Michael Carrick insists he is not worried about facing a potential rival for the Manchester United manager’s job when Oliver Glasner brings his Crystal Palace side to Old Trafford on Sunday.

When United sacked Ruben Amorim at the start of January, later naming Carrick as boss until the end of the season, Glasner – who will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the season – was among the favourites to get the job on a full-time basis come the summer.

The Austrian’s star has dimmed a little since then given Palace went through a nine-game winless run in the league before winning two of their last three, while Carrick has overseen a revival in United’s fortunes, winning five of his six games in charge.

Another win on Sunday would only strengthen the argument that the former United skipper is the man to take the club forward for the long term, but he said he had given no thought to the significance of facing Glasner.

Carrick was an assistant to then interim United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back in January 2019 when a 1-0 away win over Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham did much to help the Norwegian get the job on a permanent basis at a time when Pochettino was a strong candidate.

But asked if there were any parallels, Carrick said: “Honestly, it doesn’t make any difference whatsoever. It’s total respect for Crystal Palace and Oliver, and in terms of the team that they are and the role that they’re doing.

“That’s no disrespect, it’s the next game for us and we’re in a position where we found ourselves at, and we’re in a decent spot, and we feel like we’re moving forwards. It’s just about what’s in front of us, and trying to get to where we want to be, which is a little bit higher the league.

“That’s literally all that I’m worried about at the moment.”

Carrick has only been in charge of United for six weeks, and the club did not make any signings during the January transfer window to leave him working with the squad that had struggled under Amorim.

That only makes the turnaround in results he has achieved more impressive, but the 44-year-old believes there is still much room for improvement.

“I think it always evolves, it’s never perfect,” he said. “I’ve said that I always kind of hope for more and I think part of it is understanding of how little time still we’ve been together.

“Sometimes it’s going to go well and there’s going to be times where it doesn’t quite click so much.

“I think it’s not to be over-picky and over-harsh on certain things and actually taking perspective and a bigger picture is important for us.

“I think we’re in a we’re in a good place. In some ways we’ve made big strides, winning games that we might not have won at other times, played some good football at times, things to improve at times.

“Defending really, really well a lot of the time and you know, keeping clean sheets, so there’s lots of positives. There’s so many layers of of kind of levels that we feel we can get to as a group, so we’ll just keep pushing for that.”

Mikel Arteta insists Eberechi Eze needs no extra encouragement as the former Crystal Palace playmaker finds his feet at Arsenal.

In November, Eze became the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick in a north London derby, and he was instrumental in the Gunners’ 4-1 dismantling of Tottenham last Sunday, scoring twice.

But the 27-year-old’s form in between those derbies has been inconsistent and Arteta admits he is still getting to know Eze on both an emotional and tactical level.

“Motivation has never been an issue,” boss Arteta said. “I believe that if you have to motivate a player then you have a big problem. Motivation is just talk, for someone to inspire you for a minute of an hour.

“I think the biggest motivation he has is the reason why he came to this club. He really feels attached and belonging here. The rest is moments that you have in your career. When you move to a different club, navigating that and making sure you do everything that you possibly can to make it work.”

Eze came under scrutiny after making a mistake in December’s 2-1 defeat by Aston Villa and he has made just two Premier League starts since they beat Wolves in the middle of that month.

His attacking form has historically improved late in the season, a trend Arteta is eager for Eze to replicate with the Gunners still chasing an historic quadruple.

Arteta revealed he has not entirely closed the door on Eze returning to the left wing at some point, saying: “He can do. Now he has got many more months and games and understanding of what the games require for him to make the difference. I hope that it’s the case and that he smashes it from here until the end of the season.”

The red-hot Viktor Gyokeres was responsible for Arsenal’s two other goals against Spurs, taking him up to 15 goals across all competitions following a slow start after joining from Sporting Lisbon last summer.

Arteta was reminded that the Swede’s current tally is just one shy of Didier Drogba’s total in his first season at Stamford Bridge, with the Ivorian going on to make a habit of scoring against the Gunners in his time at Chelsea.

Asked if such comparisons were helpful, Arteta replied: “It’s always the case about who you compare with. I have a beautiful apartment, but this guy has the biggest mansion in the world. So my apartment is terrible.

“But I can be so proud that I worked so hard to get it and pay the debts of my apartment and refurbish it and have a beautiful kitchen. I go to his house and I get depressed. So it depends on the eyes that you look at it.

“So I think what (Viktor’s) doing is improvable, yes. But I think his contribution, I think it’s been important so far.”

Ospreys: Hopkins; Kasende, Watkin, K Williams, Giles; Walsh, Foley; G Thomas, Parry (co-capt), Henry, Fender, R Smith, Ratti, Moriarty, Morse.

Replacements: L Lloyd, S Thomas, Botha, Sutton, Deaves, Morgan-Williams, Scully, Boshoff.

Ulster: Lowry; Kok, Hume, Postlethwaite, z Ward, Muprhy; O’Sullivan, Stewart, Wilson, Henderson, Irvine, Dalton, McCann, B Ward.

Replacements: Herring, Bell, O’Connor, Sheridan, Rea, McKee, Flannery, Carson.

Referee: Fillipo Russo (Italy)

Assistants: Craig Evans (Wales ) and Keith David (Wales)

TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)

Manchester City beat Leeds 1-0 in the Premier League to show that they can challenge Arsenal even without Erling Haaland

19:46, 28 Feb 2026Updated 20:03, 28 Feb 2026

In the week that the hope of a better future defeated scaremongering in Gorton and Denton, it felt fitting that two Muslims helped Manchester City to keep up with Arsenal in the title race. Booed at Elland Road for being allowed to break their fast in the first half, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki responded in the best possible way by combining brilliantly to tee up Antoine Semenyo.

The goal was one of the last kicks of the first half in a game that a City side without their talismanic No.9 had struggled in. Leeds hopes went up a notch when news emerged that Erling Haaland was injured, and they tore at the visitors from the first whistle.

For a while there were shades of the City of last season, desperately clinging on in what looked like it would be a losing battle. Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias scrambled at the back, while Rodri and Bernardo Silva were nearly caught trying to play their way up the pitch as Daniel Farke’s team snapped hungrily at their heels.

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Just as this isn’t the all-conquering City of old though, nor is it the team that was conquered twice a week last winter. There is renewed steel and there are also new players with hunger of their own – Ait-Nouri, Cherki and Semenyo have all been signed in the last two windows and have given City something they simply didn’t have last season so perhaps sporting director Hugo Viana has found a solution.

Add to that Gianluigi Donnarumma, the Italian giant signed from PSG this summer who effectively gazumped James Trafford on deadline day. The 27-year-old has made some spectacular saves in recent weeks to showcase his worth but here it was the ordinary that he made extraordinary.

A recent study showed that Donnarumma is the only keeper in the Premier League not to have made a mistake leading to a goal – essentially, he has saved everything that he should have saved. That rang true again in the 39th minute as Brenden Aaronson raced through following a Rodri mistake but Donnarumma stood tall and saw off the danger.

Seconds later, City were enjoying their best attacks of the half through Omar Marmoush and Nico O’Reilly, and it was seven minutes after that when Semenyo gambled at the near post and stabbed home Ait-Nouri’s cross. City struggled for large chunks at Leeds, but they were rewarded for doing the simple things right – and having quality players able to make the breakthrough even without Haaland.

City hope that they will have their Norwegian back as early as Wednesday for the home game against Forest, but this was a real test that they passed without him. Leeds were unbeaten in their last 25 evening kick-offs at Elland Road in a run spanning nearly three years, and they showed why again at the end with a huge assault on the City goal that included substitute Jaka Bijol heading just wide.

The Blues stayed strong though to move two points behind Arsenal with 10 games to go in the Premier League. It took something special to win at Leeds and City showed that they are still capable of more in this title race.

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Twente will host Feyenoord at De Grolsch Veste on Sunday in another round of the 2025-26 Eredivisie campaign. The home side have performed well in their league assignments in recent months, although several draws in that period means they still have some way to go if they are to mount a serious challenge for a top-four finish.

Following a disappointing 1-1 draw away at Telstar a fortnight ago, Twente returned to their home patch last weekend to take on struggling Groningen. Despite conceding the opening goal in the first half, the Tukkers remained undeterred, with Daan Rots and Kristian Hlynsson capitalizing on their opponents’ defensive uncertainties to secure a 2-1 victory for John van den Brom’s side.

After a difficult run of results between November and January, Feyenoord seem to have rediscovered their rhythm and are back in the hunt for a top-two league finish and, consequently, a UEFA Champions League spot.

De Stadionclub were strong favorites when they welcomed newly promoted Telstar to their home patch last time out but were made to work for the points, falling behind inside 15 minutes before star winger Anis Hadj Moussa netted a first-half brace to secure a 2-1 victory for Robin van Persie’s men.

Twente vs Feyenoord Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

• The two teams have met 120 times, with Twente winning 27 of those encounters while Feyenoord have claimed 53 victories.
• There have been 40 draws between the two teams, including their most recent matchup which ended 1-1.
• The visitors are undefeated in their last four games in this fixture.
• Twente boast the best defensive record in the Dutch top flight this season, having conceded 26 goals in 24 matches.
• Feyenoord are the third-highest-scoring side in the division so far, having scored 55 goals in 24 games.

Twente vs Feyenoord Prediction

The Tukkers head into the weekend clash on a brilliant 14-game unbeaten streak in the league, although nine of those matches have ended in draws. They are also undefeated in their last seven home games and will fancy their chances of a positive result on Sunday.

De club aan de Maas have won four of their last five league matches after winning just two of their previous eight. However, they have struggled on the road recently and may have to settle for a point here.

Prediction: Twente 1-1 Feyenoord

Twente vs Feyenoord Betting Tips

Tip 1 – Result: Draw

Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Under 2.5 goals

Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes (Both teams have found the back of the net in four of the hosts’ last five games)