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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 DECEMBER 2018 21 SPORTS FOOTBALL SPORTS FOOTBALL IT would be a 'miracle' if Manches- ter United finished in the Premier League's top four this season, man- ager Jose Mourinho said. The Red Devils sit seventh in the league, eight points off Arsenal in fourth and the two sides will meet today. United, who have not won since November 3, drew their last two league games against Crystal Palace and Southampton. Speaking to Brazilian outlet Rede- TV after the 2-2 draw at St Mary's, Mourinho said: "Last year, we said that getting in 2nd place was a fan- tastic thing due to the qualities we had compared to the qualities of the other teams fighting for the top four." Referring to his ambitions for the rest of the campaign, he said: "Try to win as many points as possible and try almost the miracle to end in fourth." Meanwhile, Mourinho is acting like he wants to be sacked, accord- ing to Chris Sutton. Mourinho's relationship with his players has come in for intensive scrutiny for much of the season and was under the spotlight again in the wake of Saturday's draw. Speaking on Radio 5 Live, former England striker Sutton said: "Mour- inho is a better watch than Man United at the moment - the team on the pitch. Mourinho does more point scoring off the pitch than his team does on it. "It's not a happy camp. What's go- ing to happen in January? Can he be trusted with a pot of money in Janu- ary? "I think he wants the sack. "His signings have been a disaster and he wants more money. How can they trust him with the performanc- es the way they have been? What is good about Man United this season? And it all comes from the manager who is blaming everyone else." Manchester United top four finish would be a 'miracle', says Mourinho CHELSEA have announced defender Cesar Azpilicueta has signed a new four-year deal. The Spain international ar- rived at Stamford Bridge from Marseille in 2012 and will re- main at the club until 2022. The 29-year-old told the club's official website: "I am really happy to extend my stay here at Chelsea. "Since I came, I felt the joy and responsibility to play for this club, these fans, and every time I go on the pitch I try to do my best. "Hopefully there is a lot to come and we can keep Chelsea where it belongs." LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has ac- cepted a charge of misconduct for running on to the pitch after his side's 96th-minute winner against Everton at Anfield. Klopp ran on to hug goalkeeper Alisson after Divock Origi's bizarre goal in Sunday's Merseyside derby. He will receive a fine of about £8,000 from the Football Association and has been warned about his future behaviour. Klopp, who had already apologised, has un- til 18:00 GMT tomorrow to respond. Speaking after Sunday's game, which Liv- erpool won 1-0, to move two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City, the German said: "I have to apologise because I didn't want to be disrespectful - but I couldn't stop myself. "If I could describe how I felt when the goal went in, then I would have control over it. We don't want to look for excuses but that's how it is. "The plan was not to run. When I chose to stop, I was close to Alisson. He was sur- prised." Everton counterpart Marco Silva said he had no issue with Klopp's actions. "I didn't see Klopp's reaction and if we scored that goal and had been so lucky I might have done the same," said the Portu- guese. "I didn't see any disrespect." BBC Radio 5 live summariser Robbie Sav- age said he had "never seen anything like it", while former England defender Danny Mills said it was "absolutely shocking". Jurgen Klopp accepts derby celebration misconduct charge Azpilicueta signs new four-year contract Cesar Azpilicueta: Spanish defender happy with life at Stamford Bridge