Premier League

RASMUS HOJLUND was spotted berating Manchester United teammate Andre Onana during Sunday’s clash at Fulham.The Red Devils made the trip to Craven Cottage for a rarely-seen 7pm kick-off.Rasmus Hojlund berated Andre Onana early on in Man Utd’s clash at FulhamCredit: APHojlund was not pleased with Onana’s distributionCredit: ReutersRuben Amorim named a strong XI as he looked to bounce back from United’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton last week.But there was plenty of tension on the pitch just minutes into the clash.Hojlund led the line for the visitors as he looked to muscle his way past Fulham defenders Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey.The tactic saw goalkeeper Onana attempt to launch long balls into United’s Danish striker.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHowever, one kick from Onana fell painfully short and instead put his side under pressure from Fulham.It saw Hojlund berate the stopper for attempting the pass.And fans could not resist reacting online.One said: “Hojlund having a go at Onana for that lofted pass. He has a point as he hardly ever wins those duels.”Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSAnother declared: “Hojlund barking at Onana’s s**t distribution lol.”One noted: “Hojlund in attack and Onana trying to progress the ball through long balls. 4 failed attempts in opening 5 mins, when will we learn?”Antony leaves Man Utd with more yellow cards than goals as £86m Ten Hag flop goes down as one of worst transfers everAnother boomed: “Every ball has resulted in a loss of possession. How do we stop doing this?”One chortled: “This is ridiculous, Onana to Hojlund and it’s just gone every single f*****g time. Stop it.”Another added: “Someone tell Onana not to go long with Hojlund as our 9.”A late deflected goal from Lisandro Martinez saw Man Utd secure a priceless 1-0 away win to relieve some pressure on boss Amorim.MAN UTD PLAYER RATINGS: Maguire puts in superb defensive display but Garnacho caught running into blind alleysMANCHESTER UNITED secured a hard-fought three points against Fulham.Lisandro Martinez’s deflected strike proved to be the difference in what was the Red Devils’ only shot on target all game.Harry Maguire impressed but Alejandro Garnacho once again failed to impress in what could have been his Man Utd farewell amid rumours linking him with Napoli and Chelsea.Here is how SunSport rated the individual performances.Andre Onana – 7Good save low down to his left to keep out an Alex Iwobi shot early doors.Other than that he was barely tested but no glaring errors mean it is a step in the right direction for the Red Devils No1.Diogo Dalot – 6Had a difficult time in the first half up against Iwobi who was Fulham’s main attacking threat.Switched to the left flank in the second half and supported Garnacho without posing much of a threat.Matthijs de Ligt – 8Another strong showing at the back from the Dutchman. Without his support for Dalot, Fulham may have created a goal down United’s right-hand side.Harry Maguire – 9A superb defensive display from the England star who has been one of United’s best players since Amorim took charge.Pulled off a brilliant header at the back post to deny Rodrigo Muniz a certain goal.Lisandro Martinez – 8Superb last-ditch tackle to prevent Emile Smith Rowe from shooting as he burst through on goal.His goal had a big slice of luck as it was deflected past Bernd Leno but credit to him for having the audacity to shoot.Noussair Mazraoui – 7Solid at the back and tried to get forward when he could. United looked more balance with him on the left and Dalot on the right, although the pair swapped at half-time.Manuel Ugarte – 6Showed some nice touches and was a bit of a menace in the middle – in a positive and negative sense. Kept a close eye on Smith Rowe and allowed him no time on the ball.Booked for a foul on Adama Traore and was taken off shortly afterwards with an injury.Bruno Fernandes – 5Not at his best. Barely saw the ball in the first half and was not very effective when he did get it.Amad Diallo – 6Looked bright on the ball and United’s only real outlet going forward.He worked tirelessly and pressed really well – his hard work paid off when he found the back of the net in stoppage time but his effort was chalked off.Alejandro Garnacho – 3Was cautious on the ball and ran into blind alleys too often. Final ball let him down on the rare occasion he did manage to beat a defender.Rasmus Hojlund – 4His hold up play is nowhere near good enough for this system or for a club like United.He was too gung-ho at times and his erratic nature meant linking up with Amad and Garnacho proved difficult.Hauled off before the hour mark which says it all about his performance.Subs:Leny Yoro (for De Ligt, 58mins) – 6A more assured display given his shaky start to life in the Premier League.Joshua Zirkzee (for Hojlund, 58mins) – 5Like Hojlund he had a difficult time holding the ball up but United improved with him on the pitch.Toby Collyer (for Ugarte, 76mins ) – 6Solid display again from the youngster who was often in the right position to clear, including one on the line to stop a Joachim Andersen header from going in.Kobbie Mainoo (for Garnacho, 80mins) – 6Provided energy in midfield and shored things up alongside Collyer.A brilliant one-two with Amad set up the winger to score before VAR ruled Amad offside.Tyrell Malacia (for Mazraoui, 80mins) – 6Brought on in an unfamiliar right wing-back role but did what was needed to see out the clean sheet. 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ASTON VILLA’S Champions League curse continued as they remained winless in their last SIX games on their return from European action.Emerson’s headed equaliser cancelled out Jacob Ramsey’s first half opener to make it three home draws and three away defeats on the back of their Euro exploits.Emerson Palmieri’s equaliser saw West Ham draw 1-1 at Aston VillaCredit: PAJacob Ramsey netted Villa’s opener early on but the hosts couldn’t hold out for victoryCredit: GettyBut it could have been so much worse if Tomas Soucek hadn’t strayed offside to deny the Hammers a stoppage time winner.In the end a draw was a fair result as Villa dominated the first half, only to suffer an injury blow to Tyrone Mings, which left them having to play Lucas Digne as a makeshift centre half.Happily Mings later returned to the bench with a smile on his face. But it wasn’t as big as Graham Potter’s after his Hammers earned a valuable away point.Villa were without the inspirational presence of their manager Unai Emery for this one.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe Spaniard was sentenced to sit on the naughty step in the stand after collecting his third booking of the season against Arsenal last weekend.But the first observations he had to scribble into his notebook were positive ones as his side stormed into an early lead.Emery only made one change to the side which lost in Monaco on Tuesday- but it turned out to be an inspired one as Jacob Ramsey replaced Emi Buendia.Because the local boy came good after eight minutes to fire his side in front.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSBoubacar Kamara rolled the ball into his path and the 23-year-old drove forward and played a neat one-two with Ollie Watkins.Then, from inside the Hammers box, he expertly held off Vladimir Coufal and placed a perfectly timed left-footer beyond Alphonse Areola into the far corner.Ex-West Ham Technical Director Tim Steidten explains the clubs recruitment process It was the midfielder’s first Premier League goal of the season and his first since he scored in a 6-1 win over Brighton way back in September 2023.It also brought up a major milestone for Ollie Watkins, whose assist clocked up his 100th Premier League goal involvement for Villa on his 200th Villa appearance.That took Watkins’ tally to 69 goals and 31 assists in 169 Premier League outings – the fewest games of any player since Kevin De Bruyne achieved the feat in 155 matches in July 2020.  Encouraged by their speedy start, Villa surged forward in search of a second.Kamara had a shot charged down by Edson Alvarez and it wasn’t long before Villa had the ball in the net again – only to have it ruled out for offside.Watkins appeared to have drifted just beyond the Hammers’ backline when he collected beyond the back post.He pulled the ball back for Morgan Rogers to tap home but the flag went up and VAR confirmed Watkins was indeed offside.Ramsey just needed several minutes to fire Villa aheadCredit: GettyThe home side were hoping to make up for their Champions League defeat to MonacoCredit: GettyAs West Ham wobbled Leon Bailey cut inside and let fly with a shot that Areola did well to save.But the Hammers steadied the ship and Alvarez crashed a shot off Tyrone Mings before the visitors’ had an optimistic claim for a penalty.Tomas Soucek headed Aaron Cresswell’s corner towards goal and it did strike Youri Tielemans’ arm.But the Belgian had kept his limb tight to his chest and VAR agreed with ref Peter Bankes that no offence had taken place.Villa then suffered a huge injury blow just before the half hour when Tyrone Mings went down clutching his left knee following a block tackle with Mo Kudus.Villa Park held its breath as Mings writhed in agony, with memories flooding back of the ACL injury at the start of last season which kept him out for over a year.At least this was not the right knee he damaged so severely then but, after trying to soldier on for a few minutes, Mings signalled to the bench that he had to come off.Emerson equalised with a powerful headerCredit: PAWest Ham cranked the pressure but couldn’t find a winnerCredit: GettyHe trudged up the touchline shirt covering his face to hide his anguish and he was consoled by subs John McGinn and his former teammate Danny Ings as Ian Maatsen came on to replace him.Lucas Digne was forced to play as a stop-gap centre-half and suddenly the Hammers smelled blood.The Frenchman was at the centre of a VAR red card check on the stroke of half-time after elbowing Paqueta in the ribs.But Digne escaped without punishment as Paqueta made a meal of it, although Tielemans did earn a booking for an earlier foul on the Brazilian.West Ham looked a different side after the break as Aaron Wan-Bissaka terrorised Villa’s makeshift defence with a string of superb crosses from the right.From one, Emerson kept the ball alive but Paqueta stabbed his shot wide on the turn.Digne swept a free-kick over from a promising position before Martinez dropped a cross under pressure and Soler’s shot was brilliantly blocked by Ezri Konsa on the line.Graham Potter was pleased to get a point on the roadCredit: ReutersUnai Emery watched from the stands as he served a suspensionCredit: ReutersEmery had seen enough and sent on West Ham’s favourite target Jhon Duran along with new signing Donyell Malen for Watkins and Bailey.Graham Potter was on the brink of making a couple of subs himself but was relieved he didn’t as one of his targets, Emerson, pulled his side level.Alvarez launched a deep cross and Emerson ghosted in at the back post to power his header beyond Martinez.It was no more than the Hammers deserved and they went for the kill.Wan-Bissaka drilled in a low cross which found no takers then sub Danny Ings fired inches wide.Alvarez was lucky to avoid a red card after avoiding a second yellow for a body check on Kamara – and was withdrawn second later by a relieved Potter.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe game raged into seven minutes of stoppage time and West Ham thought they had sneaked a win at the end when Martinez spilled sub Andy Irving’s shot and Soucek squared for Paqueta to tap home.But Potters’ wild celebrations were cut short as Soucek was clearly offside when the initial shot was struck. 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ANGE POSTECOGLOU is set for a massive payout if Tottenham decide to sack him.The Australian’s future is in huge doubt after Spurs lost for the sixth time in their last seven matches on Sunday.Ange Postecoglou is set for a tasty payout if he is sacked by SpursCredit: ReutersThe Londoners were beaten 2-1 at home by lowly Leicester, who themselves were on a seven-game losing streak.Tottenham were booed off the pitch by their fans, who have now witnessed eight defeats in the previous 10 games.And Postecoglou gave a sheepish wave as he left the pitch before trudging down the tunnel.The Aussie’s boss Daniel Levy now has a huge decision to make.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLOn the one hand, Tottenham are potentially facing a relegation battle if their losing streak in the league continues.On the other, Spurs are 1-0 up in their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool and could land a first trophy since 2008.Should Levy decide to sack Postecoglou though, it is sure to cost him a pretty penny.Former Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness told the Inside Track podcast that Big Ange is earning £5million-a-year on a four-year deal.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSAnd with Postecoglou only being 18 months through it, Levy would have to shell out £12m to get rid of him right now.The former Celtic boss now faces an anxious wait to see if he will take charge of the next match against IF Elfsborg.Ange Postecoglou’s press conference interrupted by coughing fit amid Tottenham crisis When asked if he reckons he’ll still be in a job next month, Postecoglou said: “Who knows. I reckon there is probably a fair chunk that will say no. “When you are the manager of a football club you can be very vulnerable and isolated. I don’t feel that.”I feel like this group of players are giving everything for the club. I have a group of staff that is really committed. I focus on that.”Big Ange added: “I have felt all along that the players are still very committed to what we’re doing. “That’s important to me, because I firmly believe in it.“This is as low as we’ve been so far this year but I still think that in these last three months we can do something really special and these players believe that.” More

TYRONE MINGS broke down in tears after being forced off with another knee injury.The Aston Villa star went down in severe pain after a tackle from West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus.Tyrone Mings left the pitch in tears after injuring his kneeThe Aston Villa star has suffered two ACL injuries beforeMings initially went down and looked in severe pain following a coming together with Mo KudusCredit: RexThe England star previously called his time out injured as ‘awful’Credit: GettyMings appeared to twist his knee and could be seen grimacing to leave fans fearing the worst.He bravely tried to solider on to the delight of supporters inside Villa Park, who cheered as he attempted to run off the pain.But Mings could not continue, catching the ball when bursting into a brief sprint just minutes after re-entering the action.The 31-year-old then trudged off the field in tears and was consoled by his team-mates.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLMings has had horrible luck with injuries in recent years, sustaining two severe ACL tears in his career.His first took 473 days to recover from and occurred when he was a Bournemouth player in 2015.The next saw him out for 445 days and the devastating injury was picked up for Villa in 2023.While sidelined, the 18-time capped England international suffered from a condition known as muscle atrophy, which is the decrease in the size of muscle tissue due to a lack of physical activity.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSIt made his right leg look far slimmer than his left and led to him flying to the USA for rehabilitation. Mings reportedly underwent several surgeries and feared his career was over at one point.On his journey back to fitness, he said: “It was awful, absolutely awful.”Fans left shocked by Tyrone Mings’ body transformation after ACL injury led to severe leg muscle wastage More

EAGLE-EYED fans spotted Yoane Wissa’s “distraction technique” as Bryan Mbeumo converted a penalty after VAR drama.It took 66 minutes for the deadlock to be broken by Brentford in their London derby against Crystal Palace.Bryan Mbeumo missed his initial spot-kick but was given a retakeCredit: PAMarc Guehi was judged to have encroached by entering the DCredit: Sky SportsYoane Wissa started celebrating before Mbeumo took the shot on his second attemptMbeumo has now scored all nine of his Prem penaltiesCredit: ReutersThe Bees were awarded a penalty and Mbeumo stepped up – only to see his initial spot-kick hit the post and then be cleared by Marc Guehi.But the Palace skipper was judged to have encroached into the box before the effort was taken following a VAR check.Mbeumo was allowed to retake his penalty and he stepped up again, sending Dean Henderson the wrong way.His team-mate Wissa did not lose any belief in him despite his initial miss, having the confidence to start celebrating before he took his shot.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFans noticed the striker running off to the Brentford fans in the away end with his arms up while Mbeumo coolly jogged up to the spot.Wissa avoided looking silly with his “distraction technique” as Mbeumo found a way beyond Dean Henderson at the second time of asking.Kevin Schade then headed home Brentford’s second before debutant Romain Esse got a consolation for Palace.On a wringing wet and damp afternoon in South London, the goals completed a first league double for the Bees over Palace for 69 years.Most read in FootballIt was the first time Palace had lost since a 5-1 thumping by Arsenal on December 21 and boss Oliver Glasner could only stand by the side of the dugout and sigh in the rain.One point and one place in the table separated these two London clubs pre-game, so it was clearly going to be a tight affair between two evenly-matched sides.But at least they are both looking upwards this season and, for the time being, not behind their shoulders like many had anticipated.Brentford’s No.1 Mark Flekken has made 101 saves in the Premier League this term, the most of any goalkeeper.And the stopper recorded 102nd when he brilliantly palmed away a stinging shot from Frenchman Jean-Philippe Mateta.Conditions were extremely tough, with driving rain straight from kick-off and for most of the afternoon, and a slippery surface underfoot.It meant that timing tackles was imperative, something that Bees centre-back Nathan Collins did to perfection when he managed to nick the ball off Eberechi Eze on 35 minutes with a sliding interception.It was a recovery tackle of the highest quality and though many drenched Palace fans screamed for a penalty, it was anything but that.In the second half, Palace needed Eze to take more control and assert his talent on this occasion.After being brought down recklessly by Vitaly Janelt, the English winger saw his free-kick deflect off the left hip of Sepp Van Den Berg and off the post with Flekken stranded.Brentford were awarded a penalty after Maxence Lacroix caught the shins of Collins but it came seconds after Will Hughes had been lucky not to be penalised for handball.For the first penalty, Mbeumo did a stop-start run-up but his left-footed strike hit the post and was then cleared by quick-thinking Guehi.However, VAR’s Darren England had noticed encroachment by Guehi before the effort was taken by Mbeumo.The Cameroonian forward made no mistake the next time, firing into the other part of the goal and cupping his hand to his ear as he ran off to the section of Brentford fans.It was his 14th league goal of the season and further showed why clubs are looking to sign him up this summer – if not before the February deadline day.Wissa was so confident his mate would score he was celebrating with both arms aloft before the spot-kick had even been taken.“F*** VAR” chanted the Palace fans but in this instance they had few complaints.Things got worse for them when Schade latched on to Mikkel Damsgaard’s delivery from the right but after making the connection, he also clashed with Richards.Both men, dazed and confused, felt the full impact of the collision and were rightly subbed off.READ MORE SUN STORIESPalace made it an interesting finale when substitute Esse scored on 85 minutes, converting at the back post when Daniel Munoz played it across goal from an Eze cross.With nine minutes allocated for stoppage time, Brentford had to maintain their concentration but while Collins did give away a silly free-kick with minutes to go, Palace did not have the ability to capitalise.Kevin Schade headed in Brentford’s secondCredit: GettyRomain Esse scored off the bench on his debutCredit: Getty More