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Trent Alexander-Arnold: Injury progress & potential return date for Liverpool defender
Trent Alexander-Arnold: Injury progress & potential return date for Liverpool defender
Updates on the fitness of Trent Alexander-Arnold after he pulled up with a hamstring injury against Aston Villa on Sunday.
2023-09-04 21:24
David de Gea, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last player, ends 88 years of Manchester United history
David de Gea, Sir Alex Ferguson’s last player, ends 88 years of Manchester United history
Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United for 26 years and 1500 games, but he only attended 1497 of them. He missed three: one for his son Mark’s wedding, one for his sister-in-law’s funeral, and a League Cup tie against Scunthorpe in 2010 when he went on a scouting trip. The sense then was that he was watching United’s Champions League opponents Valencia; instead the teenage goalkeeper in the opposition side, Atletico Madrid, was the focus of his attention. A dozen years since he was signed, David de Gea’s departure removes the last survivor of the Ferguson era: for the first time since the relegation season of 1973-74, United in 2023-24 will not feature anyone who has made or will make an appearance for the great Scot. For the first time since 1934-35, there will be none who have played or will play for Ferguson or Sir Matt Busby. Erik ten Hag calls upon Ferguson’s counsel but there are ways in which he makes a break with the past, as Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo can testify. But De Gea was always intended to be part of Ferguson’s legacy: bought when the manager was approaching his 70th birthday, signed with his successors in mind. Ferguson could be selfish and selfless and De Gea reflected the latter: United got 545 appearances from the Spaniard, the seventh most in their history and second only to Wayne Rooney among those Ferguson bought, and 190 clean sheets, 10 more than even Peter Schmeichel. And yet his is a legacy that leads itself to different conclusions. De Gea’s dozen seasons brought a lone league title: the previous 13 produced eight, with four Champions League final appearances and two victories on the biggest stage. De Gea’s last decade comprised of United’s wilderness years; in the worst of them, 2021-22, one of their most eloquent critics was the goalkeeper himself, when his own excellence gave him freedom to express his frustration. But his last game provided a sadly fitting end: De Gea was beaten inside 13 seconds in the FA Cup final, then horribly culpable for Ilkay Gundogan’s ultimately decisive second goal. His final year felt a series of indignities: United’s Europa League exit to Sevilla owed much to a De Gea shocker, capped by an embarrassing error. His last few years at Old Trafford were pockmarked by two problems: an increasing number of mistakes – far more forgivable in his good years – and his limitations in distribution; many of his best saves were with his feet, but he struggled to use them to find teammates. Perhaps August’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford was the beginning of the end in that respect; it was evident he was an imperfect fit for Ten Hag’s style of play. It underlined the way that De Gea seemed old before his time, an old-fashioned goalkeeper in a fast-changing role. He is only two years older than Alisson, three older than Ederson, less than five the senior of his probable successor Andre Onana, but seemingly plucked from another generation, one where a goalkeeper’s job did not extend beyond stopping shots. The hashtag at his peak was “DaveSaves”. The issue was that Dave did not kick as well. De Gea was the future once; at 32, he has become the past. He almost joined Real Madrid in 2015, but for a faulty fax machine, but there is no such scramble for his services now. Even before his contract talks with United ended, it became likelier he would not be first choice. Staying would have always involved a sizeable pay cut; in part because his previous deal was so lucrative. He was famously the world’s best-paid goalkeeper; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to lazily parrot the line he was the world’s best long after evidence suggested otherwise. But at his peak, he was surely in the top five. He had days when he seemed unbeatable. His 14 saves against Arsenal in 2017 came in an extraordinary display of defiance. United branded him a “legend” in the announcement that he would go. Perhaps he both was and wasn’t: De Gea was sometimes a beacon of excellence in mediocre teams, especially in the years immediately after Ferguson’s retirement. He was named United’s player of the year a joint record four times, but that often reflected a lack of competition. Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar never won the award but they were Ferguson’s two greatest goalkeeping signings. Each chose his exit and each played his last game in a Champions League final, Schmeichel lifting the trophy in 1999. De Gea’s departure has more common denominators with that of the only other goalkeeper to play 500 games for United: Alex Stepney ended up being dropped by Dave Sexton, his fifth manager. He, too, had had his greatest days in his mid-twenties. There was a point when it seemed like De Gea would be a fixture for years to come, perhaps ending up second only to Ryan Giggs in United’s all-time appearance list. But he started to look a man out of time, even before the interest in Onana suggested he would be a man out of the team. But outstanding as De Gea was in the mid-2010s, as the last link to Ferguson is severed, it serves as a reminder that the last decade has scarcely gone to plan. Read More Why Onana is such an upgrade on De Gea for Man United De Gea confirms Man United exit with ‘farewell message’ to fans Man United transfer news: Mount signs and bid made for Onana
2023-07-10 19:54
Bet365 Bonus Code: Bet $5, Win $150 GUARANTEED on ANY Game Today!
Bet365 Bonus Code: Bet $5, Win $150 GUARANTEED on ANY Game Today!
Bet365 is giving new users who bet $5 or more a guaranteed $150 bonus! Find out how to claim this exclusive offer here.
2023-11-11 19:21
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest play out goalless draw at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest play out goalless draw at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest settled for a point apiece after playing out a goalless draw at Selhurst Park. Morgan Gibbs-White came closest for Forest when he clipped the inside of the far post in the first half, while Jean-Philippe Mateta narrowly missed breaking the deadlock in the second period. Roy Hodgson’s 400th Premier League game in charge was marred by two more injuries to his severely-depleted side, with Jeffrey Schlupp and Jairo Riedewald forced off on either side of the interval. Substitute Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was impressive in his fourth appearance for the Eagles and provided a bit of much-needed hope for the hosts – for whom the international break can not come soon enough. The hosts should have been riding a high after walking away with all three points at Old Trafford last Saturday, but the past seven days instead saw Eberechi Eze, Joel Ward and Cheick Doucoure add to a long list of Eagles injuries, which Hodgson acknowledged had reached a “crisis” point. Forest quickly worked their way into Palace’s final third but the hosts responded in kind. Edouard launched an effort wide before an alert Will Hughes intercepted Gibbs-White’s weak pass, leading to Palace’s first corner. Forest earned a corner of their own resulting in the first real chance of the encounter when Harry Toffolo called Sam Johnstone into action, the goalkeeper diving to push away the potential opener. The visitors should have taken the lead after 20 minutes when Gibbs-White’s side-foot volley from Murillo’s long ball into the box beat Johnstone, but clipped the inside of the keeper’s post but did not cross the line. Palace barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief. Moments later, Schlupp went down in midfield and was replaced by 21-year-old Rak-Sakyi. Jordan Ayew then found himself in space near the penalty spot, cringing as he volleyed Joachim Andersen’s delivery well over the crossbar before Palace did little to take advantage of a free-kick, followed by a timely intervention from Riedewald to nullify the threat on the counter. Rak-Sakyi, who had previously played just nine Premier League minutes for Palace this season, looked eager to prove he deserved more with spirited first half that saw him deliver two good crosses into the area and had a chance to break the deadlock with a volley from inside the six-yard box. Matt Turner made the save, while Johnstone twice denied Murillo in three minutes of added time to ensure it remained goalless at the break. Neither side was able to take advantage of early set-pieces to start the second period, which saw little in the way of chances as the game ticked past the hour mark when substitute Gonzalo Montiel saw a shot blocked by Marc Guehi. Palace came agonisingly close when Tyrick Mitchell found Edouard, who picked out Mateta on the right edge of the area, his effort inching so close the home support had prematurely started to celebrate, but the ball rolled just wide. It nevertheless sparked something in Hodgson’s side, who continued to pile on the pressure, first through another Rak-Sakyi effort following a fine run from Guehi, then a missed chance for Ayew when he nodded over the crossbar. Just as momentum had begun to build in their favour, Palace were forced into another substitution. This time it was Riedewald after he was attended to by staff and Chris Richards sent in to replace him. The deadlock remained a reality, just barely, after Joachim Anderson stuck out a leg to deny Montiel from close range, Johnstone extending to save Nicolas Dominguez’s effort and ensure the points were shared. Read More Raheem Sterling makes Chelsea statement as Mauricio Pochettino’s plan starts to take shape Scott McTominay’s brilliant rescue act cannot camouflage abject Man United’s lack of plan and purpose Marco Silva hails ‘class’ Willian after Fulham beat Sheffield United Jonathan Taylor ends speculation over his future by committing to the Colts Andoni Iraola admits he has to prove his reputation as Bournemouth struggle Erik ten Hag wants Man Utd late show to be ‘a turning point’
2023-10-08 03:23
MLB Rumors: 7 Shohei Ohtani free agent fits, including new dark horse candidates
MLB Rumors: 7 Shohei Ohtani free agent fits, including new dark horse candidates
Shohei Ohtani's free agency fits won't diminish because of his UCL injury. He's still the most wanted man in baseball and the competition will be fierce for these seven teams.
2023-08-26 06:55
Referees who missed a foul in Man United-Wolves not involved in next set of Premier League games
Referees who missed a foul in Man United-Wolves not involved in next set of Premier League games
The match officials who failed to award Wolverhampton a late penalty against Manchester United in the opening round of the Premier League have not been selected for any game in the next set of matches
2023-08-15 21:19
Gareth Southgate: No concern for England at Euro 2024 despite Malta performance
Gareth Southgate: No concern for England at Euro 2024 despite Malta performance
Gareth Southgate said England’s players fell short of the standards they “need to be at” against Malta but had no concerns about their attitude and aptitude ahead of next summer’s European Championship. Nobody at Wembley expected anything other than a victory from the side ranked fourth in the world against the one nestled between Fiji and Bermuda in 171st. But already-qualified England made hard work of a straightforward Group C qualifying assignment on Friday, with Enrico Pepe’s own goal giving the hosts a lead in a first half in which they failed to muster a single shot on target. Harry Kane added another after a rare moment of quality interplay in the second half as Southgate’s side limped to a 2-0 victory that all but assures their place among the top seeds at next month’s Euro 2024 draw. “We didn’t start the game well,” the England boss said. “I’ve been in football for 35 years and if you don’t start well, it’s really difficult to pick it up. “We needed, of course, to show better quality with the ball but also we were a bit stretched without it and a little bit disjointed in our pressing at times. “We were not the level we would want to be at. We were not the level that we need to be at. “But, equally, this group of players have been exceptional and I’m not going to start getting into their ribs too much about a performance like tonight. “We made a few changes, we didn’t hit the levels we would have liked to have but they managed to win the game. “Not in the style we’d have liked for the supporters but, in the end, we’ve won comfortably, as we should.” England now head onto Skopje to complete their Euro 2024 qualification campaign against North Macedonia as preparations continue for next summer. Glory in Germany is the sole focus and Southgate dismissed the suggestion that his players taking their foot off the gas at home to Malta was a worrying sign. “No, it’s not a worry because I think sometimes when players have so many matches they almost self-regulate,” Southgate said. “I’ve been a player. You know that there’s a certain level you need to hit to beat Italy here and you know that you don’t have to hit that level to win today’s game. “Although you would think that everybody would be at the same level all the time, that’s not the reality of football. “I’ve played in those matches myself and there are nights where subconsciously you just do enough to win and I think that’s a little bit where we were tonight.” England were below par for the most part on Friday, but Southgate still saw things he liked in their final home match of an unbeaten year. “We scored a lovely second goal and I think there were some individual performances that were very positive,” he added. “I thought Trent (Alexander-Arnold) was very, very good (in midfield). Him and Phil (Foden) in the first half were the two that looked like opening things up. “I thought Marc Guehi had a very mature performance again. He’s really growing as an international footballer. “It was lovely to get Cole Palmer on and give him a feel of things and I thought he looked really very comfortable in the environment.” The result meant Malta ended qualification bottom of Group C with defeats in all eight of their games, but they showed signs of promise against the Euro 2020 runners-up. Teddy Teuma went close to a famous opener just 28 seconds into the match at Wembley, where head coach Michele Marcolini praised his players’ efforts. “I’m very proud of my players,” the Malta boss said. “I think they came here in Wembley without fear, always brave. We tried to be as offensive as possible. “They reacted very, very well to falling behind. I think during these European qualifiers, we grew a lot and in these last matches against Ukraine and England played very well. “For everything, to grow, we need time. I am very happy with our performance and the regret is we didn’t score. It would have been amazing. “Apart from that, we wanted to make the fans proud and I think today the players put on the pitch the last drop of sweat I asked them to do yesterday.” Read More Stephen Kenny insists ‘no pressure’ on Evan Ferguson against Netherlands England continue unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying run with victory over Malta Wembley celebrates life of Sir Bobby Charlton ahead of England’s Malta qualifier Alan Browne says Republic upsetting Netherlands ‘would mean an awful lot’ Stephen Kenny’s last dance? 5 talking points as the Republic face Netherlands Golden Boy award recognises Jude Bellingham’s irrepressible rise at Real Madrid
2023-11-18 08:21
Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz LIVE: Result and final score as Dortmund blow Bundesliga title
Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz LIVE: Result and final score as Dortmund blow Bundesliga title
Jamal Musiala’s 89th-minute goal saw Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga title for an 11th year in a row as they snatched it away from rivals Borussia Dortmund on a dramatic final day. Dortmund would have claimed their first title since the 2011-12 season if they had beaten Mainz at home but drew 2-2, only levelling in the sixth minute of stoppage time, while Musiala’s late strike gave Bayern a 2-1 win at Cologne to take the honours on goal difference. Dortmund, for whom England midfielder Jude Bellingham was an unused substitute after injury, quickly got the sense this would not be their day. They fell behind to Andreas Hanche-Olsen’s 15th-minute header, then saw Sebastian Haller’s penalty saved moments later before Karim Onisiwo doubled Mainz’s lead in the 24th minute. Raphael Guerreiro offered the hosts hope when he hammered in a cross from Gio Reyna in the 69th minute. And soon after Dortmund were back at the top of the standings as Dejan Ljubicic’s 81st-minute penalty cancelled out Kingsley Coman’s early curling strike to make it 1-1 in Cologne, Dortmund ahead by a point at that stage. But there was one final twist as Serge Gnabry, guilty of conceding that late penalty, teed up Musiala to fire in the winner. Niklas Sule scored deep into time added on for Dortmund but it would make no difference as Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern took the title.
2023-05-27 23:55
Shohei Ohtani hits Angels-record 14th homer in June in 9-7 loss to the White Sox
Shohei Ohtani hits Angels-record 14th homer in June in 9-7 loss to the White Sox
Eloy Jiménez and Zach Remillard had two-run singles in the third inning and the Chicago White Sox beat Los Angeles 9-7 on Thursday, overcoming Shohei Ohtani’s Angels-record 14th homer in June
2023-06-30 07:56
The Phillies are again embracing 'Dancing On My Own' as their postseason party anthem
The Phillies are again embracing 'Dancing On My Own' as their postseason party anthem
The Philadelphia Phillies have made a habit of celebrating big clinching victories and postseason wins with the dance smash “Dancing On My Own.”
2023-09-28 03:16
Browns QB Deshaun Watson selected as 1 of 5 team captains on eve of 1st full season after suspension
Browns QB Deshaun Watson selected as 1 of 5 team captains on eve of 1st full season after suspension
Deshaun Watson is one of Cleveland's captains
2023-09-01 06:49
New Mexico State preaches anti-hazing message as student-athletes return for fall season
New Mexico State preaches anti-hazing message as student-athletes return for fall season
A review of hundreds of emails provides insight into the damage control that top New Mexico State University administrators undertook after news broke this year about allegations of hazing on the men's basketball team
2023-08-22 16:26