Premier League takeaways: Man United misery, happy Havertz, Villa enjoy home comforts


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Man United hit record new low

One step forward then two steps back for Manchester United over the past seven days. Last week, Erik ten Hag's side ended a run of two defeats on the spin by battling to a 1-0 victory at winless Burnley.

It was the same scoreline on Saturday, only they fell to a home defeat against Crystal Palace. It was United's third defeat in seven games, the first time they have started so badly since 1989/90 and represents their worst start to a Premier League campaign.

The fact it came against a team they defeated 3-0 in the League Cup on Tuesday only added to frustrations and United are now 10th in the table, nine points behind leaders Manchester City.

“I can give you reasons but you will explain it as an excuse and there are no excuses, we have to win,” said Ten Hag after his team were booed off the pitch by home fans.

“We have to do better [at Old Trafford]. We have to show it in our body language that Old Trafford is a fortress and you can't get anything here.”

Next up for United? Two home games against Galatasaray and Brentford where how much of fortress the Theatre of Dreams is at the moment will be firmly put to the test.

Villa enjoying home comforts

While United are struggling to make their home ground a place to fear, the same cannot be said for Unai Emery's Aston Villa

Battling with champions Manchester City's loss at Wolves for most eyebrow raising of the weekend, Villa's 6-1 demolition of Brighton saw Ollie Watkins score his second hat-trick of the season – in front of England manager Gareth Southgate.

It was Villa's 10th home league win in a row – their best run since 13 victories on the spin 40 years ago – and came against the high-flying Seagulls who had already beaten two of last season's top-four finishers Newcastle and Manchester United this season, scoring more goals than anyone else (18) along the way.

Roberto de Zerbi's side, though, were ripped apart in ruthless fashion as they conceded six goals in a top-flight game for the first time.

“I’m very happy,” said Emery after a match which saw his team rise to fifth in the table. “We feel a very good connection with our supporters every match – today we showed it.

“Of course, when you’re winning matches in a row you feel confidence, but you still have to win again and again. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

But heavy defeats away to Newcastle and Liverpool this season show that Villa still have work to do on their travels before they can become serious top-four contenders.

Liverpool hit by VAR shambles

Another week, another VAR debacle – but the one at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday was a special kind of shambles.

With the game against Spurs still goalless, Liverpool's Luis Diaz was denied the opening goal after VAR officials somehow ruled the Colombian offside after an unusually quick review by video assistant referee Darren England. Still images of the incident showed Cristian Romero played Diaz onside.

In a statement released after the game, refereeing body PGMOL admitted that “a significant human error occurred”, and that they “will conduct a full review”. England was also dropped as the fourth official for Sunday's game between Nottingham Forest and Brentford.

Little consolation for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, whose team lost 2-1 courtesy a last-gasp Joel Matip own-goal after having Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota also sent-off in questionable circumstances.

“They didn't do it on purpose, I know that, but mistakes still happen,” said Klopp. “If we want to talk about it do it properly and not with creating headlines with emotional managers.”

“It's all a bit strange, I don't know who was in the VAR room and making that decision,” added Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. “It's not a good thing.”

Liverpool's Diogo Jota is sent off by referee Simon Hooper during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur. EPA
Liverpool's Diogo Jota is sent off by referee Simon Hooper during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur. EPA

Happy Havertz finally up and running

It would not be a stretch to say that Kai Havertz has not hit the ground running since moving across London from Chelsea to Arsenal in the summer.

Many observers felt his talents had been wasted at Chelsea, with owners, managers and players all changing at a dizzying rate during his three years at Stamford Bridge.

The stability of Mikel Arteta at the Emirates would surely be a good thing for a player who cost Chelsea a club-record £72 million and then Arsenal £65 million?

But the 24-year-old German forward has endured a tough old start for the Gunners and until he slotted a penalty into the bottom corner in their 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth on Saturday, had yet to register a goal or assist in nine games.

The decision to hand Havertz the penalty responsibility was made on-field and the goal was met with jubilant celebrations. “It was emotional, for the fans, for Kai, for everyone involved, because we want him to succeed so much,” said teammate Declan Rice.

“It shows the people we have in that dressing room – what they did for Kai, it was a really moving moment,” manager Arteta added.

Luton finally win a game

There were also jubilant scenes at Goodison Park on Saturday – unless, of course, you were an Everton fan – as Luton Town became the first of the three promoted clubs to register a win this season.

After taking one point from five matches, the Hatters secured a 2-1 victory against Everton courtesy of Tom Lockyer and Carlton Morris, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring with what turned out to be a consolation for the home side.

“I'm very proud of everyone and delighted for the football club. It's off our backs now,” said Luton manager Rob Edwards.

The same cannot be said of fellow new arrivals Sheffield United and Burnley who still await their first three points after both lost 2-0 – at West Ham and Newcastle, respectively.

Luton manager Rob Edward celebrates after his team's victory against Everton. Getty
Luton manager Rob Edward celebrates after his team's victory against Everton. Getty
The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Nick's journey in numbers

Countries so far: 85

Flights: 149

Steps: 3.78 million

Calories: 220,000

Floors climbed: 2,000

Donations: GPB37,300

Prostate checks: 5

Blisters: 15

Bumps on the head: 2

Dog bites: 1

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

MATCH INFO

England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)

New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
England World Cup squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

World Cup final

Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region

The%20specs
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

Results for Stage 2

Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race

Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)

Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)

Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle

Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)

Biography

Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related

Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.

Family: Wife and three children.

Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less

Crazy Rich Asians

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan

Four stars

Fringe@Four Line-up

October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)

October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)

November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)

November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)

November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)

November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)

November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)

December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)

The Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize

This year’s winners of the US$4 million Sheikh Zayed Future Energy Prize will be recognised and rewarded in Abu Dhabi on January 15 as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainable Week, which runs in the capital from January 13 to 20.

From solutions to life-changing technologies, the aim is to discover innovative breakthroughs to create a new and sustainable energy future.

Company%20Profile
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

The specs: 2019 BMW X4

Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800

Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km

If you go...

Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

%3Cp%3EThe%20Department%20of%20Culture%20and%20Tourism%20-%20Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Arabic%20Language%20Centre%20will%20mark%20International%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Day%20at%20the%20Bologna%20Children's%20Book%20Fair%20with%20the%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Translation%20Conference.%20Prolific%20Emirati%20author%20Noora%20Al%20Shammari%2C%20who%20has%20written%20eight%20books%20that%20%20feature%20in%20the%20Ministry%20of%20Education's%20curriculum%2C%20will%20appear%20in%20a%20session%20on%20Wednesday%20to%20discuss%20the%20challenges%20women%20face%20in%20getting%20their%20works%20translated.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

The BIO:

He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal

He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side

By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam

Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border

He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push

His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level

The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

The specs: 2018 Maxus T60

Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000

Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder

Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm

Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km

Updated: October 02, 2023, 2:40 AM`