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    Gabriel Jesus set for months out after suffering suspected ACL injury as Arsenal target loan transfer as cover

    ARSENAL have been dealt a major injury blow with Gabriel Jesus out for months with a suspected ACL tear.The Brazilian striker had only recently returned to Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.Gabriel Jesus has suffered a suspected ACL injuryCredit: PAThe Arsenal star went down during his side’s FA Cup defeat to Man UtdCredit: GettyJesus was stretchered off and will now be out for monthsCredit: AFPJesus, 27, netted three goals in Arsenal’s previous four games before starting the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.But his FA Cup adventure was cut short following a collision with Bruno Fernandes.Jesus collapsed in a heap before writhing on the ground in pain.He then received lengthy treatment from medics before being stretchered off the field.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd the Athletic claims Jesus is now facing a long time on the sidelines after suffering an injury to his ACL.Further specialist reviews are scheduled for Tuesday to establish the full extent of the damage.But the striker is now all-but guaranteed to miss the remainder of the season.Arteta admitted: “We know more now. Not looking good at all.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS”We need one more specialist and we will have more information this afternoon. I don’t want to confirm anything until the final report. It is the doctor’s job.”We were very worried at the time and we are very worried today.”Arteta not sure about trophy hopes after ‘incredible’ Arsenal loss With Jesus set for an extended period away from the pitch, Arsenal could be forced to dip into the January transfer market.The Gunners could explore a potential loan deal for a striker, but they will not be able to sign anyone from the Premier League due to their two allocated slots being taken up by Raheem Sterling and Neto.Instead, they will have to look abroad.Arteta and Co may reignite their interest in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic before the window closes.Arsenal pushed to sign him three years ago but lost out to Juve just before the January deadline.However, the Serie A giants could be open to letting him go this month.They reportedly offered him to Manchester United as part of a swap deal for Joshua Zirkzee last week.READ MORE SUN STORIESDiscussing the possibility of signing another forward this month, Arteta added: “We are actively looking in the market, the same since day one. We would be naïve not to do that.”We are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.”Arsenal ratings vs Man Utd as Martinelli looks lively but wasteful Havertz costs Gunners another trophy chanceKAI HAVERTZ missed two sitters and a penalty in the shoot-out as Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup.The Gunners huffed and puffed but failed to find a winner, even after extra-time, against Manchester United’s 10 men.And it all went wrong in the penalty shootout as Altay Bayindir saved Havertz’s effort.Here is how SunSport’s Kealan Hughes rated the Arsenal stars…DAVID RAYA – 6Could do nothing about United’s goal and produced a stellar stop to deny Zirkzee in extra-time.JURRIEN TIMBER – 7Very effective on the overlap and worked well being fed by Odegaard.Tested a couple of times by Alejandro Garnacho who proved a problem on the counter-attack.WILLIAM SALIBA – 7Dealt with Hojlund well although the striker did not pose much of a threat.GABRIEL – 6Terrible error to lose possession to Alejandro Garnacho who was put through on goal and set up Bruno Fernandes to score.Made amends with a brilliant finish Bukayo Saka would have been proud of.MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY – 5A quiet game at left-back, probably should have got forward more particularly after United went down to ten men and had Garnacho filling in at right-back.JORGINHO – 5Kept things ticking over in the middle and was always an outlet for his team-mates.MIKEL MERINO – 4Anonymous in the middle. Difficult to see what he brings to this Arsenal side.Missed a good chance to put his side ahead moments after the equaliser and was taken off shortly after that.MARTIN ODEGAARD – 7A pleasure to watch. Made everything happen, his ability to turn on the ball in the middle of the park created opportunities time after time.But he missed the chance to win the game from the penalty spot.GABRIEL JESUS – 6Lovely pass to break the lines and put through Martinelli, who found the back of the net but was offside.Fell awkwardly when defending a cross in the first half and was carried off on a stretcher.GABRIEL MARTINELLI – 7Was the main attacking threat in the first half with his direct style causing the visitors all sorts of problems.Produced good movement and a finish to match but his goal was disallowed for offside.KAI HAVERTZ – 3Won the penalty after a deft touch past Maguire.But he missed two sitters including one just three minutes from time to win the match, and his penalty miss proved decisive in the shoot-out.SUBSTITUTESRaheem Sterling (for Jesus, 40mins) – 6Looked sharp when he got the ball and did well in the build-up to Havertz winning the penalty.Declan Rice (for Merino, 73mins) – 6Almost scored with what might have been his first touch but his header was brilliantly saved.Should have grabbed the winner in the dying moments but his low effort was again superbly matched by Bayindir.Leandro Trossard (for Lewis-Skelly, extra-time) – 5Will wonder how he didn’t score after Matthijs de Ligt produced a goalline clearance to deny him.Blazed over with an effort from just outside the box.Thomas Partey (for Timber, 101mins) – 5Put in a few good crosses. Came close to a winner with an effort that was deflected narrowly over the bar.Kieran Tierney (for Jorginho, 113mins) -His arrival onto the pitch was greeted with a big cheer but he did not have much time to impact the match. More

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    David Moyes reveals he nearly returned to Everton FOUR TIMES after leaving for Man Utd as he replaces axed Sean Dyche

    THE Moyesiah was back at Finch Farm — and admits he does not have much time to deliver a miracle.Certainly less than in his first stint. In charge of Everton for 11 years before joining Manchester United in 2013, David Moyes was all smiles as he completed his stunning return to Merseyside.David Moyes admits he nearly returned to Everton FOUR times after leaving Man UtdCredit: PAThe Scot previously spent 11 years managing the ToffeesCredit: PAThe Scotsman revealed he had come close to a Goodison return on numerous occasions before the stars finally aligned.With Everton 16th in the Premier League, one point off the relegation zone, the 61-year-old is out to steady the ship. He wants to ensure the club move to their gleaming new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock as a top-flight club. And maybe, just maybe, he could get Everton back into Europe.As he entered the room, Moyes said: “I see plenty of old faces, mine included,” before posing with the Everton shirt, something which would have seemed impossible a few weeks ago  before Sean Dyche was sacked.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLMoyes, whose second spell at West Ham ended in the summer, said: “I’ve had other opportunities to consider other jobs. Quite a few since I’ve left West Ham. I didn’t feel ready for it, anyway.“But this was too big an opportunity to turn down. I want to try to show I can do it again. I’ve come very close to coming back on three or four occasions.“I’ve had talks at different times in my career to come back and for different reasons it’s not quite happened.“That’s football. It used to be going back didn’t sound good but I returned to West Ham and we won a European trophy.Most read in Football“I hadn’t been back at Finch Farm since the day I left. My first day as  manager, I went into a dressing room with David Ginola, Paul Gascoigne,  Duncan Ferguson and Thomas Gravesen.“With me being a really young coach, I was saying, ‘My goodness, they won’t even know who I am’. I walk back in a  different stage of my career. People know me a bit more, the players will know me.Stefan Borson reveals why Everton’s new owner is the best option the club could have hoped for “I know a lot of the players and some of them who I’ve probably tried to sign. I hope that we can get together and work well and make something happen.”Moyes says this opportunity is a shock, following Dyche’s exit. Now he must prepare for tomorrow’s visit of Aston Villa.He said: “Sean was doing a really good job. I didn’t see any changes materialising at the time. I wasn’t necessarily out there looking to go back but, as everybody knows, this is a different beast to me.“There’s a lot of people in this room who have probably seen the last few years at Everton. It’s been a difficult time and I admire a lot of them for steering it through a difficult period.”And Moyes, thanks to the club’s new owners, will be given a few quid to spend in the January transfer window.He said: “The damage has been done through a long period of time but we’ve had a great time here and I’d love to be part of making it better, if possible.  “At the end of it there’s a stadium. The stadium looks the business, looks elite. So we need to start getting some elite players.”In his first spell, Moyes almost steered Everton into the Champions League — until a controversial decision from ref Pierluigi Collina in a play-off at Villarreal in 2005 cost them.Moyes said: “Last time, we got away from relegation trouble and went on to a sixth, seventh and ninth finish in three or four years in the Premier League.READ MORE SUN STORIES“At Everton, I remember feeling like a team who were challenging against the top teams trying to be in Europe. I did it quite quickly at West Ham.“My idea is to try and do everything as quickly as I can here because I am not going to be here for 11 years like I was before.” More

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    THREE Premier League clubs fearing points deductions with charges set to be handed out on PSR D-Day

    PREM club chiefs could face points deductions – when League bosses lay formal charges for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules last season.All the clubs who had posted aggregate losses over the previous two seasons had a hard deadline for their 2023-24 accounts on December 31.Prem club chiefs could face points deductions for breaching Profitability and Sustainability RulesUnder rules voted in by the clubs in 2023, charges must be then laid by League bosses within 14 days, with the cases dealt with and any punishments imposed before the end of this campaign.Clubs are limited to “allowable losses” – once spending on infrastructure, the youth and women’s teams and community projects is taken off – of a maximum £105m over three seasons, with the limit £22m less for any seasons spent outside the Prem.Last term, Nottingham Forest were deducted four points for busting their £61m loss limit by £34m. The City Ground club admitted in March that they were on course for PSR losses of between £12m and £17m. READ MORE IN football That is despite finally being able to include the £47m sale of Brennan Johnson to Spurs in their calculations.But the previous losses meant they entered the season already £9m OVER their 2023-24 loss limit of £83m.Meanwhile, Everton – who had already been hit with a six point penalty for breaches the previous season – lost two more for posting losses of £16.5m.The Toffees, now under new ownership, were looking at a loss of around £90m for the previous two campaigns and were once again sailing close to the PSR wind.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThose sales were part of an end of season transfer merry-go-round which also saw Everton pay £9m for Villa’s Tim Iroegbunam, Chelsea sell Ian Maatsen to Unai Emery’s men for £37.5m and buy youngster Omari Kellyman for £19m.Those deals led to Prem chiefs warning clubs that they must not use loopholes in the rulebook to avoid PSR penalties and that they are duty bound to act “with utmost good faith” towards the competition and rivals.Ange Postecoglou praises hosts Tamworth after hard-fought FA Cup win There were arguments that charging each other potentially inflated fees – with incoming transfers “amortised” over contract lengths while sales can be lodged at full book value – to get round PSR provisions was a breach of that undertaking.Leicester, who successfully argued they were not under Prem jurisdiction because they had been relegated to the Championship last season, are thought to be most at threat after cumulative losses of £124m for the final three seasons before they were relegated.But it is understood that two other clubs may be close to the cut line and could find their figures queried by Prem legal chiefs, opening them up to charges that could have major repercussions. More

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    How Tottenham can kill off Arsenal’s title hopes with Ange Postecoglou’s ‘wheels of chaos’ tactic

    ARSENAL face a make-or-break North London derby as they look to shrug off back-to-back cup defeats.Mikel Arteta’s side drew against Brighton before falling to a Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle.Ange Postecoglou’s wheels of chaos could kill off Arsenal title hopesCredit: GettyBut Mikel Arteta will need to be brave if he is to earn a huge win against SpursCredit: GettyThey then exited the FA Cup after a penalty shoot-out loss to Manchester United.Yet all is not lost, because the Gunners have the chance to regroup and refocus their attention on the Premier League title battle, currently six points behind Liverpool.However, their next match could be a season-defining game for them as they host bitter rivals Tottenham on Wednesday.Ange Postecoglou’s side have been in sticky form of late, beating Liverpool in the Carabao Cup before needing extra time to triumph over National League side Tamworth.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSunSport’s Will Pugh and tactical guru Dean Scoggins have highlighted five areas how Spurs could KO Arsenal’s title bid this season.Organised chaosThere is a perception about Tottenham that they play a very wild style of football, and while this is true to a degree there is more than meets the eye within Postecoglou’s system.The Aussie manager’s uniquely rigid attacking structure incorporates a left-hand set and a right-hand set of players.And in the last few weeks, that system has – believe it or not – been adapting amid a flurry of errors from young and inexperienced players parachuted into the team due to an injury crisis.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThe current treatment room list means the likely centre-back pairing for this game will force Radu Dragusin to be paired alongside Archie Gray, with brand new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in goal.Spurs will look to nullify their mistakes by playing out from the back even more than has been seen previously, with Yves Bissouma dropping into the space between them as they split to receive the ball.Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou channels his inner Gladiator as he defends his gung-ho tacticsTottenham have been ravaged by injury that has seen Postecoglou tweak his tacticsTypically Spurs build up with just one pivot player, but this has changed to two in recent weeksSpurs normally deploy two wheels of chaos on either side of the pitchIn attack, Tottenham look to operate as a pair of wheels on either side of the pitch but without much crossover to the other flanks.In this system, only the centre-backs, holding midfielder and striker are asked to stick to their main position, often allowing them to dominate possession due to overloads.Unfortunately, this system can make Spurs susceptible to teams setting up against them, as Arsenal did at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season.Underlap, overlap, wandering freeTottenham are a team who often do not look to generate chances through crossing from out wide, but do tend to score a lot with cutbacks.This is often due to Spurs relying heavily on underlaps with the wingers hugging the touchline while the fullbacks – likely to be Pedro Porro and Djed Spence against Arsenal – invert centrally.Spence, a right-footed full-back, has been particularly impressive deputising for Destiny Udogie at left-back in the last few weeks.In a perfectly executed gameplan, this pair of wheels allow for the full-backs to move forward into a dangerous area before being able to find a cutback for a more central team-mate.The three-player units on either side of the field allow for underlapping full-backs to be as deadly as a wingerA quick passage of passing can unleash an underlapping defender into a dangerous areaOne of the main sources of Postecoglou’s frustration this season has often come with Spurs giving the ball away and the wheels literally falling off.But to that end the former Celtic boss has tweaked his tactics. The first change to the system has been to concede some ground and move the team deeper to accommodate for Gray and Dragusin not being as quick as Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.The full-backs are also not going forward as quickly, with Porro in particular showing much more discipline in the last few weeks.The third change has been to use to two pivots to collect the ball and build up instead of one, with Bissouma and one other dropping in to help the ball progress.Sterling effortIt does not take a genius to figure out Bukayo Saka’s absence from the Arsenal team has hit them hard.The Hale End graduate has been a talismanic figure for the Gunners since breaking into the team, and was their spearhead across their last two title challenging campaigns.While most teams may tend to split attacks more evenly across the field, Arsenal often played much more down the right, mainly due to Saka’s excellence and his strong link with Martin Odegaard.Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Jesus had both played in the role before getting injured themselves, which almost certainly means Raheem Sterling is going to be asked to play there against Spurs.The former Liverpool and Manchester City star will be key for Arsenal if they are to get anything from the game.Raheem Sterling will be asked to deputise for Bukayo Saka with Ethan Nwaneri and Gabriel Jesus both injuredSterling will need to emulate the way Saka receives the ball on the touchlineThe winger can step inside with the ball and drag the defenderThis could allow for an overload with a bombing full-back or a pass to Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz or Gabriel MartinelliWhat Arteta will ask the ex-England international to do is pick up the ball on the run, rather than with his back to goal, allowing him to then make a diagonal run into an interior position.Movement like this will allow Sterling to crossover with Kai Havertz in a nightmare rotation for the Spurs defence, offer a lay off to Odegaard, or try and find Gabriel Martinelli as he bombs up the left flank.The presence of Spence up against Sterling will create a unique opportunity for Arsenal to exploit, with Jurrien Timber potentially being allowed to go up the space left on the outside.Sterling, 30, has flattered to deceive since arriving at the Emirates on loan.He had an indifferent game against Man Utd on Sunday, but could have a watershed match against Spurs as he is finally given the chance to prove he can help the misfiring Gunners hit their mark.Art stoppersThere is a perception around Arsenal that they have failed to hit the same heights as they did last season, having struggled to score in open play in many games this campaign.Despite going out of the FA Cup, Arsenal still have the chance to make a Carabao Cup final if they can muster a heroic performance against Newcastle at St James’ Park.They can also close the gap on the top of the league if some results go in their favour, which would serve to turn the current negative narrative of the club around.Arteta has built the bedrock of his team on being defensively sound, and are actually set up in such a way that they have an extra player screening to prevent counter-attacks.Arsenal are build on a rock solid defensive foundationDeclan Rice and Mikel Merino are screening midfielders ideal for stopping counter-attacksBut Arsenal can often look too rigid as a result of this safety first approachAnd unless Arteta unlocks one of them to run beyond the midfield his team could lack a creative sparkDeclan Rice and one of Mikel Merino or Thomas Partey are often the players charged with this duty, but the key to unlocking Spurs may need to come from Arteta taking the shackles off of his team.While Arsenal have a dangerous attack on paper, the lack of movement from midfield – while often proving defensively sound – hurts their chances of open play goals due to there not being enough movement to give opposition defenders cause for concern.Consequently, this has led to their attack becoming stodgy due to it being too rigid.However, to break down Spurs, Arsenal may need to unlock one of these screening players to make runs beyond the defence and give the defence food for thought.King Dom’s comeToothless Tottenham needed to bring on talisman Dominic Solanke to beat Tamworth in the FA Cup.There was a lot of debate over whether he would be a better signing for them than Ivan Toney, but 11 goals and six assists already this season have proven Solanke to be the right deal.But there are still many aspects of his game which do not get the credit they deserve, such as his effort, ability to track, pressing and overall world class team ethic.Solanke is often overlooked for a lot of the off-ball work he makes to open space up for team-mates.These exploits can include his runs forcing a defender to commit to marking him or pinning defenders.Against Arsenal he is likely to target William Saliba rather than Gabriel Magalhaes in the air.Spurs will look to use the England international as a key pivot player up front, using him to play off the two wheels on either side of their attack.Solanke is often able to unlock defences when he has runners such as Brennan Johnson going beyond the defensive line in behind, with this ability being integral to a number of goals through pre-assists.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe 27-year-old will be key for Spurs’ front-footed defence against Arsenal, while his team-mates know if they can use him to his best he will help them create a dangerous chance even if he is not the one to finish it off.And it is thanks to the likes of Solanke, that the last game Arsenal would want at the moment is Tottenham. 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    Pep Guardiola ‘SPLITS from wife after 30 years and three children together’ according to reports in Spain

    PEP GUARDIOLA has SPLIT from his wife of 30 years, according to reports in Spain.Barcelona-based newspaper Sport report that Guardiola and wife Cristina decided to end their relationship in December while both in Spain.Pep Guardiola and Cristina in July 2024Credit: RexThe couple met as teenagersCredit: GettyThe two pictured in 2013 in MunichCredit: Bongarts – GettySport say their relationship is still “cordial, stable and friendly” despite deciding to part ways. The report claims they have been living apart for nearly five years after Cristina moved back to Barcelona to run her fashion company. But she has been moving from Spain to London – still spending time with Manchester City manager Guardiola. City declined to comment when approached over reports of the split. READ MORE IN football Guardiola is believed to have met Cristina in her family’s clothes store called Serra Claret when he was just 18. He was modelling for designer Antonio Miro in Serra’s shop when he first met Cristina. And even as recently as January 2024, the former midfielder revealed Cristina helps pick out his matchday outfits. Serra Claret stock many brands he has worn on the touchline, such as Dsquared2, CP Company and Armani.Most read in FootballHe told Men In Blazers: “My wife is the best in the world at many things, but especially in fashion.”So she says normally to me, don’t wear this or wear that, so I follow her.Pep Guardiola reveals Kyle Walker has asked to LEAVE Man City with England defender set or £400K-A-WEEK Saudi transfer”I am smart enough to know that when people are much much better than me, follow their advices, and hers is really good.”Despite meeting as teens, they waited a long time to get married.They tied the knot in 2014 in an intimate ceremony in Spain – a private service just for close family in Catalonia.And the two have three children, Maria, Marius and Valentina.Eldest daughter Maria, 24, is a model who has over 900,000 followers on Instagram.Son Marius, 22, currently resides in Dubai and runs three companies – one of them dedicated to advertising and marketing. And youngest Valentina, 17, is focused on studies.Cristina supported Guardiola as a player and then manager – his career as a boss starting with Barcelona in 2008.He won three LaLiga titles and two Champions League trophies with Barca before moving to Bayern Munich in 2013. He left Germany in 2016 after three seasons – in each of which he won the Bundesliga.READ MORE SUN STORIESGuardiola joined City in 2016 and has won SIX Premier League titles during his reign – and also a Champions League in 2023 to complete an historic Treble.But this season has seen a dip in form, with with six losses leaving the club in sixth – 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool. Guardiola with Cristina and their three kids in 2018Credit: PA:Press AssociationEldest Maria is a modelCredit: INSTAGRAMGuardiola has won six Premier League titles with CityCredit: Getty More

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    Eagle-eyed Man Utd fans spot Amorim’s tactical masterclass after chat with Bruno Fernandes as star gets new position

    EAGLE-EYED Manchester United fans spotted an amazing tactical switch made by Ruben Amorim involving Bruno Fernandes in the dying minutes of their FA Cup third round clash with Arsenal.United went into extra-time with ten man at the Emirates following Diogo Dalot’s red card in the 61st minute and were desperately holding on to ensure the game went to penalties.Eagle-eyed Manchester United fans have spotted an amazing tactical switch Ruben Amorim made involving Bruno FernandesCredit: RexIn the final moments of extra-time Fernandes moved to playing as a centre-backCredit: GettyLisandro Martinez moved up front after reportedly beginning to cramp up during the second half of extra-timeCredit: GettyFernandes was seen in conversation with Amorim about the changeCredit: @_StrettyEnd/TwitterFernandes then directed his team-mates to change positionsCredit: @_StrettyEnd/TwitterHowever, deep into injury time and having played almost an hour of football a player down, Amorim gave the green light for a desperate tactical switch.Fernandes, who had scored the Red Devils opener, was seen running over to his manager to discuss something.As Fernandes then ran back into the middle of the pitch, Amorim could then be seen waving his finger in both directions before the subject of the chat became clear.Fernandes, 30, was seen filling in at left centre-back role for the final minutes of the game, with Lisandro Martinez bizarrely moving up front as part of a shuffling of the pack.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe Argentine defender was reportedly beginning to cramp up due to the astonishing workload.But the change saw Martinez move up front and seemingly stick close to Gunners star Martin Odegaard to lessen his burden for the final few minutes before the shootout.The bold move paid dividends as the 26-year-old went on to score, while Fernandes himself also scored the first of United’s five successful spot-kicks in the shootout.Reacting to the change on social media, one fan said: “Ruben Amorim tactical mastermind! He reorganises the team deep into extra time! Martinez up front.”Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSA second said: “Martinez playing up front for the last five mins was the funniest thing ever.”A third added: “Martinez playing higher up due to injury.”Arsenal and Man Utd stars in furious brawl as Harry Maguire goes for Kai Havertz as players hit the deck in mad scrambleAnother said: “[Fernandes] Spoke with Amorim then ran back and shuffled the team and made Martinez go up top where he doesn’t have to run a lot.”This happened around last few mins of the game, after running his heart out for 120 minutes and scoring that amazing goal. I love him.”Fernandes has played as an emergency defender for the Red Devils before, famously doing so during United’s 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final win over Liverpool last season.Speaking to Sky Sports following the win over Arsenal, he said: “It’s really easy when you don’t get results, when you don’t get performances to start losing belief in everything you’ve been doing.”That’s a good thing about the team is that we kept belief on what we are doing, how we are training and where we want to go as a team and what we want to improve as a team. “Every time you lose, or something goes wrong everyone has an opinion on what you should do differently.“Obviously, the manager has his own idea, and he really believes in this, so there is no way that he makes you not believe it. “Everything he says to you, everything he tries to pass you, he does it in a way that we really believe in what we are doing. “Even in games where you concede a goal or have a setback, he just wants us to understand that the things we are doing will result if we do them in the right way. That’s the most important thing.”United, who are the holders of the competition, were pitted at home against Leicester for the fourth round that will see Ruud van Nistelrooy return to Old Trafford.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Red Devils icon had a brief interim spell in charge of the team before Amorim took over following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.But first United have a Premier League clash against Southampton to contest with and to try and improve their 13th place standing.Man Utd ratings vs Arsenal as Maguire and Co dig deep to win after Dalot’s moment of madnessMANCHESTER UNITED produced a heroic effort to squeeze past Arsenal and into the FA Cup’s fourth round on penalties.The Red Devils were forced to dig deep at the Emirates following Diogo Dalot’s 61st minute red card.On a freezing cold afternoon in North London, SunSport’s Kealan Hughes rates and slates each United performer…ALTAY BAYINDIR – 8Poor punch up in the air which allowed the ball to fall nicely for Gabriel to finish.Redeemed himself with a brilliant penalty save to keep the score level, before superbly denying Declan Rice twice.NOUSSAIR MAZRAOUI – 7Was assured on and off the ball if unspectacular. Got his body on the line as the Gunners pushed for a winner.MATTHIJS DE LIGT – 8Solid in defence and kept the backline well organised. Produced the best tackle of the match on the goalline to deny Leandro Trossard a certain goal.HARRY MAGUIRE – 8Commanding in the air and made several key blocks but gave away the penalty which Arsenal missed to go in front.Got away with an earlier error as he failed to clear – the ball landed at Kai Havertz’s feet but he somehow skewed wide with his effort.LISANDRO MARTINEZ – 7Had to be on high alert to deal with the movement of Arsenal forwards but it was a task he managed well.DIOGO DALOT – 3Booked for a mistimed lunge on Lewis-Skelly. He followed that up with another silly, late foul on Merino with the ball about to go out of play for his second yellow. Stupid red card.MANUEL UGARTE – 7A firefighter all across the pitch for his side, although spent most of the match in his own half given Arsenal’s dominance.Was booked for one foul too many just before the hour mark and was lucky to escape a red card as he went head-to-head with Havertz after the penalty incident.KOBBIE MAINOO – 6Lively in the middle and kept a close eye on Jorginho. Looked sharp on the ball and showed some clever touches.Should have done better to head clear before Gabriel’s equaliser.ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 7Always an outlet on the counter which was much needed for the Red Devils.Made the most of a Gabriel error to burst in on goal and pass across to Fernandes to score.BRUNO FERNANDES – 7Was booked for throwing a trademark tantrum after claiming he was fouled on the edge of the box when lining up a shot.Showed his class with a brilliant first-time finish which he bent around a defender into the far corner.RASMUS HOJLUND – 3Failed to provide the focal point that United badly needed, which meant almost every pass forward was dealt with by the Arsenal centre-halves. Was fortunate there was no VAR to take a look at his apparent elbow on William Saliba, which left the Arsenal star bloodied.SUBSTITUTESAmad (for Garnacho, 80mins) – 6Lively on the counter too but just lacking a bit of quality – though was outnumbered every time he got the ball.Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 80mins) – 6Some very clever touches when he came on and provided a presence up front at a time United badly needed it.Toby Collyer (for Mainoo, 80mins) – 5Showed plenty of energy but was missing quality in some areas.Tyrell Malacia (for Ugarte, extra-time) – 6Stuck to his task well.Leno Yoro (for Maguire, 104) – 6Did his job well during the closing stages of the match. Converted his penalty in the shoot-out with aplomb. More

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    Borussia Dortmund in chaos and forced to move 140 MILES AWAY after horror bout of flu at training ground

    BORUSSIA DORTMUND have been thrown into chaos by a savage bout of Die Manflu.Last season’s Champions League finalists are being forced to quit their training ground as a result and move into the German FA headquarters in Frankfurt which is 140 miles away.A flu outbreak has wreaked havoc with Borussia Dortmund’s squadCredit: GettyThe Germans have been forced to temporarily leave their training ground as a of a resultCredit: GETTYThey are due to play at Holstein Kiel tonight but the squad has been severely weakened by illness.Dortmund were beaten 3-2 at home on Friday night by Bayer Leverkusen – conceding after only 25 seconds.The players have been banned from shaking hands with only fist bumps allowed to minimise the risk of infection.Dortmund will continue to base themselves at the HQ of Germany – known as Die Mannschaft – until their own training ground gets the all clear.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSManager Nuri Sahin said of the outbreak: “Emre, Ramy, Pascal, Filippo and Alex are the sick ones and their hearts are fine now.”But to be honest, we don’t know yet whether it’ll be enough.”The boys were really ill and they’re on the right track, but we still have to wait and see how they tolerate training.”Karim’s got it too, and he’s a big question mark, Jamie is question mark for the game and with Donny we have to wait and see.”Most read in FootballManager Nuri Sahin has gone to extreme lengths to quell the outbreakCredit: GETTYSahin himself is struggling, saying: “Maybe you can tell by my voice it broke us all a bit.”We’re very careful in our interaction but somehow this virus got in and now we have to endure it.”Watch the moment Dortmund and Celtic fans BOTH sing You’ll Never Walk AloneDespite his side being ravaged by illness, Sahin insists his troops won’t go down without a fight.He said: “We still want to achieve our goals.”Of course, it’s a bit harder but we play in Kiel tomorrow to get the three points.”No matter what the personnel situation is, we will play 11 against 11 tomorrow, and as Borussia Dortmund we want to win the game.” More

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    Man City given special dispensation to make major change to badge for FA Cup clash vs Salford

    MANCHESTER CITY were given special permission to make a major change to their FA Cup sponsor badge for the third-round clash against Salford.Pep Guardiola’s side romped to an 8-0 win over the League Two outfit with James McAtee scoring a second-half hat-trick.Manchester City were given special permission to not wearing the ‘Emirates’ sponsor name on their sleeveCredit: RexMeanwhile, Salford did wear the ‘Emirates’ name on the FA Cup badgeCredit: RexPrevious seasons have seen Man City not wear the sleeve badge at all, like during last years finalCredit: RexBut Manchester United did wear the full sponsor on their sleeveCredit: RexThey have been allowed to not wear the badge since the 2015/16 seasonCredit: PA:Press AssociationHowever, eagle-eyed fans might have noticed a subtle difference between City’s and Salford’s kits on the right sleeve where the FA Cup sponsor badge is located.City were allowed to wear a badge which simply said “FA Cup” and showed a icon trophy icon, while the Salford badge said “Emirates FA Cup” with the trophy icon.The reason for this is because City have been handed special dispensation to not wear the Emirates name on their sleeve.City’s main sponsor is Abu Dhabi backed airline Etihad Airways, a direct competitor of competition sponsor Emirates who are based in Dubai, a neighbouring City in the UAE.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFA Cup commercial rules allow for certain dispensations for clubs such as City to not wear the badge on their sleeves due to the direct rivalry and consequent conflict of interest.The club did not wear any sleeve badge at all for last years final defeat against Manchester United, while the Red Devils did.Going back as far as the 2015/16 season, City have been granted permission to not wear the badge on their matchday kit.Emirates became the sponsor of football’s old competition back in 2015.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThis deal has twice been extended, with the latest extension being signed in August 2024 to run until 2028.The current deal is reported to be worth around £10million a season.Pep Guardiola reveals Kyle Walker has asked to LEAVE Man City with England defender set or £400K-A-WEEK Saudi transferAfter dispatching the Class of 92 owned club, City were drawn away against one of Leyton Orient or Derby for the fourth round.The fixture will be played out on the weekend commencing February 8, while the opponent will be decided when the teams play each other on Tuesday evening.Man City have won the competition seven times overall, with their most recent coming in 2023 over Man Utd.They have won it twice in the Emirates era, having been to three finals. Since the club was taken over by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, City have also been in the 2011 and 2013 finals, winning the former in what was a first major trophy for 35 years.FA Cup fourth round draw in fullTo be played weekend commencing February 8:Man Utd vs LeicesterLeeds vs Millwall/Dagenham & RedbridgeBrighton vs ChelseaPreston/Charlton vs WycombeExeter City vs Nottingham ForestCoventry vs IpswichBlackburn vs WolvesMansfield/Wigan vs FulhamBirmingham vs NewcastlePlymouth Argyle vs LiverpoolEverton vs BournemouthAston Villa vs SpursSouthampton vs BurnleyLeyton Orient/Derby vs Man CityDoncaster Rovers vs Crystal PalaceStoke vs Cardiff More