverpool were on the back foot early on when Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through a set-piece when the ball fell to Ismaila Sarr who smashed it home.
Liverpool would have conceded more if not for goalkeeper Alisson while Jean-Philippe Mateta nearly made it 2-0 when he hit the post.
Although Liverpool equalised through Federico Chiesa in the 87th minute, fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah provided late drama when he scored the winner in the 97th minute, with Selhurst Park celebrating the goal twice after VAR confirmed he was not offside.
“The boys are in really good form and think we can win every game and today we showed that,” Nketiah told the BBC.
Palace ended the day in second place, three points behind leaders Liverpool although Arsenal can go second if they beat Newcastle United on Sunday.
OWN GOALS, HAALAND GIVE MAN CITY WIN
Burnley’s Maxime Esteve became only the sixth player to score two own goals in a Premier League game as City climbed up to fourth.
Esteve scored the first when he tried to deny Phil Foden but Jaidon Anthony made it 1-1 with a shot that deflected off Ruben Dias.
Matheus Nunes restored City’s lead with a close-range effort before Esteve’s second own goal came when he looked to stop Oscar Bobb from finding the net.
Haaland struck twice in the dying minutes to hand Burnley their biggest loss of the season.
MANCHESTER UNITED LOSE AT BRENTFORD
Bryan Mbeumo received a warm welcome from the Brentford fans as he returned to his former club for the first time since his move to Manchester United but the reception paled in comparison to the roars when the home side went 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.
Igor Thiago capitalised on United’s high line for the opener when Jordan Henderson sent him through on goal in the eighth minute, before the Brazilian forward grabbed his second when United keeper Altay Bayindir spilled a save right into his path.
United pulled one back when Benjamin Sesko scored his first goal for the club but Bruno Fernandes had a penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher before Mathias Jensen put the game out of reach in added time with a rocket from outside the box.
“We didn’t control the game, we played the game of Brentford. We were really confused (on) second balls, first balls, set pieces,” United manager Ruben Amorim said.
“The crucial moments, they were against us. Tough to lose again.”
CHELSEA SEE RED AGAIN
Chelsea had a player sent off for a second time in as many league games when Trevoh Chalobah saw red for denying Brighton a goal-scoring opportunity at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez had given Chelsea a 1-0 lead with a close-range header but Chalobah’s red card in the 53rd minute reduced the home side to 10 men and Brighton made it count when Danny Welbeck opened his account for the season with the equaliser.
Brighton capitalised again in the 92nd minute when Maxim De Cuyper powered home a header and the visitors sealed all three points when Welbeck scored in the 10th minute of added time.
Bournemouth took the lead at Leeds when Antoine Semenyo scored from a free kick but the home side made it 2-1 when Joe Rodon and Sean Longstaff netted either side of halftime.
With Leeds close to taking three points, Kroupi volleyed home from inside the box in the 93rd minute to lift Bournemouth into a group of three clubs on 11 points.
Sunderland moved to 11 points and fourth place by beating Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground to leave Forest’s new manager Ange Postecoglou winless after five games in charge.
Omar Alderete’s first-half goal was the difference between the two sides with Sunderland mounting a staunch rearguard action as Forest laid siege to their goal.
Wolves were seconds away from earning their first win of the season after losing their opening five games in their worst ever start to a league campaign.
They led through Santiago Bueno’s scrappy goal early in the second half but Palhinha guided in a superb finish to send Tottenham to third place on goal difference.
-Reuters
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said his side must match the level of urgency they showed against Chelsea on Saturday if they are to keep on winning.
Having tasted victory just once this season going into the game, on the back of their lowest top-flight league finish last term since they were relegated in 1973-74, the pressure was on Amorim ahead of Chelsea’s visit in the Premier League.
The early dismissal of Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez gave United the platform to earn a vital win with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro but the performance, from the off, reached levels of intensity that had been lacking in recent struggles.
“Sometimes we have some moments that we feel an urgency to have a result,” Amorim said. “Today we won, it’s nice to win, but let’s not forget that return to that urgency in our game.
“We need to win the next game. That is the most important thing. In this big club it’s not a feeling that today is a really good game, let’s relax a little bit. Let’s keep that urgency. That is the most important feeling we have to take for the next week.”
In true United fashion, the hosts still made things difficult for themselves from a seemingly unassailable position, 2-0 in front with a numerical advantage in the driving Manchester rain.
Casemiro’s sending-off late in the first half gave the visitors a lifeline, with Trevoh Chalobah’s header ensuring a nervy finish at an expectant Old Trafford.
“We showed that when everything is going well, we arrange something to make it difficult,” Amorim said. “But we suffered together in the end. That was a good thing, if you look at the game we deserved to win.
“We were trying to do things a little bit too much, making a tackle that maybe we shouldn’t. It’s hard to say, because that is the pressure. I feel more pressure in some young guys sometimes.
“Maybe it’s because Casemiro cares. We score one and he has that tackle. Sometimes it’s not the pressure, they wanted too much in that moment.”
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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said not even the pope could make him deviate from playing with a back three despite mounting pressure following a dismal run, adding that abandoning his preferred formation would undermine him in his players’ eyes.
Amorim took charge of United in November but guided them to just seven wins in 27 league matches and their worst-ever finish in the Premier League.
This season’s start has also been far from convincing, with the Portuguese manager overseeing one win in four Premier League games and a shock League Cup exit to League Two (fourth-tier) side Grimsby.
He has used three centre backs throughout his tenure at United, despite the rest of the “Big Six” all opting to play a back four.
United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe visited the club’s training ground on Thursday, and Amorim was later asked if the British billionaire had suggested altering the team’s set-up.
“No, no, no… Not even the pope will change (this). This is my job. This is my responsibility. This is my life. So, I will not change that,” Amorim told reporters on Friday ahead of United’s home meeting with Chelsea.
“If I’m a player and I have a coach that, with a lot of pressure and (people) all around the world are saying, ‘You need to change the system’, says ‘I’m going to change’, they will look at me in a different way.
“Everything is important when you think about the impact that a decision is going to have on the team. I’m doing things my way. I hope to have the time to change, but it will be an evolution.”
Amorim has also received criticism for his decision to play Bruno Fernandes in a deeper midfield role, despite the Portuguese international having previously been successful in a more attacking position.
“I want Bruno to have more possession to try to control the game,” Amorim said.
“Maybe he doesn’t have the same freedom to get inside the box but he is getting there and he can do his shots. Sometimes we miss Bruno in front a little bit, but if (Matheus) Cunha is there we have an extra player.
“I’m just trying to balance the team and imagine the game, and I see Bruno well. He’s frustrated because he is not winning and sometimes he likes to go further. But he has a job to do.”
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Manchester United (MANU.N), opens new tab reported an annual net loss for the sixth consecutive year on Wednesday and forecast lower revenue for this fiscal year, highlighting the football club’s ongoing financial struggles.
The Premier League side posted a 33 million-pound ($45 million) loss for the year ended June 30, an improvement on the previous year’s 113.2 million-pound deficit.
The narrower full-year loss reflects significant cost-cutting measures aimed at shoring up finances after several years of underperformance both on and off the field.
The club said it expects revenue of between 640 million pounds and 660 million pounds for its fiscal 2026, compared with 666.5 million pounds reported for the year ended June 30.
Manchester United’s New York-listed shares were down 3.8% at $15.79 in premarket trading.
The Premier League has in recent years tightened club spending regulations under its Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), designed to level the playing field and curb excessive spending by wealthy owners.
Manchester United has racked up losses of about 175 million pounds since fiscal 2023.
The PSR caps losses at 105 million pounds over a three-year period, though investments in infrastructure, academies, charity and women’s soccer are permitted as deductions.
The club said it was in compliance with the PSR and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Regulations.
Chart shows Manchester United extends losing streak to six years with latest financial results.
Minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, who holds roughly 29% of the club and oversees football operations, has rolled out cost-saving measures, including staff reductions, higher ticket prices and the scrapping of free lunches at staff canteens.
However, the club’s absence from European competitions this season will dent broadcasting revenue, hurt cash flow and stretch its balance sheet, intensifying financial pressure and fuelling criticism from supporters.
On the pitch, United’s inconsistent start to the new Premier League campaign – one win, one draw, and two losses – has left fans frustrated despite a summer outlay of about 230 million pounds on new attacking players.
“As we start to feel the benefits of our cost reduction programme, there is significant potential for improved financial performance, which will, in turn, support our overriding priority: success on the pitch,” CEO Omar Berrada said in a statement.
Reuters
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