Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0
Chelsea Hazard 38'
Man of the match Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
London // With that, surely, the Premier League title is won.
Chelsea produced a classic Jose Mourinho performance to beat Manchester United, holding their opponents at arm's length, waiting for the mistake and then taking advantage ruthlessly.
For all Louis van Gaal spoke of his side’s best performance of the season, this is what Mourinho is good at, where he retains his edge, and it has been Chelsea’s capacity to get results without necessarily playing particularly well that has taken them 10 points clear of the field with six games remaining.
Chelsea have looked jaded of late, their performances in 2015 nothing like the level of October and November, but it has not mattered.
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Since losing 5-3 at Tottenham on New Year’s Day, when Manchester City pulled level on points, goal difference and goals scored, they have dropped only six points.
Some of the football may have been lacking in fluency, but Chelsea have been remorseless. Other sides, perhaps have produced better football than them in patches, but Chelsea have been the most consistent team this season – even when they have had to play, as they did yesterday, without Diego Costa and Loic Remy.
In the second half, United had 75 per cent possession but, until Falcao hit the outside of the post with 13 minutes remaining, having run on to a pass from Luke Shaw, they had not created a clear opening since Wayne Rooney sidefooted a Shaw cut back wide in the fourth minute.
Remain disciplined, keep the shape and the opposition will make a mistake: it has been a guiding principle of Mourinho for years and it paid off once again.
The crucial mistake was Falcao’s, muscled off the ball eight minutes before half time by John Terry. Perhaps it was a foul – certainly Louis van Gaal thought so – but the Colombian seemed weak, an indication of how he has struggled to deal with the physicality of the Premier League.
The ball was worked wide to Cesc Fabregas, then inside to Oscar.
The Brazilian, starting on the right flank, had had a quiet game, but his back heel was perfectly weighted for Eden Hazard, who calmly slipped the ball between United keeper David de Gea’s legs, confirming his status as Chelsea’s best player this season.
He perhaps should have had a second after half time, volleying against the post from a tight angle after Didier Drogba’s shot had been deflected over De Gea.
Again, the opportunity resulted from a United error, Ander Herrera’s misplaced pass giving possession to Nemanja Matic.
Even Marouane Fellaini could not make an impact, shackled as effectively as he has been in the past month by a combination of Kurt Zouma, operating alongside Matic at the back of midfield, and the right-back Branislav Ivanovic.
Two wins will be enough for Chelsea to seal the league title: it could all be done at Leicester City on April 29, with four games remaining.
It might not always have been thrilling, but nobody can seriously doubt that Chelsea, over the course of the season, have been the best team in the Premier League.
Chelsea v Manchester United report card
Man of the match Nemanja Matic – The midfielder has looked tired over the past two or three months but with Zouma to support him he was a dominant presence in front of the back four.
Chelsea rating 7/10 – Jose Mourinho's side executed their game plan superbly, frustrating United and picking off their mistakes.
United rating 6/10 – United jabbed and probed, dominated possession and could easily have taken a point, but were undone by an error.
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
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.”
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
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Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
