Despite opening the scoring against Everton, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes was responsible for a huge error and one that could have cost his team.
Opening the scoring at Old Trafford after just 10 minutes, the United skipper convincingly beat Jordan Pickford from 12 yards.
And adding insult to injury, Marcus Rashford doubled the home team’s advantage after Alejandro Garnancho was brought down again, this time by Ben Godfrey, which gifted Marcus Rashford the chance to beat England’s number one for the second time. The United winger didn’t disappoint and put the Red Devils into a commanding lead.
However, just minutes before the halftime break, United were almost pegged back after Fernandes played an awful pass to teammate Casemiro, who was left with no choice but to put in a slide tackle on Dwight McNeil.
What is Bruno Fernandes doing and how did Casemiro not get carded?
? [Credit: TNT Sports] pic.twitter.com/poYbwEzRHT
— Ghost (@CIAofTruth) March 9, 2024
Luckily for United, and their captain, nothing came of McNeil’s edge-of-the-box opportunity, but Casemiro was incredibly lucky to escape without a yellow card. Sean Dyche was left furious on the sidelines, and rightfully so considering referee Simon Hooper opted against dishing out any form of punishment.
More must-reads:
Liverpool are understood to have secured an ‘agreement in principle’ with Alexander Isak over a summer transfer. The Merseysiders are reportedly hellbent on signing the Swede following the addition of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike. It remains to be seen whether Newcastle would be open to selling their top asset in the current window. Should the Reds get a clear green light, it’s expected that a British transfer record will be required to prise Isak out of St James’ Park. Liverpool have agreement with Alexander Isak in place It’s one thing to have personal terms boxed off and quite another to have the club in question’s permission to get the deal over the line. From the looks of things, we’re quite a way off that point being settled this summer. The Magpies, rather understandably, aren’t keen to see their most valuable star shipped off to the Premier League champions. Yet, they’re also forced to contend with the unpleasant reality of forcing Isak to stay put – at least until they can secure his potential successor in Sesko. In the meantime, Liverpool allegedly have everything behind the scenes ready to go. Nicolo Schira reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the club is ready to file a fresh bid after having secured personal terms. Is this Newcastle’s best chance to secure financial freedom? Newcastle, to be absolutely clear, are entirely within their own rights to urge Liverpool, and any prospective suitor, to take a hike when it comes to Isak. That said, at some point, objective decision-making has to be factored into this decision. As things currently stand, the Magpies’ transfer efforts this summer have been far from optimal, and they’re facing a Champions League campaign without having made significant changes to the squad. Don’t get us wrong – Anthony Elanga is a cracking signing. However, do Newcastle fans seriously feel as if the former Nottingham Forest star is going to make the difference when it comes to making a splash in Europe and holding on to a Champions League place domestically? Eddie Howe’s men need bodies – and quality bodies! Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle are struggling on price The Newcastle head coach has already made it plainly clear that the club is struggling to bring in players within their price-range. “We have to bring the right type of player in. We should in no way act out of character, and work how we always have in the window,” the Englishman was quoted by Chronicle Live. “That is in a strategic way. If the right player is not available to us for the right price, then we can’t do the deals. “Everything has to fall in line. We are looking to add depth and quality to the areas that we have identified, fingers crossed we can get deals done.” Now, that’s a perfectly sound strategy early on in the window when you’ve time to adapt. But we’re now two days away from August, and Newcastle just haven’t sufficiently prepared their squad for the season ahead. Whilst it might be hard for decision-makers at the club to hear, they may need to spend over the odds to sufficiently bolster their squad this summer. In that case, they’ll need cash – the kind of cash selling a top asset like Alexander Isak would provide.
Matt LaFleur is earning the ire of several of his Green Bay Packers players early in training camp. On Tuesday, LaFleur punished offensive tackle Rasheed Walker for his altercation with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. However, the most interesting interaction of the day came between LaFleur and tight end Tucker Kraft. Per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, LaFleur called out Kraft for two questionable fumbles during the first week of practice. Both "fumbles" came after the play was over or when the ball fell out of bounds. "Certainly, we all know what kind of player Tucker Kraft is and can be," LaFleur said. "He can’t allow Evan Williams to reach around and punch a ball out, so it is challenging everybody and hopefully that makes us that much better.” The third-year tight end took issue with LaFleur calling him out in front of the media and blamed the coaching staff for implementing practice rules that made it easy for offensive players to fumble. "I’d say a lot of the times — there’s certain rules you play with in practice, like just letting the defense punch repeatedly," Kraft said. "You’re not allowed to stiff-arm. I guess all I have are excuses. Yes, I am working on not fumbling the ball in practice." Schneidman said Kraft answered the question with a tone of sarcasm. Kraft was frustrated that he couldn't defend the ball by stiff-arming a defender trying to poke the ball from his undefended arm. Kraft acknowledged that during practice, he has to "play by the rules" LaFleur makes and is trying to work on having a "yes sir, no sir" attitude with his head coach. He then made a vague reference about a "bus fine" and accused LaFleur of throwing him under the bus in front of the media. Schneidman believes the tight end might actually be calling for Green Bay to fine LaFleur after his discouraging quote Tuesday morning. "So yes, the Packers’ third-year tight end might be calling for his head coach to be fined — not by the league, of course, but by the team — for what he perceived as throwing him under the bus," Schneidman wrote. "Is Kraft being serious about fining LaFleur? "Probably not. Is he peeved LaFleur called him out? It sure seems like it." LaFleur might do better to have a conversation with Kraft before dragging his name into news conferences with reporters. It's clear Tucker doesn't see eye-to-eye with LaFleur about fumbles. This is a good reminder to those getting overly excited or nervous reading practice reports that what happens at practice should be taken with a grain of salt. Most likely, Tucker is going to be fine.
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!