Tag: Michael Carrick

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Troubled Spurs snatch late draw at Liverpool; Man Utd boosts top-four bid

Troubled Tottenham rescued a 1-1 draw at Liverpool thanks to Richarlison’s late leveller, while Manchester United bolstered their bid to qualify for the Champions League with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Igor Tudor’s relegation-haunted side trailed to Dominic Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick at Anfield.

But Brazil striker Richarlison netted in the 90th minute to spare Tottenham from a sixth successive Premier League defeat.

In grave danger of playing into the second tier for the first time since 1977-78, Tottenham are without a victory in their last 12 league matches — their worst winless run for 91 years.

However, their first point under interim boss Tudor, who had lost his four previous matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Thomas Frank, offered a glimmer of hope in their desperate fight for survival.

Tottenham arrived on Merseyside in crisis after suffering an embarrassing 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg in midweek.

Tudor had substituted goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after just 17 minutes after he made a pair of costly mistakes.

He opted against doing the same to Guglielmo Vicario after his weak attempted save allowed Szoboszlai’s free-kick to elude him in the 18th minute.

Tottenham could have crumbled after that, but to their credit they hit back in a spirited second half.

Richarlison ensured they didn’t finish empty-handed when he steered a close-range finish past Alisson Becker after Andrew Robertson and Virgil van Dijk made a hash of dealing with Randal Kolo Muani’s flick from Vicario’s long punt.

With eight games left to save themselves, Tottenham remain in 16th place, one point above both fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest and third-bottom West Ham.

They face a crucial clash with Forest in north London in a week’s time.

Lacklustre Liverpool were booed off at the final whistle after a result that left them in fifth place, likely to be the final Champions League slot, two points behind fourth-placed Villa.

At Old Trafford, United took the lead through Casemiro’s 53rd-minute header before Ross Barkley hauled Villa level in the 64th minute.

Michael Carrick’s side finished strongly, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko scoring in the closing stages to seal Carrick’s seventh win in nine games since taking over as interim boss.

Sitting third in the Premier League, United are three points clear of top-four rivals Villa.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe this week praised Carrick’s “excellent” work, but stopped short of committing to the former Old Trafford star on a long-term basis.

But Carrick is making a strong case to earn the job on a permanent basis after stabilizing United, who lost at Newcastle last week, following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.

“We looked a good team. It was a big game coming off the defeat. The boys reacted incredibly well,” Carrick said. “It’s a good feeling and something we want to keep getting used to. We are in a good position at the moment.”

Bruno Fernandes now has 16 Premier League assists this term, moving the United captain past David Beckham’s previous club record of 15 in 1999-2000.

He has 100 assists for United in all competitions since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2020.

“He’s proven over a period of time how impactful he is in the big moments. He’s there all the time, he puts himself forward in training and games,” Carrick said.

Spluttering Villa have lost their last three league games and have just one win in seven top-flight matches, leaving them three points above sixth-placed Chelsea with eight games left in the battle for European places.

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw against Fulham at the City Ground.

Still waiting for their first win under Vitor Pereira, fourth-from-bottom Forest, who have had four managers this term, are above third-from-bottom West Ham on goal difference.

Ten-man Leeds held on for a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s missed penalty and a red card for Gabriel Gudmundsson. (JapanToday)

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Super-sub Sesko fires Man Utd to win over Everton

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to fire Manchester United up to fourth in the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Everton to extend Michael Carrick’s unbeaten start in charge of the Red Devils.

Sesko is yet to start in Carrick’s six games but has hit top form since Ruben Amorim was sacked in last month.

The Slovenian, who scored just twice in his first 22 appearances after a £74 million ($100 million) move from RB Leipzig, has netted six goals in his last seven games.

Victory lifts United three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool in the battle for a place in next season’s Champions League, with only the top five set to qualify.

The quality of the United move that led to the winner 19 minutes from time was out of character with an otherwise uninspired 90 minutes.

Everton have now failed to win in seven home games as they struggle to adapt to life at their new 52,000 capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium.

David Moyes’ men missed the chance to move up to seventh as they remain on the fringes of the fight for a place in Europe next season.

Everton won 1-0 when the sides last met at Old Trafford in November despite playing almost the entire match a man down.

United have been transformed since former midfielder Carrick took the reins, but lacked rhythm as both sides played for the first time in 13 days.

Jordan Pickford saved from Amad Diallo inside two minutes with the only notable chance of the first half.

Bryan Mbeumo was preferred again ahead of Sesko in a centre forward role and missed his one opportunity early in the second period when he blasted over from a narrow angle.

But Mbeumo did have a part to play in a brilliant team move to earn the visitors all three points.

Sesko laid the ball off to Matheus Cunha deep inside his own half before sprinting downfield to slot in Mbeumo’s perfectly-weighted pass.

United had to see out a late Everton rally as Senne Lammens tipped over Michael Keane’s piledriver from long range.

But after keeping just two clean sheets all season prior to Amorim’s departure, they have kept three in six under Carrick to close in on a return to the Champions League for the first time in three seasons. (JapanToday)

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Tottenham roars back to draw with Man City and do Arsenal a favor in Premier League title race

Tottenham did fierce rival Arsenal a huge favor in the Premier League title race on Sunday.

Dominik Solanke scored a second-half double — including one from an outrageous scorpion kick — as Spurs came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with second-place Manchester City, leaving Arsenal with a six-point lead with 14 games left.

It was almost the perfect day for the leaders, with Aston Villa — the other title contender — losing 1-0 at home to 10-man Brentford.

Villa stayed seven points adrift of Arsenal and was in danger of being reeled in by fourth-place Manchester United, which scored a stoppage-time winner through Benjamin Sesko to beat Fulham 3-2 for a third straight league win under new manager Michael Carrick.

Having already overseen victories over City and Arsenal in his short tenure, Carrick appears to have the magic touch at revitalized United.

The same cannot be said of Pep Guardiola at the moment.

This was a huge wasted opportunity for Guardiola’s City, which was up against a heavily depleted Tottenham team and was cruising 2-0 ahead at halftime thanks to goals by Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo. At times, it was almost too easy for City in front of an apathetic home crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

City then collapsed as a revitalized Tottenham fought back. Solanke bundled in Spurs’ first goal — appearing to kick the back of Marc Guehi’s leg, resulting in the ball dribbling over the line — and then grabbed the equalizer with a deft, flying back-flick that looped over City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the corner.

“The first half was difficult — we couldn’t get near them at times,” Solanke said. “The second half was a different story. In the second half, we were great and grew with confidence and belief.”

In the last five games, City has looked vulnerable in losing twice — to United and tiny Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League — and now spluttering against an injury-hit Tottenham.

“It is a setback but we are still there,” Guardiola said. “There are 14 games to go and a lot of points. We will see.”

Arsenal, a 4-0 winner at Leeds on Saturday, might not have a better chance to end its league title drought stretching back to 2004.

Villa played for more than half the match with an extra man after Brentford winger Kevin Schade’s straight red card for kicking out at Matty Cash in the 42nd minute after they had challenged for the ball.

In the first minute of first-half stoppage time, Dango Ouattara escaped down the right and scored at the second attempt for what proved to be only goal as Brentford weathered a second-half onslaught.

United squandered a two-goal lead earned by goals from Casemiro and Matheus Cunha, with Raul Jimenez — via a penalty — and Kevin scoring to bring Fulham briefly level at Old Trafford.

There was still time for Bruno Fernandes to send over a cross that was controlled by Sesko before he swiveled to curl home a finish in front of the Stretford End.

“It’s the best feeling, I have to say,” Carrick said about the kind of late winners United scored so often under his old manager, Alex Ferguson. “People leave here with more than just, ‘United won today.’ It’s layers on top of that, the emotion and the feeling, and it’s why we all love it so much.”

The match took place after a protest by around 500-600 United fans unhappy at the ownership of the 20-time champions, but the team is finally in a decent league position — fourth place — in its bid to return to the Champions League.

United is five points behind Villa with 14 rounds remaining.

Also Sunday, Crystal Palace — without star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta ahead of his possible move to AC Milan — drew 1-1 at 10-man Nottingham Forest, which had Neco Williams sent off in the 45th minute for a handball on the line. (JapanToday)

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Man United stuns Man City in Carrick’s first game; Liverpool and Arsenal drop points

Manchester United’s latest reboot is off to a flying start.

In Michael Carrick’s first game as coach, United pulled off a stunning 2-0 win against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday and lifted the gloom hanging over Old Trafford.

“It’s a great start,” Carrick said.

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu sealed victory in the 198th Manchester derby.

“It was a very special day but I’m not getting carried away,” said Carrick, four days after his appointment. “It needs to be a regular feeling, that level of performance needs to be consistently what we’re getting.”

The former United midfielder is contracted only to the end of the season and has 17 games to convince the club hierarchy to give him the job permanently after Ruben Amorim became the sixth permanent manager to be dismissed since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

He could not have made a better first impression as United dominated all-conquering City. Manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged it.

“The better team won,” Guardiola said. “When a team is better you have to accept it. They had an energy we didn’t have. Congratulations.”

League leader Arsenal could not take full advantage of defeat for second-place City, drawing 0-0 at Nottingham Forest.

United was fifth in the standings, one point behind defending champion Liverpool, which extended its winless run to four games after drawing with relegation-fighting Burnley 1-1 at Anfield.

Chelsea was sixth after beating Brentford 2-0.

Watching over Carrick’s first game with a beaming smile was Ferguson. Winning had United fans singing in full voice inside Old Trafford and drowning out City’s.

“The supporters were incredible. This could be a magical place,” Carrick said. “To get that feeling is exactly what we want. Hopefully it’s just the start.”

The result could have been more emphatic as United twice hit the goal frame and had three goals ruled out for offside.

United claimed city bragging rights, boosted its chances of Champions League qualification, and dealt another blow to City’s title challenge. City’s recent winless run was extended to four games. Arsenal’s draw left City seven points behind the leader.

Mbeumo fired low into the far corner at the end of a swift United break to open the scoring in the 65th minute. It was the least Carrick’s team deserved in a performance full of attacking intent.

Dorgu doubled the lead in the 76th, converting from close range after beating Rico Lewis to substitute Matheus Cunha’s cross.

Harry Maguire and Amad Diallo saw chances fly off the woodwork and further celebrations were cut short in the 89th when VAR ruled Mason Mount’s goal offside. It mattered little by that stage. (JapanToday)