Manchester United’s Patrick Dorgu struck in the first half as Ruben Amorim’s side held on for an ugly 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Friday in the year’s only Boxing Day fixture to climb to fifth place in the Premier League standings.

The hosts have 29 points after 18 games, with the rest of the week’s games to be played on Saturday and Sunday, while Newcastle are 11th with 23 points.

Dorgu scored his first goal for United with a volley against the run of play in the 24th minute when Diogo Dalot’s long throw was partially cleared. The ball fell to the Dane, who smashed it into the bottom left corner from 15 yards out.

“It was a good hit. I didn’t know I could do that, but I was very happy to score my first goal in this stadium as well. It was amazing,” Dorgu told Sky Sports.

“I just took what (Amorim) told me to work on my confidence and stuff. I think I did well today. I just looked at the ball, saw it drop, and I just hit it.”

Newcastle pushed for an equaliser late on but could not break down a team missing key players, including injured captain Bruno Fernandes, along with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, who are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Man United’s Benjamin Sesko hit the crossbar in the second half, and Dalot had a huge chance to double the home side’s lead when Lisandro Martinez picked him out with a free kick. However, Dalot fired his shot over from eight yards out.

The visitors had 16 shots to Man United’s nine and thoroughly dominated the second half, leaving manager Eddie Howe to rue the chances missed in a loss that leaves them with one victory on the road this season.

Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon had a couple of good late chances, but fired his best of them over the bar. Lewis Miley also shot over at the end of regulation time.

“Second half was a lot better than the first, but we didn’t do enough, we have to do more,” Howe said. “It was not through a lack of effort; we were very dominant in that second period, and I thought if we scored, we would go on to win.”

Man United defender Ayden Heaven said his team’s recent run of form shows they “belong in Europe”.

“We want to get back there next season so we can even push for top four, possibly win the league, anything’s possible,” he said. “We want to keep trying.”

The lone game marked the fewest top-flight Boxing Day fixtures in 43 years, in a break from the tradition of a full slate of festive fixtures that fans have long enjoyed.

The Premier League cited mounting scheduling pressures linked to the expansion of European club competitions as the key reason for the change, with a promise that next season would have a full slate of Boxing Day games once again.

-Reuters

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Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah said he had been “thrown under the bus” as he tore into the club over his treatment and signalled a potential exit after watching from the bench as they were held to a 3-3 Premier League draw with Leeds United on Saturday.

In his incendiary post-match comments, the 33-year-old Egyptian lashed out at the club and coach Arne Slot, telling journalists he felt he had been scapegoated for their poor start to the season and suggesting that he may not have long left at Anfield.

“I’m very, very disappointed to be fair. I have done so much for this club, everybody can see that during the years and especially last season,” Salah told reporters in the post-match mixed zone before taking aim at the club’s leadership.

“I don’t know, it seems like the club is throwing me under the bus. That’s how I felt it, how I feel it.

“I think it’s very clear that someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me in the summer, a lot of promises and nothing so far.”

The Egyptian, who signed a two-year contract extension in April, has become an iconic figure in an eight-year spell at Liverpool in which he has won two Premier League titles and scored 250 goals in all competitions for the club.

Yet after an indifferent start to the season, he has begun the last three matches on the bench, playing only 45 minutes.

Liverpool visit Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, two games that may herald the end of Salah’s time on Merseyside.

“I called my mum and dad yesterday, I told them to come to Brighton game, it doesn’t matter if I play or not. I’m going to enjoy it. We’ll see what’s going to happen, but in my head, I’m going to enjoy that game, if I play it or not, if I’m on the bench or not,” Salah, who is going to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt on December 15, said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen now, so I’m just going to be in Anfield, say goodbye to the fans (before) going to Africa Cup (of Nations), because I don’t know what’s going to happen when I’m there.”

‘WE NEEDED DIFFERENT PLAYERS’

Speaking after the draw, Slot said he had left Salah on the bench because he felt the team needed something different.

“We were 2-0 up, we were 3-2 up. At that moment in time it was more about controlling the game and we didn’t need a goal at that moment in time,” he said.

“Normally when you need a goal, like last week against Sunderland, I brought Mo on. We needed different players like Wataru (Endo) when we needed to bring the win over the line, he (Endo) gave everything.

“We have to accept the situation we are in. The short-term future of Mo is that he is going to the Africa Cup of Nations, but before that we play Inter Milan,” he concluded.

Salah scored 34 goals and had 18 assists in 52 games across all competitions as Liverpool won the Premier League last season, but with his side floundering, he has managed five goals and three assists in 19 games in the current campaign.

The forward indicated that his relationship with Slot had broken down completely.

“I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, it seems to me, how I see it, someone doesn’t want me in the club,” he said.

Since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, Salah has become the club’s third-highest scorer behind Ian Rush and Roger Hunt.

“I don’t think I’m the problem. I have done so much for this club with the respect I want to get,” he said. “And I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I’ve earned it.”

-Reuters

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Liverpool finally halted their dreadful losing run with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Saturday to climb provisionally into third place in the table, as Mohamed Salah became the third player in Reds history to score 250 goals.

Under mounting pressure after four successive league losses — and six in their last seven games across all competitions — Arne Slot’s men climbed to within seven points of league leaders Arsenal with 18 points.

“I think everyone who was here today felt the importance of the game, the players and fans as well,” Slot told TNT Sports. “We showed character and won the game.”

Salah, who has been criticised for his slow start to the season, struck in first-half injury time, capitalising on a huge blunder from Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez who played the ball right into the path of Liverpool’s talisman.

Salah finished first time to the relief of the anxious Anfield crowd, and joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players to score 250 goals for the Merseyside club.

Ryan Gravenberch, in his first game after missing three with an ankle injury, doubled the home side’s lead in the 58th minute when he blasted a shot from the top of the box that deflected off Pau Torres and in past Martinez.

Slot punched the air in delight as the home fans serenaded the manager.

The crowd chanted “Champions! Champions!” when the final whistle sounded to end what had been the longest current losing run in the league.

“It’s very important,” Salah told TNT of the win. “We’ve had a few losses in the Premier League and Champions League. I’m glad we are back on track now, and it’s a big push before some important games.”

The win comes ahead of a challenging stretch, with Liverpool hosting LaLiga giants Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before facing Manchester City in a league game at Etihad Stadium on November 9.

Villa started brightly on Saturday with Morgan Rogers firing a shot off the post five minutes into the game, and then Matty Cash forcing a stunning diving save from Giorgi Mamardashvili who tipped the ball over the bar early on.

But Liverpool grew into the game and summer signing Hugo Ekitike, already a big fan favourite at Anfield, celebrated what he thought was Liverpool’s first goal of the night late in the first half when he headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s cross. The goal was ruled offside.

Liverpool finished with 16 shots to Villa’s nine.

Slot’s captain Virgil van Dijk admitted it had not been easy to tune out the negative noise during their run of poor performances.

“We’re not going out on the pitch to lose games, we’re not going out there to be disappointed or leave fans disappointed,” he said. “We want to work our socks off and win games.

“There’s no guarantee, you play in the Premier League, the highest level, in the biggest league in the world, and it’s difficult to stay calm — but you have to.”

Villa’s loss ended a four-game winning streak, and saw them fall to 11th place

“We can feel a bit disappointed but we played the match like we planned,” said Villa boss Unai Emery. “(Liverpool) were playing at home and they needed to react (after a string of losses), and they reacted.”

-Reuters

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