Manchester United on English table top
London, Jan. 13: Paul Pogba took Manchester United top of the Premier League for the first time in three years as his deflected winner saw off a dogged Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor on Tuesday.
United now lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of a top-of-the-table clash between the two most successful sides in English football history at Anfield on Sunday. Despite continued speculation over his future, Pogba has played an increasingly important role in United’s first serious title challenge since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have now taken 29 from the last possible 33 points to recover from just two wins in their opening six games of the season.
Everton moved back into the top four and within four points of United as they overcame an injury crisis to beat Wolves 2-1 at Molineux.
The Toffees took an early lead when Alex Iwobi converted Lucas Digne’s cross but were pegged back when Ruben Neves levelled for Wolves.
Michael Keane’s towering header won the game 13 minutes from time to bolster the Blues’ European ambitions.
Later, Sheffield United ended a 20-game winless league run as Billy Sharp’s penalty earned a 1-0 win over Newcastle.
AC MILAN REACH ITALIAN CUP LAST 8
In Milan, Zlatan
Ibrahimovic got his first start in over seven weeks but AC Milan had to battle into the Italian Cup quarter-finals with a 5-4 win on penalties over Torino after Tuesday’s match ended 0-0 after extra time.
Hakan Calhanoglu slotted in the winning penalty with Tomas Rincon missing from the spot for Torino in the San Siro after a stalemate following 120 minutes of play.
In Madrid, Atletico Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to four points on Tuesday after a 2-0 win over Sevilla that strengthened their title credentials.
Goals in each half from Angel Correa and Saul Niguez on a freezing night following historic snowfall in the Spanish capital allowed Diego Simeone’s side to increase the gap between themselves and Real Madrid.