Leicester City beat weakened Manchester United to officially end title challenge


Richard Jolly
  • English
  • Arabic

The coronation is postponed no longer. Finally, Manchester City are champions. Their third Premier League title in four years came courtesy of Leicester City and, perhaps, of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the fixture calendar. But as a weakened Manchester United team were beaten, the inevitable became mathematical certainty. City cannot be caught.

Victory may ultimately prove more significant to Leicester, however. Their top-four push was faltering, their 4-2 defeat to Newcastle on Friday was their worst performance of the season. But they took advantage of a weakened United team to open up a gap of eight and nine points to West Ham and Liverpool respectively. This could prove the result that catapults them into the Champions League.

It came with the aid of goalscoring defenders. Luke Thomas scored his first Premier League goal in spectacular style, Caglar Soyuncu headed his first of the season in emphatic fashion. Circumstances, and Solskjaer’s decision to prioritise Thursday’s game against Liverpool, afforded them an opportunity. They took it.

A manager who is normally reluctant to rotate made 10 changes, retaining only Mason Greenwood, arguing the schedule was impossible; Jurgen Klopp’s team can expect to face an altogether stronger side.

It was the first time since Marcus Rashford’s bow in 2016 that United gave two teenagers Premier League debuts, in Anthony Elanga and Amad Diallo. The Ivorian was able to celebrate with an assist but each looked lively. Solskjaer’s faith in youth is one of his more endearing traits but it is often rewarded. United’s youngsters, like their senior side often do, showed the character to come from behind.

Their second-string defence was breached by perhaps Leicester’s third-choice left-back. Thomas’ maiden top-flight goal came at a fine location and in still better style as he met Youri Tielemans’ far-post cross with a dipping volley.

Sadly for Thomas, he was partly culpable as they conceded. He reached Juan Mata’s long pass, only to be outmuscled by Diallo. One teenager found another and Greenwood escaped the attentions of three defenders to angle a shot past Kasper Schmeichel.

Greenwood was outstanding, but Solskjaer spared his legs for the final stages, brought on Edinson Cavani and Rashford in the search for a winner but United promptly conceded.

Rodgers took the surprise decision to demote James Maddison, abandoning his recent 3-5-2 formation for 4-4-2. It left Leicester looking short of creativity in the first half. They showed more urgency thereafter.

Tielemans was terrific. He was the game’s classiest player. Kelechi Iheanacho ejected United from the FA Cup and had the chance to inflict another defeat on them. But, after a defence-splitting pass from Tielemans, his shot was well saved by David de Gea. Instead, the goal came from Soyuncu, outjumping Nemanja Matic and meeting Marc Albrighton’s corner with a thumping header.

Matic was captaining United in the absence of Harry Maguire, who missed a league game for the first time since joining United, but Solskjaer said his ankle injury was relatively mild and that he could return for the Europa League final. “There is ligament damage but hopefully we'll see him again this season,” he stated.

The presence of Maguire in a protective boot and on crutches was not the only difference sight. There was a far greater police presence outside Old Trafford after the postponement of the Liverpool game. There was more fencing around the East Stand. On this occasion, it was unnecessary.

United had trouble with their fans on the pitch 10 days earlier. This time, the issues were provided by Leicester. Having taken the lead for a second time, they defended it altogether better. They are back on course to join the other City in the Champions League.

Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:

  • Former first lady Hillary Clinton
  • Former US president Barack Obama
  • Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
  • Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
  • Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
  • California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

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
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre V8

Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm

Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: L/100km

Price: Dh306,495

On sale: now

The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh122,745

On sale: now

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AVOID SCAMMERS: TIPS FROM EMIRATES NBD

1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details

2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet

3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details

4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure

5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs  (one-time passwords) with third parties

6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies

7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately

How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

Suggested picnic spots

Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
 
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes 

The specs

A4 35 TFSI

Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder

Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic automatic

Power: 150bhp

Torque: 270Nm

Price: Dh150,000 (estimate)

On sale: First Q 2020

A4 S4 TDI

Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel

Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic

Power: 350bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh165,000 (estimate)

On sale: First Q 2020