Angel di Maria's move from Real Madrid to Old Trafford was such a disaster that Manchester United was more than willing to incur losses of more than 15 million pounds on their investment. Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com looks at the Argentina star's nightmare year at the 'Theatre of Dreams'.
The win moved Spurs up to third but unbeaten Manchester City still looked in a class of their own at the top as Leroy Sane scored twice in a 4-0 stroll over West Ham United.
Cody Gakpo scored his first goal for the club as they halted a dismal run
City boss Pep Guardiola was named Manager of the Season for a third time.
Wayne Rooney's superb 73rd-minute strike gave 10-man Manchester United a 1-0 victory over Ecuador's LDU in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.
Holders Liverpool survived a penalty shootout to see off third-tier Derby County
United manager Louis van Gaal, who had come under scrutiny for sanctioning the deadline-day deal this month and had even been accused of 'panic-buying', was suitably impressed if typically understated.
Paris St Germain will play Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were pitted against an unpredictable Napoli, while Chelsea were drawn against Bayern Munich. City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings.
Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League all but ended.
Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy's opportunistic goal gave them a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City in the English premiership.
Chelsea maintained their title challenge with a 1-0 victory over Reading but Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat at West Ham United.
Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho scored with a magical overhead kick in the third minute to send the visitors on their way to a 3-0 victory over an Everton team already reeling in their first Premier League game after being docked 10 points.
'Next season will be better for him, but he is learning how to play with us and we are learning how to get the best out of him'
Premier League leaders Manchester City turned on the style with a 3-1 win over Manchester United in their derby clash, on Sunday, leaving Pep Guardiola's unbeaten side two points clear of Liverpool.
West Ham beat Premier League strugglers Leicester City 2-0 at the London Stadium on Thursday thanks to an early strike from Tomas Soucek on his 30th birthday and an own goal just before halftime.
Kevin de Bruyne's first-half penalty and a superb strike by Raheem Sterling after the break earned holders Manchester City a comfortable 2-0 away win at Newcastle United in the weekend's last FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has suffered a head injury during training and is doubtful for Sunday's Premier League clash with bitter rivals Liverpool, according to British media reports.
The Manchester United manager admits he does not understand why his team have lost two games in a row despite returning to full strength.
Barcelona beat Celtic away, holders AC Milan and Arsenal drew goalless while Fenerbahce beat Spanish rivals Sevilla in Wednesday's other Champions League last 16 first-leg matches.
Manchester United's current malaise was laid bare as they struggled past third-tier Rochdale 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the League Cup third round.
Manchester United were held 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and missed out on taking top spot in the English Premier League.
Manchester United completed a 3-0 aggregate win over AS Roma while Barcelona beat German side Schalke 04 by a single goal at home to secure a 2-0 aggregate victory in the quarter-final of the Champions League.
Tottenham Hotspur routed Bournemouth 5-0 as they leapfrogged City into second place in the league, six points behind leaders Liverpool who thrashed Newcastle United 4-0.
Chelsea, who won the Champions League last season, begin their season at home to Crystal Palace before trips to Arsenal and Liverpool.
Liverpool will seek a 10th successive EPL win when they conclude a memorable year at home to West Bromwich Albion
The game was originally scheduled for City's Etihad Stadium, and the first leg in Germany was also shifted to Budapest on February 24.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal said his team need to learn to cope with pressure after they slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Swansea City on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Images from the Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Barcelona and Manchester United clash in the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday (1845 GMT) to decide who are the undisputed kings of Europe.
Chelsea also begin the new English season at home, against promoted Birmingham City.
Chelsea blinked first in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday, letting slip two points in a 1-1 draw at Blackburn as champions Manchester United enjoyed a two-point cushion at the top of the table.
Manchester United stormed to the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a 4-1 thumping of Middlesbrough as Chelsea stole the limelight with a 6-0 hammering of third-placed Manchester City.
Manchester United may soon follow in the footsteps of other Premier League clubs like Liverpool and Newcastle. The club is on the threshold of being resold. A sovereign wealth fund from Qatar has evinced an interest to take control at Old Trafford.
The Premier League leaders will be without Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Mikael Silvestre for their Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Chelsea's Belgium forward won Eden Hazard England's PFA player of the year award ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea on Sunday.
Liverpool players hail Juergen Klopp impact after defeating City.
Manchester United, buoyed by five successive Premier League victories, head into Sunday's derby against Manchester City a place and a point above their rivals and believing they are poised to restore red ascendancy in the city.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday night.
