Man United fly high after City win and Liverpool defeat
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It was a very good day for Manchester United, whose revival under Erik ten Hag is really taking shape.
As if victory over Manchester City in the 189th Manchester derby wasn’t enough for fans to rejoice at Old Trafford on Saturday, there was bonus news hours later when Liverpool were stunned by Brighton 3-0 in the English Premier League.
Beating City 2-1 reinforced the growing belief that Ten Hag is turning the tide for the 20-time England champion.
It may be too early for the Dutchman to mount a real challenge for the league title this season, but the improvement at United to record nine straight wins in all competitions is evident.
United are third on the table – one point behind City and six behind leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham on Sunday.
“We have improved, that’s obvious,” said Ten Hag. “There is still a long way to go…we need to improve many aspects of our game, but we are making progress.”
City took the lead in the second half through substitute Jack Grealish, but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford secured a win from behind for the home side.
United were 10 points clear of fiercest rivals Liverpool, who suffered a sixth league defeat at Brighton, and the first since 1961.
Solly March scored twice and substitute Danny Welbeck added a third for Brighton.
Jurgen Klopp’s side face a fair fight to qualify for the Champions League after this latest blow, which left Liverpool seven points behind fourth-placed Newcastle.
“Everything went wrong from start to finish. Brighton were better than us in every department. It’s a real low point as a team,” said Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. is a difficult time but we have to come together, stick together and try to change things quickly. We must try to learn and show a reaction.
Bottom of the table, Southampton followed up their win over City in the League Cup in midweek by beating Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park.
Nottingham Forest increased their chances of survival by beating Leicester 2-0, and Wolverhampton Wanderers edged West Ham 1-0 to climb out of the relegation zone.
RASHFORD STRENGTHENS
Marcus Rashford scored his 16th goal of the season and his eighth in his last seven games, but Ten Hag preferred to praise his physical stamina over his finishing after the win over City,
“He knows that in football you have to suffer, sacrifice and experience painful moments, especially a player like him,” said Ten Hag. “He’s unstoppable, and opponents will be tough on him, but he keeps going and he’s been rewarded and the team has been rewarded.”
PRAISE OF ZERBI
Solly March, who scored twice, credited Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi for his performance in the brilliant result against Liverpool.
“I love playing for Roberto de Zerbi. He’s great. He puts his arm around you and tells you you’re a good player and maybe that’s what I needed,” March said.
EVERTON’S PROBLEMS GROW
On a day the Everton board were told not to attend their home game with Southampton due to a ‘real and credible threat to their safety’, the team’s survival hopes in the league took another hit after a 2-1 loss.
“We have to take responsibility, myself first. We have to do better,” Everton manager Frank Lampard said.
FOREST FLY
Nottingham Forest have lost just one of their last six league games and sit five points clear of the relegation zone after knocking out Leicester.
“It’s a big win. It’s a local derby and you always want to do well for the fans,” Forest manager Steve Cooper said.
WEST HAM SINKING
West Ham fell into the bottom three after losing to fellow relegation strugglers Wolverhampton 1-0.
“What we’ve found this year is that we can’t finish chances when we get them,” West Ham manager David Moyes said.
TONEY STRIKES AGAIN
Ivan Toney scored his 14th goal of the season in Brentford’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth. The striker converted a first-half penalty, which continued his perfect place record for the Bees, with 21 scored from 21 attempts.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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