Everton survived an astonishing moment of madness at Old Trafford on Monday when Idrissa Gueye was sent off for slapping teammate Michael Keane to beat Manchester United 1-0.
Senegal midfielder Gueye was given his marching orders by referee Tony Harrington in the 13th minute after putting his hand to Keane's face following an angry altercation.
The home crowd anticipated waves of attack but United failed to take advantage, proving toothless against David Moyes' battling team.
Instead, it was the 10-man visitors who seized the initiative, courtesy of a wonderful strike by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute.
Dewsbury-Hall received the ball midway inside United's half and surged towards goal, beating Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro before bending the ball into the top corner.
United, missing injured forwards Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, huffed and puffed but could not find an equaliser despite 25 shots on goal to Everton's three.
Goalscorer Dewsbury-Hall, addressing the red-card incident, said Gueye had apologised.
"It was just a moment of madness," he told Sky Sports.
"It was obviously avoidable. All I can say is Idrissa apologised to us all at half-time and said his piece."
Former United boss Moyes, celebrating his first win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager at his 18th attempt, said he was "incredibly proud" of his players.
"We've come close a lot of times, but not quite been able to go over the line," he said.
"But tonight, incredibly, we got over the line with 10 men, which was probably the hardest way to get a good result."
Ruben Amorim, marking the first anniversary of his maiden game in charge of United, made several changes in the second half in a frantic search for an equaliser but his team still lacked a cutting edge despite dominating possession.
Pickford kept out a powerful Joshua Zirkzee header with just over 10 minutes of normal time to go and Everton hung on for their first win at Old Trafford since 2013, with United booed off.
Earlier, the visitors suffered a big blow in just the 10th minute when they lost captain Seamus Coleman.
But worse was to follow three minutes later with the scarcely believable bust-up between Gueye and Keane.
Gueye is the first Premier League player to be sent off for fighting with a teammate since 2008.
A bitterly disappointed Amorim, seeking his fifth straight win at home, said his team had lacked intensity.
"You can feel right away when we start the game in the first minute, we can feel when we are at the top level in intensity and when we are not," he said. "We cannot win games in this way."
He added: "I'm really frustrated with the way we played the game, especially in our home, especially understanding what happened during this week with the other clubs, looking at the table."
Manchester United player ratings
Senne Lammens - 5/10: Had not lost for club or country this season before Monday's game. Poor clearance to Dewsbury-Hall, who, a couple of minutes later, scored a stunning opener, for which he got his timing wrong.
Leny Yoro - 6/10: Headed away a dangerous fifth-minute Everton cross, but inadvertently set up Dewsbury-Hall, who then put Everton a goal up. There were three central defenders facing the only goalscorer in a what was a dreadful result for Manchester United.
Matthijs De Ligt - 6/10: Brilliant pass to Mount on 71 minutes, the best of several fine passes. Had a chance to score but, on 91 minutes, he leaned back and had a weak effort on goal.
Luke Shaw - 5/10: Had to play further forward in the second half – United were far too defensive in the first half and poor down the left. England coach Thomas Tuchel was watched an unconvincing performance.
Noussair Mazraoui - 5/10: Top defender and he limited Jack Grealish in the first half, but less convincing going forward. Off at half time and couldn’t complain.
Patrick Dorgu - 4/10: Had one of the few chances in the first half, but his shot from a Zirkzee cross went nowhere near goal. Frustrating night for him. Crosses must be better.
Bruno Fernandes - 6/10: Creating fewer chances in his deeper role, yet only four players in the league have created more. Shot wide after 12 minutes in a move that led to Idrissa Gueye being sent off for a slap on Michael Keane. Had a fierce shot saved on 45. Hit shots wide and over in the second half.
Casemiro - 5/10: United are better with him playing, but not against Everton. Booked after a Grealish drew a foul after 49 minutes and was taken off eight minutes later before more harm was done. Outshone by former United player James Garner.
Bryan Mbeumo - 6/10: Scored more than a quarter of United’s goals this season. Received his first yellow card as a United player. Drew a low save from Pickford on 62, but shot miles wide on 68.
Joshua Zirkzee - 4/10: First start of the season after only 900 minutes of football in 2025. Crossed for Dorgu on 32, but, with Tarkowski untroubled against him, did little to suggest he’ll feature in any team under Ruben Amorim. His headers become more of a threat – a super one on 79 was saved by Pickford at full stretch.
Amad Diallo - 6/10: Nice turn after four minutes and a shot blocked by Tarkowski on 21. Had United’s first shot after the team went behind, then made a great run as United tried to get level, but should have done better. Dragged a shot wide on 41 and while United were better down the right, it was too little.
Substitutes
Mason Mount - 7/10: On for Mazraoui at half-time. Glanced a header wide on 51. Dangerous cross on 63, but there were not a lot of players in there to head it. Decent ball to Fernandes on 71.
Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10: On for Casemiro on 57. Neat and tidy, but must do far more than he’s doing when he gets minutes.
Diogo Dalot - 6/10: on for Dorgu after 57 and played as a wing back.
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How to avoid crypto fraud
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Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Bill Condon
Three out of five stars
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
