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Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool: Reds relinquish control of title race with thrilling draw

Harry Carr
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Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool: Reds relinquish control of title race with thrilling draw

Liverpool relinquished control of the Premier League title race despite Mohamed Salah’s late penalty salvaging a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in a thrilling encounter at Old Trafford.

Salah beat Andre Onana from the spot with 84 minutes played after Aaron Wan-Bissaka tripped Harvey Elliott, denying United a stirring comeback win.

Liverpool had earlier gone ahead through Luis Diaz, only for Bruno Fernandes to equalise from near the halfway line before 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo bent a sumptuous finish beyond Caoimhin Kelleher to put United 2-1 up.

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The Red Devils were unable to hold on for a win which would have boosted their Champions League hopes, though they succeeded in denting Liverpool’s title aspirations, with Jurgen Klopp’s team missing the chance to leapfrog Arsenal at the summit.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are now separated by a single point with seven matches remaining for each team, while United are 11 points adrift of the top four with a game in hand.

Alejandro Garnacho thought he had put United ahead after just two minutes, only to be flagged offside when rounding Kelleher to tap home, before Liverpool began to dominate.

Their breakthrough came with 23 minutes played. United were static as Darwin Nunez flicked Robertson’s in-swinging corner onto Diaz, who was given the freedom of the six-yard box to beat Onana with an acrobatic finish at the far post.

Salah blazed over when in space on the right side of the area as Liverpool failed to extend their lead before half-time, which arrived without United attempting a single shot.

However, Liverpool’s wastefulness was punished as United levelled five minutes into the second half. Jarell Quansah passed straight to Fernandes, and he spotted Kelleher off his line to find the net from inside the centre-circle.

With United a team transformed, the game became increasingly stretched, and it was the Red Devils who took advantage of the chaos.

Turning on Wan-Bissaka’s pass near the edge of the area, Mainoo bent a wonderful effort into the top-right corner, prompting wild scenes at the Stretford End and a furious outburst from Klopp on the sideline.


Salah somehow missed on the rebound after Onana was worked by Diaz with 11 minutes remaining, but the Egyptian got another chance to level when Wan-Bissaka dangled a leg to fell substitute Elliott.

He sent Onana the wrong way from 12 yards, but Liverpool couldn’t find a winner in seven minutes of stoppage time as they dropped two potentially costly points, Diaz volleying over when presented with their best opportunity.

Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Wolff says Verstappen won’t be caught as ‘atrocious’ start costs Mercedes

Harry Carr
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Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Wolff says Verstappen won’t be caught as ‘atrocious’ start costs Mercedes

Toto Wolff acknowledged no driver on the grid will be able to match Max Verstappen this season, after an “atrocious” first stint cost Mercedes at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Verstappen made it three wins from four races this year at Suzuka on Sunday, beating team-mate Sergio Perez by more than 12 seconds as Red Bull managed their third one-two of 2024.

A fourth straight world championship now looks inevitable for the Dutchman, who sits 13 points clear of Perez and 18 ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers’ standings.

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Wolff does not believe any driver is capable of mounting a consistent challenge to Verstappen’s dominance, saying: “No-one is going to catch Max this year.

“His driving and the car are just spectacular. You can see it by the way he manages the tyres. This season is about being the best of the rest. That is the fight that is on.”

Mercedes team principal Wolff has come under fierce pressure amid the team’s struggles with their W15 car this season, and they were well off the pace again in Japan.

George Russell finished seventh while Lewis Hamilton came in ninth, with the seven-time world champion letting his team-mate pass him on lap 14 as they traded starting positions, having suffered early damage to his car.

Both Mercedes appeared to struggle on the hard tyres early on, and Wolff accepted that had cost them.

“We ended up where we started,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “It was just very difficult.

“We had a second that was super quick and we would have been racing for the podium but we had an atrocious first stint. We need to find out what it was. Was it too hot? Were we overmanaging?”

However, Wolff does believe Mercedes have made positive steps in response to their awful showing at the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago, when neither Russell nor Hamilton finished.

“I think it’s much better than it looks with the final result. Also in qualifying, there is lots that we learned. It’s going to get better from here,” Wolff insisted.

“We need to be quick on all circuits. There’s no excuse with temperatures or track layouts. We have to sort it out.

“This is live testing for us. We have changed things massively and this is reflected in the result. The car is becoming quicker.”

Man United v Liverpool: Kambwala given full home debut as Antony, Mount, Eriksen on bench

Ben Miller
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Man United v Liverpool: Kambwala given full home debut as Antony, Mount, Eriksen on bench

Manchester United gave 19-year-old Willy Kambwala his full home debut in Erik ten Hag’s team to face Liverpool on Sunday, positioning the centre-back at the heart of a defence tasked with trying to stop the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mac Allister among their opponents’ prolific ranks.

France youth international Kambwala’s only previous start for United came in their 2-0 defeat at West Ham on December 23, but he was restored to the line-up in the absence of the likes of Raphael Varane, Jonny Evans, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof through injury.

Ten Hag had handed Kambwala a total of 47 minutes on the pitch since his debut, including two appearances lasting a minute.

Liverpool arrived a point behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand, having won twice in succession since their 4-3 extra-time defeat at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

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The Reds had been linked with a move for Sochaux academy product Kambwala before the Democratic Republic of Congo-born prospect joined United in October 2020.

Kambwala sustained an injury in a friendly against Salford City shortly after he joined, ruling him out of action for 11 months.

Willy Kambwala on his ‘dream’

Kambwala’s senior home bow came with a brief outing in United’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa on December 26, which he called “the best experience I’ve had in football”.

“I know I started against West Ham but playing at Old Trafford is something else,” he added to the club. “To be able to be on the pitch that day – what a game.

“The dream was about Man United, and that’s it. No other club. I wasn’t thinking about [playing in] England, I was just thinking about Man United.

“I don’t know why but, since as far back as I can remember, it was just Man United. I couldn’t watch [that much] football but it was Man United, Man United all the time.

“That’s the dream I had. So to be here was just so special to me because it was the thing I wanted.”

Sixth-placed United are 22 points behind Liverpool and nine shy of the fifth position which is likely to ensure Uefa Champions League football in 2024/25, depending on co-efficient rankings.

Mason Mount, who is returning from injury, joined winger Antony and playmaker Christian Eriksen among the senior players on United’s bench as they aimed to recover from a last-gasp 4-3 defeat at Chelsea and win for the first time in three Premier League matches.

Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Verstappen says Red Bull win ‘couldn’t have been better’

Ben Miller
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Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Verstappen says Red Bull win ‘couldn’t have been better’

Max Verstappen has said his Red Bull became “better and better” during his Japanese Grand Prix 2024 win and described his retirement from the preceding race in Melbourne as “a little hiccup”.

Reigning champion Verstappen left a race early for the first time since 2022 because of a brakes issue at the Australian Grand Prix but took his third victory from the first four races of the season at Suzuka, beating second-placed team-mate Sergio Perez by more than 12 seconds.

“It maybe had to do with the clouds coming in but it was very nice,” said Verstappen, calling the fans at the track “great” while adding that it was “fantastic” to prevail at the home of Honda.

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“Everything went really well: the pit-stops went well, strategy. It couldn’t have been any better.

“It was very nice… the car got better and better for me throughout the race. It was a little hiccup in the last race but I’m very happy that we are here back on top.”

Verstappen is 13 points ahead of Perez and 18 above Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the standings after a race which was delayed for 30 minutes by a crash between Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo on the first lap.

“Doing the restart, it’s always hard to keep focus for such a long period of time,” said Perez.

“My second start was a little bit better – just not enough to get Max. I had to push so much on the medium stint, but on the hard stint I was a bit more comfortable.

“We are in a good momentum. [Not finishing] last year here was probably my worst weekend. If we are strong in places like this, we can be strong anywhere. It’s been a good weekend.”

Chinese Grand Prix 2024 ‘interesting’

The first sprint of the year now awaits at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai from April 19-21, when Formula One will return to China for the first time since 2019 because of the Covid pandemic.

“It’s going to be quite hectic anyway with the sprint weekend,” predicted Verstappen. “But then, of course, we haven’t been there for a while.

“We will only have one practice session to really get into it again. I think it will be quite interesting.”

F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 results: Verstappen wins in Red Bull one-two after Albon and Ricciardo crash

Ben Miller
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F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 results: Verstappen wins in Red Bull one-two after Albon and Ricciardo crash

Max Verstappen returned to winning ways at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2024 after the race was delayed by almost 30 minutes because of a crash between RB driver Daniel Ricciardo and Williams’ Alex Albon on the first lap.

Reigning champion Verstappen, who beat team-mate Sergio Perez by more than 12 seconds, has now won three of the first four races of the season and is 13 points above Perez at the top of the standings.

Carlos Sainz was third, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc immediately behind as the second-placed team lost ground.

Spaniard Sainz had triumphed in the previous race in Australia two weeks earlier, when Verstappen was forced to retire because of brakes issues.

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Further back, McLaren’s Lando Norris was fifth – three positions ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso between the pair.

George Russell came seventh and Lewis Hamilton ninth for Mercedes, with home favourite Yuki Tsunoda 10th on a track the Japanese star is extremely familiar with.

Tsunoda secured a second consecutive promising result, having come seventh in Melbourne, and picked up a point for his team, who had contended with Ricciardo’s abrupt race exit.

Japanese Grand Prix crash

In the incident the race will perhaps be most remembered for, Albon was heard telling his pit wall that Ricciardo had “just squeezed me”, giving him “nowhere to go” in a collision which will be investigated by stewards.

Ricciardo appeared to be monitoring Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin to his left as he headed to Turn Three shortly before the incident.

Albon reported he was “okay”, while Ricciardo swiftly left his car to the relief of viewers watching the high-speed crash.

The Thai had started in 14th, while Ricciardo had begun the race in 11th as part of a field chasing a Red Bull’s one-two lockout.

Man City beat Crystal Palace: De Bruyne ‘won game’ with goals and assist, says Guardiola

Ben Miller
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Man City beat Crystal Palace: De Bruyne ‘won game’ with goals and assist, says Guardiola

Kevin De Bruyne “won the game” for Manchester City as the title contenders came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 and go level with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, manager Pep Guardiola has said.

Midfielder De Bruyne was an unused substitute in City’s 4-1 home win over Aston Villa on Wednesday but returned to the starting line-up alongside fellow notable absentees John Stones and Erling Haaland at Selhurst Park.

The Belgium playmaker produced a glorious strike from just outside the penalty area to draw City level after 13 minutes, then set up Haaland to make it 3-1 and added a fourth goal 20 minutes from time.

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“Kevin won the game with his actions, with the goals and assists,” Guardiola told TNT Sports.

“I don’t know what he enjoys more, scoring goals or assists. He has won a lot of games for us, no doubt. His performance was really good.”

De Bruyne has struggled to return to full fitness following hamstring surgery which kept him out for five months of the campaign, but the 32-year-old remains hugely influential and was directly involved in eight goals in five matches after his initial comeback in January.

Palace v Man City result

Jean-Philippe Mateta had fired Palace into a shock third-minute lead and, after De Bruyne replied, Rico Lewis gave the visitors the advantage for the first time two minutes after the interval.

“He’s an exceptional player,” Guardiola smiled. “He has a sense of goal. He arrives in the final third in training sessions. We were lucky to score the second goal early in the second half.”

Odsonne Edouard scored an 86th-minute consolation for Palace but Guardiola’s run of never losing an away game to the Eagles continued.

City are also unbeaten in 25 matches in all competitions, including a 16-game undefeated run in the top flight which has kept them squarely in a tight title race with the Reds and Arsenal.

The reigning champions are below Liverpool because of a two-goal inferiority and two points above the Gunners.

Arsenal must win to the top of the table when they visit Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (5.30pm GMT), but Liverpool will have the chance to claim the summit again they play at Manchester United on Sunday (3.30pm GMT).

Crystal Palace v Man City: Goal thrills Liverpool and Arsenal as Mateta scores… but De Bruyne replies

Ben Miller
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Crystal Palace v Man City: Goal thrills Liverpool and Arsenal as Mateta scores… but De Bruyne replies

Manchester City suffered an early blow in their bid to move top of the Premier League on Saturday when Jean-Philippe Mateta fired hosts Crystal Palace ahead in the third minute at Selhurst Park to give Liverpool and Arsenal a promising start to the weekend – but Kevin De Bruyne rapidly replied.

Forward Mateta charged on to Adam Wharton’s incisive pass and finished clinically past Stefan Ortega, continuing to deputise for injured City first-choice goalkeeper Ederson.

City manager Pep Guardiola sank into his chair and appeared to voice his annoyance in response to the goal, which was Frenchman Mateta’s fourth under new Palace boss Oliver Glasner.

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The Austrian could not contain his delight in the opposite technical area, punching the air to celebrate.

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand picked out one of his successors at the back for the Three Lions as culpable for City falling behind.

“John Stones made two mistakes in the phase of play of the goal,” said the six-time Premier League winner with Manchester United, speaking on TNT Sports.

“He passes it and gives it away but his first motion was to go to the ball and go square. The moment he did that, when Mateta went behind him there was no way he was going to catch up.

“I’m sure City will look at that at half-time. They’ve got to improve in the middle areas when they’re building up play.”

De Bruyne goal v Palace thrills City

There was relief for Guardiola 10 minutes later when De Bruyne – restored to City’s starting line-up alongside Stones and top scorer Erling Haaland – stylishly equalised.

De Bruyne has had a mixed season so far as the midfielder works his way back from a long-term hamstring injury but scored his third goal of the campaign by cutting inside from the left and lashing in a terrific finish from just outside the penalty area.

Guardiola reacted by appearing to blow a kiss at the talismanic midfielder on a day when City were desperate to avoid dropping points.

The reigning champions began three points behind leaders Liverpool and two short of second-placed Arsenal, who they shared a 0-0 draw with six days earlier. Each team had eight league games remaining.

Man City v Palace live team news: Foden benching ‘difficult’, says Guardiola as Haaland, De Bruyne play

Ben Miller
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Man City v Palace live team news: Foden benching ‘difficult’, says Guardiola as Haaland, De Bruyne play

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was “not stupid” after making the “difficult” decision to start Phil Foden on the bench at Crystal Palace despite the midfielder scoring a hat-trick against Aston Villa three days earlier.

Guardiola restored top scorer Erling Haaland, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and defender John Stones to his Premier League starting line-up following the 4-1 win at home to Villa – but Foden missed out as the Cityzens attempted to at least go level on points with leaders Liverpool in the first match of the weekend in the top flight.

“It was difficult but it’s not just him – it’s all the guys,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “As a manager, when you don’t allow players to play with your decisions, it is always tough.

“I’m going to tell you something: if we win, it’s a great decision. If we lose, ‘why did you do that?'”

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Foden has contributed 21 goals and 10 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions as part of an outstanding campaign for the 23-year-old.

Guardiola said the City academy product “could not move” after featuring for 80 minutes against Villa, 61 minutes in a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal on Sunday and the entirety of England’s late-March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley Stadium.

Palace v City: Guardiola makes changes

“There are a lot of games,” cautioned Guardiola, who added that he had “definitely” considered “a lot” starting Foden and De Bruyne in central midfield.

“I would love to have Phil on the pitch. I know, I’m not stupid; I like to see him.”

The Spaniard said he genuinely believes City will need to win all eight of their remaining league matches if they are to defend their title.

A four-goal margin of victory at Selhurst Park would send City top before second-placed Arsenal, who started the day two points above Guardiola’s side, visit Brighton & Hove Albion at 17:30 GMT on Saturday.

Liverpool travel to Manchester United on Sunday (15:30 GMT), when Guardiola will be hoping the hosts can inflict another defeat on the visiting Reds.

Jurgen Klopp’s players suffered their only loss in their last 12 matches in all competitions when they were beaten after extra time at Old Trafford in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Japanese Grand Prix qualifying results 2024: Verstappen enjoys ‘good day’ in Red Bull F1 one-two

Ben Miller
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Japanese Grand Prix qualifying results 2024: Verstappen enjoys ‘good day’ in Red Bull F1 one-two

Reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen took the 36th pole of his career by narrowly beating team-mate Sergio Perez in qualifying for the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix 2024.

Standings leader Verstappen suffered a surprise retirement at the Australian Grand Prix on March 24 but returned in style to beat Perez by 0.066 seconds and set up a Red Bull one-two.

“It was quite close at the end,” said Verstappen, who won the first two races of the season before burning brakes scuppered his run in Melbourne.

“This track overall is quite sensitive to the tyres with the tarmac being really aggressive, and when you want to go to the limit it doesn’t always work out.

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“Nonetheless, the most important thing is being on pole. Of course you want every lap to be perfect but around a track like this that is not always the case.

“It’s been a good day, and a good starting position for tomorrow is what counts. It’s great as a team to be P1 and P2 and hopefully we can keep that going.”

Japanese Grand Prix: Norris ‘very happy’

Lando Norris finished third for McLaren ahead of Melbourne winner Carlos Sainz for Ferrari and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

“It’s always exciting,” the Briton said of the circuit. “You don’t get many chances but we had a good car today and we could fight.

“I did some good laps, especially in Q3. I’m very happy with today. It’s always enjoyable here in front of the fans and a good one for us at McLaren.”

Norris’ team-mate, Oscar Piastri, was sixth, with Lewis Hamilton seventh and George Russell ninth for Mercedes, neither of whom finished in Australia.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished eighth and home hero Yuki Tsunoda – tipped by many for a top-10 finish in Suzuka – claimed 10th for RB.

The result meant Red Bull, who are four points above Ferrari at the top of the constructor standings, equalled the record held by Mercedes of four front row lock-outs at the circuit.

Manchester United v Liverpool: Ten Hag demands Red Devils are 100% perfect over remaining games

Jon Fisher
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Manchester United v Liverpool: Ten Hag demands Red Devils are 100% perfect over remaining games

Erik ten Hag conceded Manchester United may have to win every remaining Premier League game this season if they want to qualify for the Champions League after a week of costly late slip-ups.

United conceded a 99th-minute equaliser at Brentford on Saturday and then let slip a 3-2 advantage after 100 minutes to lose 4-3 at Chelsea last night.

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Those results have left United in sixth place – nine points behind Tottenham in fifth, a position which may be good enough to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition depending on the UEFA co-efficient at the end of the season.

The situation could, and should, have been much better and Ten Hag rued his team’s sloppiness.

He said: “This week we’ve dropped points in stoppage time.

“We’ve dropped five points and that’s very expensive because the games are running out. We know that and we have to catch up.

“We are many points behind, it will be difficult but we will keep fighting and our team has character.”

Asked if his team will need to be flawless from here on in, he added: “Yes, but that is also what I said before the Chelsea match. I think so.

“I have to manage the team. We have qualities, some great players, we can play to a very high standard.”

United’s naivety at Stamford Bridge in particular was alarming, their entire defence switching off from a short corner to allow Cole Palmer the chance to fire in the winning goal.

Ten Hag was frustrated as he knows what his side is capable of, adding: “I have to manage the game and I have to manage the team. You have seen we have qualities. We have some great players.

“We can play at very high standards. We have seen that [against Chelsea] and against Liverpool. We can compete with the best and we can beat the best teams in the Premier League. And when you beat them in the Premier League, you can beat them across Europe.

“But we need to learn how to win games. Chelsea was an example, Saturday [at Brentford] was an example – how you bring games over the line and get the three points. We have to step up and we have to make better decisions individually and as a team.”

Marcus Rashford’s work-rate again fell under the spotlight last night with clips of him strolling about rather than adopting an aggressive press appearing on social media.

Sky pundit Gary Neville suggested “something wasn’t right” with the England forward but Ten Hag dismissed that idea.

“I think lately his form is progressing and so the time will always be right,” said the Dutchman. 

“I think he has a big motivation because he wants to be successful with us.

“He wants to score goals, he wants to win trophies and contribute, and we still have a chance in the FA Cup. He wants to fight for a Champions League spot and the Euros are coming so I will say his motivation should be high. Before Brentford he scored three goals in three games.”

The matches don’t get any easier for United with title challengers, and age-old rivals, Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Ten Hag said: “We have to recover very quick.

“We have to turn this around. We will be looking forward. We have to take energy but from anger you can take a lot of energy and that is how we have to do it.”

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