SPORTS SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 29, 2024 29 ‘Desperate for success’ Magpies beat Blackburn on penalties to scrap in FA Cup quarterfinals NEWCASTLE manager Eddie Howe hailed a “big moment” in his side’s season after they scraped past Championship Blackburn on penalties in the FA Cup yesterday. Martin Dubravka saved two spot-kicks as the Magpies prevailed 4-3 in the shootout after the game had ended 1-1 after extra time. With the club having slipped to 10th in the Premier League in what has been a largely underwhelming campaign after last year’s top-four finish, the cup now represents the best chance to maintain their upward trajectory. Howe said: “Obviously a lot was riding on the outcome so I thought the players handled the moment brilliantly, the goalkeeper and outfield players who took the penalties. It was big moment in our season at such a crucial stage. “The players are desperate to achieve. No-one is underestimating the importance of the FA Cup.” Howe also praised the heroics of Dubravka after the Slovakia keeper had been ill in the buildup to the game. He said: “The two penalty saves were huge for us but in open play I thought he really performed well and we needed him to because they had a few big moments. “He’s been playing feeling slightly ill and he deserves huge credit for doing that. He was nowhere near fit for the weekend against Arsenal and hasn’t been 100% for quite a long period of time.” Dubravka kept Blackburn at bay with a number of saves before Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 71st minute through Anthony Gordon. Blackburn responded well and levelled through the impressive Sammie Szmodics and both sides had chances to win it, in normal time and extra-time, but it came down to penalties and Dubravka kept out efforts from Szmodics and Dominic Hyam. Howe said: “I thought we got better as it went on. I don’t think the first half was particularly good, I thought the second half was better and extra-time was our best spell of the game by a long way. “Really we shouldn’t have allowed it to go to penalties with the chances we missed in extratime.” Blackburn manager John Eustace was pleased with the effort of his side, who played at a level above that of a team 16th in the Championship. Eustace, who is still awaiting his first win after taking charge earlier this month, said: “When it goes down to penalties it’s a bit of a lottery but I’m very, very proud of the squad that we used and also very proud of the supporters. “I couldn’t ask for any more effort and desire and togetherness. You can see that everyone’s really fighting and looking after each other and you can see the style of play improving game by game. “On another day we could have had a couple more goals.” – The Independent Bournemouth’s Iraola rues missed opportunity ANDONI IRAOLA admitted Bournemouth had missed a golden opportunity to book a place in the FA Cup quarterfinals for only the third time in their history after losing 1-0 at home to Championship leaders Leicester’s reserves. Despite making nine changes, 2021 winners Leicester progressed thanks to substitute Abdul Fatawu’s stunning extra-time winner. Iraola, whose Premier League Cherries had 26 shots on goal, said: “It is disappointing and it was a bad night for us because at the end it was the worst thing that could happen. “We played 120 minutes with very tired legs. We had a lot of chances but you have to make the right decision at the end; with the last pass, last shot, and we finished a lot of shots very high. I think it’s an opportunity missed.” Leicester boss Enzo Maresca was pleased with the way his much-changed side bounced back from Friday’s 3-1 defeat at home to promotion rivals Leeds. Maresca said: “We are happy because tonight we missed many chances, but at the end we have been lucky because we could score one goal. “We try always to share minutes in this kind of game because all of the players deserve the chance. “Tonight was a mix between many young players and some senior players and in the end, we played a good game. “The FA Cup is a fantastic competition so when you have the chance to go forward it’s a good one. “The league is important, the FA Cup is important, but the most important thing for me is the way we perform. Tonight, once again, the performance was good.” – The Independent ERIK TEN HAG insists he does not need a public vote of confidence from Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Speculation has been rife about the future of the Dutchman as Manchester United manager following investment in the club from Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group. A promising run of results ended with a poor performance in defeat against Fulham last weekend, putting the focus back on Ten Hag’s position. “I’m here, I’m under contract for three seasons, so I don’t care. I’m only focusing on the process so I don’t care what’s going around me,” Ten Hag said. “I have many talks with Jim Ratcliffe but especially also with Sir Dave Brailsford so I know what we are talking about. I have a strong belief and I feel that they believe in me. “I’m just focusing on the team and I have to find solutions for this team that they perform in the best way they can. It’s all about focusing on this and don’t get distracted by any noise. “We’re talking about the future, we’re talking about a future together.” Ten Hag’s tactics and recruitment have attracted criticism, with the performances of Brazil winger Antony particularly under the spotlight. The 24-year-old cost more than £80 million (RM464m) when he followed Ten Hag from Ajax to Old Trafford in 2022 but he has been a peripheral figure this season, with his only goal coming against Newport in the FA Cup. Against Fulham, teenager Omari Forson started on the right and Amad Diallo was also sent on ahead of Antony, who only came off the bench in the 89th minute. Antony took a leave of absence earlier in the season to address allegations of domestic abuse in Brazil, which he denied, and Ten Hag believes that had an effect on his form. “Now he left this behind but for a moment in the season it had absolutely an impact on him and you could see in his performance, in his attitude,” said the United boss. “But now he’s back. You have to fight and you have to give every day the maximum. I see in the training he’s doing (that) so he will turn a corner. “One of the big skills from Antony is that he’s very brave. He has to find that back and that’s up to him. “We will support him, absolutely all the staff, me as a manager. I have 100% belief in him.” – the Independent Ten Hag confident of Ratcliffe’s backing █ BY ANDY HAMPSON █ BY ELEANOR CROOKS SHORTS Devils boss hits back at Carragher ERIK TEN HAG has accused Jamie Carragher of being “very subjective” in his analysis of the Manchester United manager and his tactics. Carragher presented a segment of Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show in which he went into detail on United’s tactical flaws, and used footage from Fulham’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford on Saturday to illuminate gaping holes in Ten Hag’s defensive setup. “They defend like a team I have never seen before,” Carragher said. “What I mean by that is that they like to press high with a deep block. It’s impossible. “They are trying to do two things at the same time. You can only do one thing or the other.” While Ten Hag agreed that he had been caught off guard by Fulham’s shape at the start of the contest, he accused Carragher, who spent his career playing for United’s rivals Liverpool, of being unfair. “First of all, some analysts are very objective in their comments, very good advice. Some are very subjective. Jamie Carragher is one of them,” Ten Hag said. “From the first moment on he has criticised and now he wants to make his point. Probably in the first half an hour, he had a point. “Fulham, the midfield setup surprised us and then we had to find the solutions. And after half an hour, we found the solutions.” Elliott ready to push himself ‘to the max’ LIVERPOOL midfielder Harvey Elliott accepts he will have to continue to push himself “to the max” as injuries threaten to derail the club’s bid for an unprecedented quadruple. The 20-year-old played the full 120 minutes of Sunday’s Carabao Cup extra-time win over Chelsea just four days after playing the entirety of the 4-1 victory against Luton, in which he scored a 90thminute goal and had to be hauled off the turf at the end of the game. His previous four appearances had all been as a substitute and amounted to just 153 minutes, but with 12 first team players unavailable through injury, fringe and academy players are now finding they are having to play more significant roles. “Digging in deep – it came off the back of 90 minutes in midweek – is what you live for. This is why you’re a footballer,” said Elliott, who collapsed to the ground in exhaustion as the rest of the team ran to celebrate Virgil van Dijk’s 118th-minute goal at Wembley. “You need to push yourself to the max in order to get results and we did that.” Elliott insists it is up to the players to battle their way through if of they want to keep the bid on track. “It’s going to be hard. It is just down to us. We need to put in the fight, desire and hunger and who knows at the end of the season,” he added. Blackburn Rovers’ Sammie Szmodics (left) scores his team’s first goal against Newcastle during yesterday’s FA Cup match. – REUTERSPIX
SPORTS SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 29, 2024 30 5767/2024 28/02/2024 (WED) 0447 6023 2109 6495 1523 2151 0076 9640 4650 9973 9028 2491 2936 4237 2490 7665 0222 7097 8986 7262 9733 3541 5273 13,649,424.91 0447 0447 0447 2109 2109 6023 2109 2109 6023 6023 0447 6023 229,850.28 0447 6023 2109 ROOSTER 80706 16909 6909 909 64215 0 9 1 3 090013 90013 0013 013 09001 0900 090 0 9 6,929,848.16 3,874,137.49 7 14 19 42 48 51 555,794.94 7 13 31 41 42 49 6 31 34 43 46 49 27 32,839,401.18 RM206,482 RM26,741 won on 25/02/2024 ! Toto 4D Jackpot 2 (i-System) Toto 4D Jackpot 2 546 763 +MONKEY 329 489 + OX 780 448 + OX Draw Date: 28/02/24 (Wed) Draw No: 5714/24 Venue: PERAK TURF CLUB 6763 9489 0448 3421 + 2910 1758 + 8538 2416 + 1752 9047 + 9811 4999 + 0501 8426 + 5549 9588 + 1265 3283 + 2661 9939 + 8326 1252 + 4378 RM8,801,941.80 6763 + 9489 9489 + 6763 6763 + 0448 0448 + 6763 9489 + 0448 0448 + 9489 RM182,673.30 RM350,833.30 RM110,000.00 RM356,188.40 133 421 472 910 291 758 308 538 352 416 651 752 069 047 019 811 904 999 280 501 508 426 635 549 019 588 841 265 643 283 222 661 109 939 788 326 341 252 244 378 763 489 448 RM1,030,698.90 763 + 489 + 448 489 + 448 + 763 763 + 448 + 489 448 + 763 + 489 489 + 763 + 448 448 + 489 + 763 HSSB 1+3D JP1 RM238,234.90 & JP2 RM187,134.80 won on 25 Feb! Pochettino hits back Talk of Chelsea’s billion-pound spending ‘annoying’, says Blues boss MAURICIO POCHETTINO finds constant talk of Chelsea’s billionpound spend tiresome and remains convinced his under-fire players will develop into “an amazing team”. Blues boss Pochettino has overseen an underwhelming campaign since arriving at Stamford Bridge last summer and his expensivelyassembled squad faced further criticism following Sunday’s Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool. Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville branded them “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” late in their 1-0 extra-time defeat to opponents deprived of a host of star names due to injury. Former Tottenham and Paris St Germain manager Pochettino is confident he retains the backing of Chelsea’s co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and is adamant the club’s costly long-term project in the post-Roman Abramovich era is destined for success. “The problem is so annoying when after eight months always people talk about one billion,” Pochettino said. “I feel that’s a little bit unfair. “The new owners arrived with the right intention and they want to build something that is different from the past. For me the players have an amazing quality, they only need time. “It’s not an excuse for me because if I am here or not, it’s not dependent on me, it’s dependent of my job and I think we are doing an amazing job. “We cannot see maybe great results. But I think with time we are going to have an amazing team because we are young, we are learning, because we create something that starts to appear in the training ground. “People that work here for many years say they start to feel in a different way how the club is,” said Pochettino. “But unfortunately we cannot relate in points. Always this type of process needs time.” Asked if he expects the club’s ownership to remain patient with him, Pochettino replied: “Why not? I am confident until they tell me something. “I feel the support from them. When I go up (to receive his runners-up medal at Wembley), I was so upset, nearly crying when I arrived there. “And then Todd sent a very, very nice text to me, and then I met Behdad and he was really, really good. “Our responsibility is to match the expectation, and when the expectation and the reality is close it’s easy. “We need to translate to our people that they need to trust and be patient because we are building in a different way to succeed. “Always the pressure is to win and to go through,” he added. “To arrive to the first final of the season in England is a massive achievement but after you don’t get the title it’s tough.” – The Independent Klopp defends Chelsea from Neville jibe JURGEN KLOPP has sprung to Chelsea’s defence by insisting they did not “bottle it” in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool. Mauricio Pochettino’s team came in for heavy criticism after losing in extra time to a Liverpool side featuring the teenagers Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns and doing too little to win the game after Klopp brought on rookies. F o r m e r Manchester United captain Gary Neville branded the big spenders “blue billion-pou nd bottle jobs” but Klopp disagreed with that assessment. He drew on his own experience of being beaten in finals – including his first three with Liverpool and the 2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund – to stand up for Chelsea. He said: “I understand that people have to talk about it, but I was in the other seat as well, losing a final. And people say a lot of things about you that you don’t like to hear. “In my case, some of them were true, some were not true, just guessing what might have happened. “I’m the one who knows what it’s like to lose five or six finals in a row. I can imagine how it was for Chelsea, everybody tells you, ‘By the way, you lost the last five and that’s a new record.’ It’s not nice I really felt for them. “They didn’t deserve to get all the blame (because) they played a really good football game, in a final where nobody plays their absolute best football. You just have to beat the opponent, and that’s what we did. “That’s why this ‘bottling’ thing is really not mine. I really don’t understand it. They wanted it badly and didn’t get it, and I saw in the faces of the players and Poch after the game that it felt horrible. “I don’t think anybody deserves these kind of feelings but in finals it is like that, that one feels like that and the other one is happier. Tricky, but it is the world we are living in.” – The Independent █ BY RICHARD JOLLY Mauricio Pochettino. – REUTERSPIX Klopp
SPORTS SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 29, 2024 31 NATIONAL track cyclist Muhammad Fadhil Zonis is ready to guide two more national male trio riders Muhammad Ridhwan Sahrom and Umar Hasbullah in the hunt for the first gold in the team sprint event at the upcoming championships. Muhammad Fadhil who is also in the trio said his team is capable of displaying energetic and faster cycling if they can improve small weaknesses and continuously polish the strengths of each individual. “I think our performance can go further, there are many factors we can touch up. The game before the Asian Track Cycling Championship (ACC) 2024 we didn’t have much training, it was more about individuals, but the performance was okay. “If we focus there will be opportunities. I’m sure we can break the national record. There are many factors that can be improved and they are still young, there is still a lot of time, I have to guide them,” he told reporters yesterday. He said this when asked to comment on his team’s performance in winning silver at the ACC in New Delhi, recently. The trio of men, who came out as bronze winners last year at the National Velodrome, Nilai, managed to improve their position to second place with a record of 44.607 seconds (s) at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex. The national team lost to defending champions Japan while China took home the bronze after defeating the home team in the third-place playoff. Commenting further, Muhammad Fadhil said he did not expect his team to be able to obtain silver. “We are trying to get gold but our team can get silver and we are very grateful even though we feel for the event, like there is a chance but when it is before the final, I feel a sore throat,” he said. The trio of Muhammad Fadhil, Muhammad Ridhwan and Umar have been partnering since June last year starting at ACC 2023 in Nilai and they continued to show good performance by landing bronze medal at that time. – Bernama All jackpot amounts stated above are for this Draw. Subject to T&Cs of the Scheme. Please visit to www.magnum4d.my for more info. THE BIGGER PLAY IS TO PLAY RESPONSIBLY 004/24 28/02/2024 3508 7654 2059 0828 8802 2372 0544 7266 7733 9048 9714 5041 0713 7420 6878 0314 8185 0051 0705 8463 6503 6961 6018 RM2,727,743.01 RM708,378.24 3508 + 7654 7654 + 3508 2059 + 3508 3508 + 2059 7654 + 2059 2059 + 7654 3 5 7 8 13 30 34 35 20 32 RM5,507,221.10 RM100,000.00 0 8 5 4 5 9 0 8 5 4 5 8 5 4 5 9 0 8 5 4 5 4 5 9 0 8 5 4 5 9 0 8 5 9 5 4 0 5 Nurul Izzah on a mission Cyclist hopes to crack national record at Hong Kong UCI Cup AFTER successfully bagging two golds at the 2024 Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) recently, young national women’s track cycling star Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri is now harbouring a mission to renew the national record at the 2024 UCI Track Nations Cup Cycling Championships in Hong Kong next month. The champion in the making said her recent success has been an added tonic for her to smash the records she held in the 200 metres (m) time trial and team sprint events which she set last year. “Regarding the Hong Kong Nation Cup, my target is for the 200m team sprint time trial. I can improve again, maybe break the n a t i o n a l record. “ I t ’ s possible to get on the p o d i u m , but it’s a bit of a struggle because I’m still in the top 20, I’ll try my best,” she said when met by reporters at the Nilai National Velodrome yesterday. At the recent 2024 Asian Track C y c l i n g Championships (ACC) in New Delhi, Nurul I z z a h , nicknamed “The Pocket Rocket Woman”, created a sensation w h e n s h e emerged champion of the women’s Keirin and 500m time trial events. At the same tournament, she also managed to break national records for three events involving the 200m time trial (10.903 seconds), the 500m time trial (34.226s) and the 750m team sprint (49.025s). The Kedah-born rider hopes that she will be included in the Road to Gold (RTG) Programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games in an effort to grab a ticket to the prestigious sports event four years from now. She said that she had started to preparing herself to go through the preparations for the prestigious Games since the end of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in September. Meanwhile, Nurul Izzah said she is determined to increase her speed to be comparable to the speed of world-class racers to ensure that she is able to give fierce competition to racers from other countries. “A lot of hard work for me to improve my time to be comparable to the world level, and I also need to increase my size abit more, build my muscles while my weight is okay, before I came to the National Sports Council, but I need to build the muscles again,” she said. – Bernama Muhammad Fadhil to guide men’s trio to first gold TNB end 20-year wait to win MHL Cup TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) ended a 21-year wait to clinch the 2024 Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) title after demolishing JM Antsbees 22-1 in a goal-spree at Padang 1 of the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium on Tuesday night. The victory was also the sixth for TNB, after having won the league in 1990, 1991-92 (competing as Kelab Kilat), 2000-2001, 2002 with the last title in a distant 2003. Standing out in the goal-fest was Muhammad Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal who became the top scorer in the match with lightning-quick goals in the 10th, 12th, 33rd, 33rd, 47th and 53rd minutes. Meanwhile, team coach Nor Saiful Zaini admitted that the presence of South Korean penalty corner specialist Jang Jong Hyun helped tremendously in changing the rhythm of the team’s game on the field. “In the beginning, it was hard to win. We didn’t start well this year because we have a lot of new players. “However, we learned a lot about having to prepare right, that before the first match is the predetermined (spirit to win) it. “The way we play, we are really looking forward to the action in the TNB Cup… we want to keep the momentum in the TNB Cup (top four teams in the league play in the semifinals) until the final. We don’t really aim for goals, we want to play like they do as national players,” he said. The title-lift was even sweeter as Nor Saiful Zaini’s men had earlier won the 2024 Charity Shield after winning 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out against the Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) on Feb 1. In deciding the league title, TNB’s goal fest made all the difference as the powerbrokers had entered Tuesday’s last match tied with Maybank and THT on 23 points each from nine matches but TNB topped the 11-team league with a huge goal difference. – Bernama RESULTS FA CUP (5th round): Bournemouth 0 Leicester 1 (Fatawu 105) – AET, Blackburn 1 (Szmodics 79) Newcastle 1 (Gordon 71) – AET (Newcastle win 4-3 on pen), Luton 2 (Clark 45, 52) Manchester City 6 (Haaland 3, 18, 40, 55, 58, Kovacic 72). COPA DEL REY (Semifinal 2nd leg): Real Sociedad 1 (Oyarzabal 71) Real Mallorca 1 (Gonzalez 50) – AET (Mallorca win 5-4 on pen). FRENCH CUP (Quarterfinal): Lyon 0 Strasbourg 0 (Lyon won 4-3 on pen). Road closure in KL on Sunday A TOTAL of 17 main roads around the capital city will be closed for the 2024 OCBC Cycle Kuala Lumpur (KL) cycling event on Sunday. Among the roads involved are Jalan Raja Laut; Jalan Leboh Ampang; Jalan Mushi Abdullah; Jalan Jalan Dang Wangi; Jalan Sultan Ismail; Jalan Tun Perak; Jalan P Ramlee; Jalan Kuching; Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar; Jalan Parlimen; Jalan Sultan Salahuddin; Jalan Kinabalu; Jalan Raja Chulan; Jalan Ampang dan Jalan Perak. Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) deputy chief Supt Suffian Abdullah said preparations were in place to ensure the closure of the main roads in the heart of the city will be carried out smoothly. “Just like last year, PDRM (Polis Diraja Malaysia) will assist in the management of traffic flow. The road closure will start from 6.30am to 9am and done in stages,” he said. Meanwhile, OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Julius Evanson said the 8th edition of the OCBC Cycle KL 2024 challenge would be further boosted up by the participation of 2,700 participants who will start their cycling experience from Dataran Merdeka. He said two categories would be contested during the event, namely 42km for adults and 21km for those who are 18 and above. “From the 2,700 participants, 800 to 900 have registered for the 42km event since it is the most popular of the challenge,” he said. – Bernama National track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati showing off the two gold medals she won in New Delhi, India. – BERNAMAPIX
theSun is published and printed by Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-K) of Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Tel: 03-7784 6688 • Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2625 Email: [email protected] • Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Email: [email protected] SCAN ME THURSDAY | FEB 29, 2024 or download app from the App Store or Google PlayTM . www.thesun.my Free access to iPaper PDF Download SCAN ME Malaysian Paper Read iPaper at Malaysian Paper Malaysian Paper Master De Bruyne Belgian midfielder earns plaudits as Haaland hits five for City PEP GUARDIOLA praised the “generosity” of Kevin De Bruyne after he set up four of Erling Haaland’s five goals as Manchester City thrashed Luton at Kenilworth Road to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals. Haaland, who returned at the end of January from nearly two months out, grabbed the headlines with his finishing but this 6-2 win owed every bit as much to De Bruyne, the architect of four of his team-mate’s haul and a devastating creative presence throughout. The pair combined for City’s opener inside three minutes. Matheus Nunes fed the Belgian with a clever reverse pass, releasing him into a channel down the left, and the cutback came to the left foot of Haaland who wrapped his boot around it for 1-0. The same combination created the second, this time a pass threaded through the middle ended with Haaland fending off defender Teden Mengi and crashing it through the legs of Tim Krul. The third arrived before the break, with VAR required to adjudicate that the Norwegian had successfully stayed onside as he set off to reach De Bruyne’s throughball, chipping his finish over the goalkeeper. Luton fought gamely in spite of the Haaland onslaught. Jordan Clark curled one brilliantly beyond Stefan Ortega at the end of the half, offering Rob Edwards’ side hope, before thumping in another at the near post after the break as the home fans sniffed a famous fightback. They were given all of three minutes to dream. Haaland and City’s fourth was another tap-in from yet another De Bruyne set-up. The fifth cruel on Krul, the ball squirming through the goalkeeper’s body as the cup holders’ top scorer finally declared. Mateo Kovacic hit a sixth, and Luton could breathe for the final few minutes after Haaland was withdrawn. “The players read the game perfectly,” said Guardiola. “The connection of Kevin with Erling was great but everyone contributed. Happy to be in the quarterfinals, one game away from Wembley. “Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality, the generosity. Kevin is the less selfish player in front of goal. Kevin needs the movement from Erling. We know how aggressive they are. “Every pass was good. The finishing from Erling was good. We could have scored more, we had two or three more chances, one against one with Krul. But the players read (the game) really well. They did it perfectly. “My only concern was that Erling had been two months stopped, he couldn’t walk, couldn’t make anything. When you lose two months, that rhythm is not easy to get back. “Every game he’s getting better. Kevin as well. Step by step, they are coming back.” Haaland was asked about his partner in crime De Bruyne after a night where their on-pitch chemistry caused chaos for the opposition. “He’s doing what he’s best at and it’s a pleasure playing with him,” Haaland said to ITV. “We know what we both want from each other. We look at each other often throughout the game and it clicks well. He’s a smart guy and I like to play with smart guys.” With City still fighting to defend all three of the trophies they won last season – the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League – Haaland hinted that the best is yet to come. “My fitness is getting there, I’m getting back to my best finally, I’m feeling good. That’s an amazing feeling,” he said. He added: “It’s coming, we’re coming. Exciting times ahead. We are ready to attack.” Luton boss Edwards reflected on a masterclass from De Bruyne and Haaland. “There’s no doubt about it, they were incredible,” he said. “The played in the space we gave them and did it very well. But our lads were incredibly brave and bold, and stuck to the task. “We’re not going change, we just need to get better, to keep improving.” – The Independent/ Agencies Luton Town’s Reece Burke (left) in action with Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne during their FA Cup fifth round match yesterday. – REUTERSPIX Pochettino hits back -Story on page 30 Nurul Izzah on a mission -Story on page 31