IT said it all about the predicament in which Manchester United find themselves that their 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Old Trafford on Wednesday night felt like a huge deal for the visitors but, in a very strange way, just more of the same for those home supporters who clogged the exits with ten minutes still to play.

Did we really think he was snookered? Turns out Joe Brolly didn’t even have to play this one off two cushions.

If you’re a little fragile this morning, though, join me in thanking the man who sent me a link to a terrific ESPN article, one of those items where the headline alone sells you on the story.

Ian Whittell on the biggest talking points from a dramatic Manchester Derby.

Imagine for a moment you were the kind of John Bull-ish Anglo United fan who wears St George’s Cross underpants to bed. It would certainly have been a gutting week for you.

Roy Keane has reignited a war of words with his former boss, Alex Ferguson, and questioned the almost unanimous praise which is heaped on the Scot.

Gary Neville, the former Manchester United and England defender, believes Roy Keane is a significantly smaller managerial “risk” for clubs now than at any stage of his coaching career.

It was natural that of all the previous All-Ireland finals that last Sunday’s conjured comparisons with, 1982 was the easiest from the archive to reach for, but for long periods, it felt an awful lot like 2011 to us.

“So what do you make of VAR?” the guy behind the counter in my local garage asked the customer in front of me in the queue.

Statistics don’t always tell the whole story but David Luiz has a right to point to them when he turns up at Anfield with new club Arsenal still being billed as the Premier League’s defensive comedy routine up against the country’s best centre-back, Virgil van Dijk.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not believe Manchester United’s spot-kick situation needs addressing despite Paul Pogba’s penalty miss costing his side victory at Wolves.

Romelu Lukaku finally won his one-man battle to extricate himself from Old Trafford, Manchester United only losing £2m (€2.2m) on a player for whom they paid £75m two years ago, even if he left with a rebuke from Gary Neville ringing in his ears.

The return of the Premier League always provokes mixed feelings. On the down side, it heralds the onset of long winter nights with nothing to do but watch football; on the up side, it heralds the onset of long winter nights with nothing to do but watch football.

When Shkodran Mustafi joined Arsenal, they went 19 games undefeated when he was in the starting XI.

Superstar Rod Stewart paid a warm tribute to the late footballer Liam Miller, at his concert in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork last night, posting a picture of the former Republic of Ireland, Manchester United and Celtic player on the big screen of his stage.

Manchester United starlet Ben Thornley’s burgeoning career was derailed by a tackle that resulted in the Bury native having knee ligaments looking like a ‘book opened up on its spine’.

We had the Holy Communion in the house last week, our two boys decked out in their three-piece suits like they were about to appear on The Sunday Game, and along with the rest of their classmates, they enjoyed the ceremony and celebrations under gorgeous May sunshine.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer may well experience first-hand tonight the gulf in class that currently exists between his Manchester United side and their treble-chasing neighbours but, regardless of the result, the club’s new manager is already searingly honest in his appraisal of their standing in the English game.

Larry Ryan: Fashioning narratives out of the week’s big big game

Paul Pogba took barely half an hour to offer his epitaph for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United career - or so it seemed.

Even at a club where there are many great European nights to choose from, this feels a bit special. Liverpool’s match against Napoli tonight, for a place in the Champions League knockout stages, has the potential to be one of those great occasions that will be talked about for years.

It’s that time of year when the latest batch of sports tomes stack up like Jurgen Klopp celebratory memes on a Twitter feed so it’s unlikely that Michelle Obama’s latest literary offering, Becoming, will be afforded much time here. What has caught our eye, though, was the former First Lady’s appearance in London this week, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Twenty years after their on-field tension rivalry ended, Ian Wright insisted his summer squabble with Roy Keane on the pundits’ couch at the World Cup hasn’t dimmed his respect for the Corkman.

Jose Mourinho has been in more than his fair share of make-or-break scrapes during his Old Trafford reign.

It’s unfair to call it the Gary Neville era, but Valencia’s ‘chaotic’ period appears to have ended.

Swapping the hoops and green shirts of Páirc Uí Chaoimh from earlier in the day for uniform black tie in City Hall later that night, it was quite the parade of football luminaries who took to the stage to pay further tribute to Liam Miller at the gala dinner in his honour last Tuesday.

If it is possible for an event, which mainly consisted of middle-aged men in a state of wheezy exhaustion, to be considered spiritual, then Tuesday’s Liam Miller Tribute match certainly was that, writes Tommy Martin

The fallacy about sport is that it belongs to the young. This is not quite true, though the young often feel that they invented their particular pastime, or that it exists for their enjoyment alone.

Manchester United took the win on penalties but it was an unforgettable day for everyone in Pairc Ui Chaoimh as the Liam Miller Tribute Match was a fitting honour for the former United, Celtic and Ireland midfielder.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh GAA stadium in Cork will have a full house of 45,000 for the Liam Miller benefit soccer match on September 25. The fixture is now sold out.

There will be a full house of 45,000 people in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on September 25.

On February 14 this year shares in Sky plc rose 3% following the news that the

On February 14 this year shares in Sky plc rose 3% following the news that the

Gary Neville had already spent the morning talking Premier League but, like any good full-back who spends the 90 minutes motoring up and down the sideline, there was no sign of him flagging come the resumption after lunch.

He wasn’t slow to tell them what was what when Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were in their pomp and boasted a midfield four of Beckham, Scholes, Keane and Giggs.

Very few of us paid attention when Greg Cunningham’s transfer from Preston to Cardiff City went through in June.

Roy Keane was, as ever, the voice of reason on ITV last night.

Is it a product of my age or of the age we live in?

Tonight’s Europa League semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid brings together two teams and clubs who are mirror opposites in many ways — including the personalities and philosophies of managers Arsene Wenger and Diego Simeone.

Arsene Wenger’s top ten outstanding achievements.

Paul Pogba's decision to sport a blue hairstyle for Manchester United's trip to Manchester City has been branded "ridiculous" by Gary Neville.

Jamie Carragher can console himself that there’s always someone worse off.

Jamie Carragher has promised to “apologise again properly” over a spitting incident as he thrashes out his future with Sky Sports following his suspension yesterday.

"I had to go quiet for two or three minutes on co-commentary because I had to reflect on what I was seeing."