STUDY SPORTS

  Donny van de Beek has not had an easy time since joining Manchester United from Ajax last season. The Netherlands international looked a top player in his time in the Eredivisie, but he’s found opportunities hard to come by under Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Red Devils fans will likely be puzzled by the situation, and it seems pretty clear that Van de Beek isn’t happy with how things are going either, with the Telegraph reporting that he wants assurances over his situation at the club. It’s also pretty obvious from the video below that he didn’t respond well when he found out he was going to be an unused substitute once again in the Villarreal game last night…

  Federico Chiesa has scored for Juventus to make it 1-0 against Chelsea in the Champions League this evening. The Blues have not looked too convincing in Turin tonight, and they were caught out at the start of the second half as Juve put together a lovely flowing team move and scored almost straight from the kick-off. Watch below as Massimiliano Allegri’s side carved Chelsea open, with Italian forward Chiesa applying the finish with some aplomb to put the reigning European champions behind…

 It’s safe to say that Manchester United fans will remember their latest encounter with Villarreal for longer than that agonising Europa League final just over four months ago. Villarreal took the lead early in the second half at Old Trafford but the goal was followed by pressure from the home side, which eventually paid off. Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is an avid Manchester United supporter and was in attendance for the game. Evidently, Bolt had the best viewing in the house as he recorded Alex Telles’ incredible equaliser from a delicious angle, as seen below.

 Usain Bolt is at the Manchester United game tonight and he managed to capture Alex Telles’ wonder-goal with a brilliant video from the stands. The Brazilian struck a stunning volley after a cleverly-worked Bruno Fernandes free-kick to him on the edge of the box, and it’s bound to be a strike that lives long in the memory for those who were at Old Trafford to see it. It looked good enough on the TV, but Bolt captured a great angle of it on his phone and uploaded it to his Twitter page shortly afterwards. See below for the results, and listen out for what is almost certainly Bolt going crazy with the celebrations!

 Manchester United fans will love the sheer effort from Edinson Cavani in this clip below as the 34-year-old rolled back the years to show some remarkable pace. Cavani has never exactly been the quickest forward in the world, but he showed tremendous speed and desire to win this ball back against Villarreal… This is seriously impressive from Cavani as he recovered what looked like a lost cause, putting pressure on the Villarreal defence. Perhaps the Uruguay international has been getting diet tips from Cristiano Ronaldo since his move to Old Trafford this summer!

  Manchester United came so close to scoring late on against Villarreal in tonight’s Champions League clash, only for Edinson Cavani to put his header wide. The Red Devils were second best for much of this match, with Villarreal opening the scoring through Paco Alcacer before Alex Telles scored a sublime volley to make it 1-1 not long afterwards. Watch below as United later put a good move together, only for Cavani to mess things up and totally misjudge his header when it looked like a simple job of nodding it into the back of the net… Cavani knows he should have done better, and you can see his team-mates around him were pretty shocked as well.

 Cristiano Ronaldo has worked his magic in the Champions League once again with a stoppage time winner for Manchester United against Villarreal this evening. The Red Devils had been poor against their La Liga opponents, and it looked like they were about to be pretty lucky to come away with the draw, with Alex Telles scoring a beauty of an equaliser and the visitors missing a host of big chances. Ronaldo, however, has once again turned up on the big stage with a hugely important goal to make it 2-1 to Man Utd right at the death, which you can see in the video clip below…

 Alex Telles has scored an absolute beauty from a cleverly-worked set play by Bruno Fernandes as Manchester United level things up against Villarreal. The Red Devils have not been at their best tonight, and had gone 1-0 down at home to the team that beat them on penalties in last season’s Europa League final, with Paco Alcacer scoring early on in the second half. Telles has levelled things up, however, with an absolute beauty of a strike on the volley from a clever Fernandes free-kick. Watch below and admire the all-round beauty of this goal, which Man Utd so desperately needed after a difficult match so far…

 After last weekend’s disappointing defeat to Aston Villa, Manchester United are back in action tonight as they welcome Villarreal to Old Trafford for their second group game of the Champions League. Villarreal took the lead early into the second half but the visitor’s goal invited pressure from United, who capitalised on it just minutes after going behind. Mason Greenwood won a free-kick on the right-hand side, with Bruno Fernandes finding Alex Telles waiting on the edge of the box. The Brazil international was yet to score for United but opened his account with an incredible volley, as seen below.

The second half is just underway, and Chelsea are already behind. Showing the kind of sloppiness we never saw last season, the Blues looked sleepy and distracted right from kickoff at the Allianz Stadium, and they gave the ball away almost instantly.  Juve broke, Fede Chiesa had a chance to shoot on the run after slipping in behind Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva. Players like that don’t miss the chance to give their team the lead, and Chiesa – who had been the best player on the pitch – was no exception. You can see the goal in the clips embedded here:

 Villarreal let Manchester United off the hook with a big miss in the first half of tonight’s Champions League clash at Old Trafford. Watch below as an awful error by Raphael Varane went unpunished, with Villarreal failing to make the most of the opportunity it presented them… VARANE ??? pic.twitter.com/wVqZy0D4 — CF Comps (@CF_Comps) September 29, 20 Perhaps they were just surprised to get the chance as it was such a surprisingly poor piece of play from a player as experienced as Varane. It’s not been a good start by United and Villarreal have wasted a few other decent opportunities too.

  Manchester United are currently in action against Villarreal in the second round of Champions League group stage fixtures. Looking to get their own back on the Spanish side following their Europa League final win last season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named a strong, attacking starting lineup. With three of four first-choice defensive players out through injury and suspension, Solskjaer has been forced to name a much-changed back four, featuring Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Alex Telles – all of whom are playing in front of goalkeeper David De Gea. After latching on to the ball, the Villarreal wide-attacker unleashed a beauty of a striker but was denied by United’s Spanish number-one. Reacting to the number-one’s fine diving save, several fans were quick to take to social media to praise the experienced shot-stopper. Below are some of the best tweets.

 Villarreal keeper details going head-to-head with David de Gea in Europa League final. Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli claims he didn’t want to make David de Gea suffer during last season’s Europa League final penalty shoot-out in Gdansk. The less said about that night the better because it still hurts. And for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, four months have passed since, but he will be reminded about it until the day he wins a trophy as Manchester United manager. After all of the outfield players stood up to take their penalties, De Gea and Rulli went head-to-head to win the Europa League and become a hero.

 Lionel Messi's stunning first Paris Saint-Germain goal sealed a 2-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. Messi had failed to find the net in his first three PSG appearances but marked his return to Mauricio Pochettino's team with a trademark run and exquisite finish 16 minutes from time. Match report as Lionel Messi's magical first PSG goal and Idrissa Gueye's brilliant opener secure Champions League group-stage victory over Man City; PSG move top of Group A as defeat sees Man City drop to third

  Footballing great Lionel Messi has finally opened his Paris-Saint Germain account following a stunning effort against Manchester City in Tuesday night’s Champions League group game. Prior to Tuesday night, the Argentine superstar had featured in three matches, failing to score on all occasions. However, a midweek European blockbuster at the Parc des Princes has seen the former Barcelona attacker roll back the years with a truly sublime goal.

 Footballing great Lionel Messi has finally opened his Paris-Saint Germain account following a stunning effort against Manchester City in Tuesday night’s Champions League group game. Prior to Tuesday night, the Argentine superstar had featured in three matches, failing to score on all occasions. However, a midweek European blockbuster at the Parc des Princes has seen the former Barcelona attacker roll back the years with a truly sublime goal.

 Jurgen Klopp will be absolutley delighted with what he has seen, so far, during Liverpool’s first-half against Porto in Tuesday night’s second round of Champions League group fixtures. Looking to go two-for-two in Group B, the Reds could not have hoped for a better first 45-minutes. Following an earlier strike from wide-attacker Mo Salah, Liverpool has doubled their lead just shy of the half-time interval, thanks to a Sadio Mane tap in, courtesy of a superb ball in from veteran James Milner.

  Pep Guardiola cannot believe his Manchester City side have not equalised against Paris-Saint Germain. Having fallen behind to an Idrissa Gueye strike after just eight minutes, the Premier League champions knew that they would have to up their game if they’re to reclaim their place at the top of Group A’s table Following an attack by Kevin De Bruyne, who put a delicious cross into the PSG’s box, somehow, despite a double goal-line scramble, the Citizens were unable to put the ball into the back of the net, despite Bernando Silva being odds-on-favourite to score. Remarkable. ..

 Mohamed Salah had an easy finish as he bundled home from close range to make it 1-0 to Liverpool away to Porto in tonight’s Champions League clash. Watch below as the Egypt international makes sure he’s in the right place at the right time to find the back of the net after great work by Curtis Jones, who showed slick footwork and a powerful short that was parried away before falling into the path of Salah… Liverpool have a good recent record against Porto and they’ve made the best possible start to this evening’s match.

 Mauricio Pochettino will be delighted with how his Paris-Saint Germain side has started their Champions League group game against Premier League title holders Manchester City. Coming into Tuesday night’s star-studded match, Paris-Saint Germain would have been desperate to start quickly as they look to improve upon their opening draw against Club Brugge. The game’s deadlock has been broken after just eight minutes after midfielder Idrissa Gueye smashed his side into a 1-0 lead following a missed kick from Neymar.

 If Manchester United thought they were front runners in the race to sign Erling Haaland, they might have to think again, with Borussia Dortmund’s CEO, Hans-Joachim Watzke, none too happy with the Red Devils treatment of Jadon Sancho. After a failed bid for the player in summer 2020, United eventually got their man in the last transfer window, however, since then he’s hardly played. Though there’s been no leaks from the player’s camp to suggest he’s unhappy, Watzke remains unimpressed. In some respects, Sancho’s current situation mirrors that of Donny van de Beek who was brought in amidst great fanfare, only to spend the majority of his time on the bench at Old Trafford. “I love Jadon, when you see him playing you get tears in your eyes. It hurts my soul that he is given so little consideration,” Watzke said to Sport1 cited by the Daily Mail. It’s an odd situation given that Sancho is no longer a Dortmund player, but perhaps Watke’s outburst is a coded warning to Solskjaer. Whether...

 There was high drama at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon as Manchester United took on an improving Aston Villa side. With two minutes to play the scores were still goalless, until Kortney Hause diverted a header home to stun Old Trafford into silence. The Red Devils were then awarded an injury-time penalty with the ever-reliable Bruno Fernandes given a chance at levelling the scores. As he placed the ball on the spot, Villa goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, began the mind games, persistently asking Cristiano Ronaldo to take it ahead of his countryman. It must’ve worked as Bruno took what was arguably the worst spot-kick of his United career.

 The early Premier League kick-off on Saturday afternoon saw a giant clash between title favourites Chelsea and Manchester City. Despite being hopeful they could extend their unbeaten run, Thomas Tuchel’s Blues came up short against a far superior Manchester City. Dominant throughout, the Citizens ended up running out 1-0 winners thanks to a Gabriel Jesus striker.

 Arsenal have added a second goal in the North London Derby at the Emirates through captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Heading into today’s North London Derby, it was difficult to predict how the game would go – which is often the case in this special local contest. Neither side have looked particularly good in the opening weeks of the Premier League season, which left this fixture looking like a potential springboard for either manager to improve their approval ratings with the fans. When Emile Smith-Rowe found the back of the net to break the deadlock, with Mikel Arteta leaping for joy in front of the Arsenal supporters, you figured that today could really be his day to to mark a turnaround at the Emirates.

 Arsenal are running riot in the North London Derby at the Emirates, with Bukayo Saka adding a THIRD goal. Tottenham have endured a rotten run as of late, but Arsenal are only just coming out the backend of what was a truly disastrous start to the Premier League season. While Arsenal had a spring in their step heading into the contest, few would have expected the scenes which unfolded in the opening 45 minutes minutes of the North London Derby.

 Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea was clearly not happy with centre-back Harry Maguire after a poor back-pass nearly got the Red Devils in big trouble against Aston Villa. Maguire didn’t play the pass to De Gea well at all, with the Spanish shot-stopper then forced into a smart save to stop Aston Villa capitalising and taking the lead at Old Trafford. It was certainly a heart-in-mouth moment and Man Utd were lucky to get away with it after a slow start to today’s game. You can watch the incident in the video clip below, with De Gea reacting angrily afterwards as he clearly tells Maguire that he got the ball all wrong…

 Without trying to excuse the performance as Manchester United lost 1-0 against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer raises a valid point when he said the goal was offside. It’s amazing that mistakes like this still slip through the cracks when VAR is in play – and we didn’t have that for Jesse Lingard’s penalty appeal in the Carabao Cup defeat at home to West Ham, which makes you question whether it would’ve been spotted in the first place. But even with a penalty given today, Bruno Fernandes was unable to convert, and it was one of those days that Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t get on the scoresheet. A rare one if his return to date is anything to go by.

 Manchester United are back in action in the Premier League following the disappointment of being knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of West Ham. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was arguably the better side but to no avail, as the Hammers progressed to the next round of the tournament. The Norwegian boss made 11 changes to his side for the visit of Aston Villa, with Ronaldo, Fernandes, and Pogba among those to return to the side. Jesse Lingard’s match-winning performance against West Ham last weekend was not enough to earn him a starting place as in-form Mason Greenwood regains his place.

 There was high drama at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon as Manchester United took on an improving Aston Villa side. With two minutes to play the scores were still goalless, until Kortney Hause diverted a header home to stun Old Trafford into silence. The Red Devils were then awarded an injury-time penalty with the ever-reliable Bruno Fernandes given a chance at levelling the scores. As he placed the ball on the spot, Villa goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, began the mind games, persistently asking Cristiano Ronaldo to take it ahead of his countryman. It must’ve worked as Bruno took what was arguably the worst spot-kick of his United career.

 Bruno Fernandes is normally Mr Reliable from the penalty spot, but he made an absolute mess of his effort for Manchester United against Aston Villa today. The Portugal international sent his effort flying over the bar at Old Trafford, messing up a great opportunity to equalise for Man Utd against Villa, who had taken the lead in the 88th minute. This awful blunder from Fernandes ended up handing the visitors all three points, and we’re pretty sure he won’t be on penalty duty again any time soon while Cristiano Ronaldo is on the pitch.

 Aston Villa Emi Martinez gave it to the Manchester United fans after Bruno Fernandes missed a late penalty at Old Trafford. Man United trailed to Aston Villa heading into injury time after a late goal from Kortney Hause but were given a golden opportunity to equalise at the death from the penalty spot. There wasn’t much on-field deliberation as to who should take it, with Bruno Fernandes grabbing the ball and Cristiano Ronaldo having no arguments. However, Ronaldo must be wishing he did step in after Fernandes blazed his spot-kick harmlessly over the crossbar.

 Manchester City have taken the lead over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge through Gabriel Jesus. Heading into today’s contest, Man City were on the back of three consecutive defeats to Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, with one of those being in the Champions League final. The Premier League champions were not disheartened by their recent woes against Chelsea, pressing high and looking to create chances from minute one at the Bridge. Chelsea sat deep and soaked up the pressure and have now suffered the consequences, with Gabriel Jesus beating Edouard Mendy to give the visitors the lead in this title six-pointer.