Key events
Ewan Murray
Pressure firmly on Celtic in Scottish title race finally worthy of the name
It is instructive that Thursday evening’s Europa League clash in Bologna could be regarded by Celtic as an inconvenience. Aberdeen hold the Scottish Cup. St Mirren claimed the League Cup in December. Celtic find themselves involved in a title race worthy of the name. In short, domestic dominance is no longer a guarantee.
Much has been said – and screamed – about the flow of poor decision-making that at least has Celtic’s hitherto immovable position in Scotland under threat. There has also been wild exaggeration in respect of the current crop of Celtic and Rangers players being among the worst in living memory. Celtic finished fourth and adrift of Motherwell in successive seasons from 1993. Rangers rattled around unconvincingly in the lower divisions, including a failed attempt to win promotion from the second tier, after their financial meltdown of 2012. The relative weakness of others in Scotland’s top flight is a reasonable point for debate but Old Firm fans have encountered much, much worse than this.
It is instead worth focusing on the significance of the occasion as Celtic visit Tynecastle Park on Sunday. Tony Bloom promised disruption and tilts at glory when he formalised his involvement with Hearts last summer. In a matter of months, his prescience has been borne out. Hearts, the most consistent and therefore finest team in Scotland so far this season, have spent four of them atop the Premiership.
Pressure is firmly on Celtic to eat into a gap which sits at six points before a ball is kicked in Edinburgh. It would be wrong to suggest Scottish football’s broad audience would relish a Hearts title triumph – followers of Hibernian understandably would not fancy that outcome very much – but even the notion of the league flag flying outside Glasgow for the first time in more than 40 years has turned heads in far-off lands.
Read Ewan Murray’s full preview of the big Scottish Premiership fixture this weekend:
Jamie Jackson
Carrick reveals Solskjær backing for Manchester United role
Michael Carrick has revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been fully supportive of his appointment as Manchester United’s interim head coach because the Norwegian, who was also interviewed for the role, is a close friend.
The pair were at United together during the 2006-07 season and Carrick was a member of Solskjær’s coaching staff when the Norwegian was first the club’s caretaker manager then a permanent appointment from December 2018 to November 2021.
When Solskjær was sacked Carrick managed United for three games but he departed after Ralf Rangnick took over, stating that loyalty to Solskjær was a factor. Carrick was asked whether he had spoken to his former teammate since beginning his second interim tenure.
Yes, I spoke to him. I’m close, we’ve been through a lot together, so he’s been fully supportive as you’d expect. He’s some man and I respect him an awful lot. He wished us all the best and he was happy that we got the right result against Manchester City.
Jamie Jackson was Michael Carrick’s pre-match press duties, here’s his full piece:
Arsenal and Manchester United’s failure to be good at the same time means this game is some way off the peak of this fixture in the Ferguson-Wenger years, but it’s still evocative. You can guarantee eyeballs whenever these two meet and United’s win over City came at the right moment to suggest that Michael Carrick’s team could pose a threat at Emirates Stadium. It’s amazing what playing in a system which suits the squad will do for confidence.
United have only won once in north London in the 2020s, that coming on penalties in the FA Cup, so simply avoiding defeat will be a positive result for the visitors. To be honest, even an honest attempt to take the game to Arsenal will be well received by the United fanbase.
Do Arsenal need a statement performance here? Probably not, but it would put the lid on some of the anxiety that seems to course through the veins of their home support. A pair of 0-0 draws in their last two fixtures has done little to reassure anyone that Mikel Arteta’s team are ready to seize this title by the scruff of the neck.
Hopefully this one lives up to the promise. What’s your favourite meeting between these two clubs? Let me know via the comments section below the line or the email link at the top of the page.
David Hytner
Talk of Arsenal being champions-elect ‘takes focus to wrong place’, says Arteta
Mikel Arteta says nobody is more driven than him to win the Premier League this season as he promised his Arsenal players would not be distracted by talk of them as champions-elect.
The signs for Arsenal are extremely promising despite the inevitable anxiety among their fanbase, which has been felt during the past two league matches – the 0-0 draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal are seven points clear at the top as they prepare for the visit of Manchester United on Sunday; they have by far the meanest defence in the division and have shown their strength in many other areas, including set pieces.
Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City are second, described Arsenal as “the best team in the world” on Friday and Arteta has heard the line about how it is their title to lose. Arsenal last won the league in 2003-04.
I don’t think anybody has probably more motivation, more hunger, more desire for us to go all the way and win it [than me]. But we know that the only way to do it is focusing and being very present in the moment and doing everything that we have to do today … then do it better tomorrow. That’s the only thing we can control. The rest is just things that don’t add any value to us and they can take the focus to the wrong place.
It is talking every single day about what we have to do, what we are doing, what we can improve. We know how tough it’s going to be on Sunday and if we start to prepare on Sunday it’s too late. So we already start to prepare after our Champions League win over Inter Milan on Tuesday.
Ben Fisher
Adli scrambles last-gasp winner as Bournemouth take down Liverpool
Where to start with this intoxicating Premier League white-knuckle ride? As second-half stoppage time ticked into a fifth minute, the Bournemouth defender James Hill hurled one last long throw into the box and, after Ryan Gravenberch inadvertently poked the ball against a post in a desperate attempt to clear and with Alisson slipping and sliding on the sodden surface, Amine Adli wellied in a winner from an acute angle with virtually the last kick to condemn Liverpool to defeat.
Fifteen minutes earlier Dominik Szoboszlai cannoned in a stunning free-kick to haul Arne Slot’s side level from two goals down. Where would Liverpool be this season without the Hungary midfielder? Slot clenched both fists and gave his assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst a high 10, but it was Andoni Iraola, beaming from ear to ear, who departed the pitch high-fiving his staff, only a second win since October secured. “It is probably the best goal to score … 10 seconds before I asked the fourth official [how long was left] and he told me the game would be over after the throw.”
When Hill launched one final missile in from the right flank, almost in line with Liverpool’s 18-yard box, Adli flicked on and then Marcos Senesi made himself a nuisance. Wataru Endo and Gravenberch ended up on the turf, shuffling their feet like pincers to intervene, but could not prevent a first loss since November and one that extended their winless league run to five matches. If results go against Liverpool on Sunday, Slot’s side could finish the weekend as low as eighth.
Ben Fisher was at the Vitality Stadium, here’s his report:
Will Unwin
Frank calls for ‘calm heads’ as Tottenham fans renew calls for his exit
Thomas Frank has called for “calm heads” after Tottenham fans urged the club to dismiss him during their draw at relegation-threatened Burnley. The away end sang “You’re getting sacked in the morning” at full time, making their views clear to the hierarchy and head coach.
Cristian Romero salvaged a late point for Tottenham after Axel Tuanzebe and Lyle Foster had turned things around to counter Micky van de Ven’s opening goal. The draw leaves Tottenham with two wins in 14 and mired in mid-table.
“You can’t say we didn’t do everything to win,” Frank said. “We just need to keep improving. The only way it can be is calm heads, carry on and keep doing what we think is the right thing.
“We do more than enough to win the game, we just need to defend better in two situations. And, of course, score another goal that could make the difference at 1-0.”
Read Will Unwin’s full report from Turf Moor:
It was another bad day for Premier League Managers Under Pressuretm. Thomas Frank endured chants of: “You’re getting sacked in the morning” from the away end at Turf Moor when full time blew on a 2-2 draw with Burnley. While on south coast, Arne Slot’s Liverpool came from 2-0 down make it 2-2 but conceded late on to lose 3-2 at Bournemouth. Slot offered up that a few of his players “ran out of energy” at the Vitality after the midweek effort in Marseille. Do Frank or Slot make it to the end of the season?
Preamble
Morning everyone, welcome to Sunday’s matchday live. We’re in for a big day of football, including a classic Premier League fixture as Arsenal host Manchester United and the latest test of Hearts’ mettle in the Scottish Premiership title race, with Celtic the visitors to Tynecastle. Please get in touch via the email at the top of the page.
