Sport

Manchester United qualify for the Champions League with a game to spare

No more Thursday nights next season.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 26th May 2023

Manchester United have officially qualified for next season’s Champions League, with manager Erik ten Hag putting them back into Europe’s premier tournament at the first time of asking.

Qualification was secured with a 4-1 win over Chelsea, the joint-most goals they’ve scored in a single game all season and even with conceding a late goal, still the biggest margin they have won by since March in their Europa League game against Real Betis.

However, they will once again be leaving the Europa behind and returning to the UCL after securing a top-four finish on Thursday night and could even end up in third depending on their last game of the season against Fulham and how Newcastle fair in their final Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

In truth, it could have been a different game entirely had Chelsea’s finishing been better, with the Londoners starting as the brighter of the two and creating three big chances early in the first 45 alone. Nevertheless, United went in at half-time 2-0 up and took full control of the game in the second half, but for ten Hag it’s only “job done” and not yet “mission accomplished”.

Erik ten Hag says there’s plenty more to do after Man United qualify for the Champions League

The 53-year-old clearly believes there is much further to go before he gets this Man United team where he wants them, stating that “we want to be the best in the world. We have a long way to go but we are [going] in the right direction” and admittedly crediting how far they’ve come since the start of the season.

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They may not have been at their best at times on the night and still managed to give the visitors away a late goal through João Félix, but it was the first conceded at Old Trafford for 11 hours and despite some individual errors this year, David de Gea secured the Golden Glove last weekend with 17 clean sheets.

Casemiro was undoubtedly the star of the show in their penultimate league game, not only grabbing the opening goal but playing a lovely no-look, outside-of-the-boot pass to help set up the second and comfortably earning man of the match.

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In fact, although Erik ten Hag told Sky Sports after the full-time whistle that the club “belongs in the Champions League, Gary Neville insisted that they wouldn’t be back in the competition without him.

ten Hag believes praised the ‘winning attitude’ but said his team could have scored more.

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With an EFL Cup to his name, Champions League qualification and perhaps even a third-place finish overall, that is not a bad first season for the Dutchman.

Now there is simply the matter of going and winning the first-ever Manchester Derby FA Cup final against the newly-crowned champions, Manchester City.

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There’s only a treble on the line. No pressure…

You can watch the full highlights of Manchester United vs Chelsea down below:

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Featured Image — Manchester United (via Twitter)

Sport

Manchester’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness returns with its biggest venue host yet for 2024

Danny Jones Danny Jones The Manchester 24 Hour Charity Run Against Homelessness 2024

November is well underway which means that not only have the likes of the annual Christmas Markets begun but Manchester is once again ramping up for the latest edition of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness.

Although the holiday season is a jolly one for many, we’re always reminded that for lots of those less fortunate, the colder months signal an even more difficult time for lots of people all over Greater Manchester, with the region still suffering with the third highest rate of homelessness in the UK.

That being said, each year volunteers from founding organisation, Run Wild MCR (the University of Manchester’s long-standing running society), team up with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to help put in the hard yards on their behalf and raise as much money as possible.

Marking the sixth year of the heartwarming and vital fundraising event, the 2024 edition of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is hoping to be the most impactful yet, landing even more support from local clubs and businesses than ever, as well as their biggest host venue yet.

For anyone still unaware of the event, the annual 24-hour relay run sees thousands of runners turn up from all over the 10 boroughs to participate in 5km laps around the city centre to witness the effects of homelessness first-hand.

Those lacing up their trainers – be they from local clubs like Manchester Road Runners, charitable organisation, Northern business or just a Manc who fancies doing their bit for a good cause – can do as little or as few laps as they like, as well as contribute to the fundraising with donations on the night.

Now with national vehicle marketplace AutoTrader named as the principal sponsor for this year’s run and the Together Co. social charity pledging to match public donations up to £20,000, The Manchester 24 Hour Homeless Run is hoping to achieve its biggest goal to date.

There have already been some serious records broken in past iterations, with multiple runners even going for upwards of 100k in total distance covered and staying overnight in sleeping bags to get their laps done over the 24 hours.

Having made upwards of £30,000 since it started, amassing more than £25,000 during its fifth anniversary in 2023, and raising over £1,400 with its first spin-off event in Birmingham earlier this month, this is set to be a hugely impactful year for the team and Manchester’s ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme.

The growth of the event speaks for itself, with Mayor Andy Burnham now a regular attendee on behalf of his namesake charity, an increase in clubs, influencers and national coverage, not to mention the event landing Freight Island as the 2024 host venue.

You can see a quick run-through of the city centre route here:

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Having sent a huge message to the previous government regarding comments about the homeless community and directly contributing to approximately 842 rough sleepers being given a bed in Manchester during last year’s run, they’ve done incredible work in just a few short years.

With the profile of the ever-important event bigger than ever, as it looks to continue expanding into different cities – especially following the success of its debut Brummy run – we’re expecting big things and even more wholesome vibes as the crowds gather at the now well-and-truly festive Freight Island.

Members of The Manc will also be taking part and putting in as many miles as we can, so come and say hello if you can or, even better, come join the countless other volunteers going for a jog from 12pm on Wednesday, 13 November until noon the next day.

More importantly, please give even a little bit to this crucial cause HERE if you can; the charity livestream will also be active on our Facebook page throughout the duration and QR codes for direct donations will be available at Freight Island on the night.

You can see a full list of the organisations taking part down below. This really is a time when Manchester shows its best face and we can all be very proud that we’re putting in the graft to combat a global crisis.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

Sport

BBC confirm Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day at the end of the season

Danny Jones Danny Jones Gary Lineker leaving Match of the Day at the end of the season

Following reports late on Monday evening, the BBC has now officially revealed Gary Lineker is leaving Match of the Day at the end of the current Premier League campaign.

Lineker, who has hosted Match of the Day (MotD) since 1999, is set to leave the long-standing British TV and sporting institution after 25 seasons but will still remain associated with the BBC on various other projects moving forward.

Confirming the news on Tuesday, 12 November, the network said that while his MotD tenure will conclude come May 2025, “The BBC and Gary Lineker have agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup”.

The former footballer will also continue to host the MOTD Top Ten podcast and his The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds alongside fellow co-presenters Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

Lineker said: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”

The ex-Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Spurs player was famously suspended from the show back in March 2023 after comments made about the previous Conservative government’s “dangerous” rhetoric.

Shearer and Ian Wright (‘Wrighty’ having also announced he will be leaving the show at the end of the season) both walked out in solidarity with their close friend and colleague before being reinstated after issuing an official apology.

Putting the brief separation aside, Lineker has enjoyed a long and prosperous relationship with the BBC for more than two and a half decades and when the title race does conclude at the end of next spring, he will have been one of the most recognisable faces in British football for 26 years.

Many have rightly pointed out that he served as the Des Lynam – the former MoTD host for 11 years – for multiple generations of young football fans.

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This past August marked Match of the Day‘s 60th anniversary, making it one of the longest-running programmes in British TV history, and to say that the household name and ever-entwined Walkers ambassador has made up nearly half of that is no mean feat.

Lineker has yet to issue a personal response via any channels by the official BBC statement, but viewers can expect to address the situation on the likes of The Rest is Football soon enough.

Thanks for the memories, Gary – especially for honouring your promise and hosting in those comically big white undies.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — BBC

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