The Malta Independent on Sunday
Greenwood double helps Man Utd to 5-2 win over Bournemouth
Teenage Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood enhanced his burgeoning reputation with wonderful finishes off either foot for a double in a 5-2 win over relegationthreatened Bournemouth in the Premier League yesterday.
The 18-year-old Greenwood took his goal tally in all competitions for the senior team to 15 in his breakthrough season at United and the quality of his strikes showed why he is being rated as one of English soccer’s most highly rated talents.
His first goal, which cancelled out Junior Stanislas’ 16th-minute opener for Bournemouth, was lashed home with his left foot after being fed by Bruno Fernandes.
After a penalty from Marcus Rashford and a brilliant 25-yard finish by Anthony Martial, Greenwood got his second with an individual strike that saw him drift round left back Diego Rico and fire an angled right-footed shot into the top corner in the 54th minute.
That restored United’s two-goal lead at 4-2 after Josh King’s penalty for Bournemouth, and Fernandes added a fifth off a free kick from the edge of the area in the 59th.
With Fernandes also setting up two goals, the Portugal playmaker has six goals and five assists in nine league games since moving from Sporting Lisbon in January.
A third straight victory, in which the team has scored at least three times in each game, maintained United’s push for Champions League qualification. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side stayed three points behind third-place Leicester with five games remaining, with other Champions League contenders Chelsea and Wolverhampton playing later yesterday.
Bournemouth remained in nextto-last place, a point adrift of safety, at the end of a week when it also was beaten 4-1 at home by Newcastle.
A third straight victory, in which the team has scored at least three times in each game, maintained United’s push for Champions
League qualification. Solskjaer’s side stayed three points behind thirdplace Leicester with five games remaining, with other Champions League contenders Chelsea and Wolverhampton playing later Saturday.
“Confidence is sky high,” Solskjaer said. "You get energy and confidence by performances and results and we are getting that at the minute.
“If there were fans, I think we could have scored a few more as well.”
Vardy passes 100 career goals in EPL in easy Leicester win
Jamie Vardy passed 100 career goals in the Premier League by scoring twice as Leicester beat Crystal Palace 3-0 yesterday to ignite its ambitions to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
By netting for the first time since the restart of the league, Vardy also moved back as the outright top scorer in England’s top flight with 21 goals – two more than Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Vardy reached the 100-goal milestone with a tap-in in the 77th minute after a square ball by substitute Harvey Barnes.
The striker then added his second of the game in the fourth minute of injury time to cap a dominant performance by Leicester, which has struggled for rhythm since coming back from the three-month suspension.
Kelechi Iheanacho put Leicester in front in the 49th.
Leicester has seen its cushion in third place trimmed after it failed to win any of its first three games since the resumption. The team stayed three points ahead of Manchester United.
Brighton nearly safe after beating last-place Norwich 1-0
Brighton moved to the brink of safety in the Premier League and left last-place Norwich closer to relegation after winning 1-0 at Carrow Road yesterday.
Leandro Trossard’s goal in the 25th minute was enough to earn Brighton its second victory in four matches since the restart of the league and push the team nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Norwich stayed seven points from safety with just five matches remaining and looked consigned to the drop after one season back in the top flight.
Since the resumption, Norwich has lost four straight league games and also been eliminated from the FA Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
Substitute Adam Idah struck the post with a header in second-half stoppage time, the closest Norwich came to an equaliser inside its empty stadium.
Wolves' CL hopes dealt a setback with 2-0 loss to Arsenal
Wolverhampton’s pursuit of a first-ever qualification for the Champions League received a setback after a 2-0 loss to Arsenal in the Premier League yesterday.
Goals from Bukayo Saka, a highly rated 18-year-old midfielder, in the 43rd minute and substitute Alexandre Lacazette in the 86th ensured Wolves dropped points for the first time since the restart of the league, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s team having previously recorded three straight wins.
It meant Wolves lost ground on Champions League qualification rivals Leicester and Manchester United, who both won earlier yesterday.
Bayern Munich make it a German double
Bayern Munich made it a great double yesterday as they beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 to lift the German Cup.
First half goals from Alaba and Gnabry gave the champions a 2-0 lead at the interval.
The usual Lewandowski was on the mark in the 59th minute to make it 3-0. Bender reduced the gap four minutes later, but Lewandowski scored again in the 89th minute to make it 4-1.
Havertz converted an added time penalty to make it a more respectable scoreline for Leverkusen, as Bayern went on to celebrate their League and Cup victory.