sports bar

Posts

Salt Lake stun Kansas City to advance in MLS Cup, Philadelphia move on Los Angeles (AFP) – Bobby Wood came off the bench to score a stoppage-time goal and lift Real Salt Lake to a 2-1 victory over favored Sporting Kansas City Sunday and into the MLS Cup Western Conference final. Salt Lake, who shocked the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout in the opening round, erased an early deficit to gain another upset and book a conference title clash with the Portland Timbers, who ousted Western Conference top seeds Colorado on Thursday. In Eastern Conference action, the Philadelphia Union edged Nashville 2-0 in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a 1-1 draw after extra time. Pablo Mastroeni, who took over as interim manager of Real Salt Lake after the sudden departure of Freddy Juarez in August, said he wasn’t surprised to see his team pull off the comeback. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been, since it was the eighth second-half stoppage-time goal of 2021 for the club. Those goals included Damir Kreilach’s stoppage-time winner against Sporting on the final day of the regular season. “The way things have gone this year, the way we got into the playoffs, the fight in these guys, the resilience … I’d like to say I’m surprised but honestly when we scored that (first) goal I knew we were going to get a second one,” Mastroeni said. “These guys believed they were going to get a second one.” Sporting’s Johnny Russell opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a crisply taken penalty after Aaron Herrera tripped Gadi Kinda in the area. Kansas City almost doubled their lead in the second half when Pablo Ruiz headed a free-kick from Kinda off the post. The tenor changed, however, when Mastroeni brought in Anderson Julio, Justin Meram and Wood, and Julio grabbed the equalizer in the 72nd minute when he headed in a ball served up by Andrew Brody from just outside the box. Finally Wood found the winner in the first minute of stoppage time, sliding forward to collect a low cross and firing it past Sporting keeper Tim Melia. “It’s amazing,” Wood said. “We were down 1-0 but we kept going. I’m happy we got the goal and I’m happy I got to score the game-winning goal.” – Blake shines in shootout – In Philadelphia, the Union reached their first Eastern Conference final with an emphatic shoot-out win in which Nashville failed to find the net in four attempts. Union goalkeeper Andre Blake set the tone, saving the first two shots he faced in the decider with a dive right to deny Hany Mukhtar and a leap left to stop Anibal Godoy. Nashville keeper Joe Willis saved a shot by Sergio Santos, but that was sandwiched between to made penalties for Philadelphia and when Nashville’s Alex Muyl and Walker Zimmerman both fired wide the shootout, and Nashville’s season, was over. The teams had exchanged goals in the first half, with Mukhtar opening the scoring against the run of play in the 38th minute when he raced onto a cross from Eric Miller and headed home. Daniel Gazdag grabbed the equalizer moments before halftime. Gazdag’s initial shot off a corner kick was blocked but Gazdag collected his own rebound and fired past Willis. In the Eastern Conference final, the Union will face the winner of Tuesday’s conference semi-final between the New England Revolution and New York City FC. New England enjoyed a first-round bye as top seeds, having won their first Supporters’ Shield as the team topping the regular-season table.

Los Angeles (AFP) – Bobby Wood came off the bench to score a stoppage-time goal and lift Real Salt Lake to a 2-1 victory over favored Sporting Kansas City Sunday and into the MLS Cup Western Conference final. Salt Lake, who shocked the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout in the opening round, erased an early deficit to gain another upset and book a conference title clash with the Portland Timbers, who ousted Western Conference top seeds Colorado on Thursday. In Eastern Conference action, the Philadelphia Union edged Nashville 2-0 in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a 1-1 draw after extra time. Pablo Mastroeni, who took over as interim manager of Real Salt Lake after the sudden departure of Freddy Juarez in August, said he wasn’t surprised to see his team pull off the comeback. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been, since it was the eighth second-half stoppage-time goal of 2021 for the club. Those goals included Damir Kreilach’s stoppage-time winner against Sporting on the...

Real Salt Lake stun Kansas City to advance in MLS Cup Los Angeles (AFP) – Bobby Wood came off the bench to score a stoppage-time goal and lift Real Salt Lake to a 2-1 victory over favored Sporting Kansas City Sunday and into the MLS Cup Western Conference final. Salt Lake, who shocked the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout in the opening round, erased an early deficit to gain another upset and book a conference title clash with the Portland Timbers, who ousted Western Conference top seeds Colorado on Thursday. Pablo Mastroeni, who took over as interim manager of Real Salt Lake after the sudden departure of Freddy Juarez in August, said he wasn’t surprised to see his team pull off the comeback. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been, since it was the eighth second-half stoppage-time goal of 2021 for the club. Those goals included Damir Kreilach’s stoppage-time winner against Sporting on the final day of the regular season. “The way things have gone this year, the way we got into the playoffs, the fight in these guys, the resilience … I’d like to say I’m surprised but honestly when we scored that (first) goal I knew we were going to get a second one,” Mastroeni said. “These guys believed they were going to get a second one.” Sporting’s Johnny Russell opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a crisply taken penalty after Aaron Herrera tripped Gadi Kinda in the area. Kansas City almost doubled their lead in the second half when Pablo Ruiz headed a free-kick from Kinda off the post. The tenor changed, however, when Mastroeni brought in Anderson Julio, Justin Meram and Wood, and Julio grabbed the equalizer in the 72nd minute when he headed in a ball served up by Andrew Brody from just outside the box. Finally Wood found the winner in the first minute of stoppage time, sliding forward to collect a low cross and firing it past Sporting keeper Tim Melia. “It’s amazing,” Wood said. “We were down 1-0 but we kept going. I’m happy we got the goal and I’m happy I got to score the game-winning goal.”

Los Angeles (AFP) – Bobby Wood came off the bench to score a stoppage-time goal and lift Real Salt Lake to a 2-1 victory over favored Sporting Kansas City Sunday and into the MLS Cup Western Conference final. Salt Lake, who shocked the Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout in the opening round, erased an early deficit to gain another upset and book a conference title clash with the Portland Timbers, who ousted Western Conference top seeds Colorado on Thursday. Pablo Mastroeni, who took over as interim manager of Real Salt Lake after the sudden departure of Freddy Juarez in August, said he wasn’t surprised to see his team pull off the comeback. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been, since it was the eighth second-half stoppage-time goal of 2021 for the club. Those goals included Damir Kreilach’s stoppage-time winner against Sporting on the final day of the regular season. “The way things have gone this year, the way we got into the playoffs, the fight in these guys, the resilience … I’d...

Vinicius stunner seals late Real Madrid victory over Sevilla Madrid (AFP) – Vinicius Junior scored a scintillating 87th-minute winner on Sunday as Real Madrid came from behind to defeat Sevilla 2-1 and move four points clear at the top of La Liga. The 21-year-old Vinicius has been a revelation this season and proved the difference again at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he went off to a standing ovation after securing Madrid their sixth consecutive victory. His goal, a stunning strike into the top corner after a surging run in off the left, ensured Sevilla took nothing from a game they had dominated for most of the first half. Rafa Mir headed them in front early on but the game turned on an error from goalkeeper Bono, who gifted Karim Benzema his 19th goal of the season, the night before the 33-year-old hopes to win the Ballon d’Or. Victory sends Madrid four points clear of Real Sociedad, who they face at Anoeta next weekend, while Sevilla stay fourth, now five points off the top. Real Sociedad lost ground after slipping to a surprise 1-0 defeat by Espanyol before Atletico Madrid bounced back from their Champions League loss to AC Milan in midweek with a thumping 4-1 win away at Cadiz. Vinicius now has 11 goals in 24 appearances this term and while he was never a guaranteed starter under Zinedine Zidane, the Brazilian has exploded into life under Carlo Ancelotti. This was the kind of decisive moment Madrid hoped they would be getting from Eden Hazard but with the Belgian still lacking both form and fitness, it seems they now have a ready-made replacement. Madrid were sluggish and sloppy for most of the first half an hour, livened up only by Benzema’s goal that was gifted to him after Bono’s mistake. Sevilla took the lead in the 12th minute when Mir was allowed so much space he did not even have to jump when planting a header past Thibaut Courtois and into the corner. They should have been two ahead as David Alaba cleared off the line from Mir, who then forced an excellent save from Courtois after a lethargic touch from Toni Kroos gave him a second chance. Lucas Ocampos struck the crossbar after Sevilla swarmed forward again but in the 32nd minute, they handed Madrid a lifeline as Eder Militao’s shot from distance squirmed through the hands of Bono, came back off the post and to the feet of the grateful Benzema. Madrid were buoyed by the goal and Marco Asensio went close with a curled finish over the bar while Sevilla thought they should have had a penalty when Alaba toppled Ocampos in the box. The second half drifted, with neither team for a while willing to over-commit. Vinicius Junior tore away on the counter-attack but blazed over and Madrid moved into the ascendancy in the last quarter of an hour, with Sevilla happier to hold on for a point. Alaba volleyed over before Vinicius took centre stage. He was almost on the left touchline when he chested Dani Carvajal’s cross-field ball inside Ocampos before darting past Gonzalo Montiel and unleashing a stinging shot that rose and rose and then hit the top corner. Atletico Madrid had earlier blown away Cadiz, with Diego Simeone’s side scoring all four of their goals in the second half. Thomas Lemar began the scoring in the 56th minute before Antoine Greizmann and Angel Correa put Atletico out of sight. Jan Oblak’s own-goal pulled a goal back for Cadiz with four minutes left but Matheus Cunha responded immediately to add a fourth for Atleti. Victory helps lift morale after Atletico’s 1-0 defeat at home to AC Milan in midweek, a result that leaves them with something of a mountain to climb to reach the Champions League last 16. Atletico look better placed in La Liga, sitting second in the table and above Real Sociedad, after their loss to Espanyol. La Real could have gone top, for a few hours at least, but instead saw Espanyol end their 13-match unbeaten run in the league thanks to a late winner from Yangel Herrera.

Madrid (AFP) – Vinicius Junior scored a scintillating 87th-minute winner on Sunday as Real Madrid came from behind to defeat Sevilla 2-1 and move four points clear at the top of La Liga. The 21-year-old Vinicius has been a revelation this season and proved the difference again at the Santiago Bernabeu, where he went off to a standing ovation after securing Madrid their sixth consecutive victory. His goal, a stunning strike into the top corner after a surging run in off the left, ensured Sevilla took nothing from a game they had dominated for most of the first half. Rafa Mir headed them in front early on but the game turned on an error from goalkeeper Bono, who gifted Karim Benzema his 19th goal of the season, the night before the 33-year-old hopes to win the Ballon d’Or. Victory sends Madrid four points clear of Real Sociedad, who they face at Anoeta next weekend, while Sevilla stay fourth, now five points off the top. Real Sociedad lost ground after slipping to a surprise 1-0 de...

Ivorian teenager Konate the two-goal star for ASEC in CAF Cup Johannesburg (AFP) – Ivorian teenage forward Karim Konate enhanced his reputation by scoring twice for ASEC Mimosas in a 2-0 CAF Confederation Cup play-offs first-leg victory over Angolan visitors InterClube on Sunday. The 17-year-old, who notched three goals in the CAF Champions League this season before ASEC were demoted to the second-tier Confederation Cup, struck after 48 and 90 minutes in Abidjan. Many Ivorian pundits believe Konate will soon join many countrymen in Europe, hoping to one day emulate retired legends like Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure. ASEC were among five former Champions League winners in action and Hearts of Oak from Ghana, Orlando Pirates of South Africa and TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo also triumphed. Hearts, the first winners of the Confederation Cup in 2004, were 2-0 victors over JS Saoura of Algeria thanks to goals from Salifu Ibrahim and Isaac Boateng in Accra. Soon after Boateng doubled the lead on 72 minutes, the visiting team were reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Zakaria Saidi was sent off. Pirates, the first South African club to be crowned African champions, netted late in each half to build a 2-0 advantage over LPRC Oilers of Liberia in Paynesville. Tshegofatso Mabasa put the Soweto Buccaneers ahead on 42 minutes and Fortune Makaringe doubled the lead in added time. Given they will enjoy home advantage next Sunday, Pirates seem virtually certain to reach the group stage for the second successive season in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League. – Mazembe edge Marumo – Mazembe pipped another South African club, Marumo Gallants, 1-0 with Lehlohonolo Nonyane turning a Soze Zemanga free-kick into his own net on the stroke of half-time in Lubumbashi. The Congolese take the narrow lead to South Africa hoping to avoid a second loss to a team from the republic having been surprisingly eliminated by AmaZulu in the Champions League. JS Kabylie were the only former African champions to lose, going down 1-0 away to Royal Leopard of Eswatini with Thabiso Mokenkoane the match-winner. Kabylie were runners-up to Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca in the last Confederation Cup final and will be expected to overcome the deficit at home. Not only will Leopard face a club renowned for staging comebacks in Tizi Ouzou, a city east of Algiers, but they are likely to find the chilly northern hemisphere winter conditions challenging. The sixth former African champions in the play-offs, Enyimba of Nigeria, were stranded in Morocco on Sunday after being refused entry to Tunisia for a highly anticipated clash with Al Ittihad of Libya. Tunisian authorities said the Nigerians did not meet the Covid-19 regulations required to enter the north African nation. Rivers United, the other Nigerian challengers, established a 2-1 lead over Al Masry of Egypt thanks to a 35th-minute goal from Isaq Kayode in the southeastern city of Aba. Uche Onwuansanya put the hosts ahead midway through the opening half only for Mohamed Antar to equalise one minute later.

Johannesburg (AFP) – Ivorian teenage forward Karim Konate enhanced his reputation by scoring twice for ASEC Mimosas in a 2-0 CAF Confederation Cup play-offs first-leg victory over Angolan visitors InterClube on Sunday. The 17-year-old, who notched three goals in the CAF Champions League this season before ASEC were demoted to the second-tier Confederation Cup, struck after 48 and 90 minutes in Abidjan. Many Ivorian pundits believe Konate will soon join many countrymen in Europe, hoping to one day emulate retired legends like Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure. ASEC were among five former Champions League winners in action and Hearts of Oak from Ghana, Orlando Pirates of South Africa and TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo also triumphed. Hearts, the first winners of the Confederation Cup in 2004, were 2-0 victors over JS Saoura of Algeria thanks to goals from Salifu Ibrahim and Isaac Boateng in Accra. Soon after Boateng doubled the lead on 72 minutes, the visiting te...

Napoli honour Maradona by crushing Lazio and going clear at top Milan (AFP) – Napoli paid the perfect tribute to Diego Maradona on Sunday by thumping Lazio 4-0 to move three points clear at the top of Serie A. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was among those present in Naples as the southern Italian city honoured one of its adopted sons, who led Napoli to their only two league titles and the 1989 UEFA Cup and died a year ago on Thursday. Fans chanted Maradona’s name as a statue, which depicts their idol in full flight atop the number 10, was carried around the pitch. A tribute from Pele was shown on the stadium’s big screens, while players came out for their pre-match warm-up to the sound of “Life Is Life” by Opus, the song to which Maradona does keepie-uppies in one of the most beloved pieces of footage of the Argentine in his pomp. Inspired by the emotional ceremony, Napoli took full advantage of AC Milan crashing to a 3-1 home defeat against Sassuolo to go it alone at the summit with an at times electrifying performance. Kitted out in shirts which bore Maradona’s face, Luciano Spalletti’s table toppers came out like a team possessed and blew Lazio out of the water with three superb first half goals. – Mertens sweeps Lazio aside – In almost perfect synergy with the occasion it was another adopted Neapolitan in Dries Mertens who led the charge, the Belgian nicknamed ‘Ciro’ scoring a brilliant brace of which Maradona himself would have been proud. Piotr Zielinski got the ball rolling in the seventh minute by almost ripping a hole in the net with his rocket opener, and just three minutes later Mertens took the roof off the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona when he ended a brilliant move by dumping Patric on the deck with a feint and slotting home a cool finish. After Luis Alberto and then Francesco Acerbi went close for Lazio in the space of a minute, Mertens effectively sealed the win with more than an hour to play with another wonderful goal, clipping a first-time strike that sailed over a despairing Pepe Reina and increased his club-record goal tally to 139. The 34-year-old’s three superb strikes in his last two Serie A matches will also give Spalletti hope that he can get by without star striker Victor Osimhen, out for up to three months with facial fractures. Fabian Ruiz capped a perfect night when he lashed home the fourth from distance. – Sassuolo’s San Siro success – Sassuolo emerged worthy winners at the San Siro earlier on Sunday after recovering from Alessio Romagnoli’s 21st-minute header through a superb Gianluca Scamacca strike, Simon Kjaer’s own goal and a solo effort from Domenico Berardi. Milan also finished with 10 men after Romagnoli completed a miserable afternoon by being shown a straight red card for taking out Gregoire Defrel. Their first home league defeat of the season after last weekend’s 4-3 loss at Fiorentina mean that city rivals Inter Milan are now only a point behind them in third, with Atalanta a further three back after beating Juventus in Turin on Sunday. “It’s clear if you concede seven goals in two games something’s not working,” said Milan coach Stefano Pioli, who on Friday signed an extension to his Milan contract until June 2023 with an option for another year. Roma are three points behind Atalanta in fifth after Tammy Abraham’s 32nd-minute strike gave them a 1-0 win over 13th-placed Torino. Earlier Andriy Shevchenko earned his first point as Genoa coach with a largely uneventful goalless draw at Udinese. On Wednesday his team host Milan, where the former Ukraine striker scored 175 goals and won one Serie A title and the 2003 Champions League.

Milan (AFP) – Napoli paid the perfect tribute to Diego Maradona on Sunday by thumping Lazio 4-0 to move three points clear at the top of Serie A. FIFA president Gianni Infantino was among those present in Naples as the southern Italian city honoured one of its adopted sons, who led Napoli to their only two league titles and the 1989 UEFA Cup and died a year ago on Thursday. Fans chanted Maradona’s name as a statue, which depicts their idol in full flight atop the number 10, was carried around the pitch. A tribute from Pele was shown on the stadium’s big screens, while players came out for their pre-match warm-up to the sound of “Life Is Life” by Opus, the song to which Maradona does keepie-uppies in one of the most beloved pieces of footage of the Argentine in his pomp. Inspired by the emotional ceremony, Napoli took full advantage of AC Milan crashing to a 3-1 home defeat against Sassuolo to go it alone at the summit with an at times electrifying performance. Kitted out in shirt...

Portuguese league discuss ‘disgrace’ after team starts with nine men Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese league officials met on Sunday to discuss the farcical game between Belenenses and Benfica, which had to be called off in the second half after Belenenses started with only nine players, including two goalkeepers, due to an outbreak of Covid-19. Belenenses played one of their goalkeepers, Joao Monteiro, as an outfield player and had no substitutes at the Estadio Nacional where Benfica strolled into a 7-0 lead before half-time on Saturday. The Primeira Liga game was called off by referee Manuel Mota three minutes into the second half, after Belenenses were reduced to six players. They had emerged after half-time with only seven players before Monteiro went down injured. According to reports in Portugal, Primeira Liga officials met on Sunday morning to discuss the controversial fixture and whether any disciplinary action sohuld be taken against Belenenses. The Portuguese health ministry also issued a statement on Sunday, saying “it does not comment on the holding of games, whether in football or any other sport”. Belenenses president Rui Pedro Soares said on Saturday the game was a “disgrace” and criticised the league for effectively forcing the club to play, under threat of being deducted points. “What happened today was a great shame, there is nothing to justify what happened,” he said. “Never in my life have I witnessed such dignified behaviour as from those nine players.” After informing the league “that we didn’t wish to play the match, we were told we had eight players able to play” and “not turning up could be considered an unjustified absence”, said the Belenenses president. Benfica president Rui Costa described it as a “black page for Portuguese football” but insisted “Benfica simply complied with the regulations” and were “not responsible” for the match being played. Reports in Portugal claimed Belenenses were without 14 players due to Covid, as well as three members of staff. Belenenses coach Filipe Candido had indicated on Saturday that he would have to promote some under-23 players due to injuries and suspensions. Supporters in the stadium chanted: “The league is a disgrace.” The decision to go ahead with the fixture also drew criticism from players, with the Belenenses team posting a joint message on Twitter that read: “Football only has colour if it has competition. Football only has colour if it has sporting truth. Football only has colour when it is an example of public health. Today, football has lost its colour.” Manchester City’s Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva wrote: “What is this? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand why the game hasn’t been postponed?” Belenenses sat 16th in the Primeira Liga at the start of the game while Benfica were third.

Lisbon (AFP) – Portuguese league officials met on Sunday to discuss the farcical game between Belenenses and Benfica, which had to be called off in the second half after Belenenses started with only nine players, including two goalkeepers, due to an outbreak of Covid-19. Belenenses played one of their goalkeepers, Joao Monteiro, as an outfield player and had no substitutes at the Estadio Nacional where Benfica strolled into a 7-0 lead before half-time on Saturday. The Primeira Liga game was called off by referee Manuel Mota three minutes into the second half, after Belenenses were reduced to six players. They had emerged after half-time with only seven players before Monteiro went down injured. According to reports in Portugal, Primeira Liga officials met on Sunday morning to discuss the controversial fixture and whether any disciplinary action sohuld be taken against Belenenses. The Portuguese health ministry also issued a statement on Sunday, saying “it does not comment on ...

Jorginho redemption as Chelsea rescue Man Utd draw London (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Jorginho rescued a 1-1 draw against Manchester United as the Italian’s penalty atoned for the blunder that allowed Jadon Sancho to put the visitors in front on Sunday. Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated for long periods at Stamford Bridge but fell behind when Jorginho’s poor control presented Sancho with the chance to score early in the second half. Jorginho made amends for that mistake as he stroked home a penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Thiago Silva. It was the least Chelsea deserved after they laid seige to United’s goal and saw David de Gea make a series of fine saves. Chelsea, unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, remain top of the Premier League but are now just one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who defeated West Ham earlier on Sunday. United, in eighth place, are 12 points adrift of the leaders but this gritty display was something to build on after a traumatic period. Michael Carrick was in charge of United for a second successive game after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking, with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager until the end of this season expected to be confirmed shortly. United are in discussions with Rangnick, who is working as director of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow. But in the meantime Carrick had overseen a vital win at Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday and he used the same defensive blueprint to frustrate Chelsea. Given Rangnick’s preference for a intense pressing game-plan that may not suit Cristiano Ronaldo, it was intriguing to see the sometimes diffident Portugal striker left on the bench by Carrick until the 63rd minute. With Bruno Fernandes as the false nine and Marcus Rashford and Sancho on the flanks, United set up for a point and got exactly that. Hakim Ziyech found space in the United area early on but his low shot was saved by De Gea, setting the tone for the rest of the afternoon. – Frenetic finale – Moments later, Marcos Alonso’s header from Silva’s long pass caught Victor Lindelof and Wan-Bissaka out of position. Callum Hudson-Odoi seemed certain to score when he pounced on the loose ball, only for De Gea to repel the forward’s close-range effort with a superb save. Manchester United technical director Darren Fletcher was on the bench wearing an ear-piece, sparking suggestions he was in contact with Rangnick. Rangnick is regarded as the godfather of ‘gegenpressing’, the tactics copied so successfully by Tuchel and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, and United had spells when they closed down Chelsea with more authority than they showed in the final weeks of Solskjaer’s reign. But if Rangnick was offering advice to the United bench ahead of his impending appointment, he might have been concerned at how deep they were sitting. Antonio Rudiger was left in acres of space when his 25-yard drive was tipped onto the crossbar by De Gea. United had ventured into the Chelsea area only twice in the first half, but they broke out to snatch the lead five minutes after the interval with their first shot on target. Fernandes’ hoofed clearance should have been easy for Jorginho, but Chelsea’s captain made a hash of dealing with the high ball and Sancho was rewarded for pressing hard as he stole possession, sprinted clear on goal and slotted past Edouard Mendy. After going 14 games without a goal following his close-season move from Borussia Dortmund, Sancho has two in his last two matches. Chelsea’s response was emphatic and their pressure was finally rewarded in the 69th minute after Wan-Bissaka’s flailing challenge on Silva conceded a needless penalty. Jorginho had missed a high-profile penalty for Italy against Switzerland recently, but the midfielder coolly sent De Gea the wrong way from the spot. In a frenetic finale, Rudiger could have won it in the final seconds when he volleyed over from Christian Pulisic’s cross.

London (AFP) – Chelsea midfielder Jorginho rescued a 1-1 draw against Manchester United as the Italian’s penalty atoned for the blunder that allowed Jadon Sancho to put the visitors in front on Sunday. Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated for long periods at Stamford Bridge but fell behind when Jorginho’s poor control presented Sancho with the chance to score early in the second half. Jorginho made amends for that mistake as he stroked home a penalty after Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Thiago Silva. It was the least Chelsea deserved after they laid seige to United’s goal and saw David de Gea make a series of fine saves. Chelsea, unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions, remain top of the Premier League but are now just one point ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who defeated West Ham earlier on Sunday. United, in eighth place, are 12 points adrift of the leaders but this gritty display was something to build on after a traumatic period. Michael Carrick was in charge of Uni...