Man United makes its worst league start in almost 40 years after 1-1 draw with Chelsea

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A tumultuous week for Manchester United ended with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea and the unwanted statistic that the club has made its worst league start for almost 40 years.

Moises Caicedo’s stunning long-range volley secured a 1-1 draw for Chelsea and left United on 12 points which Opta, the Premier League’s stats supplier, said was its lowest after 10 games since the 1986-87 season.

That was the year Alex Ferguson was hired and went on to lead the club to a period of unprecedented success, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.

United fans will have to hope that is a good omen after Erik ten Hag was fired this week and replaced by Ruben Amorim.

“Whenever you see a manager go you have to take some of the blame on yourself, it is because the team is not doing so well," United captain Bruno Fernandes said Sunday. “I spoke to the manager (Ten Hag) and apologized to him. I was disappointed he has gone and I tried to help him.”

Fernandes fired United ahead from the penalty spot in the 70th minute against Chelsea as interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy looked to win back-to-back games during his temporary reign, having beaten Leicester 5-2 in the League Cup on Wednesday.

But in front of the watching Olivia Rodrigo, Caicedo’s strike from the edge of the box four minutes later ensured the points were shared.

“I think we did the most difficult thing in this stadium against this team ... we were down and we came back immediately,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said.

Chelsea moved up to fourth in the standings, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference, while United is six points behind in 13th and playing catchup in the race for Champions League qualification.

Tottenham beat Aston Villa 4-1 earlier in the day.

Ten Hag was fired on Monday and while Amorim has been confirmed as his replacement, he does not take charge until Nov. 11.

Nistelrooy is holding the reins until then and for a short while was making top-flight management look relatively simple.

Fernandes' penalty put United within sight of a win that would have moved it to within four points of the top four. That was until Caicedo’s strike.

“I am disappointed we didn’t win, we had the better of the chances in the game but overall the performance was fantastic. They left their all out there on the pitch," Van Nistelrooy said.

The Dutchman's future is unclear once Amorim takes over. But he has two games - against PAOK Salonika in the Europa League and Leicester in the league - until he hands over to the new head coach.

Dominic Solanke scored twice as Tottenham thrashed Aston Villa 4-1.

The forward struck two goals in the space of four second-half minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Villa had led at the break.

Solanke scored in the 75th and 79th as Spurs produced a stunning second-half performance to follow up its victory against Manchester City in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Morgan Rogers had given Champions League-chasing Villa the lead in the 32nd minute, but Brennan Johnson leveled the game four minutes after the break.

Solanke’s double put Spurs 3-1 ahead and James Maddison curled a free kick into the top corner in the sixth minute of added time. Solanke is now on five goals for the season.

Tottenham is up to seventh in the standings, while sixth-place Villa missed out on the chance to move into the top three.

AFC Wimbledon beat MK Dons 2-0 in the first round of the FA Cup and took bragging rights in one of English soccer’s fiercest grudge matches.

Matty Stevens and Omar Bugiel scored either side of halftime at Stadium MK in a competition that holds deep ties for fans of both clubs.

Wimbledon was a shock winner of the Cup in 1988 when beating the mighty Liverpool 1-0. The team relocated to Milton Keynes in 2002 and was renamed MK Dons, which prompted disgruntled fans to create a phoenix club called AFC Wimbledon.

And it was the traveling AFC Wimbledon fans who were left celebrating Sunday after securing its place in the next round of the Cup.

There will be no Cup run for Wrexham this season after losing 1-0 at Harrogate Town.

Jack Muldoon's goal in the 24th was enough to seal victory for Harrogate, which plays in the fourth tier of English soccer, one division below Wrexham.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo, centre, attends the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, centre left, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Chelsea's Moises Caicedo celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Chelsea's Moises Caicedo celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)

Tottenham's James Maddison, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Tottenham's team players celebrate after James Maddison scored his side's fourth goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Tottenham's Dominic Solanke, right, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Tottenham's Dominic Solanke, right, celebrates with Brennan Johnson after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — The first conference championship celebration in Army history was underway at midfield and Bryson Daily made clear it would be a brief one.

The Black Knights are going after another trophy next week.

“Beat Navy,” Daily said.

He and the Black Knights ought to be a tough matchup for the Midshipmen — or just about anyone.

Daily rushed for four touchdowns to tie the American Athletic Conference championship game record, and No. 24 Army completed a perfect first season in the league by beating Tulane 35-14 on Friday night.

Kanye Udoh rushed for 158 yards, including a 72-yarder to set up a Daily TD, and a score. Daily added 126 yards on the ground for the Black Knights (11-1), who overwhelmed AAC opponents with their bruising, clock-eating rushing attack during their first around the league, then ran it to perfection in the championship game. Army won the first conference title in its 134-year history.

The Black Knights have one game left in the regular season and it's they one they want most: against Navy next Saturday for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

“Now we've got the biggest game of the year coming up in eight days and we’re looking forward to that,” Army coach Jeff Monken said.

Daily had runs of 5, 3, 4 and 7 yards. The 221-pound quarterback's four rushing scores gave him 29 this season, breaking the AAC record of 25 set by Navy QB Will Worth in 2016. The conference player of the year has rushed for multiple TDs in 10 consecutive games.

Except for an unsuccessful stint in Conference USA from 1998-2004, the Black Knights had played as an independent since their program began in 1890. Monken said this week that Army felt that it needed to be in a conference to have a pathway to college football's expanded postseason.

As cadets poured out of the stands to join players in a midfield celebration, the Black Knights must have been loving the decision.

Darian Mensah threw two touchdown passes for Tulane (9-4), which was playing in its third straight AAC championship game and has lost the last two. The Green Wave had hopes of hosting before losing at home to Memphis on Thanksgiving night, ending their 17-game winning streak in conference games.

They were even shakier Friday, botching field goal attempts after their first two drives, then fumbling a kickoff and having a pass intercepted in their own territory on the next two.

Then Tulane could barely get its hands on the ball in the second half, when Army had TD drives of 11 and 16 plays.

“When you start slow the way we did, missing two field goals early, you don’t do yourselves any favors,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said, “because once they get a lead, a couple scores, it’s really, really hard to overcome.”

A temperature of 29 degrees to begin just the third December game in the 101-season history of Michie Stadium demanded a strong running attack, and nobody does it better than Army, which came in leading the country with 312.5 rushing yards per game.

Army gained 335 on the ground and went 4 for 5 on fourth down.

Daily didn’t even attempt a pass until the second half — when he kept a scoring drive alive with a 9-yard completion on fourth-and-5.

The Green Wave were asked during the week about playing in the chilly conditions along the Hudson River, and the weather may have been a factor when Tulane attempted a field goal after a good first drive. Holder Brice Busch dropped the snap on the Army 27.

Army promptly went 72 yards in 11 plays for Daily’s 5-yard score. Tulane got inside the Army 20 again on its second drive but had to settle for another field goal attempt. The Green Wave handled the snap this time but Patrick Durkin’s kick was wide right from 38 yards.

Daily’s 4-yard run made it 21-0 before Tulane finally got on the board on Mensah’s 42-yard pass to Mario Williams with 44 seconds left in the half.

But Army regained control with a 6 1/2-minute drive to open the third quarter.

Tulane: The Green Wave will regret their untimely and uncharacteristically sloppy play to finish the regular season after never losing the turnover battle in any game until their last two.

Army: The Black Knights’ opponents know what’s coming and only current No. 4 Notre Dame, which routed Army at Yankee Stadium last month, has been able to stop it.

Tulane: The Green Wave fell out with the Memphis loss after going into the game ranked 18th and won’t get back in.

Army: The Black Knights will extend to a ninth straight week in the AP Top 25, their longest stretch since being ranked each week of the 1958 season.

Tulane: Awaits its bowl destination.

Army: Faces Navy next Saturday in Landover-Maryland.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Army quarterback Bryson Daily (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown against Tulane during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Army running back Kanye Udoh (6) carries the ball for a first down against the Tulane during the second quarter of the American Athletic Conference championship NCAA college football game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Tulane linebacker Sam Howard (15) grabs the face mask of Army quarterback Bryson Daily during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Army quarterback Bryson Daily (13) reacts after scoring a touchdown against Tulane during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in West Point, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)