Sports
Man United’s thriller against Bournemouth is advert for January transfer window
MANCHESTER, England — The half of the Manchester United team that was strengthened in the summer played well against AFC Bournemouth. The other half — the one the club hope to put right next summer — didn’t.
The result was a chaotic 4-4 draw at Old Trafford, which showcased everything Ruben Amorim’s side are good at, but also highlighted all the work that still needs to be done. United made a conscious effort to remedy their chronic lack of goals last season by buying some.
But with most of the budget spent on attacking players, it meant that the defensive part of the squad has been overlooked. The end product is a team that is capable of scoring goals, but not keeping them out.
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United have found the net 30 times in the Premier League — the same number as Arsenal and bettered only by Manchester City — while also keeping just one clean sheet, one fewer than 19th-placed Burnley.
“It was a fun game for everyone at home,” said Amorim.
“People enjoy seeing Manchester United this season, but we need to put both things together.
“If you understand a little bit, if you follow the club like I followed the Premier League for so long, you have a duty not just to win the games, but the way is so important for the fans.
“They are desperate to win but also to be inspired. Today was inspiring, but there is also the feeling of frustration from not winning.”
United are hoping to follow up the £200 million investment in their forward line with a similar outlay on at least one central midfielder and a couple of wing backs. Until they get a chance to open the checkbook — possibly in January but more likely next summer — Amorim is left to work with a lopsided group.
At times, summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, along with Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo and Mason Mount, looked scintillating going forward.
United peppered Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic‘s goal with 12 shots inside the first 30 minutes and managed 17 by halftime. Amad and Fernandes both scored either side of a Casemiro header and when Cunha added his name to the scoresheet in the 79th minute, it put United in front for the third time.
It still wasn’t enough to secure all three points and Bournemouth, who arrived at Old Trafford winless in six games and without a goal in more than four hours, found a late equalizer through substitute Junior Kroupi. Earlier, Antoine Semenyo scored his first goal since October. That was before Evanilson‘s first goal since August.
After watching their team score three goals at Old Trafford in each of the last two seasons, at one point the Bournemouth fans tucked in the corner of the stadium began singing “Man United, it’s happened again.”
“It’s really difficult to explain,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
“A lot of ups and downs. United were much better than us for 20 minutes. Overall, I’m happy apart from that 20 minutes.
“They were punishing us with Amad and Mbeumo. We’ve scored four and conceded four. We needed some players on the scoresheet and it’s good for their confidence.”
It would have been even worse for Amorim — who tinkered with his 3-4-3 system for the first time to create a hybrid formation which at times looked like 4-4-2 — if United goalkeeper Senne Lammens hadn’t pulled off a fantastic save from David Brooks in stoppage time. It left the home fans who streamed out at the final whistle in near-stunned silence, not quite knowing what to make of it all.
Are United closer to the team that has lost just one of their last 10 games, or is two wins from six a more accurate way to view it?
Both, of course, are true. Afterwards, Amorim stopped short of saying he wants the investment made in the attack last summer to be poured into the midfield and defense ahead of next season, but the inference was there nonetheless.
“We are lacking quality when we defend our goal,” said the Portuguese coach.
“It’s something we need to address. It is different when you suffer so many goals and the opponent does not have what we create.
“I think we have talent at the back and quality players, we just have to be better at defending. We took care of the offence. We have the characteristics, we just need to work together.”
The worry for Amorim now is that it’s his attack — the one part of his team that is functioning — which will be hit hardest when the Africa Cup of Nations begins later this month. Mbeumo and Amad — perhaps United’s best two players — will now join up with Cameroon and Ivory Coast, respectively, and could miss a month if they reach the final on Jan. 18. Noussair Mazraoui has already joined up with Morocco.
It leaves the United boss to head to Aston Villa, the Premier League’s most in-form team, with the best parts of his squad ripped out. Casemiro, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, will also miss out. If there were holes in Amorim’s team against Bournemouth, there are set to be even more at Villa Park on Sunday.
Until the club can implement the next phase of its recruitment plan, he must make the best of what he’s got.
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CORALVILLE, Iowa — Yu Sakamoto beat Riley Rayome of North Central (IL) 4-3 to win the 117-pound crown and clinch the team title for McKendree on Saturday night at the inaugural NCAA women’s wrestling championships.
After a wild scramble in the final seconds, a challenge by North Central and a review, Sakamoto’s win gave McKendree a 167-166 lead over Iowa — which finished with three individual champions and a runner-up but had no remaining competitors with two matches remaining. The Bearcats finished with 171 points and third-place North Central had 123.5.
Grand Valley State’s Katerina Lange, the No. 1 seed, beat second-seeded Claire DiCugno of North Central 4-1 to claim the 138-pound title and become the first women’s wrestling national champion.
North Central’s Bella Mir won at 145 pounds, beating No. 1 seed and former teammate Reese Larramendy of Iowa in the first round to avenge her only regular-season loss. The second-seeded Mir — an Iowa transfer and the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir — reversed a takedown attempt, immediately rolled and pinned Larramendy with 34 seconds left.
Iowa’s Valarie Solorio, the No. 2 seed, beat fourth-seeded Rayana Sahagun of Grand Valley State by technical fall in the second round to win the 103-pound title. Sahagun beat No. 1 seed Heather Crull on criteria (7-7) in the semifinals.
Lehigh’s Audrey Jimenez pinned Sage Mortimer of Grand Valley State just 1:19 into the first round to claim the crown at 110 pounds.
Quincy’s Xochitl Mota-Pettis won at 124 pounds, beating Shelby Moore of McKendree by technical fall (10-0) in the second round.
Cameron Guerin of McKendree beat Alexis Janlak of Aurora on criteria (5-5) to win the championship at 131 pounds in the final match of the night.
Iowa’s Kennedy Blades, the No. 1 seed, pinned third-seeded Tiffani Baublitz of East Stroudsburg in 1:19 to claim the 160-pound crown.
Iowa’s Kylie Welker outscored Destiny Rodriguez of McKendree 11-0 in the first round to win the 180-pound title by technical fall.
McKendree’s Tristan Kelly beat Sabrina Nauss of Grand Valley State by technical fall (11-0) in the second round to secure the national championship at 207 pounds.
WASHINGTON: An Ultimate Fighting Championship event to be staged on the White House’s South Lawn in June will be headlined by Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, the UFC announced Saturday.
The lightweight championship clash will top a bill of six fights set to take place on the US Flag Day holiday and the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump, who is an avowed UFC fan.
The June 14 event has been dubbed “UFC Freedom 250,” in reference to the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations this summer.
Topuria is one of the UFC’s top-rated fighters and a double-weight champion who has won all 17 of his fights.
A former featherweight champion, he earned the lightweight belt last year by knocking out Brazil’s Charles Oliveira before temporarily stepping away from the sport for personal reasons.
Born in Germany to Georgian refugee parents, Topuria moved to Spain as a teenager, and has both Georgian and Spanish citizenship.
In Topuria’s UFC absence, Arizona native Gaethje won an interim lightweight title, but will now have a chance to capture the undisputed championship.
The 37-year-old American has a 27-5 record in UFC.
Trump has said a stadium for more than 100,000 people would be constructed in front of the White House for the fight, although organisers have since said the event is expected to host some 3,000 to 4,000 people at the heart of Washington DC.
Large screens to view the event are expected to be raised in other places near the White House for larger crowds to watch the show.
The event was originally announced for July 4, which is Independence Day in the US, before being moved to Trump’s birthday.
The Republican president has also unveiled plans for an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence.
UFC is the largest and most successful organisation in the burgeoning world of MMA, a blend of martial arts disciplines like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing and wrestling.
Bouts take place in an eight-sided ring — dubbed “The Octagon” — bounded by a chainlink fence.
With few exceptions — such as eye-gouging — male and female fighters are allowed to employ almost any technique to attack their opponent.
The sport’s popularity with young men — a key demographic in the 2024 US election — and Trump’s long association with the UFC have made the president a regular fixture at some of its more high-profile events, where he is greeted like a rock star.
Its brutal nature and high injury rate mean the sport is controversial, with doctors decrying the potential for brain damage amongst fighters who are repeatedly hit in the head, though it has gained increasing mainstream acceptance in recent years.
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