Sports
Manchester United pull surprise 2-1 win over Liverpool
Despite Mohamed Salah’s late strike, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had given Manchester United their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday.
Though Manchester United had started the weekend bottom of the Premier League, they have moved above Liverpool after the monday Night win for their new Dutch manager.
Jurgen Klopp’s men are yet to win three games into the new season, which has dimmed the hope of Liverpool’s expected title challenge
United fans began the evening with a protest march on Old Trafford against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club ahead of the match against Liverpool.
Supporters’ group ‘The 1958′ had urged fans to join a march from the Tollgate pub to the Trinity statue outside the stadium. The group said the protest was against “an ownership that is systematically starving and killing the greatest football institution in world football, for greed.”
The Glazers have regularly taken sums of money out of the football club, and with United’ s debts having risen to nearly £500m in recent financial accounts, an increase of 11.8 per cent from last year. Dividend payments have been made to shareholders in recent months, despite last season’s poor performance, and fans have been dispirited by what appears to have been a shambolic summer transfer window.
A social media movement encouraging supporters to boycott the game in the wake of an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Brentford last weekend failed to materialise.
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Despite victory jubilation of a first league win over Liverpool since 2018, chants of “we want Glazers out” dominated most part of the march
Ten Hag responded to the concession of four goals inside 35 minutes at Brentford by dropping Cristiano Ronaldo and captain Harry Maguire among four changes.
Having earned the negative accolade of being first United manager in more than a century to lose his first two games, the former Ajax manager got the rythm he desired in an explosive opening half hour that marred Liverpool dream
Anthony Elanga should have opened the scoring when he curled off the base of the post after two passes from Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes carved Liverpool wide open.
Defensive miscalculation had been a re-occuring decimal of Liverpool’s winless start to the season as they failed to learn their lesson for the opening goal on 16 minutes.
A neat one-two between Elanga and Christian Eriksen opened up the Liverpool defence once more and when the ball was cut back to Sancho, he left James Milner on the floor before coolly tucking in.
Milner bounced back up to confront Virgil Van Dijk for his role in the goal as the Dutch defender sat off Sancho.
Alisson Becker was then forced to tip Eriksen’s dipping free-kick over before the visitors were able to restore some order in the closing stages of the first half.
United nearly gifted them an equaliser when Fernandes blasted Milner’s header towards his own goal and was fortunate to see the ball rebound back off Lisandro Martinez on the line.
Liverpool’s reluctance to refresh Klopp’s midfield options will face more scrutiny in the final days of the transfer window.
With Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita out injured, the 36-year-old Milner showed his age and Klopp had precious few options to turn to on the bench with new 75 million euro (£64 million, $77 million) striker Darwin Nunez serving the first of a three-match ban for being sent off on his home debut.
Liverpool’s lack of energy in midfield paved the way for United’s second goal as Jordan Henderson’s poor touch presented possession to Anthony Martial and his perfect through ball set Rashford free to score his first goal since January.
Leicester City have announced the immediate dismissal of Steve Cooper as the club’s manager, following their 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
The club confirmed the decision in a statement published on its official website on Sunday, titled “Leicester City Part Company With Steve Cooper.”
In the statement, the Leicester City board acknowledged Cooper’s efforts but cited the need for a change in leadership.
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“The Board recognizes the hard work and commitment Steve Cooper has shown during his tenure but believes now is the right time for a new direction,” the statement read.
The defeat to Chelsea at the King Power Stadium capped a string of underwhelming performances that have left the Foxes struggling in the league.
Bayern Munich’s star striker, Harry Kane, has firmly responded to recent criticism by delivering a stunning performance on the pitch, setting a new Bundesliga record for the fastest player to reach 50 goals.
Kane’s second-half hat-trick in Bayern’s 3-0 home victory over Augsburg on Friday not only propelled the team eight points clear at the top of the table but also saw him hit the milestone in just 43 games, surpassing Erling Haaland’s previous record of 50 goals in 50 matches.
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The England captain’s clinical display included two penalty goals, extending his remarkable streak to 25 consecutive penalties scored for both club and country since his last miss against France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals.
This hat-trick marked Kane’s seventh in the Bundesliga since joining Bayern in the summer of 2023.
The 31-year-old’s hat-trick comes after he faced criticism during the international break, with some suggesting he should make way for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
Addressing the doubters, Kane stated, “I’m used to that now,” acknowledging that the pressure of being a top striker is part of the territory. “I’m experienced enough to know that comes with being one of the top players, one of the top strikers.”
Despite the criticism, Kane feels he is in the best form of his career. “All I can do is do my talking on the pitch, like I did tonight,” he said, reinforcing his focus on letting his performances speak for themselves.
Kane also mentioned he has yet to speak with incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel, who also resides in Munich, but anticipates a conversation about his experiences and how the team can improve under the new coach.
“I’m sure we’ll have a conversation on the experiences I’ve had, the good and bad things, and what we can improve,” he added.
The English Premier League (EPL) has announced the official dates for the 2025/26 season, with the campaign set to kick off on Saturday, August 16, 2025, and conclude on Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The schedule, released in a statement titled “Dates for 2025/26 Premier League season confirmed,” also includes significant changes aimed at improving player welfare, particularly during the festive period.
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For the first time, the Premier League has ensured that no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours of each other during the busy Christmas and New Year period.
Additionally, the league confirmed there will be no fixtures on Christmas Eve, addressing long-standing concerns from players and clubs over the demanding festive schedule.
The statement highlighted: “The schedule continues to allow more rest time for players over the festive match-round period, with no two rounds taking place within 60 hours of each other.
“This is in keeping with commitments made to clubs to address the congested Christmas and New Year schedule.”
The 2025/26 campaign will feature 33 weekends and five midweek match rounds, providing a balanced and evenly distributed calendar for players and fans.
The season’s start date of August 16 ensures players have 83 days of rest following the conclusion of the 2024/25 campaign—the longest break possible within the calendar constraints.
The season’s end date, May 24, 2026, ensures all fixtures are completed ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, giving players adequate preparation time for the global tournament.
The Premier League emphasized its commitment to prioritizing player welfare while maintaining the competition’s intensity and appeal.
“The start date of August 16 allows for the maximum player rest time available—83 clear days—from the end of the 2024/25 season. The season end date of May 24, 2026, ensures the Premier League season finishes ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup call-up period. There will be no fixture on December 24, 2025.”
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