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      Man Utd 1 Aston Villa 0: Bruno Fernandes gives Ten Hag huge Champions League qualification boost in hard-fought win

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      CHAMPIONS LEAGUE football is edging ever closer to making a return to Old Trafford.A club that contested three finals in just four seasons between 2008 and 2011 has been a bit of a stranger to club football’s elite competition over the last decade.
      Man United returned to winning ways against Aston VillaCredit: AFP
      Bruno Fernandes netted in the first halfCredit: PA
      The game ended Villa’s ten-game unbeaten runCredit: EPA
      Even when the Red Devils have qualified the quarter-finals is the deepest they have gone in the competition.
      But things could be different for the three-time winners under Ten Hag next season if this campaign is anything to go by.
      Two domestic finals and now a place in the top four close to being confirmed after this victory over inform Aston Villa shows real progress in just one season with the Dutchman in charge.
      Bruno Fernandes’ 39th-minute goal ensured victory over a Villa side who came here with an outside chance of getting into the top four themselves after an incredible run under Unai Emery.
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      The players came out to stadium which had the acrid smell of flare smoke in the air from protesters in the Munich Tunnel as opposed to The Glazers.
      The takeover to rid the club of the hated owners has still not gone through.
      On the pitch United began the game happy to keep firing long balls over the top of a Villa back four that was playing high up the pitch.
      It was working too as they constantly turned the visitors back line round.
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      Of course the United frontmen were having to time their runs perfectly to beat the offside flag.
      That flag in their attacking half in the first period was being carried by Constantine Hatzidakis.
      Nobody was going to be arguing with that imposing official who was on duty for the first time in the Premier League since the ‘elbow’ incident with Liverpool’s Andy Robertson.
      There were chances early on with Rashford looking back to his sharp best again after a recent groin injury.
      Put through by Tyrell Malacia he had a shot deflected wide of the near post by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
      Casemiro launched a ball forward for Fernandes which he hit across goal on the volley.
      It was neither a cross nor shot and went wide.
      There were cries for a penalty from the visitors when in the 19th minute Diogo Dalot tangled with Ollie Watkins at the far post and Alexandre Moreno’s follow-up was blocked by David De Gea.
      Ollie Watkins was denied a penalty after a tangle with Diogo DalotCredit: PA
      Fernandes netted the opener shortly after from a tight angleCredit: Getty
      The VAR decided there was no pen.
      United came close when Casemiro hit a shot that cannoned off the bar.
      Then the breakthrough came which Martinez literally had a hand in.
      When Rashford broke away his cross shot lacked power but the Argentine World Cup winner rather tamely palmed it to one side.
      Fernandes was following up and his shot deflected off Moreno and looped back over Martinez.
      The United stand-in captain raced straight towards the Villa fans in the corner and starred up at them.
      They had been giving him stick from early on after he had gone down with the visiting fans believing he was feigning injury to try and get a free kick.
      This was his response. The Portuguese ace’s 100th career league goal, six of which have come against Villa.
      The 100th goal of his careerCredit: AFP
      But the visitors were still very much in this game as the second period opened up.
      United had witnessed at first hand the immediate influence of Unai Emery having lost 3-1 at Villa Park in his first game in charge.
      That ended a nine game unbeaten run for Ten Hag’s team and gave Villa their first win at home over United since 1999.
      It began a run of 13 wins from his 20 games in charge turning them from a side threatened with relegation to one now knocking on the door of European football.
      They arrived at Old Trafford unbeaten since February 18 and having won eight and drawn two of their last ten.
      So it was always going to be a tough task for a United side who surrendered a 2-0 lead at Tottenham on Thursday to draw 2-2.
      But it was one they were handling well as they kept their advantage and went searching for a second goal.
      Rashford dribbled his way into the box before being met by Martinez as he shaped to shoot.
      Victor Lindelof pulled off an amazing clearance to protect the leadCredit: PA
      At the other end it was Victor Lindelof once again on top form as he had been at Wembley the previous weekend in the FA Cup semi-final win against Brighton.
      It was his flick header that denied an Ashley Young cross reaching in-form goalscorer Ollie Watkins.
      He was there again to slide in and deflect Jacob Ramsey’s shot over the bar.
      Then he headed a goalbound shot from Douglas Luiz off the line although an offside in the build-up would have ruled a goal out anyway.
      Still, he didn’t know that.

      United continued to keep Villa out to the final whistle.
      A big win.
      The result has boosted Erik ten Hag’s Champions League ambitionsCredit: Getty More

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      I’m a former Champions League winner who shared erotic pics of my pal’s ex-wife and was every mother’s nightmare

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      THIS former Champions League winner was one of football’s most notorious bad boys.And he even once shared erotic pictures of a teammate’s ex-wife in his autobiography.
      Stefan Effenberg was one of football’s most notorious bad boysCredit: AP:Associated Press
      The former Germany midfielder won the Champions League with Bayern MunichCredit: Reuters
      Stefan Effenberg, 54, used to be a household name in European football.
      The former midfielder enjoyed a glittering top-flight career, taking in two spells at both Gladbach and Bayern Munich.
      He won several league titles at club level, as well as the 2001 Champions League.
      Effenburg, who also played for Fiorentina and Wolfsburg, won 35 caps for Germany too.
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      And he was part of the squad which finished runners-up at Euro 1992.
      But off the pitch, his life was just as action-packed.
      Effenberg quickly gained notoriety for his rebellious behaviour and even branded himself “every mother-in-law’s nightmare”.
      During his first Gladbach spell, Effenberg reportedly smuggled an air rifle to Spain before shooting out street lights from his hotel bedroom window.
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      Effenberg once smuggled an air rifle to Spain and stole a jeepCredit: Reuters
      He was even sent home from the 1994 World Cup for swearing at fansCredit: AFP – Getty
      Effenberg published erotic images of a teammate’s ex-wife in his autobiographyCredit: Getty
      In another incident, he allegedly stole a jeep for a joyride — with the vehicle apparently belonging to his Gladbach and then-Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes.
      The World Cup in 1994 saw Effenberg sent home for swearing at Germany fans.
      But his most shocking incident came in 1998.
      Tabloid reports at the time claimed he had cheated on wife Martina with the partner of team-mate Thomas Strunz, Claudia.
      Effenberg later released his autobiography and included intimate pictures of Claudia, who had left Strunz by then, on the pages to leave Germans stunned.
      He also took aim at several national team players including Lothar Matthaus, leaving a chapter called “What Matthaus knows about football” completely blank.
      In 2004, after 111 goals in 550 club games, Effenberg retired from football with Qatari side Al-Arabi.
      That same year, he ended up marrying Claudia, with the couple relocating to Florida.

      Effenberg returned to football in October 2015 with second-tier German side Paderborn.
      But he was dismissed just five months later after winning only two of his 15 matches at the helm. More

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      Ollie Watkins lined up for massive £60m transfer to European giants that would see him star in Champions League

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      ASTON VILLA striker Ollie Watkins is a shock target for Bayern Munich.The German giants’ technical director Marco Neppe was at Villa Park on Tuesday to see Watkins’ side beat Fulham 1-0.
      Ollie Watkins is a surprise target for Bayern MunichCredit: Getty
      And it is believed he was casting an eye over £60million-rated Watkins as part of Bayern’s search for a No9.
      Tottenham striker Harry Kane is also on the Bundesliga champions’ wishlist.
      But they are looking at a number of players as they seek to replace the goals they lost when Robert Lewandowski moved to Barcelona last summer.
      Watkins, 27, has spearheaded Villa’s unlikely charge into the European places.
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      The red-hot hitman has scored 11 times in his last 15 Premier League games as the team thrive under new boss Unai Emery.
      Watkins, who joined from Brentford for £32million in 2020, has two years left on his deal and is expected to enter talks over a new contract in the summer.
      Neppe’s presence at Villa Park prompted claims he was there to watch Fulham’s Joao Palhinha.
      New Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel would like to sign a defensive midfielder but it is understood that Palhinha, already a target for a number of Premier League clubs, is not currently being considered.
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      Bayern’s absolute priority is to find a striker after their Champions League beating by Manchester City and less-than-convincing defence of their Bundesliga title.
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      Lewandowski scored 344 goals in 375 games for Bayern and was an integral part of the team that was champions of Germany, Europe and the world in 2020.
      The German side were brushed aside 4-1 on aggregate by City in the Champions League quarter finals. More

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      European Club Association was created to appease the richest clubs after failed Super League plot

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      THE fallout from the nuclear explosion which could have destroyed the unity of European club football is changing the game again.Drastic action taken by supporters of the Premier League clubs who wanted to join it effectively sank the European Super League.
      Uefa has initiated another attempt to appease the self-identified elite six of EnglandCredit: Reuters
      One or two further attempts to appease the self-identified elite six of England were aborted.
      Then along came another, this time initiated by Uefa with a body named the European Club Association — which they arrogantly describe as the “Heart of Football”.
      My immediate reaction is that their heart already requires a transplant.
      No question, Uefa were spooked by the discovery that ESL clubs were about to wreck their structure.
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      And with Fifa also sniffing around the multi-billions of our continent’s leading leagues, the ECA was born.
      The motto should have been “More for the few”.
      And last week an  antidote to the ECA was introduced, the Union of European Clubs, which quickly brought applause from hundreds of neglected also-rans.
      Sorry about the rash of ‘E’ initials. Only the mobile phone company EE have more.
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      In their case they stand for “Everything Everywhere” which is rather appropriate for Uefa and Fifa, people who have plans for dictatorship of the people’s game.
      It’s no accident that Manchester City and United, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea, six promoters of the aborted Super League, are the only full English members of the ECA.
      They have the votes to make the important decisions. The rest could simply be referred to as ‘observers’ but are politely called ‘associate members’.
      Some Prem clubs outside the top six have agreed to be ‘associate members’, as have other clubs throughout Europe.
      Among their ranks are mighty Valletta of Malta, average crowd 1,000; Vikingur of the Faroe Islands, average about 400; and Kairat of Kazakhstan, individual plastic seats for a 23,000-capacity crowd.
      On a geographical note, 85 per cent of Kazakhstan is in Asia and has a border with China. In my book, that is not Europe.
      Vikingur, Kairat and Valletta, and many others among the 110 full  members, are not the kind of opposition — or should I say allies? — the Glazers or Abu Dhabi signed up for.
      They expected Juventus, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
      But this trio are absent from the ECA, presumably keeping their powder dry while hoping for a miraculous ESL rebirth.
      LaLiga president Javier Tebas, fast becoming the voice of the thousand-plus clubs outside the ECA, said: “I’m fed up with hearing that the ECA represents the European clubs. It represents the elite clubs in Europe.
      “We try to defend solidarity but that is not just ten per cent of the clubs. It has to be everyone.
      “Is the ECA open? Not to vote and not for  decision-making. Which is what is really necessary.”
      The ECA was created to appease the richest.
      They signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Uefa and have a say in how the money from competitions is dished out.
      And surprise, surprise, it’s not distributed fairly!
      The Champions League will expand next year and Fifa have announced an overblown Club World Cup in 2025.
      And guess where both finals are due to be held.
      You got it, the USA, one of the host nations for the 2026 World Cup.
      All for the same reason millions of the ‘huddled masses’ first arrived in New York: money.
      And that is what the ECA are all about.
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      Thirty per cent of Champions League prize money is based on a club’s historical European performances, enhancing the already huge financial disparities between and within leagues.
      I doubt this will change, no matter how worthy the Union of European Clubs is. More

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      Mauricio Pochettino NOT right for Chelsea as he’s lacking ‘winning gene’… he’ll always come up just short

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      FORMER Premier League football chief Simon Jordan believes Mauricio Pochettino will come up “short” at Chelsea as he lacks the “winning gene”.The Argentine is widely expected to be named as the next Chelsea manager.
      Simon Jordan is not convinced about Mauricio PochettinoCredit: talkSPORT
      The ex-Spurs and PSG boss looks set to take charge of ChelseaCredit: PA
      The former Tottenham manager has been locked in talks with Todd Boehly and Co after emerging as the frontrunner for the job.
      Reports have claimed that a verbal agreement has now been struck, with Chelsea hoping to confirm a deal for Pochettino by the end of the week.
      The 51-year-old is currently out of work having left Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
      He is one of Spurs’ most successful and popular managers in recent times – despite failing to win a trophy with the club.
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      He averaged 1.89 points per game – the most for any Tottenham boss in Premier League history with a minimum of 38 Premier League games in charge.
      The ex-Southampton chief capped off his five-year stint at White Hart Lane by leading Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.
      But he was sacked just months later following a poor start to the next campaign before eventually taking over at PSG in January 2021, winning the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 prior to his departure.
      Former England international Danny Murphy believes those experiences at PSG will help him at Stamford Bridge, but ex-Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan insists that Poch lacks something the top managers have.
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      Speaking on TalkSport’s White and Jordan, Murphy said: “I think it’s a great opportunity for him. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get a great bunch of players and mould them into what you want.
      “I spent a bit of time with him in Doha [over the World Cup] and was so impressed by him. He’s a really, really incredible guy in terms of his passion, his football intelligence – it was a pleasure being around him in that respect.
      “I know that doesn’t guarantee success, but it does alter your view about someone.”
      Jordan responded: “I don’t think anyone can doubt that he’s passionate and can bring people with him, but my question about Pochettino is whether he has this tiny little factor that only the top managers have, and it’s something you can’t bottle or distil, it’s this win gene. And I don’t think he has it.”
      Murphy hit back by saying: “He’s got to prove that. The one thing I would suggest to judge him differently on him, is he’d have to be blind and deaf not to learn from his experience at PSG dealing with some of the best players on the planet and how to deal with personalities, which he’ll have to do more at Chelsea than he did as Tottenham manager.
      “At Spurs he had a lot of young players who he could mould and would listen and were more open-earned, but I think at Chelsea there’s going to be bigger names, bigger egos, players how have done more, and his experiences at PSG would have evolved him in man-to-man management.”
      Jordan then added: “He’s also got to overcome elite managers in the Premier League. It’s not just galvanising the squad. We all know Pochettino can make Chelsea contenders, and if they’re satisfied with that, that’s fine.
      “But if they want to win he’s going to have to overcome Guardiola, Klopp and whoever else we think is an elite manager in this league, and that is where I believe he will come up short.” More

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      Fired-up Noel Gallagher says ‘that is mental’ to talkSPORT host during row over Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola

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      NOEL GALLAGHER insists it would be “mental” to brand Pep Guardiola a failure if he doesn’t guide Manchester City to Champions League glory.The Spaniard came agonisingly close to steering City to success in Europe’s premier club competition in May 2021 – losing an all-Premier League final against Chelsea.
      Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson are regarded as two of the best Prem managers everCredit: GETTY
      A fierce debate rose about the pair’s impact on the game on talkSPORT this weekCredit: GETTY
      Oasis legend Noel Gallagher claimed Fergie ‘never invented anything’Credit: GETTY
      Guardiola’s failure to lift the Champions League trophy with City’s vast millions at his disposal has many footy fans holding Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson in higher regard than him – including footy pundit Andy Goldstein.
      That notion, however, rattled City fan Gallagher – who told talkSPORT: “Alex Ferguson never invented anything. Pep Guardiola changed football.”
      Goldstein was quick to point out Fergie’s legendary record, saying: “He has won the treble. He has 13 Premier League titles.”
      Oasis star Gallagher then, incorrectly, said: “He never did it in any other country, did he?”
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      Ferguson, of course, guided Aberdeen to three Scottish First Division titles and the European Cup Winner’s Cup, breaking the Old Firm duopoly.
      Gallagher, 55, then proceeded to downplay United’s Champions League triumphs in 1999 and 2008.
      He said: “Well, the greatest manager of all time, jammed two Champions League finals, one on penalties and one in injury time.”
      Goldstein then pointed out to Gallagher other than the 2021 final, that Guardiola hasn’t come close to winning the Champions League in over a decade.
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      He then asked: “For argument’s sake, if Guardiola leaves Man City without winning the Champions League, is he a failure?”
      Gallagher burst out into laughter as he said: “That is mental. Failure?
      “What are you talking about?
      “He has changed the way that football is played in this country. And probably every country he has ever been in.
      “Everyone plays out from the back, kids are doing it and they don’t even know what it means.
      “But they do it, because he does it. He is a tactical genius.”
      Manchester City will be back in action at the Etihad this evening for a Premier League title race six-pointer against current table toppers Arsenal. More

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      I won the Treble with Man Utd and a team-mate hid from Roy Keane for weeks after ‘getting him suspended for final’

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      A MANCHESTER UNITED legend has revealed how a Treble-winning team-mate hid from Roy Keane “after getting him suspended” for the Champions League Final.Sir Alex Ferguson’s side achieved icon status back in 1999 as they clinched the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League.
      Roy Keane was suspended for the 1999 Champions League finalCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      Team-mate Jesper Blomqvist hid from him after the booking that ruled him outCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      One of the standout displays of that season was in Europe in the semi-final second-leg as they took on a star-studded Juventus team.
      A 1-1 draw at Old Trafford made the Italians favourites back on home turf, and two early goals Filippo Inzaghi left United with everything to do.
      Captain Keane pulled one back with a header but he found himself receiving a yellow card just 33 minutes into the game – meaning that he would be suspended for the final should they get there.
      Despite that personal disappointment, the Republic of Ireland midfielder sucked it up and went on to produce an incredible display as the Red Devils went on to complete an incredible comeback and win 3-2 thanks to strikes from Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.
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      That set-up the showdown with Bayern Munich, in which United came from behind again at the death to famously seal the Treble and lift the Champions League trophy due to goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
      But recalling that night in Turin and Keane’s performance, ex-United left-back Denis Irwin said: “We were two goals down against one of the best teams we played against in that era and he pulled a rabbit out of the hat with a fantastic headed goal and then his performance was just fantastic.
      “They had an incredible midfield with Davids, Deschamps and Zidane, but Keaney took them all on that night and came out on top. He was just incredible and it was a tragedy that he couldn’t play in the final.”
      However, he also revealed how the winger playing in front of him was left majorly concerned about Keane’s backlash after it was his wayward pass that led to the now Sky Sports pundit’s booking.
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      Irwin added: “I remember Jesper Blomqvist was trying to avoid Keaney for a few weeks after that semi-final because it was his pass that led to the booking.
      “Roy had a word with him on the field at the time, but I think Jesper thought more would come.
      “A lot of the lads were wary of Roy and didn’t want to upset him, so poor Jesper probably feared what was coming to him.”
      Irish ace Irwin moved to United in 1990 and was undoubtedly one of Fergie’s greatest signings as he proved a snip at just £625,000 from Oldham.
      In 12 years at Old Trafford, he made 296 Premier League appearances and won seven league titles, as well as two FA Cup winner’s medals, a League Cup and the Champions league and European Cup Winners’ Cup.
      He was also an expert at both free-kicks and penalties, and he managed to score 22 league goals for the club throughout that period. 
      The now 57-year-old, who also won 56 caps for Ireland, left United for Wolves in 2002 and helped them to win promotion to the top-flight via the play-offs.
      He retired from playing at the end of the following campaign having made 75 league appearances for the Molineux outfit.
      Denis Irwin was one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest signings at Old TraffordCredit: PA:Press Association More

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      Newcastle’s summer transfer warchest revealed with Eddie Howe having huge budget to splash on European adventure

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      EDDIE HOWE will have up to £150million to bolster his Newcastle squad this summer.The Toon are laying plans to prepare their squad for a Champions League campaign next season and are prepared to spend between £100-150million.
      Eddie Howe will be given big funds to strengthen this summerCredit: Rex
      Newcastle have been linked with a move for Kieran TierneyCredit: Alamy
      Newcastle are currently third following their 6-1 hammering of Tottenham on Sunday, six points clear of Spurs in fifth having played a game more.
      The Magpies have been planning for the summer with two separate budgets depending on where they end the season, with £150million the top end.
      With Champions League football looking more likely by the week, the higher end of the budget can now be considered.
      Howe is keen to add a defensive midfielder and a left-back ahead of the new campaign.
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      Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes has shone in the holding role this season, but the former Bournemouth manager would like to bring in a more natural defensive midfielder, allowing the 25-year-old to play further forward.
      Dan Burn has also impressed at left-back, but is a better option centrally with Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney being considered as a target.

      Elsewhere, Newcastle are looking to add to their attacking options with a winger who is able to cut inside and create problems for opposing defences.
      Bayer Levekusen’s French winger Moussa Diaby is a long-term target for the Toon and has nine goals and eight assists in 28 Bundesliga outings this season.
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      Furthermore, should they be able to stretch the budget far enough, Howe wants to add more cover at the back with a younger, right-sided centre-half.
      Both Burn and Sven Botman are left-footed defenders leaving Fabian Schar, 31, and Jamal Lascelles, 29, as the more comfortable options on the right. More