IMAGE: Manchester United moved into fourth place on the EPL table with a 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
A transformed Manchester United kicked off interim manager Michael Carrick’s second stint in charge with an exhilarating 2-0 derby day defeat of Manchester City in the Premier League at a vibrant Old Trafford on Saturday.
Carrick’s attack-minded side swept away the gloom hanging over the club with second-half goals by Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu underlining their dominance of a disappointing City whose title hopes suffered a crushing blow.
Mbeumo, just back from Africa Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon, finished sweetly in the 65th minute and Dorgu got on the end of Matheus Cunha’s cross to put the home fans in dreamland 10 minutes later.
But for a superb display by City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and three disallowed goals, United would have enjoyed a far greater margin of victory while the visitors barely threatened as goal machine Erling Haaland hardly got a look-in.
Not only was it a humbling loss for City against their cross-town rivals, it put a huge dent in their hopes of reeling in Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
Instead of closing the gap at the top to a manageable three points they could find themselves nine adrift if Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest later on Saturday.
For United it was the perfect start to Carrick’s tenure as they moved provisionally into fourth place.
Chelsea beat Brentford 2-0 in manager Rosenior’s league debut
IMAGE: Chelsea’s Joao Pedro scores their first goal against Brentford. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
New Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior oversaw a 2-0 win for the Blues over west London rivals Brentford in his first Premier League match since taking charge at Stamford Bridge, settled by a Joao Pedro strike and a Cole Palmer penalty.
After a run of nine league games with only one win – most of which was under former coach Enzo Maresca who left the club on January 1 – Rosenior had to watch as Brentford wasted a string of chances.
It was Chelsea who found the net, however, when Pedro turned and fired a bullet shot into the top corner of Caoimhin Kelleher’s net in the 26th minute.
Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after Kelleher failed to control the ball and tripped substitute Liam Delap.
The win pushed Chelsea up to sixth in the table, leapfrogging Brentford who had been unbeaten in six games.
Liverpool pay the penalty as Burnley draw extends winless run
IMAGE: Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz celebrates with teammates after scoring against Burnley. Photograph: Peter Powell/Reuters
A Florian Wirtz strike was cancelled out by Marcus Edwards as Liverpool were left ruing a missed penalty by Dominik Szoboszlai in a 1-1 draw with lowly Burnley, the hosts’ fourth Premier League stalemate in a row.
Liverpool dominated possession and had 11 shots on target while Burnley had one, but the champions now sit seven points below the top three.
Waves of attacks kept 19th-placed Burnley’s backline pinned deep in the first half and Liverpool could have led when Cody Gakpo was brought down by Florentino Luis, but Szoboszlai’s spot-kick rattled the crossbar.
Sustained pressure paid off in the 42nd minute, however, when Hugo Ekitike scampered into the box and his close-range shot bounced off the keeper before reaching Curtis Jones who set up Wirtz to finish, as the German scored his fourth goal in his last six appearances.
Liverpool almost doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Wirtz found Gakpo who beat the keeper, but was denied by Bashir Humphreys’ goalline clearance.
Sloppy defending almost cost the hosts, with Ibrahima Konate nearly scoring an own goal trying to intercept a cross from Edwards, but keeper Alisson Becker palmed it away.
The home fans’ relief was short-lived, however, as Burnley levelled after 65 minutes when Edwards broke into the box chasing a through ball and fired home.
Liverpool pushed forward and Ekitike found the net in the 77th minute with a close-range finish but the strike was disallowed for offside, and the ball had also hit the French forward’s hand.
Late substitute Alexis Mac Allister wasted the chance to net a winner for Liverpool when he shot wide from 15 yards out, before he blocked Jaidon Anthony’s added-time attempt at the other end to keep the score at 1-1.
Liverpool visit Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday and Burnley, winless in their last 13 English top-flight matches, host Tottenham Hotspur next Saturday.
