PSG Perfect Record Ended by Monaco, Sanchez on Target in Marseille Win

Neymar's penalty earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw with Monaco on Sunday Alain JOCARD AFP
Neymar's penalty earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw with Monaco on Sunday Alain JOCARD AFP
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PSG Perfect Record Ended by Monaco, Sanchez on Target in Marseille Win

Neymar's penalty earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw with Monaco on Sunday Alain JOCARD AFP
Neymar's penalty earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw with Monaco on Sunday Alain JOCARD AFP

Neymar scored from the penalty spot but Paris Saint-Germain's perfect start to the French campaign was ended in a 1-1 draw with Monaco on Sunday, while Alexis Sanchez scored his first goals for Marseille in a 3-0 win at Nice.

In Paris, Neymar rolled in his eighth goal in five matches this season from a penalty awarded when the VAR alerted the on-pitch referee to a foul on the Brazilian by Monaco defender Guillermo Maripan midway through the second half, AFP said.

Monaco had taken the lead when Kevin Volland burst forward, holding off Presnel Kimpembe, before firing past Gianluigi Donnarumma 20 minutes in at the Parc des Princes.

The principality side played well, yet PSG deserved at least the draw from a game in which they hit the woodwork three times.

Nevertheless, the result does slightly puncture their momentum after a start to the season in which they had won their opening three league games, scoring 17 goals in the process.

They also beat Nantes 4-0 in the season-opening Champions Trophy but Monaco were easily the most accomplished side they had faced yet.

"We had difficulties in the first half against a European-level opponent but we deserved to win the game based on our second-half showing," PSG coach Christophe Galtier told broadcaster Amazon Prime.

PSG have 10 points from four games and are top of Ligue 1, but only on goal difference from Lens and Marseille.

Volland silenced the home crowd when he ran through to fire Monaco in front, although that was to be his last involvement as he hurt himself while shooting.

PSG were denied an equalizer right on the stroke of half-time in remarkable fashion, as Lionel Messi smashed a long-range shot off the left-hand post, before Kylian Mbappe hit the opposite upright from the rebound.

Monaco were also grateful to goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel for saving from Neymar from point-blank range after the restart, but PSG got their equalizer with 20 minutes to go, as Mbappe left the penalty duties to his Brazilian teammate.

“The order was Kylian number one and Neymar number two but I saw they had an exchange and Neymar spoke to Kylian before taking the penalty," said Galtier.

PSG then had chances to win all three points, with Achraf Hakimi's fierce shot hitting the post in the 74th minute, before Nuebel denied Mbappe late on.

- Marseille's Arsenal connection -
Sanchez netted a first-half brace as Marseille eased to victory in Nice to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.

The Chilean former Arsenal star, who signed a one-year contract after leaving Inter Milan, opened the scoring in the 10th minute, firing into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.

On-loan Arsenal wing-back Nuno Tavares made it 2-0 in the 37th minute, his low strike from outside the area beating Schmeichel at the goalkeeper's near post.

It was his third goal in four games since arriving on loan from the Gunners, and Sanchez then followed in to make it 3-0 before the interval after a Tavares shot had been parried.

Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe failed to make an impact for Nice on his debut after also signing on loan from Arsenal.

Elsewhere, Junya Ito became just the third Japanese player ever to score a Ligue 1 goal as Reims drew 1-1 with Lyon.

Signed from Belgian club Genk last month, Ito headed Reims in front in the first half to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Daisuke Matsui and Hiroki Sakai in scoring in Ligue 1.

Reims had Dion Lopy sent off in the second half and could not hold on as Moussa Dembele equalized late on.

Meanwhile, Montpellier recorded their biggest ever top-flight away win, hammering Brest 7-0 in Brittany.

Elye Wahi and Valere Germain both scored twice, while Pierre Lees-Melou was sent off for Brest, whose coach Michel Der Zakarian was formerly in charge of Montpellier.

"I've already taken two paracetamol and I am going to take two more," said Der Zakarian.

There were also wins for Nantes, Lorient and Troyes. Lens beat Rennes 2-1 on Saturday.



Man United Has Been Revamped by Ratcliffe but it's the Same Old Story for Ten Hag

Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag - The AP
Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag - The AP
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Man United Has Been Revamped by Ratcliffe but it's the Same Old Story for Ten Hag

Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag - The AP
Manchester United Manager Erik ten Hag - The AP

It feels like Groundhog Day for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag. Another season has hit crisis point after only a few games.

Perhaps that's why the United manager was so dismissive of the renewed pressure on him after last week's humbling 3-0 loss to Tottenham.

“Nothing is easy, but this is nothing for me to panic about because I experienced it so often with my teams during seasons that you are facing those problems,” he said this week. He is right.

United's record of three losses after six English Premier League games is in keeping with his two previous campaigns at Old Trafford, The AP reported.

In 2022, he lost his opening two and three of the first seven.

In 2023 it was even worse, as United lost three of five at the start.

Both of those seasons ended with a trophy, but the feel-good factor provided by the most recent silverware — May's FA Cup triumph against Manchester City - has long evaporated in the face of the likelihood that United's 11-year wait for the league title is set to go on.

There is little sign of progress in the league despite spending around $750 million on transfers.

On Sunday, United travels to Aston Villa, which has been transformed by manager Unai Emery, who has worked on a fraction of that budget. The Spaniard has spent around $270 million to turn Villa from a team that was battling relegation when he took over in October 2022 to one that beat beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Another defeat for United would intensify questions about Ten Hag's position ahead of the October international break, which has traditionally been a time when clubs look to make managerial changes.

Emery's success at Villa is evidence of what can be achieved in a short period of time. Villa was three points above the relegation zone when he was hired. In his first full season, he led the Midlands club to fourth, eight points ahead of United and qualified for the Champions League.

He is yet to deliver silverware, but the trajectory is clearly upward.

United is 13th heading into the weekend, having finished last season in eighth and the previous year third.

Ten Hag kept his job only after an extensive review by United's new hierarchy put in place by minority owner Jim Ratcliffe. But even if he was given a vote of confidence and a one-year extension to his contract, he remains a legacy of a failing operation that Ratcliffe is trying to overhaul since buying a 27.7% stake in the club in February.

What's more, the decision to keep Ten Hag was made before new CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth officially took up their positions in the offseason.

Both insisted in September the Dutchman had their full backing, but managers are ultimately judged by results on the field and the sight of United fans leaving early and some booing at the end of the Tottenham game highlighted growing dissatisfaction again around the club.

Ten Hag has a new coaching staff, including former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, but familiar problems abound.

United has previously sacked managers David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in mid-season, but never one before November in the modern era.

That might provide Ten Hag with some comfort as he tries, once again, to turn United's season around.