Pep Guardiola was delighted by the return of Aymeric Laporte after Manchester City edged a tough contest against Sheffield United 1-0 at Bramall Lane.
Substitute Sergio Aguero tapped in from Kevin De Bruyne's sublime cross - the Belgian's 15th assist of the season - to earn City victory, but the biggest boost of the night for the visitors was Laporte's first start since he suffered a knee injury in late August.
Laporte settled in on the left-side of a back three as Guardiola looked to counter United's knack of exploiting the channels, and came through 78 minutes unscathed despite suffering one nasty early challenge which earned Mo Besic a yellow card.
"We have missed him a lot," Guardiola said. "Imagine any of the best teams in the world lose their best central defender.
"It was good news to get 65, 70 minutes in the legs. As a first step it is good and until the end of the season he can help us."
City have suffered defensively in Laporte's absence but Guardiola said he was an important part of his side going forward too.
"He has something we don't have in the squad because of his left foot," he said. "Many actions in the build up, we don't have it. Not because the others are not good but because of the left foot.
"For the way we want to play it's so important, apart from his mentality and character he has all the attributes and when he's fit for me he's the best left-central defender in the world."
Even with him back City were not at their fluid best going forward against a resilient United, with Raheem Sterling frustrated on the left and even De Bruyne missing some passes in the first half.
But the Belgian made no mistake with the inch-perfect cross which Aguero converted 17 minutes from time.
Aguero had not long been on the pitch as a replacement for Gabriel Jesus, who had a first-half penalty saved by Sheffield United goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
The Bramall Lane crowd chanted "England's number one" throughout the night, and Chris Wilder said it was hard to find a goalkeeper in better form at present.
"He was always going to have to play well, the boys were always going to have to produce eight or nine out of 10 performances and Dean did," said Wilder, who added that early conversations have taken place over extending Henderson's loan from Manchester United into a third season.
"He was probably the only one in the ground delighted the penalty was given so he had the opportunity to save it. It was brilliant for him.
"I know there's a pecking order in that England group but they must be really good goalkeepers to get ahead of him at the moment. His performance tonight, his kicking was brilliant and his positioning was great.
"It was unfortunate he conceded but it was a world-class pass and a fabulous finish."
Replays suggested Henderson might have strayed off his line before saving Jesus' penalty, but either way it was yet another failure from the spot from the Brazilian, who has missed six of the penalties he has taken for club and country, and all three this season.
"I have to reflect on it," Guardiola said when asked if he needed to change his penalty takers. "Always I give confidence to the players to take it but I have to reflect.
"Sergio has missed two and Raheem missed at Wolves so we are not safe at this level and it's so important because this kind of detail makes the difference."
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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.
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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