Premier League

LUKE SHAW admitted to making a “silly mistake” at the end of Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat at Brighton last night.But the full-back was left fuming at a bigger problem for the Red Devils.
“If you look from the first-half, we could have been 3-0 up”Luke Shaw suggests Manchester United need to be more clinical in front of goal, but admits his mistake cost his side 👇 pic.twitter.com/zcH3xGdDJw— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 4, 2023

Luke Shaw handled late on to gift Brighton a penaltyCredit: Rex
Having spurned numerous chances at the other end, United found themselves having to defend late on.
As a late cross was swung in, Shaw handled – with a spot kick being awarded following a VAR check.
Alexis Mac Allister subsequently scored to consign the Red Devils to a 1-0 defeat.
Shaw fronted up after the match, telling Sky Sports: “It hurts a lot, last minute, last action.
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“I got a little nudge but my hand shouldn’t be there and I own up to it.
“Take it on the chin, cost us the game, it’s tough I can’t even explain why my hand’s up there, I got a nudge, maybe that helps but still it shouldn’t be there.
“Even before the corner the free-kick that was given away was never a foul. I’m not looking for excuses for what I did but there’s no way that should have been given a foul.
“For me that corner shouldn’t have happened, I can’t change that, not accusing the ref of anything but for me it wasn’t a foul but hands up, silly mistake. But it cost us a point at the end.”
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Shaw, 27, fronted up after the gameCredit: Sky Sports
With United having been wasteful in front of goal, Shaw lamented his side’s lack of clinical edge, which left them vulnerable to a late sucker punch.
He added: “The chances that we have, we have to be scoring these goals.
“The game’s completely different if we score with the chances that we make.
“Maybe we’re not clinical enough, I don’t really know what else to say to that, obviously said about that but what I did is totally the opposite and it’s disappointing and I lost us a point in the end.
“But maybe in the first half we could have been 3-0 up.”
Addressing the top four race, Shaw continued: “It changes nothing, it’s still in our hands.
“We have to kick ourselves from the position we are in, it’s very comfortable but now you could say there’s a real chase.
“Teams around us picking up points but we have one game in hand, it’s in our hands.”
Despite their defeat United remain fourth, four points above fifth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand.
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Brighton’s win moved them to within eight points of the Red Devils with a game in hand – but a grip on Champions League qualification remains firmly in United’s hands.
Erik ten Hag’s men are back in action this weekend, when they take on West Ham on Sunday evening.
The Red Devils were wasteful in front of goalCredit: Getty More

VIEWERS were left scratching their heads as Moises Caicedo donned a bodycam before Brighton’s clash with Manchester United last night.As the teams emerged from the tunnel, Caicedo wore the device around his midriff.

Moises Caicedo’s bodycam gave fans a POV look at the handshakesCredit: Sky Sports
The shaky footage gave fans a POV look at Caicedo’s view while walking out for the match at the Amex.
It then gave a close up look at the Man United stars as he shook hands with them.
The footage was used as Sky attempted to offer up a behind the scenes look at Brighton.
But this particular feature didn’t go down well with many fans.
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One labelled it: “Cringe.”
And a second tweeted: “Absolutely PointlessCam.”
A third joked: “Wow I have always imagined what it is like to shake hands.”
While a fourth asked: “Is this view really necessary?”
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Caicedo, 21, went on to star in the matchCredit: Reuters
Another sarcastically added: “Hahahahahahahaha WOAH THATS WELL SICK AM PLAYING.”
Caicedo, 21, subsequently took the camcorder off as the match began.
Brighton went on to grab a last-gasp 1-0 win over Man United as they moved into the Europa League spots.
Alexis Mac Allister’s late penalty gave the Seagulls all three points, following Luke Shaw’s handball.
The win saw Brighton leapfrog Tottenham and Aston Villa into sixth – while still possessing two games in hand on the duo, as well as fifth placed Liverpool.
Alexis Mac Allister celebrates his late penaltyCredit: Rex More

ANTONY sparked fury as the Manchester United hothead escaped a red card for “kicking” Alexis Mac Allister and clashing with Lewis Dunk.Brighton and many fans couldn’t believe the Brazilian was only booked – and must have felt justice was served later by Mac Allister’s 99th-minute penalty winner in Thursday’s dramatic Premier League clash.
Antony sent Alexis Mac Allister flying with a needless late challengeCredit: Reuters

Antony and Lewis Dunk clash after the Man Utd star ‘kicked’ Alexis Mac AllisterCredit: Rex

The winger lashed out at Mac Allister even though the ball had gone.
Then when Dunk angrily confronted him, Antony swapped body bumps with the strapping centre-back.
Many observers believed the kick deserved a straight red – or if not that each incident merited separate yellows.
One said: “100%. He was looking for it from the start of the clip from his body language. Seen red. And then got shown it.”
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Another posted: “I immediately thought red.”
This message also spoke for many: “Easily could of got a red card for the kick out then the reaction after.”
And similarly: “If it’s not a straight red there’s two yellows there.”
But other viewers reckon Antony was hard done by due to the angry response from home players.
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One argued: “Red? Only reason it was a yellow was because of the reaction.”
And another observer went even further, claiming the incident would not have happened if the Red Devils’ attacking starlet had been given a free-kick seconds earlier.
He wrote: “Ref’s to blame, nailed on foul on Antony in first place… all handbags.” More

LUKE SHAW handed Brighton a last-gasp Euro lifeline as Manchester United were laid low by another bout of travel sickness.Alex Mac Allister’s 99th-minute spot-kick finally separated two teams who had thrown the kitchen sink at each other all night without being able to land a killer blow.
Alexis Mac Allister’s 99th minute penalty sealed a dramatic win for Brighton against Man UtdCredit: Reuters
The Argentina World Cup winner showed no fear as he slammed home for the winCredit: AFP
It took a penalty shoot-out to settle the FA Cup semi-final in United’s favour 11 days ago after a goalless 120 minutes at Wembley.
But this time it was The Seagulls who were spot on as Shaw’s last-gasp handball gave Mac Allister the opportunity to settle this extraordinary match with a nerveless shot into the top corner.
It was the 39th shot of the match and one which means Erik ten Hag’s will finish the season having taken just one point on the road against all the other teams in the Premier League’s top nine.
It leaves United clinging on to fourth place and the final Champions League qualification spot.
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But Brighton are now up to sixth place with games in hand on all the teams above them and dreaming of European qualification for the first time in their history.
Yet it was apparent right from the off that neither team was going to die wondering as they set out to boost their European aspirations.
United should have been ahead in the very first minute when Bruno Fernandes slipped Antony in on goal.
But with only keeper Jason Steele to beat, the £82million Brazilian pulled his shot wastefully wide.
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Mac Allister celebrated passionately as the final whistle blewCredit: Getty
Brighton’s fans went wild after getting revenge for their FA Cup semi-final penalty defeatCredit: AFP
And a couple of minutes later it was the visitors’ turn to fly by the seat of their pants when Victor Lindelof’s loose pass towards Aaron Wan-Bissaka was picked off by Kaoru Mitoma.
It looked for all the world as though United were heading for another bout of travel sickness as Mitoma bore down on goal.
But his powerful shot smacked David De Gea in the face with such force that the United keeper appeared to be knocked out cold.
Referee Andre Marriner immediately stopped the game to allow De Gea to receive lengthy treatment before he eventually staggered glassy-eyed to his feet.
But as reserve keeper Jack Butland warmed up for his first action of the season, the United medics ruled that the Spaniard was not concussed and fit to carry on.
With Brighton threatening to cut loose after that early let-off, that looked to be quite the gamble by Ten Hag.
They were fortunate that when Mitoma wriggled through a crowd of defenders as De Gea was still recovering his senses, his shot was just the wrong side of the post.
Luke Shaw gave away the offending penalty with a handballCredit: Getty
United were left stunned by the late shockCredit: Getty
And they got lucky again when Alexis Mac Allister’s corner picked out Adam Webster for a powerful downward header which bounced straight into De Gea’s hands.
Yet it was by no means all one-way traffic and United also had more than their fair share of opportunities during an incredibly open first 45 minutes
Marcus Rashford was denied by the boot of Steele as he looked to squeeze one inside the near post and Antony’s mis-hit shot from the corner almost caught out the Brighton keeper.
Fernandes put one into Row Z from the edge of the area and Anthony Martial fired straight at Steele after being played in by Fred’s through ball.
The visitors were finding a lot of joy down Brighton’s right flank, where Moises Caceido was really struggling as a makeshift full-back.
Yet while Roberto De Zerbi’s team were wide open at the back, they were irresistible going forward as first Mac Allister and then Facundo Buonanotte were just off target from distance.
Quite how the game remained goalless after 17 first-half shots was a mystery to leave the watching Gareth Southgate scratching his head.
And the England boss would not have been impressed by Rashford’s theatrical attempts to win a penalty when he went down with barely a touch from Lewis Dunk.
Mac Allister was all smiles at the final whistleCredit: AFP
Brighton’s charge towards the Europa League rumbles onCredit: AFP
Just 11 days after these teams needed a penalty shoot-out to settle their FA Cup semi-final, there was absolutely nothing to choose between them again.
Mitoma put on the afterburners to race away from Wan-Bissaka but couldn’t get any power into his shot and Danny Welbeck had plenty of muscle but no sense of direction when he fired wide shortly after.
Casemiro, already booked for a cynical foul on Mac Allister, was fortunate to escape a second yellow when he brought down the Argentine World Cup winner again on the edge of the area.
And as tempers flared he was joined in Marriner’s notebook by Antony and Dunk for a flare-up sparked by the United winger scything down poor Mac Allister once more.
There were so many players going to ground that it was almost impossible to keep track of who was injured and who was just acting.
Mitoma drew further penalty demands when he tumbled between Wan-Bissaka and Antony but TV replays confirmed he had dived.
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It didn’t stop the furious fans from chanting: “So now you’re going to believe us, the Premier League’s corrupt.”
But no-one was complaining at the final whistle.
Prior to the goal, the highlight of the game had been a clash between Antony and Lewis DunkCredit: Reuters
The pair clashed after Antony fouled Mac AllisterCredit: Reuters More

ERLING HAALAND baffled football fans with a social media post celebrating his new Premier League record.The Manchester City striker, 22, scored his 35th league goal of the season in a 3-0 win over West Ham on Wednesday evening.
Erling Haaland scored his 35th Premier League goal of the season on WednesdayCredit: Alamy
Haaland’s social media post confused some football fansCredit: Instagram / @erling.haaland
In doing so, he surpassed Alan Shearer and Andy Cole’s record of 34 for most goals in a single Premier League campaign.
But the image Haaland decided to share to acknowledge the landmark was a confusing one.
He posted a photo of him holding three fingers up on one hand and five on the other.
The Norwegian then added the caption: “Friend: how many league goals have you scored? Me:”
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Clearly, Haaland was trying to signal 35 with his fingers.
But to some it looked as though he was bizarrely saying he had scored just eight times.
One social media user wrote: “This can be interpreted as either eight or 35.”
Another added: “Haaland believes he has only scored eight goals this season, despite scoring 51 [in all competitions] 🤖.”
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And a third hilariously replied: “It appears the robot has malfunctioned.”
Haaland has scored his 35 Premier League goals in just 31 games.
He still has five matches remaining to add to his remarkable record.
And he also has his sights set on Dixie Dean’s single-season record of 63 goals in all competitions in England.
Haaland is on 51 and will have to score 13 in Man City’s final eight games if he is to break the 95-year-old landmark. More