Manchester City’s Phil Foden celebrates scoring their first objective towards Bournemouth on the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth on February 24, 2024
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The week began at Manchester United with Jim Ratcliffe finishing his buy of a minority stake and setting out a three-year plan to return the membership to the highest of English soccer, knocking native rivals Manchester City and Liverpool “off their perch” within the course of.
It ended with the workforce getting principally outplayed in its personal stadium by Fulham — an opponent within the backside half of the Premier League — and crushed 2-1 to lose floor within the race for Champions League qualification.
Manchester United supervisor Erik ten Hag, substitutes and teaching workers have a good time after Harry Maguire scored a objective
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Not solely did sixth-place Manchester United’s four-game successful run within the league come to an finish on February 24, fourth-place Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-2. That left an eight-point gap between Villa and United after 26 of 38 video games. It stays to be seen if the Premier League may have 4 or 5 locations in subsequent season’s Champions League. Fifth-place Tottenham is three factors forward of United and has a recreation in hand.
Failing to qualify for the profitable competitors might be an enormous blow to United’s standing, not to point out its funds. It might additionally spell the tip for United supervisor Erik ten Hag as Ratcliffe seems to increase the requirements on the fallen large.
Dave Brailsford, the sporting director of Ratcliffe-owned INEOS and now on United’s board, was within the administrators’ field at Old Trafford to see the workforce concede the deciding objective on a counterattack within the seventh minute of stoppage time. Alex Iwobi tucked house the end, sealing Fulham’s first win at Old Trafford since 2003, with United’s gamers having poured ahead searching for a winner after Harry Maguire’s equalizer within the 89th.
“After one defeat, you have to see the bigger picture,” Ten Hag mentioned, “and the bigger picture looks very good.”
Douglas Luiz scored two of Villa’s objectives, with Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey additionally netting in its first house win of 2024. One of the three defeats at Villa Park this 12 months got here by the hands of United.
“If we arrive to game 33 in the same position, we maybe look to Champions League,” Villa supervisor Unai Emery mentioned. “For now it’s about being within the high seven positions.
Manchester City, Arsenal win
With first-place Liverpool not enjoying within the Premier League this spherical due to its involvement within the English League Cup last on Sunday, title rivals Manchester City and Arsenal had an opportunity to trim the gap to the leaders. They each took it — and now the highest three are separated by simply two factors.
Manchester City’s Nathan Ake heads the ball through the English Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester City on the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, England, on Feb. 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Second-place Man City moved one level behind Liverpool by beating Bournemouth 1-0 away, with Phil Foden grabbing the Twenty fourth-minute winner from a rebound after Erling Haaland had a shot parried out. It was Foden’s sixteenth objective of the season in all competitions, already tying the England ahead’s most in a single season.
“Phil Foden is playing the best football I have seen from him,” mentioned City supervisor Pep Guardiola, who described his gamers as “supermen” for dealing with a demanding schedule. “We demand an excessive amount of of our gamers however they reply. I do know folks say, ‘They earn a lot of money,’ however it’s an excessive amount of, truthfully. But enterprise should go on and it surprises me each time how we’re nonetheless there.”
Newcastle United’s Sven Botman scores an personal objective towards Arsenal
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Arsenal responded to City’s consequence by dominating Newcastle a couple of hours later, successful 4-1 at Emirates Stadium to keep some extent behind City.
An own-goal by Sven Botman was adopted by strikes by Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka, earlier than Jakub Kiwior glanced in a header for the fourth. Joe Willock, a former Arsenal participant, scored an Eighty fifth-minute comfort for Newcastle.
Everton denined win
Relegation-threatened Everton conceded an equalizer within the fifth minute of stoppage time to draw 1-1 at Brighton. A victory would have pushed Everton three factors away from the underside three and ended an eight-match winless run within the league.
Instead, Lewis Dunk headed in Pascal Gross’ cross to cancel out Jarrad Branthwaite’s opener for Everton at Amex Stadium.
Newly employed Crystal Palace supervisor Oliver Glasner ’s tenure obtained off to sturdy begin as his workforce beat next-to-last Burnley 3-0.
