Erik ten Hag heaped praised on Kobbie Mainoo after the teenage star’s stunning stoppage-time winner sealed Manchester United a needlessly stressful 4-3 win at Wolves.
The misfiring Red Devils produced their best first half performance of the season at Molineux, where Marcus Rashford struck inside five minutes of his first match since last week’s reported Belfast escapades.
The returning star then played a part in Rasmus Hojlund’s bundled second, before United bounced back as substitute Scott McTominay scored shortly after Pablo Sarabia had converted a softly-awarded penalty.
But United wobbled and looked set to blow a much-needed win as Max Kilman scored before Pedro Neto equalised in stoppage time, only for Mainoo’s moment of magic.
The 18-year-old showed skill and courage to take on the Wolves backline, before bending home to win it at the death and spark wild United celebrations.
“To be honest, I had mixed feelings,” boss Ten Hag said after the breathless clash. “One side very pleased, of course it’s a massive win this.
“I think for a neutral fan, spectator of this game, it was great to see but as a manager when you see you dominate a game for an hour, you should go 3 or 4-0 by the hour, because we had the chances and we conceded nothing.
“But then the way we concede the goals we should manage that better on the pitch, this can’t happen.
“But then you see the spirit of the team and the resilience and especially in Kobbie Mainoo, that is great to see.
“We have the right character, the spirit in the dressing room is very good when you can show this.”
Mainoo was part of the United team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2022 and caught the attention of Ten Hag shortly after he arrived that summer.
The midfielder has made 13 appearances so far this term and would have played more had it not been for an unfortunate injury sustained against Real Madrid in a Houston pre-season friendly.
“I think very quickly I saw him,” Ten Hag said. “I think last autumn I saw him for the first time and at that moment I thought he was playing a little bit too comfortable in the Under-21s, he should be much more dominant.
“We pushed him a lot by that side, by pushing him in training and you see he makes such good progress and he is almost progressing from game to game.
“And of course, it’s wonderful to see and I hope he stays calm like he is, as he did with his goal as well.
“He is determined, he is a good character and I hope he keeps going with this progress.”
Ten Hag also praised Rashford as the United forward produced an impressive response to days of negative headlines and an internal disciplinary.
“I think the whole team played very good, Rashy as well,” the Dutchman said.
“Maybe you know that, you see the last games, there is coming about in the front line and if they get the service in the back they are a threat for every opposition.”
As for opposition manager Gary O’Neil, the last-gasp defeat was compounded by Wolves’ inability to bring in a striker on deadline day.
They made an approach for Chelsea’s Armando Broja but could not make the loan signing within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, with the striker instead heading to Fulham.
“We couldn’t afford to do it financially, where it ended up,” O’Neil said.
“But we haven’t been deducted 10 points, we’re still together, we’re still putting in performances that show we’re all together. We’ll try and keep it moving that way.”
Edu placed on gardening leave by Arsenal and replaced by Jason Ayto
Edu will spend the next six months on gardening leave, while assistant sporting director Jason Ayto will take up his role during the search for a full-time replacement.
The news comes after the announcement earlier in the week that Edu was to leave Arsenal to work with Evangelos Marinakis' multi-club group, which includes Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners are giving themselves a long window to replace their sporting director and are prepared to wait for the right candidate.
Despite his abrupt departure partway through the season, the feeling towards Edu is of gratitude after installing a robust structure that the club can now work with.
The Brazilian is known to be a friend of Marinakis, who values the esteem in which Edu is held by his peers.
The salary offered to him for his move, as reported by Sky Sports News, would mean only Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery earn more than him among Premier League managers.
The role itself, meanwhile, will see Edu act as the CEO of the group.
'Outstanding' Jones has improved since becoming a father, says Slot
Arne Slot believes Curtis Jones' upturn in form for Liverpool has coincided with the 23-year-old recently becoming a father for the first time.
Jones has played a starring role for the Reds in recent weeks, which has earned him a call-up by Lee Carsley for England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures this month.
The midfielder shone during Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, notching a sublime assist for Luis Diaz's 61st minute opener.
Jones also created the joint-most chances (three) along with Ryan Gravenberch at Anfield, and is now pushing Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot in Liverpool's midfield.
"With Curtis he became a fighter and I had nothing to do with that. Since the moment he became a father [last month], he started putting great performances in," Slot said.
"He already did in the first few weeks of pre-season and I thought he was a quality player.
"His performances dropped a bit but from the moment he became a father he has been outstanding again.
"It might have a bit to do with that, but I think it is more to do with how the team plays. As a result of that, individual performances are good as well."
Jones has started four of the Reds' last six games in all competitions, notching four goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in those games.
But the midfielder has had to bide his time under Slot, with the Liverpool boss challenging Jones to add consistency to his game in the coming weeks.
"He has a lot of qualities on the ball, when he has it he's never afraid to do something special. Sometimes he is a bit too over-confident but confidence is important," Slot added.
"He also has an incredibly high work-rate and we can trust him defensively. You saw how he performed against Cole Palmer.
"If he wants to continue progressing he has to show every three days these performances."
Liverpool's fine start to the season continued with their midweek thrashing of Leverkusen, and they are now top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.
The Reds' victory over Brighton in the league saw Slot become just the fifth manager to win as many as eight of his first 10 Premier League games in charge, after John Gregory (1998), Guus Hiddink (2009), Carlo Ancelotti (2009) and Ange Postecoglou (2023).
Of the previous four, only Postecoglou failed to win his 11th match in the competition, though Slot faces a stern test this weekend when Aston Villa visit Merseyside.
The Dutchman, however, insisted that his side's flying start to the season had not come as a surprise.
"I don't think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing and consistency is another," Slot concluded.
"I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.
"Sometimes a bit of luck comes with us as well. Most of our results were deserved, but some have been a close call.
"In general, I'm not surprised because of the quality that was in the team and when I started working with them, I saw how much effort they put in to get these results."
Sugar Boyz ready for crucial Nations League playoff against Cuba
The Sugar Boyz, St. Kitts and Nevis' men’s national football team is back in training as they prepare for their Concacaf Nations League Playoff clash against Cuba. After a brief rest period following their matches against the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, the team resumed training on Monday, November 4, at the National Bank Group of Companies Technical Center. Head Coach Austin “Dico” Huggins shared insights into the preparations underway as the team looks to advance toward a potential second qualification for the Concacaf Gold Cup.
“After we played against Cayman Islands and BVI, we had a brief rest period. So we're now beginning our training session from today,” Huggins explained.
Coach Huggins emphasized the significance of these playoff matches, noting the challenging task ahead. “It's going to be very hard here in training. We've got to make sure the guys are mentally prepared, physically prepared, knowing the task we have at hand. Cuba is a very good team, very professional team. So we're going to have to take them very seriously. And we are playing the first game at home, so that should be to our advantage,” he added.
He further outlined the rigorous training plan to ensure the team is ready for the intense match-up. “Our preparation will be very strenuous, very hard, very intense so that we could be better prepared for the task.”
With the first leg at home on November 14 at the NBGC Technical Center, Huggins reassured fans of an improved performance compared to their last outing against the Cayman Islands. “We're going to have a better showing, for sure. Like I said, we're playing against Cuba. The guys are up for the task,” he said.
The Sugar Boyz will then travel to Santiago de Cuba for the return leg on November 18 at the Antonio Maceo Stadium.
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