Manchester

Co-op Live coverage
Co-op Live coverage

Labour hails big wins in England as Sunak holds on to Tees Valley victory

Victory in Tees Valley marked a bright spot in a grim night for the Tories, with Labour picking up councils and mayors.

Watch & Listen

Latest Updates

  1. 'Four won't be enough - next season we will be wanting even more'published at 19:00 3 May

    Rico Lewis in action for Manchester CityImage source, Getty Images

    Rico Lewis says there is "no reason" why Manchester City cannot finish the season as FA Cup winners and Premier League champions.

    Pep Guardiola's side are pursuing an unprecedented fourth title in a row and know victory in their final four games will set up the opportunity for a domestic double when they face neighbours Manchester United at Wembley on 25 May.

    "That's part of being at City - it's not enough, it's never enough," Lewis told the BBC's Dan Ogunshakin.

    "This season we want to go and strive to do more and part of that's winning the Premier League and winning the four in a row, which has never been done before, which is, again, going to be another record which we want to go and break.

    "It's part of being at Manchester City. Two Premier Leagues in a row wasn't enough, three isn't enough, four won't be enough, next season we will be wanting even more.

    "I think especially with the experience that the team's got in these kind of last stages of the season and the quality of players that we've got, I think there's no reason why that we can't [win the Premier League and FA Cup].

    "It's in our hands and we've just got to focus on each game at a time and winning each game."

    Lewis, 19, has featured 26 times in all competitions for City this season and is embracing the trust placed him by Pep Guardiola and the Spaniard's management style.

    "It's definitely intense," he added. "It's probably 10 times more intense than you think coming from outside. But he's also got the other side where that intensity doesn't come from nowhere.

    "He's so hard-working, he's so obsessed with winning and that's a credit to his character because he's won so much everywhere he's been.

    "It would be easy for him to just say 'you know what, I've won enough and I can just lay off this season or I can just not put as much hard work in', but from the two years that I've been with him, the intensity has only got higher and higher.

    "You wonder when it can stop, but it just keeps on going."

  2. Crystal Palace v Manchester United: Pick of the statspublished at 17:12 3 May

    Here are the key facts and figures before Monday's game between Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the Premier League.

    • Crystal Palace won 1-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this campaign. They have never completed a league double over the Red Devils.

    • Manchester United won eight of their first 11 away Premier League games against Crystal Palace (D3) but are winless in their past three (D2 L1).

    • Crystal Palace have won both of their past two Premier League games at Selhurst Park - they last won three in a row at home in the competition in October 2022. The Eagles have won as many of their five home Premier League games under Oliver Glasner this season (W3 D1 L1) as their 12 such matches under Roy Hodgson beforehand in 2023-24 (W3 D3 L6).

    • Manchester United have shipped 77 goals in 47 games all competitions this season - their most in a season since 1977-78 (80). Their current ratio of conceding (1.64 goals-per-game) is their worst since the 1962-63 campaign (1.75 per game).

    • Jean-Phillippe Mateta has scored in each of his five home Premier League appearances under Oliver Glasner (seven goals), having only netted in five out of his first 37 home matches for Crystal Palace beforehand (five goals). The last player to score in his first six home appearances under one manager in the competition was Alan Shearer for Kevin Keegan in 1996-97 (first nine).

    • In April, Bruno Fernandes created 31 chances in his six appearances in all competitions for Manchester United - seven more than any other Premier League player. He created nine chances in each of his past two Premier League appearances (against Sheffield United and Burnley) and became the only player on record to create nine or more chances in consecutive matches (2003-04 onwards).

  3. Guardiola on Ederson, Foden's award and Wolvespublished at 13:28 3 May

    Simon Stone
    Chief football news reporter

    Pep Guardiola has spoken to the media before Manchester City's Premier League game with Wolves.

    Here are the main lines from his news conference:

    • Guardiola confirmed Ruben Dias and Phil Foden are fit and Erling Haaland could start after coming off the bench at Nottingham Forest last weekend.

    • In addition, goalkeeper Ederson's shoulder problem is not as bad as initially thought and the Brazilian could play, despite leaving the City Ground with his arm in a sling.

    • On Phil Foden being named Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year: "Congratulations for the writers and him. He played really good this season."

    • On guiding Foden's development from a young academy player: "When he was 17 or 18, Kevin de Bruyne was here, also (David) Silva, (Ilkay) Gundogan... playing in a team that won a lot of Premier Leagues and in the final stages of other competitions. It's not easy. As managers we can suggest something but it belongs to them. The minutes they play with his mates, the work ethic, the mentality. The talent is there. It belongs to the players."

    • What is next for Foden? "It depends on him. It is as simple as that. Has he the mentality to want it more and do it again. Will he live 24 hours for the profession?"

    • On preparing for Wolves after a full week off: "It was good. We had days off and then three really good training sessions. We have fresh legs and minds and are ready for the game tomorrow."

    Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date
  4. 'Let him be involved, let him feel important'published at 12:45 3 May

    Jadon Sancho in action for Borussia DortmundImage source, Getty Images

    Former Premier League midfielder Cesc Fabregas spoke to the BBC's Planet Premier League podcast about whether Jadon Sancho should be involved at Manchester United next season:

    "I can clearly see why everyone is talking about it [his performance against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League]. You see Jadon playing and it's like 'wow, this kid is special'. It's true that sometimes you watch him play for Manchester United and you struggle to see what he can bring to the table. I can see the argument there. But all I see is a special talent. He's a boy with tremendous quality.

    "I don't know his personality, I don't know the character so it's difficult for me to judge. You can hear that he doesn't behave properly sometimes. Others say that he's a great boy, great professional.

    "With these types of players and this type of talent, it's a challenge as a coach. You need to manage them in the best way, make them believe that they are important for the team, making them believe that they can have a big impact, making them believe that everyone is together in the same project and let him buy into everything. Let him be involved. Let him feel that he's an important person. Let him do the talking on the pitch.

    "This is the most important you have to manage. You have to convince him that he's the best to perform on the pitch and bring the best on the table for the team and for his team-mates.

    "Sometimes the more you face these players and you try to be very aggressive on them and put the rules and put things on the table that they don't really agree with or they don't feel comfortable, you lose the player.

    "That is the big job of manager that I'm realising every day, it's not so much the tactics. Everyone knows everything. We all study the same. We all analyse the same. but managing these type of situations, it's what I think in the future will define if I'm good or not."

    Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

  5. 'I wanted Kane' - Ten Hagpublished at 11:18 3 May

    Manager Erik ten Hag of Manchester United watches Tottenham striker Harry Kane from the touchline Image source, Getty Images

    Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag regrets not being able to sign Harry Kane but insists Rasmus Hojlund will fulfil his high potential.

    Former Tottenham striker Kane was a target for United during the summer transfer window before the England captain chose to join Bayern Munich, external instead.

    He has gone on to plunder 43 goals in 43 games for the Bundesliga giants, albeit in a season where they have failed to win the league for the first time in 10 years.

    Meanwhile, United signed Denmark international Hojlund for £72 million from Atalanta and he has scored 14 times in all competitions so far in his debut season for the Red Devils.

    Ten Hag appreciates what he missed out on when Kane went elsewhere and says United have been gazumped in the transfer market on more than one occasion.

    "There's an expectation around every game from us [but] you can only fulfil that expectation when you have those outstanding players," Ten Hag told Gary Neville in an interview on Sky Sports.

    "But in the last decade and in this period, we couldn't always get the players we wanted.

    "Then you have to build and you have to accept that you get talent in instead of players who have already proved it in the past. We have had some choices made with talents like Rasmus Hojlund.

    "I can see a striker [Kane] who already proved it, who we want[ed] to sign and we couldn't get him. And then we went to Rasmus because he's a talent.

    "With Harry Kane you know you get 30 goals. I think Rasmus will get there but he needs time.

    "It's not fair to assess him the same as Harry Kane. I would never compare two players because they are very different. But with Rasmus Hojlund, we get the highest potential in the striker position last summer.

    "We are very happy with him, but he also needs time to adapt. We are very pleased he has shown his capacity to score goals."

    An image detailing how to follow your Premier League team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  6. Foden named FWA Footballer of the Yearpublished at 10:38 3 May

    Phil Foden celebrates a goal for Manchester CityImage source, Reuters

    Manchester City and England midfielder Phil Foden has been voted as the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year.

    Foden, 23, has scored 24 goals at club level this season, including 16 in the Premier League, and helped City to victory in the Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Super Cup.

    He claimed 42% of the vote, with Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice second and Foden's City team-mate Rodri third.

    Foden said the award is a "huge honour" and added: "We have a very special squad of players at City, and I’m privileged to be a part of that group.

    "I'm immensely proud to have won this award. Now I am focused on seeking to finish the season as strongly as possible and to try to help City win more trophies."

    It was double glory for City as Khadija Shaw took the equivalent Women's Footballer of the Year award.

    Shaw is the top scorer in the Women's Super League with 21 goals as City close in on the title.

  7. 'Building blocks are being put in place'published at 10:29 3 May

    BBC Sport pundit Michael Brown byline banner

    There are lots of big decisions for Manchester United to make and changes that need to be made.

    You look straight away at the top with the support the owners have got with Omar Berrada coming in from Manchester City to be the new CEO.

    He is a very knowledgeable man who knows how to operate and how to run a club in different situations.

    Jason Wilcox has been brought in as technical director as well.

    They are two people I know from City who are very organised and understand what is needed. Whether they get the licence to be able to make those decisions quickly is going to be so important.

    The team around them will keep strengthening. They have made a change in director of football too, with John Murtough leaving.

    Organisationally, building blocks are being put in place within the hierarchy of Manchester United, so they should be able to move quite quickly.

    They should also be really developing who their targets are now - what they need to do, how they are going to change things and how everything will fit in.

    The impact will be seen down the road.

    Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson