Ronaldo, Cavani put on a masterclass as Solskjaer fights back

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LONDON — For most of the second half of a big win for Manchester United at Tottenham, the away fans sung Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name loud and proud.

After an extremely tough week, Solskjaer’s United side put in a display to make him proud.

[ MORE: Player ratings | Manager reaction ]

Superstars Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes didn’t quite save Solskjaer his job. But following the 5-0 hammering at home to Liverpool last weekend, this felt like a huge moment for Solskjaer.

The way he punched the air after every goal and looked in the eyes of the supporters, you got the sense that Solskjaer tried to keep his cool as much as possible.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Solskjaer thanked the supporters and hit back at local journalists who he said had painted a picture of discontent around his reign.

United’s superstars deliver for bullish Solskjaer

“The most important thing is that the fans, the players and me, that we connect together,” Solskjaer said. “It is hard to be sitting as your local journalist then to write about your own fans singing for your manager… That is just a dig at someone who has been wanting to portray a different story. But these fans are brilliant.”

From Bruno Fernandes’ silky assists for Cristiano Ronaldo’s sublime volley for the opener, and Bruno, Ronaldo and Cavani combining to set up the latter for a second, this was a day where United’s class shone through to move them up to fifth in the table.

Especially from their strike force which had a combined age of 70.

Cavani, Ronaldo ‘two peas in a pod’

It was the forward duo of Ronaldo, 36, and Cavani, 34, who truly stepped up. Their goals, hunger and killer instinct was the difference. Solskjaer has certainly stumbled upon a fine plan to help get Manchester United moving in the right direction again.

“They are fit lads. Their experience came through today. I thought both of them have led the line really well this week. All week. From training Tuesday morning until tonight. It is something we might do later. We might do next game. It is something that worked tonight, that’s for sure,” Solskjaer said.

“Tuesday morning’s training session by Edinson Cavani, it is probably the best I’ve seen by an individual since I’ve come here. He led the line and was a good example for everyone on how to go about changing the mood, changing the performance. The two of them were told early on they were going to play up front as a two and they’ve been like two peas in a pod. They’ve been really close and it worked today. Two excellent goals from the two of them.”

True, they were playing a Tottenham side which is in a rut and were under extreme pressure after plenty of recent defeats, but the way United won was impressive.

From Raphael Varane’s masterful display keeping Harry Kane quiet and marshalling a back three to Scott McTominay and Fred dominating midfield, there was plenty to please Solskjaer.

But, in the end, it was United’s ability to sign genuine superstar talents which dug Solskjaer out of a significant hole. Once again.

Back to basics

Nobody was really surprised when Solskjaer when to a back three and set up United to be tough to break down and dangerous on the counter.

Manchester United looked solid and comfortable, aside from the occasional Heung-min Son run, and this formation suits them. Especially with Cavani and Ronaldo up top.

“There were many things behind the tactics that we used today but one of course is solidity,” Solskjaer said. “We managed to get Raphael [Varane] put him smack bang in the middle of that back four. We needed a clean sheet. We needed to control the game with the ball. We got Edinson and Ronaldo to play together as a front two. We got the width as a the wing backs. Today we felt that worked and it was going to work. Of course, you can change to a back three and you don’t get the result and you get scrutinized. We felt it worked. The coaches have done a very, very good job to put that in place.”

Solskjaer looks ahead

With so many reports about his future, other managers coming in and unrest at the club, even among his playing squad, this has been the toughest week since Solskjaer took charge of Manchester United almost three years ago.

Asked about that, the United legend preached togetherness and staying away from the noise.

“It’s been a difficult week for the players, the club, the fans, for me,” Solskjaer said. “I’ve stayed away from most of the noise but you know what’s happening out there and you need to put a performance in. Every time you lose it’s the worst feeling in the world as a coach,  manager or player. You just want the next game to come. We needed this week. We needed a whole week to work on this performance. It was probably the last time for a while we have one week to work. It was an important one to work on fitness, mentality and we changed the tactics so it’s always nice to have four days to do that.”

With a huge UEFA Champions League game at Atalanta in midweek and then the small matter of a Manchester derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford next weekend, the big games keep coming for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Let’s see if his superstars can deliver. And, most importantly, keep fighting for him.

EURO 2024 qualification live! EURO qualifiers schedule, updates, standings

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EURO 2024 qualifying is here, and you’re in the right spot for groups, fixtures, and results.

Italy outlasted England in penalty kicks to win EURO 2020 and is bidding to become the first repeat winner since Spain in 2008 and 2012.

[ MORE: Breaking down Premier League title race ]

England is still seeking its first European Championship and will be favored to emerge from Group C with aforementioned Italy as well as Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta.

Netherlands and France are also in a spicy group that has dark horse Republic of Ireland and former champions Greece, as well as Gibraltar.

[ MORE: Live scores, updates, standings from EURO 2024 qualifying ]

A number of nations have guaranteed themselves no worse than a playoff spot due to their performances in the UEFA Nations League: Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Spain, Scotland, Georgia, Croatia, Turkey, Serbia, Kazakhstan.



EURO 2024 qualifying schedule

Thursday, March 23

Kazakhstan 1-2 Slovenia
Slovakia 0-0 Luxembourg
Italy 1-2 England – Video, player ratings as Kane breaks Rooney record
Denmark 3-1 Finland
Portugal 4-0 Liechtenstein
San Marino 0-2 Northern Ireland
North Macedonia 2-1 Malta
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 Iceland

Friday, March 24

Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
Gibraltar 0-3 Greece
Moldova 1-1 Faroe Islands
Serbia 2-0 Lithuania
Austria 4-1 Azerbaijan
Sweden 0-3 Belgium
Czech Republic 3-1 Poland
France 4-0 Netherlands

Saturday, March 25

Scotland vs Cyprus — 10am ET
Israel vs Kosovo  — 1pm ET
Armenia vs Turkey — 1pm ET
Belarus vs Switzerland  — 1pm ET
Spain vs Norway — 3:45pm ET
Croatia vs Wales — 3:45pm ET
Andorra vs Romania — 3:45pm ET

Sunday, March 26

Kazakhstan vs Denmark — 9am ET
England vs Ukraine — Noon ET
Liechtenstein vs Iceland — Noon ET
Slovenia vs San Marino — Noon ET
Slovakia vs Bosnia and Herzegovina — 2:45pm ET
Northern Ireland vs Finland — 2:45pm ET
Luxembourg vs Portugal — 2:45pm ET
Malta vs Italy — 2:45pm ET

Monday, March 27

Montenegro vs Serbia — 2:45pm ET
Netherlands vs Gibraltar — 2:45pm ET
Poland vs Albania — 2:45pm ET
Austria vs Estonia — 2:45pm ET
Sweden vs Azerbaijan — 2:45pm ET
Moldova vs Czech Republic — 2:45pm ET
Hungary vs Bulgaria — 2:45pm ET
Republic of Ireland vs France — 2:45pm ET

Tuesday, March 28

Georgia vs Norway — Noon ET
Wales vs Latvia — 2:45pm ET
Romania vs Belarus — 2:45pm ET
Switzerland vs Israel — 2:45pm ET
Kosovo vs Andorra — 2:45pm ET
Turkey vs Croatia — 2:45pm ET
Scotland vs Spain — 2:45pm ET


EURO 2024 qualifying standings

Group A

Spain
Scotland
Norway
Georgia
Cyprus

Group B

Netherlands
France
Republic of Ireland
Greece
Gibraltar

Group C

Italy
England
Ukraine
North Macedonia
Malta

Group D

Croatia
Wales
Armenia
Turkey
Latvia

Group E

Poland
Czech Republic
Albania
Faroe Islands
Moldova

Group F

Belgium
Austria
Sweden
Azerbaijan
Estonia

Group G

Hungary
Serbia
Montenegro
Bulgaria
Lithuania

Group H

Denmark
Finland
Slovenia
Kazakhstan
Northern Ireland
San Marino

Group I

Switzerland
Israel
Romania
Kosovo
Belarus
Andorra

Group J

Portugal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Iceland
Luxembourg
Slovakia
Liechtenstein

Premier League relegation scrap: Current form, fixtures, odds, predictions

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The Premier League relegation scrap needs some serious paring down, as a remarkably-high nine teams sit within four points of 20th place on the 2022-23 Premier League table.

That means we’re set, at least for now, for more relegation six-pointers than at any time in recent memory — many of them, you’ll see below, will involve Bournemouth — and the odds are in favor of a relatively surprising team heading down to the Championship.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

As for now Everton, Leeds, and Saints are the form teams in the fight, while Leicester and Crystal Palace sure could use a win.

Will the Premier League’s current bottom three of Bournemouth, West Ham and Southampton still be there when the season ends?

Below you’ll see the latest standings, the fixtures for the teams still in danger of dropping into the second tier, relegation odds, and our prediction for who will collect how many points.


Closest Premier League relegation scrap in history?

As the table below shows, after at least 26 matches of a PL season this is the tightest it has ever been between 12th place and 20th place.

Just four points separates almost half of the Premier League.


Premier League table, current form (March 19, 2023)

Premier League standings

Latest Premier League standings on NBCSports.com


Remaining fixtures for relegation scrappers

Wolves: Forest (A), Chelsea (H), Brentford (H), Leicester (A), Palace (H), Brighton (A), Villa (H), Man Utd (A), Everton (H), Arsenal (A)

Crystal Palace: Leicester (H), Leeds (A), Southampton (A), Everton (H), Wolves (A), West Ham (H), Spurs (A), Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A), Forest (H)

Leicester City: Palace (A), Villa (H), Bournemouth (H), Man City (A), Wolves (H), Leeds (A), Everton (H), Fulham (A), Liverpool (H), Newcastle (A), West Ham (H)

West Ham: Southampton (H), Newcastle (H), Fulham (A), Arsenal (H), Bournemouth (A), Liverpool (H), Palace (A), Man Utd (H), Brentford (A), Leeds (H), Leicester (A)

Nottingham Forest: Wolves (H), Leeds (A), Villa (A), Man Utd (H), Liverpool (A), Brighton (H), Brentford (A), Southampton (H), Chelsea (A), Arsenal (H), Palace (A)

Leeds: Arsenal (A), Forest (H), Palace (H), Liverpool (H), Fulham (A), Leicester (H), Bournemouth (A), Man City (A), Newcastle (H), West Ham (A), Spurs (H)

Everton: Spurs (H), Man Utd (A), Fulham (H), Palace (A), Newcastle (H), Leicester (A), Brighton (A), Man City (H), Wolves (A), Bournemouth (H)

Southampton: West Ham (A), Man City (H), Palace (H), Arsenal (A), Bournemouth (H), Newcastle (A), Forest (A), Fulham (H), Brighton (A), Liverpool (H)

Bournemouth: Fulham (H), Brighton (H), Leicester (A), Spurs (A), West Ham (H), Southampton (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (H), Palace (A), Man Utd (H), Everton (A)


Key fixtures that will decide the Premier League relegation scrap

Saturday, March 18: Wolves 2-4 Leeds – RECAP/HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday, April 1: AFC Bournemouth vs Fulham — 10am ET
Saturday, April 1: Crystal Palace vs Leicester — 10am ET
Saturday, April 1: Nottingham Forest vs Wolves — 10am ET
Sunday, April 2: West Ham vs Southampton — 9am ET
Tuesday, April 4: Leeds vs Nottingham Forest — 2:45pm ET
Saturday, April 8: Leicester vs AFC Bournemouth — 10am ET
Saturday, April 8: Leeds vs Crystal Palace — 12:30pm ET
Saturday, April 15: Southampton vs Crystal Palace — 10am ET
Saturday, April 22: Crystal Palace vs Everton — 10am ET
Saturday, April 22: Leicester vs Wolves — 10am ET
Sunday, April 23: AFC Bournemouth vs West Ham — 9am ET
Tuesday, April 25: Wolves vs Crystal Palace — 2:30pm ET
Tuesday, April 25: Leeds vs Leicester — 2:45pm ET
Thursday, April 27: Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth — 2:45pm ET
Saturday, April 29: Crystal Palace vs West Ham — 7:30am ET
Sunday, April 30: AFC Bournemouth vs Leeds — 9am ET
Monday, May 1: Leicester vs Everton — 3pm ET
Saturday, May 6: Nottingham Forest vs Southampton — Time TBD
Saturday, May 13: Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth — Time TBD
Saturday, May 20: West Ham vs Leeds — Time TBD
Sunday, May 28: Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest — Time TBD
Sunday, May 28: Everton vs AFC Bournemouth — Time TBD
Sunday, May 28: Leicester vs West Ham — Time TBD


Premier League title odds (As of March 24, 2023)

(Our betting partner is BetMGMBetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.

Crystal Palace: +450
West Ham: +400
Leicester City: +350
Wolves: +300
Leeds: +275
Everton: +160
Nottingham Forest: +100
Bournemouth: -200
Southampton: -225


Prediction for Premier League relegation scrap

12. Wolves, 40 points
13. West Ham, 39 points
14. Palace, 39 points
15. Leicester, 37 points
16. Everton, 36 points
17. Nottingham Forest, 35 points

18. Leeds, 35 points
19. Southampton, 35 points
20. Bournemouth, 31 points

Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions

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The Premier League title race is going down to the wire in the 2022-23 season and there are some huge games coming up between now and the final day on May 28.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA

Can Arsenal win the first Premier League title since 2003-04? Will Manchester City win three in a row to make it five titles in the last six seasons under Pep Guardiola?

For a while it looked like Manchester United could come from nowhere to stun everyone and secure their first title in a decade, but they have regressed in recent weeks and it is now truly a two-horse race between Arsenal and Man City.

Below is a look at the key fixtures, current form, odds and predictions for the contenders to be crowned Premier League champions.


Remaining fixtures for title contenders

Arsenal (69 points through 28 games): Leeds (H), Liverpool (A), West Ham (A), Southampton (H), Man City (A), Chelsea (H), Newcastle (A), Brighton (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Wolves (H)

Manchester City (61 points through 27 games): Liverpool (H), Southampton (A), Leicester City (H), Brighton (A), Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Leeds (H), Everton (A), Chelsea (H), West Ham (H), Brentford (A)


Key fixtures that will decide the Premier League title

Saturday, April 1: Manchester City vs Liverpool – 7:30am ET
Sunday, April 2: Newcastle vs Manchester United – 11:30am ET
Sunday, April 9: Arsenal vs Liverpool – 11:30am ET
Wednesday, April 26: Manchester City vs Arsenal – 3pm ET
Thursday, April 27: Tottenham vs Manchester United – 3:15pm ET
Saturday, April 29: Arsenal vs Chelsea – 12:30pm ET
Saturday, May 6: Newcastle vs Arsenal – 10am ET
Saturday, May 20: Manchester City vs Chelsea – 10am ET


Current form (As of March 20, 2023)

Arsenal’s last 5 results: WWWWW
Manchester City’s last 5 results: WWWDW


Current Premier League table

Premier League standings

Head to NBC Sports’s soccer standings home page


Key injuries

Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (no return date), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Eddie Nketiah (ankle), William Saliba (back)

Manchester City: None


Premier League title odds (As of March 24, 2023)

(Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM ) BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.

Arsenal: -165
Manchester City: +138
Manchester United: +10000


Prediction for Premier League title race

1. Manchester City – 87 points (Win the title on goal difference)
2. Arsenal – 87 points
3. Manchester United – 78 points


Arsenal title tracker – What do Gunners need to win the Premier League?

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Eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table with 10 games to go, what do Arsenal need to win their first Premier League title in 19 years?

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]  

Mikel Arteta has his young side on the cusp of a pretty remarkable and very unexpected Premier League title win.

With a solid defensive unit, perfectly balanced midfield and the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard having fine campaigns in the final third, there is so much to love about this Arsenal team.

[ MORE: Latest Premier League table for 2022-23 season ]

But how, and when, can Arsenal seal the Premier League title they crave? How many points do they need to gain? What are the scenarios based on their huge game against Manchester City in April?


How many points do Arsenal need to win the Premier League title?

With 10 games remaining, there are many different ways the Gunners can win the Premier League title.

In its simplest form: if Arsenal win nine of their final 10 games they will be crowned Premier League games.

The magic number for Arsenal to reach is 95 points. If they reach 95 points, Manchester City cannot catch them.

But if Man City beat Arsenal in their huge game at the Etihad on April 26 and win their game in-hand, Arsenal will need to win all nine of their other remaining game to be sure of the title. That would give them 96 points and Man City could only finish on 94.

If Arsenal drew against Man City then Man City could only finish on a maximum of 92 points. That means Arsenal would need eight wins from their remaining nine games to win the title as they would have 94 points.

If Arsenal win at Man City then Man City would only be able to reach 91 points. So, Arsenal would only have to win seven of their other nine remaining games to seal the title.

All of this proves just how massive the Manchester City vs Arsenal game on April 26 is in deciding the title winner.


When did Arsenal last win the Premier League?

They last won the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season, the famous ‘Invincibles’ campaign as they didn’t lose any of their 38 games that season.

Think Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell and Robert Pires in full flow and Arsene Wenger with a huge smile on his face on the sidelines. Magnificent.


When did Arsenal last win a trophy?

The last trophy Arsenal won was the FA Cup in the 2019-20 season, they also won the FA Community Shield in 2020.

Both of those trophies were won by current boss Mikel Arteta.


Which trophies have Arsenal won?

Here are the list of trophies the Gunners have won in their history:

  • FA Cup (14 – Record)
  • Premier League/First Division titles (13)
  • League Cup (2)
  • FA Community Shield (16)
  • European Cup Winners’ Cup (1)
  • Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1)