Manchester United slumped to another meek home defeat as Crystal Palace won 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, while Tottenham eased the pressure on Ange Postecoglou by beating Brentford 2-0. Jean Philippe-Mateta was Palace’s hero with both goals in the second half as United suffered a fifth defeat in their last six home league games. Victory takes the Eagles above the Red Devils in the table as Oliver Glasner’s side climb to 12th. Three consecutive wins for United had lifted the mood around Old Trafford but it was back to square one for Ruben Amorim after another home display lacking in creativity and riddled with defensive lapses.

Amorim‘s decision to start without a natural striker backfired with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee left on the bench.

Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo started in a centre-forward role after scoring in a 2-0 victory over Romanian side FCSB in midweek.

The England international’s scuffed strike came back off the post in United’s best effort of a bright opening before their attacking threat fizzled out.

Palace have lost just one of their last seven league games to recover from a miserable start to the season.

The visitors missed the creative spark offered by Eberechi Eze for the first hour as an injury meant he was only fit enough for a cameo appearance off the bench.

But Eze made an instant impact as from his free-kick Maxence Lacroix’s header came back off the bar and into Mateta’s path to fire home.

Worse was to follow for United as Lisandro Martinez had to be stretchered off with what appeared a serious knee injury.

Palace showed no mercy to secure the three points when Daniel Munoz charged through the middle of the home side’s defence and unselfishly squared for Mateta to knock in his sixth goal in five games.

– Spurs ease relegation fears -Spurs eased fears they could be dragged into a relegation battle as Postecoglou’s injury-ravaged side kept a rare clean sheet to see off Brentford.

The Bees were left to rue a number of missed chances against Tottenham’s makeshift defence with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero again absent.

Brentford also lent the visitors a helping hand with the opening goal.

Hakon Valdimarsson flapped at Son Heung-min’s corner and Vitaly Janelt headed into his own net on 29 minutes.

Yoane Wissa’s header came off the bar as Brentford pushed for an equaliser.

But Spurs picked them off on the counter-attack when Pape Sarr prodded through Valdimarsson’s legs from Son’s pass.

Victory lifts Tottenham to 14th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Second-placed Arsenal start the day nine points adrift of league leaders Liverpool ahead of their blockbuster clash against defending champions Manchester City at the Emirates in the 1630GMT kick-off.

Cody Gakpo scored twice as Liverpool took another step towards the Premier League title with a 4-1 demolition of Ipswich at Anfield on Saturday. Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah were also on target in a dominant performance from the Reds, who remain six points clear of Arsenal having played a game less. Just a second league title in 35 years and a 20th overall to match Manchester United’s English record now seems just a matter of time in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.

The Dutchman was able to make five changes from Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Lille that also secured direct passage to the last 16 of the Champions League in a sparkling season for the six-time European champions.

By contrast, Ipswich are finding the step up to the Premier League a bridge too far after back-to-back promotions.

Kieran McKenna’s men were thrashed 6-0 at home by Manchester City last weekend and could easily have suffered the same margin or more on their first trip to Anfield since 2002.

Slot has been keen for Szoboszlai to up his scoring contribution from midfield and the Hungarian led the way with a fine low strike for his fourth goal of the campaign after just 11 minutes.

Salah had been made to wait to usurp Thierry Henry as the Premier League’s seventh highest goalscorer of all time after blanking away at Nottingham Forest and Brentford.

The Egyptian made sure normal service was resumed by firing in high from Gakpo’s cross for his 176th Premier League goal and 19th of the season to move two clear of Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak in the race for the golden boot.

Szoboszlai’s forward runs were a constant threat for the Ipswich defence and the source of the third goal as Gakpo turned home the rebound after Christian Walton saved the midfielder’s initial effort.

Liverpool unsurprisingly eased off in the second half amid a gruelling schedule as they remain in the hunt for four competitions.

Gakpo headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s inviting cross for his 14th goal of the season.

Ipswich did at least get a consolation in the final minute when Jacob Greaves headed in from Julio Enciso’s corner.

However, the real test of their survival hopes comes next weekend when bottom-of-the-table Southampton visit Portman Road in a must-win clash for the Tractor Boys.

Ipswich remain in the relegation zone but only on goal difference behind Wolves, who blew a man advantage for half an hour of their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

File image of Cole Palmer.© AFP

Manchester City have signed Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt on a four-and-a-half-year deal which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2029, the Premier League side announced on Thursday. The 25-year-old is one of the most coveted young forwards operating in the European scene. He is also capable of being deployed on either attacking flank. An accomplished Egyptian international with 35 caps to his name to date, Marmoush made his professional bow back in his Egyptian homeland as a 17-year-old in 2016 with Wadi Degla.

After amassing 17 appearances and two goals for Wadi, Marmoush subsequently made the move to Europe in 2017, joining VF Wolfsburg before then making a switch to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2023.

He enjoyed a superb debut season with the Bundesliga side, netting 17 goals from 41 appearances across all competitions.

Omar has maintained that impressive impact so far across the 2024/25 campaign. Prior to joining City, Marmoush had accrued 20 goals from just 26 appearances for Frankfurt alongside 14 assists.

A fluent English speaker, Marmoush said he was hugely excited at the prospect of linking up with Pep Guardiola’s reigning Premier League champions.

“This is a day I will never forget. To sign for Manchester City – one of the best teams in the world – is an amazing feeling. I am delighted, my family are so proud, and we are all very happy to be here in Manchester,” Marmoush said in a statement.

“With Pep, his technical staff and the world-class facilities here, players have everything they need to improve. That was really enticing for me when I had the chance to come here.

“And I cannot deny I also want to win trophies. City have been the most successful club in England for many, many years, so I know I am joining a winning environment and winning culture. I want to learn from the staff and my teammates, and I want to become a valued member of this winning team.

“I really am looking forward to getting going, meeting the other players and showing the Manchester City fans what I can do.”

Director of Football Txiki Begiristain expressed his own delight at Marmoush’s arrival at the Etihad.

“Omar is an accomplished and exciting forward, and I’m delighted he’s joining us. He’s had an outstanding season, and every time we have watched him, he has influenced matches,” he said.

“He has all the attributes a top-class attacker requires. He has outstanding pace and awareness, and he is exceptional in front of goal. He can also play a number of different positions, which is a really valuable asset.

“I also have no doubt that working with Pep and the technical staff here at City will see him further develop his superb attacking talent.”

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim only joined the club in November, but is seemingly already running out of patience with the performances and the players at his disposal. In a move that is typically out of character for Amorim, the Portuguese reportedly damaged the giant screen television inside Manchester United’s dressing room, in a fit of fury following his side’s 1-3 loss at home against Brighton and Hove Albion. The result was United’s seventh loss in 15 games under Amorim, leaving them 13th in the Premier League table.

Following the defeat, Amorim had labelled the current United squad as the “worst in the history of the club”, and seemingly did not spare his players.

As per a report by British media outlet The Athletic, Amorim did not hold back his emotions after the loss, angrily letting his displeasure be known to the Manchester United players following his defeat.

In this process, the Portuguese manager reportedly damaged the giant screen television inside the United dressing room usually used to go through tactics before games. The screen will reportedly require fixing before United’s next game, against Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Amorim is reportedly a rather calm person, win or lose, and prefers to save his analysis of the match for the day after the game. Therefore, his rage after the 1-3 loss against Brighton came across as rather uncharacteristic.

The report also states that Amorim has previously said he is trying to shock his players and others at the club through his words, but results continue to be majorly disappointing.

Manchester United’s current squad have largely struggled to adapt to Amorim’s innovative 3-4-3 formation, with a 2-1 comeback win against Manchester City and a spirited 2-2 draw against league leaders Liverpool the only noteworthy positives.

However, the 39-year-old Amorim seemingly has the backing of club co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, with United looking for wing-back options in the January transfer window.

United stars Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have not played an integral part under Amorim, and are also apparently on the way out.

Manchester United slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton as Old Trafford remembered the legendary Denis Law on Sunday, while Tottenham’s troubles also persist after they lost 3-2 at Everton. Nottingham Forest maintained an unlikely title challenge with a 3-2 victory over Southampton to take Nuno Espirito Santo’s men level with second-placed Arsenal and within six points of Liverpool. United, by contrast, are 24 points adrift of the leaders and focused on mere survival after Brighton stormed Old Trafford for the third consecutive season.

Ruben Amorim‘s men looked to have turned a corner after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Liverpool was followed by knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup earlier this month.

But after Amad Diallo’s late hat-trick papered over the cracks in a 3-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton in midweek, Brighton exposed the glaring holes in the foundations of Amorim‘s United project.

Kaoru Mitoma squared for Yankuba Minteh to open the scoring inside five minutes.

Bruno Fernandes’ penalty levelled for United before the break.

Mitoma restored Brighton’s lead on the hour mark before Andre Onana dropped a cross into the path of Georginio Rutter to rifle in a third.

Victory lifts Brighton up to ninth and within four points of the top four.

United remain 13th but enjoy a 10-point cushion over the bottom three.

“We can’t be comfortable in thinking that this is ok, because it is not,” said Fernandes.

“I’m not here to lose games and be in the position we are in at the moment.”

Before kick-off, tributes were paid to one of the club’s greats in Law, who passed away on Friday aged 84.

The only Scot ever to win the Ballon d’Or, Law is the third top scorer in United’s history, with 237 goals in 404 appearances.

A piper played Scottish national anthem “Flower of Scotland” as the teams walked out, with United legends Alex Ferguson, Brian Kidd, Paddy Crerand and Alex Stepney on the pitch as a eulogy was read out over the tannoy.

Spurs winless in six

Tottenham are now winless in six league games after Everton boosted their survival chances with the first victory of David Moyes’ second spell in charge.

The goal-shy Toffees had failed to score in nine of their previous 11 league games but struck three times before the break.

Dominic Calvert Lewin’s first goal since September opened the scoring before a brilliant individual run and finish from Iliman Ndiaye.

Archie Gray’s own goal compounded Tottenham’s misery.

Late goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison reduced Spurs’ deficit but could not avoid a 12th defeat in 22 games.

“It is a challenging situation for sure, when you are losing players the amount we are at the moment,” said under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, who was without 10 first-team regulars.

“It’s up to me to get us out of it and I’ve got to be good enough to do that.”

Everton pull four points clear of the bottom three and within four points of 15th-placed Tottenham.

Forest were also rampant in the first 45 minutes to cut the gap at the top and consolidate their lead in the race for a place in the Champions League next season.

Elliot Anderson, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Chris Wood netted before the break.

Southampton salvaged some pride in the second period through Jan Bednarek and Paul Onuachu but they remain on course for an immediate return to the Championship, 10 points adrift of safety.

Manchester City have slipped to eighth after results on Saturday but the defending champions could move level with Newcastle in fourth should they win later at Ipswich.

With the 2024-25 Premier League season having crossed the halfway mark and the January transfer window having opened, teams will scramble over the course of the next month to try and apply the finishing touches to their squad in hopes of flying through the upcoming congested fixture schedule.

Is the title race already sealed?

With Manchester City going through what has been their worst season under Pep Guardiola, the league is in unprecedented territory. In recent years the Mancunian side has been within touching distance of the league leaders, if not at the top themselves, but with their injury crisis, the four-time defending champions are 14 points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Heading into the season, Liverpool were expected to enter into the transition period under new head coach Arne Slot, but the Dutch coach has so far passed his trial through fire, having lost only one of their first 18 games so far. It’s important to point out that Liverpool have been the luckiest of the title contenders when it comes to injuries. The two vital cogs of the side in Mohamed Salah and club captain Virgil Van Dijk have made it through unscathed when compared to Arsenal, who were without Martin Odegaard for a long period and Bukayo Saka, who has recently suffered a torn hamstring, and Manchester City, whose midfield was left tattered with injuries to Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne.

With Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remaining adamant that his side is not in the title race, and having dropped points in their last three league outings, the Italian head coach’s comments may be springing to life. Realistically speaking, that leaves the Gunners as the only side who can potentially chase down the Reds.

Does Arsenal have the potential to end their title drought?

The Gunners, who fell agonisingly short by one point last season, have been title contenders for the third straight year now. They have a mammoth task ahead of them as they sit in third place, having played one game less than second-placed Nottingham Forest, nine points behind Liverpool. The Gunners struggled seriously without Odegaard’s creativity and scraped through during his absence with their relentless set-piece routines. Out of the eight games that the Gunners have dropped points in, four came during Odegaard’s absence.

There is no doubt that a fully fit Arsenal side is one of the best in the league, which was evident during their 5-1 routing against Crystal Palace, and a player of Odegaard’s profile is hard to replace, but the question remains: Will Mikel Arteta be able to adapt his side to play without their most lethal attacking outlet?

Saka has so far provided 15 g/a in 16 games this season and was leading the league in assists before his injury. Although the Gunners still possess one of the best defenses in the league.

Will Gabriel Martinelli or someone like Gabriel Jesus be able to fill the void, or will Arteta be looking to bring in reinforcements during the upcoming window?

Manchester United’s relegation battle: A cause of INEOS’ making?

Let’s backtrack to the 2023-24 season when Manchester United’s majority stakeholders in INEOS were chasing the appointment of Dan Ashworth for the club’s sporting director, and despite Newcastle United’s resistance, succeeded in bringing him to Old Trafford. The Red Devils, who finished the 2023-24 season in eighth place, were on the brink of sacking Erik Ten Hag over the summer, but the side defeated Manchester City in the FA Cup final, and according to reports, it was Ashworth who backed the Dutch head coach and extended his contract.

Fast forward to now, when both Ten Hag and Ashworth are unemployed and new head coach Ruben Amorim seems to be a fish out of water. The number of issues that need to be addressed in the club seems to be rising day by day.

Amorim, who went 34 games unbeaten with his previous side Sporting CP, now has five defeats in his first eight league matches, as his side sits in 14th place. The head coach agreed his club is in the relegation battle, which may be a tad bit drastic given the difference in competition with the teams that are at the bottom of the table, but Amorim’s statements were not meant to be taken literally. What it implies is that given the state of things at Carrington, the club’s status, fan base and value is decreasing day by day.

It is likely that they enter the transfer window to try and bring in reinforcements, particularly in the wingback position, but will have to navigate the thin line between bringing in players who will help the club in a long-term capacity and the PSR regulations.

What happens to Van Dijk, Salah and Trent Alexander Arnold?

Liverpool’s inability to tie down Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Van Dijk may prove to be costly for the side as they have now entered the dangerous January period. With the club’s three biggest stars now in the final six months of their contracts, foreign clubs are now permitted to approach the players in hopes of signing a pre-contract that would see them leave the club at the end of the season.

Out of the three, Alexander-Arnold is perhaps the most likely to leave. A report by The Athletic on Tuesday claimed Real Madrid have already offered the player a four-and-a-half-year contract with a huge signing bonus and also that Trent is quite close to accepting the agreement.

However, the player remains adamant that no discussions have taken place and he is not close to making a decision on where his future lies.

Club captain Van Dijk is expected to sign a new contract with the club, already having begun talks with the Dutch defender. Unlike Salah, Van Dijk has also remained hopeful in the public, stating he wants to stay at the club.

Salah, on the other hand, obviously wants to stay at Anfield and is believed to already be the highest-paid player at the club with a salary reported to be around 300,000 pounds. Liverpool as a club have never been one to overpay a player, with fears of disrupting their books.

However, with the Egyptian currently leading the league in goals and assists, may be worth the big bucks. He recently revealed that even though discussions have begun, the two parties are not close to an agreement.

File image of Matheus Cunha.© X (Twitter)

Joshua Zirzkee (left) was substituted in the first half.© AFP

Struggling Manchester City beat Leicester 2-0 on Sunday to notch just their second win in 14 games as Nottingham Forest climbed to second in the Premier League table. Ange Postecoglou suffered the intense frustration of watching his Tottenham side concede a late goal to draw 2-2 with rejuvenated Wolves. Defending champions City travelled to the King Power drained of confidence after just one win in all competitions since late October.

Their frailties over the past two months, which resulted in nine defeats in their previous 13 games, were on display again.

But Savinho’s first-half goal and an Erling Haaland header after the break earned a much-needed three points.

Leicester provided a stern test and might feel they could have got something out of the match as Facundo Buonanotte hit the post and Jamie Vardy missed a key chance at 1-0 down.

City’s bid for a fifth straight title looks to be over as they are 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have played two games fewer.

But the result lifts them to fifth in the table and within striking distance of the top four.

Savinho opened the scoring midway through the first half with his first goal for City while Haaland secured the win in the 74th minute — sparking wild celebrations among the City players.

“We needed it, all of us,” City boss Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports. “It was not the ideal performance but hopefully the victories will give our mood a better position.

“It’s important to win, it was tight, second half. We didn’t have enough energy to sustain 90 minutes but hopefully in the New Year we can bounce back a bit from a bad moment.”

Leicester remain rooted in the bottom three after losing their past four games under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Forest riding high

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest beat Everton to win their fifth straight Premier League match, leapfrogging Chelsea and Arsenal.

Chris Wood chipped over Jordan Pickford for the opening goal in the 15th minute after being set up by Anthony Elanga.

Wood turned provider for Forest’s second, which came just after the hour mark when Morgan Gibbs-White lashed home to make it 2-0.

They are five points behind Liverpool, who have played two games fewer.

Wood said Forest were not obsessed with their position in the league table but he admitted qualifying for European football would be a “dream”.

“For the club and the fans it’s the dream. It’s the Premier League and it’s the toughest league in the world,” he told the BBC.

Spurs were on course for just their second Premier League win since late November against Wolves.

Hwang Hee-chan scored an early opener for the visitors but were ahead for just five minutes before Rodrigo Bentancur headed an equaliser.

Brennan Johnson powered Spurs into the lead in the dying minutes of the first half to put his side on track for all three points.

But Jorgen Strand Larssen produced a brilliant finish from the angle to earn Wolves a share of the points.

New Wolves manager Vitor Pereira remains unbeaten, with two wins and a draw in his first three matches in charge at Molineaux, taking the club out of the relegation zone.

Crystal Palace won just their second home league game of the season, seeing off bottom club Southampton 2-1, thanks to goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Eberechi Eze.

Dango Ouattara scored an 89th-minute leveller as Bournemouth drew 2-2 at Fulham.

Liverpool travel to West Ham for the late kick-off while Chelsea are not in action until Monday, with Arsenal travelling to Brentford on Wednesday.