Manchester United on Sunday shattered Manchester City’s record winning streak with an impressive 2-0 victory against the English Premier League leaders, while Liverpool hit a new low as relegation-threatened Fulham won at Anfield.
Pep Guardiola’s side were on an English top-flight record run of 21 successive wins in all competitions heading into the Manchester derby, but United ruined City’s 28-game unbeaten run in all competitions thanks to an early penalty from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw’s second-half strike at the Etihad Stadium.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team, unbeaten in their past 22 away league games, moved into second place, but they are still 11 points behind City with 10 games left.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Despite surrendering their 15-match winning league run in their first defeat since losing at Tottenham Hotspur in November last year, City remain firm favorites to lift the title for the third time in four seasons.
“We will be the news because we lost, but the news is 21 victories in a row. We played much better than the game against West Ham [United], which we won,” Guardiola said. “We will try to win as many games as possible to be champions.”
Barring a dramatic collapse from City in the closing weeks, Manchester United’s third win in the past four league meetings with their bitter rivals is likely to be remembered for cementing a top-four place rather than rekindling their title hopes.
“When you come away with a 2-0 win, and another clean sheet and a performance like this, then you are delighted, but City are too far ahead to think we can catch them,” Solskjaer said.
With just 34 seconds gone, Anthony Martial made a dangerous raid into the City area and Gabriel Jesus responded with a needless, clumsy challenge that sent the French striker sprawling.
Fernandes stepped up to take the penalty and squeezed his shot past Ederson, who got a hand on the ball, but could not keep it out.
It was United’s first goal in four games, putting City behind for the first time in 20 league games.
In the 50th minute, Shaw broke from inside his own half, played a one-two with Marcus Rashford and fired a fine finish past Ederson from just inside the penalty area.
Likely to be replaced by City as champions, Liverpool have now lost six consecutive home league games after third-bottom Fulham’s well-deserved 1-0 win.
That dismal run is all the more remarkable as Juergen Klopp’s men had gone nearly four years without a league defeat at home in 68 games between April 2017 and January.
Liverpool’s best chance of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League could now be winning it as they are eighth, four points adrift of the top four, having played at least one game more than all their rivals.
Mohamed Salah was at fault for the only goal in first-half stoppage-time. Mario Lemina outmuscled him to win the ball inside the Liverpool penalty area before firing low across Alisson Becker into the far corner.
“We don’t have the mentality we are used to, but the boys want to win games and I saw that today. We still made mistakes and that’s the problem,” Klopp said.
Tottenham are back in the hunt for a top-four finish after Gareth Bale and Harry Kane each scored a brace in a 4-1 rout of Crystal Palace.
Sixth-placed Spurs are two points behind Chelsea after their third successive win.
Newcastle United are just one point above the relegation zone after a 0-0 draw at second-bottom West Bromwich Albion.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Manchester City on Monday completed the signing of left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported ￡31 million (US$41.8 million). The 24-year-old Algeria international has signed a five-year contract and will be available for the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins later this week. Ait-Nouri is expected to be just one of a trio of new City faces for that tournament with deals close to completion for AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Olympique Lyonnais playmaker Rayan Cherki. After missing out on a major trophy in the recently completed season for the first time since 2016-2017, City are hoping
RSS