Sheffield United have spent the summer damaging the challengers' chances of Champions League football. If their own disappeared in June, beating Tottenham last week all but ensured Jose Mourinho will not record a top-four finish.
Now Wolves became the latest to experience disappointment at Bramall Lane. They could have gone level on points with Manchester United. Instead, they were defeated by John Egan’s injury-time header as Chris Wilder’s team leapfrogged both Arsenal and Spurs. Beaten by Arsenal on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side suffered another setback.
Even a stalemate had felt inadequate. Not for the first time, Wolves felt insufficiently ambitious. They removed Adama Traore when looking for a winner and Sheffield United’s persistence brought one: George Baldock headed the replacement Richairo Zivkovic’s cross wide and Rui Patricio clawed away Ben Osborn’s injury-time shot.
From Oliver Norwood’s resulting corner, Egan leapt above Willy Boly to score for the second successive game.
Wolves have a habit of ending strongly, but not this time. It is one of the season’s minor mysteries that they have contrived to challenge for the top four while having the worst record in the first half.
They tend to be cautious starters, which ultimately cost them against Arsenal on Saturday. If their preference is to take their time to settle into a game, at least this time they almost found the target.
Ruben Neves’ goals invariably come from long range and he almost added another to a distinguished collection. His 20-yard free kick flicked Dean Henderson’s bar on its way over.
It was as close as they came. If Nuno erred by beginning with Diogo Jota on the bench against Arsenal, he sought to avert a repeat by restoring the forward to the side.
Bright as the Portuguese was, the attention was often occupied by the other winger. Wolves had an early worry when Traore went down clutching the shoulder he has dislocated three times after a collision with Enda Stevens.
The winger caused United a different kind of concern that Raul Jimenez met yet, as he closed in on goal, an unusually poor touch allowed Baldock to cover. Traore’s threat means some look to stop him at source and Stevens became the 34th player booked for fouling him in a last-ditch attempt to halt a counter-attack.
But by and large United coped well. They had attacking threats of their own on the flanks. They might have claimed more summer points had Jack O’Connell not been accidentally injured by Henderson in training. The famously overlapping centre-back made his first start since then and showed his crossing ability by picking out Oli McBurnie, whose header was too near Rui Patricio.
The hosts’ other first-half chance was gifted by their visitors. Willy Boly allowed Billy Sharp to nip on to his under-hit back pass but Patricio was quick to leave his line to block the shot. Sharp did manage to beat the goalkeeper later, following a fine turn and finish, but he had long since been flagged offside.
While other clubs have relished being able to name nine substitutes, United’s bench is rarely that packed. Once again, Wilder only had eight at his disposal. Lys Mousset was summoned when he took off the in-form McBurnie early in the second half and Zivkovic got just a third outing of his loan spell.
They applied pressure for spells of the second half. Stevens provided some enticing crosses from the left flank while Sander Berge continued the fine form he has shown over the past fortnight. Wolves, who were looking to record four straight away wins in the top flight for the first time in four decades, were instead beaten.
QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
Wales: T: Wainwright, Moriarty. Cons: Biggar (2) Pens: Biggar 2
France: T: Vahaamahina, Ollivon, Vakatawa Cons: Ntamack (2)
Other key dates
-
Finals draw: December 2
-
Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
-
Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nabil%20Ayouch%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nisrin%20Erradi%2C%20Joud%20Chamihy%2C%20Jalila%20Talemsi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
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
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Pakistan Super League
Previous winners
2016 Islamabad United
2017 Peshawar Zalmi
2018 Islamabad United
2019 Quetta Gladiators
Most runs Kamran Akmal – 1,286
Most wickets Wahab Riaz –65
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
