News, Facts & Trivia Archive 1912

Manchester United and beleaguered manager Erik ten Hag defied the odds and their critics to pull off a stunning FA Cup final victory over hot favourites Manchester City at Wembley.

Ten Hag went into this Manchester derby final with the growing expectation that he will be sacked by United’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, irrespective of the outcome.

If Ten Hag is to be dismissed, he will be going out on the back of the finest day of his two-year reign and United’s finest moment for years following a performance that was virtually unrecognisable from the dismal fare they have served up this season.

United’s triumph, which denied Premier League champions City a second successive domestic double, was built on an outstanding first-half display that brought goals from Alejadro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

Garnacho was the beneficiary of a mix-up between City keeper Stefan Ortega and Josko Gvardiol as he was left with an open goal on the half-hour while Mainoo crowned a sweeping move with a calm finish from Bruno Fernandes’ delicate touch nine minutes later.

City inevitably applied pressure in the second half, Erling Haaland hitting the frame of the goal, United keeper Andre Onana saving superbly from Kyle Walker and Julian Alvarez missing a great chance.

City substitute Jeremy Doku pulled one back with four minutes left but Ten Hag's side held firm to record a famous victory and win a 13th FA Cup, their first since 2016.

Manchester United and beleaguered manager Erik ten Hag defied the odds and their critics to pull off a stunning FA Cup final victory over hot favourites Manchester City at Wembley.

A new rollercoaster, claimed to be the tallest in the UK, has shut one day after it opened to the public.

Thorpe Park in Chertsey, Surrey, says Hyperia is the tallest and fastest rollercoaster in the country - exceeding 80mph (129kmph).

The ride, which opened on Friday, includes 3,264ft (995m) of track, is 236ft (72m) tall and has the tallest loop in Europe, according to the adventure park.

In statements posted on social media, it said the ride was closed on Saturday and would remain shut until at least 29 May.

The park said initially that "due to unforeseen circumstances", it was unable to open the ride between 26 and 29 May.

It later said it had been unable to open it on Saturday but that the "rest of the resort remains open".

Anyone with pre-booked tickets for Saturday would be eligible for a free return visit, it stated.

Thorpe Park said it would update its ride availability page with the latest information about opening Hyperia after the 29 May.

"We apologise for the disappointment this will cause and we are working hard to reopen Hyperia as soon as possible," it added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVffHKQEQ3o

Stan Wawrinka beats Andy Murray 6-4 6-4 6-2

Andy Murray may have played his final French Open singles match after losing to Stan Wawrinka in a one-sided first-round meeting between the veteran pair.

Britain's Murray, 37, has said this year is likely to be his last one on tour and avoided surgery on an ankle injury in order to return to Roland Garros.

But his lack of court time was evident in a 6-4 6-4 6-2 loss to the 39-year-old Swiss.

It was the former world number one's first appearance on the Paris clay since a first-round defeat in 2020, and only the second since a brutal loss in the 2017 semi-finals – both also at the hands of Wawrinka.

Murray's exit on day one in Paris came after Jack Draper lost to Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong as the British campaign got off to an inauspicious start.

Draper, 22, is 35th in the world but was beaten 7-5 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 3-6 6-3 by 176th-ranked De Jong.

Murray and Draper were the first of six British players to step out on to the Roland Garros dirt, with Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Harriet Dart opening their campaigns on Monday and Tuesday.

Murray's French Open is not over yet as he has entered the men's doubles alongside Evans.

Southampton beat Leeds in the Championship play-off final to secure an immediate return to the Premier League and the £140m to go with it.

Saints' 11-year spell in the top flight came to an end after a wretched campaign last time out but, despite finishing one place and three points behind Leeds in fourth, it is they who join Leicester and Ipswich in going up.

Adam Armstrong scored the decisive goal with a clinical finish after being put clear by Will Smallbone.

Leeds substitute Dan James clattered a bouncing ball against the crossbar late on as they pushed for an equaliser but Russell Martin's men saw out almost 12 minutes of time added on.

Defeat for Leeds consigned them to another season in the Championship and meant they have now lost their past three finals at Wembley without scoring and been unsuccessful in all six of their play-off campaigns.

Saints' promotion means that all three play-off finals this year were won by the team who had finished lower in the league table, with the team who had finished higher failing to score in all three.

Both teams came into the game off the back of comprehensive second-leg wins in the semi-finals, Leeds beating Norwich 4-0 and Southampton easing to a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

There was nothing between the two sides for the first quarter of the game before Armstrong put Saints in front with his 24th goal of a prolific campaign.

Chances were few and far between thereafter, an oddly off-colour Crysencio Summerville shooting wide for Leeds and Samuel Edozie wasting a fine chance on the break for Southampton.

James twice came close to sending the match to extra time but Alex McCarthy made an excellent full-length save from his low 20-yarder after the bar had earlier denied the Welshman.

The win gives Martin, who had been discarded at Norwich as a player in Leeds boss Daniel Farke's spell at Carrow Road, his first promotion in management.

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Republic Day in Armenia (1918)

2002 – An independent commission appointed by the Football Association voted two-to-one to allow Wimbledon F.C. to relocate from London to Milton Keynes.