Manchester United clinched their first major trophy for six years with a ruthless 2-0 win against Newcastle in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Erik ten Hag’s side took control by half-time thanks to Casemiro’s header and a Sven Botman own goal and held firm despite Newcastle’s second-half pressure.

United’s first silverware since 2017, when they won the League Cup and the Europa League in the Jose Mourinho era, was just reward for a mature display that underlined the impressive work done by Dutchman Ten Hag since he arrived from Ajax last year.

The celebrations that accompanied United’s sixth League Cup triumph could be the first of many trophy parades on the evidence of Ten Hag’s transformative first season.

United remain challengers on three other fronts, sitting third in the Premier League and with an FA Cup fifth round tie against West Ham on Wednesday followed by a Europa League last 16 tie against Real Betis in March.

After 10 years in the wilderness since Alex Ferguson retired having led them to their last Premier League title in 2013, United are finally emerging from one of the darkest period in the club’s illustrious history.

United finished a dismal sixth in the Premier League last season, but Ten Hag has swiftly masterminded their return to relevance

It was fitting that Ten Hag’s maiden trophy success with United came after he met Ferguson for dinner recently and with the Scot watching from the Wembley stands.

Ending United’s longest trophy drought for 40 years is no guarantee of future success, but the steely Ten Hag appears capable of thriving in the unrelenting Old Trafford spotlight.

United co-chairman Avram Glazer, attending his first game since the November announcement that his family are considering offers for the club, might reconsider selling up after viewing what could be the start of a golden era.

Despite failing to win their first major trophy since the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Newcastle can also expect to feature in more showpiece occasions soon.

United renaissance

Newcastle have been revitalised since their takeover by a Saudi-funded consortium in 2021 and they competed gamely in their first cup final for 24 years

Hauled from the relegation zone by boss Eddie Howe last season, they sit fifth in the Premier League, a sleeping giant awaking after decades as the laughing stock of English football.

Newcastle’s fanatical ‘Toon Army’ turned one half of Wembley into a roiling sea of black and white as they belted out songs of praise for their heroes well over an hour before kick-off.

But that show of Geordie passion proved the highpoint of the day for Newcastle as United spoiled the party in composed style.

Newcastle had feared stand-in keeper Loris Karius might be exposed in his first major occasion since his howlers led to Liverpool’s 2018 Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid.

Playing instead of the suspended Nick Pope, Karius might feel he could have done better with United’s second goal, but he was not to blame for Newcastle’s defeat.

Allan Saint-Maximin had toothless Newcastle’s best opportunity to snatch the lead when he skipped past Diogo Dalot for a fierce strike that David De Gea repelled with an out-stretched hand.

It was a crucial save as United went ahead moments later in the 33rd minute.

Luke Shaw’s free-kick arrowed towards the Newcastle six-yard box and Casemiro timed his run perfectly to glance a clinical header past Karius.

It was just reward for the latest commanding performance from the United midfielder following his move from Real Madrid last year.

United doubled their lead in the 39th minute.

Wout Weghorst’s pass found Marcus Rashford inside the area and, with Newcastle’s defenders slow to react, he hit a mistimed shot that deflected off Botman and looped over the wrong-footed Karius.

Newcastle laid siege to De Gea’s goal in the second half but, showing the desire and organisation demanded by their manager, Ten Hag’s men refused to buckle.

If United’s last League Cup triumph ended up as fool’s gold, this success suggests the Ten Hag era is built on far stronger foundations.

Source: AFP

Arsenal regained pole position in the Premier League title race on Saturday as the Gunners fought back for a thrilling 4-2 victory at Aston Villa, while Manchester City were held to a damaging 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Just three days after surrendering first place with a 3-1 defeat against City, Arsenal bounced back in impressive style to move two points clear of the champions.

With just minutes left at Villa Park, Mikel Arteta’s side were in danger of slipping up again in their bid to win the title for the first time since 2004.

Arsenal twice trailed to goals from Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho, only for Bukayo Saka and then Oleksandr Zinchenko to haul them level.

Deep into second half stoppage-time, Arsenal received a helping hand from their former keeper as Emiliano Martinez inadvertantly deflected Jorginho’s shot into his own net after it hit the bar.

Gabriel Martinelli capped Arsenal’s remarkable escape when he tapped into the empty net in the final seconds after Martinez was caught upfield at a Villa corner.

“We are back with more belief than before because you have to turn performances into results,” Arteta said.

“Win in any context. We’ve always talked about that. Today we had a really difficult context, especially with what happened after five minutes.

“The team showed a lot of emotional qualities that are needed. I’m really happy.”

Arsenal’s first victory in five games in all competitions will give them renewed belief they can pip City to the title.

The Gunners, who have a game in hand on the champions, were given a massive boost by their title rivals’ stumble just hours later.

Bernardo Silva put Pep Guardiola’s men ahead four minutes before half-time, taking Jack Grealish’s pass in his stride and drilling a clinical finish past Keylor Navas from 20 yards.

But the tension mounted as City searched for a second goal and Guardiola was booked for manhandling the fourth official after Erling Haaland’s penalty appeal was rejected following Joe Worrall’s challenge.

Profligate City

City were undone by their profligacy as Haaland’s drive hit the bar before the Norway star blazed the rebound over.

Haaland missed another chance moments later and Forest made the champions pay with their first shot on target in the 84th minute.

Morgan Gibbs-White fired a low ball across the area and New Zealand striker Chris Wood tapped into an empty net to leave Guardiola stunned.

Everton moved out of the relegation zone with a valuable 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Leeds at Goodison Park.

Seamus Coleman netted in the 64th minute when Everton’s veteran defender hooked over a cross that caught out Leeds keeper Illan Meslier, who left a gap at his near post for the ball to squeeze into the net.

Sean Dyche’s side have won two of their three matches since he replaced the sacked Frank Lampard and now sit one point above the bottom three, while managerless Leeds are in 19th place.

Under-fire Chelsea boss Graham Potter suffered another blow as bottom of the table Southampton won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

James Ward-Prowse scored his 17th Premier League free-kick — one behind David Beckham’s record in the competition — to give Southampton the lead in first half stoppage-time.

Stuart Armstrong was fouled on the edge of the area and with Saints fans chanting Ward-Prowse’s name, the midfielder curled a superb set-piece past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Chelsea were booed off at full-time after a result that left them languishing in 10th place, with just two wins in their last 14 games in all competitions and none in their last five.

Bournemouth climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win at Wolves, with Marcus Tavernier bundling in the winner after 49 minutes.

Manor Solomon’s 88th minute goal gave sixth-placed Fulham a 1-0 win at Brighton, while Brentford and Crystal Palace drew 1-1.

Source: AFP

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has denied that playing Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar all together in the same side has a negative impact on the team’s balance, as the Brazilian was ruled out of Wednesday’s match at Montpellier.

PSG said Neymar is suffering from muscle fatigue and received treatment as he sat out training on Tuesday while the rest of his team-mates prepared for the trip south following Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Reims in Ligue 1.

Neymar scored the opening goal against Reims but PSG conceded an equaliser deep into stoppage time as their lead over second-placed Lens remained three points.

PSG have won just one of four league games this month but Galtier rejected suggestions the presence of Neymar, Mbappe and Messi was hurting the team’s stability.

“We have at PSG three incredibly strong attacking players — Kylian, Leo and Ney, with 55 goals and 34 assists since the start of the season,” Galtier said.

“To say that we have to leave one of them out to be balanced is a mistake. We’ve been able to play well and be solid with all of three of them.”

PSG face a run of six games in 19 days including the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Bayern Munich on February 14.

“January hasn’t been good and everyone needs to have it in their heads that February will be better,” added Galtier.

He confirmed the club was in talks to sign Morocco winger Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea but said no deal had yet been completed.

“We will comment on the transfer window when it is closed,” said Galtier.

“As for whether one, two or three players might come in, based on what I have read, the club is working hard… but I’m not going to comment on potential arrivals or departures.

“If there are no arrivals, there are no arrivals.”

Source: AFP

Noel Le Graet, the scandal-hit president of the French Football Federation under investigation for sexual harassment, “no longer has the necessary legitimacy to run and represent French football”, according to a report into governance failings at the body seen by AFP on Monday.

The report follows an audit of the FFF ordered by France’s Sports Ministry after allegations made against the 81-year-old Le Graet, who was forced to step down earlier this month pending its outcome.

“Considering his conduct towards women, his public comments and the governance failings of the FFF, Mr Le Graet no longer has the necessary legitimacy to run and represent French football,” the report said, adding that the body’s handling of cases of sexist and sexual violence was “neither effective nor efficient”.

Le Graet is currently under investigation by Paris prosecutors for sexual and psychological harassment following accusations against him made by football agent Sonia Souid.

The report stated that his attitude towards women “can be described at the very least as sexist”, and said that there was evidence his behaviour was “likely to be considered as criminal”.

He denies any wrongdoing.

Despite already stepping down and being replaced on an interim basis by vice-president Philippe Diallo, Le Graet is still officially recognised as president by world governing body FIFA.

The report also targeted the “brutal” management practices of the body’s director general Florence Hardouin, who has also been suspended from her role.

The FFF’s directors have been given until February 13 to respond to the conclusions of the report.

Le Graet’s mandate runs until 2024 but the organisation’s executive committee can decide to hold an extraordinary general assembly where it could vote to depose the standing president.

The affair has cast a cloud over French football barely a month after they reached the World Cup final in Qatar, losing on penalties to Argentina to just fall short of retaining the title they won in 2018.

Le Graet, who has been president of the FFF since 2011, had already faced calls to resign, including from Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, after dismissive remarks in a recent radio interview about France legend Zinedine Zidane’s potential interest in coaching the national team.

Didier Deschamps recently extended his contract to stay as coach through to 2026, having been in charge since 2012.

Source: AFP

Relegation-threatened Everton announced on Monday they had appointed former Burnley boss Sean Dyche as their new manager to replace the sacked Frank Lampard.

Dyche has agreed a two-and-a-half-year contract and will take charge for the first time for the Premier League club’s clash against leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park on Saturday.

“I know about Everton’s passionate fan base and how precious this club is to them,” Dyche said in a club statement.

“We’re ready to work and ready to give them what they want. That starts with sweat on the shirt, effort and getting back to some of the basic principles of what Everton Football Club has stood for for a long time.

“We want to bring back a good feeling. We need the fans, we need unity and we need everyone aligned. That starts with us as staff and players.”

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright said: “He quickly convinced me that he has exactly the right attributes to make himself a great Everton manager — and a man who could inspire our fanbase.”

Lampard was sacked last week after a run of nine defeats in 12 Premier League matches.

Everton are 19th in the Premier League after 20 matches — level on points with bottom club Southampton.

Source: AFP

Lionel Messi is expected to make his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since his World Cup triumph in a Ligue 1 clash at home against Angers on Wednesday, as the Qatar-owned club look to tie the Argentine down to a new contract.

The 35-year-old took part in training with his teammates on Tuesday, a little over three weeks after inspiring Argentina to victory over France on penalties in an epic World Cup final in Qatar.

He was granted a two-week holiday back in his home country following the tournament, before returning to Paris and being given a guard of honour at PSG’s training ground last Wednesday.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who scored 12 goals in 19 games this season for his club prior to the World Cup, did not take part in PSG’s win at third-tier side Chateauroux in the French Cup at the weekend.

But he could start as the Ligue 1 leaders play host to an Angers side who are bottom of the table and have lost their last nine league outings.

How Messi approaches the second half of the campaign in France after a career-defining World Cup will be closely observed, with his initial two-year deal in Paris coming to an end.

However, the Qatar-owned club are in talks to extend his contract with coach Christophe Galtier insisting the former Barcelona star is settled in the French capital.

“I know there are talks and that the club has spoken to Leo but I don’t know where they are at,” Galtier told reporters on Tuesday.

“Leo seems to me to be happy in Paris and I think there is a real desire on behalf of the club to extend Leo’s contract,” added Galtier, who said that Luis Campos, PSG’s football advisor, was in discussions with Messi’s representatives along with president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

Kylian Mbappe, scorer of a hat-trick for France in the World Cup final, may again be rested for PSG’s midweek game after missing their French Cup victory as he took a holiday in New York along with teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Neymar has been getting treatment on the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup, while Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is out for a PSG side who suffered their first defeat of the season in their last league outing at Lens on New Year’s Day.

Source: AFP

Gianluca Vialli’s death on Friday robbed Italian football of an iconic figure of its golden era, a powerful yet studious centre-forward who won almost every honour and was one of the English Premier League’s first big-name foreign imports.

Vialli, who had battled pancreatic cancer since 2017 before finally succumbing to what he called “an unwanted guest” at the age of 58, was the archetypal Italian ‘signore’, a well-dressed, well-spoken gentleman who nonetheless thrived in the bruising world of Italian football.

His glittering club career saw him at one point become the world’s most expensive player when Juventus paid Sampdoria 16.5 million euros in 1992 and he ended his career with one final successful spell at Chelsea.

The son of a self-made millionaire, Vialli grew up in a 60-room castle in his native Cremona.

His bustling style of forward play belied his comfortable upbringing and led him to the greatest heights at club level.

During most of the 1980s and early 1990s he was part of a devastating strike partnership at Sampdoria with Roberto Mancini, one of Italy’s most naturally gifted players of the era, which carried the Genoa-based team to unprecedented levels of success and led to them being nicknamed “the goal twins”.

In eight years at Sampdoria, Vialli won the club’s only Serie A title in 1991, the previous year’s Cup Winner’s Cup and three Italian Cups.

They also came to within a hair’s breadth of winning the European Cup in 1992, being narrowly beaten by Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona ‘Dream Team’.

London calling

Vialli was one of the first leading players to leave a club on a free transfer thanks to the Bosman ruling, departing Juventus after he won the Champions League in 1996 to link up with fellow former Serie A star Ruud Gullit at resurgent Chelsea.

By then 31, Vialli was among the first wave of foreign stars who would soon flood the Premier League and alongside compatriots Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola turned Chelsea into trophy and title contenders after a long silverware drought.

“It was a club that had exciting plans… even if this was before (Roman) Abramovich. There was already the idea within the club of winning the league,” Vialli said in 2016.

“Gullit was there and I had the chance to live in London. You put that all together and I couldn’t have said no.”

In 1997 he helped Chelsea to the FA Cup, the club’s first major honour in 26 years, and the following year won the League Cup and Cup Winner’s Cup after taking over as player manager from the sacked Gullit.

In his final campaign as a player he led Chelsea on a title challenge that only faded in late April, and in 2000 won a second FA Cup before being replaced by Claudio Ranieri in the following season.

A humbling spell at Watford followed before Vialli decided to leave the game to become a pundit on Italian TV.

“I realised that there were more fun, less stressful things to do than be a coach,” he said.

“Then there was the fact that I’d got married. Before then, I was married to football.”

However he retained a strong affinity to Chelsea and lived in London with his family until his death.

Italy blues

He scored 16 goals in 59 matches for Italy but failed to recreate his often exceptional club form on the international stage.

At the height of his powers he flopped at the 1990 World Cup on home soil, shoved aside early on to make space for Roberto Baggio and Toto Schillaci, and his Italy career never recovered.

At one point he went over two years without scoring for Italy, and his final match for the national team came in 1992 when he was still in his late 20s, surprisingly early in a career that was still to bring another Serie A title and the Champions League with Juve.

However he remained a popular figure and in 2019 became Italy’s delegation chief, providing support to old friend and head coach Mancini.

His tearful embrace with Mancini on the Wembley pitch after Italy beat England on penalties to win European Championship in 2020 became one of the iconic images of an emotional triumph.

Source: AFP

Erling Haaland lamented not scoring five times in the city of his birth as the Norwegian struck twice in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Leeds to lift them back up to second in the Premier League.

Haaland spent his early years in Yorkshire as his father Alfe Inge played for Leeds, but showed no mercy as City got their title challenge back on track.

Pep Guardiola’s men moved to within five points of Arsenal at the top of the table as they bounced back from a shock defeat to Brentford before the World Cup.

Haaland now has 20 Premier League goals in just 14 appearances since joining City, but was still left unsatisfied after failing to beat Illan Meslier with three one-on-ones.

“I could’ve scored five, that’s the truth,” Haaland told Amazon Prime.

“We win, that’s the most important thing. You see Arsenal at the top now, we have to hunt them, but for me as a striker, I could’ve scored a couple more.

“That’s life, I have to practise more.”

Haaland should have made his mark inside 45 seconds as he was denied by a fine save from Meslier when clean through.

That set the tone for a first half of frustration for City as a series of glorious chances came and went.

Meslier won another battle with Haaland, while two glaring misses from Jack Grealish left Guardiola with his head in his hands.

However, Leeds crucially failed to hold out until half-time on level terms as the visitors finally made their dominance count in first half stoppage time.

Kevin De Bruyne opened up the Leeds defence for the opener and when Riyad Mahrez’s shot was parried by Meslier, Rodri swept the rebound into the net.

Grealish made some amends for his earlier misses by creating the second with a smart interception and unselfish pass for Haaland to roll into an empty net.

The City star acknowledged his Leeds past by refusing to celebrate, but it did not stop him adding a second on the night from another Grealish cutback.

“I have to say, it’s a really special moment in my career,” Haaland said of playing at Elland Road.

“It was in my craziest fantasy I could think of to be at Elland Road and score for Manchester City against Leeds.”

Leeds remain perilously poised just two points above the relegation zone, but did at least get a goal to show for their efforts when Pascal Struijk headed in from a corner 17 minutes from time.

Haaland did at least spare the home side his fourth Premier League hat-trick with an uncharacteristically weak finish with just Meslier to beat once more.

At the other end Joe Gelhardt’s curling effort was inches away from setting up a grandstand finish.

But a two-goal margin of victory was the very least City’s display deserved as they leapfrogged Newcastle into second in the table.

Source: AFP

Blaise Matuidi, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, said on Friday he is retiring, a year after he last played.

The 35-year-old, who started the World Cup final win over Croatia in Russia four years ago, had been omitted from Inter Miami’s squad for this season.

Midfielder Matuidi won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A with Juventus after spending time with Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.

He made 84 international appearances, scoring nine times before his final Les Bleus game in 2019.

“I’ve decided to end my career as a professional footballer,” he said in a video on YouTube.

“I had the chance to play for the biggest European clubs, wear the France shirt, give my family a buzz, live my passion and they are images that will stay with me,” he added.

He is the first member of France’s 2018 squad to retire.

“My head, my heart, tell me to stop and to think about those close to me, my wife, my children, and this life I built,” he said.

“I think I’ve come to the end of what I’m able to bring to the table.”

Matuidi was present last Sunday as France lost in the final of this year’s World Cup to Argentina in Qatar.

Source:  AFP