Soccer

ALL the talk before this game was about Marcus Rashford.By the end, the delirious Manchester United fans did not give their former hero a second thought.Marcus Rashford is on his final warning at Manchester UnitedCredit: GettyHe was axed by Ruben Amorim for United’s 2-1 win at Man CityCredit: PAThey had done very nicely without him, thank you, a point new Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim made quite forcibly afterwards.Rashford’s ability meant he should have been here — he should have been centre stage, he should have had the spotlight following him.But the forward’s application means the floodlights are fading very fast and he needs to be very careful if he is going to have a United career beyond the New Year.This was a big statement from Amorim to leave Rashford, 27, and the 20-year-old Alejandro Garnacho out of the squad altogether.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLOn the morning of the game, they were ordered to train with Jonny Evans and Toby Collyer, while the rest of the squad prepared for the trip to the Etihad.Amorim has simply not been happy with the pair in training, in games or, it appears, off the pitch either.The fall from grace for Rashford has been dramatic.From being a shining example to all kids who dream of becoming a football star for the club they grew up supporting.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe trip from Withington to Buckingham Palace and an MBE in recognition of his fantastic work in ensuring this country’s poor and hungry children are looked after should never be forgotten.On the pitch two seasons ago, Rashford also posted the career-best figures of 30 goals for a campaign.’It doesn’t look good’ – Roy Keane tips Marcus Rashford for Man Utd transfer exit after he is DROPPED for City clashRashford has split up with partner Lucia LoiCredit: GettyHe made a surprise appearance at the NBA last monthCredit: GettyThe world then was at his feet . . . and then it all seemed to become too much.The attention, the celebrity, the fame, the riches, the nightlife — all those temptations that come with being a modern-day Premier League star were there and he  welcomed them.Suddenly, a shy lad who used to stay under the radar off the field with his childhood sweetheart Lucia Loi was enjoying the trappings.That relationship with Loi has been a casualty of it all, too.Amorim could easily have used the excuse of rotation, tiredness, a tweak or whatever for his and Garnacho’s absence — but he was not going to. He wanted people to know why they were out. Not good enough.Rashford’s form began to slide last season as he went from that remarkable 30-goal campaign in 2022-23 to scoring just eight times.He lost his place not only in United’s first team but in the England squad for the summer’s Euros in Germany.Former Old Trafford chief Erik ten Hag had protected him. The Dutchman warned him and he was still let down on — and notably off — the pitch.Rashford’s amazing charity work can’t be forgottenCredit: PAFirst, when Rashford partied in the city centre following United’s 3-0 home derby defeat to Pep Guardiola’s men in October of last year.Ten Hag said that was “unacceptable”.It was his birthday and it was a quiet family affair, his PR guru tried to trot out. It was anything but.Then Rashford was partying until the early hours of Friday, January 26, in Belfast, when he was meant to be training later that day ahead of a Sunday trip to Newport in the FA Cup.He got a private jet back but rang in sick.When former Ajax chief Ten Hag found out why, he was beyond angry.The manager later confided that he wanted to freeze him out in United’s reserves but just did not have enough players.The pair barely talked again.Man Utd player ratings vs Man City as sensational Amad Diallo turns derby on its headAMAD DIALLO left Manchester City stunned as he turned the derby on its head.The flying winger won a penalty, converted by Bruno Fernandes, in the dying embers to level it up.But the best was yet to come as Amad flicked past an onrushing Ederson before expertly slotting in a dramatic winner from a tight angle deep into injury time.Here’s how SunSport’s Neil Custis rated the Man Utd players…Andre Onana – 6He just does not fill you with confidence. Does not command his area and as we found out midweek in Plzen, his distribution from the back is a major plus for the opposition.Wasn’t tested that much however.Lisandro Martinez – 7Looking a calmer presence under Amorim than he did before when he seemed to want to live up to his nickname from his Ajax days of ‘The Butcher of Amsterdam’.Great through ball at the end to pick out Amad’s run for the winner.Harry Maguire – 8Had a great battle with Erling Haaland which the United man won.The right call to bring the former captain in for such a big game. Looks like he suits the position in the centre of that back three.Matthijs de Ligt 78′ – 7A decent enough performance. Looked more comfortable alongside Maguire than other centre-back partners.Diogo Dalot – 5Mistimed his jump to be beaten to the ball by Josko Gvardiol for the City opener. Did not create enough going forward from his wing-back role.Bruno Fernandes – 8Missed a big chance after being put through by Hojlund and clipping the ball wide.But when the moment comes from the penalty spot he is a cool head in the hottest of atmospheres sending Ederson the wrong way to equaliseManuel Ugarte – 7Sat in front of the back four and negated much of what Phil Foden was trying to do for the home side.Noussair Mazraoui 78′ – 8The best of the summer buys. Used as the right wing back on this occasion and is able to adjust to whatever is asked of him. One of United’s best performers on the day.Mason Mount 13′ – 6Looked very close to tears when he had to come off after early in the game. He is just getting no luck whatsoever with injuries and has not had a decent run since joining the club.Amad Diallo 90′ – 9The greatest moment of his career so far with a memorable derby winner. A brilliant run first of all to meet Martinez’ pass, he then clipped the ball past Ederson and while it was a scuffed finish he got it on target.Had almost grabbed an equaliser with a flick header before that which was well saved by Ederson.Then was alert to Nunes back pass to win the penalty that did lead to United drawing level.Rasmus Hojlund 78′ – 6Most we saw of him was a head to head confrontation with Walker when the City player slumped to the ground and a little fall of his own when he tried to win a pen.But then he provided a great through ball for Fernandes which should have brought the equaliser.SubsKobbie Mainoo 13′ – 6Did a solid job as he came on in a deeper role than Mount and Fernandes moved forwardJoshua Zirkzee 78′ – 6Not the man who is going to come on and change a game, but he did well to hold onto possession in the closing seconds.Antony 78′ – 6Came on to try and make a difference but is lacking the confidence which a lack of starts brings.Leny Yoro 78′ – 6Continues to ease himself back to full fitness after that summer injury.Victor Lindelof 90′ – 6No time to have any influence on the game.It takes a lot for the Red Devils supporters to turn on one of their own — but that is what has happened with Rashford.The fans see a lack of application, slumped shoulders, an unforgivable lack of effort on the pitch.His United team-mates see it, too, and there have been verbal altercations on the pitch.Amorim’s arrival from Sporting Lisbon last month offered new hope.So what on earth was he doing  spending the weekend before the new boss arrived courtside at an NBA game in New York, sporting a  Louis Vuitton coat and glitzy grillz on his teeth?Perhaps it was this that Amorim was referring to when he said it was “important how people dressed”.There were so many withdrawals from the England squad at that time that anyone in a replica shirt had a chance of a call-up, but Rashford did not get one.That is how far he has slipped down the ladder with the Three Lions.He scored in the opening two minutes of Amorim’s first game in charge away to Ipswich.And another pair followed in the 4-0 win over Everton.But he started on the bench for the Arsenal and Nottingham Forest defeats.He was then hooked after 56 minutes away to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League. Amorim has seen enough.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Portuguese says the player will get another chance — it will be his last.And one day Rashford is really going to regret it . . . More

PEP GUARDIOLA admitted he is “not good enough” after his Manchester City side threw away the derby in two mad minutes.The champions slipped to an EIGHTH defeat in 11 matches in all competitions — the same number of losses they had in the Prem over the previous two seasons.Pep Guardiola was again left scratching his head as City throw away the derbyCredit: GettyBernardo Silva slammed his team-mates after Man Utd’s comebackCredit: AFPMidfielder Bernardo Silva ripped into his team-mates who played like “Under-15s” and “deserved to pay” for “stupid decisions”.Guardiola, who according to NBC did not emerge from the dressing room for 30 minutes after the game, said: “I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough. I’m not doing well — it’s as simple as that.“I need to talk to them about the way we have to play and press and build-up and I’m not good enough.“I’m the manager and I don’t find the solution. In a big club, when you lose eight in 11 something wrong is happening. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”It’s my job. My job is not just to win games or lift trophies. I’m incredibly well paid for that reason.“We want to play better, create chances. But at the moment it’s not possible. There is no defence for eight defeats in 11.”Guardiola always said he feared this would be a tough season for his weary troops — but admitted he was not expecting things this bad.He added: “This is a big club, I’m still here sitting here in the press conference because of what we have done in the past.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS“I promise you I tried. I think managers all round the world when they have big problems work more and talk more to try and get the guys to know that we are still good.“I knew it would be a tough season at the beginning, but I didn’t expect it would be this hard.”Man Utd player ratings: Amad Diallo experiences greatest moment of his career but Diogo Dalot doesn’t do enough vs CityAmad Diallo scored a brilliant winner in the 90th minute to spark huge celebrationsCredit: GettyCity were not at their best but Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header looked likely to give them the three points until a moment of madness in the dying minutes.Matheus Nunes put Ederson in trouble with a weak back-pass and then compounded the error by fouling Amad in the box.Bruno Fernandes slammed in the spot-kick on 88 minutes to equalise.And four-in-a-row champs City were caught out two minutes later by a hopeful ball forward which allowed Amad to steal in for the winner.A furious Bernardo said: “We deserved what happened. At this level, a game or two is unlucky. We can’t say this is lucky or unlucky — ten games, it’s not about that.I’m the boss, I’m the manager and I’m not good enough. I’m not doing well — it’s as simple as that.Pep Guardiola“Winning 1-0 and our corner ends in a penalty for them… if we make these stupid decisions with three or four minutes to go you deserve to pay.“Looking at the game, there was only one team that could win, but at the end we lost.”We have to look at ourselves. It’s the decisions you make. Today in the last minute we played like Under-15s.”READ MORE SUN STORIESCity midfielder Phil Foden, yet to break his Prem scoring duck this term, said: “We’ve not been used to losing this amount in a short period.“But sometimes you have to experience it,  you can’t always win.”Man Utd player ratings vs Man City as sensational Amad Diallo turns derby on its headAMAD DIALLO left Manchester City stunned as he turned the derby on its head.The flying winger won a penalty, converted by Bruno Fernandes, in the dying embers to level it up.But the best was yet to come as Amad flicked past an onrushing Ederson before expertly slotting in a dramatic winner from a tight angle deep into injury time.Here’s how SunSport’s Neil Custis rated the Man Utd players…Andre Onana – 6He just does not fill you with confidence. Does not command his area and as we found out midweek in Plzen, his distribution from the back is a major plus for the opposition.Wasn’t tested that much however.Lisandro Martinez – 7Looking a calmer presence under Amorim than he did before when he seemed to want to live up to his nickname from his Ajax days of ‘The Butcher of Amsterdam’.Great through ball at the end to pick out Amad’s run for the winner.Harry Maguire – 8Had a great battle with Erling Haaland which the United man won.The right call to bring the former captain in for such a big game. Looks like he suits the position in the centre of that back three.Matthijs de Ligt 78′ – 7A decent enough performance. Looked more comfortable alongside Maguire than other centre-back partners.Diogo Dalot – 5Mistimed his jump to be beaten to the ball by Josko Gvardiol for the City opener. Did not create enough going forward from his wing-back role.Bruno Fernandes – 8Missed a big chance after being put through by Hojlund and clipping the ball wide.But when the moment comes from the penalty spot he is a cool head in the hottest of atmospheres sending Ederson the wrong way to equaliseManuel Ugarte – 7Sat in front of the back four and negated much of what Phil Foden was trying to do for the home side.Noussair Mazraoui 78′ – 8The best of the summer buys. Used as the right wing back on this occasion and is able to adjust to whatever is asked of him. One of United’s bets performers on the day.Mason Mount 13′ – 6Looked very close to tears when he had to come off after early in the game. He is just getting no luck whatsoever with injuries and has not had a decent run since joining the club.Amad Diallo 90′ – 9The greatest moment of his career so far with a memorable derby winner. A brilliant run first of all to meet Martinez pass, he then clipped the ball past Edersonn and while it was a scuffed finish he got it on target.Had almost grabbed an equaliser with a flick header before that which was well saved by Ederson.Then was alert to Nunes back pass to win the penalty that did lead to United drawing level.Rasmus Hojlund 78′ – 6Most we saw of him was a head to head confrontation with Walker when the City player slumped to the ground and a little fall of his own when he tried to win a pen.But then he provided a great through ball for Fernandes which should have brought the equaliser.SubsKobbie Mainoo 13′ – 6Did a solid job as he came on ina deeper role than Mount and Fernandes moved forwardJoshua Zrikzee 78′ – 6Not the man who is going to come on and change a game, but he did well to hold onto possession in the closing seconds.Antony 78′ – 6Came on to try and make a difference but is lacking the confidence which a lack of starts brings.Leny Yoro 78′ – 6Continues to ease himself back to full fitness after that summer injury.Victor Lindelof 90′ – 6No time to have any influence on the game. More

SOUTHAMPTON sacked Russell Martin within an hour of their 5-0 defeat to Tottenham.Martin, who led the Saints to promotion last season, managed just one win in 16 Premier League games and leaves with the club on just five points.Russell Martin gets a sympathetic pat from Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou as a 5-0 home loss was too much for Southampton chiefsCredit: GettyThe writing was on the wall for Martin when many fans streamed out after Spurs went 4-0 up 25 minutes into the St Mary’s massacreSaints fans called for the manager to leaveNo top-flight club has ever beaten relegation from the position Southampton are in.Fans booed the former Swansea boss – with some even leaving just 26 minutes in at 4-0 down – and held up a banner reading “RM: Get out of our club!”Asked if he thought he could remain in charge following the Spurs defeat, Martin said: “Not a clue, no. Not a clue. You’re speaking to the wrong man.”Asked about the fans booing him and his side, Martin added: “I’ve done nothing but fight on in my life and my career so we’ll keep working and keep fighting until I’m told I’m not going to anymore.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”I have no response really. The fans have been amazing for us since we’ve been here from day one.”I understand the frustration. I also understand the modern world and football and what it is and what it’s about. So apart from that, I have no real response.”Martin led Southampton on a club record 25-game unbeaten run on their way to promotion via the Play-Offs last season.But a stubborn commitment to his risky style of play and poor summer recruitment led to Southampton’s worst start to a season in their history.Most read in FootballFULL SOUTHAMPTON STATEMENTTHE Saints confirmed Russell Martin’s departure on Sunday night with this statement:We can confirm that we have taken the difficult decision to part ways with our Men’s First Team Manager, Russell Martin.Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.However, the reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations. We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months. Everyone connected with Southampton FC will always have fantastic memories of last season, especially the Play-Off Final win in May.Current Under-21s Manager Simon Rusk will take charge of the team on an interim basis until we announce a permanent replacement.Behind the scenes, we are encouraged by the continued development of talent coming through our Academy. We are proud of the contributions our young players are making and are confident this will remain a source of strength and pride for everyone associated with the club.We are also deeply grateful for the continued support and positivity shown by our fans. We are witnessing first-hand the significant gap between the Championship and the Premier League, but your understanding and passion, even when results have not been what we all want, continue to drive our long-term commitment to the club.FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHis exit came on the day second-bottom Wolves aced Gary O’Neil.Southampton owners Sport Republic, who sacked two managers during their last Premier League season, are unlikely to pursue the likes of David Moyes.Disgusted Southampton fans stream out of St Mary’s 27 minutes into Tottenham clash after going 4-0 downSunSport understands a foreign appointment is the most likely outcome at the moment.Some at the club admire Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl, who worked at the club as an assistant to Ralph Hasenhuttl.However, it may be a struggle to attract anyone to take the job given Southampton’s current position.The Saints issued a statement confirming and explaining the “difficult decision” to part with Martin.Part of it read: “Going into the start of the season, we all knew the challenges that we would face this year as we readjusted to life in the top flight, competing in the best and most competitive league in the world.”However, the reality of our situation is clear.”Gaps emerged in the St Mary’s stands as Spurs thrashed the Saints More