12-23-2019, 08:24 AM
MANCHESTER, England -- The reality of life after Alex Ferguson is really kicking in at Manchester United, which is languishing in mid-table after a painful 4-1 loss to its local rival. To chants of "Easy! Easy!" Manchester City ripped United apart at Etihad Stadium to leave the champions staring at a five-point gap to early pacesetters Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. "Its horrible to lose the derby -- its always horrible. Its worse when you lose in this way," said United captain Nemanja Vidic, whose team was four goals down after 50 minutes. Arsenal leads on goal difference from Spurs after Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil, making his home debut, set up all his teams goals in a 3-1 win over Stoke, while Tottenham needed a strike in the third minute of stoppage time by Brazil midfielder Paulinho to snatch a 1-0 win at Cardiff. Both north London clubs have won four of their opening five matches and have overhauled Liverpool, which lost 1-0 to Southampton on Saturday. "The only thing of our position at the moment is that we are in a position where we can focus on improvement in a stable environment, so thats a good basis," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Swansea beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in the other match, with Spanish forward Michu scoring for the third straight match this week. It is Uniteds worst start to a Premier League campaign since the 2004-05 season. And after a testing first five league matches where the team has picked up just one point from matches against Liverpool, Chelsea and City, it doesnt get any easier for Moyes. On Wednesday, Liverpool will visit Old Trafford for a League Cup third-round match with Luis Suarez back from a 10-match ban and likely to play a full-strength team with no European football to worry about this season. "Ive made them aware of what I think," Moyes said, when asked if he had given the team the "hairdryer treatment" Ferguson was famous for at halftime intervals. United was all over the place against City, its defence overpowered by the strength of Alvaro Negredo and the darting runs of Sergio Aguero, who opened the scoring in the 16th minute with an acrobatic volley and scored two minutes after the break to make it 3-0. Yaya Toure had doubled Citys lead in first-half injury time and Samir Nasri lifted an already-euphoric atmosphere inside the Etihad up a notch by volleying home in the 50th minute. Wayne Rooneys superb, curling free kick in the 87th minute was a consolation for United, which hasnt scored in open play in the league since the opening-day 4-1 victory at Swansea. Robin van Persie was missing for United because of a groin injury, a telling blow with the Dutchman having linked up so well with Rooney in recent matches. "The start to the season could be a lot better," Moyes said. "We did say it could be difficult start." Citys off-season spending of around 90 million pounds (now $144 million) is starting to reap its rewards, with the team now two points behind Arsenal and Spurs after its best performance of the season. "Its an important game for the team," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. "And for the fans they will be happy for the month now." At Arsenal, the in-form Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring in the fifth minute after Ozils free kick was parried by goalkeeper Asmir Begovic before Geoff Cameron equalized for Stoke. Per Mertesacker restored Arsenals lead in the 36th minute by darting in to meet Ozils corner with a header and Bacary Sagna was on the end of another Ozil set piece in the 72nd, heading in from a free kick. Spurs left it late in south Wales, gaining the win they deserved when Paulinho tapped in Erik Lamelas pass from close range for his first Premier League goal. "We played so much football it would have been unfair to leave here with only one point," Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said. Nathan Dyer added to Michus early strike for Swansea, completing a satisfying week for the Welsh club after beating Valencia 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday. Montrezl Harrell Jersey . With Washington teammate Nene drawing double-teams coming off his big game against the Lakers, Gortat scored 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Wizards to a 100-92 win in overtime over Milwaukee on Wednesday night. Darius Miles Jersey .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. https://www.cheapclippersonline.com/1100...ppers.html. Orlando is to begin play in the MLS for the 2015 season. Kaka, who currently plays with AC Milan, is expected to be loaned out to his home club Sao Paulo for the upcoming season before joining Orlando for next season. Eric Bledsoe Jersey . - Henrik Samuelsson and Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists as the Edmonton Oil Kings secured top spot in the Eastern Conference by defeating the host Red Deer Rebels 7-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Bill Walton Jersey . - The Seattle Sounders busy off-season continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Given the number of Buffalo Sabres players being mentioned in trade talks, interim coach Ted Nolan has established a running joke with captain Steve Ott. "You dont want to make light of it, but every day when I walk in, I say, Steve, youre still here," Nolan said, with a chuckle after the teams pre-game skate Friday. The question remains, for how long? And the buzz leading up to the NHLs trade deadline Wednesday hasnt been limited to Ott, who is in the final year of his contract and eligible to become a free agent this summer. Goalie Ryan Miller, forward Matt Moulson and veteran defenceman Henrik Tallinder are also being shopped because their contracts are coming up, too. And add defenceman Christian Ehrhoff to the group after confirming he recently complied with the Sabres request to submit a list of eight teams that would make up the no-trade clause of his contract. Though the submission of the list doesnt guarantee Ehrhoff will be dealt, it suggests the 10-year veteran has been the subject of trade conversations. Ehrhoff was not caught by surprise. "No, not really because obviously, we are in 30th place and they have to be prepared," said Ehrhoff, who declined to reveal what teams were on his list. "Its just part of the business. Ill keep focusing on hockey." The Sabres (17-34-8), who host San Jose on Friday, are bracing for a shakeup under newly hired general manager Tim Murray, who continues to drop major hints that hes eager to make big splashes in a bid to rebuild the NHLs worst team through youth. On Tuesday, Murray confirmed hes shopping Miller, adding hes fielded calls from more than two but fewer than 10 teams. On Friday, during an interview with Torontos FAN 590, Murray narrowed the number of teams interested in Miller to about five, while adding that much of his entire roster is available. "Theres no untouchables," said Murray, who took over in early January. "Its a rebuild." The Sabres are in the midst of an overhaul that began under Murrays predecessor, Darcy Reegier, who was fired in November.dddddddddddd Buffalo will likely miss the playoffs for a third straight season and hasnt won a playoff round since 2007, when the team reached the Eastern Conference finals before losing to Ottawa. The roster purge began last season, when the Sabres traded numerous high-priced veterans, including captain Jason Pominville. And it continued into October, when Thomas Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders for Moulson and a first-round draft pick. The Sabres, as a result, have stockpiled draft picks. They could have as many as two first-round and three second-round selections in this years draft. Buffalo also has a solid group of prospects in its farm system, including defencemen Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, who were both drafted in the first round in June. Murrays objective is to add more draft picks or young prospects. Ehrhoff has value because hes a dependable two-way defenceman who leads the team averaging 24:02 of ice time per game, and leads Sabres blue liners with 28 points (six goals, 22 assists). Hes in his third season with Buffalo after signing a 10-year, $40 million contract on June 30, 2011. Miller, who is set to start against San Jose, has already spent much of this week reminiscing about his 11 seasons in Buffalo, and making sure to thank fans for their support. "Its a great place to play hockey. You feel part of something. You feel appreciated," said Miller, who holds franchise records with 284 wins and 540 games played. "With the uncertainty, you dont want to miss an opportunity to say, Thank you." Miller recalled with a laugh the time a fan approached him at a local grocery store to provide pointers on how to hold his stick. And then there were the times when "sweet old ladies" would come up and hug him and suggest he needs to eat more. "I always got a kick out of the people who wanted to get me more to eat because they thought I was a little thin," said Miller, who is 6-foot-2 and 168 pounds. "Its good that people care." ' ' '