MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has moved into third place. premier league They won 2-1 against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Benjamin Sesco’s seventh goal in eight games sealed victory at Old Trafford, with United ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference.
“It feels like a big result,” said United captain Bruno Fernandes, who scored from the penalty spot.
At the other end of the table, Tottenham are mired in the battle to avoid relegation, with their winless run now running to 10 games after a 2-1 defeat at Fulham. Nottingham Forest also failed to pull further away from the drop zone after losing 2-1 to Brighton.
League leaders Arsenal host sixth-placed Chelsea later on Sunday.
Carrick defeats Glasner
United’s latest win has further increased their momentum towards a return to the Champions League and further strengthened Michael Carrick’s credentials for the long-term managerial job.
They have been undefeated since signing a contract until the end of the season in January, with six wins in seven games. His cause may also have been helped by defeating a Palace team led by Oliver Glasner, who was one of the candidates for the appointment at the time. United sack Ruben Amorim At the beginning of the year.
In his two years as United manager, Carrick scored 23 points in nine games. Statistics provider Opta said this was the most goals scored by a manager after his first nine games in league history, equaling the record set by Tottenham starter Ange Postecoglou.
Glasner’s reputation has grown after winning the FA Cup with Palace last season and he will Free agents at the end of the current campaign. And when Maxence Lacroix put Palace ahead just four minutes later, Glasner had the chance to claim victory in front of United’s hierarchy.
However, Carrick instilled resilience in his team in the short term and United equalized in the 57th minute after Lacroix was sent off for dragging Matheus Cunha inside the penalty area, denying a vital scoring opportunity.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up and scored from the penalty spot for his seventh goal of the season.
Sesco, who had been United’s substitute goal scorer in recent weeks, was given the chance from the start and struck again with a powerful, winning header in the 65th minute.
“We were behind, so we had to show our worth,” Fernandes said. “With this result we could be third, but we still have a lot of games left. We have a lot of work to do. It’s important that we don’t feel like we’re already where we want to be.”
Tottenham feeling depressed
Tottenham are still without a league win in 2026, as new manager Igor Tudor suffered consecutive defeats in his first two games. According to Opta, Spurs equaled the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, a record dating back to 1994.
Last week they suffered a 4-1 defeat to north London rivals Arsenal, before losing to Fulham.
First-half goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi gave Fulham a 2-0 lead at half-time. Richarlison got one back in the second half.
Tottenham are in 16th place, two places above the relegation zone with four points with 10 matches remaining.
Forest are now 17th in the table, two points behind them after the loss to Brighton.
Vitor Pereira was appointed last month and became Forest’s fourth manager this season, but they have now lost two consecutive league games.
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James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
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