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Erik ten Hag has insisted he still believes in his Manchester United players and told them they cannot feel sorry for themselves, despite their poor start to the season. The Dutchman maintains that United remain on the right track, though Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City was their seventh loss of the campaign in all competitions, and claimed they have improved in recent weeks as he said he is “certain” they will turn their fortunes around. Wednesday’s clash against Newcastle is a rematch of last season’s Carabao Cup final and Ten Hag has challenged his team with retaining the trophy. He wrote in United Review: “There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves at this moment in time. Nobody at this club enjoys defeat, particularly in a Manchester derby like last Sunday, but everything we have achieved together so far has been built on looking forward, which means we have to move on quickly from what happens, whether it is positive or negative. We have never spent too long enjoying our victories, so we will not spend too much time thinking about our losses. “I continue to believe in these players and am confident we will improve after a difficult start to the season. On Sunday, in the first half particularly, we showed good defensive discipline and we created opportunities to counter-attack, but we were unable to capitalise on those chances at decisive times in the game. Important moments went against us and we were once again reminded that any mistake is punished at the highest level. Before the derby, we won three games in a row and demonstrated our character on each occasion, so we have developed in recent weeks.” Ten Hag warned his team that any slip-up against Newcastle will be fatal as he reminded them there are no second chances in the Carabao Cup. He added: “We know how good it feels to lift this trophy and, as holders, we want to get back to Wembley Stadium again this season and defend the Carabao Cup. Our game management throughout that cup run, especially in the final against Newcastle, showed our ability to rise to big occasions – and [Wednesday] is definitely another big occasion for us. “This is cup football and there is no second chance if we don’t perform on the night. At Manchester United, every game involves high stakes. Every single day, there is pressure on everybody involved with this club, but those demands and standards are a challenge which we must always meet head-on. While this has not been the start to the season that we had all hoped for, I am certain that we have the talent and attitude as a collective to move in the right direction.” Read More Erik ten Hag says ‘only a matter of time’ until Manchester United form improves What time is the Carabao Cup draw? Date, time and how to watch Sir Bobby Charlton funeral announced for November 13

Keldon Johnson stole the ball from Kevin Durant and scored on a breakaway dunk with 1.2 seconds to play as

With the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings, let's take a look at the New Year's Six bowl projections.

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Sarina Wiegman said England had made life difficult for themselves and been given a “hard lesson” after a 3-2 Nations League loss to Belgium in Leuven. Having fallen behind to Laura De Neve’s early free-kick and then seen defender Alex Greenwood carried off on a stretcher, the Lionesses turned things around to lead via goals from Lucy Bronze in the 38th minute and Fran Kirby in the 44th. But Belgium captain Tessa Wullaert equalised in first-half stoppage time before notching the winner with an 85th-minute penalty awarded for a Georgia Stanway handball as England slipped to third in Group A1 with two games to play. Boss Wiegman, whose side had beaten the Belgians 1-0 in Leicester last Friday, told ITV: “This was a game (where) I think we should have been tighter on the ball. “We weren’t as great in the tempo. We did create lots of chances, we still dominated the game totally, but at moments we lost the ball and then they were gone on the counter-attack. They had five, six moments like that and then they got two or three chances. So it was really us that made it (for) ourselves so hard. “They played tough, were very compact, and as soon as they win the ball then they were trying to play the counter-attack, and that’s something we really have to get out of our game. “And besides that, we did create lots of chances but we just have to do better in the final third.” She added: “We were sloppy on the ball and they were ready for that. We have to be tight, especially in the build and create, at moments we don’t expect to lose the ball, and we didn’t do that good enough today. That’s a hard lesson for us.” This competition provides England with the opportunity to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot for Great Britain – they need to finish top of the group to have a chance to do that, something they are in danger of failing to achieve after their second defeat in four matches in the pool. With six points, they are now three behind table-toppers the Netherlands – 1-0 victors over Scotland on Tuesday – and one behind Belgium. The final two rounds of fixtures see England play the Dutch, who beat them 2-1 in Utrecht in September, at Wembley on December 1 then Scotland at Hampden Park four days later. Meanwhile, Ives Serneels’ Belgium will host Scotland then face the Netherlands away – two wins for the Red Flames would see England miss out on top spot regardless of how they fare. Wiegman said: “First of all we have to win with more than one goal against the Netherlands at Wembley, and then we have to win the other game too, because Belgium is in a very good place too. “We know we have work to do – we always do, but we have put ourselves in a hard position at the moment.” Greenwood went down around 20 minutes into the contest following an accidental clash of heads with Belgian forward Jassina Blom. She received treatment on the field for about 10 minutes before being placed on a stretcher and taken off. While it was a worrying scene, a subsequent post from the Lionesses’ official X account said Greenwood was “conscious and talking, and…being monitored by our medical staff.” And Wiegman said of the Manchester City player: “I haven’t talked to the medical staff yet… She’s alright – when she’s walking, she’s alright.” Read More Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea need to give Nicolas Jackson ‘confidence’ Erik ten Hag says ‘only a matter of time’ until Manchester United form improves Alex Greenwood suffers head injury in England’s clash with Belgium We’re better than that – Dawid Malan deflects England heat from Matthew Mott Sir Bobby Charlton funeral announced for November 13 Inquiry into ice hockey player’s death will take some time, police say

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Mauricio Pochettino defended Nicolas Jackson after the misfiring Chelsea striker was criticised by supporters during the Blues’ 2-0 home defeat to Brentford. Jackson has scored two Premier League goals since his summer move from Villarreal. Pochettino clarified that a fan had told the striker to “wake up” after a poor first-half display. Ahead of their last-16 Carabao Cup clash against Blackburn, the Chelsea boss supported his player. “We cannot abuse, even if you say ‘wake up’, because I think it’s not right,” Pochettino told a press conference on Tuesday. “He suffered an injury (to his hand during the last international break), it’s difficult to train, to keep fit and to score goals. “Nico (Jackson) needs support. “He wants to help the team and for different reasons he’s not performing. He played with a cast after he broke his hand. “Fans can criticise us and they’re frustrated but they need to analyse the situation. “Jackson is young, he arrived this season and there are circumstances that didn’t help him perform his best. He’s our striker, he’s our player and it’s about supporting the player Mauricio Pochettino on Nicolas Jackson “You think we should throw him into the bin and say he’s useless? We have to give the confidence. “He’s our striker, he’s our player and it’s about supporting the player.” Chelsea’s lack of cutting-edge in front of goal saw them beaten at home for the third time this season. Argentinian Pochettino wants his young team to be more “aggressive and nasty”, but noted that will come with experience. He added: “We didn’t score because we need to decide ourselves. “We were not aggressive enough and that’s why they had their chance in the second half and we conceded. “We need to improve and to be more competitive, more nasty. “That is experience, team experience, as a team we need more patience. “We need to be competitive; I feel the responsibility and we are Chelsea, we need to win this type of game.” Read More Erik ten Hag says ‘only a matter of time’ until Manchester United form improves Alex Greenwood suffers head injury in England’s clash with Belgium We’re better than that – Dawid Malan deflects England heat from Matthew Mott Sir Bobby Charlton funeral announced for November 13 Inquiry into ice hockey player’s death will take some time, police say Colombian police continue search for Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father

Erik ten Hag is convinced “it is only a matter of time” until Manchester United show their “true selves” after a poor start to the campaign was compounded in the Manchester derby. Sunday’s 3-0 home humbling at the hands of neighbours Manchester City provided the exclamation mark on a difficult start to the Dutchman’s second season in the hotseat. United were outclassed and outthought for the most part at Old Trafford, where Ten Hag’s men will attempt to bounce back in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round clash against Newcastle. “At Manchester United, every game involves high stakes,” the Red Devils boss said ahead of the repeat of last season’s Carabao Cup final. “Every single day, there is pressure on everybody involved with this club, but those demands and standards are a challenge which we must always meet head-on. “While this has not been the start to the season that we had all hoped for, I am certain that we have the talent and attitude as a collective to move in the right direction. “I believe that it is only a matter of time before we are showing our true selves. It will come, I am certain.” Ten Hag’s comments came in his manager’s notes for Wednesday’s edition of the matchday programme, United Review. Emotions will have been raw when producing the column in the aftermath of the City defeat but the Red Devils boss is only focused on improved performances and results. “There is no point in feeling sorry for ourselves at this moment in time,” Ten Hag said. “Nobody at this club enjoys defeat, particularly in a Manchester derby like last Sunday, but everything we have achieved together so far has been built on looking forward, which means we have to move on quickly from what happens, whether it is positive or negative. “We have never spent too long enjoying our victories, so we will not spend too much time thinking about our losses. We must always look forward, together. “I continue to believe in these players and am confident we will improve after a difficult start to the season. “On Sunday, in the first half particularly, we showed good defensive discipline and we created opportunities to counter-attack, but we were unable to capitalise on those chances at decisive times in the game. “Important moments went against us and we were once again reminded that any mistake is punished at the highest level. “Before the derby, we won three games in a row and demonstrated our character on each occasion, so we have developed in recent weeks. “We are also gradually getting some players back from injury, which gives us more options and allows us to select players in their natural positions.” Injuries have been a key mitigating factor in United’s shaky start, with Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Amad Diallo ruled out of the Manchester derby. Four of those played key roles in February’s Carabao Cup triumph against Newcastle – a day that has so far proven the high point of Ten Hag’s reign, rather than the catalyst for further success. “As we welcome Eddie Howe and Newcastle United to Old Trafford, our focus moves back to the Carabao Cup and a reminder of how well we did to win this competition last season,” Ten Hag said “Our game management throughout that cup run, especially in the final against Newcastle, showed our ability to rise to big occasions – and tonight is definitely another big occasion for us. “We always want to do as well as we possibly can in every competition we enter. “We know how good it feels to lift this trophy and, as holders, we want to get back to Wembley Stadium again this season and defend the Carabao Cup.” Read More Carlos Alcaraz stunned by Roman Safiullin at Paris Masters Alex Greenwood suffers head injury in England’s clash with Belgium We’re better than that – Dawid Malan deflects England heat from Matthew Mott Sir Bobby Charlton funeral announced for November 13 Inquiry into ice hockey player’s death will take some time, police say Colombian police continue search for Luis Diaz’s kidnapped father