Jack Harrison 9, Patrick Bamford 7; Sean Longstaff 4, Joelinton 6: Leeds v Newcastle player ratings


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Newcastle coach Steve Bruce compared his side's defending to "something you see on a park on a Sunday" after they conceded three times in the last 13 minutes to lose 5-2 at Leeds.

Having seen off Crystal Palace and West Brom this month, the Magpies were chasing a third successive win for the first time since November 2018 but they imploded in the closing stages at Elland Road.

Ciaran Clark had headed them level, exposing Leeds' set-piece fragilities, but Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff dithered on the ball in his own area, leading to Stuart Dallas putting the hosts ahead again after 77 minutes.

The visitors were then caught twice on the counter in the last five minutes as Ezgjan Alioski finished well before Jack Harrison spectacularly found the top corner from 25 yards, much to the chagrin of Bruce.

"Up until 75 minutes I thought we were comfortable. I thought we looked a threat when we equalised," he said. Of course Leeds are always going to ask you questions the way they play, they do it very well, but we've gifted them the two or three goals at the end. Unfortunately they're something which you see on a park on a Sunday.

"We can't make those mistakes we've made here. The third goal in particular where we gave the ball away cheaply in our own box. You get punished for things like that at this level.

"At the wrong time we've given away poor goals, not defended well enough and got punished. It's unacceptable."

Bruce refused to hide behind Newcastle's recent coronavirus crisis, with several of his players still unavailable after contracting the disease, although he feels his side were denied a clear penalty with the score at 1-1.

Leeds captain Liam Cooper came through the back of Callum Wilson, seeming to make no contact with the ball, and even though the incident was checked by the video assistant referee, no spot-kick was given.

Bruce said: "I honestly was all for VAR when they brought it in to make sure the clear and obvious mistakes that the referee misses, that's what the VAR is there for.

"If anybody looks at the challenge you understand that it's a clear penalty. We might not have gone on to win the match but certainly when you take the lead in the Premier League then the outcome could be very, very different.

"I'll leave it to other people to judge."

Leeds fell behind when Jeff Hendrick put the finishing touch to Wilson's flick-on from the fit-again Ryan Fraser's cross, but headers from Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo put Leeds ahead.

Clark headed home from a corner to level matters but the hosts were well worth their win after a barnstorming finish as they leapt above their opponents and moved up to 13th in the Premier League.

Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa said: "It was a deserved victory. In both halves we attacked a lot and created plenty of chances but in the second half we were more efficient.

"The team carried on playing in a calm and organised manner after they levelled the game and eventually we were able to get on top of them again and get on top of them when we needed to."

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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.

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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