LONDON: Arsenal need to quickly forget the 2-0 defeat in the Europa League at the hands of PSV Eindhoven as they face a busy schedule, said manager Mikel Arteta.
PSV advanced to the knockout stages of the second class European tournament thanks to goals from Joey Veerman and Luuk De Jong.
The result ended Arsenal’s 100 per cent start to Group A but they had already secured a place in the top two before the defeat.
Arteta’s side have two home games in the next seven days – against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this Sunday and then FC Zurich in the Europa League final on Thursday.
“I’m very disappointed. It ends our streak of winning a lot of games and today is our first defeat (since the beginning of September) and we have to bounce back,” Arteta said.
Manchester United’s 3-1 win at home to Arsenal on September 3 handed them their only defeat in the Premier League so far this season.
“Congratulations to PSV – they are the better team today. We are far from the real level and we know in Europe, it is very difficult to win,” said Arteta.
“We are disappointed tonight but there is no need to regret it. We have to respond. On Sunday we have a very important game, then we will see the action against Zurich.
“We have to be better than what we showed today. We know what we’re trying to do and finish a play, the way we finish it, it’s not enough.”
LONDON: Chelsea are interested in signing Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo after the player was sidelined by manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo, 37, refused to come on as a substitute at the end of Wednesday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur, and he left the pitch with the game still in progress.
As a result, Ten Hag did not field the five-time Ballond d’Or winner for the 1-1 draw at Chelsea, and ordered Ronaldo to train alone at Carrington.
The Portuguese forward’s future with the Red Devils is now back in question with speculation that the club are ready to let him go in January for free if there is no offer.
Chelsea is said to be interested in Ronaldo’s services ahead of the January transfer window. Last summer, the West London club contacted the player’s representative to discuss his transfer.
New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly reportedly wants to bring Ronaldo to Stamford Bridge, but former manager Thomas Tuchel has other plans.
Now that Tuchel has been replaced by Graham Potter, Boehly is expected to continue his desire to get in touch with Ronaldo until the end of the season before having the option to extend his contract for next season.
It is seen as the best choice for the Real Madrid and United legend who hopes for the best end to his glorious career.
MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said he had no problem with Cristiano Ronaldo’s protest when he was sent off during the 0-0 draw against Newcastle.
Ronaldo started the game for the first time since the 4-0 thrashing by Brentford in August, but was taken off by Ten Hag with 18 minutes remaining on Sunday.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner showed his displeasure by shaking his head.
“I don’t think any player is happy to be sent off and certainly not Ronaldo. I understand that.
“As long as it’s done in a normal way, I don’t have a problem. Of course he thinks he should stay and score goals. That’s why he’s as good as he is,” said Ten Hag.
The decision to send Ronaldo off was also questioned by United fans after his replacement, Marcus Rashford, squandered a chance to win the game in stoppage time.
However, Ten Hag believe they should have taken the lead through Ronaldo’s goal early in the second half which was later disallowed.
The Portuguese striker was confident the ball was in play when Fabian Schar sent the ball past Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope.
United were also charged by the English Football Association (FA) after several of their players protested against the referee, and Ronaldo was shown a yellow card.
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola dismissed claims that Manchester City could easily overcome Liverpool based on current form when the two teams meet tomorrow.
During Guardiola’s era with City and Jurgen Klopp leading Liverpool, both clubs became the strongest teams in English football.
Liverpool’s title triumph in 2019/20 was City’s only failure to win the league in the past five years, but twice they edged out the Reds by just one point in a fierce title chase.
However, Liverpool’s streak of two wins in eight matches in the Premier League this season has caused City to now open a 13-point gap over Klopp’s squad.
“With just two little things they couldn’t do, something that no other English team could do,” Guardiola said of Liverpool who narrowly missed out on four titles last season.
“It’s the same team, the same manager, things like this can happen. We’ll get through it. We’re trying to avoid a difficult period, but we’ll get through it. It’s part of the normalcy of this tournament.
“The players are aware of it because over the last few years, we’ve been fighting in all the competitions and all the titles. It’s very close and we’re only slightly better in the Premier League, but it doesn’t change my view of them.”
Erling Haaland’s presence at City seems to make it an impossible challenge to wrest the title from Guardiola’s squad.
Haaland has scored 20 goals in 12 competitive appearances, including 15 goals in just nine Premier League appearances.
And the Norwegian forward will be fresher for the trip to Anfield after Guardiola left him on the bench as City drew 0-0 at FC Copenhagen in midweek as they progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Arsenal are at the top of the league again after a brilliant performance against Liverpool.
Arsenal host Liverpool. And this is the first time in several seasons that Arsenal are considered favorites to win over Liverpool.
Arsenal will certainly be looking to continue their excellent form this season after their impressive win in the North London Derby.
Just 47 seconds after kick-off, Liverpool were behind through a goal by Gabriel Martinelli who received the ball behind Trent Alexander Arnold.
It was due to William Saliba winning the ball from the ground and triggering an immediate counter attack.
Both teams then played a very open game.
Liverpool asked for a penalty after the ball hit Gabriel Maghalhaes but the referee and VAR did not give it.
Liverpool then faced a worrying moment when Trent Alexander Arnold appeared to be in pain after Martinelli accidentally stepped on his foot. Liverpool are dealing with a long injury list.
However, the player was able to continue playing as usual after receiving treatment.
In the 26th minute, Darwin Nunez tested Aaron Ramsdale for the first time with a powerful shot from the right.
A minute later, Gabriel Jesus made a dangerous dribble from the left and tried to beat Alisson from a difficult angle but failed.
In the 30th minute, William Saliba almost hit the ball into his own goal when trying to make a low pass to Luis Diaz. But Aaron Ramsdale acted brilliantly and nimbly deflected the ball.
Liverpool dominated the match over 60% but did not create so many golden chances.
In the 34th minute, Liverpool finally got an equalizer after they played their best phase in the last 10 minutes. Luis Diaz passed a low ball to Darwin Nunez who continued to push the ball in.
Before the referee blew the half-time whistle, Arsenal were back in front. This time through Bukayo Saka who completed Gabriel Martinelli’s pass in injury time.
Continuing the second half, Arsenal started more dominantly.
Martin Odegaard had a golden opportunity from inside the penalty box but he squandered the opportunity with a weak shot straight at Alisson.
Shortly after, Liverpool once again equalized through – who else but – Roberto Firmino’s excellent reputation against Arsenal.
Firmino received Jota’s pass and then slid the ball past Ramsdale. Making him the first Liverpool player to score 10 goals against Arsenal.
Arsenal then appeared more aggressively attacking and playing in Liverpool’s area.
In the 72nd minute, Ibrahim Konate blocked Xhaka’s ball that crossed Alisson in front of the goal line.
Shortly after, Arsenal were awarded a penalty kick after the referee felt Thiago had kicked Gabriel Jesus from behind.
Saka calmly saved the penalty in the 76th minute.
End of the match Arsenal 3 Liverpool 2. Arsenal at the top of the league overtook Manchester City again.
LONDON: Erling Haaland averaged better than one goal per game in his first 100 appearances in Europe’s top leagues.
The player created glory in the Premier League when he scored 14 goals in just eight league games.
And statistics after 100 games in Europe’s top leagues leave stars like Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi far behind.
Haaland scored 103 goals in 100 league appearances with Borussia Dortmund and City.
It is more than double Mbappe’s 48 goals in 100 Ligue 1 games.
Two more legends namely Messi and Ronaldo are further back.
Messi scored 41 times in 100 La Liga games for Barcelona while Ronaldo only found the net 16 times in 100 European premier league games.
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville put together a list of striker goals including Luis Suarez, Harry Kane and Alan Shearer for comparison.
Suarez scored 59 goals in 100 appearances in Europe which looks great, but he is far behind Haaland.
Kane found the net 45 times but surprisingly Shearer managed just 20 times in the same period before scoring 260 goals in 441 Premier League games in total.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to leave Manchester United was revealed at the beginning of July, and The Times insists the striker is desperate to leave.
Ronaldo’s goal is to play for a team that can offer him Champions League football, and while Manchester United cannot move to change that, the club has done everything possible to address the root of last season’s failure.
Manchester United are rebuilding pace, and have assembled a team with high quality individuals, who should be able to compete for trophies and be able to challenge for a top four position.
The change comes from new manager Erik ten Hag, who is driving change forward, and has been key to United’s summer transfer business.
United have confirmed the signing of CR7’s former Real Madrid team-mate Casemiro. It gives an impression where United are still able to attract the best players.
United then signed Antony to bolster Manchester United’s attack. This will provide real competition for places as well as providing extra speed in United’s attack.
Ronaldo will like what he sees with the arrival of these new players.
Another big change took place in the back line, with the presence of the new pairing of Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia already playing a key role. Harry Maguire was dropped, with extra responsibility given to Ronaldo’s former colleague Raphael Varane.
Manchester United suddenly look like a completely changed team, and this is important for Ronaldo to notice. It will be a motivating factor for him. Ronaldo needs to push himself to do everything he can, to be part of United’s rebuild.
Erik ten Hag and Manchester United have given the team an exciting new look, with real potential. There is a feeling among the fans that this group of players can really achieve something.
Ronaldo may feel ‘stuck’ at United now, but if he takes a chance, and looks around, he may reflect that he is exactly where he needs to be.
United have given him what he wanted all along. A manager of caliber, and a team with potential. Now he will have to work harder than ever to earn a starting spot up front and play a role in what could be a big year ahead.