Premier League

ERIK TEN HAG insisted the Manchester United fans were firmly behind his team – despite more protests against the Glazer family ownership.Man Utd defeated Aston Villa 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bruno Fernandes.
Erik ten Hag has had his saw on fan protestsCredit: EPA
Protests occurred outside Old Trafford aimed at the Glazer familyCredit: Reuters
United fans want the Glazer to sell their entire share of the clubCredit: Reuters
But ahead of the game against Unai Emery’s side, around 1000 supporters gathered in the city centre and marched towards Old Trafford.
The 1958 Group asked those involved to wait outside for the first 18 minutes – to signify the 18 years under the ownership of the Americans.
At full-time Ten Hag picked up a green and gold scarf that had been thrown from the stands – and waved it at supporters.
Those colours have traditionally been worn by United fans as part of the protests as a nod to the origins and values of United.
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Supporters hope the Glazer ownership could soon be coming to an end as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatar based Sheikh Jassim battle to buy the club.
But there are fresh concerns the family could stay on with a minority stake – particularly if Ratcliffe’s Ineos bid is successful.
Asked if the protests had affected his team, Ten Hag said: “We felt the fans were behind us.
“We have to focus to be successful because that’s what the fans expect, they have to rely on us, we will focus on that.
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“When we keep performances like we do all season the fans are behind us, there’s lot of energy, a strong.”
Man Utd face Brighton next in a repeat of the FA Cup semi-final before an away trip to West Ham next weekend.
They will be hoping to tighten their grip on a top four finish with Liverpool currently in fifth.
They are nine points behind the Red Devils. More

VIRGIL VAN DIJK was brutally mocked by football fans after falling over in the build-up to Tottenham’s goal against Liverpool.The Netherlands international, 31, came across to cover Ivan Perisic’s run down the left flank with Jurgen Klopp’s men already 3-0 up.
Ivan Perisic was faced with getting past Virgil van Dijk on the left-hand sideCredit: Sky Sports

One smart touch from the Croatian sent Van Dijk falling to the floorCredit: bein sports
But as Perisic prepared to try and take on Van Dijk, the Reds defender lost his balance and hit the floor.
The Croatian wing-back then picked out Harry Kane in the middle and the England captain tucked the ball away on the volley to pull one back for Spurs.
And social media was not in a forgiving mood as they reacted to the moment.
Sky Sports released the clip alongside the caption: “Perisic sent Van Dijk for a hot dog 👀😵‍💫.”
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In response, one fan said: “Oh my god, what happened to Virgil 😭?”
While another added: “I just couldn’t control myself with laughter 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 VIRGIL VAN MAGUIRE.
“Lol and he is apparently a better CB than Vidic was 🤣🤣🤣🤣.”
And a third replied: “That’s actually uncomfortable to watch.”
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The calamitous moment was also compared to Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip against Chelsea back in 2014 – an unfortunate mistake which proved costly in Liverpool’s Premier League title bid.
After Van Dijk’s fall, one ruthless social media user said: “Steven Gerrard would be proud.”
Van Dijk has been sensational for Liverpool since arriving from Southampton for £75million in 2018.
But his form has been called into question on several occasions this season as Klopp’s men have struggled in several departments. More

FURIOUS Leeds fans chanted “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” at their own players after being humiliated at Bournemouth. Javi Gracia’s side lost 4-1 to leave the club one point above the relegation zone.

Leeds fans were left raging at their players after their loss to BournemouthCredit: Reuters
Leeds players were told they “are not fit to wear the shirt”Credit: Reuters
Leeds players went over to clap their travelling fans at the end of the game to thank them for their support.
However, they were greeted with jeers and the demoralising chant, which was also sung before the final whistle.
The Leeds faithful also shouted and swore at their players as anger boiled over.
Many took to social media to vent their frustration with some using words like “toxic” to describe the atmosphere around the club.
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More claimed that the defeat to the Cherries was the team’s “final nail in the coffin”.
Leeds are in the midst of a horror run of form, which has seen them fail to win their last five games.
And they have suffered heavy defeats of late against the likes of Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Arsenal.
In their last seven outings, they have conceded an eye-watering 23 goals.
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Leeds face a tough run-in with clashes against Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham left to come.
As for Bournemouth, the win saw them jump to 13th in the table, ten points clear of the drop zone to make them effectively safe.
Gary O’Neill’s men did a lap of honour after the win and their fans chanted “we are staying up”. More

ERIK TEN HAG heaped praise on Bruno Fernandes after he switched to the right-hand side in Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa.The Red Devils boss, 53, made the decision to put Fernandes, 28, on the flank and play Marcel Sabitzer through the middle behind Marcus Rashford.
Erik ten Hag praised Fernandes for his performanceCredit: PA
And the plan worked as Fernandes produced a number of dangerous crosses which troubled the Villa defence.
He also bundled the ball home from a right-sided position, following up Rashford’s effort to give United a first-half lead.
It proved to be the only goal of the game – Fernandes’ 11th of the season – with Man Utd taking a huge step towards securing a top-four place.
And Ten Hag was glowing in his post-match assessment.
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Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “A good three points but I think an impressive performance from Manchester United. We were magnificent on the ball, had good possesion and pressed well.
“In the second half you want to go 2-0 ahead but we didn’t so it’s always going to be a tough finish.
“[Victor Lindelof] played brilliant. He was totally in control in the area around [Ollie] Watkins.
“Bruno [Fernandes] had another great game. The plan was to play him from the right to make runs behind and he did that so well. I think our plan worked very well.”
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United now sit seven points clear of fifth-place Liverpool having played one game fewer.
Their run-in contains games against Brighton, West Ham, Wolves, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Fulham.
They then face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on June 3.
And Ten Hag is happy with the position his side find themselves in heading into the final month of the season.
He added: “We look from game to game and next we have Brighton so we need to work hard again.
“We need to show passion again and not worry about the table.
“We are totally in control [in the race for top four], it’s all about us and it’s in our hands.”
Fernandes’ form has improved significantly in recent monthsCredit: Getty More

TOTTENHAM fans have been chanting “we want our money back” following the team’s abysmal start against Liverpool.The club’s travelling fans were refunded after the shocking defeat to Newcastle that saw them concede five goals in the opening 21 minutes of the game earlier this month.
Tottenham found themselves 3-0 down after 15 minutes against LiverpoolCredit: Getty
Some fans started demanding another refundCredit: @footballdaily
While others left before the 20 minute markCredit: Reuters
Daniel Levy watched on looking unimpressedCredit: @footballdaily
And against Liverpool, the team started just as catastrophically.
Curtis Jones opened the scoring in under three minutes as he converted from a brilliant Trent Alexander-Arnold cross.
Luis Diaz then added to the misery as he made it two in the 5th minute with a smart finish at the near post.
Mohamed Salah then compounded the pain on the travelling Spurs fans after he converted from the spot to make it 3-0 after a quarter of an hour.
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And fans had had enough after the thrid as some started to chant that they want their “money back”.
Commentator and pundit Gary Neville joked that the Tottenham stars will have to set up a direct debit to refund the fans.
He said: “They might as well set up a Direct Debit to the fans.”
With the team trailing so heavily after a shot amount of time, some Spurs fans were spotted leaving before the clock hit 20 minutes.
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Club chairman Daniel Levy was also seen at Anfield watching on as the team was being torn apart.
And fans on social media were quick to poke fun at Spurs.
One tweeted: “Tottenham fans are thinking ‘not again”‘😳💭.”
A second commented: “When you’re [Daniel Levy] trying to calculate how many millions of quid that ticket refunds are going to cost you this season.”
A third wrote: “Might be a second Spurs refund in a week.😂😂.”
A fourth said: “Leaving 15 mins in after travelling from London all the way to Liverpool is wild.”
While a fifth added: “Going to the pub, they have the right idea. Weird to stay tbh.”
Curtis Jones opened the scoring in the 3rd minuteCredit: Reuters
Luis Diaz made it 2-0 two minutes laterCredit: AFP
Mohamed Salah converted a penalty to make it 3-0Credit: AP More

SOME Tottenham fans appeared to decide enough was enough and left Anfield just 15 minutes into the clash against Liverpool.Goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah saw Spurs trail 3-0 within 15 minutes.
Some Tottenham fans appeared to leave just 15 minutes into the gameCredit: Reuters
And a number of furious Tottenham fans were seen leaving their seats when Salah struck from the spot.
Jones initially put the Reds ahead with just three minutes on the clock, volleying home a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, before Diaz added a second two minutes later.
Salah then converted from 12 yards after Cristian Romero brought down Cody Gakpo in the box.
The third goal prompted some fans to head for the exits with the game only 15 minutes old.
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It comes the week after some supporters left St. James’ Park early last week during the 6-1 hammering at the hands of Newcastle.
Tottenham refunded the fans who made the long trip to Tyneside to watch the game.
And Gary Neville joked on commentary for Sky Sports that the club would have to set up a “direct debit” to supporters after going 3-0 down at Anfield.
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More to follow…
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MANCHESTER UNITED took a huge step towards securing a top four finish with a narrow win over one of their nearest rivals.They were grateful for a towering defensive display from Victor Lindelof who kept Aston Villa’s in-form Ollie Watkins and the visitors forwards quiet.
Victor Lindelof made a goal-saving clearanceCredit: PA
Christian Eriksen did not put his best performance in versus Aston VillaCredit: Getty
Here’s how SunSport rated the performances in the 1-0 win.
DAVID DE GEA: 6
Shanked one of his early pass but dashed out in the second half to calmly head the ball away from danger. Might have expected to be busier against an in-form Villa side but did what he had to do well enough. 6
DIOGO DALOT: 7
Moved over to the right and looked more comfortable there. Cleared one off line in the first half when under pressure from Watkins. Managed to keep Ramsey and the Villa forwards down his flank quiet. 7
VICTOR LINDELOF: 9
Superb performance. Vital header to prevent a certain goal for Watkins. Great tackle to deflect Ramsey’s shot over the bar. Headed one off the line late on from Luiz although it might not have counted anyway. 9
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LUKE SHAW: 7
Stepped in with Maguire injured at centre back – his England team-mate was only on the bench. Formed a decent partnership with Lindelof to keep in-form Watkins quiet and ensure injured pair Varane and Martinez are not missed too much. 7
TYRELL MALACIA: 7
Nice pass to Rashford early on but the forward was denied by Martinez. Great tackle on McGinn when the Villa man was poised to shoot. Gave away a late free-kick that could have proved costly. 7
CASEMIRO: 8
Curled shot against bar after good work by Sancho. Low shot from 20 yards in second half had Martinez scrambling but drifted just wide.  United look a much more stable team with the Brazilian in the team.  8
MARCEL SABITZER: 6
Volley over bar early on when he should have hit the target. Influence on the game started to wane in the second half and he was sacrificed late on to get the extra defender on in Maguire. 6
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CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN: 6
Disappointing cross when he raced clear and had options. Dragged a shot well wide just afterwards. Had been bright early on but he fizzled out and ten Hag threw on Fred late on to give his team more legs. 6
JADON SANCHO: 6
Some nice touches but not much of an end product from the England man. Twisted and turned his way into United box early in second half but passed up opportunities to shoot and the chance was gone. 6

BRUNO FERNANDES: 7
Cross shot almost caught out Martinez – was on hand to pounce when Martinez made a mess of Rashford’s tame shot. Celebrated in front of the Villa fans as he rammed their taunts back down their throat. 7
MARCUS RASHFORD: 7
Low effort saved by Martinez. Played his part in the opener but would have been disappointed with connection that was spilled by the Villa keeper. Felt he should have had a pen when he was bundled over by Chambers. 7
Substitutes
FRED for Eriksen 75 – came on to calm things down and got booked for time-wasting 6
ANTONY for Sancho 75 –  Fluffed a late chance to make the game safe. 6
MARTIAL for Rashford 86 – Not much time to make any impact. 6
MAGUIRE for Sabitzer 86 – Got a couple of important clearances in as United held firm. 6
Bruno Fernandes score the crucial goal in the gameCredit: Getty More