Man United say ‘big goodbye’ to Bobby Charlton with emotional win

Players pause to remember legendary Man United and England midfielder Bobby Charlton whose death was announced Saturday evening, ahead of the English Premier League football match between Sheffield United and Manchester United at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, northern England. (AFP)
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Updated 22 October 2023
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Man United say ‘big goodbye’ to Bobby Charlton with emotional win

  • Tributes poured in from across the football world, with former United player and England captain David Beckham praising Charlton as a “national hero
  • Manchester City beat Brighton 2-1 to return to the Premier League summit and Arsenal came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Chelsea

LONDON: Manchester United beat Sheffield United 2-1 on Saturday on an emotionally charged evening as the Premier League giants said a “big goodbye” to club great Bobby Charlton, who died earlier in the day.

Charlton’s family announced that the England World Cup winner, who enjoyed a glittering career with United, had “passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning” at the age of 86.

Tributes poured in from across the football world, with former United player and England captain David Beckham praising Charlton as a “national hero.”

Elsewhere on Saturday, Manchester City beat Brighton 2-1 to return to the Premier League summit and Arsenal came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Chelsea.

Manchester United’s players paid a moving tribute to Charlton before kickoff against bottom club Sheffield United in the late game at Bramall Lane.

Captain Bruno Fernandes laid a wreath and a picture of the former attacking midfielder was displayed on a giant screen, while the fans chanted Charlton’s name during the match.

United manager Erik ten Hag praised the fans for their tribute.

“It was fantastic,” he told Sky Sports. “We have to pay our contribution, pay our big goodbye, remembering Bobby Charlton because what he did was magnificent.

“He was outstanding on the pitch and off it. We wanted to remember Sir Bobby and I think we did it in a decent way.”

The sluggish visitors went ahead against the run of play in the 28th minute when Scott McTominay controlled the ball on his chest and found the bottom corner from 12 yards out.

But the lead lasted just six minutes as Oli McBurnie scored from the penalty spot after McTominay handled James McAtee’s cross.

Ten Hag made three changes shortly after the hour mark, bringing on Anthony Martial, Alejandro Garnacho and Christian Eriksen in a desperate search for a winner.

But it was defender Diogo Dalot who produced the moment of magic to win the game in the 77th minute with a fine strike from long range to lift United to eighth in the table.

Earlier, City manager Pep Guardiola also expressed his condolences for Charlton’s death and called him “a big legend” after the champions held on to beat Brighton.

City’s win was their 21st consecutive victory at the Etihad in all competitions, setting a new record for a winning run at home by a Premier League club.

The treble winners, who had lost their previous two league games, took an early lead through Julian Alvarez before Erling Haaland doubled the lead — his ninth Premier League goal of the season.

It was a different story after the break. Ansu Fati pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute to heap the pressure on the home team, who held on despite the sending off of defender Manuel Akanji.

Liverpool had fortune on their side against Everton at Anfield, where Mohamed Salah scored twice in a 2-0 Merseyside derby victory.

Everton’s Ashley Young was sent off before half-time for two bookable offenses, while Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate escaped a second booking in the second half with the game still goalless.

Chelsea appeared to be on course for their third straight league win after goals from Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk.

But Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice halved the deficit in the 77th minute, finishing from outside the box after Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez misplaced a pass straight into his path, and Leandro Trossard equalized.

“The way the team reacted to the second goal is phenomenal from the players on the pitch and the players on the bench thinking ‘how the hell am I going to change this game?’,” said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. “I loved that.”

Newcastle, whose early-season struggles are now a distant memory, romped to a 4-0 win against sorry Crystal Palace and are now fifth in the table.

Brentford beat Burnley 3-0 while Wolves came from behind to beat Bournemouth 2-1. Luton recovered from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Nottingham Forest.

Tottenham, who started the day at the top of the table, are not in action until Monday, when they host Fulham.


Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh

Updated 41 min 31 sec ago
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Napoli cruise past Milan to book Italian Super Cup final spot in Riyadh

  • Napoli make second Super Cup final in new four-team format, which was introduced in the Kingdom in 2023
  • Milan rue missed chances as Rafael Leao’s absence due to knock proves costly

RIYADH: On one of the coldest evenings of the year in Riyadh, the atmosphere inside Al-Awwal Park was anything but subdued. Thousands of fans braved the conditions to witness another major chapter in Saudi Arabia’s growing international calendar, as Napoli and AC Milan went head-to-head in the first semi-final of the 2025/26 Italian Super Cup. 

It wasn’t to be for I Rossoneri, as goals from David Neres and Rasmus Hojlund proved decisive for Napoli, sending them into the Super Cup final for the second time in the new four-team format after missing out on last year’s edition. 

Backed by raucous Forza Milan chants, Milan nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek tested Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who reacted sharply to make a vital save.

Napoli responded with a spell of pressure of their own, but were repeatedly denied by a well-organised Milan defence.

Milan came close again in the 34th minute, as Adrien Rabiot was found inside the six-yard box from a dipping cross, only for his effort to fly over Milinkovic-Savic.

They would keep that momentum going as just a few minutes later, a swift counter-attack led by Alexis Saelemaekers found Christopher Nkunku on the edge of the box, though his strike also flew over goal.

Napoli punished Milan’s missed chances in the 39th minute. A low pass from Rasmus Hojlund across the box was parried by Mike Maignan straight into the path of David Neres, who made no mistake slotting the ball into the open net.

Napoli pushed for a second before the interval, with Hojlund testing Maignan again, who turned the striker’s effort behind for a corner. The Milan goalkeeper was called into action once again in the second half, producing a strong save to deny Amir Rrahmani.

Yet it was another powerful strike that finally broke past the Frenchman, with Rasmus Hojlund capitalising on a deep through ball from Leonardo Spinazzola to extend Napoli’s lead in the 63rd minute and tighten their grip on the game.

Milan fans briefly found a lift in the 75th minute when Luka Modric came out to a standing ovation, though it proved to be their only notable moment of the second half. Despite enjoying spells of possession, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were unable to break through and exited the tournament after just 90 minutes.

Napoli will now turn their attention to the final, where they will look to lift the Italian Super Cup for the third time in their history. For Riyadh, the semi-final marked another night of elite European football, with fans set to witness more action in tomorrow’s semi-final between Bologna and Inter Milan.