Man United sees off Burnley in League Cup
LONDON - Goals from Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford earned Manchester United a comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday as third-tier Charlton Athletic knocked out Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties.
Playing their first game since the World Cup break, United went ahead after 27 minutes when Aaron Wan-Bissaka sent a cross into the six-yard box and Eriksen smashed the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
Erik ten Hag’s side, featuring several players who played in the World Cup in Qatar, could have doubled their lead when Anthony Martial’s shot was well saved by Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
Championship leaders Burnley had chances to equalise but Marcus Rashford made it 2-0 with a fine individual effort, the 25-yearold collecting the ball in his own half and outpacing the defence before finishing neatly at Old Trafford.
League One Charlton caused a major upset by eliminating Brighton, seventh in the Premier League, after their goalless clash went to a penalty shootout.
Both sides missed three spot-kicks but in the seventh round Charlton goalkeeper Ashley Maynard-Brewer denied Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo and defender Samuel Lavelle converted to send his side through.
Four-times winners Nottingham Forest crushed Championship side Blackburn Rovers 4-1, striker Brennan Johnson giving the Premier League side an early lead from the penalty spot.
Blackburn equalised before halftime through defender Scott Wharton but Jesse Lingard restored Forest’s lead soon after the interval and Taiwo Awoniyi and Johnson completed the rout. ■
Parker returns to the ring
NEW Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker is set to return to the ring with a fight against British boxer Jack Massey in Manchester on January 22.
Parker is coming off a TKO loss to Britain’s Joe Joyce in September.
Massey will step up to the heavyweight division for the first time, after a successful career as a cruiserweight with 20 wins and one loss. He holds the IBO’s world cruiserweight title.
Parker, a former WBO champion who is in the WBC and WBO top ten rankings, will be the heavy favourite to win.
The fight is on the undercard for the main event which pits Chris Eubank Jr against Liam Smith in a British middleweight contest.
Massey, who has 11 knockout victories, is eager, and said, “I don’t shy away from a challenge.”
Another defeat for Parker could be disastrous for his career.
Messi extends PSG contract
PARIS - World Cup winner Lionel Messi has reached a deal with Paris St Germain to stay with the club for at least the 2023-24 season, French daily Le Parisien reported on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old forward, seven-times winner of the Ballon D’Or, helped Argentina lift the World Cup trophy by beating France on penalties in the final on Sunday.
“In early December, in the midst of the World Cup, an agreement was reached (for Messi) to stay on for at least one more season,” the paper said, citing no sources.
PSG were not immediately available for comment.
Paris St Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi said this month that Messi was happy at the Ligue 1 champions, adding that discussions about a contract extension would be held after the World Cup.
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