Soccer

CHELSEA made it back-to-back losses as they slumped to an awful 2-0 defeat at Ipswich this evening.Enzo Maresca’s side went into the match hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 home loss to Fulham on Boxing Day.Chelsea endured a night to forget at Portman RoadCredit: GettyThey would have fancied their chances, with the Tractor Boys having gone into the match still searching for their first home win of the season.But Liam Delap’s controversial 12th minute penalty gave the hosts a surprise lead, before Chelsea old-boy Omari Hutchinson haunted his old side to double Ipswich’s advantage.On a night to forget for the Blues, SunSport’s Jordan Davies rates and slates each performer.FILIP JORGENSEN – 6His first bit of action was a clumsy trailing leg to catch Delap and give away a needless penalty.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFollowed it up with a few decent stops to deny the forward anything else, but the damage was already done.AXEL DISASI – 4Offered very little until a fine pass early in the second half to put Madueke through.But that was then overshadowed by a woeful piece of defending to give the hosts a second goal, first with a stray pass to Delap and then giving Hutchinson the freedom of Ipswich to slot home.TOSIN ADARABIOYO – 5Struggled to deal with Delap, physically and for pace. Looked terrified to press him. Lumbered about for most of the game.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSLEVI COLWILL – 6Looks so much better with a proper defensive partner, unlike here.Not his best game, but not his worst.Enzo Maresca gives blunt two-word response when asked about Noni Madueke’s Chelsea axingMARC CUCURELLA – 5Nervy clearance off Hutchinson almost gave Delap a second inside 15 minutes and caught out of position plenty when Ipswich countered.Poor in attacking areas.ENZO FERNANDEZ – 6A real mixed bag.Picked up some good pockets of space but out-muscled on occasion.MOISES CAICEDO – 6Blazed over a glorious chance from the edge of the box off his left peg.Controlled the game well from deep at times.Moises Caicedo battles with Liam DelapCredit: ReutersNONI MADUEKE – 7Involved in everything good with Chelsea, taking on defenders and unlucky not to grab a first half goal.Linked up well with Palmer and Enzo.COLE PALMER – 8A joy to watch. His cleverly-disguised free-kick smacked the post and his cross for Joao Felix at the far post to score from was delightful, only to be called back for offside.He was then denied a curling beauty by a worldie save. Did not deserve to be on the losing side. Best player on the pitch by a mile.Cole Palmer was a bright spark for the BluesCredit: GettyJOAO FELIX – 6Perhaps a harsh one but should have stayed onside before tapping in Palmer’s brilliant cross to level the scores.Had a header cleared off the line just after the break.CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU – 5An anonymous first half was followed up by more anonymity in the second before being hauled off just after the hour mark.Feels like he has wasted a huge chance given to him by Maresca to prove he can be the difference maker.Christopher Nkunku endured a night to forgetCredit: RexNicolas Jackson (for Felix, 55) – 6Missed a blatant one v one, spared blushes by a delayed offside flag.Jadon Sancho – (for Nkunku, 65) – 6Did very little, but the game was pretty much done by the time he came on.Malo Gusto (for Disasi, 77) – 6Came on just so Disasi could make way, it seems. Made his presence known by getting into a late scrap with Davis.READ MORE SUN STORIESPedro Neto (for Madueke, 77) – 5Brought some zip, but let himself down by going down soft holding his face from a Kalvin Phillips ‘challenge’. More

KOBBIE MAINOO’S performance was the only silver lining as Manchester United suffered a fourth consecutive defeat.Newcastle struck twice in the opening 19 minutes as they threatened to tally up a cricket score at Old Trafford.Casemiro had another night to forget at Old TraffordCredit: GettyJoshua Zirkzee was taken off after just 33 minutesCredit: ReutersKobbie Mainoo made a big impact after he replaced ZirkzeeCredit: RexHarry Maguire came closest to scoring for Man Utd with a headerCredit: GettyNoussair Mazraoui was caught out on the right flank on both occasions and United’s hapless midfield duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen struggled to keep up with play.Mainoo, who started the match on the bench, solved the midfield crisis quickly after his 33rd minute introduction.Casemiro was fortunate not to be ahueld off at that point, as Ruben Amorim instead sacrificed Old Trafford boo boy Joshua Zirkzee.The Dutch forward has not had a happy time of things since his summer move and he barely completed a pass against Toon.READ MORE ON MAN UTDThat being said, few players in a red shirt covered themselves in glory as several vyed for the worst performer label.Here is how SunSport’s Kealan Hughes rated the United display.Andre Onana – 5Little he could do about both goals and was barely tested other than that.Noussair Mazraouri – 4The first two goals came down his side as he failed to close down the crosses that were turned in by Isak and Joelinton.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSBut he was positive in possession and put in a few dangerous crosses.Matthijs de Ligt – 5Did not do much wrong for Newcastle goals but can be criticised for his failure to organise his defensive team-mates.Ruben Amorim hauls off Joshua Zirkzee after 32 minutes to huge cheers as Man Utd are embarrassed in first halfHarry Maguire – 4Lost Isak for the opener as he was caught ball watching.Almost made amends but his diving header cannoned back off the post.Lisandro Martinez – 3A complete mismatch as he attempted to battle Joelinton for a cross the Brazilian turned in.Also lost Isak for the opener and even faced the wrong way as the cross came in.Diogo Dalot – 5Offered some much needed stability on the left flank and produced a good cross for Maguire’s headed chance.Casemiro – 3Dismal throughout. So far off the pace and barely made a pass.Missed a guilt-edge chance to pull one back on the stroke of half-time.Christian Eriksen – 4Similarly inept in protecting his defence as Casemiro, as he was overran time and time again.He did at least put a few passes together and improved after Mainoo came on.Amad Diallo – 4A tricky evening up against the hardworking Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall so was largely ineffective.Joshua Zirkzee – 2Nothing went his way and the fans quickly got on his back. He was hauled off in the 33rd minute and his substitution was greeted with cheers by the Old Trafford faithful.Rasmus Hojlund – 5Fed off scraps but did not stop running and was a rare bright spark – came very close with a low shot that whistled past the post in the first half.SubsKobbie Mainoo (for Zirkzee) – 6Turned things around after his introduction and made things happen with his accurate passing.Set up Casemiro for a chance the Brazilian should have buried.Leny Yoro (for Martinez, 64mins) – 6Had a good chance from a corner but sent his free header wide.READ MORE SUN STORIESAlejandro Garnacho (for Casemiro, 64mins) – 4Struggled to make an impact as he failed to beat a man.Antony (for De Ligt, 83 mins) – Not enough time to influence the match. More

RUBEN AMORIM predicted at the start of December that a ‘storm’ was coming to Manchester United.Yet the new boss cannot have forecast it would be quite this ferocious as his team slumped to a fourth straight defeat.Newcastle’s Alexander Isak headed Newcastle in front early onCredit: ReutersJoelinton doubled Newcastle’s advantage when he climbed above Lisandro MartinezCredit: GettyThe Brazilian seemed to shoulder the ball in beyond Andre OnanaCredit: ReutersRuben Amorim has now suffered four successive defeatsCredit: ReutersMan Utd had periods of dominance in the second half but could not make them countAnd the worry is that more dark clouds are gathering – it could get worse for the Portuguese with trips to Liverpool and then Arsenal to come next.Defeat leaves the Red Devils perilously close to the Premier League’s bottom three at the halfway stage.So much so that after this latest disappointment Amorim conceded his side are in a relegation battle.Asked about the threat of going down, he admitted: “That is really clear. It’s one of the most difficult moments in the history of Man Utd and we have to address it with honesty.”READ MORE ON MAN UTDAlready this is a storm every bit as bad as the one that has put paid to the Hogmanay celebrations north of the border.The Red Devils were simply blown away in the first half by Eddie Howe’s rampant Toon who scored twice and should have had more.Alexander Isak scored for a sixth straight Premier League game while Joelinton scored almost an identical second 15 minutes later.Eddie Howe’s men are in electric form right now and they fully deserved only their second league win at the Theatre of Dreams in 40 visits.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSIsak now has 12 Premier League goals this seasonCredit: ReutersMan Utd produced another desperately disappointing performanceCredit: GettyOnly when Amorim took off hapless summer signing Joshua Zirkzee and replaced him with Kobbie Mainoo did the home side get any sort of handle on this game.But by then it was too late as the damage had already been done.Manchester United vs Newcastle: Player Ratings RevealedThe evening started with news of a return to the squad for Marcus Rashford – 18 days after his last appearance for Man Utd.Amorim was short of options with Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte both suspended but even so the England forward was only on the bench.And if the 27-year-old can’t get into this United side then his best days really must be behind him.There were plenty of concerns before kick-off about the lack of pace in the team that Amorim picked and it did not take long for them to be realised.Less than four minutes in fact.Bruno Guimaraes sprayed a pass out to Lewis Hall on the left and the full back controlled before hanging up a lovely cross.Isak got in between Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez and was somehow completely unmarked to nod the visitors ahead.The Swede has now scored in six straight Prem games – and becomes only the second Toon player to achieve that feat.VAR confirmed the full-back was onside and Eddie Howe’s men had another early goal – following the ones they got against Ipswich and Aston Villa.And they clearly saw that the home side were there for the taking.Isak ran onto Bruno’s first time pass and cut in from the right but tried to be too clever with his finish and chipped it straight into Andre Onana’s grateful hands.Man Utd ratings vs Newcastle as Joshua Zirkzee is hooked after half an hour and Kobbie Mainoo the only bright sparkKOBBIE MAINOO’S performance was the only silver lining as Manchester United suffered a fourth consecutive defeat.Newcastle struck twice in the opening 19 minutes as they threatened to tally up a cricket score at Old Trafford.Joshua Zirkzee was ruthlessly subbed after half an hour after struggling in a No10 role – but there was no recovering for Ruben Amorim’s side.Here is how SunSport’s Kealan Hughes rated the United display…Andre Onana – 5Little he could do about both goals and was barely tested other than that.Noussair Mazraouri – 4The first two goals came down his side as he failed to close down the crosses that were turned in by Isak and Joelinton.But he was positive in possession and put in a few dangerous crosses.Matthijs de Ligt – 5Did not do much wrong for Newcastle goals but can be criticised for his failure to organise his defensive team-mates.Harry Maguire – 4Lost Isak for the opener as he was caught ball watching.Almost made amends but his diving header cannoned back off the post.Lisandro Martinez – 3A complete mismatch as he attempted to battle Joelinton for a cross the Brazilian turned in.Also lost Isak for the opener and even faced the wrong way as the cross came in.Diogo Dalot – 5Offered some much needed stability on the left flank and produced a good cross for Maguire’s headed chance.Casemiro – 3Dismal throughout. So far off the pace and barely made a pass.Missed a guilt-edge chance to pull one back on the stroke of half-time.Christian Eriksen – 4Similarly inept in protecting his defence as Casemiro, as he was overran time and time again.He did at least put a few passes together and improved after Mainoo came on.Amad Diallo – 4A tricky evening up against the hardworking Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall so was largely ineffective.Joshua Zirkzee – 2Nothing went his way and the fans quickly got on his back. He was hauled off in the 33rd minute and his substitution was greeted with cheers by the Old Trafford faithful.Rasmus Hojlund – 5Fed off scraps but did not stop running and was a rare bright spark – came very close with a low shot that whistled past the post in the first half.SubsKobbie Mainoo (for Zirkzee) – 6Turned things around after his introduction and made things happen with his accurate passing.Set up Casemiro for a chance the Brazilian should have buried.Leny Yoro (for Martinez, 64mins) – 6Had a good chance from a corner but sent his free header wide.Alejandro Garnacho (for Casemiro, 64mins) – 4Struggled to make an impact as he failed to beat a man.Antony (for De Ligt, 83 mins) – 5Not enough time to influence the match.But the reprieve was short-lived. Once again Newcastle had too much time in the middle to work the ball out to the left.This time Anthony Gordon breezed past Noussair Mazrouai and crossed for Joelinton who got above Martinez and nodded into the corner.It was almost a carbon copy of the first goal just 15 minutes later – United had simply not learned their lesson.That’s 18 goals conceded by United in December – the most in a calendar month since 1964.Amorim’s men were in complete disarray and Kieran Trippier had clearly done his homework – as he twice fired his corners right under the crossbar.The Red Devils have conceded straight from a flag-kick twice in the space of a week either side of Christmas – but this time they managed to keep it out.Isak fired an absolute rocket into the top corner of Andre Onana’s net and the home fans were relieved to see it ruled out for offside.And then Sandro Tonali swapped passes with Gordon before shooting against the post when, frankly, it looked easier to score.Just 33 minutes had gone when Amorim decided he had seen enough.He hauled off summer signing Joshua Zirkzee and replaced him with Kobbie Mainoo in a bid to somehow stem the black and white flow.The move was widely cheered by large sections of the home crowd while others booed as the £36.5 million man ran off.It is hard to see how he comes back from this but if there is any consolation for the Dutchman, it is that any one of the United players could have come off.Maybe it served as a wake up call for the rest of them as they could have pulled one back before the break.A rare United attack saw Rasmus Hojlund get in down the left but he fired his shot just past the far post with Martin Dubravka beaten.A loose pass from Fabian Schar went straight to the feet of Mainoo and he played in Casemiro but the Brazilian could not even find the target.Newcastle had become a little sloppy – perhaps it was too easy for them. But they certainly seemed to ease off after the break.Yet Howe can forgive them that – his team have banged in 13 goals in four straight league wins – and none conceded. A return to the Champions League looks on for them.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe home side went close again just before the hour as Diogo Dalot’s cross from the left was headed against the post by a diving Maguire.Yet even when United needed a goal, there was no call from the bench for Rashford. More

TARIQ LAMPTEY salvaged a point for the Seagulls with a stunning late strike to spoil Ollie Watkins’ 29th birthday bash!But once again VAR was the big talking point and ref Craig Pawson seemed as confused as the fans!Simon Adingra curled in Brighton’s opener after 12 minutesCredit: RexOllie Watkins levelled from the penalty spotCredit: ReutersMorgan Rogers completed the turnaround for the home sideCredit: GettyTariq Lamptey struck late on to earn a point for the visitorsCredit: ReutersVilla controlled the majority of the match but Brighton finished stronglyThe match official courted controversy when he ignored two Villa penalty claims – only for VAR to step in and side with him on one but not the other.It all amounted to a muddle with the man in the middle as Watkins scored from the spot kick his team were awarded, to cancel out Simon Adingra’s early opener.Morgan Rogers then fired Villa in front before Lamptey had the last word on a ight of controversy.This affair was fast, furious and had a flurry of bookings and controversy.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIt all started with a bang – when Joao Pedro clashed heads with Boubacar Kamara – and the game was held up for four minutes while his split eye was patched up.The Seagulls striker returned, resembling Rab C. Nesbitt and the slapstick continued as Unai Emery hit the deck rushing to retrieve the ball at a throw-in!Everywhere you looked bodies were crashing into each other and hitting the turf.But it was Brighton who landed the first real blow after 12 minutes.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSAston Villa came from behind to lead before being pegged backCredit: ReutersRogers thought he had won the game for VillaCredit: GettyLewis Dunk’s long ball out of defence wasn’t dealt with by Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres who were outmuscled by Joao Pedro.The ball fell to Simon Adingra who chopped inside onto his right foot and curled a beauty beyond Emi Martinez into the far corner from the edge of the box.Man Utd hero Lee Sharpe warns Marcus Rashford potential exit could come back to haunt club if he joins Prem rivals Villa’s night got worse when Pau Torres hobbled off after damaging his right ankle and was replaced by Tyrone Mings.Martinez did well to claw Enciso’s dipping shot away for a corner which Jan Paul van Hecke headed just off target.But the game erupted over two first-half penalty claims which backed up Unai Emery’s pre-match warning about how ‘politics,’ are affecting VAR decisions.The Villa boss, still incensed by Jhon Duran’s three-match ban for stamping on Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar, let rip in his programme notes.He wrote: “In our opinion, the referees are not using enough and correctly the VAR.”The Video Assistant Referee came to help us avoid injustice or mistakes, and to protect whatever it takes for the on-field decisions to be delivered – right or wrong – by the referee.”If we start to use VAR in a political way, we are forgetting that the video tool is here to protect the game and the fairness of the competition.”In other words he feels the man in the middle should be helped by MORE VAR decisions – rather than less – and his point was underlined here.Villa were the subject of two penalty claims which ref Craig Pawson decided NOT to award.In the first instance it looked as if Van Hecke clipped Morgan Rogers boot – then played the ball – as the Villa man hit the deck in the box.Brighton remain winless in seven despite Lamptey’s strikeCredit: PAHowever VAR decided it wasn’t a clear and obvious error by Pawson and let the ref’s original decision stand, to Villa’s fury.Two minutes later we had a similar incident with a totally different outcome.Youri Tielemans corner was dropped by Bart Verbruggen and Joao Pedro appeared to clip Rogers who went down in the box.However this time VAR intervened and sent Pawson to his pitchside monitor to have a second look.It took at least three minutes for Pawson to decide Rogers had indeed been fouled – and that Verbruggen hadn’t been fouled while dropping the ball – and so he pointed to the spot.The point is that when margins are so tight, surely the man in the middle of the action should decide – rather than those at Stockley Park?Ollie Watkins kept his cool and dished up a birthday treat as he sent Verbruggen the wrong way from the spot to celebrate his 29th birthday with a goal.We were treated to 12 minutes of first-half stoppage time before Villa hit the front two minutes into the second half.Watkins lofted the ball over the Brighton defence after the Seagulls only half-cleared a corner and Rogers took the ball down on his chest before crashing it beyond Verbruggen.READ MORE SUN STORIESHowever Brighton refused to accept their fate and hit back with a stunning equaliser nine minutes from the end.Pedro worked a one-two with Mitoma and laid it off for Tariq Lamptey who slammed a low shot beyond Martinez from just inside the box to earn the Seagulls a hard-earned point. More