HARRY MAGUIRE

A bad season just keeps on getting worse for Manchester United.

It's been nine years since then-English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke set the national team the bold target of winning the 2022 World Cup.

Harry Maguire has been dropped by Manchester United despite being its club captain and the most expensive defender in soccer history.

Manchester United delivered a performance of intensity and spirit against a backdrop of protests against the club’s ownership to beat fierce rival Liverpool 2-1 and finally claim its first points in the Premier League this season.

Thousands of Manchester United fans angry at the direction of the club under its American owners took part in a protest ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool.

It appears Ralf Rangnick was correct when he made the blunt assessment that Manchester United needed soccer’s equivalent of “open-heart surgery” to fix the many issues afflicting England’s biggest club.

It was a Premier League day that could hardly have gone any better for Tottenham.

Manchester City has completed the double over Manchester United with a second derby win of the Premier League season.

Manchester United conceded twice in 24 seconds at Leeds to throw away the lead before goals from substitutes Fred and Anthony Elanga secured a 4-2 victory in the Premier League.

Ralf Rangnick has started his tenure as Manchester United manager with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League thanks to a rare goal from Fred at Old Trafford.

An investigation into the disorder at the European Championship final says aggression by England fans exposed an “embarrassing” part of the national culture that endangered lives and should lead to fans being barred from stadiums if they are chanting abuse and under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The pressure on Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reached new levels after the team’s latest Premier League setback, a dispiriting 4-1 loss to struggling Watford.

Mohamed Salah scored a hat trick as Liverpool humiliated Manchester United 5-0 in the Premier League.

England has reached the European Championship semifinals by beating Ukraine 4-0.

The wait goes on for Manchester City.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford rests during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Sunday, March. “It’s the life of a footballer — we can rest when we retire,” Rashford said Wednesday, a day before appearance No. Indeed, his priority is winning trophies with United, which hasn’t happened for nearly four years now — since capturing the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the semifinals have been the ceiling for United in cup competitions and Rashford said it’s time to put that right. “We unfortunately got kicked out of the Champions League and our focus was to win the Europa League," he said, "and we are not going to be happy with anything less than that.

Manchester United's Harry Maguire celebrates at the final whistle during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 7, 2021. Manchester United won 2-0. City running away with the title seemed unimaginable in November when it lost to then-leader Tottenham. Champions by 18 points last season, Liverpool is now a remarkable 22 points behind City. The season's hopes are now on progressing past Leipzig to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

(Tim Keeton/Pool via AP)MANCHESTER – The People's Club welcomed back its fans and Chelsea felt the full force. It means third-place Chelsea can be overtaken — if Leicester beats Brighton on Sunday — and front-runners Tottenham and Liverpool can pull further away at the top of the Premier League. “The impact was really strong — we were really pleased," Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said. There was no atmosphere, no intensity and no goals as Manchester United and Manchester City drew 0-0 in the 183rd derby. The rivals are both unusually low in the Premier League, too.

After his team’s stirring comeback in a 3-1 win at Everton in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn’t hold back, either. Edinson Cavani capped the fightback with his first goal for United deep in stoppage time. ZIYECH STARSLike United, Chelsea also fought back from conceding an early goal and ultimately swept aside Sheffield United in a 4-1 win. And like United, Chelsea had a creative playmaker pulling the strings as the catalyst for the recovery. “We played against him in the Champions League last year,” Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said of Ziyech.

Early in what proved to be a painful Merseyside derby for Liverpool, Van Dijk was the subject of a reckless lunge by Jordan Pickford that saw the Everton goalkeeper clatter into the extended right leg of the Netherlands defender. Van Dijk roared in agony and, tellingly, stayed down. There was no official word from Liverpool on the potential length of his absence, but Van Dijk reportedly left hospital on crutches in the evening. Van Dijk might have been marking Keane and Calvert-Lewin for both of those Everton chances. For Southampton’s second goal, Kurt Zouma underhit a back pass before goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga made two errors in a matter of seconds to allow Che Adams to score.

Tottenham's Serge Aurier, left, celebrates after scoring his side's fifth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. (Carl Recine/Pool via AP)MANCHESTER – Tottenham tore apart Manchester United for a 6-1 victory at Old Trafford on Sunday, exposing the defensive weaknesses in Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side by inflicting the team's joint-heaviest Premier League defeat at home. Not since 1986 has United opened the league season with back-to-back home losses. In contrast to that late penalty on the south coast, United was immediately off the mark from the spot against Tottenham. United was carved apart when Kane slipped the pass through for Son who lifted the ball over goalkeeper David De Gea.

(Richard Heathcote/Pool via AP)Manchester United began its Premier League campaign with a performance as disjointed as its offseason. Maybe the 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday shouldn’t really have come as a surprise. After all, United only ended a pandemic-prolonged 2019-20 season 33 days ago with a demoralizing loss to Sevilla in the Europa League semifinals. “We knew Manchester United didn’t play last week and that we had the mental advantage,” Palace winger Andros Townsend said. On a day when 21 goals were scored in four games, there were also wins for Everton, Leeds and Arsenal.

England soccer player Harry Maguire leaves a court building on the Aegean island of Syros, Greece, on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. The Manchester United captain was arrested during a brawl on the neighbouring holiday island of Mykonos. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)THESSALONIKI Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is due to go on trial in Greece on Tuesday on assault charges following his arrest after a brawl last week on the island of Mykonos. Maguire, who was released from custody over the weekend, is not expected to be present at the trial on the nearby island of Syros. The England defender and two other unnamed defendants have been charged with assault and swearing in public, and Maguire has also been accused of attempting to bribe a police officer following his arrest.

Manchester United's Eric Bailly receives treatment after a clash of heads during the English FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London, England, Sunday, July 19, 2020. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP)LONDON Manchester United defender Eric Bailly was wheeled off on a stretcher and wearing an oxygen mask after a second clash of heads during Sunday's FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea. Bailly had returned to action after an aerial collision with Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma. But during a lengthy stoppage, Bailly staggered on the touchline before being placed on a stretcher and wheeled off the Wembley touchline on a stretcher by medical staff wearing protective clothing as part of coronavirus prevention measures. There was applause from the few people inside Wembley, where fans are locked out due to the pandemic.

(Andy Rain, Pool via AP)LONDON At least David De Gea was spared having a crowd inside Wembley to witness his latest mistakes in the Manchester United goal. Gifted goals to beat United 3-1 on Sunday, Chelsea will be returning to the national stadium on Aug. 1 to face Arsenal in an all-London FA Cup final. Olivier Giroud's close-range deft touch from Cesar Azpilicueta's cross was pushed into his own goal by De Gea. De Gea hadnt played in the competition since the 2018 final when Chelsea beat United. It means Frank Lampard's first season as Chelsea manager will end with a cup final.