Athletic Bilbao need penalties to end 40-year wait for Copa del Rey glory
Substitute Alex Berenguer ended Athletic Bilbao’s 40-year wait for Copa del Rey glory with the decisive penalty in a shoot-out victory over Real Mallorca.
Raul Garcia, Iker Muniain, Mikel Vesga and Berenguer, who were all introduced from the bench, scored from the spot as keeper Julen Agirrezabala saved from Manu Morianes and Nemanja Radonjic blazed over to hand the Basque club the trophy they last win as part of a league and cup double in 1984.
Oihan Sancet’s 50th-minute strike had earlier cancelled out Dani Rodriguez’s first-half opener at the Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja in Seville, but neither team could find a winner in 120 minutes of football.
Nico Williams served early warning of Bilbao’s intent with a first-minute shot and Mallorca goalkeeper Dominik Greif had to save from Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta as they built up a head of steam.
Agirrezabala denied Vedat Muriqi and Copete in quick succession as Mallorca responded, but he was finally beaten with 21 minutes gone.
His defenders failed to clear Antonio Raillo’s corner, despite having several chances to do so, and Rodriguez pounced to smash home the opening goal from 16 yards.
Raillo headed wide from a tight angle as his side pushed for a second, but Sancet and Gorka Guruzeta both went close to an equaliser, but not as close as Williams in first-half stoppage time, in an even contest.
Mallorca, who beat Real Sociedad on penalties to reach the final, returned knowing they could be just 45 minutes from glory, but equally aware the job was nowhere near done.
Cyle Larin forced a save from Agirrezabala within seconds of the restart, but Bilbao were back in it with 50 minutes gone when Williams slid Sancet in and he fired emphatically past Greif.
Sancet and Williams both took aim from distance and Greif had to keep out headers from Inaki Williams and Guruzeta with Athletic in menacing mood.
Yuri Berchiche called upon Greif with 12 minutes remaining, but there was no separating the sides and extra time was required.
Muniain sent a 102nd-minute free-kick just wide and Agirrezabala kept out Muriqi’s header with seven minutes remaining, but ultimately it came down to penalties.
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Premier League
Man Utd vs Liverpool: Preview, predictions and lineups
Man Utd and Liverpool meet on Sunday after March's FA Cup classic at Old Trafford
Red Devils threw away lead to lose 4-3 at Chelsea on Thursday night
Liverpool were first heading into Gameweek 32 after Sheffield Utd win
By Jude Summerfield
Apr 7, 2024
Two great rivals in contrasting moods meet on Sunday afternoon when Premier League title chasers Liverpool visit the increasingly forlorn Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Off-field changes are due after the investment of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS but Thursday night's 4-3 defeat to Chelsea was arguably Man Utd's most embarrassing loss of the season, further extinguishing any lingering hopes of Champions League qualification.
There are more smiles to be seen at Anfield but the traveling Reds will be wary of this encounter having lost an FA Cup classic to the same opposition just last month. They come into this contest after besting Sheffield United 3-1 last time out.
Here's 90min's preview of the latest instalment in this established rivalry.
What time does Man Utd vs Liverpool kick-off?
Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
Date: Sunday 7 April
Kick-off Time: 15:30 BST / 10:30 ET / 07:30 PT
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: John Brooks
Man Utd vs Liverpool H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Man Utd: 2 wins
Liverpool: 2 wins
Draws: 1
Last meeting: Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool (AET) (17 March 2024) - FA Cup
Current Form (all competitions)
Man Utd
Liverpool
Chelsea 4-3 Man Utd - 04/04/24
Liverpool 3-1 Sheffield Utd - 04/04/24
Brentford 1-1 Man Utd - 30/03/24
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton - 31/03/24
Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool (AET) - 17/03/24
Man Utd 4-3 Liverpool (AET) - 17/03/24
Man Utd 2-0 Everton - 09/03/24
Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague - 14/03/24
Man City 3-1 Man Utd - 03/03/24
Liverpool 1-1 Man City - 10/03/24
How to watch Man Utd vs Liverpool on TV and live stream
Country
TV channel/live stream
United Kingdom
Sky Ultra HD, SKY GO Extra, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League
United States
nbcsports.com, SiriusXM FC, NBC Sports App, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Telemundo, NBC, USA Network
Canada
fuboTV Canada
HOW TO WATCH PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL ON TV AROUND THE WORLD
Man Utd team news
Raphael Varane
Varane came off at half-time against Chelsea / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages
Ten Hag saw both Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans sustain injuries in Thursday's defeat to Chelsea, which could leave Willy Kambwala partnering Harry Maguire in central defence.
Casemiro took a blow and could drop out of the starting lineup for Scott McTominay, while Antony might have done enough to keep Marcus Rashford on the bench.
There's little wiggle room for changes elsewhere, with Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez all sidelined.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Liverpool
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Kambwala, Dalot; McTominay, Mainoo; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Liverpool team news
Alexis Mac Allister
Mac Allister is in brilliant form / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Wataru Endo missed the win over Sheffield Utd but there is hope he will recover in time here, which would push Alexis Mac Allister further forward. That's no bad thing considering his strike against the Blades on Thursday night.
Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota could be available for selection in two weeks' time, but Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic seem unlikely to make any more appearances before the season is over.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Man Utd
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Djk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
Man Utd vs Liverpool score prediction
Man Utd's season seems to slip to new lows just when it look like the true nadir has been hit and Thursday's loss was a chastening reminder of how far the top dogs in the Premier League have progressed ahead of them.
Liverpool are eyeing multiple trophies but the Premier League certainly trumps the Europa League for importance. The Reds have won handsomely on previous trips to Old Trafford and will be planning another authoritative win on Sunday afternoon.
Prediction: Man Utd 1-3 Liverpool
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Premier League
Sheffield United vs Chelsea: Preview, predictions and lineups
Chelsea travel to face Sheffield United on Sunday evening
Blues riding high after a dramatic late victory over Man Utd last time out
Hosts sit bottom of the Premier League ten points adrift of safety
By Tom Gott
Apr 7, 2024
Chelsea will hope for a calmer evening when they travel to face Sheffield United in Sunday's Premier League action.
The Blues snuck back into the top half of the table with an utterly chaotic 4-3 triumph over Manchester United last time out, and they'll expect to keep that momentum going with a trip to the division's bottom side.
Ten points separate Sheffield United from safety after their 3-1 defeat to league leaders Liverpool, with Chris Wilder's side in desperate need of any and all points available to them between now and the end of the season.
Here's all you need to know about this one.
What time does Sheffield United vs Chelsea kick-off?
Location: Sheffield, England
Stadium: Bramall Lane
Date: Sunday 7 April
Kick-off Time: 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT
Referee: Robert Jones
VAR: Paul Tierney
Sheffield United vs Chelsea H2H record (Last Five Games)
Sheffield United: 1 win
Chelsea: 4 wins
Draws: 0
Last meeting: Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United (16 December 2023) - Premier League
Current form (All Competitions)
Sheffield United
Chelsea
Liverpool 2-1 Sheffield United - 04/04/24
Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United - 04/04/24
Sheffield United 3-3 Fulham - 30/03/24
Chelsea 2-2 Burnley - 30/03/24
Bournemouth 2-2 Sheffield United - 09/03/24
Chelsea 4-2 Leicester City - 17/03/24
Sheffield United 0-6 Arsenal - 04/03/24
Chelsea 3-2 Newcastle United - 11/03/24
Wolves 1-0 Sheffield United - 25/02/24
Brentford 2-2 Chelsea - 02/03/24
How to watch Sheffield United vs Chelsea on TV and live stream
Country
TV channel / live stream
United Kingdom
Not televised
United States
nbcsports.com, SiriusXM FC, USA Network, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, NBC Sports App, NBCTelemundo
Canada
fuboTV Canada
HOW TO WATCH PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL ON TV AROUND THE WORLD
Sheffield United team news
Cameron Archer
Archer should be back available / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
Cameron Archer is expected to make his comeback from a calf injury to feature here, while Gustavo Hamer, who went off injured in midweek, is believed to have avoided any real issue and could keep his place in the squad.
Daniel Jebbison, Chris Basham, Rhian Brewster, Tom Davies, George Baldock, John Egan, Rhys Norrington-Davies and Max Lowe all remain unavailable for Wilder.
Sheffield United predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Sheffield United predicted lineup (3-5-2): Grbic; Holgate, Robinson, Ahmedhodzic; Bogle, Arblaster, Hamer, Souza, Trusty; McBurnie, Brereton Diaz
Chelsea team news
Mauricio Pochettino, Noni Madueke
Madueke made an impact off the bench / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages
Chelsea picked up no new injury issues against Man Utd but will almost certainly make some changes after Mauricio Pochettino named the same starting lineup for two games in a row.
Noni Madueke made an impact off the bench and is pushing for a start here, while Carney Chukwuemeka is likely to remain a substitute as he works on rebuilding his fitness after so long on the sidelines. Academy right-back Josh Acheampong may have his best-ever chance of starting in place of Malo Gusto, who was well below his best last time out.
Robert Sanchez, Ben Chilwell, Lesley Ugochukwu, Levi Colwill, Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana are all expected to miss out.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Sheffield United
Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Acheampong, Chalobah, Badiashile, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Palmer, Gallagher, Madueke; Jackson
Sheffield United vs Chelsea score prediction
Chelsea could easily win this game 5-0, and yet you also wouldn't be surprised to see Sheffield United pick up the three points, such is the complete lack of consistency that has plagued the Blues this year.
The 4-3 win over Man Utd should be the ultimate turning point to inspire major improvement, but realistically, Chelsea shouldn't even need to be at their best to beat a Sheffield United side that is shipping close to three goals per game.
For Wilder, the dilemma of whether to sit back and protect one point or go out to try and win all three will be a tough one. The clock is ticking on Sheffield United's hopes of survival, and they may just find themselves one step closer to the drop after this weekend's action comes to a close.
Prediction: Sheffield United 1-2 Chelsea
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, RUMOURS & GOSSIP
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Man Utd's best and worst player in draw with Liverpool
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•
Erik ten Hag hails performance of youngster in Man Utd 2-2 Liverpool
•
Former Tottenham defender Joe Kinnear passes away aged 77
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Sheffield United
Premier League
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Manchester United FC
