A toothless attacking display from Inter saw them beaten 1-0 by Bologna on Sunday as Riccardo Orsolini scored to give the hosts all three points.

The Nerazzurri had four shots on target without scoring at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara as Napoli's charge towards a first Serie A title in more than two decades received yet another boost.

Musa Barrow saw an early goal disallowed for offside, though it would matter little as Orsolini fired home a 76th-minute winner to clinch victory and put another dent in Inter's already slim title hopes.

With an 18-point deficit to overturn, catching runaway leaders Napoli now looks a hugely improbable prospect for Inter as they may now have to focus on fending off the likes of Roma and Milan for second spot.

Bologna thought they were ahead after 12 minutes through a fine finish from Barrow, but a VAR review ruled the offside Nicolas Dominguez as having blocked Andre Onana's view.

The hosts continued to look the more threatening as Roberto Soriano hit the crossbar, though Lautaro Martinez should have done better when he sent a free header wide of the post. 

Clear-cut chances for both teams continued to be few and far between as the game went into the break goalless, but Hakan Calhanoglu missed a golden opportunity shortly after the interval when he blazed over.

Soriano saw a shot blocked, before Edin Dzeko came off the bench to force a decent save out of Lukasz Skorupski.

The deadlock would be broken with 14 minutes to play, though, as Orsolini latched onto Jerdy Schouten's throughball before firing home his fourth goal in five matches to claim an impressive victory.

Jayson Tatum scored a clutch three-pointer before Joel Embiid's full-court buzzer-beater was wiped off as the Boston Celtics clung on for a 110-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Tatum drained the go-ahead triple with 2.0 seconds left from Marcus Smart's clever assist after Derrick White's inbound.

Embiid launched a desperate long-range shot which he hit but replays showed he released the ball after time had elapsed meaning the Celtics secured the win.

Tatum did not shoot the ball well throughout the game, finishing with 18 points on seven-of-17 shooting, but came up big when it mattered. The MVP candidate also pulled down 13 rebounds with six assists.

Al Horford turned the game with four three-pointers in the third quarter as the Celtics rallied from a 15-point deficit to lead at the final change.

Horford finished with 15 points, while Jaylen Brown top scored for Boston with 26 points with three steals.

Embiid had 41 points for the game with 12 rebounds and five assists, while James Harden added21 points with eight assists.

The Eastern Conference-leading Celtics have won three straight, improving their record to 44-17, while the 76ers, third in the east, are 39-20.

Grizzlies rout Nuggets in best in the west battle

The Memphis Grizzlies blew away the Denver Nuggets 112-94 in a match-up between the Western Conference's top two as Ja Morant scored 23 points with seven rebounds.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 35 points, opening up a 66-42 half-time lead and keeping the Nuggets to a season-low team score. Denver are 42-19 while Memphis are 36-23.

Nikola Jokic scored 15 points with 13 rebounds and three assists, while Jamal Murray only managed eight points on three-of-13 shooting from the field.

Knicks rout Pelicans in front of championship team

The New York Knicks honoured their onlooking 1972-93 NBA championship team in style, with a 128-106 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans making it five straight wins.

Julius Randle top scored with 28 points making five-of-10 three-point attempts along with seven rebounds and five assists, as five Knicks players reached double figures.

R.J. Barrett added 25 points with a season-high seven assists while Jalen Brunson scored 20 points. Zion Williamson was absent again for the Pels, for whom Brandon Ingram top scored with 19.

Liverpool missed the chance to claim a third Premier League win in a row for only the second time this season as they drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah were both frustrated by the woodwork at Selhurst Park as Jurgen Klopp's Reds shared the spoils with Patrick Vieira's Eagles.

After a dramatic Champions League collapse resulted in a 5-2 loss to Real Madrid on Tuesday, the visitors failed to claim a victory that would have helped to salve those wounds.

And, amid a campaign that continues to see them underperform, the Merseyside outfit dropped further points in their pursuit of European football next term, with Cody Gakpo spurning an excellent chance late on.

Having made a blistering start to their exploits in midweek, Liverpool initially appeared to be feeling the effects of a continental hangover.

The away side struggled to pose much threat despite dominating possession, with Jota's woodwork-rattling header in the 23rd minute the closest they came to a breakthrough.

Palace almost made them pay when they hit the frame of the goal themselves four minutes from the break, with Jean-Philippe Mateta lashing a close-range attempt against the crossbar.

The bar proved to be Liverpool's nemesis shortly into the second half, with Salah crashing a looped effort against it.

Gakpo could have won it in the 81st minute but the Netherlands international fluffed his lines after seizing on Salah's throughball as Liverpool ultimately failed to find a way through. 

Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged it will be "difficult" for Real Madrid to win LaLiga after Los Blancos were forced to fight back in a frustrating 1-1 draw with 10-man rivals Atletico Madrid.

Madrid would have fancied their chances of moving within five points of leaders Barcelona when Atleti substitute Angel Correa was controversially sent off with Saturday's derby poised at 0-0.

Atleti then looked set for a memorable win when Jose Gimenez headed them in front at the Santiago Bernabeu, only for 18-year-old forward Alvaro Rodriguez to spare Madrid's blushes late on.

With the stalemate handing Barcelona the chance to go 10 points clear when they visit Almeria on Sunday, Ancelotti is aware of the size of Madrid's task.

Asked about the title race by DAZN, Ancelotti said: "It was already very difficult before this match, now it's more. We are going to fight until the end, that's what I can say.

"We lacked a bit of freshness. But mentally more than physically. At 1-0, it took us 10 minutes to compose ourselves, to reposition ourselves.

"In the first half there was a lack of intensity and in the second, we reached it at the end, but we didn't fully take advantage of the numerical superiority."

However, Ancelotti did reserve praise for Alvaro, who became the youngest player to score in a Madrid derby in LaLiga this century (aged 18 years and 226 days).

"It was very important for him, a young man with an enormous dream of playing for Real Madrid," Ancelotti said of the Uruguayan forward. "This will be a special night in his life."

Alvaro's 85th-minute header denied Diego Simeone a famous victory on the day he matched Luis Aragones' record tally of 612 games in charge of Atleti, and the Colchoneros boss opted to focus on Correa's red card – issued for an innocuous push on Antonio Rudiger – in his post-match interview.

"Those who have played know that contact is not always a blow. Rudiger is 1.94 metres tall and such a brutal blow left him sitting down… then he immediately gets up," Simeone told DAZN.

"It may be a yellow, but taking out a player for that... there would be no players left on the field. 

"It repeats itself, it is becoming normal and that is not right, and it would be nice if we could all compete in the same way.

"I think that VAR exposes errors much more. Every time we come here, it is never our turn to be in favour."

The result saw Atleti halt a run of three successive league defeats at the home of their cross-city rivals, though Madrid have now lost just one of their last 14 matches against Los Colchoneros in LaLiga (W6 D7).

Teenage forward Alvaro Rodriguez came off the bench to rescue Real Madrid in a dramatic 1-1 derby draw with 10-man Atletico Madrid, heading a late equaliser to cancel out Jose Gimenez's goal.

Despite half-time substitute Angel Correa controversially seeing red for a push on Antonio Rudiger, Atleti looked set for a famous win at Santiago Bernabeu when Gimenez headed them into the lead with 12 minutes left.

However, 18-year-old Rodriguez rose to nod Luka Modric's corner beyond Jan Oblak with five minutes remaining, scoring his first senior goal for Los Blancos in dramatic fashion. 

While Madrid will be relieved to have avoided a surprise defeat, they are now seven points adrift of LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who could extend that gap to 10 points when they visit Almeria on Sunday.

Manchester City bounced back as they returned to winning ways with an emphatic 4-1 win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

After their disappointing 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest last week was followed by another in the Champions League at RB Leipzig on Wednesday, City responded with a ruthless performance at the Vitality Stadium.

Goals from Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and a Chris Mepham own goal took Pep Guardiola's men back to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal, after the Gunners had beaten Leicester City earlier in the day.

Bournemouth pulled a late goal back through Jefferson Lerma but slip to 19th in the table after West Ham and Leeds United both won against Nottingham Forest and Southampton respectively.

City took the lead in the 15th minute after Rico Lewis won the ball back on the right, with a swift attack leading to Haaland hitting the crossbar with a deflected effort, and Alvarez tapping in the rebound from close range when it fell kindly for him.

It was two just before the half-hour mark when Ilkay Gundogan's cross from the left found Foden, who was put off by a last-ditch tackle by Jordan Zemura, only for the ball to roll to Haaland who slammed home.

The third came just before half-time courtesy of a sloppy square pass from Philip Billing, which presented the ball on a plate for Foden to finish with ease past Neto on his 200th City appearance.

City continued attacking in the second half and had a fourth after a Foden ball in from the right was cleared by Marcos Senesi, but only as far as Alvarez, who fired in via the unfortunate Mepham.

Lerma struck a consolation high into the net in the 83rd minute after a pull-back from the left by Zemura, but City ultimately eased to a handsome win.
 

What does it mean? City remind people what they can do

It has been a strangely inconsistent season for City by their usual standards, though they seemed to have finally taken charge in the Premier League title race when they won 3-1 at Arsenal earlier this month.

A sloppy draw at Forest handed the initiative back to their rivals, but the nature of this demolition of Bournemouth felt ominous.

They looked more like the City that has been posting 90+ points every season, and if they can get back to this kind of showing regularly, Arsenal and Manchester United will certainly have their work cut out.

Another landmark for Haaland

If you can believe it, some people were questioning Haaland after his failure to score against Forest or Leipzig, though his manager blamed his team-mates for not finding him often enough.

He was on the scoresheet again here, and his 27 Premier League goals this season is the most by a City player in a single top-flight campaign since Francis Lee's 33 in 1971-72.

Cherries picked and could drop

Bournemouth earned a much-needed win at Wolves last time out, and while they were never likely to get another against the champions, defeat does mean they fall back into the relegation zone.

That win at Molineux is their only success in their last 11 games in all competitions (D2 L8), and they remain without a win at home since a 3-0 victory against Everton on November 12.

What's next?

It does not get much easier for Bournemouth, who travel to Premier League leaders Arsenal next Saturday, while Man City have a trip to Championship side Bristol City in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday before a crunch league clash with Newcastle United.

Victor Osimhen hit his 10th Serie A goal since the turn of the year as leaders Napoli stretched their advantage to 18 points by winning 2-0 at Empoli.

The Nigerian has scored in his last eight domestic league games, with his efforts bringing a long-awaited Scudetto ever closer.

An early own goal from Ardian Ismajli gave Napoli a strong start, and Osimhen soon doubled the lead with an easy finish.

The victory on the road was tarnished by Mario Rui petulantly kicking out at Francesco Caputo and receiving a red card following a VAR check, but with games running out the Naples giants are looking unstoppable.

A 17th-minute breakthrough arrived when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's ball from left to right was volleyed across goal by Piotr Zielinski, and Ismajli bundled the ball into his own net from close range.

It was 2-0 in the 28th minute and again Kvaratskhelia was involved, with his skidding shot parried by Guglielmo Vicario to the lurking Osimhen, who had a simple task of tucking past the floored goalkeeper.

Napoli moved in for the kill, and Kim Min-jae hit the underside of the bar from close range with an attempted header that turned into an effort off his shoulder.

Empoli won the corresponding game 3-2 last season after being 2-0 down, sealing a league double, so Napoli knew they had to be wary of a fightback from the mid-table hosts.

Osimhen thought he had scored again just before the hour when he ran in behind the Empoli defence and tucked home while stumbling under pressure, but he was narrowly offside when the pass was played.

The task was complicated for Napoli when their former Empoli left-back Rui was red-carded for his cheap shot at Caputo, catching the striker in a tender spot.

With a quarter of the game remaining, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti responded by bringing off forwards Kvaratskhelia and Hirving Lozano, replacing them with midfielder Eljif Elmas and defender Mathias Olivera. In truth, Empoli never looked like taking advantage of their extra man and repeating last season's comeback heroics, having been firmly put in their place this time.

Barbora Krejcikova stunned Iga Swiatek to win the Dubai Tennis Championships, cruising past the world number one in straight sets to clinch her first WTA 1000 title. 

By following up victories over Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula with a ruthless 6-4 6-2 dismantling of Swiatek, Krejcikova became just the fifth woman to beat each of the world's top three players at a single tournament in the last 40 years.

Krejcikova entered Saturday's meeting as the only player to have beaten Swiatek in her eight hard-court finals at tour level, having done so at the Ostrava Open last October.

The Czech looked to be drawing on that experience as she made a flying start, breaking in the opening game through a well-struck backhand. 

Though Swiatek responded with a break of her own in the sixth game, a rare double fault from the Pole saw the momentum swing Krejcikova's way.

Another excellent backhand return gave Krejcikova the opening set's decisive break, after which a visibly frustrated Swiatek was handed a time violation by the umpire.

Things did not get much better from there for the three-time grand slam winner, with a series of masterful returns helping Krejcikova seal two dominant breaks before wrapping things up.

Having clinched a highly impressive win within 91 minutes, Krejcikova told Amazon Prime Video: "It means a lot. 

"It was a great week for me, I was improving with every single game and today, I think I showed my best. 

"I really have to admire Iga for what she is doing. To me, she is a big inspiration and she motivates me every day. It was a great final and I'm definitely happy with the result."

Arsenal moved five points clear at the Premier League summit as Gabriel Martinelli's strike secured a 1-0 win over Leicester City on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta's side ended a three-game winless run in the league with a 4-2 victory over Aston Villa last weekend and they picked up where they left off with a convincing win at the King Power Stadium.

Martinelli scored the deciding goal less than a minute into second half, and the Brazilian was lucky to escape serious injury after being caught on the knee by Wilfred Ndidi as he slotted past Danny Ward.

The win stretched Arsenal's lead at the top of the table, although champions Manchester City can cut that back to just two points with victory over Bournemouth later on Saturday. 

Arsenal thought they had taken the lead shortly before the half-hour mark when Leandro Trossard whipped into the top corner from 18 yards.

Their joy was short-lived, however, as referee Craig Pawson ruled the goal out for a foul on Ward by Ben White following a pitch-side review.

Leicester had the ball in the back of the net through Kelechi Iheanacho soon after, but that was also chalked off after the Nigerian had strayed offside.

Arsenal started the second half in electric fashion and were ahead within 51 seconds of the restart, Martinelli sliding past Ward after being played in by Trossard.  

Leicester threw on Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans after that, yet Arsenal's grasp on the three points never looked in danger in the closing stages as they cantered to another important victory. 

What does it mean? Patience pays off for Gunners

Arsenal were frustrated by Leicester in the opening half, but it did not take long for Arteta's men to make their dominance count after half-time.

The Gunners have now won three consecutive away league games against the Foxes for just the second time, previously doing so between December 1913 and September 1925.

Magical Martinelli

Martinelli was chosen ahead of Eddie Nketiah in the Arsenal attack and the 21-year-old did not disappoint. He scored the decisive goal to add to his strike off the bench against Villa last week and finished the game with a higher pass completion rate than anyone else on the pitch (92.5 per cent).

Tete sums up Foxes woes

Tete endured a torrid outing for the hosts, failing to take a single shot or play any key passes before he was replaced by Tielemans shortly after the hour mark. The Brazilian also attempted just eight passes – the lowest of any starter.

What's next?

The Gunners host Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, with Leicester at home to Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round a day earlier. 

Ireland kept their Six Nations Grand Slam charge on track after a 34-20 victory over a spirited Italy in Rome.

Mack Hansen crossed twice while stand-in captain James Ryan, Hugo Keenan and Bundee Aki also went over at Stadio Olimpico for Andy Farrell's side, who recorded their third straight bonus-point win in this year’s tournament.

Although without the injured Johnny Sexton, the visitors registered their 23rd Six Nations win over Italy in 24 attempts – and 10th on the bounce.

Despite a determined display, the hosts continued their dismal record on home soil, where they have now suffered 24 successive defeats since beating Ireland 10 years ago.

Ireland came flying out the blocks, and although TMO denied James Lowe the opening try after just 90 seconds, the Leinster wing soon turned provider for Ryan to cross.

Having pushed reigning champions France all the way in their Six Nations opener, Italy responded with Stephen Varney going over after a rapid burst from Lorenzo Cannone.

But the visitors soon established control. Keenan broke through and rode challenges to regain the lead, while a series of sharp offloads enabled Aki and Hansen to cross in the corners.

Italy gave themselves hope before the break as Pierre Bruno intercepted Aki's offload on halfway to dash for the line.

A tight second half ensued with the hosts drawing on all their defensive resolve to prevent Ireland from extending their advantage as Paolo Garbisi and Ross Byrne exchanged kicks.

But the visitors finally put the result beyond doubt nine minutes from time when a neat offload released Hansen, who made no mistake in claiming his second try.

Klay Thompson drained 12 threes to achieve an NBA first in the Golden State Warriors' win over the Houston Rockets, showing he is "still so hungry to be great".

It was the second time in Thompson's past six games he had made 12 threes, something no player had previously done multiple times in the same season.

Indeed, Thompson missed his only two two-point attempts, making his 42 points the most ever scored by a player without making a two-point attempt.

The Warriors guard, taking responsibility while Stephen Curry is out injured, was aware of that statistic as he met the media after a 116-101 victory.

"I did something that no one else has ever done before," Thompson said.

"I looked at Steph immediately when I did it, because that man's got all the records, so it's fun to push the game forward with him.

"I'm still so hungry to be great. I'll never be satisfied."

Thompson is averaging career highs in three-point shots attempted (4.4) and made (10.7), while only Buddy Hield (234) has made more than his 210 for the season.

This is in Thompson's first full season back after missing more than two years through injury.

Coach Steve Kerr suggested Thompson "can't just expect to be the same player that you were five years ago", but the 33-year-old is just enjoying himself.

"It's incredibly gratifying," he said. "I always reflect on the year I was not playing. I think about the time I was sidelined, watching.

"Now, it's easy to put everything in perspective and appreciate being able to move my body and play with great pace and flow and not even hesitate or think about anything."

William Saliba vowed "I will be back to my best soon" following a difficult spell of form, ahead of Arsenal's clash with Leicester City.

The defender has played an integral role in the Gunners' Premier League title challenge this season, missing just 14 minutes, while no player has recovered possession in the defensive third on more occasions (100).

Although, the France international feels his standards have dropped in recent weeks since returning from the World Cup, where he played just 27 minutes in Les Bleus' run to the final.

Saliba lost all 10 aerial duels he contested in Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Brentford, while he struggled to cope against Erling Haaland in the defeat by Manchester City.

"I came back [from the World Cup], and I have this little period where I didn't play my best," he told Sky Sports.

"I know I have to work, to get back [to my levels]. I know when I play [well] and when I play [poorly]. We are lucky here, I have the coaches to help me grow.

"When you play well, it's good, also, to know when you aren't - [Arteta] tells you. He gives you advice every day - to get better.

"This is the best league in the world, there is no excuse. If I am bad, I am bad. I don't say: 'Yes, this is my first season in the Premier League'. I will be back to my best soon, but I have to work."

Mikel Arteta's side moved two points clear at the Premier League summit with a game in hand on second-place City when they twice came from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-2 last weekend.

It was a welcome boost for the Gunners, of whom questions had been asked following a three-game winless streak, but Saliba feels he and his team-mates demonstrated their credentials.

"We didn't start well [against Villa], it was a bad first half," he added.

"When we got into the dressing room, the boss gave us some good advice. We knew we could come back. We have a good mentality, and we never give up, and we trust each other. 

"We only focus on us, not on what the people say - and I think that's most important."

De'Aaron Fox led the Sacramento Kings to victory in the second-highest scoring game of all time but had no interest in repeating the experience.

The Kings beat the Los Angeles Clippers 176-175 in double overtime on Friday, with the two teams combining for 351 points.

Only the Detroit Pistons' 186-184 victory over the Denver Nuggets in 1983 had seen more points in a game.

Indeed, only those Pistons and Nuggets teams had previously reached 175 points as both the Kings and the Clippers did in this encounter.

It was the first game in NBA history to go to overtime after both teams had scored 150 points, with the game then tied at 153-153.

Three players across the two teams had 40-point games, but Fox was the undoubted star.

He had 42 points, along with 12 rebounds and, vitally, five steals – with many of those coming down the stretch as the Kings recovered from 11 points down with three minutes left in regulation.

Fox acknowledged it was the best regular season game he had been a part of but also called it a "grind" before adding to some laughter: "Obviously, we don't want to play in a game like this again.

"I think we have to be more consistent defensively, and we've talked about this, we've talked about this all year. But that is what it is, right there."

Fox, described as "unbelievable" by coach Mike Brown, recognised the standard of the offense, too, though.

"It was very high-level offensive play today from just about everybody who is out there," Fox said before explaining what he thought was the key.

"We were able to win this game because we lasted a bit longer, we're younger, and we just tried to keep the tempo up, even in the fourth, even in both overtimes," he said.

"We wanted to keep the tempo up, keep it up. I felt like we were able to get some easy buckets out of that.

"Once we started causing turnovers and just creating chaos in the game, that's where we were successful."

Russell Westbrook was making his debut for the Clippers, but that was of no concern to Fox, who said: "Is it about Westbrook, or is it about us?

"Because I don't give a f*** who's over there. It doesn't matter.

"You see the talent in this league, there are a lot of talented teams. Obviously we added talent to this team, but we come in and we worry about us."

Clippers coach Ty Lue was at least enthused by what he saw from Westbrook, who finished with 17 points and 14 assists.

"I thought he was great," Lue said. "He's still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball, running the plays and things like that. I thought he did a really good job."

When Alex Ferguson addressed Manchester United's fans at Old Trafford in 2013 asking them to support his chosen successor, David Moyes, few would have anticipated what the next decade would be like for the club.

In the final nine years of his near 27 in charge of United, Ferguson won five Premier League titles, three EFL Cups and the Champions League.

The nine seasons following his retirement brought the Red Devils just one FA Cup, one EFL Cup and the Europa League.

That Europa League success in 2017 was the last time United won a trophy of any kind, with a rare gap of six years without silverware for the club with the most league title wins in England.

However, Sunday gives them an opportunity to bring that drought to an end when they face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final, and it could be the latest step on the impressive return to form overseen by Erik ten Hag since his arrival ahead of this season.

The Dutch coach was the eventual replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Ralf Rangnick's interim spell in between, but it's easy to forget how badly things started for Ten Hag.

United's first two games of the season saw them lose 2-1 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion before being thrashed 4-0 at Brentford.

Since then, Ten Hag's side have won 28 of their 37 games in all competitions, scoring 74 goals and conceding just 32, and overall they have a win percentage of 71.8.

Between Ferguson leaving and Ten Hag arriving, United have had Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer as permanent managers, none of whom had a win percentage as high after their first 39 games, with only Mourinho's above 60 per cent (61.5).

In fact, Ten Hag has already won more games than Moyes did in his entire 51 game spell (27).

Interestingly, Ten Hag's United have only scored a few more goals than Mourinho's did in his first 39 games (75-71), and have actually conceded more (38-30).

In terms of goal output, this United team has not outperformed previous ones across their first 39 games by all that much, with Moyes' side scoring 66 and conceding 39, Van Gaal's scoring 68 and conceding 38 and Solskjaer's scoring 58 and letting 43 in.

Ten Hag's side have clearly been more efficient in finding the goals to win games though, forcing those fine margins in their favour that are so often the difference between what is perceived to be success and failure at top clubs.

Statistically, the only noticeably significant difference in Ten Hag's United compared to his predecessors during their overall tenures at the club has come in the intensity of the team's pressing game.

Under the former Ajax boss, United have been winning possession in the final third at an average of 5.5 times per game, compared to Solskjaer's era when it was 4.2, Van Gaal's at 4.1, Mourinho's at 3.9 and Moyes at 2.7.

The trend was developing that way under Rangnick's brief interim spell at 4.7 times per game, but Ten Hag has taken it up another level again this season, making them look more like the aggressive high-octane United people remember under Ferguson.

The addition of Casemiro to the midfield has undoubtedly helped, with the Brazilian one of the best in the world at winning possession and putting pressure on opposition players.

He has produced all-round performances for United though since arriving from Real Madrid, with only Bruno Fernandes (201), Marcus Rashford (153) and Christian Eriksen (116) recording more than his 102 attacking sequence involvements, with all three having played more minutes than him.

In fact, the additions of Casemiro and Eriksen seem to have brought Fernandes back to the form he showed when he first joined from Sporting CP in January 2020.

It is Rashford, though, who has been the undoubted star of the season so far.

The England international scored just five goals in 32 games in 2021-22, but has hit 24 in 37 this season, already his most in a single campaign for United and including 17 goals at Old Trafford, the most at home by a player in a single season for the Red Devils since Wayne Rooney in 2011-12 (19).

United find themselves in a title race after recent stumbles by Arsenal and Manchester City, while also into the FA Cup fifth round and getting past Barcelona in the Europa League play-off round.

The fans are onside again with prospect of new ownership possibly also round the corner, and there generally seems to be a genuine feel-good factor that has been missing outside of some false dawns in recent years.

When Ferguson spoke to the fans in 2013, it would have been hard to imagine a possible EFL Cup win being seen as such a potentially significant moment for such a proud club, but United fans know as well as anyone that one trophy can often lead to more.

Ten Hag said as much at his press conference on Friday, stating: "I see [the season] so far not as a success. It's more the road to hopefully success. It's only success when you win trophies, but on Sunday we have an opportunity to get success."

It did not prove to be a sign of things to come for Van Gaal, who was sacked after winning the FA Cup, or for Mourinho, who could not follow up his EFL Cup and Europa League double.

It feels like there's more substance to this United revival though, and there are few better ways to cement that than by ending their trophy drought at Wembley on Sunday.

Urs Fischer is not the kind of coach to get overexcited easily. Indeed, there has been little serious talk of a title charge at Union Berlin, despite the fact they have occupied one of the top three spots for much of the season.

"It's even more surreal than it was before the game," Fischer said after Union won 2-1 at RB Leipzig on February 11. "Forty-two points in the 20th round, what should I say?"

A week before, Fischer had insisted 40 points was the only target after Union scraped an unconvincing home win over Mainz.

But that target has been surpassed, and next up it's Bayern Munich, and if Union win, then why shouldn't their fans, players and even coach start to think that something magical could be just around the corner?

The only frustration for Union ahead of Sunday's trip to Allianz Arena is that they do not head to the home of the 10-time reigning champions as league leaders.

Bayern's defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach last Saturday handed Union, hosting lowly Schalke a day later, a chance to move top with a win. Yet a frustrating 0-0 draw, the first time they had dropped points since before the World Cup, instead sees them sit third, with Borussia Dortmund having leapfrogged into second.

All three teams sit on 43 points and, with 13 rounds of games remaining, the title race is wide open.

Union returned to form in style on Thursday, beating Dutch giants Ajax 3-1 at home to seal their progression in the Europa League.

"It really doesn't get any better. I'm not only proud of the team, we can all be proud of ourselves," said Fischer afterwards.

With the help of Opta data and a German football expert, Stats Perform looks at what has been behind Union's remarkable campaign.

More than one way to play

"Everybody is obsessed with pressing, pressing and pressing, leaving huge gaps for players to exploit," Lewis Ambrose, a football writer based in Berlin, told Stats Perform.

"Why I think [Union] are doing so well is they just don't buy into that. It's about protecting our box and the other team can have it as much as they want, they're just not allowed to do what they want with it."

The data suggests this is the case. Union head into Sunday's game with the fewest pressed sequences of any side in the Bundesliga.

On average, they allow their opponents 15.8 passes outside their own defensive third before a defensive action occurs. Opta defines this as passes per defensive action (PPDA).

PPDA is the number of opposition passes allowed outside the pressing team's own defensive third, divided by the number of defensive actions by the pressing team outside their own defensive third. Essentially, a lower number means a team presses more frequently, while a higher number suggests a more passive approach.

Union have won the ball back in the opposition's third on 76 occasions across 21 league games this season, the second-lowest total in the Bundesliga after Bayer Leverkusen (69). Heading into the weekend, they also ranked in the bottom six for high turnovers (151) and bottom four for shot-ending high turnovers (19), scoring just once from such situations.

Bayern, on the other hand, lead the league with 138 instances of winning possession in the opposition defensive third, while they have the lowest PPDA (10.4). Their six goals from high turnovers is a joint-league high along with Eintracht Frankfurt, while Bayern are way clear in terms of high turnovers (237) and shot-ending high turnovers (42).

But Union are going about things their own way, and it's one of the secrets to their success.

Defence first

"Most Bundesliga teams are happy to play in a 'you score three, we'll score four' type of way, and it all ties into nipping the ball high up the pitch," Ambrose explained.

"Union have gone 'let's make sure nobody takes the ball in our final third, and they'll come onto us and leave gaps that way'. 

"In a league where everybody plays one way, they play the complete opposite way."

Sunday's game is between the two sides to have outperformed their expected goals (xG) more than any other Bundesliga teams this season. 

Bayern's league-high 45.03 xG has been improved on by 15.97, with the team scoring 61 goals, and this is by far the biggest margin in the competition. Union, meanwhile, have netted 11.15 goals more than they would have been expected to, based on the quality of opportunities they have created and shots they have taken (35 goals from 23.85 xG).

Going the other way, Union have conceded the second-fewest goals in the league (24), behind only Bayern (21). Yet their defence has been the best when it comes to expected goals against (xGA).

Union have actually conceded close to four goals more than would have been anticipated. This, combined with their 23.7 expected goals on target conceded (xGOT), which gives more credit to shots that end up in the corners compared with shots that go straight down the middle of the goal, shows they have been subject to some quality finishing from the opposition.

An uncompromising coach

Fischer was hardly the most celebrated of defenders during his playing career, which he spent entirely in his home country of Switzerland.

His coaching career, too, saw him lead FC Zurich, Thun and Basel before he made the move to Germany's second tier in 2018. The rest, as they say, is history.

Fischer got Union promoted in his first season in charge and after securing 11th in the 2019-20 season, took them up to seventh the following year and a remarkable fifth last term.

He has overseen 123 Bundesliga matches, winning 53 (43.1), losing 38 and drawing the other 32. As you'd expect, his team do not score many (176 in 123 Bundesliga matches, an average of 1.4 per game), but equally they keep things tight, conceding 169. Fischer has averaged 1.55 points per game in the top flight.

Ambrose believes Union are the perfect fit for Fischer, saying: "I can't imagine Fischer taking one of the top jobs in Germany and doing well.

"The only way it's ever going to work is if every player buys in, leaves their ego at the door, parks that to one side and is willing to sacrifice having fun on the pitch. I'm sure they're having the time of their lives, but if they're willing to sacrifice any flair, ego, they have to fight for the team and every loose ball."

The noisy neighbours

Hertha Berlin have for years been the prominent club in Germany's capital, but as they struggle at the wrong end of the table after scraping to survival last season, it's Union who are taking the bragging rights.

Since Union's promotion in 2019, they have won six of the nine derby meetings with their city rivals, who have taken just two victories. Union have won the last four by an aggregate score of 12-4.

"They're the model club," Ambrose says. "They don't spend much money, the fans get involved, the results improve, whereas Hertha have pumped money in chasing magic results and fallen deeper into crisis."

Going all the way...

Bayern are unbeaten against Union Berlin in the Bundesliga (W4, D3) – they have only faced Rot-Weiss Oberhausen and SV Darmstadt (both eight times) more often in the top flight without ever losing. Indeed, Bayern are the only current top-flight side that Union have never managed to beat.

Yet a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in August showed Union's mettle, and what better time to break their duck than now? After all, they have more league wins than Julian Nagelsmann's team this season (13 to 12) and have won each of their last three Bundesliga away games, equalling a club record.

Ambrose thinks Union will ultimately fall short due to results such as last week's draw to Schalke, but he sees no reason why the underdogs shouldn't believe they can pull off a sporting miracle.

"If they lose on Sunday, or finish six, seven points short, nobody is going to say they've failed," he said.

"I think they think they can [win the league] and they'll never admit it. They won't buy into the idea of a race, they're just riding the wave and enjoy it week by week.

"They'll back themselves to win any game at home because the atmosphere is brilliant and teams hate going there, and they'll probably back themselves to beat anyone away as well.

"There's no reason for them not to believe."