It wasn’t way back that Manchester United was being talked up, considerably optimistically, as a possible outsider for the Premier League title.
Now, even a top-four end is wanting removed from assured for a membership up on the market and searching for Champions League qualification as one other attraction for potential consumers.
United’s 2-0 loss at Newcastle on Sunday additional intensified the race for the 2 seemingly spots behind Arsenal and Manchester City, the Premier League’s runaway prime two, in Europe’s prime competitors subsequent season.
Second-half objectives by Joe Willock and Callum Wilson gave Newcastle partial revenge for its loss to United within the English League Cup last on Feb. 26 and lifted the Saudi-controlled northeast crew into third place, above United on objective distinction. Tottenham is a degree behind each groups in fifth place forward of its sport at Everton on Monday.
For United, it is only one level — a 0-0 residence draw with struggling Southampton — from a potential 9 in its final three league video games. That’s a worrying drop in type amid a busy fixture schedule for Erik ten Hag’s crew, which can be nonetheless concerned within the FA Cup and Europa League.
Also hurting United is the present absence of Casemiro in league play due to the Brazil worldwide’s four-match suspension within the competitors. The crew’s midfield was overwhelmed at St. James’ Park as Newcastle laid siege on David de Gea’s objective, which was solely breached after halftime.
Willock nodded in from point-blank vary to make it 1-0 within the sixty fifth minute after Allan Saint-Maximin headed again throughout objective, earlier than Wilson — simply on instead — headed in Kieran Trippier’s free kick within the 88th.
It was a 3rd straight league win for Newcastle, which appears over a blip firstly of the 12 months the place the crew claimed simply three factors in a five-game spell.
MOYES RELIEF
On a day when Leicester supervisor Brendan Rodgers misplaced his job, the stress was eased on West Ham’s David Moyes due to a 1-0 win over Southampton in a tense sport between the groups which began Sunday as the underside two.
Nayef Aguerd’s Twenty fifth-minute header was sufficient to carry West Ham from nineteenth to 14th and depart last-place Southampton three factors adrift of security in one of many tightest relegation battles in years.
“Look, I’m in a results business, I have to get results,” Moyes said. “There’s no protection to stop me losing my job.”
West Ham remains to be just one level above the relegation zone.
Southampton hasn’t been out of the Premier League since 2011-12.
Source web site: www.hindustantimes.com
