Sporting vs Man City LIVE: Champions League latest updates as Gyokeres hat-trick gives Amorim a famous win
Sporting CP 4-1 Man City: Gyokeres scores a hat-trick as City lose their third match in a row
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester City fell to a 4-1 defeat agaisnt Sporting CP in Lisbon on an action-packed night of Champions League football.
City were ahead early on after Phil Foden’s low drive beat Franco Isreal, and the away side dominated the rest of the first half, but Sporting were level out of nowhere as Geovany Quenda found Viktor Gyokeres running in-behind the City defence and the Swedish striker slotted past Ederson.
And the second half sprung into life almost immediately as Goncalves slipped the perfect through ball to Maximiliano Araujo, who slotted past Ederson.
Sporting were 3-1 up a little less than 120 seconds later too, as Josko Gvardiol brought down Francisco Trincao in the box and Gyokeres converted from the spot.
The match was suddenly frantic at a raucous Alvalade, though City had a chance to get into it as Bernardo Silva won a penalty. However, Erling Haaland blasted against the bar from the spot, and Sporting soon took advantage as Geny Catamo won their second penalty of the night, and Gyokeres converted for his hat-trick in a memorable night for Ruben Amorim.
Follow all the action from the Champions League with our live blog below:
Ruben Amorim’s Sporting farewell gives Manchester United a glimpse of what’s to come
Ruben Amorim endeared himself to Manchester United fans before even arriving at Old Trafford by engineering a stunning 4-1 defeat of Manchester City with Sporting CP.
The Portuguese was taking charge of his final home match as Sporting boss before officially starting work as United’s head coach and watched as his side came from behind to thrash City in the Champions League.
City took an early lead through Phil Foden but Sporting hit back with a hat-trick that included two penalties from Viktor Gyokeres – who has been tipped to follow Amorim to United – and a strike by Maximiliano Araujo.
Ruben Amorim’s Sporting farewell gives Manchester United a glimpse of what’s to come
Sporting 4-1 Man City: Amorim’s side hammered Manchester City in the manager’s final home game before he makes the move to Old Trafford
‘Will Amorim really change anything at Manchester United?’ 11 of your questions answered
Following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, Manchester United fans have been left with a flood of questions — many of which surrounded the appointment of his successor, Ruben Amorim.
After intense negotiations with Sporting Lisbon, the club has now confirmed Amorim as United’s new manager.
Sporting has insisted that Amorim remain until the international break, meaning he’ll still lead them against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday.
As the major appointment unfolded, Miguel Delaney was on hand to answer questions from Independent readers on the wider implications of Amorim’s appointment.
It’s a time of upheaval across the football world, and United’s latest managerial shift adds another layer to a season full of uncertainty and intrigue. Unsurprisingy then, I also tackled questions on whether we should still care about the Ballon d’Or, Newcastle’s controversial takeover and broader questions on the sport’s values and future.
‘Will Amorim change Manchester United?’ 11 of your questions answered
As the club finally confirmed Erik ten Hag’s replacement, our chief football writer, Miguel Delaney, hosted an exclusive Q&A session, covering everything from whether the move signals early success for INEOS to if the squad aligns with the new manager’s playing style
Tomorrow’s Champions League fixtures
Arsenal and Aston Villa are among the sides in action in the Champions League, with Villa looking to return to the top of the league phase table with a big win over Club Brugge.
Arsenal take on Inter in an intriguing clash in Milan.
The fixtures are as follows, with kick-off at 8pm unless stated:
Club Brugge v Aston Villa (5.45pm GMT)
Shakhtar v Young Boys (5.45pm GMT)
Feyenoord v Salzburg
PSG v Atletico
Bayern v Benfica
Sparta Praha v Brest
Red Star v Barcelona
Inter v Arsenal
Stuttgart v Atalanta
Arne Slot’s Liverpool evoke European history with devastatingly effortless display against Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso said he didn’t want to come to Liverpool as tourists and his Bayer Leverkusen certainly leave without any mementoes. Not a point. Not a goal. Not their pride. Not any hold on Luis Diaz, either, who hit a hat-trick. Leverkusen didn’t even see that much of the ball, as Liverpool translated almost 60% possession into a thoroughly convincing 4-0 win. It was fitting of a team first in this expanded table.
For all the inevitable focus on a former Liverpool Champions League winner who knew how to play a pass - and suffered a reckoning here - wins like this are maybe the moment when it’s worth going even further back into the club’s European history. There is a genuinely noteworthy reference, that actually came the last time Liverpool saw a talismanic and charismatic figurehead replaced by a more placid but possibly more calculating character.
Bob Paisley once spoke of a realisation he came to in the mid-70s, when he was still bringing the club out of the Bill Shankly era, and Liverpool hadn’t yet won any of their six European Cups. “We realised it was no use winning the ball if you finished up in your backside. The Europeans showed us how to break out of defence effectively. We had to learn to be patient and think about the next two or three moves when we had the ball.”
Arne Slot’s Liverpool evoke European history with devastatingly effortless display
Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Luis Diaz scored a hat-trick as the Reds ran riot against the Bundesliga champions in a clinical second half performance
Champions League results
Here’s a rundown of the results from this evening – some big scores there!
City have lost three matches in a row for the first time since May to August 2021, a sequence which bridged two seasons and started with the Champions League final loss to Chelsea.
Gyokeres became only the second Swedish player to score a hat-trick in the competition, after Zlatan Ibrahimović, who scored four goals for Paris Saint-Germain in a 5-0 away win against Anderlecht in October 2013.
Sporting CP have won 15 and drawn one of their last 16 matches in all competitions.
Amorim reacts
Amorim very briefly spoke to TNT, and he gives his players credit for the turnaround, adding that it was a perfect way to say goodbye.
“It was written, I think.
“We were very lucky, but the the second half, we scored twice, and then the environment was helping us. It was an amazing night.
“[We got] lucky, a little bit more lucky. 2-1 and 3-1 was nothing tactical, it was just so fast. But we closed more in the middle, covering kovacic, so we improved, but then 3-1 the environment pushed us to the end of the game,” he adds.
Guardiola: “Emotionally, we were not stable enough"
Pep Guardiola lamented that his side were “stable enough” tonight, both in their emotions and due to injuries.
“I cannot imagine we lose 4-1, congratulations to Sporting.
“We had a fantastic first half, but we struggled to score. [Then] they were much better.
“Every pass, the simple things we missed sometimes. They can run, and they punished us. We have to avoid the third and the fourth. Emotionally, we were not stable enough.
“They made good movements, they are fast, and they scored.
“When you play a lot of games you can’t play with the same back four. Now is a difficult moment, but I’m here, I want be here, and I want to fight.”
Bernardo Silva reacts
Silva was the first to speak to TNT Sports, and he says that City are “just not good enough at the minute”.
“It’s a weird feeling because I actually thought that we started well. We were controlling th game, we were creating chances.
“We knew how strong they are on the counter. In the beginning of the second half, we just gave them too many opportunities.
“We’re in a bit of a bad place right now, and everything looks to be going in the wrong way. We concede too easily.
“We need to start to get better very quickly, or it will be difficult to come back from these losses.
“It’s football, it’s difficult to find reasons for what is happening to us. I don’t remember us losing three games in a row in seven-and-a-half seasons.
“Even though we lost these three games, we’re still in a good position. We’re still fighting for everything, but we need to do better, our inured players need to come back.
“It’s just not good enough at the minute,” he adds.
FULL-TIME! Sporting CP 4-1 Man City
That win puts Sporting CP second in the competition’s league table for now. They have 10 points, three behind Liverpool, but could be overtaken by any of Inter Milan, Aston Villa, Arsenal or Brest tomorrow.
City fall to sixth in the table, with seven points from their opening four games.
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