Ronaldo taunted as United's gamble backfires

3 years ago 281

Grumbling to himself and shaking his head, Cristiano Ronaldo went consecutive toward the passageway astatine the last whistle of Manchester United’s latest slip-up astatine Old Trafford.

He had plentifulness to beryllium aggrieved about.

Not lone had his squad dropped much points astatine location successful the Premier League, the 36-year-old Ronaldo had been fixed hardly a half-hour connected the tract against Everton aft starting arsenic a substitute pursuing 2 90-minute displays successful the past week.

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Perhaps adding to Ronaldo’s frustration, the scorer of the extremity that denied United a triumph had the temerity to transcript the Portugal star’s celebrated celebration.

In what helium said was a tribute to his “idol,” Everton winger Andros Townsend performed a Ronaldo-style pirouette aft his equalizer successful the 1-1 gully arsenic United failed to triumph astatine location for the 2nd consecutive Saturday successful England’s apical division.

"He's my idol," Townsend said aft the match. "I spent hours successful grooming trying to execute his techniques. Maybe I should've tried harder with the solemnisation due to the fact that it wasn't large execution. It was a spot of respect to him."

Townsend said his solemnisation was a tribute, not a taunt, to a subordinate helium grew up idolising. (Getty)

A week aft a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Aston Villa, United was sloppy and ill-disciplined against Everton successful a show that hardly showed disconnected its rubric credentials and possibly volition summation the scrutiny connected Ole Gunnar Solskjaer astir whether helium is the manager to get the champion retired of United's star-studded squad.

Ronaldo started among the substitutes with Solskjaer looking to negociate the striker's minutes fixed the effort helium had enactment successful implicit the past 7 days, including scoring the stoppage-time victor against Villarreal connected Wednesday.

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The crippled against Everton came little than 72 hours aboriginal truthful Solskjaer made 5 changes — and 1 of them scored the opener, with Anthony Martial powering location a first-time decorativeness from the near aft an exquisite interaction and walk from Bruno Fernandes.

Everton was ever unsafe connected the counterattack and scored from 1 of those breaks. In fact, it stemmed from a country that was cleared by Everton. United midfielder Fred doubly failed to regain possession, starring to Abdoulaye Doucoure playing successful Townsend for a debased changeable from the borderline of the area.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's determination to commencement Ronaldo connected the seat backfired arsenic the squad was held to a draw. (Getty)

“These past 2 games astatine location was not bully capable successful the Premier League,” Fernandes said. "If we privation silverware astatine the extremity of the season, we person to bash overmuch better.”

Ronaldo lone had 1 accidental to adhd to his 5 goals since moving to United for a 2nd spell, but helium lashed a left-foot changeable wide from a constrictive angle.

Chelsea, different rubric contender, besides looked similar dropping points astatine location until Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell scored precocious goals to seal a 3-1 triumph implicit Southampton.

The turning constituent came successful the 75th infinitesimal erstwhile James Ward-Prowse, who equalized for Southampton from the punishment spot successful the 61st, slid dangerously from down into the ankle of Jorginho and was sent disconnected aft video reappraisal with the people astatine 1-1.

Chelsea dominated the last minutes astatine Stamford Bridge and Werner tapped location successful the 85th earlier Chilwell added a 3rd successful the 89th.

The gully continues a mediocre tally of results that has Solksjaer nether expanding unit to clasp his role. (Getty)

The triumph enactment Chelsea successful archetypal spot up of Sunday's crippled astatine Anfield betwixt Liverpool and Manchester City, who came into the seventh circular arsenic the apical two.

Leeds claimed its archetypal league triumph of the play by beating Watford 1-0 astatine location acknowledgment to Diego Llorente's extremity astatine a corner, portion South Korea guardant Hwang Hee-chan scored doubly for Wolverhampton successful a 2-1 triumph implicit Newcastle.

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Arsenal continued its betterment from losing its opening 3 games of the play with a 0-0 gully astatine Brighton, portion Burnley and Norwich besides drew 0-0.

Werner's 85th-minute go-ahead extremity proved captious for Chelsea successful overcoming Southampton, with the Germany guardant scoring successful the league for the archetypal clip since February.

Much-maligned Chelsea striker Timo Werner was yet capable to deed the scoresheet against Southampton. (Getty)

Werner has seen a league-high 16 goals disallowed since joining Chelsea successful 2020, the latest of which came successful the archetypal fractional connected Saturday.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said helium was impressed with Werner's persistence.

“We are each relieved, him and maine and the full club,” Tuchel said. “Every clip helium scores we person the feeling determination is simply a VAR determination to instrumentality it distant from him. There person been a batch of precise constrictive decisions. He has to support connected going and a batch of things to improve."

Trevoh Chalobah, a 22-year-old backup defender, enactment Chelsea up successful the ninth infinitesimal with his 2nd extremity of the season.

It was a palmy extremity to a pugnacious week for Chelsea, which mislaid to Manchester City successful the league past Saturday and Juventus successful the Champions League connected Wednesday.

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