Anthony Martial
WCQ: Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele returns to France squad
Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been rewarded for his upturn in form with a recall to the France squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The 24-year-old hasn’t featured for Les Bleus since the summer of 2019 but now has the chance to add to his six international caps in matches against Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Other notable returnees include Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Lemar, who hasn’t featured since November 2019, while Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, a member of their 2018 World Cup-winning squad, is back for the first time in two-and-a-half years. This represents Ndombele’s first international call up since his club-record €60 million (£54m/$68m) move from Lyon to Tottenham. The Frenchman arrived in north London with a reputation as an all-action midf...
Why Wilfried Zaha is no longer taking the knee
Wilfried Zaha became the first Premier League player not to kneel before kick-off on Saturday since top-flight footballers started using the gesture to protest racial injustice last summer. The Crystal Palace winger instead chose to “stand tall” ahead of the match with West Brom, something he had said in February he was going to do but hadn’t started a game since then due to injury. Zaha released a statement ahead of kick-off outlining his intention to do so and his reasons for it. What he said “My decision to stand at kick-off has been public knowledge for a couple of weeks now,” the Ivorian international said. “There is no right or wrong decision, but for me personally I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or ...
Manchester United rages at penalty talk as team draw another blank
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United was furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. “It’s all these outside influences. That’s influencing referees,” said an unusually irate Solskjaer. “We’ve ...
Racism: Anthony Martial seeks for security protection
Anthony Martial has asked Manchester United to help with security at his house after racist trolls abused him and his wife on social media. Martial was targeted with vile racist abuse following Man United’s shock home defeat to Sheffield United last week. The forward’s wife, Melanie, also received online hate which included death threats to both herself and her husband. The couple, who have a young child, have since approached the club who are believed to be happy to assist with extra security at their house. The Red Devils provided protection for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward when angry fans attacked his home with flares last year.They beefed up security at his house and launched a review of safety measures. A similar set of actions is expected to take place at Martial’s house. Man ...
Manchester United boss seeks team’s cutting edge after Arsenal stalemate
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United’s forwards need to be more clinical after a 0-0 draw at an under-strength Arsenal dealt a second setback to their Premier League title challenge in four days. United threw away top spot with a shock 2-1 defeat by bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United in midweek and are now three points adrift of league leaders Manchester City having played a game more than their local rivals. The quartet of Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes have now scored just once in United’s last five league games. Cavani was the biggest threat for the visitors with two second-half efforts that flew just wide, but Arsenal were worthy of at least a point despite missing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Kieran Tierney. “We come awa...
Marcus Rashford tames Wolves to send Manchester United into second
Marcus Rashford’s deflected strike deep into stoppage time moved Manchester United to within two points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Wolves on Tuesday. United laboured for long spells against a youthful Wolves side, but got a huge slice of fortune in the 93rd minute when Rashford’s shot hit Romain Saiss to leave Rui Patricio helpless. Victory takes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men up to second and continues an excellent run of 23 points from the last possible 27 to mount an unlikely title challenge after a slow start to the season. Despite enjoying one more day’s rest amid the packed festive schedule than their opponents, Solskjaer made six changes from the side that drew 2-2 at Leicester on Boxing Day. Edinson Cavani made just his second Premier League start...
Champions League: Marcus Rashford’s late strike sinks PSG again as Sevilla draw at Chelsea
Marcus Rashford was once again the hero as he scored a late goal to claim a 2-1 away win for Manchester United over Paris Saint-Germain in Group H, in Tuesday’s Champions League. In the round of 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League season, Rashford converted a 94th minute penalty, as United overturned a 2-0 home defeat to beat PSG 3-1 and advance into the quarter-finals. This is the first time since 2004, PSG have lost a Champions League group game at home. PSG’s last two home defeats in the Champions League have come against United. Bruno Fernandes opened scoring in the 24th minute for United from the penalty spot. Ten minutes into the second half PSG were back on level terms following an own goal by Anthony Martial. But in the 87th minute Martial grabbed the winner with a superb strike t...
Manchester United set new club record after another Champions League win vs Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester United’s victory against PSG in the Champions League has seen the club win 10 consecutive away games for the first time in their history. A late winner from Marcus Rashford saw the Red Devils win 2-1 against the Parisians at the Parc des Princes – the scene of their famous Champions League win versus PSG in 2019. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have now won their last 10 matches on the road, dating back to the 2-1 extra-time win against Norwich City in the FA Cup on June 27. Since Harry Maguire’s 118th minute to sink the Canaries, United have beaten Brighton (three times), Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Luton Town, Newcastle United and now PSG. The victory against PSG was arguably the best performance of the Red Devils’ streak, with United having more shots on target t...
Trent Alexander-Arnold wins Premier League Young Player of the Season
Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold saw off competition from Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic to win the Premier League’s TAG Heuer Young Player of the Season award. Alexander-Arnold, 21, was the only English player on the shortlist and becomes the first player to win the inaugural award The full-back was instrumental in helping Liverpool lift their first league title in 30 years and contributed 13 assists and four goals in the league. The England international also beat United’s Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish and Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson to the prize. The Premier League saw a rise in the number of young English players last season with more than a third who started eligible for selec...
Chelsea fans love what Southampton’s Michael Obafemi did to Manchester United
Chelsea fans have taken to social media and thanked Southampton striker, Michael Obafemi. The Saints forward – who netted at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season – made his mark against Manchester United on Monday night as he scored an injury-time equalizer at Old Trafford. As a result, the Red Devils missed a great chance to leapfrog the Blues as well as Leicester City in the Premier League table. Furthermore, the race for the final two Champions League spots has taken yet another twist. On Saturday, Frank Lampard’s side slumped to a very disappointing 3-0 loss away at Sheffield United, thus handing the Foxes the initiative ahead of their clash with relegation-threatened Bournemouth the following day. However, Brendan Rodgers’ side capitulated in the second half at the Vitality Stadium a...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signals u-turn in transfer priorities
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that the club’s transfer priorities for this summer have changed toward the defence. It has been believed for some time that the first priority is a right winger, with Jadon Sancho the top target. There has also been much talk of United signing another attacking midfielder, potentially Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, and a striker has also been sought, with the Reds narrowly missing out on capturing Norwegian star Erling Haaland in January. But when asked about planning for the future at the Southampton pre-match press conference, the boss suggested that the situation is under review. ‘There’s so many small decisions and of course transfers sometimes are out of our hands as well,’ he said. ‘If the team is going well, [you ask yourself]...
Fred racially abused on social media following Man United FA Cup exit
Fred suffered racist abuse online following Manchester United’s FA Cup exit to Leicester City on Sunday. Fred was at fault for Leicester’s opening goal as he gifted the ball to Kelechi Iheanacho in front of goal, with the Leicester striker rounding goalkeeper Dean Henderson to slot the ball home. After United’s 3-1 defeat, the 28-year-old’s Instagram account became the target of abuse from online trolls, with several of the comments racial in nature. The Brazil international is one of several United players to be subjected to abuse in recent weeks. Marcus Rashford posted a statement about comments directed at him in late January, while Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe were also targeted. Here’s the manager’s take on a disappointing afternoon ⬇ 🔴 #MUFC🏆 #...