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Ronaldo casts shadow over Manchester United, Nunez lifts Liverpool


FILE PHOTO: Football Football - English Premier League - Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Old Trafford, Manchester, England - October 19, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo boots as a substitute

FILE PHOTO: Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo warms up as a substitute. REUTERS / Craig Brough

Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest confession cast a shadow over Manchester United ahead of their fierce Premier League clash with Chelsea.

Tottenham have yet to prove they truly belong to the league’s elite, while Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is reciprocating Jurgen Klopp’s belief.

AFP Sport looks at three key takeaways from this weekend’s action:

Ten Hag gives rules to Ronaldo

No problem Erik ten Hag The Dutch player still cannot escape Ronaldo’s long shadow.

Ronaldo’s latest display of Ten Hag’s disdain for authority came in the final minutes of Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham as he walked down the Old Trafford tunnel while the game was still on.

The 37-year-old’s refusal to wait for the final whistle came after he told Ten Hag he did not want to come on as a late substitute.

Ronaldo’s temper tantrum is not the first time he has this term and after an unsuccessful attempt to engineer a transfer next season, the Portuguese forward is clearly failing. hope to find yourself in limbo.

In response to Ronaldo’s antics, Ten Hag finally dropped the rule and the star, who has scored just two goals in 12 appearances this season, has been left out of the squad that will travel to Chelsea on Saturday.

United will no doubt be looking to end Ronaldo’s turbulent second spell at the club by selling him in the January transfer window, but until then Ten Hag must deal with the presence of an attacker. bad in the background.

Nunez’s revival elevates Liverpool

Soccer Football - English Premier League - Liverpool v West Ham United - Anfield, Liverpool, England - October 19, 2022 Liverpool's Darwin Nunez scores his first goal

– Premier League – Liverpool v West Ham United – Anfield, Liverpool, England – October 19, 2022 Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez scores his first goal REUTERS / Phil Noble

Nunez is perfecting form at the right time for Liverpool as the Uruguayan striker commends Klopp for his patience.

Nunez was introduced in his first Premier League game at Anfield against Crystal Palace in August and went on to go five games without a goal, drawing a bleak comparison with the striker at his best. of Manchester City, Erling Haaland.

However, with Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz sidelined with injuries, Liverpool manager Klopp needs Nunez to start showing why he paid £64m to sign him from Benfica in the near term.

And the 23-year-old rose to the challenge, with a goal in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over West Ham, helping him score five goals for the Reds, including three in his last four.

“It’s important. He’s scored a couple of times in the last few games. He’s got to 100%, even with the numbers, that’s okay,” said Klopp.

Liverpool scored their second straight win this season and faced struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday to close the gap with the top four.

Spurs keep faith through top four woes

Overtaken by Manchester United in a 0-2 defeat could have been much heavier, Tottenham have yet to silence their critics over their poor record against other contenders for the top spot. 4.

Antonio Conte’s side have been far worse off at Old Trafford in a lame performance reminiscent of their recent 3-1 loss in the north London derby against Arsenal.

Tottenham also needed a controversial injury-time equalizer from Harry Kane to save a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in August.

That string of poor performances at the highest stakes has led some to question Tottenham’s right to be ranked as title contenders, despite their current lofty third place.

However, Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris insists it is still too early to panic.

“Not everything is dark and everything is bright, it’s in the middle,” Lloris said ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Newcastle.

“It’s too early to analyze because, I know you would say Chelsea, Arsenal and now Manchester United, we also have to see when they come to our stadium. But yes, it’s frustrating to lose a tough match. “

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