Man United flying high after 2-1 win against Crystal Palace. Arsenal hosts Chelsea

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United climbed up to third place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Benjamin Sesko's seventh goal in eight games sealed the win at Old Trafford that moved United above Aston Villa on goal difference.

“It feels like a big result," said United captain Bruno Fernandes, who scored from the penalty spot.

At the other end of the standings, Tottenham's winless run extended to 10 games after a 2-1 loss at Fulham — leaving it mired in a fight to avoid relegation. Nottingham Forest also failed to pull further away from the drop zone after a 2-1 loss at Brighton.

League leader Arsenal hosts sixth-place Chelsea later Sunday.

United's latest win boosted its push for a return to the Champions League and further strengthened Michael Carrick's credentials to be given the coach's job on a long-term basis.

He remains unbeaten since being given a contract to the end of the season in January, with a record of six wins in seven games. His cause may also have been helped after overcoming a Palace team coached by Oliver Glasner, who was one of the early favorites to get the job when United fired Ruben Amorim at the start of the year.

Over two spells as United coach, Carrick has picked up 23 points from nine games. Stats provider Opta said it was the joint highest points total for a manager after his first nine games in the league's history — equaling Ange Postecoglou's start at Tottenham.

“This place means a lot to me so to have the sort of positivity and everyone enjoying going to the games and watching it and for me to have an influence on that, I’m not going to lie, it feels good,” Carrick said.

Glasner was widely seen as a leading contender for the United job. His reputation has grown after winning the FA Cup with Palace last season and he will be a free agent at the end of the current campaign. And when Maxence Lacroix headed Palace in front after just four minutes, Glasner had the chance to claim a statement win in front of United's hierarchy.

But Carrick has instilled a resilient streak in his team in just a short space of time and United leveled in the 57th after Lacroix dragged back Matheus Cunha in the box and was sent off for denying a clear scoring opportunity.

Bruno Fernandes stepped up and converted from the penalty spot for his seventh goal of the season.

Sesko, who has been a scoring substitute in recent weeks for United, was given a chance from the start and struck again with a powerful winning header in the 65th.

“We were behind so we had to show some character,” Fernandes said. "The result gives us the chance of getting third but there are a lot of games still to go. We have a lot to do and it is important we don’t feel like we are already in the place we want to be.”

Tottenham is still without a league win in 2026 after new coach Igor Tudor made it back-to-back losses in his first two games in charge. Spurs have equaled their longest winless streak in the Premier League — matching a record that dates back to 1994, according to Opta.

Last week's 4-1 rout at the hands of north London rival Arsenal was followed by another defeat at Fulham.

First-half goals from Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi gave Fulham a 2-0 lead at the break. Richarlison pulled one back in the second half.

Tottenham is 16th -- four points and two places above the relegation zone with 10 rounds to go.

Forest is 17th and two points clear after its defeat at Brighton.

Vitor Pereira became Forest's fourth coach of the season when hired last month, but has fallen to two straight losses in the league.

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

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

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko scelebrates after scoring during the Premiier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Brighton and Hove Albion's Diego Gomez, left, celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest in Brighton, England, Sunday March 1, 2026. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)

Fulham's Harry Wilson, right, celebrates after scoring his sides first goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Fulham and Tottenham in London, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (John Walton/PA via AP)

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes celebrates after scoring during the Premiier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko scelebrates after scoring during the Premiier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester United's Benjamin Sesko scelebrates after scoring during the Premiier League soccer match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace in Manchester, England, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Violent clashes between protesters and security forces in Pakistan's port city of Karachi and in the country's north on Sunday left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 others injured as pro-Iran demonstrators attempted to storm the U.S. Consulate, authorities said.

In the north of the country, demonstrators also attacked U.N. and government offices.

The violence came after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Police and officials at a hospital in Karachi said that at least 50 people were also wounded in the clashes and some of them were in critical condition.

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his “profound sorrow over the martyrdom" of Khamenei” and conveyed his condolences to Iran, according to his office. He said: “Pakistan stands with the Iranian nation in this moment of grief and shares in their loss.”

Summaiya Syed Tariq, a police surgeon at the city's main government hospital, confirmed six bodies and multiple injured people were brought to the facility. However, she said the death toll rose to 10 after four critically wounded people died.

Twelve people were killed and over 80 wounded in clashes with police in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region when thousands of Shiite protesters angered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran attacked the offices of the U.N. Military Observer Group and the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), local police official Asghar Ali said.

A government spokesman Shabir Mir said all staff working for those organizations was safe. He said protesters repeatedly clashed with police at various places in the region, damaged the offices of a local charity, and set fire to police offices. However, he said authorities had deployed troops and brought the situation under control.

The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan said in a post on X that it was monitoring reports of ongoing demonstrations at the U.S. Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, as well as calls for additional protests at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and the Consulate General in Peshawar.

It advised U.S. citizens in Pakistan to monitor local news, stay aware of their surroundings, avoid large crowds and keep their travel registration with the U.S. government up to date.

In Karachi, which is the capital of southern Sindh province and Pakistan’s largest city, senior police official Irfan Baloch said that protesters briefly attacked the perimeter of the U.S. Consulate, but were later dispersed.

He dismissed as baseless reports that any part of the consulate building was set on fire. However, he said that protesters torched a nearby police post and smashed windows of the consulate before security forces arrived and regained control.

Witnesses said that dozens of Shiite protesters remained gathered about a kilometer (half-mile) from the consulate, urging others to join them. They said one of the protesters had tried to burn a window of the consulate, before security forces arrived there and dispersed the demonstrators.

The clashes prompted Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to issue an appeal for calm.

“Following the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, every citizen of Pakistan shares in the grief of the people of Iran,” Naqvi said in a statement.

He described it as “a day of mourning for the Muslim Ummah and for the people of both Iran and Pakistan,” but urged people not to take the law into their own hands and to express their protests peacefully.

The provincial government of Sindh in a statement also urged citizens to express their views peacefully and warned against engaging in violence.

Protests in the area surrounding the U.S. Consulate in Karachi went on for hours, with dozens of Shiite youth, some covering their faces, throwing stones at law enforcement officials and vowing to reach the consulate, where hundreds of police and paramilitary Rangers have been deployed.

In Islamabad, police fired tear gas and swung batons as hundreds of Shiite protesters, angered by the killing of Khamenei, tried to march toward the U.S. Embassy. The clashes took place outside the Diplomatic Enclave, where the embassy is located and additional police had been deployed.

Meanwhile, in the northwestern city of Peshawar, authorities also used tear gas and batons to disperse thousands of demonstrators attempting to approach the U.S. Consulate to hold a rally to denounce the killing of the Iranian leader, police said.

Shiites also held a peaceful rally in Multan, a city in Punjab province, chanting slogans against Israel and the United States.

Mamoona Sherazi, who attended the rally, said that she was protesting Khamenei's killing. She described him as a fatherly figure and a strong voice for Shiites, adding that he also supported Sunni Muslims facing oppression. “God willing, we will never bow before America and Israel,” she said.

Shiites also held a rally and clashes with police repeatedly near the U.S. Consulate in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, police said. Rallies against Israel and the United States were also planned in northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Authorities said that the government has stepped up security around the U.S. Embassy in the capital, and consulates across the country to avoid any further violence.

Shiites make up roughly 15% of Pakistan’s population of about 250 million and represent one of the largest Shiite communities in the world. They have frequently staged anti-Israel and anti-U. S. rallies in the past, though clashes of this scale are rare.

Munir Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Babar Dogar in Lahore, and Asim Tanveer in Multan, contributed to this story.

Firefighters pour water on a burning car, which was set on fire by protestors close to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Paramilitary soldiers take positions at the U.S. Consulate after protesters stormed the building in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Raza)

Police officers chase Shiite Muslims blocking a road and set on fire tires during a protest over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Farooq)

Police officers and rescue workers examine a burnt police post, which was set on fire by angry protestors close to the U.S. Consulate following protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Farooq)

A security officer takes position as a motorcycle which was set on fire by angry protestors is seen outside the U.S. Consulate following protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Farooq)

Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit on a road during a demonstration to condemn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a major attack by Israel and the United States, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit on a road during a demonstration to condemn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a major attack by Israel and the United States, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Shiite Muslims mourn the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest against the U.S. and Israel in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)