Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remained defiant he can turn around Manchester United s awful form despite the big step back of their derby defeat.

The Red Devils were brushed aside 2-0 at Old Trafford by Manchester City on Saturday, Bernardo Silva scoring after Eric Bailly s own goal.

The defeat was United s sixth in their past 12 games in all competitions and their eighth at home in 2021, a number they last endured back in 1989.

They have also gone without a clean sheet in 14 consecutive home matches for the first time since the 1950s, while they have let in 11 at home in the top flight in 2021-22, their worst such return over the first six games of the season since 1976.

It was the manner of United s loss that was particularly damaging, even though the scoreline …

Achraf Hakimi s agent Alejandro Camano said there is no agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over a move from Serie A champions Inter to the Ligue 1 giants.

Hakimi helped Inter to their first Scudetto in 10 years this past season but the Morocco international has been heavily linked with PSG amid the club s financial problems.

With Inter trying to cut costs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Hakimi, Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni could be sold following Antonio Conte s departure.

PSG reportedly had a €60million offer rejected by Inter – who are holding out for at least €80m – but Camano denied there have been talks with the French powerhouse.

There are no negotiations with PSG, there s nothing in it at the moment, Cama…

Manchester City sauntered through to the Champions League quarter-finals as Wednesday s second leg against Sporting CP proved entirely academic, a 0-0 draw sealing a 5-0 aggregate win.

Armed with their handsome lead from the first leg in Portugal, City barely got out of first gear and nor did they need to.

Gabriel Jesus had a goal disallowed for a tight offside, and Riyad Mahrez saw a shot blocked as City went close to a late winner.

Even Scott Carson, the rarely seen reserve goalkeeper, got a run-out for the last 17 minutes, pulling off a fine save to deny Paulinho and taking a whack for his efforts.

FULL TIME | Goalless on the night but our five goals in the first leg means we re through to the quarter-finals 

 0-0  

— Manchest…

Roy Hodgson views Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy as a very strong contender for his England squad ahead of Euro 2016.

The former Fleetwood Town attacker created a new Premier League record this season by scoring in 11 consecutive matches, surpassing the benchmark set by Ruud van Nistelrooy with a goal against the Dutchman s former club Manchester United last month. 

Such form warrants the acclaim received, according to the England coach, who suggested if he continues to work hard Vardy could earn himself a seat on the plane to France next year.

He has received an awful lot of praise but he deserves it. But on top of that, he has done it playing very much as a team player, so his contribution outside of the goals has been quite enormous, Hodgson said.

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John McGinn believes Scotland have the mentality and capability to prove people wrong heading into their final Group A fixture against Hungary in Stuttgart.

Steve Clarke s side know a victory is a must to give them the best chance of qualifying for the knockout stages of a major international tournament for the first time in their history.

Scotland have won two of their last three meetings with Hungary (L1), with this their first encounter since a 1-0 away win in March 2018.

Following their 5-1 thrashing to hosts Germany in their opening game, an injury-hit Tartan Army got a point on the board against Switzerland to keep their hopes of qualification alive.

We ve obviously had a lot of injuries along the way but us Scots are best at enduring adversity…

Manchester City took the initiative in the Premier League title race by hammering Luton on Saturday before rivals Liverpool and Arsenal both lost on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the state of play with six games remaining.

Momentum shift

While City took only a two-point lead in what remains a close race, the momentum swing felt significant as they jumped from third to first.

The manner of their 5-1 win also sounded a warning, while Arsenal were outplayed in the second half as they lost 2-0 to Aston Villa and Liverpool missed a hatful of chances as Crystal Palace held on for a 1-0 upset.

Commitments in other competitions mean City do not play their next league game until April 25 at Brighton, by which point their rivals will both have played t…

Manchester United s top-four hopes suffered another setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

United are now three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea after an uninspiring performance in which they rarely looked like breaking Newcastle down prior to a flurry in the closing minutes.

Eddie Howe s visitors earlier had the better chances, with Joelinton twice frustrated by the frame of the goal, and have still only suffered one defeat this season after surviving a late scare.

Newcastle remain a point behind the Red Devils in sixth, with Sunday s showing the latest sign they will be persistent challengers to the big six in the years to come.

The Magpies were in the ascendancy from the early stages, with the best United cou…

Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli have confirmed the signing of former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino.

The 31-year-old left Anfield following the expiration of his contract after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim in 2015, and has completed his move to the Middle East as a free agent.

Over the eight years spent on Merseyside, the Brazilian scored 111 goals and produced 79 assists in 362 matches in all competitions, winning the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Premier League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, as well as the Community Shield.

Firmino joins former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy at Al-Ahli, who made his move to the Saudi Professional League side last month.

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Looking to extend on their recent purple patch this weekend, Bayern Munich will welcome Darmstadt to the Allianz Arena on Sunday afternoon.

Bayern Munich

Starting with the hosts, putting in another rampant performance while on Champions League duties in midweek, Bayern Munich are enjoying what has quickly become a major flurry. Eventually storming their way to a 3-1 victory away at Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray, Thomas Tuchel’s side have their sights set on mounting a genuine European charge this time around. Marking their return from October’s international break with another 3-1 win against Mainz last weekend, the former Chelsea boss will be smelling the chance for his superstar squad to lay down another marker here. Heading i…

Fernando Santos has been appointed Poland head coach until 2026 following the end of his tenure with Portugal.

Santos, 68, was in charge of the Selecao for over eight years and guided them to success at Euro 2016 and the inaugural Nations League in 2019.

Despite those trophies, Portugal fans had become frustrated with the style of football Santos team played in recent years, with there being a perception of him underachieving given the wealth of talent at his disposal.

Santos Portugal contract was not due to expire until after Euro 2024, but he was removed from his role after the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Morocco last month.

1 Morocco are the first African team to qualify for the semi-final of a World Cup tournament each of the previous three Afri…