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Wobbling Man United shocks Mancity 2-1
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Manchester United scored twice in the final three minutes to deepen Premier League champions Manchester City’s crisis with a 2-1 win at the Etihad on Sunday.
City have now won just once in their last 11 games, a run that includes eight defeats.
Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header had put Pep Guardiola’s men in front.
But United hit back for just Ruben Amorim’s second win in five league matches since taking charge last month.
Bruno Fernandes’ penalty levelled before Amad Diallo squeezed home the winner from a narrow angle in the last minute of regular time.
Defeat leaves City still in fifth, nine point off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
United climb to 12th and within five points of their city rivals.
The Red Devils will be hoping a dramatic victory can also be the starting point for Amorim to turn around the momentum of a rivalry that City have dominated over the past decade.
Amorim made a bold call before kick-off as both Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were left out of the United squad with the Portuguese saying he “pays attention to everything”.
The United boss may have regretted that call as early as the 12th minute when Mason Mount limped off to continue his injury-ravaged spell since joining from Chelsea 18 months ago.
A shortage of confidence in both sides was clear to see in a cagey start.
It took 20 minutes for Phil Foden to have the first attempt on goal with a volley that flew just wide of Andre Onana’s goal.
But United’s set-piece defending has been at the root of their poor start to life under new management.
For the third consecutive Premier League game they conceded from a corner as Kevin De Bruyne’s deflected cross looped perfectly into the path of Gvardiol to head in on 36 minutes.
A slow burn of a derby finally came to life seconds later when Kyle Walker and Rasmus Hojlund went head-to-head with both ending up getting booked.
Foden’s double win this fixture for City last season on their way to an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.
The England international’s lack of form and fitness has been one of the causes of City’s struggles this season.
However, Foden looked more like his old self as a jinking run and shot that deflected just wide came close to doubling City’s lead before half-time.
United did not manage a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes and Amorim was growing visibly frustrated at his side’s poor play on the ball as the second period started in a similar manner.
A vintage City side under Guardiola would have put their neighbours to the sword, but English champions created nothing of note in the second period.
Diallo finally forced Ederson into action with a header that the Brazilian clawed around the post on the hour mark.
Fernandes then missed a glorious chance to equalise 15 minutes from time when his dink over Ederson drifted wide with just the Brazilian to beat.
However, City were to be the architects of their own downfall.
Matheus Nunes’ short backpass played in Diallo, who was then chopped down by the Portuguese midfielder in his desperation to atone for the original error.
Fernandes this time coolly sent Ederson the wrong way to level.
City’s defence was then undone by one simple long ball over the top by Lisandro Martinez that Diallo raced onto, rounded Ederson and kept his composure to find the net.
AFP
Arsenal hammered Coventry City 3-0 in the first game of this Premier League season on Friday night.
The Gunners have begun the defence of their title with maximum points at the Emirates.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka put the reigning champions firmly in control, and captain Martin Odegaard added a third soon after the restart to seal a comfortable win on the opening day of the campaign.
Arsenal were without their new signing Bruno Guimaraes because of an injury, but another of the summer arrivals, Christos Tzolis, had provided the early spark, cutting in from the left before curling a shot over five minutes in.
The Greek winger also played a part in Arsenal’s opener, but it was a familiar face who found the breakthrough, as Havertz, starting ahead of Viktor Gyokeres, turned in Riccardo Calafiori’s low cross after 15 minutes.
It was 2-0 eight minutes later when Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth could only palm Tzolis’ low delivery into the feet of Saka and the England international fired into the unguarded goal.
Odegaard added a third four minutes into the second half, receiving a pass from Ben White and beating Rushworth, albeit with a scuffed finish.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka on a season-long loan deal that includes a conditional obligation to buy.
The 28-year-old DR Congo international joins Unai Emery’s side after Villa and West Ham reached an agreement over the transfer.
The specific conditions attached to the potential permanent move have not been disclosed, although West Ham had previously valued the right-back at around £25 million.
Wan-Bissaka was absent from West Ham’s opening two Championship fixtures of the season as negotiations over his return to the Premier League continued.
He joined West Ham from Manchester United in 2024 on a seven-year contract and made 65 appearances for the club across two seasons. He featured 25 times last season as the Hammers were relegated from the Premier League.
Villa are hoping Wan-Bissaka’s experience will bolster their defence as they prepare for a demanding campaign that includes both Premier League and Champions League football.
The defender made 190 appearances for Manchester United, winning the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.
He also started all four of DR Congo’s matches at the 2026 World Cup, where the Leopards reached the round of 32.
Villa’s agreement with West Ham bears similarities to the club’s loan deal for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott last season. Elliott arrived with a £35 million obligation to buy that was dependent on him making 10 league appearances. However, he made only four appearances before returning to Liverpool this summer.
Wan-Bissaka could make his Aston Villa debut against Brighton on Sunday, with kick-off scheduled for 2pm BST.
His arrival also adds defensive depth to Emery’s squad as Villa prepare to compete in the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning the Europa League last season.
FIFA has unveiled the match schedule for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, confirming the dates and venues for all 64 matches across eight host cities.
In a post on FIFA’s website on Thursday, the schedule was announced at the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, during the live draw for the preliminary phase of the Women’s World Cup 2027 Play-Off Tournament.
Hosts Brazil will open the tournament at the iconic Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, June 24, before playing their remaining group-stage matches at Arena Itaquera in São Paulo on Tuesday, June 29, and the Estádio Nacional in Brasília on Sunday, July 4.
Each of the eight host cities will stage at least seven matches, including a minimum of one knockout fixture.
Brasília, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador will host matches through the Round of 16, while Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza will join Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo as quarter-final venues.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament would provide an opportunity to showcase the growth of women’s football while allowing fans and communities across Brazil to play a central role.
“We can’t wait to witness a new chapter of women’s football history unfold when the world’s best players, coaches, fans and local communities take centre stage in Brazil next year,” Infantino said.
The schedule has been designed to build towards the final in Rio de Janeiro, with São Paulo set to host one semi-final and the bronze-medal match.
The other semi-final and the final will be played at the Maracanã, while FIFA Fan Festivals will take place in the host cities and provide supporters with opportunities to follow the tournament away from the stadiums.
FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer, Dame Sarai Bareman, said the schedule had been developed with sporting fairness and the experience of supporters in mind.
“As we developed the match schedule, we carefully balanced sporting fairness across all 32 teams, considering travel distances, recovery time between matches and the overall competition experience,” Bareman said.
She added that FIFA also wanted fans across Brazil to be able to participate in the tournament and for every host city to play a significant role in the event.
The Maracanã will make history by becoming only the third stadium to host both a men’s FIFA World Cup final and a Women’s World Cup final.
It joins the former Råsunda Stadium in Solna, Sweden, which hosted the 1958 men’s and 1995 women’s finals, and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, United States, which staged the 1994 men’s and 1999 women’s finals.
Aline Pellegrino, former captain of Brazil’s women’s national team and executive director of Legacy and Stakeholder Affairs for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, said hosting the tournament was a source of immense pride for the country.
“Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil is a source of immense pride,” Pellegrino said. “Next year, we will see people from across Brazil and around the world come together to celebrate women’s football in a country renowned for its love of the game.”
She said each host city would bring its own character to the tournament and help create an atmosphere capable of inspiring the next generation of players.
The release of the schedule allows supporters to begin planning their trips to Brazil, while host cities, government authorities and other stakeholders continue preparations for the tournament.
FIFA said an updated version of the schedule will be released after the final draw, which is scheduled to take place later this year.
View the match schedule here: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/asset/6b91dd74-c399-46fe-a471-1334da9fc802/fwwc2027_MatchScheduleEN.pdf
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