..::Football IV::..

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Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United: Rashford fires Red Devils into quarter-finals

Manchester United moved into the EFL Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.A penalty and a spectacular free-kick from Marcus Rashford sealed a third away win in a row in all competitions for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.

Michy Batshuayi had drawn Chelsea level but Rashford struck in sublime fashion just as the home side looked to be building momentum, inflicting a first defeat on Frank Lampard's side since the 2-1 loss to Liverpool on September 22.

Scott McTominay, booked for an early lunge on Mateo Kovacic, whistled a shot just wide from Daniel James' corner 13 minutes in.

United were growing in confidence and Rashford broke the deadlock with a firmly struck spot-kick in the 25th minute after Marcos Alonso had rather clumsily bundled into the back of Daniel James.Callum Hudson-Odoi had a quiet first half but should have levelled the scores five minutes into the second, the winger failing to connect properly with Alonso's low cross with the goal at his mercy.

Hudson-Odoi fired over before Batshuayi showed him how it should be done, racing away from Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof and blasting a low shot past Sergio Romero from outside the box.

Solskjaer responded by bringing on Anthony Martial and Andreas Pereira in a tactical shift, but it was Rashford who settled the contest 73 minutes in with a sensational 30-yard free-kick that swerved beyond the helpless Willy Caballero.

 

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Congratulations Manchester United!

Rash ge freekick eka PattaRonaldo ge kale mathak una

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Real Madrid 5-0 Leganes: Benzema Los Blancos' talisman again in easy win

Karim Benzema had a hand in three goals as he inspired Real Madrid to a 5-0 win over Leganes in LaLiga on Wednesday.

With last weekend's scheduled Clasico against Barcelona postponed due to political tension in Catalonia, Madrid appeared to have fun on their return to action as they toyed with rock-bottom Leganes, who had no answer to the classy Benzema at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Frenchman was central to a brutal Madrid start that saw them lead 2-0 within eight minutes – Benzema setting up Rodrygo Goes and Toni Kroos, before Sergio Ramos got in on the act from the spot.

Benzema eventually got a deserved goal of his own from 12 yards, taking him to seven for the season, and Luka Jovic finally got his first goal for the club in stoppage time as Los Blancos moved up to second – behind Barcelona – in the table.

Madrid looked in the mood right from the start and quickly charged into their two-goal lead, as Benzema teed up Rodrygo for a straightforward finish, before Kroos' deft flick from the striker's low cross left Juan Soriano with no chance.

Ramos increased the deficit in the 24th minute with a penalty, though he needed two opportunities as Soriano – who conceded the spot-kick for fouling Eden Hazard – was penalised via VAR for coming off his line when saving the Madrid captain's first attempt.Benzema went agonisingly close to a fine goal just past the hour when his 25-yard strike came back off Soriano's left-hand post.

But Soriano had no such luck soon after when Benzema slammed home a cool penalty, won by Luka Modric after a clumsy tackle by Kenneth Omeruo.
Jovic wrapped up an emphatic victory late on, meeting Dani Carvajal's cross with a fine header to get off the mark for Madrid in his 10th outing.

 

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Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (5-4 on penalties): Ceballos miss hands Klopp's men shoot-out glory

Arsenal twice squandered the lead as they were dumped out of the EFL Cup by Liverpool on penalties after a remarkable 5-5 draw at Anfield.Under-pressure Gunners boss Unai Emery needed a positive result to lift the gloom around Arsenal after they let slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace, but Jurgen Klopp's irrepressible young Reds prevailed.

Shkodran Mustafi's own goal and James Milner's penalty bookended a Lucas Torreira strike and Gabriel Martinelli's double in a first half characterised by defensive errors and gung-ho attacking.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles extended Arsenal's 3-2 interval lead before strikes from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Divock Origi levelled the contest, only for Joe Willock to put Arsenal back in front with a wonderful solo effort 20 minutes from time.

But Origi penetrated Arsenal's porous defence again to take the game to penalties, and Dani Ceballos had his spot-kick saved as Liverpool clinched a place in the quarter-finals at the expense of their beleaguered visitors.

Mustafi inadvertently bundled the ball past Emiliano Martinez with his knee to put Liverpool ahead before Torreira appeared to come from an offside position when he side-footed home the equaliser.

Arsenal went ahead when a quick free-kick caused havoc in the Liverpool box, before Martinelli lashed his side's second high into the roof of the net. Teenage home debutant Neco Williams then gave possession away cheaply to allow Martinelli to score again.

Moments later, Brazilian forward Martinelli was judged to have fouled Harvey Elliott in the box and James Milner buried the ensuing penalty. But Milner's calamitous back-pass let Maitland-Niles steal in and - after Mesut Ozil kept the ball in play with a sensational drag-back - restore Arsenal's two-goal advantage.

Oxlade-Chamberlain unleashed a wickedly dipping shot that screamed over Martinez and into the net to make it 4-3 before Curtis Jones drove Liverpool forward and picked out Origi who found the net with a fortuitous drive.The pick of the goals came from Willock who was allowed to run through Liverpool's midfield before curling an exquisite finish into the top corner from 25 yards.

But Arsenal's habit of letting leads slip struck again when Origi was left unmarked 12 yards from goal and he volleyed Williams' cross beyond Martinez to send the match to penalties.Hector Bellerin, Matteo Guendouzi, Martinelli and Maitland-Niles held their nerve in the shoot-out but Kelleher saved from Ceballos to allow Jones to score the winner at the Kop end.

 

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Manchester United Vs Brighton

Manchester United Starting Line-up

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka
Lindelof
Maguire
Williams
McTominay
Fred
James
Pereira
Rashford
Martial

&

Brighton Starting Line-up

Ryan
Montoya
Duffy
Dunk
Burn
Trossard
Propper
Stephens
Alzate
Maupay
Connolly
​

 

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Good Luck Manchester United!
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Happy Birthday Daniel James!​

 

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Half Time

Manchester United 2 Vs 0 Brighton

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Manchester United 3-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Rashford and Martial lead vibrant Red Devils

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were to the fore once again as Manchester United saw off Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 at Old Trafford to move back into the top half of the Premier League table.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men impressed in Thursday's 3-0 Europa League victory over Partizan Belgrade, which Martial and Rashford scored in, and the forwards both played crucial roles again as a resilient Brighton were dispatched fairly comfortably.

United looked as though they were going to cruise to victory during the early exchanges, as they found themselves 2-0 up thanks to a couple of fortuitous goals from Andreas Pereira and Davy Propper, who beat his own goalkeeper.


Lewis Dunk pulled one back for Brighton just past the hour, but Rashford - set up by Martial - lashed in soon after to seal the points, though United arguably should have added several more goals, with the England star, Daniel James and Brandon Williams all going close.United began with real purpose but were extremely fortunate to open the scoring in the 17th minute.

Pereira was guilty of overplaying on the counter and was dispossessed, but the ball came to Martial and he teed the Brazilian up again, with the eventual shot finding the net via a massive deflection.The hosts were lucky again soon after, as Scott McTominay attempted to bundle over the line and Propper prodded it into his own net.

Chances came at both ends just past the hour – Mat Ryan unconvincingly knocking Fred's long-range effort on to the crossbar, before Dunk lost Pereira at a corner to emphatically head Brighton back into the contest.Rashford restored the two-goal lead two minutes later, however, crashing an effort in off the crossbar after Martial teed his strike partner up.

An awful miss from Rashford was followed by saves to deny him, Williams and James, but Brighton were unable to make United rue their wastefulness.A late ankle injury suffered by McTominay, which left the midfielder in considerable pain, was the only significant dampener on an otherwise fine day for the Red Devils.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Manchester United!

Best Manchester United performance of the season so far

Meetath wada loku margin ekakin win karannath thibba

Good luck for the next match Manchester United!​

 

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Liverpool 3-1 Man City: Ruthless Reds take command of title race

Liverpool ruthlessly dispatched title rivals Manchester City 3-1 in a barnstorming clash at Anfield to open up a commanding eight-point gap at the top of the Premier League.

Fabinho rifled the Reds into a sixth-minute lead moments after the visitors were left seething when Trent Alexander-Arnold was not punished for a seeming handball in the penalty area.Mohamed Salah doubled the lead in a pulsating start and Sadio Mane completed the ransacking early in the second half as Liverpool's hopes of ending 30 years of title pain earned a monumental boost despite Bernardo Silva's 78th-minute strike giving the visitors late hope of a revival.


Liverpool – who are now unbeaten in 17 Premier League contests with City at Anfield – have an eight-point lead over Chelsea and Leicester City but perhaps far more significant for Jurgen Klopp's men, is the cushion of nine they have over Pep Guardiola's defending champions.
City were outraged not to be awarded a fifth-minute penalty for handball against Alexander-Arnold and their sense of injustice was exacerbated less 60 seconds later when Fabinho picked up Ilkay Gundogan's poor clearance and lashed home an unstoppable 25-yard thunderbolt.

Despite the setback, the away side continued to press the issue but Raheem Sterling wastefully headed wide from Kevin De Bruyne's whipped free-kick and City were made to pay.Alexander-Arnold's exquisite cross-field ball found Andy Robertson, whose sublime left-wing cross was nodded home by Salah.

Sergio Aguero tested Alisson and surprise inclusion Angelino clipped the post in an action-packed first half, while Roberto Firmino and Salah drew good stops from City's stand-in keeper Claudio Bravo.The game was essentially put to bed six minutes after the restart when Jordan Henderson hung up a wonderful cross from the right that Mane gleefully headed in at the far post.

Sterling and Alexander-Arnold were both denied penalties before City game themselves a glimmer of hope when Angelino's low centre was drilled home, via a slight kiss of the post, from Silva.City had Liverpool on edge again shortly after but Gabriel Jesus failed to make clean contact when Sterling had seemingly laid one on a plate.

Another claim for handball against Alexander-Arnold went unheard and Jesus wasted another golden opportunity as Liverpool saw it out to lay down a huge marker.

 

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Juventus 1-0 AC Milan: Ronaldo hooked again as his replacement Dybala bails out Old Lady

Paulo Dybala vindicated Maurizio Sarri's decision to introduce him for the underwhelming Cristiano Ronaldo as the Argentina international clinched underwhelming Juventus a slender 1-0 win over AC Milan on Sunday.

Sarri's men were well below par for the visit of Stefano Pioli's Milan and Ronaldo was no different, as the Portugal star failed to inspire an Old Lady attack that looked bereft of creative ingenuity until matchwinner Dybala replaced the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Belying the form table, Milan looked considerably more fluent and inventive in attack during the opening 45 minutes, but questionable finishing and a wonderful save from Wojciech Szczesny prevented them going into half-time ahead.


Juve remained short of ideas going forward initially in the second period and that resulted in the withdrawal of Ronaldo – who was also hooked in the Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow.While the Portugal captain looked utterly unimpressed as he headed straight down the tunnel, Dybala made the difference late on with a fine goal to retain Juve's status as Serie A pacesetters.

Milan should have taken the lead with 18 minutes on the clock, but Krzysztof Piatek miscued his header from Suso's excellent delivery from deep, before Szczesny thwarted Lucas Paqueta's nodded effort.It took Ronaldo until the 42nd minute to threaten the Milan goal, but his 25-yard strike was easily kept out by Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Sarri's response to Juve's ineffectiveness in front of goal was to withdraw Ronaldo for Dybala before the hour, while Douglas Costa – the hero in Wednesday's 2-1 win in Moscow – came on soon after.The Brazilian went as close as any of his team-mates with a 30-yard strike that Donnarumma stopped, before Blaise Matuidi curled just off target.

But fittingly it was Dybala who got the decisive goal, as he played a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain on the edge of the box and then swept home right-footed 13 minutes from time, confirming an undeserved defeat for Milan, who have not won at Juve since March 2011.

 

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Atletico Madrid 3-1 Espanyol: Morata, Koke rescue vital victory

Alvaro Morata scored for the sixth match running as Atletico Madrid returned to winning ways, beating Espanyol 3-1 at home to remain within touch with the top two in LaLiga.

Striker Morata, recalled to the Spain squad this week, has discovered his best form but Atleti had been struggling, winless in three in all competitions heading into this match.

Espanyol looked capable of furthering their misery for 45 minutes, too, leading through Sergi Darder's strike, until Morata created the leveller for Angel Correa in first-half stoppage time.

Morata, who had earlier squandered a clear opening, himself struck early in the second period, and Koke added a late third for Diego Simeone's men to move back within a point of leaders Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid, both of whom won on Saturday.
Morata missed a huge chance to extend his outstanding scoring streak after 16 minutes, running onto Vitolo's measured pass and lifting the ball over Diego Lopez but missing the right-hand post.Espanyol started to forge their own opportunities at the other end, however, and Darder was clinical, pouncing on a slack exchange between Thomas Partey and Koke to lash high past Jan Oblak.

Yet Morata was influential as Atleti got back on level terms on the stroke of half-time, with the forward reaching the byline and lifting a cross onto Correa's head for a simple finish.The VAR confirmed Morata was onside in the build-up, much to Espanyol's frustration, as Naldo - earlier substituted injured having been run ragged by Vitolo - was booked on the bench for his protests.

There was a flurry of activity at the start of the second half, with Atleti denied a penalty as David Lopez and Felipe clashed, before Morata made amends for his earlier miss, holding off a recovering defender to beat Diego Lopez with a right-footed effort.

Espanyol still might have recovered a draw, but David Lopez was penalised for a foul on Koke prior to heading beyond Oblak, although the Atleti captain appeared to have tangled with a team-mate as he clutched his face.

Instead, Koke settled matters at the end of a rapid counter-attack, controlling substitute Diego Costa's cutback and sliding low into the net.

 

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McTominay injury mars Man Utd win over Brighton as midfielder hobbles off


Manchester United’s 3-1 win at home to Brighton on Sunday afternoon was marred by an injury late in the game to the increasingly influential midfielder Scott McTominay.The 22-year-old Scotland international had earlier forced an own goal from Brighton’s Davy Propper to put United 2-0 up, with goals from Andreas Pereira and Marcus Rashford eventually helping United up to seventh in the table.

McTominay looked to be in considerable pain as he was helped from the pitch deep into stoppage time, though a stretcher which had been readied for him wasn’t used.

With United having used all of their substitutions, they saw out the final seconds of the game with ten men.

McTominay has played in all but two of United’s games in all competitions so far this season, and has two goals to his name following strikes against Arsenal and Norwich.

However, with the Premier League season now interrupted by the international break, United will be hoping the two-week break to their next fixture will be enough for McTominay to recover if the injury turns out not to be serious.

Paul Pogba is expected to return for United after the international break after being out since September with an ankle injury.United face Sheffield United on November 24, and will look to leapfrog Chris Wilder’s impressive Blades side who sit one point and two places above them in fifth.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will then face Astana in the Europa League, before home league games against Aston Villa and Tottenham precede the first Manchester derby of the season at the Etihad in early December.

With United having used all of their substitutions, they saw out the final seconds of the game with ten men.McTominay has played in all but two of United’s games in all competitions so far this season, and has two goals to his name following strikes against Arsenal and Norwich.However, with the Premier League season now interrupted by the international break, United will be hoping the two-week break to their next fixture will be enough for McTominay to recover if the injury turns out not to be serious.

Paul Pogba is expected to return for United after the international break after being out since September with an ankle injury.United face Sheffield United on November 24, and will look to leapfrog Chris Wilder’s impressive Blades side who sit one point and two places above them in fifth.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will then face Astana in the Europa League, before home league games against Aston Villa and Tottenham precede the first Manchester derby of the season at the Etihad in early December.

 

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Get well soon McTominay!​

 

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Man Utd star James is replicating Ronaldo at Old Trafford - Giggs

Manchester United star Daniel James has been praised by Ryan Giggs for the manner in which he has adapted to the cruder aspects of life in the Premier League, with the Wales boss saying his attitude reminds him of that of Cristiano Ronaldo.

James, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Sunday, moved to the Old Trafford side in the summer and made an immediate impression by scoring three goals in his first four Premier League matches.He has since failed to find the net but created goals against both Liverpool and Norwich in recent fixtures, and has won praise from his national team boss for his bravery.

“Dan takes a lot of knocks but gets up, gets on with it and demands the ball back,” Giggs, who named the attacker in his squads for forthcoming matches against Azerbaijan and Hungary, said.

“Ronaldo, especially earlier on in his career, took a lot of knocks and would still demand the ball. It shows huge bravery.“Dan’s a fantastic character and great professional.”Reflecting on a bad challenge during the last international break from Croatia’s Domagoj Vida, the manager said it showed that he has been singled out due to his ability.

“Over the years forwards have been more and more protected. But we have a few players who receive nasty treatment because of the quality they possess,” he noted
“You’ve got to stand up for yourself. You’ve got to trust in the referee as well that he protects the players.”As an iconic winger with the Red Devils during his playing days, Giggs knows what the support at Old Trafford want and says that the youngster checks these boxes.

“United fans like players who like to attack, who gets the fans off their feet — and he’s somebody who does that,” he said.“With the form he’s in, he has been outstanding and a constant threat. He’s added goals and assists, which is a wingers’ game. He will get better and better — and I’m pleased for him.”

 

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'I promise you we don't care' - Klopp confident eight-point lead doesn't put pressure on Liverpool


Jurgen Klopp dismissed any idea that Liverpool opening up an eight-point buffer at the top of the Premier League will crank up the pressure on his unbeaten Reds side.

Liverpool produced a clinical performance to defeat Manchester City 3-1 in front of a delighted Anfield on Sunday, with Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane on target in a pulsating affair.Pep Guardiola's champions are now nine points adrift of Liverpool, with Chelsea and Leicester City each eight back.

Such a commanding lead in the table by November has led several pundits to suggest the title is now Liverpool's to lose.Klopp is uncomfortable with such a suggestion but is adamant his team are prepared for what is to come.

"We don't feel any pressure, to be 100 per cent honest," he said."The things that will now come up, we know about. If you are with us, then nine points is a positive. There's a long way to go."Other people will 100 per cent say, and have said already, that from now on Liverpool can only lose it.

"That's a very negative approach, but you can see it like this. But we don't care. I can promise you that we don't care."Today we were completely focused on this game and not the situation in the table and how many points we are ahead of City in the table.

"That's crazy. Nine points ahead of City, you cannot imagine that something like this would happen. But it's not important because who wants to be first in November? You want to be first in May."It's only November. We all know that but don't have to say it as it's clear. We will try and see what happens in the end.

"The pressure or whatever is not there yet. It will come, but at the moment it's just opportunity and go for it and do the work, throw all in what you have and let's see what happens."

Liverpool only lost once last season en route to being pipped to the title by a solitary point and are yet to suffer defeat in the league this term.
Asked if Liverpool are thinking about going through the season unbeaten, Klopp replied: "Not at all.

"We just don't think about it. What I thought after the game was a word I'm not allowed to say and then the boys go now all over the world, play for their countries and hopefully come back healthy and two days after we are back it's Crystal Palace. That's what I am concerned about.

"You saw again today, the hardest work is needed to win any football game but a game like this particularly. I'm really happy for tonight, but that's it."

 

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'I'd be worried if Ronaldo wasn't upset!' - Sarri admits Juventus star isn't at his best


Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri conceded he would be worried if Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't upset after once again being substituted on Sunday.

The 34-year-old was replaced by Paulo Dybala in the 55th minute during Juve's Serie A clash with AC Milan and immediately made his way up the tunnel after coming from the pitch.

Reports in Italy also suggested Ronaldo left the stadium three minutes prior to the end of the match - which Dybala ultimately decided with a 77th-minute strike.

Ronaldo was also replaced midweek in the Champions League with Sarri revealing the full extent of his star's fitness issues and stressing that he's fine with the attacker being upset about the situation.

“We must thank Ronaldo, because he made a sacrifice to be there at all tonight in a difficult situation," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia post-match."He did everything possible to play, but I saw he was not well and thought it best to take him off. It’s only natural a player is going to be irritated to leave the pitch, especially when he worked so hard to be there.

"Over the last month, he has had this little knee problem, he had a knock in training and it hurt the collateral ligament. When he trains at high intensity or plays, it unbalances him, so he ends up overcompensating and it damages the calf and thigh muscles.

“It is affecting his performances and he is not at his best at the moment. All players who are trying to give their best will have at least five minutes of being annoyed when they are substituted, but a coach would in general be much more worried if he didn’t seem upset.”Juventus ultimately made do without Ronaldo as Dybala once again found the back of the net against AC Milan to seal a 1-0 win for Sarri's side.

The Old Lady are now one point clear at the top of Serie A with Sarri impressed with his team's desire, if not their performance on Sunday.

“I liked the spirit of the team, but we have to improve immensely in terms of quality, as we made too many mistakes, gave the ball away cheaply and opened up spaces for Milan. The hunger and determination to win is what kept us going,” Sarri said.

“Milan had shots on goal, but they were almost all efforts from outside the penalty area. They have impressive passing quality, played clearly above their average performance level of this season and have strong technique."

 

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'We could have scored seven or eight' - James encouraged by Man Utd's attacking display


Daniel James was impressed with Manchester United's vibrant attack in Sunday's 3-1 win over Brighton, and was adamant that they could have scored more goals on another day.

United were massively disappointing in the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth last weekend, struggling to trouble their hosts' backline.But it was a completely different story in the Europa League on Thursday as they beat Partizan Belgrade 3-0 and again shone during the visit of Brighton three days later.

Andreas Pereira's deflected effort and a Davy Propper own goal were decisive early on and, although Lewis Dunk pulled one back, Marcus Rashford sealed all three points just two minutes later.

But that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of United's dominance, as Rashford went on to miss another couple of presentable chances, while James, Anthony Martial, Brandon Williams and Fred all went close in the latter stages.

"The high press paid off, that's what we have been about all season, playing with energy right from the start," James said after the game."We were a little bit edgy when they scored and it was good to score again on the break, but we could have scored seven or eight goals."

And on Rashford's gilt-edged chance to double his tally for the day, James added: "Marcus normally scores a lot of those goals, thankfully when he missed we were already 3-1 up."

On a day when James was celebrating his 22nd birthday, the winger put in another stellar performance to help secure all three points for his side, having been recalled to the United XI after he was rested for the midweek Europa League stroll against Partizan Belgrade.

Brighton defenders Dunk and Dan Burn were both booked for fouls on the Welsh international, who had been praised by his national team coach this week for having similar traits to former United star Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the physical treatment he receives.

James made the switch to Old Trafford from Swansea in the summer and made an immediate impact, scoring three goals in his first four Premier League matches. And while he didn't get on the scoresheet against Graham Potter's side, he was influential in helping the club climb to seventh in the table.

 

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Alexander-Arnold admits to concern over handball VAR incident against Man City


Trent Alexander-Arnold had the threat of a VAR check in the back of his mind after the ball struck his arm in the build-up to Liverpool’s opening goal against Manchester City on Sunday, but his focus remained on the task at hand.

Fabinho’s sensational long-range strike was subject to a review after the incident in Liverpool’s penalty area, but it was eventually given due to the right-back’s arm not being judged to have been in an unnatural position.

City’s players and coaching staff were apoplectic on the touchline as they believed a number of decisions went against them in the game, but Alexander-Arnold was pleased Liverpool kept their heads to go up the other end and score.“Obviously yeah, you know there’s VAR and I think it has hit my arm, but I think it might have hit Bernardo Silva’s first,” Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports.

“But it’s one of them where you have to carry on playing and we went down the other end and punished them.“They were complaining about the goal and the handball and that, but like I say we went down the other end and Fabinho has hit a wonderful strike and we’ve gone 1-0 up.”

Further goals from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane helped Liverpool to a 3-1 win which took them eight points clear at the top, with City going into the international break in fourth. Leicester and Chelsea occupy second and third.

Despite their healthy lead, Liverpool know from their experiences last season that they can’t afford to slip up. Andy Robertson, who assisted Salah’s goal, was especially keen to make that point – but he knows his side are now in with a great chance of claiming the title at the end of the season.“Last year, especially at the back end of the season, both us and Man City just weren’t dropping points,” Robertson told Sky Sports.

“We kept on winning, that’s why the points tally was so high. We believe that if we keep going like that, you know, if we keep getting 97 points, one year we’re going to win the league!

“Hopefully we can just keep going game by game, as boring as it is. That’s exactly what we have to do.“It worked well for us last year and it’s worked well for us so far this year.“We’ve beaten Man City at home and it’s a big result for us, but we still need to keep going after the international break, it’s the toughest period over Christmas.”