Manchester United ruthlessly brought the axe down on David Moyes’ reign just 10 months into his six-year contract.

Moyes slipped into United’s training base unnoticed early this morning and met with Ed Woodward.

Just after 8am, the United vice-chairman informed the Scot he had been sacked.

United issued a statement soon after which read: “Manchester United has announced that David Moyes has left the club.

“The club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role.”

The club confirmed veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs had been placed in charge “until a permanent appointment can be made”.

Neither Giggs, nor any of the other United playing squad, stopped to speak to the media who had gathered outside United’s training ground on Tuesday in anticipation of Moyes’ sacking.

An Everton fan dressed up as the Grim Reaper mocked Moyes from behind the Goodison Park dugout on Sunday, And United’s 11th defeat of the campaign proved enough for the Glazer family, who had previously stood by their man despite a woeful debut campaign.

Moyes can have no complaints about his sacking, which came a year to the day after United won a record 20th title.

Now they sit seventh in the Barclays Premier League, some 23 points behind leaders Liverpool, Succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 league titles during his 26 years at the club, was always going to be difficult, but few expected Moyes to have done so badly.

The list of unwanted records broken by Moyes is as embarrassing as it is long. United are guaranteed to end the season with their worst points total in Premier League history, they have failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in almost two decades, while Moyes’ home record is the worst of any United boss since 1978 when Dave Sexton was in charge.

That is why the Scot, who won 27, drew nine and lost 15 of his 51 games, is now the third shortest-serving manager in the club’s history.

Moyes had enjoyed 11 critically acclaimed years at Everton, leading the club to five top-six finishes. The Toffees qualified for the Champions League for the first time under Moyes’ stewardship – although they lost in the qualifying stages of the competition – and he also took the Merseyside club to the FA Cup final in 2009.

But all those achievements were small fry compared to what his United predecessor achieved.

The enormity of the task in hand seemed to overwhelm Moyes from day one.

Moyes upset some within the club by bringing in his own coaching staff, while the likes of Rene Meulensteen, Eric Steele, and Mike Phelan departed.

The futures of Steve Round, Jimmy Lumsden, Chris Woods and Phil Neville remained unclear on Tuesday, although the latter two have a better chance of staying in their position.

Moyes’ reputation took its first hit when he botched his first transfer window as United boss. The Scot pursued Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas when the midfielder had no intention of leaving the Spanish giants.

Thiago Alcantara joined Bayern Munich ahead of United, while the club made a real hash of their attempts to sign Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines on the cheap.

United’s bid of £28million for the pair was branded “derisory and insulting” by Everton.

Baines stayed and United ended up buying Fellaini for £27.5million when they could have bought him for £4million less had they acted quicker.

There will be no shortage of interest when it comes to seeking a successor for Moyes, who turns 51 this Friday.

Louis van Gaal is the bookmakers’ favourite. The former Barcelona manager has an impressive CV and will be available this summer when he leaves his post as Holland coach.

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has ruled himself out of the running.

Diego Simeone is a highly-regarded figure in European football after taking Atletico Madrid to the top of the Spanish league and into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

However, many fans would like to see Giggs take the post on a long-term basis, despite his lack of managerial experience.

For the meantime, United hope Giggs will restore some passion and unity in a season which has been tainted by rumours of disharmony in the dressing room.

In December, Rio Ferdinand questioned Moyes’ policy of naming his starting XI on the day of the game, claiming it turned him into a “madman” wondering whether he was to be selected.

Shortly after United’s embarrassing 2-0 defeat at Olympiacos, Robin van Persie complained about his team-mates running into his space on the pitch.

Moyes always denied he had any problems with his playing staff.

But the shock news that Danny Welbeck, an academy graduate born in Manchester, wanted to leave the club, did not go down well with the United hierarchy.

Moyes’ reputation was tarnished when he oversaw the exit of highly-respected club captain Nemanja Vidic, who will leave for Inter Milan in the summer.

Another senior figure and dressing room stalwart Patrice Evra may follow the Serbian out the door when his contract expires.

Moyes succeeded where Ferguson failed in tying Wayne Rooney down to a long-term contract.

Goalkeeper David de Gea and Adnan Januzaj have also developed well during Moyes’ reign, but that cannot be said for the rest of the squad and many supporters became disenchanted with the slow and methodical style of play on show at Old Trafford this year.

According to Goal

Two goals in three minutes saw Barcelona come from behind to win 2-1 against Athletic Bilbao at the Nou Camp, ending a run of three straight defeats.

A crowd of barely more than 30,000 suggested the locals had already made their mind up about the under-pressure Gerardo Martino, and his players did not do much to make his case as they struggled to muster their usual cutting edge until they had fallen behind.
Aritz Aduriz had already missed two outstanding chances to score before he put Bilbao ahead in the 50th minute, and it was not until the 72nd that Barca found a somewhat fortunate equaliser through Pedro.
Having done that, they needed only two minutes for Lionel Messi to give them the lead.
Even so, this was far from vintage stuff.
The first clear chance went Bilbao’s way as the ball was slipped through to Aduriz in the ninth minute, but his low shot was turned away by Jose Pinto at his near post.
Barca, low on confidence, were subdued with only the occasional flash of their usual attacking brilliance.
Pedro raced straight through on goal but his weak shot was straight at the goalkeeper.
Lionel Messi tried next but was also denied by Gorkan Iraizoz.
The Argentinian had the ball in the net in the 18th minute but it was rightly ruled out for offside.
Aduriz was then denied what would have been a glorious goal, making fantastic contact with an overhead strike only for the ball to rebound off the post. It fell directly to Markel Susaeta but Pinto palmed his shot clear.
Moments later, Alexis Sanchez spurned Barca’s best chance, striking the crossbar when it looked easier to turn Pedro’s cross into the net.
Barca’s frustration was mounting as shots from Sanchez and Pedro went straight at Iraizoz from decent positions.
Things then got worse five minutes into the second half when Aduriz capitalised on a Marc Bartra mistake to grab the lead for the visitors – the fifth time in the last six competitive games that Barca have conceded the first goal.
Bartra mis-controlled and the Bilbao man whipped the ball away to run towards goal, checking inside before firing into the bottom right-hand corner of the goal.
It might have been worse three minutes later when Susaeta blasted the ball home but was denied by a contentious offside decision, with the ball appearing to have come off Javier Mascherano – with a hint of handball to boot.
If they were riding their luck at one end, they were still having none at the other.
A decent shot from Pedro was turned away by the outstretched leg of Iraizoz before Messi summed up their frustrations by missing what should have been a routine chance to score from a few yards out.
But their fortunes were soon to change – indeed, their equaliser was almost entirely down to luck.
Dani Alves rode two challenges before pulling the ball back to Sanchez, who scuffed his shot but in doing so inadvertently played the perfect pass for Pedro to turn it in from a couple of yards.
Bilbao had barely regrouped when Messi ran at the heart of the defence. He bounced back up from an Oscar De Marcos challenge to shoot at goal, but after Iraizoz saved the referee pulled play back for a free-kick and a booking for De Marcos.
This time Messi made no mistake with a low shot into the left-hand corner, completing the turnaround inside three minutes.
Cristian Tello had a late chance to add a third after a fine run, but after riding one challenge, his shot was weak and was stopped short of the line by a defender.
If that was a wasted chance to put the game to bed, it almost proved very costly, with Mascherano making a crucial block to deny Mikel Rico at point-blank range.
It was a reminder of how fragile this Barca side still looks right now. The win keeps them alive in the title race, but on this showing the four-point gap to Atletico looks massive.

According to Foxsports

David Moyes insists Danny Welbeck has an important role to play at Manchester United despite speculation the striker wants to leave Old Trafford. 

Reports suggest Welbeck has grown tired of a lack of first-team football under Moyes and wants to leave Old Trafford.
Welbeck has scored 10 times in 32 United appearances this season, but he apparently has become frustrated at playing out on the wing.
When asked about Welbeck’s future following United’s 2-0 defeat at Everton, Moyes said: “Danny Welbeck is really important to me and I really value him.
“There have been lots of stories. I can only tell you Danny Welbeck is really important to me and really important to Manchester United.”
Welbeck, an academy graduate born in Manchester, came off the bench after 75 minutes at Goodison Park, but could not find the net as United stumbled to their latest defeat of a wretched season.

According to Foxsports

The Red Devils were uninspired and comfortably beaten by Roberto Martinez’s men, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot and could have had plenty more than two goals.

David Moyes’s return to Everton was an unhappy one as Manchester United lost their Premier League encounter 2-0 after an extremely poor performance.

The Toffees took the lead from the penalty spot through Leighton Baines, a transfer target for the Red Devils last summer, after Phil Jones’s clear handball blocked a Romelu Lukaku shot.

Kevin Mirallas doubled their advantage shortly before half-time, slotting home on the counter after being played in by a fantastic delivery from Seamus Coleman, and United could summon no serious effort to get back into the game.

The result keeps Everton a point behind Arsenal in the race for fourth, while United remain seventh, six points adrift of sixth-placed Tottenham.

Steven Naismith, recalled to the side along with James McCarthy, ought to have given Everton the lead in the 22nd minute. Lukaku’s knockdown found the Scotland international all alone inside the area but he blazed wildly over the crossbar from just inside the area.

That miss was rendered irrelevant six minutes later, though, as Baines put the hosts in front from the penalty spot. Jones, having lost his footing, stuck out an arm to block Lukaku’s shot and, after referee Mark Clattenburg awarded the spot-kick, the full-back sent his effort straight down the middle.

Everton doubled their lead two minutes before the break, Mirallas finishing from a tight angle after being slipped in by Coleman.

Lukaku had the chance to make the game safe in the 62nd minute but the Belgian fired straight at David de Gea after being picked out by a sensational pass from Mirallas on the halfway line.

Naismith spurned another opportunity before being denied by De Gea at full stretch 10 minutes from time.

According to Goal

Former United goalkeeper Tim Howard, fresh from signing a contract extension, was not seriously called into action until three minutes from the end, when he made a superb save from ex-Everton man Wayne Rooney to preserve his clean sheet.

The win, which secured the Toffees’ first league double over United for 44 years, provided a welcome tonic for Martinez and his side after the disappointment of Wednesday’s surprise 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, while the result leaves Moyes with plenty to ponder.

Arsenal kept their top-four challenge on track with a routine 3-0 win over upcoming FA Cup final opponents Hull at the KC Stadium.

Lukas Podolski scored either side of half-time after Aaron Ramsey’s classy opener to ensure Arsenal would remain ahead of Everton regardless of the Toffees’ result against Manchester United.

Hull contributed well in the first half but Podolski’s second goal soon after the break knocked the stuffing out of them, and they will need to improve before the sides meet again next month.

Germany playmaker Mesut Ozil returned to the Arsenal line-up for the first time since March 11 after passing a fitness test on his hamstring, while Hull strikers Shane Long and Nikica Jelavic were recalled having been cup-tied against Sheffield United.

The match was preceded by a minute’s silence in memory of former City full-back Andy ‘Jock’ Davidson, whose 579 appearances represent a club record.

Visiting keeper Wojciech Szczesny then foiled Hull captain Curtis Davies from an early corner.

Play was bizarrely interrupted in the early stages when a section of pitchside advertising hoardings blew over, littering the pitch but fortunately without injury to any of the players.

Szczesny gathered Ahmed Elmohamady’s deflected cross and was also out quickly to beat Long to a dangerous through-ball.

Ozil was denied a penalty when he tumbled over Elmohamady’s challenge, with replays indicating some contact.

Jelavic’s sharp shot on the turn then drew an impressive low save from Szczesny but Long took too long to line up his shot from Jake Livermore’s sumptuous through-ball, firing high and wide.

In between, Steve Harper beat away a decent strike from Podolski’s weaker right foot.

Elmohamady broke up a promising Gunners attack by poking the ball away from Podolski – but the visitors took the lead in the 31st minute.

A slick passing move ended with Ozil and Cazorla playing in Ramsey, who had been involved early in the move back at halfway, to fire low inside Harper’s far post.

An Arsenal win, perversely, could help Hull’s Europa League claims – a top-four finish for the Gunners would see the cup-winner’s place revert to Hull no matter the result on May 17.

But on-loan Spurs man Livermore was in no mood to settle for the status quo, and sent a low drive against the inside of a post with Szczesny hopelessly beaten.

Long failed to make a meaningful contact with Liam Rosenior’s cross and was punished by a second Arsenal goal on the stroke of half-time.

Hull were incensed as Jelavic was not awarded a free-kick after Arteta’s challenge – a borderline call – and when Arsenal countered quickly, Ramsey chested Giroud’s cross down to Podolski who rifled home.

Cup hero Matty Fryatt replaced Long at half-time but could not get the better of Sagna and Szczesny from his first opportunity.

Nine minutes into the second half, Podolski make it three. Harper saved well with his foot from Ramsey’s initial effort but could only present the German with a simple finish.

Jelavic’s shot was deflected away for a corner, and from it the Croatian’s header forced another, but Hull could not find the cutting edge.

Harper had a real let-off when he misread Rosenior’s back-pass and hacked the ball against Giroud. The France striker chased down the loose ball but hit the bar from an acute angle.

Rosenior’s cross eluded substitute Stephen Quinn, newly on for Jelavic, and at the other end Per Mertesacker almost diverted Cazorla’s poor free-kick on goal.

Harper saved well from Ramsey before an increasingly rare Hull threat saw Huddlestone’s shot tipped over by an unsighted Szczesny.

The 2,000 visiting fans in the crowd of 24,762 made their own entertainment by chanting the name of beleaguered Tottenham boss, and boyhood Arsenal fan, Tim Sherwood.

Fryatt stung Szczesny’s palms from range but the match fizzled out in the closing stages, with Arsenal content with their winning margin.

According to Foxsports

Raheem Sterling scored twice and Luis Suarez broke the 30-goal barrier as Liverpool beat Norwich 3-2 at Carrow Road to move five points clear at the top of the table.

The Reds showed their intent to make the most of Chelsea’s shock home defeat by Sunderland on Saturday, and romped 2-0 ahead inside 10 minutes as the relegation-threatened Canaries were ripped apart with a superb 25-yard effort from Sterling, before Suarez tucked home from close range.

However, Norwich – just two points above the dropzone – rallied after Gary Hooper reduced the deficit following a poor punch by Simon Mignolet only for Sterling to slot home a deflected third on the break.

Robert Snodgrass set up a tense finale with his far post header with 13 minutes left, but the Reds secured what looks to be a priceless victory in their bid to win a first championship in more than 20 years.

With England forward Daniel Sturridge missing because of a hamstring injury and Jordan Henderson suspended following his red card against Manchester City, Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva came into the Liverpool midfield. Suarez – who has scored 11 goals against the Canaries in the last four meetings – lead the attack as the Reds looked to move five points clear of Chelsea.

It was Sterling, though, who made an instant impact, firing Liverpool in front after just four minutes.

The ball was worked into the middle from the left, where Sterling held it up before turning goalwards, sidestepping Bradley Johnson and as Michael Turner also stood off, the England forward gleefully cracked a superb 25-yard effort into the corner past John Ruddy.

Norwich, who had lost the last three matches without scoring a goal to plummet towards the Sky Bet Championship, needed a response.

The hosts briefly rallied as a backward header from Gary Hooper was flicked over, but Liverpool went 2-0 up on nine minutes.

This time, Sterling was the provider as he cut the ball into the Norwich area from the left and Suarez arrived on cue to steer the ball into the bottom right corner for his 30th goal of the season.

To their credit, Adams’ reshaped side did at least offer a bit of fight, with Hooper’s close-range effort hacked away from a crowded six-yard box.

Liverpool, however, soon weathered the all-too-brief storm, and were back in cruise control as the half-hour mark.

Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass was fortunate to only get a yellow card from referee Andre Marriner after sliding through Allen out on the far touchline.

England Under-21 winger Nathan Redmond tested Mignolet with a 25-yard drive, which the Reds keeper pushed away.

Norwich forced a spell of pressure at the start of the second half, and pulled a goal back on 54 minutes.

A high cross in from the right by Snodgrass was punched by Mignolet, under pressure from Johnson, onto Martin Skrtel. The ball dropped to Hooper four yards out and the former Celtic man slotted home his first goal since Boxing Day.

Suddenly, Carrow Road came alive as the hosts sniffed the most unlikely of fightbacks.

Liverpool, though, remained dangerous on the break and it was 3-1 on 62 minutes, as a stray pass from Norwich midfielder Johnson was punished in clinical fashion.

Sterling picked the loose ball up just inside his own half before darting forward and riding two challenges into the Norwich penalty area.

Johnson had tracked back, but as he went to block the shot, the ball cannoned up and over Ruddy into the net.

It was all or nothing now for Norwich, and Snodgrass forced a smart save from Mignolet with a low effort from 20 yards before Redmond’s effort was deflected behind and a header from captain Russell Martin dropped onto the roof of the net.

Norwich threatened to make a game of it again on 77 minutes when Snodgrass got up above Jon Flanagan to head in a deep left-wing cross from Redmond.

Mignolet showed good reactions to save a downward header from substitute Ricky van Wolfwinskel, who has scored just once since his club-record £8.5million summer move from Sporting Lisbon.

Liverpool, though, saw out the closing stages without any more real scares and could have added a fourth in stoppage time as Ruddy saved from Suarez, as Brendan Rodger’s side recorded an 11th straight league win to have one hand on the trophy ahead of the showdown with Chelsea at Anfield.

According to Foxsports