Premier League
Manchester United reclaims the City as Diallo snatches derby victory at stunned Manchester City
Manchester United poured on the misery for flagging Premier League champions Manchester City as late goals by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo snatched an unlikely 2-1 away victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester derby looked like ending in a third successive league defeat after Josko Gvardiol’s header put City ahead but Ivory Coast youngster Diallo tuned the game on its head in stunning fashion.
Diallo was fouled by City’s Matheus Nunes after latching onto a dreadful back pass by the same player with Fernandes stroking home the penalty in the 88th minute.
City had hardly got over that shock when seconds later it became the “Diallo Derby” as he sent the visiting fans into delirium with a superb finish from the tightest of angles.
What was initially a worrying slump in form by champions City has now snowballed into a full-on nightmare before Christmas for Pep Guardiola’s side as they have now lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, winning one.
They stay fifth in the table with 27 points from 16 games, nine points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more.
United remain in the bottom half with 22 points but will hope their smash-and-grab raid at The Etihad Stadium will spark a move up the table during the festive period.
Fernandes breathed a sigh of relief after the game, having missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise shortly before Diallo lit the touch-paper for United’s stunning win.
“He’s been doing well, he’s been doing great things, I think there’s still a lot to come from him … When he’s like this, he’s unstoppable,” the Portuguese midfielder said.
City did not even muster a shot on target in the second half as they looked barely recognisable from the side that has won four successive Premier League crowns.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva made no attempt to sugar-coat a gut-wrenching loss.
“We totally deserved what happened,” he told Sky Sports. “In minute 87 in a derby and you are winning 1-0 and have a corner and the ball ends up as a penalty for them, if you make these stupid decisions you deserve to pay for that.”
BLEAK RESULTS
Neither side started the game brimming with any fluency after bleak recent results and United did not have a shot on target before the interval.
Amorim flexed his muscles ahead of kick-off, leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of his matchday squad and he was then forced to make an early switch as Mason Mount hobbled off after 14 minutes to be replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
It took 20 minutes for City to muster a shot at goal as Phil Foden’s half-volley went wide while at the other end Diallo struck the post with a shot but was offside anyway.
City’s fans were becoming restless but the tension lifted around the stadium in the 36th minute when, from a short corner, De Bruyne’s cross was deflected and dropped invitingly for Gvardiol to guide a header past Andre Onana.
It was the eighth goal United have conceded from a corner this season, a figure only topped by Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Tempers boiled over soon afterwards as City’s Kyle Walker and Rasmus Hojland came together like two rutting stags and Walker fell theatrically to the ground, earning both players yellow cards after a melee involving several more.
City were strangely subdued after the break but still looked like taking the points, especially after Fernandes dinked a golden chance wide after being played through.
But City’s world collapsed around them when Nunes’s terrible back pass was seized upon by Diallo and Nunes desperately tried to make amends but merely hacked Diallo down.
Fernandes tucked away the penalty but worse was still to come for the hosts as Diallo sprinted through, cleverly dinked the ball around goalkeeper Ederson and then saw his shot dissect two covering defenders before nestling in the net.
“The second half, we pressed good, we wanted to win, this is the derby … we showed today we can win every game and we are very happy to win today,” said Diallo. “I want to thank God for this. Let’s enjoy it for today and focus on the next game.”
Reuters
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Liverpool will have to wait for a few more days to be crowned Premier League champions despite a 1-0 victory at Leicester City after Arsenal kept their slender hopes just about alive with a 4-0 romp at 10-man Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off the bench to score Liverpool’s winner in the 76th minute at the King Power Stadium to restore their 13-point lead at the top with five games left.
While Liverpool can almost taste a record-equalling 20th English crown, Leicester’s defeat confirmed their relegation back to the Championship after just one season.
The Midlands club have now been relegated from England’s top flight a record 13 times.
Chelsea secured a massive win in their bid to qualify for the Champions League as they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage with Pedro Neto scoring in stoppage time.
The win pushed Chelsea above Nottingham Forest in to fifth place, the last spot for qualification to the Champions League, although Forest play at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
Chelsea have 57 points from 33 games, two behind third-placed Newcastle United and one behind Manchester City. Forest and Aston Villa are level with Chelsea on 57 points.
Wolverhampton Wanderers guaranteed their safety as they beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford. Pablo Sarabia’s stunning free kick wrapped up a fifth successive league win, the first time Wolves have achieved that in the top flight since 1970.
Liverpool were wasteful at Leicester with numerous chances going begging and Mohamed Salah suffering a frustrating afternoon including hitting both posts with an early shot.
Salah hit the woodwork again moments before the ball came out to Alexander-Arnold who fired a left-footed shot through the crowd to give his side the points — ripping off his shirt and celebrating wildly with the travelling fans.
“We just keep going, mentally we’re really strong,” manager Arne Slot, whose side could be crowned champions if Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, told Sky Sports.
“They enjoy playing football and it helps when you are playing for something special. Today (Alexander-Arnold) knows when it matters most he can just bring a bit more which is something all the top, top players have.”
DISTANT SECOND
If Arsenal avoid defeat by Palace, Slot’s side will seal the title if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at home next Sunday.
“We will focus on Tottenham and looking forward again to a home game and I think the stadium will be full,” Slot, who can become the first Dutch manager to win the English title, said. “It’s a nice game to look forward to.”
Liverpool have 79 points with Arsenal a distant second on 66. Arsenal may have their eyes now on a Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain, but they showed against Ipswich they will not hand over the title to Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring early on and Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-0 after a delightful flick by Mikel Merino.
Ipswich were reduced to 10 men before halftime as Leif Davis crudely raked his studs down the back of Bukayo Saka’s calf and the second half was academic.
Trossard grabbed his second in the 69th minute and Ethan Nwaneri added a late fourth to leave Ipswich stuck in 18th place on 21 points. They will be relegated if they drop points again or 17th-placed West Ham United pick up one more point from their remaining five games.
Chelsea were heading for a damaging defeat at neighbours Fulham as the hosts led with Alex Iwobi’s 20th-minute goal.
Substitute Tyrique George equalised with an instinctive shot in the 83rd minute, his first Premier League goal, before winger Neto swivelled and unleashed a thunderous strike in stoppage time to send the away fans wild.
Manchester United reached the Europa League semi-final with an astonishing comeback win against French club Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday but their Premier League woes returned against Wolves.
They are in 14th place and have now lost eight Premier League home games this season, their most defeats at Old Trafford in a league campaign since 1962-63.
“Wolves scored in the only opportunity they had. we had many chances, and we didn’t score. If you don’t score goals, you are not going to win games,” manager Ruben Amorim said.
-Reuters
Egyptian outlet, Ahram, has reported that Mohamed Salah has signed a new contract with Liverpool, extending his stay at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season as he prepares for what could be the final chapter of a storied career with the club.
While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, British media reports indicate the 32-year-old forward has signed a two-year extension, keeping him at the club until at least 2027.
Salah, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, has become a modern-day icon at Anfield.
The Egyptian international has scored 243 goals in 394 appearances—third on the club’s all-time scorers list—and has helped the Reds secure seven major trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League titles.
“I had my best years here,” Salah told the club’s website. “Hopefully it’s going to be 10. I signed because I believe we can still win big trophies together.”
He has maintained his prolific form this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in 45 appearances across all competitions. His 27 Premier League goals currently lead the division.
During his time with Liverpool, Salah has won the Premier League Golden Boot three times, been named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year twice, and claimed two FWA Footballer of the Year awards.
Now entering the latter stages of his career, Salah remains focused on adding more silverware to his collection and further cementing his legacy at Liverpool.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Leicester City’s Jeremy Monga, who became the second-youngest Premier League player when he made his senior debut in Monday’s 3-0 loss to Newcastle United, had to wear a blank shirt because it is sponsored by an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.
Britain’s Gambling Act 2005, which underwent a review in 2020, prohibits players under 18 from wearing kits displaying gambling sponsors. Monga, an England U16 international, made his senior debut at 15 years 271 days old.
Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri remains the youngest Premier League player in history, having debuted in the competition when he was 90 days younger than Monga.
Leicester, who suffered an eighth straight loss in the league without scoring a goal, are 19th in the standings, 15 points below the safety zone.
-Reuters
- WOMEN'S FOOTBALL1 week ago
Naira rain falls on Nigeria’s Flamingos after a 4-0 defeat of Algeria
- OBITUARY5 days ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- U-17 AFCON1 week ago
Morocco crowned CAF U-17 AFCON champions after dramatic penalty shootout win over Mali
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature5 days ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu