Marcus Rashford was not included in Manchester United’s squad for the game at Fulham.
The England striker was forced to apologise to United boss Erik ten Hag after attending a nightclub party following last weekend’s embarrassing derby defeat to Manchester City.
But Rashford was missing at Craven Cottage due to injury after taking a “heavy knock” in training.
Reports emerged the day after the City match that the England international, who turned 26 on Tuesday, had gone to the Chinawhite nightclub for a pre-arranged birthday party hours after the Old Trafford loss.
“Yes, I am aware of it,” manager Ten Hag said of Rashford’s post-derby night out.
“I spoke with him about it. It’s unacceptable, I told him, he apologised and that’s it. For the rest it’s an internal matter.
“He’s very motivated to put things right. So, he makes a mistake, but that doesn’t say he’s not fitting in. I see him every day in training, what he’s doing, I know.”
Following the team announcement at Craven Cottage, Ten Hag told MUTV: “(Rashford) is OK, but not OK to start. He is not fit enough to start but it is about players who are available.
“(Alejandro) Garnacho can do the job very well, we have seen that often so I am confident.”
Sarina Wiegman has revealed her sister told her to win the European Championship with England prior to her death from cancer just before the tournament.
The Lionesses boss took time out from the preparations last summer to be at home in the Netherlands with Diana.
Following the final triumph over Germany, Wiegman kissed a bracelet that had belonged to her older sibling.
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She told The Times: “(It was) the saddest moment of my life – she was my best friend. In the Euros you park it. And afterwards, then you get hit a little bit.
“She had told me to seize this prize, and I had just done so. I was still calm, not emotional. The only thing I felt was a deep connection with my sister.
“She said ‘I’ll sit by the post or on the crossbar. I will help a little bit.’ So she was there all the time. It’s still very fresh. The missing part is just a big gap now.”
Diana was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the summer of 2021 and died three weeks before the start of Euro 2022.
“We celebrated life every day,” said Wiegman. “It was so quick, but it was very special too. We had moments to treasure together.”
Wiegman’s success with England, including a run to the World Cup final this summer, has led to speculation she could succeed Gareth Southgate as head coach of the men’s team.
She said of the prospect: “Would women be capable of coaching men? Of course. But I don’t have a goal that I want to coach men.
“(As England men’s boss) every step you take, you’re being watched and you’re being valued and judged, and I sometimes wonder: how much fun is that?”
She also praised the Football Association for its support of the women’s game despite her salary reportedly being only a fraction of that earned by Southgate.
“I’m very happy with how they treat me, how they make everything possible to perform at the highest level, and how also they’re working with the team to get that equal pay,” she said.
“I’m happy in my situation and I feel treated very equally. And I never make my choices based on money, or I would never have started coaching.”
Lawrence Shankland declared Sunday’s Viaplay Cup semi-final showdown with Rangers a “win at all costs” encounter as he looked forward to his first trip to Hampden with Hearts.
The Jambos skipper began his senior career playing regularly at the national stadium when he spent time on loan at Queen’s Park more than a decade ago, while he has also represented Scotland there.
The 28-year-old’s only experience of a big cup match at Hampden came when he played in Dundee United’s 2-0 defeat to Hibernian in the 2021 Scottish Cup semi-final – a result that still irks him.
Shankland is hoping his previous experiences at the famous old ground in Glasgow’s southside can help him reach the first major final of his career this weekend.
“It will be great to lead the team out at Hampden, I’m really looking forward to that part and hopefully we can get ourselves to a final,” he said.
“Last time I was at Hampden I was at Dundee United and we lost in a semi-final and that still annoys me. It’s my first experience going with Hearts and it’s one I’m looking forward to.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play there quite a lot in my career with Scotland and at club level as well so it’s a stadium I’m used to. Quite a lot of the boys have got the experience before of being at Hampden so hopefully we can use that on the day.”
Asked to sum up what is required from Hearts on Sunday, Shankland said: “Win at all costs. That’s it for us. The task is simple. It’s a big occasion at the national stadium and it’s just all about winning.”
Hearts face Rangers a week after they almost beat them in the cinch Premiership. The Jambos led 1-0 for most of the match and looked on course for a rare Ibrox victory before conceding two late goals to lose 2-1. Shankland believes that experience will stand them in good stead for Sunday.
“We’re coming off the back of a good performance at Ibrox last weekend, albeit the last 10 minutes didn’t go to plan,” he said. “Apart from that it was really good and we can take the positives from that into this game. There was a lot to be happy with.
“Obviously the mistakes we made at the end were probably a reminder of how much you need to concentrate against teams as dangerous as Rangers.
“It takes full concentration for every minute you’re on the pitch so we can use last week as a reminder and make sure it’s in our heads at all points in the match.”
Rangers manager Philippe Clement played down the significance of an early trophy win for himself as he prepares for the Viaplay Cup semi-final against Hearts on Sunday.
The Belgian is unbeaten in four games since taking over as Gers boss from Michael Beale last month and in general the early signs have been encouraging for Light Blues fans, who watched their side thrash Dundee 5-0 away in the cinch Premiership on Wednesday night.
A victory over the Jambos at Hampden Park would set up a Viaplay Cup final meeting in December against either Aberdeen or Hibernian, with the chance of winning the first available silverware of the season.
However, the former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco manager insists he is not preoccupied with personal glory.
Clement said: “No, honestly I am totally not busy with that.
“I do this job because I love to do things with people together. I love to make players better, to guide them and to put my passion as a player into other people, because my body can’t do that on the pitch anymore.
“I’m not busy with my career and where I want to go. I have won trophies in my career, but the satisfaction is having this with the players and staff.
“I love the joy football can give people, like in Dundee after the final whistle you see all these people so happy.
“That is why I love to be a manager, with my players, staff and supporters. It’s about that, not my personal thing.”
Clement stressed the importance of football courage throughout his squad as he looked for further improvement on the back of a convincing win on Tayside.
He said: “I want my players to be ambitious, the medals will come if you do the correct things.
“We need to be brave and not be afraid to make mistakes – it is important how you react afterwards and that is what I want to give to my players.
“As a coach, you need to invest in your players and see the qualities they have and build on this.
“You need to see potential and give them the tools to develop themselves.
“I want my players to be ambitious to become better. It’s not like it was a perfect performance (in Dundee).
“We can do things better than this performance. But you see they’re starting to understand the story we want to do so it becomes more fluid.
“Also, more players stepping in and getting experience in how to move together, what to do with and without the ball. We need to strengthen the team and let them grow like this.”
Ange Postecoglou has sent a warning to the rest of the Premier League by claiming Tottenham captain Son Heung-min can be even more of a goal threat.
Son has enjoyed a superb start to the campaign, scoring eight times to sit joint-second in the goalscoring charts behind Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.
Last season proved challenging for Son with the South Korea forward only able to net 10 goals in the Premier League, but two years ago he won the division’s golden boot along with Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah and the 31-year-old has been backed to be in the race again.
Postecoglou initially played Richarlison in the middle of his front three, but switched Son into a central position against Burnley and it has helped the Spurs ace quickly move his overall Premier League tally onto 111 goals.
“It was quite obvious with Harry (Kane) leaving there was a couple of ways we could go about it,” Postecoglou reflected ahead of Monday’s visit of Chelsea.
“I don’t think you can replace Harry like-for-like. Another one of him doesn’t exist so for me to think let’s jump into the transfer market and bring in someone who can score 25 to 30 goals in the first year, I don’t think was realistic.
“What I did know about Sonny having followed him for a long time is he is a great finisher, a smart footballer, has great movement and a real capacity for working, pressing, the stuff I love my strikers to do.
“So, I just thought he would be a really good fit for us and it wasn’t the only option I was looking at, but it was definitely the one I thought would be the best fit for where we are as a team and what we needed.
“Even with him, I think the more he plays in there, the better he will get in terms of really being a goal threat in every game. For us it’s a massive asset to have.”
After Son fired blanks from his previously regular left forward role against Brentford, Manchester United and Bournemouth, he has netted eight goals in seven league fixtures as a central striker.
The long-serving Spurs player is no stranger to the role with Maurico Pochettino, who will return to Tottenham on Monday for the first time since his departure, deploying the attacker there whenever Kane was absent.
Son performed strongly as a centre forward during Spurs’ run to the Champions League final in 2019 with three goals in the quarter-finals against Man City, but ex-Australia boss Postecoglou did not use that as evidence when he first broached the idea of changing his position.
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He pointed out: “Sonny scored against me in the Asian Cup in 2015, mate. That was enough.
“I saw enough then to know he is a decent goalscorer, so I didn’t need any more evidence.
“I have followed him for a very long time and what you are looking for in attacking players is are they a goal threat? And he’s always been a goal threat and a good finisher.”
Dundee boss Tony Docherty will take little heed of Livingston’s poor form ahead of their cinch Premiership clash on Sunday.
The Lions have won only one of their last nine games in all competitions and went down 2-0 to the Dark Blues in West Lothian last week, before a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Hearts on Wednesday night.
On the same evening, Dundee lost 5-0 at home to Rangers and their first defeat in five games left them ninth in the table, one point ahead of second-bottom Livi.
Docherty acknowledged the clash on Tayside will take place on grass rather than an artificial surface but also how difficult David Martindale’s side normally make it for their opponents.
He said: “I watched a game against Hearts and they were all-out, full of energy and it was a typical Livingston performance, a really strong performance where they were coming out fighting.
“So I wouldn’t look at form, I look at performances and I’m sure their manager will be buoyed by the way they approached that game, and I expect no less from a Livingston team coming here.
“They’ll be hard-working and difficult to play against as they always are. And we know as a team how tough that challenge is going to be but hopefully we’re ready for it.
“Last week we trained on Astroturf because we were going into a game on an artificial surface, this week we trained on grass because it’s a game on grass.
“So that’s the main difference in preparation but everything else – we do the same for every opponent.
“We obviously analyse their games and we make sure that as a squad we look at strengths, weaknesses and we analyse our team so the preparation is very much the same game-by-game but the only difference is the surface we train on.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes his “smart” players understand and embrace the increased competition for places up front.
The five forwards he has at his disposal have contributed 30 goals so far this season but only Mohamed Salah, who has 10, is a guaranteed starter every week.
Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz -unavailable for the last two matches due to his father’s kidnapping in Colombia – have all made an impact when they have been selected and despite Klopp’s rotation they all appear to gel well together.
“The boys are all smart. The good thing is we have really only smart players, that means they understand they cannot play all the games,” he said.
“It’s not, ‘I want to play Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday.’ That’s just not possible but everybody sees (it that way) as well.
“That’s how a smart footballer should think and our boys do that: ‘If I can’t play then it’s better we have another really good player who can play the position’. That’s exactly how I see it.
“It’s only four (because of Diaz’s absence) all of a sudden but there are a lot of games still coming if you see the schedule – after the international break it turns completely crazy – so in that time we have to be ready.
“If you want to play a successful season and not only have successful spells, you need the boys through all these different phases.
“We have to get through this and with not a lot of injuries (and then) we have really the joys but if not the boys have just to fight through it.
“For the moment it’s OK, but we need it like this for pretty much the rest of the season, to be honest.”
Of all their front five Cody Gakpo is probably the unsung hero.
The Netherlands international has scored on his last four starts, netting the first goal in three of those, but has been the player sacrificed the most to accommodate holes in the squad as he started the campaign in midfield.
“If we have everybody available it was never the plan to put Cody there but it was for him something new after (playing) the false nine last year,” added Klopp.
“But he’s a super-smart player so he can adapt to that and we want him to adapt.
“He’s just a versatile striker, he can play everywhere up front there. For us it’s super-important. He arrives in the box, he is a good shooter, he has a good nose for the situation.
“How I said, the boys up front all like each other, there’s not this battle of ‘Will I start?’ They know they can all play together.”
Liverpool head to Luton on Sunday looking for their first clean sheet away from Anfield in any competition this season but are on six-match unbeaten run, winning the last four.
As it stands they are in a four-way race for the title but Klopp is keen not to get too excited about how well they have started.
“It’s so early. I’m so happy that we have a really good team together but look at the other teams, they are really good as well,” he said.
“A lot of really good teams are out there and it’s the Premier League so it’s not about celebrating the moment and being relieved that we kind of can play football again.
“No, it’s really about digging into the season, use the full potential of this group, get everything out of it and then let’s see.”
Leeds manager Daniel Farke felt his side’s 1-0 victory at Championship leaders Leicester was a reward for a performance of “bravery and courage”.
Georginio Rutter’s 57th-minute goal was enough to make sure Leeds closed in on Ipswich in second place, and condemn Leicester to their second home defeat of the season.
Farke praised an impressive display from Leeds, who took the game to Leicester early on and produced what was a statement win at the King Power Stadium.
“We were brave and went for it with courage as a side who have been unbeaten for so long,” said the Leeds manager.
“It was a complex performance on the field, but we stayed disciplined and kept them to areas where they couldn’t hurt us. I believed in my players and that they could dominate the game.
“You could see the goal coming in the second half, it was a deserved win, we had the better chances.
“The only thing Georginio needed to improve was his goal tally. This was a decisive goal and a sign of quality.”
Farke highlighted the fact that Leeds’ players celebrated with goalkeeper Illan Meslier after the game.
The Frenchman produced a superb save to keep out a stoppage-time header from Leicester’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
“If you want to achieve something special, you need unity,” added the German coach. “That is why the players celebrated Illan’s save. He is a diamond, if he continues to produce performances like this we are definitely on the right path, I think he is the best keeper in the league.
“I also felt that Glen Kamara had his best game in a white shirt.
“For us at the moment, the table is not important. Whatever the outcome here, everything would be possible for both sides. But it was a massive three points for us, a great boost. It was a good night for us.
“But Leicester are such a good side, I’m sure at the end of the season they’ll be in a top position.”
Farke admitted he was “disappointed” to be shown a yellow card for protesting against referee Dean Whitestone’s decision to wave away appeals after Crysencio Summerville went down under pressure from Ricardo Pereira.
“It was only my second yellow card in over 200 games in English football,” he said. “I was a bit disappointed, for me it was definitely a foul. Was it a penalty or a free-kick and a red card. He didn’t whistle anything, it was a decisive moment.”
Leicester had been aiming for a 10th successive win, but they remain 11 points clear of Leeds in third spot.
Abdul Fatawu hit the crossbar in the first half, but Leicester managed only one effort on target during the game.
“I’m happy with the performance, we expected this match in terms of intensity,” said Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.
“They are a very good team, dangerous and good technically. We cannot win all the games. Overall I am happy, defeat is part of the process. It’s a case of what we can do better, and for sure, we can do some things better.
“I felt we deserved something more from the game.”
Maresca said he felt that, while Leeds took the three points, it had been Sunderland in the previous home game that had offered more in the way of tempo.
“Sunderland were more aggressive and more consistent,” said the Italian. “They started in minute one and finished in minute 95.
“Leeds started with intensity in the first half, and they dropped in the last minutes. We were in control for the last half hour. For me, the team that showed more intensity was Sunderland.”
Sheppey United boss Ernie Batten was proud of his side despite their 4-1 FA Cup first-round exit at the hands of League Two Walsall.
The eighth-tier side were the lowest-ranked club in the first-round proper of the longest-running cup competition in the world.
Batten’s Ites were competing in the first round for the first time in their history.
And hopes of a huge cup upset were high after James Bessey-Saldanha’s stunning first-half strike at a capacity-packed Holm Park.
Douglas James-Taylor levelled in the first-half before Tony Knowles, Ross Tierney and Isaac Hutchinson did the damage in the second period.
After reaching this stage for the first time in 105 attempts, Batten said: “I’m extremely proud of this group of players.
“I’ve lived on the island most of my life and it’s been a wonderful moment for myself.
“They’ve achieved something this club hasn’t done in its 130-year existence.
“I couldn’t be happier for them. I’ve said to them that they’ve got to use this for the rest of the season.
“We’ve got all to play for in the league and it puts you in a good mood.
“I’m really pleased for James because he found a really good goal for us to give us a great start.
“I think this experience is massive for us, absolutely massive. We’re so pleased to get this far and hopefully it’s a catalyst for the football club.
“The exposure we’ve had has really highlighted us as a football club that’s going places.”
Tree surgeon goalkeeper Aiden Prall, the penalty hero against Billericay, produced a player-of-the-match performance with 12 saves – just hours after cutting logs.
But a dream second-round berth was just a step too far for the Isthmian League South East outfit.
Walsall boss Mat Sadler was full of plaudits for the non-league side after their big night out in front of the TV cameras.
“It was a really professional performance,” admitted Sadler.
“We knew it was going to be a tough night, everyone was charged up for the game and rightly so because they’ve done so well to get this far.
“Credit to them to get to the first round. When they scored you think ‘Jesus Christ’.
“It was a really good performance for us. I’m delighted in a way that they got their goal and can go away happy because they deserve it.
“Fair play to them because it was a great goal, I thought it was brilliant.
“I was desperate to win this game for a number of different reasons.
“For us we’re building as a football club and a group at the moment. We’ve got a very young squad out there and I think at times that enthusiasm got us through.
“I’m pleased for Ross because he’s a lad who wears his heart on his sleeve and works hard for the team. He does a lot of unsung stuff for the team and for him to get on the scoresheet. I’m really pleased for him.
“Their keeper rightfully got the man-of-the-match award because I thought he had a fantastic game.”
Horsham manager Dominic Di Paola heaped praise on his team after they twice came from behind to draw 3-3 at Barnsley and force a replay in the Emirates FA Cup first round.
Tom Richards scored the second equaliser to take the tie back to Woodside Road and Di Paola hailed a monumental effort.
“I thought the boys were absolutely phenomenal,” he said. It was just an incredible performance.
“You could see at the end, I don’t think there was anyone without cramp. For us to put in that performance, away from home against a side as good as them, is just incredible.
“There’s been a bit of controversy around the FA stuff and there’s been some issues here. I noticed there wasn’t any police, which is quite ironic considering that was the reason the game was supposedly moved (from Saturday to Friday night).
“I do feel that justice has been done. I never understood the decision in the first place.
“It’s just so pleasing that we can bring them back to our place. We can bring the town out and be allowed to let our supporters actually watch us in such a high-profile game.”
Richards converted after the ball was squared to him by fellow substitute Lucas Rodrigues and Di Paola said: “It’s a massive credit to all of our players. The subs who came on changed the game.
“We’ve worked so hard this week, mainly on the tactics board. I didn’t feel like we parked the bus. I felt that we had an attacking threat.
“It’s just so pleasing that we did that. I’m really pleased.”
After falling behind to a Max Watters goal, the visitors took a 2-1 lead through Shamir Fenelon and a James Hammond penalty.
Goals from Fabio Jalo and Mael de Gevigney put Barnsley back in front but Lewis Carey’s triple save prevented John McAtee, Callum Styles or Luca Connell from putting the game to bed before Richards levelled in the closing stages.
Barnsley boss Neill Collins praised Horsham, saying: “I think, first of all, credit to Horsham.
“They came super organised, didn’t just sit back, had a good game plan so credit to them. Their fans should be proud of them, which I’m sure they are.
“I think we put in all the ingredients of a performance that gives the result that we got – sloppy mistakes, not doing the basics well, didn’t take chances and gave up.
“We earned the replay that we didn’t obviously want with the performance that we gave.
“I didn’t see it coming. The players’ attitude has been good and we’ve been in good form.
“That’s what this competition can do to you. If you don’t start well, it can quickly descend into what it did.
“I thought we’d get out at 3-2 – we should have made it 4-2 – and then without being over-happy, we’d have taken the win and moved on.
“A couple of mistakes and Horsham deserved the replay. There’s a chance for us to go and put it right.”
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says it was “unacceptable” of Marcus Rashford to go a nightclub party after last weekend’s embarrassing derby defeat to Manchester City.
The homegrown talent has managed just one goal for the misfiring Red Devils during a poor start to the season on both an individual and collective level.
Rashford has looked a far cry from the player that plundered 30 goals for United last term and his off-field decision-making came into question after last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to City.
Reports emerged the following day that the England international, who turned 26 on Tuesday, had gone to the Chinawhite nightclub for a pre-arranged birthday party hours after the Old Trafford loss.
“Yes, I am aware of it,” manager Ten Hag said of Rashford’s post-derby night out.
“I spoke with him about it. It’s unacceptable, I told him, he apologised and that’s it. For the rest it’s an internal matter.”
Ten Hag repeated it was an “internal matter” when asked if Rashford had been fined for an incident that he says will not impact his availability for Saturday’s crunch Premier League trip to Fulham.
The United boss also clarified that his place among the substitutes in Wednesday’s 3-0 Carabao Cup exit to Newcastle was due to rotation rather than punishment.
Rashford was dropped to the bench at Wolves last season for timekeeping, but Ten Hag rejected the notion that the academy graduate is not attuned to his demands.
“Your suggestion is not right,” the United boss. “He’s fitting in, he’s very motivated to put things right.
“I know which effort he is putting in. He’s totally with us.
“So, he makes a mistake, but that doesn’t say he’s not fitting in. I see him every day in training, what he’s doing, I know.
“So, he makes one mistake but also, off the pitch, what he is doing, how he lives, and I’m sure he is doing everything right to help the team to perform and to let us win.”
Ten Hag can ill afford any distractions right now but it was notable how much public backing he showed Rashford despite his clear annoyance at his post-derby decision.
“He has to be as close as possible to the opponents’ goal, because there are his qualities,” he said.
“There he is so important for us and he will contribute so much to our success.
“We have to get him there as a team and he, as an individual, also he has to make his movements to arrive in the right moments, so his timing is right and I’m sure he will be back.”
How the Red Devils and their manager could do with Rashford getting back his scoring touch at Fulham on Saturday lunchtime.
The midweek loss to Newcastle was their eighth defeat in 15 matches in all competitions, making this United’s worst start to a season since 1962-63.
That run has led to scrutiny and speculation about Ten Hag’s position, but the “fighter” will not give up on a job that nobody has able to successfully fill since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.
“It’s possible, I’m convinced (United can be successful),” the defiant Dutchman said.
“Sometimes you have difficult periods and when you stick together – and we are together – then we come through these difficult periods.”
Asked whether the structure is right for club to be a success, Ten Hag said: “I wouldn’t work here if I thought it wasn’t right.”
All the focus right now is righting the United ship before November’s international break, with games against Fulham and Luton bookending the crunch Champions League clash in Copenhagen.
“Always, when the team is not playing well, you think about it, to get it right,” Ten Hag added. “I’m not thinking about things away from the team.
“Of course, sometimes I need my relaxation to get energy, but for now it’s 24/7. You think about ‘how do I get this right?’”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will not change his habit of coaching his players on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of games despite Roy Keane’s claim that it is “all for show”.
Guardiola was seen talking to Erling Haaland after last Sunday’s 3-0 Manchester derby win at Old Trafford, going over the first-half header City’s top scorer had missed and the almost identical second-half opportunity the Norwegian buried.
It is something Guardiola has done for years – he had a similar animated chat with Haaland on the pitch at Burnley at the start of the season, and back in 2019 interrupted City’s celebrations after their 6-0 FA Cup final win over Watford to make a point to Raheem Sterling.
Former United captain Roy Keane was unimpressed last weekend, saying on Sky Sports that Guardiola was doing it for the cameras and should “get down the tunnel, enjoy your victory”, but the City boss said he often wants to make his point while it is still fresh.
“I respect a lot Roy Keane,” Guardiola said. “Sometimes I finish the game and go inside, sometimes I stay there. When I find a player we chat about the game. I know the camera is there.
“At that moment I was outside, wanted to (celebrate) with the fans, especially away. For the fans United is an important game.
“We chat about the second goal, the miss for the last minute (of the first half) with the (Andre) Onana action. He could be better, stronger.
“The header (could be) stronger to put the ball in the back of the net with more power. It happened with Erling in Burnley. I can avoid it.
“Maybe Roy is right but it happens. I don’t need at my age to do something for the people.
“Sometimes I go inside, sometimes say hi to the referees. It’s what I feel in the moment.
“I don’t think after the game to go to the players to do some spectacle for the people…
“I could have done it inside, of course. I’ve done it many times in the locker room – look at that image, that action.
“It’s fresh, the players have that image in the moment. Sometimes you make the impact that remains here (in the head).”
Haaland’s brace at Old Trafford took him to 13 goals in 15 games for City this season.
The 23-year-old hit 52 in all competitions last season, his first in England, when a player who had often suffered niggling injuries at Borussia Dortmund benefitted from a month off during the World Cup break.
There will be no such opportunity this time around but Guardiola said he had no concerns over his star man’s fitness at present.
“He’s so important for us, he feels really fit now,” Guardiola said. “Sometimes he had niggles, he came from Dortmund. Now it’s completely the opposite, he feels free.
“Today I saw him training with incredible energy. I don’t think about March, April, May. We try to win games to be contenders for the competitions.
“We will see, if he goes down, he takes a rest. Now, he’s feeling good. Having him on the pitch gives us confidence and is an incredible threat…
“He scored a lot of goals, every game he has a lot of chances to score more. So incredible, a lovely player for us. We use him a lot.”
Georginio Rutter earned Leeds a 1-0 victory against Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester as Daniel Farke’s side took another step towards challenging the top two.
The result still leaves Leicester 11 points clear of Leeds in third place, but this will be seen as a statement victory against a side who have dominated the division this season.
Abdul Fatawu hit the crossbar in the first half, and Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier produced a superb save to keep out a stoppage-time header from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. But Leicester had just one shot on target while suffering their second home defeat of the campaign.
Leicester, five points clear at the top, had been chasing a 10th successive victory and were looking to equal the best-ever start to a second tier season since Bristol City in the 1905-06 season.
But Leeds took on Enzo Maresca’s side head-on. They were rewarded when Rutter netted after 57 minutes with a goal that proved to be the winner.
Leicester found themselves under pressure early on, something they have not been used to at the King Power Stadium this season.
But Leeds, who were also relegated from the Premier League last season, caused Leicester problems and looked in confident mood.
Joel Piroe carved out space in the Leicester area after only two minutes, but he curled his shot wide of the target.
Maresca’s side began to find some momentum and the game suddenly switched from one end to the other as Fatawu raced in from the right and unleashed a powerful shot which shook the crossbar.
Leeds immediately moved into the Leicester area and Crysencio Summerville went down under pressure from Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira.
Referee Dean Whitestone waved away all appeals, much to Farke’s anger. He made his feelings known in the technical area, with his protests seeing him shown a yellow card.
Leeds continued to put pressure on Leicester after the break and goalkeeper Mads Hermansen could only parry a Piroe shot, but there was no-one to take advantage of the loose ball.
Leeds who broke the deadlock when a Daniel James corner was met by Sam Byram’s header, which was pushed out by Hermansen. The Dane may have got lucky moments earlier, but this time the ball fell into Rutter’s path and he scored from close range for his third of the season.
Maresca had been planning to take off Jamie Vardy and replace him with Kelechi Iheanacho as the goal went in, a move which then happened with Leicester a goal down.
Leeds threatened a second with 17 minutes to go as James broke clear, but his low drive was smothered by Hermansen.
Leicester laid siege to the Leeds goal in the closing stages, but could not find the equaliser.
Paris St Germain climbed to the top of Ligue 1 after goals from Lee Kang-in, Warren Zaire-Emery and Vitinha secured a 3-0 win over Montpellier.
PSG dominated proceedings at the Parc des Princes as they registered a fifth straight victory in all competitions.
It was also a vastly improved display from Luis Enrique’s side following their scratchy 3-2 win over Brest last weekend.
They will be top until Sunday at least, when Nice get the chance to move back to the summit when they host Rennes.
PSG burst into life in the ninth minute when Achraf Hakimi overlapped down the right and squared the ball into the area.
Kylian Mbappe let the ball run between his legs and South Korea forward Lee took a touch before lashing his shot into the top corner from 15 yards.
Montpellier’s cause was not helped when defender Issiaga Sylla limped out of the action after only 20 minutes.
Ousmane Dembele almost doubled the lead when he outstripped substitute Theo Sainte-Luce but his angled drive was well saved by Benjamin Lecomte.
From the corner, Mbappe met a headed clearance with a volley which flew narrowly wide.
In first-half stoppage time another sweeping move saw Lee and Mbappe combine to tee up Dembele but his shot was deflected over by Sainte-Luce.
After the break Zaire-Emery waltzed into the Montpellier area only to place his effort straight at Lecomte.
The visiting keeper then palmed away a fierce drive from Hakimi with Dembele unable to convert the rebound.
The second goal arrived in the 58th minute, and it was another spectacular strike.
Zaire-Emery, still only 17, played in Dembele and continued his run into the area, collecting a clever backheel from his team-mate and thumping the finish past Lecomte.
Substitute Vitinha added the third eight minutes later, sweeping Hakimi’s pull-back from the byline past Lecomte from the edge of the box.
Mbappe, for once overshadowed by his goalscoring team-mates, tried to get in on the act but his drive from 20 yards flew over the crossbar.
The busy Lecomte had to be on his toes to prevent another sub, Fabian Ruiz, adding his name to the scoresheet with a fine save low to his right as PSG were forced to settle for three.
Plucky Horsham twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Barnsley as substitute Tom Richards earned them an FA Cup first-round replay.
Barnsley took a 14th-minute lead when Jamie McCart’s ball into the area was met by a close-range header from Max Watters.
The visitors equalised eight minutes later when Shamir Fenelon produced a fine finish after Dan Ajakaiye caused problems for the Barnsley defence with his pace.
After Barnsley’s Callum Styles struck the bar, James Hammond put Horsham ahead from a 38th-minute penalty after Ajakaiye was fouled by Corey O’Keeffe inside the area.
Barnsley were back on level terms in first-half stoppage time when Fabio Jalo scored with a superb curling effort, and the hosts regained the lead in the 64th minute when Mael de Gevigney headed in O’Keeffe’s corner.
Horsham, though, drew level again in the 81st minute when Jack Strange found Lucas Rodrigues and he squared to fellow replacement Richards to tap in.
It was a spirited performance from Horsham, who are in the seventh tier, against League One opposition.
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