Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United pulled a seemingly impossible result out of the bag on Wednesday, scoring twice in the final five minutes to turn an impending 1-0 defeat to Juventus into a 2-1 win in Turin.
Mourinho was clearly pleased. The Portuguese boss took to the pitch after the full-time whistle, cupping his ear to the Bianconeri fans in a gesture which he says was a response to abuse he received throughout the game.
“I was insulted for 90 minutes,” Mourinho said after the game, via the Guardian’s Barney Ronay. “I do my work and nothing more. At the end I didn’t insult anyone, I just did the gesture that I wanted to hear them more. I wouldn’t do it again. But I came here as a professional that does his work and people insulted my family, this is why I reacted this way. I don’t want to think about it.”
He added, according to The Telegraph’s James Ducker: “I probably shouldn’t have done it, and with a cool head I wouldn’t have done it, but with my family insulted, including my Inter family, I reacted like this.”
Admitting that his actions weren’t the wisest idea is likely a reaction to the situation Mourinho has found himself in over the past few weeks. He was the subject of an investigation after comments allegedly made following United’s win over Newcastle United. Mourinho has since been cleared, though the FA is appealing the decision.
United’s late comeback on Wednesday puts them second to Juve in Group H, two points behind the Italian champions and two ahead of Valencia in third.
PHILADEPHIA — The Dallas Cowboys’ storylines entering Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles weren’t exactly positive.
The list included: a coach’s job security, a quarterback struggling to make plays, an offensive coordinator perhaps on his last chance and a defense left wobbly after its previous game. All in all, it added up to a season on the line.
But the Cowboys left Lincoln Financial Field with a 27-20 victory that seemed improbable after losing their first four road games of the season, and they find themselves alive and breathing if not entirely well just yet.
“When you’re feeling low and you’re seeing the Grim Reaper and then come in and have your team perform the way these guys did, I promise you it’s a special feeling,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “I won’t need any wings on that airplane getting back to Dallas.”
They left Philly with a win after Jason Garrett rallied a young team that had been rattled and a coaching staff that had been questioned.
They left after Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes in a road game for the first time this season.
Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and had six receptions for 36 yards and a score. AP Photo/Matt Slocum
They left after coordinator Scott Linehan managed the offense as well as it had been managed all year.
They left after the defense did just enough with Leighton Vander Esch book-ending a first-quarter interception with a huge, fourth-quarter tackle that preceded Jeff Heath’s fourth-down stop of Zach Ertz with 1:09 to play.
“I don’t know that I learned anything new (about his team),” Garrett said. “You try to build a team of guys who love football, who are mentally tough and I think those things get revealed when you have to go through some adversity of the course of the season.
“I thought they did a great job coming back after the (Tennessee) game just getting back to work, not blinking. Just going back to work and understanding the importance of what this next opponent is and playing 60 minutes. Thought we did a better job of that in this game than we have in the last few games. Dealing with the adversities of the game and keep playing. Dealing with the successes of the game and keep playing.”
At times early in the game, Prescott was bad. He held on to the ball too long, leading to sacks — including a 13-yard sack in the second quarter.
At times, Prescott was brilliant, such as at the end of the first half, when he connected on five passes for 79 yards and sneaked in from a yard out with 19 seconds left for the Cowboys’ first touchdown.
When the Cowboys were at their best in 2016, they rode then-rookies Prescott and Elliott. Now almost grizzled veterans in their third year, Prescott was efficient Sunday, and Elliott was explosive.
Prescott completed 26 of 36 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown pass. Elliott finished with 151 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown run and touchdown reception.
“We needed it,” Elliott said. “It was absolutely mandatory that we went and got this win. We want to keep our hopes up for winning this division and making the playoffs. So we had to go out there and win.”
Raheem Sterling and Manchester City benefited from an incorrect call on Wednesday, and the forward has now apologized to Shakhtar Donetsk.
City thrashed the Ukrainians 6-0 at Etihad Stadium, but the club was gifted its second goal when a penalty was awarded for a supposed foul on Sterling. Subsequent replays clearly showed the England man tripped on the turf, and opposing defenders didn’t contact him.
Gabriel Jesus converted from the spot, his first goal of an eventual hat trick, and Sterling scored on a superb effort in the second half as Pep Guardiola’s side ran riot, all but assuring its place in the knockout round.
After the game, both Sterling and Guardiola admitted the decision, which came halfway through the first 45 minutes, wasn’t correct.
“I went to chip the ball and I don’t know what happened next,” Sterling said, via The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards. “I ended up on the floor and turned around. I don’t think I felt contact, it was just my bad. I hit the floor and scuffed the floor. Apologies to the ref and apologies to Shakhtar.”
There was little need for Sterling to apologize for an act as unfortunate as it was unintentional. Guardiola suggested VAR should be employed for such occasions.
“We realized it was not a penalty straight away,” the City boss said.
“We don’t really like to score a goal in that situation because it was clear,” He continued. “We know what the situation is with VAR, it really should not be hard to ask someone to look at that for four or five seconds, say it’s not a penalty and move on.”
After a controversial departure from New England and a rough start in Tennessee, the CB says he’s ready to face Tom Brady and his former teammates.
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Michel is listed as questionable for the game due to a knee injury suffered against the Bears on Oct. 21.
In six games, the 2018 first-round draft pick out of Georgia has rushed for 422 yards and four touchdowns on 95 carries.
Prior to the injury, Michel shared the top spot on the New England depth chart with James White, who is used in passing situations.
Michel rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in a Sept. 30 victory over Miami and 106 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in a win over the Chiefs on Oct. 14.
With Michel sidelined, Cordarrelle Patterson led New England with 38 yards rushing on 10 carries in a win over Buffalo on Oct. 29 and had a team-high 61 yards on 11 carries in the Week 9 victory over Green Bay.
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