Manchester United are in third position in the Premier League table with five fixtures remaining. The top five clubs this season are assured automatic qualification for the Champions League, while sixth place could also provide a berth if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League. United will play Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday, having secured a 1-0 victory at Chelsea in their most recent outing.
Bruno Fernandes has recalled celebrating as a youngster when Jamie Carragher's penalty was saved by Ricardo at the 2006 World Cup. According to Daily Express - Sport, Fernandes described how the match is remembered for the incident between Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, which ended with Carragher missing the penalty. He apologised to Carragher, saying: 'Sorry, Jamie. I had to get a little bit off you.' Ricardo also saved penalties from Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in that shootout. Carragher initially scored his penalty but was forced to retake it because he did not wait for the referee's whistle. Wayne Rooney was sent off in that match for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, and Cristiano Ronaldo winked at Rooney as he walked off.
Obviously, 2006, everyone remembers because of Cristiano and Wayne's little bit of fire. [It] ends up with Jamie Carragher missing the penalty. I had to say this - sorry, Jamie. I had to get a little bit off you, you get on me all the time. I can get on you with that penalty. When I miss a penalty, don't say anything about it, please.
In other news, Arsenal have entered into discussions over a Sporting left-back, according to Portuguese outlet Record. The identity of the player has not been confirmed.
Sven-Goran Eriksson summoned me and gave me one job: to dispatch a spot-kick as convincingly as I had in every practice session. I had not missed a penalty in six weeks. 'You'll take the fourth', Eriksson told me. Not a problem. England were 2-1 down by the time I made that 40-yard walk, but I was feeling confident staring at Portugal's No. 1 Ricardo. Knowing precisely where to place the ball, I struck it sweetly to the right, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way - my first touch of the game. There was a momentary sense of relief.
Then the referee blew his whistle. The Argentine official, Horacio Marcelo Elizondo, said I had taken it too soon. Take two. Now I was engaged in a game of bluff with Ricardo, wrongly presuming he would think I would try to score in exactly the same way. I changed my mind and went left. So did he, pushing away my attempt.