Manchester United's Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, right, challenges Aston Villa's Dutch defender Ron Vlaar during their English Premier League match at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on December 20, 2014. Adrian Dennis / AFP
Manchester United's Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, right, challenges Aston Villa's Dutch defender Ron Vlaar during their English Premier League match at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on DecembShow more

Manchester United frustrated as draw at Aston Villa ends winning streak



Manchester United’s surge back into the Uefa Champions League places hit a speed bump on Saturday as they could only draw 1-1 at Aston Villa.

Christian Benteke gave the hosts the lead after 18 minutes with a shot curled its way past an unsighted David de Gea. Radamel Falcao equalised on 53 minutes with an expertly placed header back across goal, but United could not find a winner.

Villa held on despite Gabriel Agbonlahor being sent off in the 65th minute for an innocuous-looking challenge on Ashley Young. They sit in 12th place with 20 points.

United, meanwhile, failed to take full points in the Premier League for the first time since losing 1-0 at neighbours Manchester City on November 2. They had won their previous six matches, including victories over Arsenal, Southampton and Liverpool.

Elsewhere, West Ham United kept up their pursuit of Champions League football with a 2-0 home win over last-place Leicester City. Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing struck for fourth-place West Ham, who narrowed the gap on third-place Manchester United to one point.

West Ham, unbeaten in their last five in the Premier League, needed to win to stay ahead of Southampton, who ended their run of four straight losses with a 3-0 victory over Everton at St Mary’s.

Romelu Lukaku’s own goal opened the scoring after 38 minutes, with goals by Graziano Pelle and Maya Yoshida making sure of the points. Southampton are fifth with 29 points, two back of West Ham, while Everton stayed 10th on 21 points.

Close behind Southampton in the chase for European places are Tottenham Hotspur, who held off a spirited challenge by Burnley to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane. Goals by Harry Kane and Erik Lamela earned the points, with Ashley Barnes replying for Burnley.

Tottenham are sixth on 27 points – one above rivals Arsenal, who travel to Liverpool on Sunday – while Burnley are 18th on 15 points, level with Crystal Palace but in the relegation zone on goal difference.

Charlie Austin’s hat-trick at Loftus Road completed Queens Park Rangers’ 3-2 comeback victory over West Bromwich Albion and gave the hosts some breathing room above the relegation places. Austin struck in the 24th, 48th and 86th minutes after Joleon Lescott and Silvestre Varela had given West Brom a two-goal lead.

Austin has 11 league goals this season, third-best in the Premier League. West Brom and QPR both have 17 points, with West Brom holding 14th place by virtue of better goal difference.

Pressure on Hull City manager Steve Bruce increased after his side fell 1-0 at home against Swansea City. Ki Seung-yong scored the winner after 15 minutes, giving eighth-place Swansea 25 points and keeping Hull, on 13, in 19th place.

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Number of employees: 4
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Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

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Winner: Rio Tigre, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav.

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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School counsellors on mental well-being

Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.

Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.

Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.

“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.

“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.

“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.

“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”

Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.

The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.

At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.

“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.

“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.

"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

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Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.

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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

Our legal consultant

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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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