The huge call Eddie Howe got right and the reason this is NOT a corne… — and more

After five defeats in six, they had dropped to 13th in the table amid fears of them missing out on a European-placed finish. But Eddie Howe and his players responded valiantly.

Paul Scholes appeared to mock his former teammate Michael Carrick, just minutes after he was handed his first defeat as Manchester United caretaker boss by Newcastle.

Unbeaten streak ends

United suffered a 2-1 loss to Newcastle at St James’ Park on Wednesday evening, ending Carrick’s eight-game unbeaten run since he was named Ruben Amorim’s temporary replacement in December last year.

The Red Devils headed into the meeting with confidence, but they were rocked in first-half stoppage time when the hosts were awarded a penalty after Bruno Fernandes was judged to have fouled Anthony Gordon inside the danger area.

Gordon stepped up to take the spot kick and made no mistake despite Senne Lammens diving the right way.

But United didn’t trail for too long. Fernandes made amends, supplying the assist for Casemiro, moments before the two teams went down the tunnel for half-time.

Jacob Ramsey’s second booking handed United a golden opportunity on a plate, but Carrick’s men inexplicably failed to take it. What followed was a tepid display, completely devoid of the pace and intensity required to break down the opposition.

United were made to pay when William Osula scored a 90th-minute winner to secure the three points for the Magpies. United remain in third place in the table, but they certainly missed a chance to put some distance between them and their top-four rivals.

Scholes’ jab

Almost immediately after the final whistle, Scholes made it very clear how he felt about the loss in Tyneside.

He took to Instagram story and wrote, “Michael has definitely got something special about him… Cos Utd have been CRAP last 4 games… Night! Tonali (with a heart emoji).”

His Tonali reference goes back to when Scholes claimed that the Italian is a much better midfielder than Arsenal’s Declan Rice.

Given Scholes’s long-held and vocal stance that Carrick should not be appointed as United’s permanent manager, it was perhaps predictable that he seemed to take some satisfaction in witnessing his first defeat. The pair played 160 games together for United between 2006 and 2013.

Scholes and Carrick won eight major trophies together including five Premier League titles and one Champions League title.

Featured image George Wood via Getty Images

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Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro feels that boos against Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni are ‘ridiculous’ as even if the Italian centre-back made a mistake, he ‘can’t pay for the rest of his life.’

Inter defender Bastoni remains a target of fans across Italy after an incident in February that led to a red card for Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu.

Bastoni not only deceived the referee by going down too easily to earn his opponent a red card, but also celebrated when the referee gave Kalulu his marching orders.

Bastoni ‘can’t pay for the rest of his life’ after Inter vs. Juventus

Bastoni was greeted with boos at the following away games at Lecce and Como, but ex-Juventus winger Mauro feels the reactions have been excessive, especially since the incident happened almost a month ago.

“The fact that Bastoni gets booed everywhere is a bit ridiculous. At this point, you’d have to boo 60-70% of footballers,” Mauro told Gazzetta.

“Right now, I can’t take the boos against him seriously.”

Mauro concedes that Bastoni made a mistake, but this doesn’t justify the angry reaction from fans in Italy.

“The issue got blown out of proportion because Kalulu was sent off. Then Bastoni celebrated, and you shouldn’t do that, of course, but you can’t pay for it for the rest of your life either. That’s ridiculous,” insisted Mauro.

MILAN, ITALY – FEBRUARY 14: Pierre Kalulu of Juventus reacts as he walks off after being sent off by Referee Federico La Penna (not pictured) for a second yellow card offence during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on February 14, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“I still maintain that the real mistake was not immediately admitting that a serious error had been made. I’m referring to Chivu’s words in the post-match interview. I used to admire Chivu as a coach and communicator because, from the beginning, he tried to take a different approach to what happens on the pitch. He tried to be sporting even when the refereeing decisions went against him, but in the Bastoni incident, he didn’t manage to do so. I was disappointed when I heard him say that the problem was Kalulu putting his hands on his player.”

The problem, according to Mauro, is not solely with Bastoni’s simulation against Juventus, but with the attitude of the majority of Serie A players, as the ex-winger sees more divers than in the past.

“Much more than before. In the past, it was done to try to win a penalty,” he concluded.

“Now players simulate for everything. And because any contact can look like a foul on video review. Players know this, so it almost becomes instinctive for them to try it. Of course, it’d be condemnable, but when you play, your thinking isn’t clear.”

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It’s obviously going to case a shadow over tonight’s match so, as a reminder, The Guardian is bringing you live updates on the crisis in the Middle East.

“These women are prisoners,” says Cyrus Jones, a human rights activist who will be attending the match. “Iranian security is up on their floor [of the hotel] at night. They can’t leave their rooms. They can’t use the public bathrooms. They’re monitored when they go for breakfast, when they get on the bus. They’re monitored in a way no other players from other teams are.