Cristiano Ronaldo s 50th club career hat-trick dug Manchester United out of a hole against lowly Norwich City as the under-par Red Devils won 3-2 at Old Trafford.
The 37-year-old s treble was his second in his past three Premier League appearances and took him to 21 goals for the season, going through the 20 barrier for a 16th consecutive campaign.
Ronaldo moved to 99 Premier League goals in his career, and United could only thank him for sparing them a potentially embarrassing afternoon.
He put United two up early on, but Norwich hit back through Kieran Dowell and Teemu Pukki, only for former Real Madrid and Juventus star Ronaldo to lash a free-kick winner through the grasp of Tim Krul in the 76th minute.
David de Gea sprinted from his line to expertly …
Mikel Arteta was impressed by the fighting spirit from Arsenal in a 1-0 Premier League win at Burnley.
The Gunners secured back-to-back victories to double their points tally courtesy of Martin Odegaard s sublime first-half free-kick at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Burnley were flat in the first half but applied pressure after the break, and they were awarded a penalty when Aaron Ramsdale was adjudged to have upended Matej Vydra 20 minutes from time.
Referee Anthony Taylor reversed that decision after being advised to check the pitchside monitor by the VAR.
Arsenal stood firm to win consecutive top-flight games 1-0 for the first time since December 2014 and boss Arteta was impressed with the way they dug in, but knows there is plenty of room for improvement…
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets admitted the embattled LaLiga giants needed to beat Espanyol after the Xavi era opened with a 1-0 victory in Saturday s derby.
Xavi s first match in charge resulted in three points against city rivals Espanyol at Camp Nou, where Memphis Depay s 48th-minute penalty settled the contest.
Barca have struggled this season, leading to the sacking of Ronald Koeman and prompting the return of club great Xavi, who had been in charge of Qatari outfit Al-Sadd.
Reflecting on the result, which saw Barca move within eight points of top spot before Real Madrid s fixture at Granada on Sunday, Busquets welcomed the win.
We needed this victory for the team to continue to grow and regain our confidence. We have a new coach, a new philosoph…
With the Premier League title chase looking like it will be going right down to the wire, we have what could be a season-defining affair on Tuesday night when Arsenal welcome Chelsea to the Emirates.
Likewise, with definitive battles from across England’s professional tiers throughout Tuesday night, there are plenty of eye-catching betting markets.
For those of you looking to stick on a midweek flutter, we have found a pair of the mist intriguing betting tips that are available.
19:45 Cheltenham vs Peterborough
While Peterborough might have been somewhat disappointed this season as they missed out on the chance to secure an automatic Championship return, Tuesday’s hosts should find the mood in their camp at a red-hot high. Breezing their way to ano…
Xavi Simons will return to RB Leipzig for 2024-25 after the Bundesliga side agreed another season-long loan deal with his parent club Paris Saint-Germain.
Simons enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Leipzig in 2023-24, contributing eight goals and 11 assists as Marco Rose s men finished fourth.
Bayer Leverkusen s Alex Grimaldo was the only player in the Bundesliga to better that latter figure, while only Kevin Stoger (127), Franck Honorat (89) and Julian Brandt (80) bettered his 79 chances created.
He was linked with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich after returning to the French capital, but Leipzig have now moved to bring him back to Germany.
A statement from the club read: Speculation surrounding Xavi s future can finally be put to …
A little over two minutes before the moment that will forever define his career, Manchester City hero Sergio Aguero showed sharpness in the QPR goalmouth that would not have been out of place at Old Trafford.
Old Trafford cricket ground that is, just down the road from City s bitter rivals Manchester United and their home of the same name.
As Edin Dzeko s equaliser from David Silva s right-wing corner bounced back off the netting, Aguero pounced, snaffling it like a short-leg fielder and darting back to the centre circle for City s final tilt at the improbable. It was 2-2, the Premier League title could still be won.
There was certainly nothing wrong with striker Aguero s movement after Joey Barton brazenly tried to dead leg him – one of many surreal and key in…
Kieran Trippier confronted angry Newcastle fans following their 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth.
The injury-hit Magpies were downed by Dominic Solanke’s second-half double on the south coast.
As the players went to applaud the travelling fans after the final whistle, England full-back Trippier was filmed on social media responding to a supporter by saying: “Are the lads not giving everything? How many injuries have we got?”
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— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC)
Afterwards, Trippier played down the incident. He told Sky Sports: “The fans are emotional, they have travelled a long way.
“I had a chat with one of them, saying we are giving everything and there’s no need to panic.
“We got beat and we apologise for tha…
Spain head coach Robert Moreno says there is no reason why Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati could not be in the squad for Euro 2020.
The 17-year-old, born in Guinea-Bissau but a resident of Spain since the age of six, has been a revelation at Camp Nou this season during an inconsistent first half of the season from Ernesto Valverde s side.
Fati was cleared to play for his adopted country in October and was named in the Under-21 squad for this month s qualifying matches for the Euro Under-21 finals in 2021.
Moreno admits he will keep an eye on the winger s progress with a view to including him for the senior tournament next year, for which Spain have already qualified.
Ansu Fati is in the preliminary list and so there is no reason why he can t be with us at…
England, Scotland and Wales could be paired together in Saturday’s Euro 2024 finals draw.
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg will host the draw ceremony, which gets under way at 5pm UK time.
Gareth Southgate’s England, runners-up at Euro 2020, will be one of the favourites to win the tournament, with in-form Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham set to be the shining light in a strong line-up.
Their performances in qualifying, where they topped Group C ahead of reigning European champions Italy, have earned them a place among the top seeds for the draw in what could be Southgate’s final bow as England boss.
His contract will be up next December and his future beyond that is uncertain.
Scotland are in Pot Three, while Wales are one of the…
Wales midfielder Joe Ledley will be in contention for their Euro 2016 Group B opener against Slovakia, manager Chris Coleman has confirmed.
The news represents a remarkable recovery from Ledley, who fractured a fibula in Crystal Palace s Premier League meeting with Stoke City on May 7.
It seemed certain that Ledley would miss Wales first appearance at a major tournament for 58 years, but the 29-year-old was included in Coleman s 23-man squad and appears to be on the verge of full fitness.
The midfielder missed the 3-0 friendly defeat to Sweden on Sunday, along with Joe Allen and Hal Robson-Kanu, but Coleman insists all three should be fine to take on Slovakia in Bordeaux on Saturday.
If the situation stays the same, the three will be available this week…