Preseason: Man Utd ease past Betis: Liverpool down Arsenal; Chelsea cruise | OneFootball

The preseason friendlies continue Wednesday evening for Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United as the 2024/25 season inches ever-closer. Here is what went down

Man Utd 3-2 Real Betis

Scorers: Rashford (P) 18′, Amad 24′, Casemiro 31′ ; Losada 15′, Llorente 61′

With the bad news regarding Rasmus Højlund and Leny Yoro’s injury coming shortly before kick-off, the mood surrounding Manchester United threatened to be sour.

That point was potentially proven when Iker Losada grabbed an early lead for Real Betis, but the Red Devils responded within a matter of minutes thanks to a Marcus Rashford penalty.

After winning said penalty, Amad Diallo got his own name on the scoresheet to push the Premier League side into the lead. It quickly went from good to great when Casemiro joined the party with a goal of his own.

It got nervy after the break for Erik ten Hag’s men however, as Diego Llorente cut the lead to win just past the hour mark. But it was merely consolation in the end as United fended off a late Betis push to collect the victory.

A potential late injury concern for Antony may be the only blemish on the Red Devils’ evening.

Next up for United is a friendly showdown with rivals Liverpool, while Betis take on Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad.

Liverpool 2-1 Arsenal

Scorers: Salah 15′, Carvalho 34′ ; Havertz 40′

Two first-half goals were all Liverpool needed to see off Arsenal in a star-studded friendly showdown.

A full house in Philadelphia was treated to a rip-roaring opening 45 minutes, kicked off by an opening strike from Mo Salah that was coolly dispatched after a lung-busting run to get in behind the Arsenal rearguard.

The Egyptian’s strike was followed up Fabio Carvalho, who capped off a superb one-two with a tidy finish to bring the Philly crowd to their feet once again, but the two-goal advantage would not survive the half.

After some lovely play to make their way into the box, a deflected pass found its way to Kai Havertz, who tapped home from close-range to cut the lead.

Chelsea 3-0 Club América

Scorers: Nkunku (P) 2′, Guiu 21′, Madueke (P) 79′

Chelsea picked up their first victory preseason victory of the Enzo Maresca era, comfortably dispatching Club América.

Maresca’s side looked much improved from a loss to Celtic just last week, and they took a comfortable lead into the half-time break thanks to a Christopher Nkunku penalty, and a deflected goal from newcomer Marc Guiu — the present and future of Chelsea’s attack.

The second interval was highlighted by the debut of recently signed keeper Filip Jörgensen, who made the move to Stamford Bridge from Villarreal.

Meanwhile, Club América made 11 changes at the break as they continue to gain momentum in the early weeks of their Liga MX Apertura campaign.

A late Noni Madueke penalty was the icing on the cake for Chelsea as they capped off a superb showing against the Mexican giants.