Manchester United still barely in top-four hunt, Sadio Mane takes centre-stage for Liverpool – Hits and misses | Football News

Man Utd return to top-four hunt in name only

What a weekend of results for Manchester United. Their two major top-four rivals lose and they move three points behind Tottenham in fourth.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story. Ralf Rangnick’s side laboured again to a 3-2 win over basement club Norwich, who had scored only 20 goals all season but could have had a hatful at Old Trafford.

Come the full-time whistle, the celebrations were muted at best and the most passionate reception was arguably reserved for Paul Pogba, who was booed loudly on his way down the tunnel.

All had not been well at United all afternoon, with protests against the Glazer ownership overshadowing the build-up to the game and a large collection of fans waiting until the 17th minute to take their seats to signify the 17 years since the Americans took control of the club.

The performance seemed the perfect reflection of their complaints – laborious and underwhelming, and all the more frustrating given the players were already aware Tottenham had handed them an opportunity by losing to Brighton in the early kick-off.

United are back in the hunt but in name only. Scraping wins over a team almost certain to be relegated will get them nowhere, and repeat performances against Liverpool and Arsenal over the next week will end their top-four charge as quickly as it has been rejuvenated.
Ron Walker

Mane takes centre stage from Salah

As the Mohamed Salah contract saga rumbles on, it is easy to forget there is another member of Liverpool’s attack with only a year remaining on his deal. Sadio Mane surely merits just as much fuss.

Saturday’s thrilling FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City was the fifth game in a row in which Salah has failed to find the net but his dip in form matters little when Mane continues to deliver performances as devastating as this.

The Senegalese international, who triumphed over his team-mate at AFCON in February before then helping his country beat Egypt again for a place at the World Cup, followed up his crucial goals against Benfica and in the Premier League against City last weekend with a match-winning double at Wembley.

His first goal rewarded his relentless work-rate as he closed down Zack Steffen and bundled the ball into the net, and he then displayed sensational technique when he guided a volley into the bottom corner from Thiago Alcantara’s lofted pass for his second.

City could not live with him, instead resorting to fouling him five times across the 90 minutes – no player won more free kicks – and he left the field to rapturous applause from the delirious Liverpool fans inside Wembley when he was withdrawn in the closing stages.

In the end, his goals kept Liverpool’s hopes of a quadruple alive. They were also a reminder that, while he may not attract as much acclaim as his fellow attacker, he is no less influential. Resolving his future must be a priority too.
Nick Wright

Man City must heed Liverpool’s Wembley warning

Manchester City’s treble hopes ran aground at Wembley Stadium on an afternoon where the Premier League leaders were comprehensively beaten on the pitch and in the stands.

Liverpool’s victory was three dimensional. A flawless performance on the pitch was inspired by the staggeringly passionate and vociferous support from their travelling fans.

Manchester City didn’t stand a chance – and did themselves no favours.

Pep Guardiola’s team selection undoubtedly contributed to Liverpool’s devastating first-half performance, with returnees Nathan Ake at fault for Ibrahima Konate’s opener, and stand-in goalkeeper gifting Sadio Mane his first and Liverpool’s second.

Guardiola pointed to fixture congestion and fatigue as reason for his pre-match alterations, but the defeat owed as much to City’s insipidness in attack in the first period as it did the errors. The Spaniard’s reluctance to turn to his bench until the 83rd minute for his one – and only – change only exacerbated City’s plight.

With the Premier League title run-in yet to unfold, and with a potential third and final instalment of City and Liverpool’s rivalry to come if both sides reach the Champions League final, this was a startling and sobering reminder of the threat Liverpool pose in one-off games, and even spells of matches.

Supported to the hilt, and capable of blowing any team in world football away, this Liverpool performance should serve as a warning to City that while they may well overcome their adversaries over the stretch of a Premier League season, discovering the sprint finish or knockout blow may be required to prevent Liverpool from getting their hands on the prizes they crave.
Jack Wilkinson

Tottenham’s long-term lesson from Brighton defeat

Perhaps come the end of the season, we’ll look back on this weekend as the moment Tottenham let Manchester United back into the top four race. The focus immediately after their defeat at home to Brighton was the prospect of Arsenal drawing level if they could win at Southampton. Some poor finishing from Mikel Arteta’s side spared Spurs from that but United are now back in the contest.

Whether this round proves to be a let-off or a costly slip-up, Antonio Conte was keen for his Tottenham players to learn their lesson.

“Once you reach a good position in the table you have to try to keep this position,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for us to cope with pressure. When you’re [in a team that’s] winning the league you have to cope with pressure from other results and this is a good opportunity for these players, who needed these kinds of exams for improvement.”

For Conte, it’s about building the blocks of experience for this Tottenham team to achieve greater things in the future. After all, this is a manager who is more accustomed to fighting for titles than fighting for fourth.

The mistake they made on Saturday, he said, was being too anxious to push for victory in the final stages – and leaving the space for Leandro Trossard to grab a late winner at the other end. Playing in the lunchtime kick-off, Spurs’ players felt the pressure to put down a marker before their rivals kicked off.

“A lesson we can learn today is that there are games that if you’re not able to win, you’re not to lose,” said Conte. “It was very clear that today wasn’t our day. I understand we want to try to get three points before our other rivals for the race in the Champions League but sometimes we need to feel.”

There are plenty more twists in this top-four race to come and every point will count.
Peter Smith

Brighton back to their best

“Forty points with six games to go. Not so bad considering it was Armageddon three games ago!” Graham Potter took enjoyment in Brighton’s return to form in his press conference following the win over Tottenham. There was a dig at the critics who point to their struggles to score goals, too.

After a long, bizarre and perhaps tricky to understand run of one win in 13 matches (inside 90 minutes), Brighton have two in two from doing a north London double over Arsenal and Spurs. Watching them up close in both matches, it’s hard to believe how a team so well organised could have had such an awful streak.

At the back, they prevented a Spurs side, which had scored at least twice in each of their last seven, from having a single shot on target. Lewis Dunk did an excellent job in limiting Harry Kane’s involvement. Ahead of him in midfield, Yves Bissouma was superb, with and without the ball.

It’s in the final third where Brighton have had their biggest struggles this season – as referenced by Potter – but with a slick drop of the shoulder and prod into the bottom corner, Leandro Trossard came up with the moment of quality to deliver a first win at Spurs since 1981.

A historic goal and perhaps a historic performance. There was talk in the press room afterwards from long-time Brighton watchers that it may have been their best display since they came up to the Premier League. Potter’s view was it was certainly a step up from their display at Arsenal.

However you want to rank it, Brighton have ridden through the tough moments this season and have come out the other side with two significant wins. They’re back to their best and a strong finish to the season beckons.
Peter Smith

Faltering Arsenal fail to capitalise on opportunity for fourth

When questions were being asked of Antonio Conte’s position at Tottenham following a 1-0 loss to relegation-threatened Burnley in February, very few people would have predicted the standings would now favour Spurs in the race for fourth place.

With six games to play – seven for Arsenal – Spurs hold the fourth and final Champions League spot, but only because teams around them have proceeded to crumble just as they have found some renewed form.

Arsenal have wasted chances against Crystal Palace, Brighton and now Southampton to wrestle ascendency in the battle for a top-four finish – it’s as if they no longer want it.

Mikel Arteta conceded that his side’s form is a ‘worry’ entering the backend of a defining campaign for the Gunners – with this being their third run of three straight defeats under the Spaniard.

What’s worse is they have now opened the door to Manchester United. What was a two-horse race is now three.

A season that promised so much is unravelling quickly for Arsenal, who now need a result from Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to restore some conviction in their Champions League bid.

Arteta’s praise of Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was merited – he kept Saints in the game – but Arsenal did not do enough to dissolve the stopper’s purpose.

Undoubtedly, there will be further surprises in the race for fourth, but what’s certain is that if Arsenal don’t improve swiftly, it will not be them playing Champions League football in 2022/23.
Laura Hunter