Burnley 1-1 Man Utd
- Rodriguez 47′ | Pogba 18′
By Pete Hall at Turf Moor — When Ralf Rangnick came in, the interim Manchester United boss was keen to instill some order in the side, shoring up a porous and chaotic backline.
It has been mission complete in that sense, with United having a much more resolute look to them two months into the German tactician’s reign. Another more serious problem, however, has reared its ugly head.
For a club that pride themselves on exhilarating football – and despite possessing a myriad of goalscoring talent other managers can only dream of – the goals have dried up. More worrying, a wave of wastefulness has swept over the team trying, in vain, to regain their identity.
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On Friday against Middlesbrough, penalties and open goals were missed as United somehow contrived to be knocked out of the FA Cup. Four days later, little had changed.
United flew out of the traps, with the mobility of their front three of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani, in the absence of the benched Cristiano Ronaldo, causing all kinds of problems.
The visitors thought they had taken the lead in the 12th minute, when, for the first time this season, the net bulged from a United free-kick, Raphaël Varane heading home.
VAR, however, had other ideas, asking referee Mike Dean to have another look. Needless to say, Dean milked the moment in the spotlight, legs spread like an opera tenor and hands behind his back as he reviewed the decision on the pitchside monitor before ruling it out, for offside against Harry Maguire. Rangnick, for the second time in as many games, was incredulous on the touchline.
Turf Moor is not the fortress it once was, with the hosts tasting victory just once in 18 league games prior to United’s visit, and sure enough, their backline parted like the Red Sea as Paul Pogba hammered home the opener in the 18th minute – his first league goal since January 2021 on his first start since mid-October.
Just as on Friday night, United should have been out of sight by half time, and but for some papal infallibility from Nick Pope in the home goal, they could have been, with the pick of several first- half saves a stunner to deny Cavani from close range.
But again, just like Friday, United’s inability to take their chances cost them dear as, with Burnley’s first effort at goal in the match, Jay Rodriguez raced clear before clipping an equaliser into the net two minutes into the second half.
The tide had completely turned, with new signing Wout Weghorst almost inciting pandemonium in the stands – his volley brilliantly saved by David de Gea, who must have been wondering what on earth what was going on.
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With all this attacking talent at his disposal, Rangnick certainly would not have thought goals would be an issue. How wrong he was.
Newcastle 3-1 Everton
- Holgate 37′ og, Fraser 56, Trippier 80′ | Lascelles 36′ og
By Jason Mellor at St James’ Park — Frank Lampard had probably envisaged Dele Alli coming off the bench to help turn the game, but not like this.
As the exuberant St James’ Park faithful spilled out on to the streets to savour back-to-back wins for the first time since May, Everton, metaphorically and literally battered and bruised, were left to reflect on a damaging night that dragged them further into the fight for Premier League survival.
There are certain to be dozens more plot twists but this was a crucial staging post for Newcastle.
Eddie Howe left the centrepiece of his January transfer work, £41m Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, on the bench until stoppage time, and perhaps Lampard wished he had done the same with Alli.
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Jamaal Lascelles and Mason Holgate traded own goals in the space of 90 seconds with half-time on the horizon as an already lively contest finally delivered goals at both ends. The hosts were fortunate not to be a man down by that stage after Jonjo Shelvey escaped with a caution for a shocking over-the-top challenge on Anthony Gordon.
Retribution arrived from the ensuing free-kick. The Newcastle skipper looked sheepish as he inadvertently opened the scoring when Holgate’s close-range shot was cleared off the line, only to ricochet back into the net off the hapless defender.
Atonement was swift as, from a corner, Lascelles powered a header against the bar which bounced back and in off Holgate in a bizarre role reversal. The visitors clearly missed the physical presence of Yerry Mina at Kieran Trippier’s set piece.
Everton’s centre-back registered on the Richter Scale when he fell to earth requiring treatment to a hamstring injury which curtailed his evening early and Lampard also had to send on Alli for Demarai Gray before the interval.
Freed from Mina’s shackles, Chris Wood should have given Newcastle the lead when the unmarked forward produced a tame header after the ball fell invitingly for him from Fraser’s deflected shot, Everton again found wanting defensively at a corner.
So, too, should Joelinton, only for the blundering Brazilian to fall over his own feet as he made to slot home an inviting cut-back from Allan Saint-Maximin. It was a moment of comedy gold, but for Newcastle’s predicament being so perilous.
Fraser ensured it was swiftly forgotten when he gave his side the lead 11 minutes into the second half. After Alli was complicit in Everton surrendering possession, Saint-Maximin defied the laws of physics to stand up a perfect ball to the far post where Fraser found the net despite a plethora of defenders guarding the line.
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Donny van de Beek joined the fray but the visitors were a waning force once Fraser struck. With 10 minutes left, Trippier curled a nerve-soothing third over the wall and into the bottom corner from 25 yards – a free-kick Jordan Pickford really ought to have saved. Jacob Murphy struck a post late on, but by that stage, it didn’t really matter.
West Ham 1-0 Watford
- Bowen 68′
By Ian Winrow at London Stadium — Jarrod Bowen again made the difference for West Ham United with the forward’s sixth goal in six games proving enough to get his side’s top four challenge back on track and add to the problems confronting Watford manager Roy Hodgson.
Bowen’s late winner spared the Hammers’s blushes in Saturday’s FA Cup tie at sixth-tier Kidderminster Harriers. This time it was a deflected effort midway through the second half that secured the points after back-to-back league defeats last month.
It was a hard won win but David Moyes – who included Kurt Zouma despite widespread condemnation of the defender after a video appeared on social media showing the defender kicking and hitting a cat – had every reason to be satisfied as his side stuck to their task against a Watford outfit fighting for their top-flight lives.
Hodgson, taking charge of his second Hornets game since succeeding Claudio Ranieri, admits time is his biggest enemy as he attempts to keep the club up. They have collected just two points from their last ten games and with 16 games remaining, things must turn around quickly.
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Zouma’s every touch was booed by visiting fans and they got plenty of opportunities for a period in the first half with Watford on the front foot.
Kamara made a positive run on the overlap to open up the right of the West Ham defence before delivering a cross towards the far post where Juraj Kucka should have done much better than direct his header wide.
West Ham appeared hesitant and disjointed. although remained a threat at set-pieces and might have gone ahead had Tomas Soucek managed to direct his header on target.
And there were more positive signs for Moyes’s side when Bowen collected on the right and found Saïd Benrahma who struck the post after having a shot saved by Ben Foster.
Those opportunities gave Moyes’s side cause for optimism but the West Ham coach was the unhappier of the managers at the break.
Watford continued to look organised and Emmanuel Dennis, restored to the line-up after suspension, offered an outlet on the break.
Moyes introduced Manuel Lanzini to inject more creativity and the Argentine played his part in the goal.
Lanzini carried the ball forward from inside his own half before playing the ball forward to Bowen in space in front of the retreating Watford defence.
The in-form forward turned and struck a low shot from 25 yards out and the ball found its way past Foster with the help of a big deflection off Samir.
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Bowen came close to wrapping things up and ensuring West Ham avoided a nervy ending when his shot was tipped on to the post by Foster.
The 25-year-old, tipped for England recognition next month, had restored the hosts to winning ways and left Watford with a lot of work to do.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/0674pfr
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