Erik ten Hag has tried to cut ties with Antony but may be headed the same way at Manchester United, with Vincent Kompany on the brink and Leon Bailey firing.
 
Manchester United 1-2 Fulham: Ten Hag will face same fate as Antony if problems persist
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already raised a few eyebrows with his comments since purchasing a minority stake but seemingly majority footballing control of Manchester United. It is safe to say the necessary portions of the message regarding the club’s future managerial direction were heard loud and clear by the current incumbent.“Attacking football. Exciting football. Bringing the youth through,” Ratcliffe said of his grand vision, adding that “the academy is really important for Manchester United”.


They were easy notes to hit when discussing a club which has named at least one such developed talent in every matchday squad since 1937, but Erik ten Hag received the message: with Rasmus Hojlund out against Fulham, a full debut was handed to teenager Omari Forson.
That increased the relevance of another wider Ratcliffe point. “We need to be as good as anyone else in the game at recruitment and we haven’t been,” said a billionaire seemingly intent on forcing every director of football across the country into a period of gardening leave. He might as well have been holding up a picture of Antony at the time, the £82m winger who arrived as the teacher’s pet but has been pushed to the back of the class within 18 months or so.
READ MORE: Ten Hag insists Man Utd showed ‘big character’ before Fulham ‘escape’
Ten Hag said before the game that Antony “has to prove a point” and “will do”, but introducing him in the eighth of ten stoppage-time minutes spoke volumes; Forson had played four Premier League minutes prior to this match and still had more assists than Antony this season.

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Ten Hag on Ratcliffe comments and making Utd great again ahead of Fulham (Full Presser)


Amad Diallo was sent on before then in the 80th minute as Manchester United searched for an equaliser to Calvin Bassey’s opener. Fulham had been the better side of the first half – they had five shots before the hosts managed their first – and finally found a breakthrough around the hour mark after the defender thundered an effort past Andre Onana following a scramble in the area.
Both sides had hit the woodwork before then but neither had the incision or instinct to make their moments count. The absence of Hojlund undoubtedly hurt Manchester United and neither of Fulham’s top scorers – Raul Jimenez and Bobby Reid – featured, with Willian also absent.
Ten Hag’s side established parity in suitable fashion in the 89th minute, Harry Maguire cancelling out his fellow centre-half’s goal when Bernd Leno spilled a Bruno Fernandes shot, and from then the Old Trafford push for a winner felt inevitable; it’s what they do.

But it was Fulham who pounced, Alex Iwobi’s clever finish leaving Onana rooted and halting a run of consecutive victories many felt were papering over those same old Manchester United cracks.
Ratcliffe has taken on the responsibility of identifying and properly treating those underlying issues which have rooted themselves into the club’s very foundation. Antony is a symbol of those failings and it was telling to see Ten Hag continue to try and cut those inexorable ties to an £82m millstone – and perhaps even more significant that he still turned to him in a time of directionless panic.
The manager will know better than anyone that if he cannot address Manchester United’s general inconsistency and establish that distinctive “exciting football” the new regime demands, he will be discarded just as easily.
Fulham player Alex Iwobi celebrates scoring against Manchester United
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Alex Iwobi scored the winner at Old Trafford
 
Crystal Palace 3-0 Burnley: Kompany signs his own P45 with Glasner praise and implosion

When asked for his thoughts on the newest addition to the Premier League coaching family, Vincent Kompany spoke with admiration and respect for Oliver Glasner.He’s a coach with a lot of clarity in what he does. Every team he’s set up so far, he’s set up in a very clear way with a lot of intent in their game.

The quickest and most damning response to which might be: who wants to tell him?
Burnley supporters have yearned for a semblance of that “clarity” and “intent” all season. Or just to feel anything at all other than absolute apathy at the dismantling of last season’s runaway Championship winners.

The emblem of that unnecessary ruination must be James Trafford, the League One goalkeeper transplanted into this pastiche team of mercurial wingers and inexperienced defenders assembled to the tune of almost £100m in the summer, despite Aro Muric being a crucial part of this side. Another game, another few decent saves littered in an error-strewn performance which fundamentally cost his team – against a relegation rival, no less.
His pass to Josh Brownhill resulting in the midfielder’s red card for fouling Jefferson Lerma was precisely the sort Burnley have been playing to their detriment throughout this sorry campaign, yet still Kompany asks these seemingly unfamiliar and certainly underqualified players to stick steadfastly to the style.
It garnered two shots – neither on target – against a Palace side with a couple of wins in 14 games and one of the worst home records in the entire league. Glasner’s side were absolutely dominant, the high press which forced Brownhill’s sending-off finally receiving tangible reward when Chris Richards headed Jordan Ayew’s stunning cross past Trafford.

The floodgates opened from there. Ayew converted Matheus Franca’s wonderful ball across goal, the Brazilian forward then winning a penalty from Vitinho after leading a four-on-two counter-attack. Jean-Philippe Mateta converted to turn 0-0 after 67 minutes into 3-0 after 79.
Becoming a new coach’s first scalp is a sure-fire way to win a Premier League manager sack race you are already a heavy favourite for. If Burnley ever do bite the bullet, Kompany cannot possibly say it hasn’t been coming.
 
Aston Villa 4-2 Nottingham Forest: Only Haaland, Salah are eclipsing Bailey form as Champions League bid back on track
Leon Bailey continued his excellent season for Aston Villa to help Unai Emery’s men survive a scare against Nottingham Forest.After a stuttering maiden campaign in the Premier League, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward has found his feet under Emery and put on a show against a poor Forest side, who gave themselves hope of a comeback with an early second-half goal from Morgan Gibbs-White after Moussa Niakhate’s stoppage-time effort.

The Villans have been a bit shaky in recent weeks and are going through their first blip of the season, losing their previous two home games going into Saturday’s fixture, when this time last month they hadn’t tasted defeat at Villa Park in close to a year.
Facing Forest was a good opportunity to get back on track at home and Villa made a superb start, scoring inside four minutes thanks to Ollie Watkins’ tap-in. The England striker’s easy finish came after some excellent work by Bailey, whose sublime touch beat Murillo before nutmegging another defender with his pass to Watkins.
Bailey again had a part to play in the second goal, finding Matty Cash with a line-breaking ball. Cash passed to Jacob Ramsey, who provided the assist for Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian midfielder made it 3-0 soon after courtesy of a John McGinn right-footed cross that David Beckham would have been proud of.

Goals on either side of half-time from Forest gave them a glimmer of hope, but it was that man Bailey who restored Villa’s two-goal lead. This time it was Watkins who assisted the Jamaican winger; only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are providing more goal contributions per 90 in the Premier League this season. He has been that good.
The scoreline flattered Forest, who didn’t do nearly enough to get anything out of the game. They have a long way to go to ensure relegation is not a possibility and with the new manager bounce over and done with, they will be praying they avoid a points deduction for breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Villa, though, have got their Champions League bid back on track and can thank their three best players of the season: Watkins, Luiz and Bailey.
It looks like Moussa Diaby’s big-money move to Villa Park has given Bailey a kick up the backside. He has been relentless this season, netting his eighth goal and getting his seventh assist in only his 13th start. Nobody saw this coming and if you say you did, you are a liar.

 
Brighton 1-1 Everton: Gross, Dunk rescue 10-man Seagulls from another Everton loss in strange season
Brighton were hoping for revenge after their epic home defeat to Everton last season but once again struggled against a stubborn Toffees side and were ultimately fortunate to snatch a draw.There were moments of desperation from the Toffees as a couple of deflected shots saved Jordan Pickford from working hard for his clean sheet, but it was Jarrad Branthwaite’s outstanding left-footed strike that broke the deadlock at the Amex.
It was a goal out of nowhere that gave Bart Verbruggen no chance whatsoever. After being on the wrong end of a Dwight McNeil masterclass last season, it felt like more of the same for Brighton against Everton, with the home players surely thinking to themselves: ‘Only bloody Branthwaite would score a goal like that against us.’
Things went from bad to worse for Roberto De Zerbi’s men when Billy Gilmour was shown a straight red card in the 81st minute. It felt like there was no way back but Brighton’s player of the season, Pascal Gross was the difference maker, whipping in a beautiful cross for Lewis Dunk to equalise in the 95th minute, denying Sean Dyche another superb result at the Amex.

It has been a bizarre season for Brighton and De Zerbi, who is being linked with the biggest jobs in world football, including Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
READ MORE: Who will replace Jurgen Klopp as next Liverpool manager?
The Seagulls currently sit in seventh place in the Premier League, which feels like a false position. It feels like they are dropping points all the time and it is probably a sign that clubs around them have been a bit pants that they are as high as they are.
They have won at Old Trafford, smashed Tottenham at home and beaten Sheffield United 5-0 on the road, but have also drawn at home with the Blades, Burnley, Wolves, Fulham and now drawn both games against Everton. Not to mention Chelsea beat them. Bloody Chelsea!
Wolves away in the FA Cup will be a stern test after a disappointing result and performance against the Toffees. If De Zerbi wants a big move at the end of the season, his side will need to show more consistency.

Erik ten Hag justifies Man Utd’s refusal to sign another striker while questioning ‘main man’

Erik ten Hag insisted Rasmus Hojlund’s injury need not throw Manchester United’s season off course as the club’s failure to sign another striker in January once again came under the spotlight.
Hojlund will miss Saturday’s match against Fulham and the midweek FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest, and is also expected to be out for next Sunday’s derby against Manchester City with a muscle injury that could see him sidelined for up to three weeks and potentially miss five games.


It is a significant blow given Hojlund’s electric form of late – the 21-year-old Dane has scored seven goals in his last six appearances for United – and leaves Ten Hag short of options in attack, with Anthony Martial out until April following surgery on his groin.
But Ten Hag said Hojlund was not solely responsible for United’s recent uptick in goals.
“(Hojlund) was lately very important,” he said. “But main man? I don’t see it that way. Because I think especially (Alejandro) Garnacho is playing very strong in the last games…
“‘Rashy’ (Marcus Rashford) is capable. (He has only scored five but) he can score. Lately, in our last games the frontline is an absolute threat, they score. Is it Rasmus Hojlund only? No, it’s Garnacho, it’s also Rashford, it’s also Scott McTominay. Bruno (Fernandes) can score a goal.
“What gives me the confidence, in autumn the frontline wasn’t scoring, they were not even a threat. In this moment they are in very good form and a threat continually. I am quite confident that even when Rasmus Hojlund is not there, it will go on.

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Ratcliffe and I have great ambition for United - Ten Hag


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“We can line up a frontline which is really strong. I don’t think there is a frontline where the opponent thinks, ‘pfft, that is easy’. No, they will fear our frontline I am sure.”
Read more: Marcus Rashford is *the* ‘worry’ for Ratcliffe as Man Utd refuse to ‘nail him’ like Souness would…
Ten Hag has previously opened up on his desire to sign a striker last month, something United were unable to do due to concerns regarding the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
But on Friday the manager was questioned about the decision to spend £60million on Mason Mount last summer despite the relative depth in midfield, rather than invest up front given that Martial has regularly struggled to stay fit for a full season.
“You are a football manager?” he replied.
“If it was that easy… I already said (about) the money. First of all, striker options are the most difficult. Especially on our level. We had two strikers.

“I get that for Martial, but he has done for us last season great things. He is also on high payment in this club. So when you bring another one in, you strike him out. So there are all arguments not to do it.
“Then there is Marcus Rashford, who can play very good from front position. So actually we had three strikers in our squad to fill in.”

Man Utd transfer
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Ten Hag said it was “naive” to suggest signing another striker would have been so straightforward.
“Strikers are not cheap, and when you have three strikers in your squad and you bring a number four in, that means the prospective for the others will get short,” he said.
“We thought we had options, but when it develops during the season, I wanted to bring in a striker in the winter, but it was not possible. And already we had our problems with FFP (Financial Fair Play) in the summer of course.”

Arsenal 4-1 Newcastle: Arteta masterclass secures sweet revenge for November ‘disgrace’

Arsenal kept the pace in the Premier League title race with a stunning victory over Newcastle at the Emirates to stay within two points of leaders Liverpool.
Despite starting the calendar year in astonishing Premier League form, beating Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, West Ham and Burnley by an aggregate score of 21-2, the Gunners entered this grudge match in disappointing fashion after their late midweek defeat to Porto in the Champions League.

But they put that behind them with an irresistible performance which highlighted the gulf between them and a poor Newcastle side.
Arsenal started brilliantly and soon found the breakthrough from a familiar place, Gabriel’s header from a corner eventually crossing the line with Sven Botman getting the final touch.
Kai Havertz made it 2-0 six minutes later with a finish from close range after brilliant work from Jorginho and Gabriel Martinelli, before Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior added further goals shortly after the hour mark.
Newcastle were laughably off the pace all game and simply could not weather the Arsenal storm, but former Gunner Joe Willock netted a fine consolation six minutes from the end.
The win moves them to within two points of leaders Liverpool and just a point shy of Manchester City in second place, with the best goal difference in the division.

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An incredible 4-1 home victory brings Arsenal 2 points from the top of the table


After a light show and pre-match tifo, Arsenal set the pace from the off with Declan Rice, playing in a higher role in midfield with Jorginho restored to the side, stinging the palms of Loris Karius.
They would hit the front through another set-piece, but this time in fortuitous circumstances as Karius made a great save from Gabriel’s powerful header, only for Tino Livramento to turn the ball home off the prone Botman in his attempts to clear off the line.
The lead was doubled soon afterwards, this time from a free-flowing move as Jorginho – in a man-of-the-match display – picked out an inch-perfect pass to Gabriel Martinelli, who crossed for Havertz to turn home unmarked from six yards out.
Arsenal should have struck again moments later as Martin Odegaard pressed and won the ball off Fabian Schar inside the Newcastle box, only for his pass into Havertz to be cleared behind for a corner.

Still Arsenal pressed and Newcastle strained, Saka coming close only for Karius to make another smart stop as the hosts went in comfortably ahead at the break.
Havertz should have grabbed his second of the night having been slipped in by Martinelli early in the second half, but he rolled his finish wide of the post.
Newcastle had failed to have a shot on target in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time in nearly a decade.
Anthony Gordon finally tested David Raya in the 49th minute before Alekander Isak fired just over the bar on another rare foray forward for the visitors.
Any hopes of a rousing comeback were soon shattered, however, as Arsenal’s third goal duly came just after the hour.
Saka was played in on the right and hit a curling shot that somehow evaded two attempts at clearances from the Newcastle defence to nestle into the corner of the net.

Things got even better for Arsenal as Kiwior’s header from a Rice corner deflected in off the unfortunate Lewis Miley.
Both sides made a host of changes but it was Newcastle who got on the scoresheet with five minutes remaining, former Arsenal youngster Willock brilliantly heading home a Dan Burn cross.
Emile Smith Rowe almost added a fifth for Arsenal late on, but Burn was in the right place to clear off the line with Karius beaten.
It was of little consequence, however, as the home side eased through the remainder of stoppage time to seal an impressive victory.