Manchester United produced another strong display to defeat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford, continuing their impressive run and boosting their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification.

The visitors struck first in the opening half through Maxence Lacroix, putting Palace ahead and briefly silencing the home crowd. However, United responded with character and determination after the break.

Bruno Fernandes brought the Red Devils level from the penalty spot after Lacroix was sent off for pulling back Matheus Cunha inside the box. The dismissal gave United the advantage, and they made it count.

The winning goal arrived when Fernandes delivered an inviting cross from the right flank. Benjamin Sesko rose highest in the area and powered a fine header beyond Dean Henderson to complete the comeback. The striker received a standing ovation when he was substituted late in the game.

The victory means United have now won six of their last seven matches under manager Michael Carrick. The team are unbeaten in the Premier League since Boxing Day and have climbed to third place in the table, behind Arsenal and Manchester City.

Sesko’s recent form has been a major boost for United. The Slovenia international has scored key goals in recent weeks, helping the club collect valuable points in the race for a top-four finish.

Speaking after the match, Carrick praised his players’ resilience and belief. He highlighted the team’s strong second-half performance and their ability to recover from a slow start.

With 10 matches remaining this season, Manchester United are firmly on course to return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2023. Their current form suggests they will be serious contenders in the final stretch of the campaign.

Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after a hard-fought 2-1 win over 10-man Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners needed victory following Manchester City’s win over Leeds on Saturday, and they delivered with another strong performance from set-pieces.

Arsenal took the lead through William Saliba, who forced the ball home from a corner. It was their 15th league goal from a corner this season. Jurrien Timber later added the second, converting another delivery into the box to make it 16 goals from corners in this campaign.

Chelsea found an equaliser just before half-time, also from a corner. A dangerous cross from Reece James caused problems in the Arsenal defence and Piero Hincapie turned the ball into his own net under pressure.

The visitors’ hopes of a comeback suffered a major blow in the second half when Pedro Neto was sent off. The winger received a second yellow card for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli only minutes after being booked for dissent. It was Chelsea’s seventh red card in the league this season.

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made several important saves to protect his side’s lead, including a late stop to deny Alejandro Garnacho. At the other end, Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez endured a difficult afternoon and could have done better for Timber’s winning goal.

Chelsea were also left frustrated after a corner appeared to strike Declan Rice’s arm inside the box, but no penalty was given.

Despite late pressure from the 10-man visitors, Arsenal held firm to secure all three points. The result keeps them five points clear of Manchester City in the title race, although they have played a game more.

Chelsea remain in the battle for Champions League qualification but are now three points behind fifth-placed Liverpool.

Arsenal’s dominance from corners continues to be a key factor in their success this season, with their set-piece strength proving decisive once again.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery responded to a report that he seemingly “wants out” of the organization he’s been with for the last three seasons. 

Well, that’s news to the veteran known as “Knuckles” in the Motor City.

Montgomery took to social media to respond to the ESPN report, employing a fair bit of sarcasm in doing so.

“Damn, [D-Mo] told you that?” Montgomery posted on Sunday after the report came out saying the Lions would want a “decent Day 3 pick” in return for him. 

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David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 25, 2025 in Minneapolis. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The 28-year-old, who started his career with the Chicago Bears, has enjoyed success with the Lions since he got there. And when the Lions brought the explosive Jahmyr Gibbs into the mix, the popular “Sonic and Knuckles” duo was born. 

Gibbs, though, has taken off since entering the NFL as the Lions’ first-round pick in 2023. He broke out with 1,412 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, which led the NFL, in 2024. Then, he followed it up with 1,223 yards and 13 rushing scores, with a career-high 616 receiving yards and five more scores through the air in 2025. 

Montgomery had 716 rushing yards with eight rushing scores, while hauling in 24 of Jared Goff’s pass attempts his way for 192 yards. 

Montgomery has been more of the short yardage back for the Lions’ dynamic offense, but it’s certain that Gibbs is the top guy if the team had to choose. 

David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on Sept. 22, 2025 in Baltimore. (Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

He owns a contract through the 2027 season, so the Lions would have to trade him if he wishes to move on. But his tweet says otherwise. 

The report even gave a potential destination for Montgomery, saying that the Seattle Seahawks could make sense if they don’t re-sign Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl LX MVP who is an unrestricted free agent. The Seahawks could also franchise tag Walker if they so choose. 

Of course, there’s no guarantee the Lions don’t move on from Montgomery, but it appears the veteran enjoys his role with one of the best offenses in the NFL. 

David Montgomery of the Detroit Lions looks on prior to an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on Dec. 4, 2025 in Detroit. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

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The Lions currently sit more than $12 million over their salary cap, though this is the time teams will begin to cut down to prepare for free agency and the NFL Draft. Montgomery is set to be a $8.3 million cap hit for the 2026 season.  

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Man Utd came from behind to beat Crystal Palace at Old Trafford and Michael Carrick jogged down the touchline at half-time to get his message across.

Michael Carrick told the Manchester United players he had been waiting to see them facing some adversity after they launched a stirring comeback to beat Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. The United head coach ran down the touchline at half-time, with Palace winning 1-0 thanks to Maxence Lacroix’s early goal, to deliver a few tactical adjustments to his players at the break.

But he also challenged them to show what they were made of. It was the first time United had been behind at half-time under Carrick and he admitted he had been waiting to see how his players would respond.

He was delighted with what he saw, with Bruno Fernandes at the heart of a comeback which saw the captain score from the spot and then set up the in-form Benjamin Sesko for the winner.

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Asked if there was a particular change he wanted to make that saw him run for the dressing room at half-time, Carrick said: “There’s always something. It was just a couple of little tweaks in shape, maybe a couple of ideas, some things we tried from the start that we wanted to kind of tweak a little bit, but honestly, it wasn’t major really and I’m not taking much credit for that.

“It was more that you’ve got to find a way in games sometimes and there’s a few ideas that we wanted to make more runs, we wanted it to be a little bit more aggressive in attacking their back line to a point, which is something you always try to do, but I thought we did it in the second half and ended up getting the penalty from that.

“So it was more how do we react. It’s been going in our favour. I said to them, here’s something I’ve been waiting for, this moment, to see, go on then, what we’re going to do about it and be positive. And the boys responded ever so well, so it was a big thing for us.”

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The spirit in the squad was clear with their second-half display, which was aided by Lacroix’s red card for bringing down Matheus Cunha inside the penalty area.

Carrick felt that was the most pleasing aspect of what was a sixth win in seven games in charge for him, with United now recovering seven points from losing positions under the 44-year-old.

“It’s the biggest thing for us to take from the game, really,” he said. “It’s the first time that we’ve been in that situation, going in at half-time. I thought we were a little bit off to start with. I think they started particularly well, so credit to them. Probably after 20 minutes or so, I thought the game started turning in our favour and we finished the half stronger and it looked a little like what we were trying to do.

“At half-time, it was about being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and the belief. Football is tough at times and this league is tough, so you’re never always going to have it your own way, but to then come back like we did second half and turn the game in our favour is the biggest thing for me to take from today for sure.”

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Former South African captain Faf du Plessis opined that Arshdeep Singh’s six-run over in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against the West Indies had a huge impact on the end result. Describing it as a match-winning over, Du Plessis added that small contributions like that often make a huge impact in the overall picture.

India beat the West Indies by five wickets at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, March 1 in a must-win clash of the T20 World Cup 2026. Bowling first, India held the Windies to 195-4 and then chased down the target in 19.2 overs. With the win, the Men in Blue also qualified for the semifinals.

While Sanju Samson (97* off 50) was the star of the show for India, Du Plessis picked the 19th over bowled by Arshdeep as the game-changing moment. Having gone for 24 runs in his previous over, the left-handed pacer made a brilliant comeback and conceded only six runs in the penultimate over, which went a long way in ensuring that the West Indies did not cross the 200-run mark.

During a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Du Plessis made a special mention of Arshdeep’s effort under pressure and commented:

“That one over in the context of the game is credit to him. The way that he executed – to go for six on a small ground, that is a match-winning over. If you are sitting in the dressing room and do the accolades, the coach or captain goes – our player of the day is you because of that over. People don’t realize how important a small contribution is in the big picture.”

Former India captain Anil Kumble also agreed that the Arshdeep’s six-run over was extremely crucial in the context of the match. He commented:

“Having gone for 24 runs, and then sticking to his plan of wide yorkers… Maybe West Indies could have been smarter. Instead of looking to pump him down the ground for a six., they could have used the pace and the ground as well, which they didn’t. So, it worked in his favor.”

Arshdeep ended the T20 World Cup clash with figures of 0-43 from four overs. Jasprit Bumrah stood out with 2-36, while Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy registered identical figures of 1-40 from four overs.

“You cannot afford that against England” – Anil Kumble on India’s worry ahead of T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal

While India progressed to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2026 with a win against the Windies, their fielding was poor once again. The Men in Blue dropped three catches on Sunday. Kumble opined that India cannot afford another bad day in the field against England in the knockout clash. He stated:

“The fielding, we saw the nerves were there. Dropped catches, misfields – you don’t expect that. Come semifinal, you cannot afford that against England. India would be happy, but there were nerves certainly because this was a must-win game.”

Team India will face England in the second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 5.