Hojlund's Brace Earn Manchester United Win At Luton
Rasmus Hojlund's historic brace earned Manchester United a 2-1 win at Luton Town that moves them just three points behind fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Hojlund scored twice in the opening seven minutes to become the youngest player in Premier League history to net in six consecutive matches.
Carlton Morris pulled a goal back for Luton, for whom Ross Barkley hit the crossbar in the last minute of second-half stoppage time.
Luton made two changes to their starting XI, with former Man Utd players Tahith Chong and Teden Mengi recalled, however the Hatters suffered a blow in the warm-up as Elijah Adebayo sustained an injury and Cauley Woodrow was called up to make his first Premier League start for 10 years.
Man Utd named the same side that won at Aston Villa last time out, with Luke Shaw passed fit. It was the first time they started with the same XI for consecutive matches since the first two fixtures of the season.
Hojlund gave Man Utd a dream start, scoring their fastest goal in the Premier League this season, after just 37 seconds.
The Danish striker intercepted Amari'i Bell's loose pass and rounded goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski to score. Aged 21 years and 14 days, he broke Joe Willock's record (21y 272d) for youngest player to net in six successive appearances.
In the seventh minute, Hojlund made it seven goals in his last six appearances. A Shaw corner found its way to Alejandro Garnacho, whose effort fell for Hojlund to convert in from close range.
With just 14 minutes gone, Luton scored the third goal of the match. Chong's deflected cross reached Morris, who headed beyond an onrushing Andre Onana to halve the deficit and become the first Luton player to score in three successive Premier League matches.
Luton pushed in search of an equaliser, and Casemiro and Harry Maguire were both given yellow cards for stopping attacks. Erik ten Hag substituted both players at half-time, while Shaw was forced off injured a few minutes before the break.
On the hour mark, Luton goalkeeper Kaminski saved Marcus Rashford's powerful shot, before Man Utd failed to score two big chances.
First, Bruno Fernandes got past Kaminski and had an open goal, but his shot from outside the box was blocked by a lunging Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Then, Alejandro Garnacho rounded Kaminski but delayed his shot, allowing a combination of the goalkeeper and Bell to get back and block his goalbound effort.
Hojlund was then denied a hat-trick when Kaminski spread himself to keep out his left-footed effort from just outside the six-yard box.
Luton continued to attack and in the fourth minute of added time, Barkley's header clipped the crossbar, as they fell to back-to-back defeats and remain in 17th place, a point above Everton, ahead of travelling to Liverpool on Wednesday.
A fourth consecutive win and fifth match without defeat takes Man Utd onto 44 points.
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PL: Saka, Havertz help Arsenal beat Newcastle by 4-1
New Delhi [India], February 25 (ANI): Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz scored again for Arsenal as the Gunners beat Newcastle United by 4-1 in a crucial Premier League (PL) encounter at the Emirates Stadium in London on Sunday.
Sven Botman made the first breakthrough of the game with his goal in the 18th minute. Following that, Havertz (24'), Saka (65') and Jakub Kiwior (69') were on the score sheet to help the Gunners thrash Newcastle. On the other hand, Joseph Willock scored the lone goal for the visitors.
Newcastle chose Loris Karius under the goalpost after their first-choice goalie Martin Dubravka was ill. Meanwhile, Karius failed to push away properly Gabriel's header from a corner and later got back into his own goal after a deflection from Botman. The second goal came when Martinelli opened up the visitors' defence as he cut back for Kai Havertz to maximise the scoreline.
Newcastle tried to make a comeback in the game but Saka scored the third goal of the game after cutting back on his left and making a clinical shot.
Kiwior put the final pin on the coffin from a forced home header from another corner off Lewis Miley, which Karius failed to get a grip on. Just before the final whistle of the game, Willock scored a consolation goal from the header against his former club.
The defeat leaves Newcastle in eighth place in the PL standings with 15 points off the top four and 10 behind fifth-placed Tottenham. Meanwhile, the Gunners stand in third place in the standings with 58 points.
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On the other hand, Manchester United faced a 1-2 loss against Fulham at the Old Trafford on Saturday. Both sides failed to score in the first 45 minutes. However, the first goal came in the game from Newcastle's Calvin Bassey in the 68th minute. Later, the Red Devils defender Hary Maguire levelled the scoreline in the 89th minute. But the hosts failed to keep the lead for a longer time as Alex Iwobi scored the winner in the added minutes of the second half.
The 2-1 loss will be a big blow for the United as they stand in sixth place in the PL standings with 44 points. (ANI)
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Arsenal player ratings vs Newcastle: Jorginho majestic as Bukayo Saka stars again
Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to two points by thumping Newcatle.
An own-goal from Sven Botman after 18 minutes set Arsenal on their way and they never looked back.
Kai Havertz made it 2-0 before the break and the Gunners did not let up in the second-half.
Bukayo Saka got in on the act by scoring third and Jakub Kiwior popped up with a rare goal to complete the 4-1 win.
Simon Collings was at Emirates Stadium to see Arsenal in action...
David Raya 6
Out quickly a few times to shut down balls played over the top. Beaten by a good header by Joe Willock.
Ben White 7
Looks fully fit again and it shows. Overlapped a lot and tucked into midfield, too. Finding form at a key time for Arsenal.
William Saliba 6
Had a fairly comfortable night’s work, especially in the first-half. Kept Alexander Isak quiet.
Gabriel 6
Unlucky not to open the scoring, but his header was eventually turned home by Botman. Finished the game as captain.
Jakub Kiwior 7
A good performance from the Poland international, who has now started the last four games. Scored Arsenal’s fourth with a header at the near-post.
Martin Odegaard 8
Pressed the Newcastle defence like a man possessed. Played some great passes in and around the box, but perhaps guilty of over-playing at times.
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Jorginho 9 | Star player
What a majestic performance from the Italian. Played at the base of midfield and ran the show. Feels like he will be vital for Arsenal during the run-in.
Declan Rice 8
Pushed further forward and was excellent. Brought energy to the midfield and carried the ball so well.
Bukayo Saka 8
Another flying performance from the winger, whose corner led to the opening goal. Scored Arsenal’s third with a great finish.
© Provided by Evening Standard
Kai Havertz 8
Scored Arsenal’s second by finishing off a slick move. Setup the third and linked the play well all night. Did miss a great chance early in the second-half, though.
Gabriel Martinelli 8
After a poor performance on Wednesday in Porto, the Brazilian was electric. Setup the second goal and caused chaos out wide.
Substitutions
Leandro Trossard (Martinelli 63’) 6
Came on to play out left. A fairly quiet 30 minutes.
Emile Smith Rowe (Odegaard 76’) N/A
Reiss Nelson (Saka 76’) N/A
Eddie Nketiah (Havertz 76’) N/A
Mohamed Elneny (Jorginho 89’) N/A
Subs not used: Ramsdale, Cedric, Vieira, Jesus
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Mason Greenwood scout report: How Man Utd loanee performed during his Barcelona trial
Mason Greenwood's Barcelona audition ended in defeat and disappointment as his Getafe side were comfortably beaten 4-0 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The 22-year-old, who joined Getafe on loan from Manchester United last summer, has impressed since his move, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 24 matches before Saturday's trip to the Catalan region. However, Greenwood's long-term future is still up in the air.
It was reported last month that Barcelona are leading the race to sign the England international this summer, while Atletico Madrid have also been linked. Sir Jim Ratcliffe suggested earlier this week that Greenwood could still play for United again - six months since the club confirmed that he does not have a future at Old Trafford.
In the meantime, Greenwood was in action for Getafe against Barcelona but the winger failed to impress his potential new employers. He provided a threat for the visitors, but lacked quality in the final third, posting three shots without really troubling goalkeeper Marc Andre der Stegen.
Greenwood's clearest chance came with the score still goalless but he dragged the ball well wide from the edge of the box. Moments later, Barcelona then took the lead as ex-Leeds attacker Raphinha fired home. Joao Felix doubled Barca's advantage after the interval before Frenkie de Jong added a third on the hour mark.
Getafe boss Jose Bordalas decided to make a series of changes in the hope of turning the game on its head, with Greenwood one of those sacrificed. He was replaced in the 67th minute, having not had the desired impact as he may have hoped. He finished the game on two key passes, though he completed just 20 passes throughout his time on the pitch with a success rate of 80 per cent.
© Getty Images
Barcelona wrapped up a 4-0 victory in injury time as Fermin Lopez scored to condemn Getafe to their first defeat in four matches since losing against Real Madrid earlier this month.
United announced back in August that Greenwood will not play for the club again after they conducted a six-month internal investigation amid serious allegations. The England forward was arrested in January 2022 and later charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. All charges were dropped in February 2023.
However, Ratcliffe opened up a potential route back to United for Greenwood. He said: "We will make a decision, correct. All I can do is talk about the principle of how we will approach decisions like that. Is he the right type of footballer, are we happy with if is he a good person or not?
"He’s a Manchester United footballer, so we are in charge of football. So the answer is 'yeah, we have to make decisions. It’s quite clear we have to make a decision. There is no decision that’s been made. He’s on-loan obviously, but he’s not the only one. We’ve got one or two footballers that we have to deal with and we have to make a decision on, so we will do that."
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Tottenham star reveals Real Madrid wanted him before €15m transfer; Bade says ‘no’ to Spurs move
Tottenham youngster Alejo Veliz has revealed there was interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid before his move to the Premier League.
The north Londoners paid €15million to land the Argentine striker from Rosario Central last August.
The 20-year-old joined as one of the highest-rated young players in Argentina but struggled for minutes under Ange Postecoglou before securing a loan move to Sevilla in January.
Veliz scored one goal in eight Premier League appearances and has only played four minutes since joining Sevilla for the rest of 2023/24.
He could have ended up in Spain a lot sooner, however, revealing that Real Madrid held an “interest” before his move to Spurs.
Speaking to AS ahead of Sevilla’s match against Los Blancos on Sunday, Veliz was asked if the 14-time European champions were keen.
He responded (quotes via Sport Witness): “Yes, it appeared in the press and some time ago my agent told me about interest from Real Madrid, but nothing materialised.
“It was during the South American U20 Championship, I hadn’t been in the first team for long and I wanted to continue playing at Rosario.
“After the U20 World Cup, too. But I’m a calm guy, I take things patiently and I believe a lot in God, he focuses me on my path and he’s going to give me the best.”
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Veliz then went on to say that he is not sure what will happen when he returns to Spurs at the end of the season.
“I don’t know what will happen,” he said. “If I stay, time will tell.
“To start with, Sevilla and their fans must be happy with me because I’m delighted to have come here and I hope that many good things will happen.”
Meanwhile, Spurs-linked Sevilla defender Loic Bade has said he is in no hurry to return to the Premier League after a dismal spell on loan at Nottingham Forest.
The 23-year-old made one matchday squad during six months on loan at Forest in 2022 and joined Sevilla in January 2023, helping the Spanish side win the Europa League.
There was talk of Postecoglou’s side pursuing the French defender in the winter transfer window, in case the deal to sign Radu Dragusin fell through.
Amidst links of another move to England, Bade has said he is “very happy” in Seville.
“(Spurs rumours are) normal,” he said. “I try to work, and I try to concentrate on the games.
“Then it’s football, sometimes there are teams that are interested, but we work,” he said.
“On if he would return to England, Bade said: “No, no. Better here, I’m very happy.”
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Premier League players who have never lost a game while scoring
Some players are just luckier than others.
In the Premier League, there are several stars past and present that have proven to be lucky charms for their employers, especially when finding the back of the net.
A whole host of players have never tasted defeat when notching a Premier League goal, with one particular forward having scored in 60 separate matches in the division without a loss to his name.
Here are ten players who have never lost a Premier League game when getting on the scoresheet.
10. Antonio Valencia
© Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 23
Games scored in: 23
Record when scoring: W22, 1D
While both Georginio Wijnaldum and Marcos Alonso have also netted in 23 separate games and never lost, former Manchester United man Antonio Valencia enjoys a better win rate when finding the net.
The Ecuadorian, who went from winger to full-back at Old Trafford, never bagged himself a Premier League brace, scoring all of his goals in singles.
When Valencia scored, Man Utd and Wigan Athletic never lost, only dropping points on one occasion - a 2-2 draw between the Red Devils and West Ham United in 2013.
9. Pedro
© Shaun Botterill/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 29
Games scored in: 27
Record when scoring: W26, 1D
The former Barcelona winger spent five years at Chelsea, producing 29 Premier League goals in 27 different matches.
When he netted for the Blues, it was almost a guaranteed assurance of victory, with the west London side winning 26 and drawing just one of the games in which he found the net.
8. Oyvind Leonhardsen
© Alex Livesey/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 30
Games scored in: 28
Record when scoring: W21, D7
Oyvind Leonhardsen bounced around several Premier League clubs during his time in England, including Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa.
The Norwegian was a semi-regular contributor of goals as well, netting 30 during his 186 appearances in the competition.
7. Gabriel Martinelli
© Visionhaus/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 31
Games scored in: 28
Record when scoring: W24, D4
A man whose appearance in this list will be tested over the coming years as he continues to fire home for Arsenal, Gabriel Martinelli remains unbeaten when scoring to date.
The Brazilian winger may not be truly ruthless of the left wing just yet, but he produces a steady drip of goals, totalling 31 in the Premier League
6. Salomon Kalou
© Hamish Blair/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 36
Games scored in: 32
Record when scoring: W29, D3
Despite never being a superstar for Chelsea, Salomon Kalou was still a useful asset in a dominant era for the Blues. He won the lot in London, lifting the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time in England.
He never won a single trophy for another club - although he did win the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast - but he was still a lucky charm for Chelsea.
5. Erling Haaland
© Visionhaus/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 55
Games scored in: 34
Record when scoring: W29, D5
A man who is certain to climb this list at an alarming rate, Erling Haaland has single-handedly smashed almost every Premier League goalscoring record since he arrived at the Etihad.
The Manchester City striker has scored 55 goals, but such is his quality, he has somehow only bagged in 34 separate matches.
The reigning world champions rarely lose games of football at the worst of times, let alone when Haaland gets his name on the scoresheet.
4. Diogo Jota
© Clive Brunskill/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 56
Games scored in: 45
Record when scoring: W38, D7
Diogo Jota has always been a good omen for Wolverhampton Wanderers and now Liverpool since his time in the Premier League, but he becomes more prolific in front of goal with every passing season.
3. Darius Vassell
© Alex Livesey/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 52
Games scored in: 46
Record when scoring: W36, D10
If you thought Haaland would top this list for former Manchester City players, you were sorely mistaken. The top three all donned sky blue, with Darius Vassell sat in third having netted 52 goals in 46 different matches in the Premier League.
While Vassell was most prolific at Aston Villa, he continued that scoring record in Manchester, winning 36 and drawing ten of the games in which he netted.
2. James Milner
© Matthew Ashton - AMA/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 55
Games scored in: 54
Record when scoring: W43, D11
Having scored 55 goals in well over 600 Premier League matches, James Milner has lived a charmed life. He has won 43 and drawn 11 of the games he's scored in, a tally he could still add to at Brighton & Hove Albion.
The veteran midfielder has played for six different sides in the Premier League and is still plugging away to improve his impressive numbers in the English top flight.
1. Gabriel Jesus
© Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
Premier League goals: 73
Games scored in: 60
Record when scoring: W55, D5
Gabriel Jesus has had the benefit of playing for two very impressive sides during his time in the Premier League, teams who rarely taste defeat regardless of his goals.
But when the Brazilian notches, it's safe to say that his side will not lose, with the Arsenal forward capable of significantly adding to his remarkable unbeaten record this season and beyond.
He may need to do it quickly with Haaland on his tail.
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This article was originally published on www.90min.com as Premier League players who have never lost a game while scoring.
Mikel Arteta loves Arsenal's attacking mentality during ruthless goalscoring run
