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https://ift.tt/2mtJc9S Unai Emery insists he did not see Granit Xhaka’s alleged ‘duck’ during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United and praised his captain’s overall performance at Old Trafford. A picture of Monday evening’s match shared on social media appeared to show Xhaka, the midfielder, bowing his head as Scott McTominay’s long-range strike nestled in the back of the net to hand United a 1-0 lead. The Switzerland international, who was named Arsenal’s new permanent captain last week , was widely criticised on Twitter as the picture emerged, with the likes of Piers Morgan laying into Xhaka. Amazing Kolo Toure story about his mad Arsenal trial One angry Arsenal fan even called talkSPORT after the match to slam Xhaka , ranting to the Sports Bar: ‘Whoever named him Granit didn’t know what they were doing!’ Naturally, Gunners boss Unai Emery was quizzed on this alleged ‘duck’ following the game, but he insists he did NOT see his skipper move out the way of McTominay’s goal-bou...

https://ift.tt/2oSuY3r Roy Keane aimed a cheeky dig at his former arch nemesis Patrick Vieira ahead of the Monday night clash between Manchester United and Arsenal. The pair were at the centre of a fierce rivalry between the two clubs during the noughties, as they battled to be the dominant force in English football. Getty - Contributor Keane and Vieira are both among the best ever Premier League midfielders Their row in the Highbury tunnel before a clash in 2005 is part of Premier League folklore, while they regularly kicked lumps out of each other on the pitch as well. United and Arsenal certainly aren’t the rivals they once were , and neither are Keane and Vieira, with the pair sitting on several punditry panels together and filming a documentary for ITV. However, Keane still couldn’t resist a jibe at his former rival, claiming the Frenchman wasn’t good enough to get into the Manchester United side. Vieira was linked with a move to the Red Devils at one point, but Kean...

https://ift.tt/2nm55Ie Roy Keane insists Paul Pogba has not been consistent enough since re-joining Manchester United in 2016. The World Cup winning midfielder has lifted just one League Cup and one Europa League trophy during three seasons back at Old Trafford, receiving mixed reactions to his performances along the way. Getty Images - Getty Paul Pogba started against Arsenal to the whistle Solskjaer bemoans linesman's flag but says Arsenal definitely deserved goal showdown Manchester United v Arsenal LIVE reaction: Aubameyang cancels out McTominay strike spoils shared VAR ensures Arsenal earn scrappy draw with Man United at Old Trafford sorry mate Carragher's combined Man United and Arsenal XI had one notable omission BLAME? Keane defends Xhaka as Piers Morgan blasts Arsenal captain for ‘ducking’ United goal still rivals Roy Keane aims cheeky dig at Patrick Vieira: 'He would've been a squad player' big game Man United vs A...

https://ift.tt/2nc20ec Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the linesman was partly to blame for Arsenal’s VAR-awarded equaliser in Monday evening’s 1-1 draw at Old Trafford . Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cancelled out Scott McTominay’s first-half opener after some poor play from United allowed Bukayo Saka to feed the Gabon forward with a one-on-one chance. He clipped the ball over David de Gea to finish, but the goal was quickly ruled out as the linesman had raised his flag in the build-up. Getty Images - Getty Aubameyang’s effort was correctly allowed after initially being ruled out Amazing Kolo Toure story about his mad Arsenal trial However, the official’s decision was overturned after a VAR review showed Aubameyang was several yards onside when Saka played the ball. Solskjaer appeared unhappy with the goal on the touchline, and suggested after the match that the linesman should have kept his flag down to let play continue now that VAR can overturn inco...

https://ift.tt/2o2LzAO Granit Xhaka isn’t the most popular man in north London right now. Despite being named Arsenal captain last week, the Swiss midfielder did little to endear himself to Gunners fans when he appeared to duck under Scott McTominay’s strike during the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. On Twitter, journalist, TV presenter and famous Arsenal fan Piers Morgan blasted: “Xhaka was so bloody lazy for that goal. “Just stood there dawdling throughout the whole passage of play – no pressure, no urgency, no leadership. “He’s not a captain. From Adams & Vieira to this – horrible.” He then followed up by posting a picture of Xhaka’s ‘duck’ with the sarcastic caption: “Our captain.” And now, Richard the Arsenal fan has chimed in, echoing Morgan’s thoughts on talkSPORT in a hilarious rant. “Whoever named him Granit didn’t know what they were doing,” he told the Sports Bar. “He’s a pantomime horse. Why have they made him club captain? He [Emery] got applauded last week at th...

https://ift.tt/2nTLzTG Manchester United coach Mark Dempsey has made a return to training at Carrington just two months after being taken ill. Dempsey, 55, fell ill during the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and was taken to the Royal Perth Hospital where he was treated. Getty Dempsey (centre) is not 100 per cent back to his health The Daily Mail reports that the former United midfielder came back to their training complex on Sunday. However, he has not returned to 100 per cent health and he is not fully back in his old role. He was taken by ambulance from United’s hotel chaperoned by security and reportedly with a sheet covering his face as he was wheeled into hospital. Dempsey was said to be suffering from dehydration but was in a stable condition. LIVE on talkSPORT Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this week Leeds vs West Brom (Tuesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2 Lille vs Chelsea (Wednesday, 8pm) – talkSPORT Charlton vs S...

https://ift.tt/2nNtYgq Nemanja Matic has no plans to stay with Manchester United beyond this season due to a lack of playing time, according to reports. The midfielder is in the final year of his contract and there are doubts over his future at the club as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has favoured youth since he took charge. Getty Nemanja Matic is no longer first-choice at United Matic, the ex-Chelsea player who joined United in 2017, spent the first three Premier League matches on the bench and came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Southampton. His first start came at home to Leicester, largely in part due to the absence of Paul Pogba, but an ineffectual display saw him eventually replaced by Fred. denied Southgate to Spurs downplayed as 'Poch won't leave for Man United any time soon' HISTORY Arsenal star could end 72-year wait in clash with Manchester United HAMMER BLOW West Ham ace facing lengthy spell on sidelines with torn thigh muscle ...

https://ift.tt/2n3TyO6 Gareth Southgate has emerged as a surprise contender to become Tottenham’s new manager – but Sam Allardyce says he will NOT take the Spurs job before next summer’s European Championship. The Daily Express reported on Sunday that Southgate has been lined up by Lilywhites chiefs amid doubts over Mauricio Pochettino’s future in north London, with many believing the Argentine’s five-year spell in charge of Spurs could soon be coming to an end. He has found himself under pressure following a shaky start to the season, and remains a key target for both Manchester United and Real Madrid should they axe their own managers, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Zinedine Zidane respectively. AFP or licensors Pochettino will hope Saturday’s defeat of Southampton is the start of a strong run of form Jason Cundy defends Mauricio Pochettino and slams Spurs fans who want him gone Southgate has been in charge of England for just over three years and guided the Three Lions to t...

https://ift.tt/2nrDEgi Kieran Tierney will become the first Isle of Man-born player to appear in a league match for 72 years if he makes his Arsenal debut against Manchester United on Monday night. The 22-year-old played 77 minutes of Arsenal’s 5-0 thumping over Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup last Tuesday and was subsequently left out of the Under-23’s squad at the weekend to face Liverpool. Getty Images - Getty Kieran Tierney joined Arsenal from Celtic in the summer The Scotland full-back has fully recovered from a double hernia operation and looks set to make his Premier League bow at the Emirates. The last player to feature in a league game from the Isle of Man was Ken Burns. The former Southport winger featured against Barrow in a third division north encounter in 1947. The £25million summer signing, who moved to Scotland when he was 10 months old, has previously discussed his heritage and the possibility of playing for the Isle of Man. “That’s where I was born...

https://ift.tt/2ABlX0X West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski could be out for around three months with a torn thigh muscle. Fabianski limped off during the Hammers’ 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday and is definitely unavailable for their clash with Crystal Palace this weekend, which will be brought to you LIVE by talkSPORT. Getty Images - Getty West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is facing a lengthy spell in the treatment table The 34-year-old was replaced by second-choice glovesman Roberto, who looked far from convincing in last week’s 4-0 Carabo Cup defeat to League One Oxford United, but Manuel Pellegrini is backing the understudy to impress for as long as he must deputise. “Lukasz felt a problem in a muscle in his hip when he tried to kick the ball,” Pellegrini told whufc.com . “We need to know more about it with a medical examination on Sunday.” LIVE on talkSPORT Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT networ...

https://ift.tt/2lR992R Liverpool are reportedly in a row with the Football Association as they face a fight to avoid being expelled from the Carabao Cup. The Reds are at risk of being kicked out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player , understood to be Spanish midfielder Pedro Chirivella, during their win over MK Dons last week. Getty Images - Getty Chirivella came on in the 63rd minute of the cup tie Chirivella was introduced for the final 27 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Stadium MK – James Milner and Ki-Jana Hoever the goalscorers for the Reds. In ordinary circumstances expulsion from the competition is the standard sanction for using a player who isn’t eligible. However, the Daily Mail reports that Liverpool are pinning the blame on the FA in the hope of receiving a lesser punishment. The club insists that they applied for an international transfer certificate for Chirivella when he return to Anfield from a loan spell with Spanish second division...

https://ift.tt/2nPqJF5 We are only at the end of September and already this match had the feel of a must-win for this Manchester City side. The defeat away to Norwich City, 3-2, two weeks ago had allowed Liverpool, their closest domestic rivals to open a gap at the top of the table. Getty Images - Getty Raheem Sterling netted his side’s third goal at Goodison Park To date, Liverpool had a 100 per cent domestic record and the City players and coaching staff will have already seen them overcome a stubborn Sheffield United side earlier in the day, their 1-0 win coming thanks to a calamitous goalkeeping mistake. It can be easy for matches of this type to become overblown, especially by the media, but the reality is that small margins can make huge differences at the elite level of football. Look at last season as a prime example as City won the Premier League title by a single point from Liverpool. The intrigue surrounding the match was only enhanced by the fact that City’s opp...

https://ift.tt/2nN5SlW Arsenal have been praised for identifying the ‘very, very impressive’ Matteo Guendouzi and signing the midfield starlet last summer. Guendouzi was unknown outside of France – and hardly known about even in his homeland – when the Gunners bought him from Lorient 15 months ago. Signed for around £7million, there were high hopes for Guendouzi, but no one expected him to make such an immediate an impact in English football. Getty Images - Getty Big things are expected of talented youngster Guendouzi He impressed on his Premier League debut last August despite Arsenal losing 2-0 to Man City, and ended up making 48 appearances in all competitions as the Gunners finished fifth and reached the Europa League final. The 20-year-old has continued his fine form this season, starting all six of Arsenal’s Premier League matches so far and catching the eye with some truly impressive showings. He will hope to put in another superb performance this evening when Arse...

https://ift.tt/31C8WQW David Silva set a new Premier League record on Saturday when Manchester City beat Everton 3-1. Despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelling out Gabriel Jesus’ opener, goals from Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling kept City in touch with league leaders Liverpool. Getty Images - Getty Silva won his 200th Premier League match on Saturday Silva, the former Spain international, replaced Sterling with four minutes remaining at Goodison Park to make his 289th appearance and collect his 200th top flight victory. In doing so, the City captain became the fastest player to reach that accomplishment, managing it 16 games quicker than previous record holder, Chelsea legend John Terry, who won the same amount, but in 305 matches. CONCERN Lose to Arsenal and Solskjaer will do what no boss has done in more than 40 years dreams Omer Riza hopes to play 'pivotal' part in England DNA after joining coaching staff gifted 'Top class' Man United st...

https://ift.tt/2mi1Rpc Manchester United fans will know who ‘top class’ James Garner is by the end of the season, Darren Fletcher believes. Garner made his Red Devils debut last season but his cameo showing against Crystal Palace in February remains his one and only United appearance to date. AFP or licensors James Garner has previously been compared to Man United legend Michael Carrick Danny Mills says Manchester United should have appointed Mauricio Pochettino in the summer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has twice selected Garner, the midfielder, on the bench this term, though he failed to make it onto the pitch against Astana or Rochdale in the Europa League and Carabao Cup respectively. Nonetheless, Garner is clearly highly-rated by Solskjaer, who has already given first-team minutes to Mason Greenwood, Axel Tuanzebe, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Brandon Williams this term. And Fletcher, the former Red Devils midfielder, says Garner will be the next academy prospect drafted in...

https://ift.tt/2md02K1 Manchester United vs Arsenal is a fixture that is steeped in history. The two giants of English football enjoyed an incredible rivalry almost two decades ago, going head-to-head for titles with legendary managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger vying for top spot. Keane and Vieira had a fierce rivalry True footballing greats dominated both teams, with the feud between captains Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira symbolic of the hatred the two clubs had of one another. The rivalry was so fierce that the ill-tempered affairs between the teams were even given names. In 2003, six Arsenal players and two United stars were charged with improper conduct following the ‘Battle of Old Trafford,’ with Arsenal charged for ‘failing to ensure the proper behaviour of their players’. Now, in a dramatic turn of events, the heavyweights who were once fighting each other for domestic dominance are now engaged in a battle for a Europa League spot. Getty Ferguson and W...