Man United finally heading in right direction but Liverpool's losing run goes on

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The crisis is over for Manchester United. For now at least.

For Liverpool, however, it is a very different story after a fourth straight loss in the Premier League on Saturday. A 3-2 defeat at Brentford delivered the latest blow to the defending champion's trembling title defense and left it sixth in the standings.

United is heading in the opposite direction, a 4-2 win against Brighton moving Ruben Amorim's team up to the heady heights of the top four.

Sunderland, though, is providing the unexpected narrative of the season after a stunning comeback 2-1 win at Chelsea saw it climb to second.

The losses keep on coming for Liverpool.

Not even a frantic fightback at the Gtech Community Stadium could prevent coach Arne Slot suffering a fourth straight defeat in the league, a result that leaves his team four points adrift of leader Arsenal, having played a game more.

“This is a tough one to take. Unfortunately this was another not nice evening to have,” said Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. "I am sure we will get out of it, but we won’t get out of it by just talking about it.”

Brentford led 2-0 after goals from Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade. Milos Kerkez then got Liverpool back into the game in first-half stoppage time.

Igor Thiago’s penalty in the second half put Brentford back in control until Mohamed Salah lashed a brilliant shot into the top corner in the 89th. With 11 minutes of added time, the Merseyside club ramped up the pressure in search of an equalizer, but couldn’t find a way through.

It raises further questions about Liverpool's title defense, coming on the back of defeats against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and United. Not since 1984 has Liverpool successfully retained the title.

In all, it was a fifth loss from the last six games in all competitions.

Slot said it was the worst performance of all the losses in the league.

“We didn’t do the basics right, especially the first half, but during parts of the second half as well,” he told TNT Sports.

A third straight win for United extended Amorim’s best league run since he was appointed as coach last November, and provided a sense of momentum not felt for a long time at Old Trafford.

“I think we are improving in the bad moments,” he said. “We can respond in a different way and we feel that we can solve anything. It’s so hard and in football, everything can change in one week, so let’s enjoy today and focus on the next one.”

It was the first time United had won three league games in a row in the same season since February 2024.

Victory also ended Brighton's winning streak in this fixture, which dated back three seasons.

It is still too early to tell if Amorim has turned a corner after such a wretched start to his tenure, including the 20-time champion's worst-ever season in the Premier League last term.

But coming on the heels of last week’s morale-boosting win at Liverpool, the signs are positive, even if Brighton sparked a fightback to make it a nervy finish for the home fans.

A prime source of encouragement for Amorim is the manner in which his summer signings have added a new dimension.

Brazil forward Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for the club with a curling shot from outside the area to give United a 24th-minute lead.

Another new signing, Bryan Mbeumo, also scored twice in the second half, making it three in his last two games, after Casemiro had doubled the lead with a deflected effort before the break.

“The money was well invested,” Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler said.

It was a former United player, Danny Welbeck, who gave Brighton hope with a brilliant free kick that flew into the top corner. When substitute Charalampos Kostoulas headed another goal in time added on, the tension rose inside the stadium.

Then came Mbeumo's second to snuff out any chance of a collapse and ensure the winning streak continued.

“This needs to be the normal for this club,” said Cunha. "I am so happy to be a part of this. Amazing day, I will remember this.”

Chemsdine Talbi scored Sunderland's stoppage-time winner at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea led after four minutes through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor leveled in the 22nd before Talbi’s dramatic winner in the third minute of second-half added time.

“We have a great team with great players," Talbi said. "We knew we could do the job and we showed it today.”

Sunderland was only promoted this season and moved to within two points of leader Arsenal, which plays Crystal Palace on Sunday.

There was also a late winner at St James’ Park, where Bruno Guimaraes scored in the 90th minute to seal Newcastle's 2-1 victory over Fulham.

Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead in the 18th, but Sasa Lukic equalized in the 56th for Fulham.

“We have to learn how to finish. In the first half we could have finished at least 3-0,” Guimaraes said. “We had a lot of chances, but I am happy in the end we scored a goal. In the last few games we have been punished at the end.”

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

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

Brentford's Igor Thiago reacts after scoring from a penalty kick during the Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk reacts during the Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Liverpool in London, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

Manchester United's Bryan Mbeumo, front, celebrates with Benjamin Sesko after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Matheus Cunha celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Fulham at St James' Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Saturday Oct. 25, 2025. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)

Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Newcastle United and Fulham at St James' Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Saturday Oct. 25, 2025. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)

Chelsea's Reece James, Pedro Neto and Joao Pedro, from left, react during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Sunderland in London, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Sunderland in London, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)

Sunderland's Chemsdine Talbi, left, celebrates scoring their side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Sunderland at Stamford Bridge, London, Saturday Oct. 25, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom won final approval from a key agency on Thursday, despite a federal judge recently ordering a halt to construction unless Congress allows what would be the biggest structural change to the American landmark in more than 70 years.

The 12-member National Capital Planning Commission, the agency tasked with approving construction on federal property in the Washington region, went ahead with the vote because U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling — which came two days earlier — affects construction activities but not the planning process, said the commission's Trump-appointed chair, Will Scharf.

A vote of 8-1, with two commissioners voting present and one absent, allowed the plan to move forward.

Despite the agency’s approval, however, the judge’s ruling and a legal fight over the ballroom could stall progress on a legacy project that Trump is racing to see completed before the end of his term in early 2029. It’s among a series of changes the Republican president is planning for the nation’s capital to leave his lasting imprint while he’s still in office.

Before the vote, Scharf, a top White House aide, noted that Leon's order has been stayed for two weeks as the administration seeks an appeal. He said, as he understood the decision, it “really does not impact our action here today.”

Reading from notes, Scharf also delivered an impassioned defense of the project that reviewed the full history of the White House — including changes and additions that were criticized at the time they were made but have become beloved with the passage of time. He spoke about the addition of the north and south porticos and the balcony added by President Harry Truman.

Scharf suggested that Trump’s proposed ballroom will similarly come to be viewed as a wise addition — despite drawing contemporary opposition from some members of the public and government officials.

“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” Scharf said.

Scharf also said the proposed ballroom has been viewed negatively because of opposition to Trump, instead of the merits, saying, “I feel that we’ve been unfairly slighted in the press and otherwise for the way we’ve gone about reviewing this particular project.”

The vote by the commission, which includes three members Trump gets to appoint, had initially been scheduled for March but was postponed to Thursday because so many people signed up to comment at the commission’s meeting last month. The comments were overwhelmingly opposed to the ballroom.

The lone “no” vote was cast by Phil Mendelson, a Democrat who chairs the Council of the District of Columbia. Linda Argo and Arrington Dixon, the two commissioners appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, voted present.

Mendelson criticized the design of the ballroom addition and how fast it was approved.

“It’s just too large,” he said.

Criticism also came from Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. One of its attorneys, Jon Golinger, said the commission had discounted opposition from city officials and thousands of people who commented against the project, and ignored the judge's ruling. Several commissioners, including Scharf, had said they took the public feedback seriously.

“This approval is illegitimate and this vote is a joke," Golinger said.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle, commended the “decision to approve President Trump’s historic vision to build a much need ballroom at the White House.”

“We look forward to seeing the completion of this project on time and under budget," Ingle said in a statement.

Before voting, the commission considered some design changes to the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom addition that the president announced aboard Air Force One on Sunday, as he flew back to Washington from a weekend at his Florida home.

He removed a large staircase on the south side of the building and added an uncovered porch to the west side. Architects and other critics of the project had panned the staircase as too large and basically useless since there was no way to enter the ballroom at the top.

A White House official said the president had considered comments from the National Capital Planning Commission and another oversight entity, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which approved the project earlier this year, as well as members of the public.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the ballroom design and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that additional “refinements” had been made to the building’s exterior.

The ballroom, now estimated to cost $400 million, has expanded in scope and price tag since Trump first announced the project last summer, citing a need for space other than a tent on the lawn to host important guests. Trump demolished the East Wing in October with little warning, and site preparation and underground work have been underway since then.

Two other Trump-appointed commissioners, Stuart Levenbach and James Blair, voted for the project.

Levenbach, who serves as vice chairman and is the federal government’s chief statistician, said the White House is currently “not suited” to accommodate large numbers of guests and that the addition will improve the “utility” of the compound.

He said tunnels and other structures underground at the White House made it impossible to place many features of the ballroom there, too, as some have suggested might be possible. Levenbach said the addition is a “multipurpose facility,” noting that, in addition to a ballroom, it will also have offices for the first lady, kitchen space and a theater.

“This is not an expansion for its own sake,” Levenbach said.

Blair, a deputy to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, said visitors and guests of the president deserve a “better experience."

Scharf and Blair also said Trump will get “very limited use” of the ballroom before his term ends.

Trump went ahead with the project before seeking input from the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts, which he reconstituted with allies and supporters.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization, sued after Trump demolished the East Wing last fall to build the ballroom addition — a space nearly twice as big as the mansion itself.

Trump says it will be paid for with donations from wealthy people and corporations, including him, though public dollars are paying for underground bunkers and security upgrades.

The trust sought a temporary halt to construction until Trump presented the project to both commissions and Congress for approval. Leon agreed but said that his order would take effect in two weeks and that construction related to security would be allowed.

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Work continues on the construction of the ballroom at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

President Donald Trump holds a rendering of the proposed new East Wing of the White House as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)