Premier League
Liverpool FC and Jurgen Klopp have given Manchester United and Erik ten Hag a resurrection blueprint
Manchester United’s season has been slow thus far but their great rivals have shown what can come next
Vincent Kompany probably had it right this week when he said big clubs are never more than one game from a crisis.
He will be hoping to pile more misery on Manchester United this weekend, a club for whom crisis might be their middle name such have been the travails of the past few years. The Reds have lost their last three matches in all competitions, have an array of injuries and question marks over their style and identity. That’s just on the pitch without looking deeper behind the scenes.
Tonight’s Turf Moor trip pits a team that have played three lost and three at home against one that have played three and lost three away. Something has to give.
United’s start to the season has been a poor one with home performances disappointing and away results non-existent. Six points from five games is not good enough. There are mitigating circumstances and the Reds can look down the road to Merseyside for a blueprint on how to turn things around.
Liverpool are among the early pacesetters this term but things were far from rosy in the Anfield garden a year ago. They won only two of their first eight games, taking just 10 points, and even when they seemed to kickstart their campaign with home wins over Manchester City and West Ham they promptly lost to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
It meant they only had 16 points from their opening dozen games with twice as many defeats (four) as they suffered in the entirety of the previous campaign. They too were suffering with a glut of injuries not dissimilar to the current problems at Old Trafford.
And while the Merseysiders ended the season without a trophy or Champions League football, they finished it with an 11-game unbeaten run and then finessed a summer overhaul. Out went the likes of Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita – squad players with little re-sale value. Jurgen Klopp had already added Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo prior to those departures and strengthened further this summer, bringing in younger players equipped for the system he plays.
It’s something Erik ten Hag can mirror. His start to this season has been as poor as Liverpool’s was last, the injury mitigation stood for both clubs, and the way Klopp’s side finished last term, trimmed their deadwood in the summer and continued their on-pitch momentum this season is a process Ten Hag and United could easily achieve.
The Old Trafford squad overhaul is underway but unfinished. This could well be the final campaign for Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and others who are no longer first choice and no longer required. Rasmus Hojlund is spearheading the new era and a summer of further change in 2024 could boost the Reds further and provide them with the ability to hit the ground running for Ten Hag’s third season. It might mean step back this term to make two steps forward next.
And here’s something else to ponder: Klopp’s third full season in charge at Anfield brought the Champions League trophy.
-MEN
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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