Sport
Premier League Team of the Week – Mohamed Salah, Leandro Trossard, Victor Lindelof
Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the 12th round of fixtures, including Mohamed Salah, Leandro Trossard and Victor Lindelof.
The Premier League delivered plenty of parting gifts heading into the third international break of the season, as Manchester City maintained their position at the top of the table despite being haunted by an old flame in an exhilarating 4-4 draw with Chelsea.
Liverpool and Arsenal now only have a one-point gap to make up to the champions, as the Reds eased past Brentford 3-0 while the Gunners survived the final 10 minutes against Burnley with 10 men in a 3-1 triumph.
Tottenham Hotspur were condemned to back-to-back defeats as Wolverhampton Wanderers incredibly came from behind to prevail 2-1 at Molineux, while Aston Villa made it 13 top-flight home wins on the trot with a 3-1 beating of Fulham to remain in the Champions League mix....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United were unconvincing yet again, but one goal was all that was needed to send Luton Town home empty-handed, while Newcastle United’s injuries finally caught up to them in a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth.
Elsewhere, West Ham United were involved in another five-goal thriller with Nottingham Forest and came out on the correct end of a 3-2 scoreline this time around, Everton put Crystal Palace to the sword in an identical victory, while Sheffield United earned a creditable point in a 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Premier League Team of the Week for the 12th round of fixtures.
DEFENCE
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While he arguably could have done better with Dominic Solanke’s opening goal at his near post, Nick Pope was the only Newcastle player who emerged from the Vitality Stadium with his head held high, coming up with a whopping eight stops to ensure that the Magpies’ defeat did not turn into a dismantling.
The form of Takehiro Tomiyasu has stolen most of the full-back related headlines at the Emirates Stadium, but Oleksandr Zinchenko was back to his best when Burnley made the journey to North London, scoring a sumptuous scissor kick that Paolo Di Canio would have been proud of while also winning seven of his eight ground duels and an identical number of aerial battles in a monstrous display.
Speaking of players getting back to their best, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has returned to his imperious ways in the Reds backline; good thing too, as the Dutchman needed to come up with four clearances, three tackles and two blocks to keep Brentford at bay, while also registering a remarkable 100% success rate from 10 long passes.
While Man United’s attackers flatter to deceive in the Premier League, another unlikely source propelled the Red Devils to a crucial win over Luton Town, as Victor Lindelof reacted quickest in the box to fire the ball into the roof of the net, in addition to making one block, one tackle, one interception and a 95% pass accuracy in an assured performance.
Needing to make amends after his dreadful error gifted Toulouse a goal in their midweek Europa League loss, Kostas Tsimikas certainly got back into the Kop’s good books with a pair of assists in the battering of Brentford, just about keeping the ball in play and crossing for Mohamed Salah before laying off Diogo Jota for his fierce second-half drive.
MIDFIELD© Reuters
Before Mohamed Salah nonchalantly headed home his second of the afternoon from Tsimikas’s delivery – which marked his 200th goal in English football – the Egypt international had written yet another page of history by calmly finishing into the bottom corner in the first half, becoming the first Reds player in history to score in each of their first six home games of a season, while stretching his run of direct involvements at Anfield to a staggering 15 top-flight games.
Astonishing home streaks are not limited to Liverpool, as Villa made it 13 wins on the trot in front of their own fans thanks in no small part to John McGinn, who gave Joao Palhinha the slip before picking out the bottom corner to open the scoring against Fulham, and as well as completing a spectacular seven dribbles, the skipper played a huge part in his side’s third goal, slipping through Leon Bailey to pick out Ollie Watkins inside the box.
James Ward-Prowse may not have been as elusive as McGinn on the dribbling front at the weekend, but Forest felt the full force of the Englishman’s dead-ball mastery. With the Irons staring down the barrel of defeat at 2-1, Ward-Prowse – fresh from another England snub – delivered two brilliant corners for Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek to propel West Ham to an enthralling success.
West Ham’s turnaround pales into insignificance when compared to Wolves’ breathtaking comeback versus Tottenham, which was sparked by the 87th-minute introduction of Pablo Sarabia, who beat Guglielmo Vicario at his near post with a sublime volley before playing in Mario Lemina for a last-gasp winner, and no player has scored and assisted in a Premier League game after being brought on as late as the Spaniard.
ATTACK
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Following up his stellar showing against Sevilla with a landmark goal against Burnley, astute January acquisition Leandro Trossard courageously headed home at the back stick – injuring his forearm in the process as he clattered into the post – for the Gunners’ 1,000th goal at the Emirates, before providing a pinpoint corner for William Saliba to restore Arsenal’s advantage.
While it would have been easy to select Team of the Week regular Erling Haaland owing to his brace against Chelsea, a penalty and fortuitous goal off of his backside does not justify a spot over Bournemouth’s two-goal hero Dominic Solanke, who lashed home at the near post before an improvised flick doubled the Cherries’ advantage in their standout result of the season to date.
Sports Mole’s Premier League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Pope; Zinchenko, Van Dijk, Lindelof, Tsimikas; Salah, Ward-Prowse, McGinn, Sarabia; Trossard, Solanke
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Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag praises central defender Harry Maguire for turning his Red Devils career around....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has hailed Harry Maguire for his contribution to the team’s recent impressive results in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have won each of their last three league fixtures against Fulham, Luton Town and Everton, keeping clean sheets in all three games.
Maguire has been a vital player for the 20-time English champions in recent weeks, playing the full 90 minutes in each of their last six Premier League games, which have brought five wins.
The England international was heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford over the summer, with West Ham United believed to have had an offer accepted for him.
However, the 30-year-old decided to stay at Man United to fight for his place, and the ex-Sheffield United youngster is now first pick in the middle of the defence.
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Maguire’s form is keeping Raphael Varane out of the side, and there is an argument that Ten Hag’s first-choice centre-back pairing will be Maguire and Lisandro Martinez once the latter has returned from injury.
Jonny Evans had been featuring alongside Maguire before picking up an injury, with Victor Lindelof now filling in as the left-sided centre-back.
Ten Hag has lavished praise on Maguire for ‘fighting back’ from a difficult period, hailing the centre-back’s “mentality” and “very important” contribution to the team’s recent success.
“Absolutely. Very important. And he fought back and he showed great mentality. He can be proud of himself. But as I say: we are in a season, we are in the right direction,” Ten Hag told MUTV.
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“Harry is in the right direction with this team. Now we make the next steps because we want to be successful and Harry is very ambitious. He wants to win trophies. So then, you know, you have to give every day your best.”
Maguire is now set to remain at Old Trafford, especially as there is huge uncertainty surrounding the futures of Varane, Evans and Lindelof.
Varane is believed to be keen to leave the Red Devils next year, with a number of clubs from Saudi Arabia said to be keeping a close eye on his situation.
Both Evans and Lindelof only have contracts until next June, meanwhile, although it is thought that a 12-month extension will be activated in the latter’s deal.
Scott McTominay is another player who was heavily linked with a move away from Man United over the summer, but he has also been vital for Ten Hag in recent weeks, coming up with four goals in all competitions.
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Newcastle United jump to fifth in the Premier League table with a deserved 1-0 win over Manchester United at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United made it three successive wins against Manchester United in all tournaments for the first time in over 100 years with a deserved 1-0 Premier League victory over the tepid Red Devils at St James’ Park.
A succession of chances came and went for Eddie Howe’s men in the first half, but Man United’s luck ran out when Anthony Gordon fired home early in the second half to sink Erik ten Hag’s team – who were second best all afternoon – although a concerning injury to Nick Pope partially marred the Magpies’ success.
While a decimated Newcastle side put out the exact same XI from their Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain, a handful of changes from Ten Hag saw Anthony Martial, Kobbie Mainoo, Diogo Dalot and the returning Marcus Rashford come into the fold....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
However, Ten Hag’s alterations did little to stem the flow of a rampant Newcastle, who saw almost all of the ball in the opening stages and came close in the 18th minute through Miguel Almiron, but Andre Onana was equal to his low effort.
Alexander Isak and Jamaal Lascelles both came close in the few moments that followed; the former had a strike deflected wide by Harry Maguire before Lascelles headed over the bar, which was then shaking in the 40th minute as Kieran Trippier’s free kick landed just an inch too high.
Newcastle’s shot counter displayed a whopping 14 as the referee’s whistle blew to signal half time, but Man United’s clean sheet remained intact, mainly thanks to their hosts’ wastefulness in the final third.
Any harsh half-time words from Ten Hag clearly did not have the desired effect, as Newcastle finally made one of their many forays forward pay in the 55th minute, where Gordon gave the hosts a fully merited lead.
The sloppy Red Devils were punished for losing the ball in the defensive third, allowing Trippier to flash a low ball across the six-yard box, where Gordon was on hand to tap home at the back post.
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The ex-Everton man’s opener saw him stretch his St James’ Park scoring streak to four successive Premier League matches, and Ten Hag responded by calling upon Antony and Rasmus Hojlund in place of the ineffective Martial and Rashford.
Man United’s alterations did little to spark any life into the meek visitors, who were indebted to Aaron Wan-Bissaka for making a crucial block to deny Lewis Miley in the 78th minute, but it was Fabian Schar’s turn to deny Sergio Reguilon from scoring a sensational volley with a terrific block of his own four minutes later.
As Pope dived to meet Reguilon’s blocked shot, though, the Newcastle number one injured himself and stayed down as Man United built their next attack, which was stopped in its tracks to allow the stricken Pope to receive treatment.
The Englishman was able to rise to his feet, but he was evidently struggling with his shoulder and slowly trudged off to be replaced by ex-Man United loanee Martin Dubravka.
The Newcastle number two had only been on the field a few moments before an Antony volley flew past him and into the back of the net, but Maguire – whom the ball took a nick off – was in an offside position, and the linesman’s flag came to the hosts’ rescue.
The Red Devils were granted nine minutes of additional time to try to find a leveller, but Newcastle stood firm to leapfrog their visitors into fifth spot in the table, bumping Ten Hag’s men down to seventh in the process.
Newcastle have four full days to rest up before a trip to Everton on Thursday, while Man United will return to their Old Trafford headquarters to meet Chelsea on Wednesday.
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Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly set to double his wages at Old Trafford on account of becoming a first-team regular for Erik ten Hag....Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly set to double his wages at Old Trafford following his first-team breakthrough.
The 18-year-old is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the Red Devils’ setup but was denied the chance to make an impression in the early stages of the 2023-24 campaign due to an ankle injury sustained in pre-season.
Mainoo took months to recover from the affliction, but the teenager has since exited the treatment room and was trusted by Erik ten Hag from the first whistle in last weekend’s 3-0 Premier League win over Everton.
Mainoo – who made his debut for the Red Devils against Charlton Athletic in a January EFL Cup clash – received high praise for a performance well beyond his years and was then brought off the bench for his Champions League debut against Galatasaray a few days later.
Sofyan Amrabat was given the nod in Europe instead of Mainoo, but the Fiorentina loanee was overlooked for the youngster in Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, where the Red Devils fell to a 1-0 defeat.
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Amid Man United’s indifferent form on the field and protracted takeover saga, Mainoo has been a shining light for the 20-time English champions, and his rapid rise is now set to be rewarded.
According to the Daily Star, Mainoo is currently on a modest £10,000 per week at the Theatre of Dreams, but his salary will soon double to £20,000 per week owing to a clause in his contract.
Back in February, the Red Devils tied the 2005-born lynchpin down to a new long-term deal until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, with the option of an additional 12 months.
Rather than Man United agreeing another fresh deal with Mainoo, the midfielder’s existing terms apparently include a clause stipulating that his wages will double in size once he becomes a first-team regular.
The report adds that Mainoo’s salary increase has not been triggered just yet, but he is “close” to taking home an extra £10,000 per week, and he would already be on a higher wage had he not spent a couple of months in the treatment room.
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The 18-year-old – who has been with the club since the age of nine – completed 80 minutes of Saturday’s showdown with Newcastle, which was his sixth first-team appearance for the Red Devils.
However, Mainoo and his Man United teammates were run ragged by Newcastle, who deservedly picked up a 1-0 win in freezing temperatures thanks to a second-half Anthony Gordon goal.
Having also been beaten by the Magpies in this year’s EFL Cup and a 2-0 loss at St James’ Park in the 2022-23 Premier League, Man United have now suffered three successive defeats to Newcastle in all competitions for the first time since January 1922.
The Red Devils’ sixth league loss of the season has bumped them down to seventh place in the Premier League table, and the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford is next up for Ten Hag’s troops on Wednesday.
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