LONDON : Ayden Heaven believes a return to European football is well within Manchester United’s reach following Monday’s 4-1 win at Wolves.
Victory at Molineux left Ruben Amorim’s men just a point outside of the top four in the Premier League and in the hunt for a place in next season’s Champions League.
United recovered from a disappointing draw with lowly West Ham last week thanks to Bruno Fernandes’ double and further goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde had canceled out Fernandes’ opener with bottom-of-the-table Wolves’ first goal in the Premier League since October 26.
United ended the 2024/25 season in 15th place — their lowest top-flight finish in 51 years — and missed out on European qualification by losing the Europa League final to English rivals Tottenham.
But a lack of continental football could yet help the fallen giants rebuild under Portuguese manager Amorim, with teenage United defender Heaven saying: “We dropped points in the last game (at home to West Ham) and this was the chance to go and redeem ourselves and get more points. I feel like we did that, especially in the second half.
“We knew it wasn’t good enough that we conceded. He (Amorim) just told us (at half-time) to do what we can do and we did that as you saw.”
United’s surprise 1-0 loss to 10-man Everton at Old Trafford is the lone defeat in their last nine games, with a buoyant Heaven insisting after the Wolves match: “I don’t think anyone can stop us when we play like this.”
The 19-year-old, asked about the prospect of European football, added: “Hopefully we can be in Europe next season, which I think we’ll do.
“Of course, that’s where Manchester United belong.”
Heaven was speaking after making a second successive start for United after fellow center-backs Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt were both injured, with Amorim retaining the rising star in his defense following a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
“He’s trusting me a lot,” said Heaven of Amorim. “I feel like I’m working hard every day in training and I’m showing he can trust me in the games that I’m playing.”
United’s next match is at home to Bournemouth on Monday.
Heaven urges Man Utd to maintain European faith
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Heaven urges Man Utd to maintain European faith
- Victory at Molineux left Ruben Amorim’s men just a point outside of the top four in the Premier League
- Heaven, asked about the prospect of European football, said: "Hopefully we can be in Europe next season, which I think we'll do”
Desert Vipers beat MI Emirates by 1 run in a last-ball finish
- David Payne’s 3-wicket over at the death turned the tide in favor of the Vipers
- Shrewd bowling by the MI Emirates, led by AM Ghazanfar’s 2-wicket haul, restricted the Vipers to 159/4
ABU DHABI: The Desert Vipers beat the MI Emirates by one run at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
The win, which went down to the last ball, was the Vipers’ fourth-straight triumph of the DP World ILT20 season four. The Vipers have consolidated their position at the top of the table with eight points.
Defending 159, the Vipers initially struggled to take wickets. The game turned in the 19th over, when David Payne — who finished with four for 29 — claimed three crucial scalps.
The UAE’s Khuzaima Tanveer was also impressive with two for 34, as the Vipers showed their composure once again.
In the second innings, the MI Emirates lost an early wicket when Tanveer dismissed Jonny Bairstow (8 off 7) in the second over. It was Muhammad Waseem (24 off 21) and Tom Banton (34 off 29) who steered the MI Emirates through the powerplay with the score at 49/1.
They erected a 42-run stand in 31 balls before Tanveer struck again in his second spell of the night to remove Waseem. Banton looked in complete control when Nicholas Pooran (31 off 29) joined him in the middle.
The duo looked settled, completing another 42-run partnership, this time in 40 balls. However, Sam Curran sent Pooran back in the 14th over with 62 needed off 36 balls.
Banton followed in the next over as Payne bagged his first wicket of the night, bringing the score to 105/4. Tajinder Singh (17 off 7) hit Curran for a couple of sixes that brought the MI Emirates ahead of the equation with a 20-run over.
Lockie Ferguson then ended Singh’s stay at the crease with his first wicket of the match in the 18th over.
Another twist in the penultimate over saw Payne turn the match on its head. First, he got Romario Shepherd (1 off 4), followed by the wicket of skipper Kieron Pollard (23 off 13). Chris Woakes (0 off 2) followed in the final ball, meaning that the MI Emirates needed 16 runs in six balls to win.
Rashid Khan (13* off 8) could have been the match winner, hitting a six and a four in the final over, but the MI Emirates could not find the two runs needed on the last ball.
Batting first, the Vipers had started on a promising note, led by Fakhar Zaman (35 off 31). By the end of the powerplay, the Vipers were 51/0, threatening to make their way to a big score.
After Andries Gous (21 off 15) retired hurt, Zaman combined with Max Holden (42 off 37) for a 51-run stand in 37 balls. AM Ghazanfar then got the breakthrough when Zaman holed out to Banton. Following his wicket, the bowlers kept the pressure on the Vipers, ensuring that boundaries were scarce.
Shimron Hetmyer (15 off 9) entered the fray after Holden retired-out and hit the first six of the innings in the 18th over. Soon after, Curran (19 off 19) hit the ball straight into Banton’s hands to give Ghazanfar his second wicket of the night.
Dan Lawrence (15* off 8) also provided a key contribution toward the end while Hetmyer was scalped by Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of the innings as the Vipers finished at 159/4.
Player of the Match Payne said: “It felt as though we were hanging on towards the end, waiting for the moment to break through.
“When that happened, we managed to take a few crucial wickets, and Rashid Khan ensured it went right down to the wire — probably an entertaining contest for the neutral.
“We kept the plans simple, hitting the pitch with good line and length. Overall, simplicity worked well today.”
The MI Emirates’ captain Pollard said: “In our last game, we snuck over the line when we probably shouldn’t have won, and this time it turned around on us. The Vipers bowled brilliantly.
“We didn’t finish the innings well, especially in the last couple of overs. It shows again that if you stay in the fight long enough in cricket, momentum can shift and you can lose from a winning position and that’s what happened to us tonight.”
