Manchester United knock out Hull City on Aggregate

Hull 2-1 Man United: Paul Pogba strike helped Red Devils secure a spot in the EFL Cup final

Manchester United secured their place in the EFL Cup final with a 3-2 aggregate win over Hull City at the KC Stadium on Thursday evening.

The Red Devils fell behind to a Tom Huddlesstone first half penalty after Marcos Rojo was adjudged to have pulled down a player inside the box and the former Tottenham midfielder finished past David de Gea with aplomb.

The goal was against the run of play as the visitors had dominated possession. However, Zlatan Ibrahimovic nearly equalised for the Red Devils but his shot was well saved by the goalkeeper.
Pogba found Jesse Lingard with an exquisite chip but the Englishman failed to control with just the goalkeeper to beat.
In the second half, Manchester United who had a 2-0 advantage reduced to one by the Huddlestone goal came out blazing and it paid off as Paul Pogba poked a deflected cross from Rashford into the bottom right corner of the net.
Marcos Rojo nearly made it 2-1 as his header clattered onto the crossbar but it was the home side that eventually took the lead as on loan Everton star Baye Oumar Niasse tapped into an empty net from David Meyler’s cross pass.
The game ended with Hull City beating Manchester United 2-1 on the night but they qualified on a 3-2 aggregate and will play Southampton in the final at Wembley.

Wenger agree to FA misconduct charge

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, says he will accept a misconduct charge by the Football Association for his behaviour during the 2-1 Premier League win over Burnley.

He was charged with verbally abusing and pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor after being sent off in the closing stages of the game.
Wenger, who later apologised, had been dismissed for reacting angrily to a 93rd-minute penalty given to Burnley, who trailed 1-0.
After being sent to the stands by referee Jon Moss, Wenger moved away from the pitch but stood at the tunnel entrance and refused to move as he tried to watch the remaining few minutes of Sunday’s match.
As Taylor encouraged him to move away, Wenger was seen to push back against him.
When asked if he would accept the charge, Wenger said: “Yes. I am big enough to stand up for what I do.
“When I don’t behave like I think I should behave, I am big enough to say I am not right. I’m a passionate guy and I believe that I am completely committed in my job and want to win football games.”
The Frenchman will appear in person on Friday and is likely to learn his fate on the same day.
The Gunners will face Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Why Messi and I are rivals – C. Ronaldo

Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has said that he is only a rival with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, because they play for different clubs and try to be the best player for their teams.

However, he insisted that there is no need to compare them, as they are both great players.

 “For me, this fight doesn’t exist,” Ronaldo told reporters after Chinese publication, Dongqiudi, named him their 2016 best player.

“You can’t compare players. Cristiano is Cristiano and Messi is Messi,” Ronaldo replied reporters.
“We are both great players with individual and team titles that speak for themselves. The comparison? I don’t like to compare, that word doesn’t exist for me. We are different, two people just doing their jobs, that is all.”

Ronaldo insists both players have mutual respect for each other.
He said: “He tries to be the best player for his team and I try to do the same for mine. We are rivals because we play for different clubs, but when we are together we show each other mutual respect. We have a normal relationship.
“People compare us all that time, that is normal. People even compared our sons when they were born and talk about who is the fastest and smartest at school. This is all part of the business. But I think that you can’t compare these things.”
The Portugal captain added: “I just don’t care about [my critics]. I try to do my job and be myself, everyone has people who hates them and it’s part of the business.
“But, I go to bed happy every night, I’m not here to satisfy my critics as I’m here for my fans and those who make me happy.”