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Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag defends Bruno Fernandes

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag accused Nottingham Forest of targeting Bruno Fernandes in his side’s FA Cup win at the City Ground and branded criticism of his captain as “pathetic”.

The Portugal midfielder overcame a “serious injury” to play his part in United’s 1-0 victory at Forest, setting up Casemiro’s 89th-minute winner from a free-kick.

Forest looked fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men in stoppage time after Felipe grabbed Fernandes’ throat.

He was on the receiving end of plenty of robust challenges from Forest throughout the 90 minutes while also being the butt of social media jokes after Saturday’s loss against Fulham.

Fulham’s official TikTok account poked fun at him for appearing to feign injury and it got Ten Hag’s back up.

Asked about the severity of Fernandes’ injury, he said: “I don’t want to go into that because you saw that Forest was targeting him, so I don’t tell what he has but it was a serious injury.

 

“There were many fouls on him. Maybe I am a little bit too tough but when he has the ball they were really tight on him.

“Then I see that serious media criticise him and social media is pathetic and it can’t be.

“He has a serious injury but he continued to play on Saturday and today he also fought to be part of the game and he has a very high pain threshold.

“Last year he did also something similar against Spurs and in the semi-final and it shows his leadership because that expresses his character and that is very good when you are a leader.”

The history of United and English football could have turned out very differently if Mark Robins had not scored for the club against Nottingham Forest back in January 1990. Sir Alex Ferguson was on the brink of being sacked when Robins struck the winner in an FA Cup third-round tie.

It prevented a fourth straight trophy-less season for Ferguson and the rest, as they say, is history. This dramatic victory – witnessed by Sir Alex in the stands – provides a welcome shot in the arm for Ten Hag.

His injury-hit United not only bounced back from the home loss to Fulham but avoided extra-time exertions before this weekend’s derby clash with Manchester City.

Ten Hag added: “It’s big – we want to win every competition – the team fighting, showing determination, passion and desire.

“They showed it today, we were disappointed after Saturday but we showed resilience. We have serious problems at the back four – happy Rapha [Raphael Varane] and Bruno [Fernandes] fought to be part of this game. It was so important, Bruno’s assist.

“It was hard to line-up, especially the back four – it was a puzzle. We found the right formation and organisation – first half although we created chances, we allowed them some counters.

“After that we took control of the game – we were calm, composed – we got the switches, we took control, didn’t allow counter-attacks, very pleased with the second half – pleased with the spirit and desire showed.”

On facing Liverpool in the next round, the United boss said: “There are many good teams in the Premier League – Liverpool are top so it’s a very good challenge for us. We are looking forward to Sunday [against Manchester City].”

Casemiro’s goal survived a lengthy VAR check as Varane, who was in an offside position, blocked a couple of Forest players, but he was ruled not to be interfering in play.

Such has been Forest’s frustration at refereeing decisions in recent weeks, they have appointed Mark Clattenburg to act as a conduit to the PGMOL and he was spotted sat next to Howard Webb.

This was another decision that went against them but boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who swatted away Ten Hag’s suggestions of targeting Fernandes, did not want to dwell on it.

Nuno said: “I didn’t see clearly the images but speaking with the players they say it is a block and a possible offside. They checked it.

“We have had so many issues in this period with VAR and referees that we try to forget about it and move forward.

“I think it was a good performance, we played good, much better than the previous game, so improvement from that.

“It is frustrating to lose it in the end but I think we played good, football is cruel sometimes and today we are on that side.”

 

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European Leagues

Juventus fire Allegri after cup final antics

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Juventus have sacked Massimiliano Allegri two days after he led the side to the Italian Cup. The Turin side beat Atalanta 1-0 in Rome,

Juventus have sacked Massimiliano Allegri two days after he led the side to the Italian Cup.

The Turin side beat Atalanta 1-0 in Rome, but Allegri was sent off late on for ranting at match officials and waving away sporting director during the celebrations.

The Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal has launched an investigation into Allegri.

And yesterday ,Juventus confirmed he was no longer their boss.

“The dismissal follows certain behaviors during and after the Italian Cup final which the club deemed incompatible with the values of

Juventus and with the behavior that those who represent it must adopt,” a statement read.

Juve’s 1-0 win over Atalanta, thanks to Dusan Vlahovic’s early goal, gave Allegri a record fifth Coppa Italia as a manager.

“If I am no longer the Juventus coach next year, I will leave a strong team. The club will make its evaluations,” he said in the post-match news conference.

Even before his antics at the Stadio Olimpico, the 56-year-old had been expected to lose his job and be replaced by Bologna coach Thiago Motta.

But now he will not be there for the final two Serie A games against Bologna and Monza.

“The company wishes Massimiliano Allegri good luck in his future projects,” ended the statement..

Allegri was in charge of Juventus from 2014 until 2019, winning the title in each of his five seasons, as well as four Italian Cups and reaching the Champions League final twice.

He left by mutual consent at the end of the 2018-19 season – and did not work again for two years, until he was re-appointed as Juventus manager at the start of 2021-22.

However his second spell failed to live up to the first and Wednesday’s Italian Cup was their only silverware in that time.

They finished fourth and seventh in his two full seasons – and currently sit fourth.

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Juventus nearly sacked Allegri after Italian Cup row

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Massimiliano Allegri was close to being sacked by Juventus after exploding with anger during his team’s midweek Italian Cup triumph

Massimiliano Allegri was close to being sacked by Juventus after exploding with anger during his team’s midweek Italian Cup triumph, according to widespread reports in local media.

Juventus won their 15th Italian Cup on Wednesday night but Allegri burst into a rage, first being sent off in the final minutes after ranting at match officials and then waving away sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli during the post-match celebrations.

And Juve are now set to fire Allegri, who was already widely rumoured to be replaced by Bologna coach Thiago Motta in the summer, with two matches of the season remaining.

Juventus sit fourth in Serie A after collecting just 15 points in their last 15 league matches. They are at Bologna on Monday night. The two are teams level on 67 points and both have already qualified for next season’s revamped Champions League.

Italian media reported that Juve are evaluating whether to dismiss Allegri with just cause for his behaviour on Wednesday night, when he is also alleged to have manhandled and threatened the chief editor of newspaper Tuttosport before the post-match press conference.

Such a move would potentially save the club from paying Allegri the remaining year of his contract, which is worth around seven million euros before bonuses.

The Italian Football Federation’s disciplinary tribunal has launched an investigation into Allegri, who on Wednesday almost accidentally confirmed that this season would be his last at the Turin giants.

Allegri was on Thursday given an automatic two-match ban in the cup for his straight red card but could receive further punishment.

 

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Man City move close to history – thanks to unlikely hero Romero

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Manchester City saw an unlikely hero emerge from their galaxy of superstars to make a potentially defining contribution in their pursuit of

Manchester City saw an unlikely hero emerge from their galaxy of superstars to make a potentially defining contribution in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title.

Pep Guardiola rightly acted with caution when he removed keeper Ederson, with City leading 1-0, after he suffered a nasty blow to the head in a heavy collision at the foot of his post with Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.

Ederson, who had a problem with his eye, did not look happy with the decision – taken upon advice from the club doctor – but his manager was perfectly justified, not just acting in the best interests of the Brazilian keeper but also because he has complete trust in his replacement Stefan Ortega.

And in a 21-minute cameo of the highest quality, Ortega – who has performed with distinction every time he has deputised for Ederson this season – may well have rubber-stamped City’s sixth title in seven seasons.

When the final whistle sounded and the club stood one win away from being champions again, Guardiola headed straight for Ortega and greeted the German with a kiss on the cheek for his crucial contribution. It was richly deserved.

Guardiola did not hold back with the praise as he said: “Ortega is a world-class goalkeeper. An exceptional, exceptional goalkeeper. Ederson did not have concussion, he had a problem with his eye. He could not see properly so the doctor said I should change.”

Spurs made a complete mockery of the cynics who suggested they may ease off because any sort of positive result could potentially give rivals Arsenal their first Premier League title in 20 years.

Ange Postecoglou’s fifth-placed side were fully committed in chasing a goal of their own as they went after a place in the Champions League and it was not for any lack of effort as they came so close to upsetting City’s traditional title charge. They were left disappointed in the end as defeat confirmed Aston Villa’s fourth-placed finish and they will now join European football’s top table.

Ortega’s impact was instant, denying Spurs substitute Dejan Kulusevski with a good save and then the same player shortly afterwards as City almost paid the price for a performance that was not one of their best.

The biggest moment came in the closing minutes, with City clinging on to a one-goal lead, when Son Heung-min collected the ball and raced clear with only Ortega to beat. It was the sort of opportunity the South Korean has taken with aplomb so many times in his Spurs career.

BBC

 

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