Newcastle beat Man United, Rodgers leaves Leicester

Joe Willock and Callum Wilson scored to give Newcastle United a well-earned 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday which lifted them into third place in the Premier League standings.

Both teams have 50 points from 27 games but Newcastle have the better goal difference in the race to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League next season.

Eddie Howe’s side dominated play at St James’ Park, narrowly missing the target from several excellent chances. Their persistence was rewarded in the 65th minute when Allan Saint-Maximin’s headed cross found Willock for a close-range header.

Wilson put the game to bed in the 88th minute, heading in a cross from Kieran Trippier.

The victory was some sort of revenge for Newcastle losing 2-0 to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United in the League Cup final in February.

West Ham move out of drop zone with win over Southampton
West Ham United beat Southampton 1-0 on Sunday after Nayef Aguerd scored from a set piece in the first half to give the London side breathing room in the Premier League relegation battle.

The teams were 19th and 20th in the standings before kickoff but victory moved West Ham up to 14th (27 points) while Southampton remained rooted to the bottom, three points from the safety zone.

Rodgers leaves Leicester after Crystal Palace loss
Leicester City have parted ways with manager Brendan Rodgers by mutual agreement, the Premier League club said on Sunday, with the team 19th in the table and facing potential relegation.

Rodgers’s last game in charge was Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace which left Leicester with 25 points from 28 games. They have not won a game in all competitions since Feb. 11, losing six of their last seven.

Leicester won the Premier League title in 2015-16 against all the odds but are now in danger of the drop after nine seasons in the top flight.

“Performances and results during the current season have been below our shared expectations. It had been our belief that continuity and stability would be key to correcting our course,” Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said.

“Regrettably, the desired improvement has not been forthcoming and, with 10 games of the season remaining, the Board is compelled to take alternative action to protect our Premier League status.”

Rodgers joined Leicester in February, 2019 after a successful stint with Scottish side Celtic where he won the Premiership twice as well as two domestic trebles.

He guided Leicester to their first FA Cup triumph in 2021 when they beat Chelsea in the final as well as consecutive fifth-placed finishesbetween 2019-2021.

However, Leicester failed to reinforce their squad much in the close season last year after finishing eighth, signing only defender Wout Faes and backup goalkeeper Alex Smithies.