FOOTBALL
EPL: City ease past United
Manchester City restored their six-point cushion at the Premier League summit with a dominating 4-1 win against their neighbours Manchester United.
Ralf Rangnick’s men have been unbeaten in the league since January 3, going into this tie.
But, that invincible streak did little to boost their league aspirations.
United under pressure
Following their 1-0 defeat to Wolves, Manchester United won only four of their next eight matches and shared the spoils in the other four.
The pressure on the Red Devils piled on as Arsenal beat Watford earlier in the evening and displaced United from the fourth spot.
The Gunners have three matches in hand, which pushes United further on the back feet in the top four race.
But, they had plenty of reasons to be hopeful about their trip to the Etihad.
It has been a lucky hunting ground for United lately, having won five of their last seven away trips in all competitions.
On top of that, City have shown some signs of fragility in recent weeks, losing to Spurs and narrowly winning against a struggling Everton side.
City dominate from start
But, Pep Guardiola’s men didn’t take much time to set the match’s tone. It took only five minutes for City to unlock a United defence that has come under much scrutiny this season.
Raphael Varane was unavailable for selection again as he tested positive for Covid-19.
The Frenchman has now missed 14 matches for United since signing for them this summer. Luke Shaw also couldn’t make the trip because of covid.
Victor Lindelof partnered with Harry Maguire at the heart of the United defence.
The lack of chemistry between the two seemed evident from the start, and soon United had to pay the price.
De Bruyne draws first blood and second
Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva picked the lock with some nifty one-two between them.
Silva played the ball into the box, and Kevin de Bruyne hammered it home, shrugging off his marker Alex Telles with ease.
United responded well as Fred forced a save out of Ederson at the other end of the pitch before Jadon Sancho marked his return to the Etihad with a goal.
Aaron Wan Bissaka initiated a swift counter-attack that sliced through the City defence like a knife through butter.
It ended with a marvellous Paul Pogba cross-field switch duly put away by Sancho.
With the match returning to a stalemate halfway through the first half, it briefly seemed to be an affair.
But City struck back immediately as De Bruyne bagged his second of the match.
David de Gea denied Phil Foden and the rebound fell to Bernardo Silva.
Silva could not find his way past the crowd in the box, but De Bruyne picked up the scraps and fired home his second.
HALF TIME | We lead thanks to King Kev! 🇧🇪👑
🔵 2-1 🔴 | #ManCity pic.twitter.com/9oLF72fYvm
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 6, 2022
United fall away in second half
City went to the interval with a deserving lead. De Bruyne, Foden, and Riyad Mahrez all had a sniff around the United goal after going 2-1 up.
Manchester United also had a chance at equalising after Sancho found himself in the same spot he scored his first goal from. But, this time, the 21-year–old could not keep his shot on target.
The second half was utterly one-sided as Man United players seemed drained out.
Straight off the training ground! 💫
A beautiful @Mahrez22 goal 🙌#ManCity pic.twitter.com/nKtNA8ZspC
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 6, 2022
Riyad Mahrez bagged a brace to add more to United’s woes and condemn the visitors to a humiliating 4-1 defeat.
FULL TIME | Manchester is BLUE!!! 🔵
🔵 4-1 🔴 | #ManCity pic.twitter.com/8mz0QQCJaU
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 6, 2022
Tough road ahead
The run of fixtures doesn’t get any easy for Manchester United as they face fellow top-four contenders Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Manchester City will not be in Premier League action until next Tuesday, when they visit Selhurst Park to face an in-form Crystal Palace side.
FOOTBALL
WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football
Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.
Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.
Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –
🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”
(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024
“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.
Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo
On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.
With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.
FOOTBALL
Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee
England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.
In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.
Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.
Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC
— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024
“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.
“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.
“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.
We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti
“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”
“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”
FOOTBALL
PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby
Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.
While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.
Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.
MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details
Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24
Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Date and Time – 3rd March 2024, 21:00 IST
Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star
MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head
Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.
MCFC vs MUFC – Likely XI
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Akanji, Rodri, De Bruyne, Silva, Alvarez, Haaland, Foden
Manchester United: Onana, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Amrabat, Casemiro, Manioo, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Garnacho
MCFC vs MUFC – Fantasy XI
Grand League Team
Goal Keeper – E Moraes
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, H Maguire
Mid Fielders – Kevin De Bruyne, B Fernandes, R Hernandez, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland (VC), J Alvarez, M Rashford (C)
Head-to-Head Team
Goal Keeper – S Ortega
Defenders – M Akanji, K Walker, R Varane
Mid Fielders – K De Bruyne (C), B Fernandes (VC), B Silva, Casemiro
Forwards – E Haaland, J Alvarez, M Rashford
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