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Manchester United kick-started 2026 in underwhelming fashion, playing out a 1-1 draw away to bitter rivals Leeds United at Elland Road.

Ruben Amorim started the game with six defenders, including Patrick Dorgu as a number 10 amidst some attacking absences, although his side struggled to create many chances going forward.

That was certainly apparent from the match stats. Across the 90 minutes, the Red Devils only managed to accumulate an expected goals tally of 1.46 xG, not much more than the home side notched up. Leeds overachieved on their total, which was 0.92 xG by full-time.

Cagey would be a good way of describing the affair, with both sides attacking in spells rather than the game being very open. It took until just after the hour mark for the opening goal to go in, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin hitting the post in the first half being the best chance up until that point.

The goals came within three minutes of each other. Brenden Aaronson put Leeds ahead, but United hit back almost immediately through Matheus Cunha. Benjamin Sesko had a golden opportunity to win it a little later on, but neither side’s defences could be breached again, and United had to settle for a point.

A couple of United’s attackers really stood out, despite the result.

Man United's best attackers vs. Leeds

There were two standout players in Red at Elland Road. One of those was goalscorer Cunha. The Brazilian got himself on the scoresheet to bag United’s equaliser, but was a real livewire outside of that moment.

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The goal itself was a very well-taken finish. Cunha ran onto a pass into the Leeds box and fired home first-time on his right foot. It was a large part of why Goal journalist Richard Martin gave him a 7/10 post-match rating.

The Red Devils’ number 10 was not their only standout attacker. Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench and had a fantastic impact. The silky Dutch attacker set up Cunha with a perfectly weighted pass, just his second touch since coming off the bench.

However, his contributions went a lot further than just teeing up his teammate for United’s equaliser. The attacker was constantly involved in linking up play, always providing a final third threat and causing issues for the Leeds defenders. That was best highlighted in the fact that he created two chances in less than 30 minutes on the pitch.

It was not just Cunha and Zirkzee who stood out at Elland Road, though.

United have found a new Rashford-like figure

At the other end of the pitch, 19-year-old Ayden Heaven shone once again.

True, he was involved in Aaronson’s goal, which gave the home side the lead, with the American getting ahead of him and running in behind.

Aside from that, the teenager once again played like someone with a decade of experience at the highest level. One person who Heaven impressed was football writer Paul Kwestel who wrote that “it’s insane how good Ayden Heaven is”.

The numbers Heaven put up at Elland Road showed how well he played. The defender had 70 touches and completed 83% of his passes. Defensively, he was superb, winning four tackles and six duels.

Heaven key stats vs. Leeds

Stat

Number

Pass accuracy

83%

Touches

71

Ground duels won

5/6

Tackles won

4/5

Ball recoveries

3

Aerial duels won

1

Stats from Sofascore

There is a case to be made that Heaven’s performances at the moment are reminiscent of Marcus Rashford when he first broke into the first team at Old Trafford.

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Of course, the Wythenshawe-born star was shining up front rather than in defence, but the similarity is still there.

In the ex-Arsenal academy star, United have a top young talent, who has cemented his spot in the side and has now started the last seven Premier League games. Just as Rashford did when he first broke through, Heaven is making a huge impact at a very young age.

It must be pleasing for United fans to see the youngster performing at such a high level already. He has stepped up in Matthijs de Ligt’s absence, and, just like Rashford did a decade ago, continues to have a big impact on the United first-team.

Related Watch out Yoro & Heaven: Man Utd now targeting "monster" £35m signing

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Posts ByJoe Nuttall

Enzo Maresca’s position at Chelsea has come under intense scrutiny following a catastrophic December that has seen the club’s title ambitions evaporate.

Bookmakers have also slashed odds on the Italian becoming the next Premier League managerial casualty.

Football Insider report that Maresca’s odds have been cut to just 8/1 to lose his job, making him joint-third favourite behind only Nuno Espirito Santo and Scott Parker.

Media sources suggest BlueCo are already making contingency plans in the event they’re forced to sack Maresca, though no formal decision has been taken regarding Maresca’s future.

The 45-year-old retains some credit from last season’s Conference League and Club World Cup triumphs alongside securing Champions League qualification, yet December’s collapse has severely undermined confidence in his ability to deliver sustained progress.

Related Chelsea have 'exceptional' manager already lined up if they sack Maresca

The Italian is under mounting pressure.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Chelsea rank a lowly 13th for home form this campaign, collecting just seven points from a possible 21 during their dismal recent stretch.

The defeat to Aston Villa and dropped points against a Bournemouth side winless in nine matches have proven particularly damaging, with supporters questioning whether Maresca is the right man to take them forward.

Former Barcelona manager Xavi has emerged as the bookmakers’ favourite replacement at 5/1, ahead of Marco Silva at 6/1.

Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior remains a candidate favoured by the BlueCo ownership should change prove necessary, though the club’s preference remains conducting a formal summer review rather than making knee-jerk decisions mid-season (Simon Phillips).

Maresca’s public comments referencing his ‘worst 48 hours’ at the club following the Everton victory sparked speculation about internal tensions with sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

Former Man United striker Wayne Rooney warned that such remarks may have cost Maresca crucial protection from ownership if results continue deteriorating, suggesting the Italian has undermined his position by appearing to challenge those who employed him.

The upcoming fixtures against Man City and Arsenal may well prove critical in determining whether Maresca survives, but in the meantime, Chelsea are looking to solve their striker problem.

Liam Delap has underwhelmed since his move from Ipswich this summer, which is partly down to injury, but Chelsea believe they lack quality up top.

Chelsea making 'new move' for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa

That is according to Simon Phillips, who has also heard whispers from his sources of a fresh approach for FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa.

The Spaniard, who’s taken the Primeira Liga by storm since his move there from Atlético Madrid in 2024, has re-emerging interest from Chelsea after they nearly signed him that same summer.

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Phillips reports, via his Substack, that Chelsea could try to sign Aghehowa once again, despite his seismic £87 million release clause. He also shares what is ‘rare’ about this story from his sources.

According to other reports, Chelsea face stiff competition from Tottenham for the 21-year-old, who themselves are looking for an alternative to the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Solanke.

Related Perfect Delap replacement: Chelsea make contact to sign "complete" £44m CF

Chelsea are reportedly interested in a deal to sign a star who would be a perfect replacement for Liam Delap.

Posts ByDan Emery

Essex have continued their strong coaching association with Yorkshire by naming Anthony McGrath as assistant head coach.McGrath becomes No. 2 to a former Yorkshire team-mate, Chris Silverwood, who was promoted up to the head coach role after the departure from the post of another Yorkshireman, Paul Grayson, late last season.McGrath, who has recently been fulfilling part-time coaching duties at Yorkshire, spent his entire first-class career with his home county, making 583 appearances across all three formats during a 17-year career. He also played four Tests for England.After his retirement, he was appointed by Yorkshire as a player mentor before his coaching duties expanded with the departure of Richard Dawson, the academy head, to Gloucestershire.Silverwood said: “I’ve known Anthony for a very long time, and he is a great addition to our staff. He has excellent cricket knowledge, and during his interview it was clear he had a real passion for this job.”He is a very good coach, and will help our batsmen improve their game. He has experience of working with some of the best batsmen in the country – names such as Bairstow, Root, Ballance, Lyth – so his experience will be invaluable to our players.”We have a strong batting line up, and I am confident Anthony will complement it perfectly.”For Yorkshire, who also lost Paul Farbrace to Sri Lanka – and then England – in recent times, it is another raid on their coaching staff to which they are now accustomed.Farbrace’s influence on Yorkshire’s academy was widely praised and his relaxed style as England’s assistant coach after returning to the international circuit has received widespread plaudits. Dawson, his replacement, has also had instant success at Gloucestershire, leading them to Royal London Cup success in his first season.”We are sorry to see Anthony leave the club,” Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “He was a major part of our success over the past couple of years as a coach.”Mags has been at Headingley for nearly 20 years as a coach and a player. He has been an outstanding servant. It is a great opportunity for him and we wish him well.”

Chris Harris has remained a valuable contributor in New Zealand’s domestic cricket but has not tasted international action since 2004-05 © Getty Images

Chris Harris could be the latest former international to join the Indian Cricket League, with reports from New Zealand that the allrounder has already reached an agreement with the group. However, his domestic side Canterbury and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association (NZCPA) were doubtful that Harris had made a decision.A number of news sources said this week that Harris would be joined in the ICL by Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle, with a fourth unnamed player also set to follow their lead. The reports said Harris had rejected a new deal with Canterbury and would further boost the league’s list of international players that includes Brian Lara, Lance Klusener, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.But Heath Mills, the manager of the NZCPA, told the no New Zealand players had made agreements with the ICL. “I’d definitely know if Harry had signed,” Mills said. “The ICL have approached a number of our players, but I’m not aware of any who have signed.”The chief executive of Canterbury Cricket, Richard Reid, was also unconvinced by the reports. “I don’t know whether he’s signed or not,” Reid said. “I would presume that he would tell me if he had. Neither Dave Nosworthy [the Canterbury coach] nor I know that he’s signed.”Harris, 37, has not played for New Zealand since 2004-05 but has remained a first-rate contributor in domestic fixtures. Last season he was Canterbury’s top one-day run-scorer with 362 at 60.33 and chipped in with nine wickets, while also averaging 42.80 in a solid first-class campaign.He was outstanding in the State Twenty20 competition, where he led the competition’s tally with 237 runs from five games at a strike-rate of 160 and claimed seven wickets with an economy rate of 6.45. The only man to make a State Twenty20 century last summer, Harris was included in New Zealand’s preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Championship but was cut from the final line-up.Cairns and Astle, both of whom have retired from first-class cricket, have been mentioned for some time as potential ICL recruits but they have not confirmed the rumours. Stephen Fleming has also declined to publicly comment on the speculation that he would join the group.

The Pakistan Under-19s lost badly to the India Under-19s because Pakistan had fielded a relatively inexperienced team, said Iqbal Qasim, the chairman of Pakistan’s nations cricket junior committee.”Actually their [India] players also have experience of the last Under-19 World Cup besides first-class matches, but we have just included the youngsters who showed their best in the ongoing domestic activities,” Qasim told .Pakistan lost 2-0 to India in the two-‘Test’ series held in September. While they lost by 271 runs in the first match at Rawalpindi, the defeat in the second match at Peshawar was even more comprehensive with India wrapping up the proceedings inside three days to win by an innings and 240 runs.”Pakistan has had less time to form a combined team from among the best available players at the junior level, besides the regional event [Inter-region championship] is still going on due to that the selector did not find much time to see and find out the best among the existing talent,” said Qasim. “I hope with the passage of time these youngsters would improve their performance,” he added.The two teams will meet next on September 19 to play the first game of the four-match one-day series.

Out of India: Brett Lee faces up to his injury

Brett Lee has been ruled out for the rest of the second Test against Zimbabwe, and for the tri-series in India later this month. Diagnostic scans taken after he left the field in the second Test have revealed that he has a torn abdominal muscle, and will take around four weeks to recover.`I am bitterly disappointed,” said Lee. “I’ve worked really hard on my fitness and have basically gone through the past three seasons unscathed, so to miss this tour now is a major blow. I pretty much knew from my first ball this morning that something was wrong. There are times when I have stiffness and I can pretty much bowl through it – that’s part and parcel of bowling – but this certainly felt worse. But hopefully we’ve identified the problem early and it won’t turn into a bigger problem.”Errol Alcott, the physiotherapist of the Australian team, said, “The MRI and ultrasound revealed a disruption in Brett’s stomach muscle. He will placed in a rehabilitation program and I am anticipating a recovery period of at least four weeks.”

New Zealand A 336 for 3 (Bell 92, How 92) lead Sri Lanka A 276 (Daniel 124) by 60 runs
ScorecardFour batsmen passed 50 as New Zealand A made a strong reply to Sri Lanka A’s total of 276 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. Having started the day on 14 for 0, New Zealand A finished at 336 for 3, with Matthew Bell and Jamie How – both made 92 – narrowly missing out on their centuries.There was little to celebrate for the Sri Lankans as Bell and How added 193 for the first wicket. There were also half-centuries for Mathew Sinclair (50) and Lou Vincent (62 not out) as those on the fringes of New Zealand’s Test side made the most of good batting conditions.

After a spirited start, Pakistan completely lost it in this crunch game. With a mostly clinically efficient display, the Aussies walked away with an 82-run victory to get their 2003 World Cup campaign off to a perfect start.In the process they amply showed any doubters how they could conquer adversity, and also why there is this huge chasm between them and the rest. Andrew Symonds held the Aussie middle and late order together (considered to be the weaker link) with a career-best unconquered 143 that took the Aussies soaring to 310 – the best total on the Wanderers in a one-day international, and the highest by the Aussies in a World Cup game.And then their bowlers stuck to the task of defending the huge total without a hint of spendthriftiness, not even by the lesser bowlers like Ian Harvey and Brad Hogg. There were no freebies, no short stuff outside the off-stump that the batsmen could cut or cream through the covers, or pull with impunity.Pakistan neither had the inventiveness nor the spunk to change the script. Wickets kept falling regularly, and by the 20th over when Inzamam tamely edged Glenn McGrath into a most delighted Adam Gilchrist’s gloves, it was all over bar the shouting.After the Symonds innings literally took the match away from Pakistan or more aptly, knocked the stuffing out, the latter needed to play out of their skins to make their chase a success. But it went horribly wrong with four top-order wickets gone – Shahid Afridi, Taufeeq Umar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saleem Elahi, in that order – without contributing much to Pakistan’s cause. Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq all tried to stop a complete rout, but it proved to be beyond them.There wasn’t much to write home about until later – much later. A partnership of 54 in 5.4 overs for the eighth wicket between Rashid Latif (33, 23 balls, 1 four, 3 sixes) and Wasim Akram (33, 31 balls, 4 fours, 1 six) reduced the margin of defeat. But that was all it could do.Any glimmer of hope was shattered by the manner that Rashid (clean bowled, making room for an expansive drive when 14 runs had already been plundered off the last Hogg over) and Akram (going for a big drive off a Harvey full toss, holing out to Ponting at mid-off) got out, characterized Pakistan’s innings: throwing away wickets when it counted most.After this big setback, Pakistan would need to pull up its socks to survive and progress beyond the pool.Pakistan didn’t really make itself proud with a ragged display while fielding. Their bowling was mostly too wayward, and they conceded 31 extras, 21 of them either wides or no-balls. This resulted in a slow over-rate as well, and they were docked an over for overstepping the scheduled time for the innings.The Aussies came into the match stung by the Shane Warne ouster from the match or possibly the event before a single ball was bowled. Akram and Akhtar greeted them with unalloyed aggression on a pitch which showed some lateral movement, perhaps the reason why skipper Waqar opted to bowl first after winning the toss.Akram got the breakthrough when Gilchrist tried to plonk him towards the mid-wicket fence, only top-edging to Waqar in the third over. Hayden (27, 41 balls, 3 4s) was cut into half by a couple of Akhtar thunderbolts, but was trying to break the shackles and be his free-scoring self when he played Akram onto his stumps. Damien Martyn was bowled first ball by an Akram beauty which cut in off the length and crashed into the stumps, off the inside edge. Jimmy Maher thwarted the hat-trick but became Waqar’s first victim when he played one away from the body, Latif pouching the edge to make Australia 86 for four. Pakistan could not have hoped for a better start.But from here on it was all Australia. Having already hit Waqar and a hopelessly out of form Razzaq for three boundaries apiece, Ponting now looked dangerous and after early jitters Symonds too was playing fluently. The two added 60 for the fifth wicket when Ponting (53, 67 balls, 7 fours) was finally out trying to thump a widish Akhtar delivery, guiding it into Taufeeq’s hands at second slip.At 5 for 146, Pakistan must have hoped of a reprieve. They never got one.Instead, it was Symonds who called the shots. Giving a display of immaculately clean strokeplay, he raced to his 100 off just 92 deliveries with 15 fours, the second 50 consuming just 33 deliveries. By the close he had got to 143 off just 125 deliveries, hitting 18 fours in all, and two sixes, one of them majestically straight over Wasim Akram’s head.The entire Pakistan attack was left cut to shreds by the weight of Symonds’ blade, and none looked respectable. It was an onslaught not seen for a while and the brunt was borne by Afridi, Razzaq and Younis Khan who each got some special treatment. With frustration by now running deep, Waqar bowled two beamers and was ordered out of the attack by umpire David Shepherd, with Afridi having to complete the penultimate over.Symonds’ form and Waqar’s frustration may well have set the mood for the Pakistani side already well known for their inconsistent morale when it came to their turn to bat.

A year after the probe into the match-fixing allegations wasinitiated, the CBI has now begun probing the “unholy nexus” betweenbookies and the underworld mafia to find out how deep the criminalsection has penetrated into the game.The sleuths of Special Crime Branch have made some headway in theirinvestigations into the nexus and preliminary reports indicate thatsome bookies were acting at the behest of the underworld mafia infixing cricket games, highly-placed agency sources told PTI in NewDelhi.The investigations were being carried out to bring to light all themurky dealings in cricket besides the “unholy” nexus between theunderworld mafia and some of India’s leading bookies, players andadministrators.The sources said the probe into this nexus and its bearing on nationalsecurity was being conducted both within India and abroad. They saidthe accounts and other important books of bookies had been scrutinisedbut added that this was a wide area and needed a detailedinvestigation before fixing responsibilities.Even though the nexus had been unearthed during the CBI’s probe intothe match-fixing scandal, the dimensions were yet to be fullyestablished, they said.Without disclosing any names, the sources said a “few bookies” hadlinks with the underworld that had been fairly established during theearlier investigation. CBI, the sources said, would cast its net wideto get to the bottom of the nexus between the underworld, bookies,cricketers and the game’s administrators.The investigations into this area began during the tenure of formerCBI Director R K Raghavan who had held a series of meetings with theofficials of other security and intelligence agencies for data on someof the underworld people. The sources said the role of cricketers hadbeen identified and now the main thrust was being given to the role ofbookies.They said the underworld had shown more than an academic interest inthe game and had found that the game could be manipulated. They saidthe entire gamut of the unholy nexus could be unravelled with activeco-operation from police forces in other states including Mumbai andagencies like Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).It is believed that the Mumbai Police and DRI had stumbled uponconversations between some players and the underworld in 1995.However, DRI has written to CBI that it was not in possession of anytapes.The sources drew attention to the warning contained in CBI’s report onmatch-fixing that underworld mafia could be expected to take totalcontrol of the betting racket if it was not checked immediately with afirm hand.Negligence of the police and other authorities in allowing “wageringto turn into an organised racket, particularly with the involvement ofthe underworld mafia”, was cited by CBI as the reason for the warningin its 162-page report, submitted on October 31 last year.The underworld mafia’s involvement is also borne out by thetestimonies of former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and theteam’s former physiotherapist Ali Irani in which names of mafia donsAnees Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Sharad Shetty found mention.CBI report said Azhar during his questioning had stated that “AbuSalem had rung him up on a couple of occasions to fix matches but hehad refused.”

Leeds United have now emerged as the front-runners to sign USA star Brenden Aaronson this summer.

What’s the story?

The Red Bull Salzburg sensation – who will no doubt be eagerly awaiting the World Cup draw later on Friday afternoon – has been linked with a switch to Elland Road in the upcoming summer transfer window.

According to Football Insider, Jesse Marsch’s side have now come to the head of the queue in the race to sign him. The report adds that talks are now underway to sign the 21-year-old, who is Leeds’ number one priority for the summer.

Marsch will be buzzing

The Athletic’s Phil Hay had previously indicated that the Whites were planning making a bid for Aaronson, who he had been identified by the club as someone who could add some much-needed creativity.

Hay said: “Leeds have telegraphed the fact that when the summer window opens, they intend to make a fresh bid for Red Bull Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson. US international midfielder Aaronson joined the serial Austrian champions in 2020 while countryman Marsch was head coach there, so his appointment at Elland Road was never likely to diminish Leeds’ interest.

“The dip in creativity within a squad who were so adept at creating chances for so long under Bielsa has left little doubt that Aaronson is broadly the type of footballer they should be looking at in the next window: largely within budget, and in possession of the right skill set. Leeds must wish they had found a way to address that midfield nine months ago.”

While Marsch may have since replaced Marcelo Bielsa in the dugout, the 48-year-old will also be happy to hear that Aaronson is someone who works extremely hard off the ball.

Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle said: “The special thing is, I hardly know any other No. 10 who works so much without the ball. He always puts himself behind (on defence), he is a great team player, very hardworking and has a monster mentality.”

Furthermore, the £18m-rated star has also drawn a considerable amount of praise from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who watched him first-hand during his time in the MLS.

The Frenchman said: “I came across him when I was a coach with Montreal, and he killed us with Philadelphia Union. His activity, the way he sees the game. I’ve always been a big fan of him and I’m not surprised to see what he’s doing right now with Salzburg.

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“He’s contagious. The way he plays, his energy. His intensity is second to none. He supports the team. He’s a good player. I always thought he was going to be a player. He’s still learning.”

This latest transfer update is sure to have Marsch buzzing.

AND in other news – Leeds could unleash Thorp Arch’s breakout star in “fiery” 18 y/o who’s “got an edge”