Man Utd claim League Cup triumph after beating Newcastle at Wembley – Newstrends
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Man Utd claim League Cup triumph after beating Newcastle at Wembley

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Manchester United have won their first trophy since 2017, with the Red Devils beating fellow Premier League outfit Newcastle United 2-0 in the final of the EFL Cup at Wembley on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the match, Manchester United’s last piece of silverware had been the Europa League six years ago.

But a two-goal success over the Magpies secured Erik ten Hag’s first trophy since arriving as head coach last summer.

Newcastle were searching for their first piece of major silverware since 1955, but Eddie Howe’s side found themselves two goals down at the interval, with Casemiro making the breakthrough before Marcus Rashford had a shot deflected past Loris Karius by Sven Botman.

Man United co-owner Avram Glazer was in attendance at Wembley amid the ongoing speculation surrounding the ownership of the club, who are still on for a quadruple this season due to their presence in the FA Cup and Europa League.

Rashford was named in the starting XI despite concerns over an injury that he picked up against Barcelona in the Europa League, while Diogo Dalot and Antony came into the side following Thursday’s European counter with the La Liga leaders.

Newcastle’s headline team news involved their goalkeeper, with Karius making his debut for the club and first competitive appearance in 728 days due to Nick Pope (suspended) and Martin Dubravka (ineligible) both being unavailable.

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A lively start in the English capital saw both teams commit players forward in early attacks, with Rashford and Antony bright for Man United, while Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron were involved for the magpies.

Dalot picked up the game’s first yellow card for hacking Saint-Maximin to the ground in the ninth minute, leaving the Portugal international in a difficult situation with a lot of football left to play.

The first chance of the match came for Wout Weghorst in the 13th minute when he worked some space inside the Newcastle box, but the on-loan Man United striker could not find a route past Karius.

Another half-chance came for the Red Devils in the 15th minute when Dalot delivered a dangerous low cross into the Newcastle box, but Fabian Schar just about did enough to make the clearance, before Karius comfortably kept out an effort from Antony.

Man United goalkeeper David de Gea made a big save to keep out a low strike from Saint-Maximin in the 32nd minute after a low Sean Longstaff cross had caused problems inside the Red Devils penalty box.

Ten Hag’s side took the lead in the 33rd minute of the contest, though, with Casemiro heading a Luke Shaw free kick into the back of the net.

There was a lengthy VAR check for a possible offside, but the goal stood, with the 20-time English champions making the breakthrough in the EFL Cup final.

Almiron scooped one over the crossbar in the 38th minute as the visitors looked to respond, but Man United scored their second less than one minute later.

Rashford proved his fitness in the build-up to kickoff, and the forward helped the Red Devils take a two-goal lead when he collected a pass from Weghorst before beating Karius, with a deflection off Botman making it difficult for the Newcastle goalkeeper.

The Magpies had an opportunity to halve the deficit in the 43rd minute when Dan Burn nodded an Almiron cross towards goal, but his effort was just wide of the post, before Karius did well to keep out a powerful Weghorst drive in the latter stages of the first period.

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Man United had a chance to score a third early in the second half when Rashford found Fred just outside the Newcastle box, but the Brazilian placed the ball wide of the post, before Karius kept out a strike from Antony.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was introduced for Dalot at the break, with the latter on a yellow card, and the Englishman made some important interceptions during a period of pressure from Newcastle.

Bruno Fernandes had a long-range strike deflected high of the crossbar, before Karius saved from Weghorst from the resulting corner, with Man United looking for a third, which would surely have ended the contest.

Newcastle were putting the pressure on down the other end, but Howe’s side were struggling to carve out clear chances, with Man United defending their penalty box extremely well.

Saint-Maximin was a constant threat, but Wan-Bissaka was proving equal to the challenge, with the right-back impressively adapting to the pace of the match after entering at the break.

Joelinton had a powerful drive blocked away by Lisandro Martinez, with the Red Devils dropping deeper and deeper, which led to two substitutions being made.

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Scott McTominay and Marcel Sabitzer both came off the Man United bench 20 minutes from time, with Fred and Weghorst leaving the field at Wembley, which saw Rashford go through the middle.

De Gea did well to make contact on a dangerous Trippier cross in the 72nd minute before Casemiro cleared inside a crowded box, but the offside flag was raised, before Karius denied Rashford down the other end.

The pressure from the Magpies, as expected, continued in the final stages, but Man United stood up to the challenge, with De Gea performing well under pressure; Wan-Bissaka had a chance to make it 3-0 four minutes from time, but his low effort was saved by Karius.

Jacob Murphy just missed the target with a brilliant low strike late on, before De Gea saved late from Joelinton, but it was not to be for Newcastle, who will now focus on their top-four challenge in the Premier League.

Man United, who had a big chance to score a third late on through Fernandes, have won the League Cup for the sixth time in their history, and they are also still active in the FA Cup and Europa League in what could be a very successful first season at the helm for Ten Hag.

Next up for the Red Devils is a home game against West Ham United in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday, while Newcastle will continue their Premier League game away to the champions Manchester City next weekend.

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Inter Milan crush Cagliari 3-0 to top Serie A

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December 29, 2024

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Inter Milan crush Cagliari 3-0 to top Serie A

Inter Milan made it three Serie A wins on the bounce, defeating Cagliari 3-0 at the Unipol Domus to claim top spot, overtaking Atalanta BC on goal difference.

Cagliari aimed to recover from their narrow loss to Venezia, but Inter’s arrival posed a daunting challenge, with the Scudetto contenders boasting an 11-match unbeaten league streak coming into the contest.

To their credit, the Isolani held firm early on, even as Lautaro Martínez squandered a golden chance from the edge of the six-yard box, misdirecting Nicolò Barella’s pinpoint cross with a header that grazed the top of the bar.

Despite Davide Nicola’s men testing the visitors’ resolve with swift counters at the other end, and Barella’s thunderous strike forcing a spectacular save from Simone Scuffet, neither side managed to break the deadlock before the interval.

As a result, Cagliari narrowly avoided trailing at half-time for a league-high 10th time, while Inter preserved their status as Serie A’s only team yet to be behind at the break this campaign.

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Inter Milan wasted little time after the restart, shattering Cagliari’s resistance when Alessandro Bastoni guided Barella’s cross into the far corner with a looping header beyond Scuffet’s reach.

Nicola introduced a pair of fresh legs around the hour mark, but it proved rather futile as Martínez found the net against his favourite Serie A opponents for the 10th time, effortlessly guiding Barella’s precise delivery from the right flank into the back of the net.

Mateusz Wieteska then handled the ball inside the area, allowing Hakan Çalhanoğlu to bury the ensuing penalty with aplomb into the left corner.

From there, Simone Inzaghi and his men coasted to full-time, wrapping up 2024 on a high note by claiming their 27th win this calendar year. The reigning champions are now unbeaten in 12 consecutive top-flight outings, having last fallen to rivals AC Milan back in September.

In stark contrast, Cagliari linger in the drop zone after suffering their 10th loss this campaign, with five of those now coming in succession – marking their worst losing streak since February.

 

Inter Milan crush Cagliari 3-0 to top Serie A

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After six years, Nigeria qualify for CHAN, thrash Ghana 3-1

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December 29, 2024

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After six years, Nigeria qualify for CHAN, thrash Ghana 3-1

 

Nigeria’s Super Eagles B on Saturday night recorded an emphatic win over the Black Galaxies in the CHAN qualifier, beating their opponents 3-1.

The Super Eagles B have thus ended their CHAN misfortunes against Ghana, securing a resounding victory against the Black Galaxies in the match played at the Uyo Stadium, Akwa Ibom State.

This win marks Nigeria’s return to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) after a six-year absence, as they qualified for the tournament set to take place in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda from February 1-28, 2025.

The match, held on Saturday evening, witnessed a dominant performance by the Super Eagles B, who scored all three goals in a blistering first half display, with Remo Stars players the inspiration.

The opening goal came from Ismail Sodiq, assisted by Nduka Junior of Remo Stars, followed by a second from Nduka before Saviour of Rangers extended the lead at the break.

Despite Ghana pulling one back in the second half, Nigeria’s early lead proved insurmountable and too much for the Galaxies to overturn.

Historically, Ghana had been a formidable opponent for Nigeria in CHAN qualifiers, having thwarted their attempts to reach the finals in 2009 and 2023. Additionally, Ghana’s Black Stars denied Nigeria qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, further intensifying their rivalry.

But this time around, Nigeria sealed the victory and ensured that Ghana would miss both the upcoming AFCON and CHAN tournaments.

The victory not only ends a frustrating streak against Ghana but also provides a platform for showcasing local talent on an international stage.

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Arsenal climb to second in EPL with 1-0 win over Ipswich

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December 28, 2024

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Arsenal climb to second in EPL with 1-0 win over Ipswich

LONDON: Arsenal moved up to second place in the Premier League with a 1-0 home win against Ipswich on Friday.

Mikel Arteta’s side is six points behind leader Liverpool, which has a game in hand.

Second-bottom Ipswich had won two of its last three away games but was up against it from the start at the Emirates.

The visitors did not have one touch in the Gunners’ box during the first 45 minutes and, although Ipswich showed signs of life after the break, it was Arsenal which continued to dominate the game, marshaled by Declan Rice in midfield.

Kai Havertz got the only goal midway through the first half when he knocked in a cross from Leandro Trossard.

Havertz, Rice, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus all had chances but none of them could add to Arsenal’s tally.

“It’s so tough, every team is tough to break down,” Havertz said. “They fight for each other and at the end we’re very proud for the win.”

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Arsenal is a point above third-place Chelsea and two points clear of season surprise team Nottingham Forest in fourth.

Seagulls and Bees share the points on south coast

Brighton had most of the chances but could not find the net in a 0-0 draw with Brentford that extended the south coast club’s winless run to six league games.

It was a frustrating night for the home side and especially Julio Enciso. The Paraguay striker had a host of opportunities to score but couldn’t make them count.

Along with Southampton, Brentford has the worst away record in the league with seven losses and two draws and it was easy to see why in this toothless performance.

Brentford had an early goal from Yoane Wissa ruled out for offside and, although it came a bit more into the game in the second half, it failed to pressure Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who made his Premier League debut eight minutes before halftime when Mark Flekken went off with a thigh injury.

One bright spot for the home side was the return of winger Solly March. He came on as a late substitute to make his first appearance for Brighton since injuring a knee against Manchester City 14 months ago.

The result leaves Brighton in 10th place with 26 points, one spot and two points ahead of the Bees.

Arsenal climb to second in EPL with 1-0 win over Ipswich

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