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Huddersfield go down in England

Published:Sunday | March 31, 2019 | 12:32 AM
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial (centre) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Watford at Old Trafford Stadium yesterday.
AP
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial (centre) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal during the English Premier League match between Manchester United and Watford at Old Trafford Stadium yesterday.

LONDON (AP):

What seems like an inglorious departure from the English Premier League is far from it for Huddersfield.

Their fate sealed, with six games remaining after losing at Crystal Palace 2-0 yesterday, Huddersfield have matched the record for the earliest relegation. Derby were relegated in March 2008 after 32 games.

But it was a miracle that the northern English team secured a second season in the Premier League, having resisted splurging their newfound wealth to chase survival.

Even after breaking their transfer record three times in its first Premier League summer transfer window, Huddersfield still banked £30 million (US$39 million) in profit at the end of the season.

Huddersfield have been competing in a league where Manchester City has amassed a squad worth US$1.6 billion, according to the CIES Football Observatory.

City’s title defence – and bid for a quadruple – remained on track with a 2-0 victory over Fulham, who could follow Huddersfield by being relegated in the coming week.

Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero scored to take City back to top place. City are a point ahead of Liverpool, who host third-placed Tottenham today but will have played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s defending champions.

There was a laboured performance from Manchester United in beating Watford 2-1 in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first game since being handed the Old Trafford manager’s job on a permanent basis.

UNITED RISE

In a scrappy Old Trafford display, goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial allowed United to leapfrog Arsenal into the fourth and final Champions League spot.

Solskjaer, a former United striker, was named the club’s permanent manager on Thursday, having replaced the fired José Mourinho on an interim basis in December. Under the Norwegian coach, United has lost only once in 14 league games.

“We started so slow and sloppy and you could see we’ve had players out with injury and the international break,” Solskjaer said. “But after we scored, for the rest of the first half we played some great counterattacking stuff (and) defended well.”

Other results: Brighton 0 Southampton 1; Burnley 2 Wolves 0; Crystal Palace 2 Huddersfield 0; Leicester 2 Bournemouth 0; West Ham 0 Everton 2.