Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

United were furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half.

The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials.

"It's all these outside influences. That's influencing referees," said an unusually irate Solskjaer.&nbsp;

"We've seen there is loads of talk about us getting penalties when there is no doubt about it and today we should've had a penalty, that's clear."

A draw does little for either side's ambitions at the top of the Premier League.

Second-placed United now trail runaway leaders Manchester City by 12 points, while Chelsea remain a point outside the top four in fifth.

United's poor record against traditional top six opponents has prevented them maintaining a title challenge as they have now failed to win in seven league meetings with Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Five of those games ended 0-0 and Solskjaer admitted his side need to be better with the ball.

"Defensively our attitude, application and pressing was brilliant. With the ball it wasn't good enough," said the Norwegian.

"We didn't create the chances we hoped for. But if you get that penalty and win 1-0 that's a perfect away performance."

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel remains unbeaten in nine games since replacing the sacked Lampard, but a lack of firepower that has been a problem in the German's short reign so far was in evidence again for the Blues.

Solskjaer had given Mason Greenwood a start ahead of the out-of-sorts Anthony Martial and the young striker was involved in the most noteworthy incident as he and Hudson-Odoi vied for possession inside the Chelsea box.

Hudson-Odoi inadvertently caught the ball with his arm.

However, Tuchel took a very different view of the incident, claiming Greenwood had handled the ball first.

"How can this be an intervention (by VAR)? The player in red plays the ball with the hand and then we are checking for a penalty," he said.

"Why does the referee have to see this? He did everything right. I don't understand why he needs to check it but I'm glad there is no penalty because that would be even worse."

Edouard Mendy did well to save Scott McTominay's low shot early in the second-half and nervously parried Fred's piledriver in stoppage time with United's best efforts.

But it was Chelsea who posed the bigger threat after the break.

Substitute Timo Werner stung David De Gea's palms from long-range before Victor Lindelof's brilliant clearance denied the German international a tap in from Reece James's inviting cross.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Manchester United are being negatively influenced by opposition managers referring to their penalty record after being denied a spot-kick in a 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday. United were furious that referee Stuart Attwell stuck to his original call not to award a penalty for handball by Callum Hudson-Odoi despite being asked to review the incident by VAR in the first-half. The Red Devils have been awarded 22 penalties in the Premier League since the start of last season, four more than any other club, which led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to question why their sides failed to get the same treatment from officials. "It's all these outside influences. That's influencing referees," said an unusually irate Solskjaer. "We've seen there is loads of talk about us getting penalties when there is no doubt about it and today we should've had a penalty, that's clear." A draw does little for either side's ambitions at the top of the Premier League. Second-placed United now trail runaway leaders Manchester City by 12 points, while Chelsea remain a point outside the top four in fifth. United's poor record against traditional top six opponents has prevented them maintaining a title challenge as they have now failed to win in seven league meetings with Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool and Tottenham. Five of those games ended 0-0 and Solskjaer admitted his side need to be better with the ball. "Defensively our attitude, application and pressing was brilliant. With the ball it wasn't good enough," said the Norwegian. "We didn't create the chances we hoped for. But if you get that penalty and win 1-0 that's a perfect away performance." Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel remains unbeaten in nine games since replacing the sacked Lampard, but a lack of firepower that has been a problem in the German's short reign so far was in evidence again for the Blues. Solskjaer had given Mason Greenwood a start ahead of the out-of-sorts Anthony Martial and the young striker was involved in the most noteworthy incident as he and Hudson-Odoi vied for possession inside the Chelsea box. Hudson-Odoi inadvertently caught the ball with his arm. However, Tuchel took a very different view of the incident, claiming Greenwood had handled the ball first. "How can this be an intervention (by VAR)? The player in red plays the ball with the hand and then we are checking for a penalty," he said. "Why does the referee have to see this? He did everything right. I don't understand why he needs to check it but I'm glad there is no penalty because that would be even worse." Edouard Mendy did well to save Scott McTominay's low shot early in the second-half and nervously parried Fred's piledriver in stoppage time with United's best efforts. But it was Chelsea who posed the bigger threat after the break. Substitute Timo Werner stung David De Gea's palms from long-range before Victor Lindelof's brilliant clearance denied the German international a tap in from Reece James's inviting cross.

Solskjaer rages at penalty talk as Man Utd draw another blank at Chelsea

Manchester United were left frustrated by a VAR penalty controversy in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea, while the revitalised Gareth Bale struck twice in Tottenham's 4-0 rout of Burnley on Sunday.

Liverpool took advantage of dropped points for Chelsea to move within two points of the top four by ending a four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United.

Second-placed United had hoped to close the gap on Manchester City with a victory at Stamford Bridge.

But instead they now sit 12 points behind the Premier League leaders as their title hopes fade following a run of one win from four games.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard, but the stalemate also did little for the Blues top four challenge.

The biggest talking point of a dour clash came in the first-half when United's appeal for a penalty was rejected by referee Stuart Attwell after he consulted the pitchside monitor when Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle in a challenge with Mason Greenwood.

"It was a penalty, 100 percent nailed on. If that's a natural position for a hand to be in when the ball comes in then I must be blind," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said.

Tuchel disagreed, saying: "How can this be a VAR intervention? I don't understand why the referee has to check it but I'm glad it was no penalty."

<h2>- Bale shines for Spurs -</h2>

After five defeats in their previous six league games, Tottenham eased the pressure on Jose Mourinho with a significant contribution from Bale, who made just his third league start of the season.

The Wales forward's most impressive display since his season-long loan move from Real Madrid gave him four goals in his last four appearances.

Bale took just 68 seconds to score with a clinical close-range finish from Son Heung-min's cross.

The four-time Champions League winner then picked out Harry Kane's run and the England captain's shot deflected off James Tarkowski for his 22nd goal of the season.

Lucas Moura netted with a predatory finish before Bale, who had scored just once in the league all season before Sunday, grabbed his second with a cool strike from Son's 55th-minute pass.

Tottenham are up to eighth, six points behind the top four with a game in hand.

"There is not one single manager in the world that doesn't play Gareth Bale if Gareth Bale is in very good condition," Mourinho said.

"There is not one, but now he is better than ever. It's not just about the two goals he scored, it's fundamentally about his physical performance."

<h2>- Arsenal down Leicester -</h2>

Arsenal delivered a hammer blow to Leicester's faint hopes of winning the title with an impressive 3-1 win.

Mikel Arteta's side fell behind to Youri Tielemans' early goal at the King Power Stadium, but David Luiz equalised and Alexandre Lacazette's penalty gave Arsenal the lead.

Nicolas Pepe's second-half goal sealed the Gunners' second win in their last six league games and their first success at a team in the Premier League's top three since 2015.

Leicester remain in third place and trail City by 13 points with 12 games remaining.

Liverpool cut their gap to Leicester to six points thanks to a much-needed win against the league's bottom side.

The visitors had to wait until the second-half to make the breakthrough as Aaron Ramsdale's inspired performance kept the Blades in the game.

But there was little doubt over the outcome once Curtis Jones opened the scoring before Roberto Fimino's shot deflected in off Kean Bryan for Liverpool's second.

"It was very important (to win) because you can imagine plenty of people have written us off. It is about us to show we are still there," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

"With all the problems we had, we are still around the exciting places and that's where we want to be."

Third-bottom Fulham are three points from safety after a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

Manchester United were left frustrated by a VAR penalty controversy in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea, while the revitalised Gareth Bale struck twice in Tottenham's 4-0 rout of Burnley on Sunday.

Manchester United were left frustrated by a VAR penalty controversy in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea, while the revitalised Gareth Bale struck twice in Tottenham's 4-0 rout of Burnley on Sunday. Liverpool took advantage of dropped points for Chelsea to move within two points of the top four by ending a four-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at Sheffield United. Second-placed United had hoped to close the gap on Manchester City with a victory at Stamford Bridge. But instead they now sit 12 points behind the Premier League leaders as their title hopes fade following a run of one win from four games. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard, but the stalemate also did little for the Blues top four challenge. The biggest talking point of a dour clash came in the first-half when United's appeal for a penalty was rejected by referee Stuart Attwell after he consulted the pitchside monitor when Callum Hudson-Odoi appeared to handle in a challenge with Mason Greenwood. "It was a penalty, 100 percent nailed on. If that's a natural position for a hand to be in when the ball comes in then I must be blind," United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. Tuchel disagreed, saying: "How can this be a VAR intervention? I don't understand why the referee has to check it but I'm glad it was no penalty." - Bale shines for Spurs - After five defeats in their previous six league games, Tottenham eased the pressure on Jose Mourinho with a significant contribution from Bale, who made just his third league start of the season. The Wales forward's most impressive display since his season-long loan move from Real Madrid gave him four goals in his last four appearances. Bale took just 68 seconds to score with a clinical close-range finish from Son Heung-min's cross. The four-time Champions League winner then picked out Harry Kane's run and the England captain's shot deflected off James Tarkowski for his 22nd goal of the season. Lucas Moura netted with a predatory finish before Bale, who had scored just once in the league all season before Sunday, grabbed his second with a cool strike from Son's 55th-minute pass. Tottenham are up to eighth, six points behind the top four with a game in hand. "There is not one single manager in the world that doesn't play Gareth Bale if Gareth Bale is in very good condition," Mourinho said. "There is not one, but now he is better than ever. It's not just about the two goals he scored, it's fundamentally about his physical performance." - Arsenal down Leicester - Arsenal delivered a hammer blow to Leicester's faint hopes of winning the title with an impressive 3-1 win. Mikel Arteta's side fell behind to Youri Tielemans' early goal at the King Power Stadium, but David Luiz equalised and Alexandre Lacazette's penalty gave Arsenal the lead. Nicolas Pepe's second-half goal sealed the Gunners' second win in their last six league games and their first success at a team in the Premier League's top three since 2015. Leicester remain in third place and trail City by 13 points with 12 games remaining. Liverpool cut their gap to Leicester to six points thanks to a much-needed win against the league's bottom side. The visitors had to wait until the second-half to make the breakthrough as Aaron Ramsdale's inspired performance kept the Blades in the game. But there was little doubt over the outcome once Curtis Jones opened the scoring before Roberto Fimino's shot deflected in off Kean Bryan for Liverpool's second. "It was very important (to win) because you can imagine plenty of people have written us off. It is about us to show we are still there," said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. "With all the problems we had, we are still around the exciting places and that's where we want to be." Third-bottom Fulham are three points from safety after a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

Man Utd frustrated by penalty row in Chelsea stalemate, Bale stars for Spurs

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool can prove the doubters that have written their season off wrong after snapping a four-game Premier League losing streak to win 2-0 at Sheffield United on Sunday.

The English champions' title defence has been decimated by injuries and they face a battle just to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish.

Klopp's men remain in sixth, but are now just two points behind fourth-placed West Ham and can leapfrog Chelsea in fifth when the Blues visit Anfield on Thursday.

"Plenty of people have written us off. That's fine," said Klopp. "With all the problems we have had we're still around the exciting places."

Captain Jordan Henderson has been added to Liverpool's long-term injury list, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker was absent after he lost his father to a swimming accident in Brazil this week.

<h2>- 'We're still there' -</h2>

But the Championship-bound Blades proved the perfect opponents for Klopp's men to restore some confidence as Curtis Jones's second-half strike and Kean Bryan's own goal got the Reds back to winning ways.

"This was about us showing we're still there," added Klopp.

"We play Chelsea on Thursday, we have to show it again. We have to win football games, we know that. There's no way into the Champions League without results."

With Alisson's understudy Caoimhin Kelleher also absent due to injury, Liverpool's third-choice goalkeeper Adrian started in the Premier League for the first time since conceding nine goals in two games in October to Aston Villa and Everton.

However, the much-maligned Spaniard made an important early save to prevent David McGoldrick giving Sheffield United a shock lead.

Most of the action was taking place down the other end as Aaron Ramsdale brilliantly denied Roberto Firmino, who should have teed up Jones for a tap-in.

The former Bournemouth stopper also did well to block from Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Georginio Wijnaldum, while Firmino's lack of confidence showed as he tried to tee up Sadio Mane rather than go for an open goal from a narrow angle.

Liverpool's breakthrough finally came three minutes into the second period when Alexander-Arnold was deemed not to have run the ball out of play before his cross was turned by Firmino into the path of Jones to slot home the opening goal.

The same two players were involved again for the second as this time the Brazilian's shot took a huge deflection off Bryan.

Firmino was denied his first goal in seven games with the goal credited to the defender.

"He had a goal," said Klopp. "For him it counts, if it's not in the stats, I don't care."

Andy Robertson and Salah were guilty of passing up more clear-cut chances that could have given the scoreline the reflection Liverpool's dominance deserved.

Sheffield United are still 15 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table and manager Chris Wilder admitted his side lacked the quality to challenge even a depleted Liverpool.

"You have to have your best players available and be at the top of your form and unfortunately we are not," said Wilder.

"We had a right go but lacked quality and strength in depth. You need a bit more in this division because it's brutal and it exposes you."

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool can prove the doubters that have written their season off wrong after snapping a four-game Premier League losing streak to win 2-0 at Sheffield United on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool can prove the doubters that have written their season off wrong after snapping a four-game Premier League losing streak to win 2-0 at Sheffield United on Sunday. The English champions' title defence has been decimated by injuries and they face a battle just to qualify for next season's Champions League via a top-four finish. Klopp's men remain in sixth, but are now just two points behind fourth-placed West Ham and can leapfrog Chelsea in fifth when the Blues visit Anfield on Thursday. "Plenty of people have written us off. That's fine," said Klopp. "With all the problems we have had we're still around the exciting places." Captain Jordan Henderson has been added to Liverpool's long-term injury list, while goalkeeper Alisson Becker was absent after he lost his father to a swimming accident in Brazil this week. - 'We're still there' - But the Championship-bound Blades proved the perfect opponents for Klopp's men to restore some confidence as Curtis Jones's second-half strike and Kean Bryan's own goal got the Reds back to winning ways. "This was about us showing we're still there," added Klopp. "We play Chelsea on Thursday, we have to show it again. We have to win football games, we know that. There's no way into the Champions League without results." With Alisson's understudy Caoimhin Kelleher also absent due to injury, Liverpool's third-choice goalkeeper Adrian started in the Premier League for the first time since conceding nine goals in two games in October to Aston Villa and Everton. However, the much-maligned Spaniard made an important early save to prevent David McGoldrick giving Sheffield United a shock lead. Most of the action was taking place down the other end as Aaron Ramsdale brilliantly denied Roberto Firmino, who should have teed up Jones for a tap-in. The former Bournemouth stopper also did well to block from Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Georginio Wijnaldum, while Firmino's lack of confidence showed as he tried to tee up Sadio Mane rather than go for an open goal from a narrow angle. Liverpool's breakthrough finally came three minutes into the second period when Alexander-Arnold was deemed not to have run the ball out of play before his cross was turned by Firmino into the path of Jones to slot home the opening goal. The same two players were involved again for the second as this time the Brazilian's shot took a huge deflection off Bryan. Firmino was denied his first goal in seven games with the goal credited to the defender. "He had a goal," said Klopp. "For him it counts, if it's not in the stats, I don't care." Andy Robertson and Salah were guilty of passing up more clear-cut chances that could have given the scoreline the reflection Liverpool's dominance deserved. Sheffield United are still 15 points adrift of safety at the bottom of the table and manager Chris Wilder admitted his side lacked the quality to challenge even a depleted Liverpool. "You have to have your best players available and be at the top of your form and unfortunately we are not," said Wilder. "We had a right go but lacked quality and strength in depth. You need a bit more in this division because it's brutal and it exposes you."

'Written off' Liverpool still ready to fight - Klopp

Atletico Madrid bounced back from recent poor form with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Villarreal on Sunday that allowed the La Liga pace-setters to extend their lead to five points.

An own goal from Alfonso Pedraza and Joao Felix's powerful strike gave Atletico a precious win after a wobble which had allowed Barcelona and Real Madrid to gain ground in the title race.

Diego Simeone's side had come into the match off the back of a Champions League last 16 defeat to Chelsea and a league run in which they picked up just five points from their previous four matches.

However despite Villarreal coming close on a number of occasions Atletico held on for a win that ensures they keep second-placed Barca at bay and crucially increase the gap between them and rivals Real Madrid to six points ahead of next weekend's local derby.

Madrid can go back to within three points of Atletico when they host Europe-chasing Real Sociedad on Monday night.

"We suffered, and even after the second goal they had good chances. But we come home with a very important victory at this point in the season," said Simeone.

Atletico opened the scoring thanks to Pedraza's odd own goal mid-way through the first half, which came after long VAR check to see if Stefan Savic, who was initially credited with the goal, had strayed offside for Thomas Lemar's cross.

Savic's header was saved by Sergio Asenjo only for the ball to ricochet off Pedraza and into the net as the 24-year-old defender fell over.

Gerard Moreno should have pulled the hosts level when he met a Daniel Parejo cross but couldn't muster a decisive finish and Savic recovered easily to clear the ball off the line.

<h2>- 'I love rebel players' -</h2>

Suarez could have doubled Atleti's lead eight minutes after the break when he pounced on a defensive lapse to let off a powerful shot, only for Asenjo to pull of a superb reaction save to deny the Uruguayan.

However Joao Felix gave the away side the two-goal cushion they needed in the 69th minute, quickly latching onto a poor clearance by Pau Torres to lash home the second from just outside the penalty area.

Felix appeared to direct an angry look at Simeone after scoring, reportedly prompted by a lack of game time.

"I love rebel players, those that have pride. The goal brought something out in him," Simeone said.

"He needed it, and the team needed that goal."

The hosts responded, with Carlos Bacca somehow shooting wide when Moreno laid on a simple finish for the Colombian with 12 minutes remaining.

And teenage substitute Alex Baena was unlucky to finish the match without his first La Liga goal, first clipping the post in the 82nd minute and then forcing a brilliant save form Jan Oblak with a stinging volley.

However they couldn't recover and sit seventh thanks to a run of seven matches without a win.

Earlier Real Betis moved above Villarreal as they maintained their bid for European football next season thanks to Juanmi's late strike which earned them a 1-0 victory at struggling Cadiz.

Spaniard Juanmi rammed home a close range header with six minutes remaining to squeeze Betis past the home side and put them sixth.

Betis are just two points behind Sociedad in the automatic Europa League qualification spot.

Real Valladolid climbed out of the relegation zone despite extending their winless league run to eight in a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo.

Valladolid were denied a first league win since January 2 by Jeison Murillo's stoppage time header.

In an intense relegation scrap Valladolid are level on 22 points with Alaves and Eibar, Elche are 19th on 21 points and rock-bottom Huesca have 20.

Atletico Madrid bounced back from recent poor form with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Villarreal on Sunday that allowed the La Liga pace-setters to extend their lead to five points.

Atletico Madrid bounced back from recent poor form with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Villarreal on Sunday that allowed the La Liga pace-setters to extend their lead to five points. An own goal from Alfonso Pedraza and Joao Felix's powerful strike gave Atletico a precious win after a wobble which had allowed Barcelona and Real Madrid to gain ground in the title race. Diego Simeone's side had come into the match off the back of a Champions League last 16 defeat to Chelsea and a league run in which they picked up just five points from their previous four matches. However despite Villarreal coming close on a number of occasions Atletico held on for a win that ensures they keep second-placed Barca at bay and crucially increase the gap between them and rivals Real Madrid to six points ahead of next weekend's local derby. Madrid can go back to within three points of Atletico when they host Europe-chasing Real Sociedad on Monday night. "We suffered, and even after the second goal they had good chances. But we come home with a very important victory at this point in the season," said Simeone. Atletico opened the scoring thanks to Pedraza's odd own goal mid-way through the first half, which came after long VAR check to see if Stefan Savic, who was initially credited with the goal, had strayed offside for Thomas Lemar's cross. Savic's header was saved by Sergio Asenjo only for the ball to ricochet off Pedraza and into the net as the 24-year-old defender fell over. Gerard Moreno should have pulled the hosts level when he met a Daniel Parejo cross but couldn't muster a decisive finish and Savic recovered easily to clear the ball off the line. - 'I love rebel players' - Suarez could have doubled Atleti's lead eight minutes after the break when he pounced on a defensive lapse to let off a powerful shot, only for Asenjo to pull of a superb reaction save to deny the Uruguayan. However Joao Felix gave the away side the two-goal cushion they needed in the 69th minute, quickly latching onto a poor clearance by Pau Torres to lash home the second from just outside the penalty area. Felix appeared to direct an angry look at Simeone after scoring, reportedly prompted by a lack of game time. "I love rebel players, those that have pride. The goal brought something out in him," Simeone said. "He needed it, and the team needed that goal." The hosts responded, with Carlos Bacca somehow shooting wide when Moreno laid on a simple finish for the Colombian with 12 minutes remaining. And teenage substitute Alex Baena was unlucky to finish the match without his first La Liga goal, first clipping the post in the 82nd minute and then forcing a brilliant save form Jan Oblak with a stinging volley. However they couldn't recover and sit seventh thanks to a run of seven matches without a win. Earlier Real Betis moved above Villarreal as they maintained their bid for European football next season thanks to Juanmi's late strike which earned them a 1-0 victory at struggling Cadiz. Spaniard Juanmi rammed home a close range header with six minutes remaining to squeeze Betis past the home side and put them sixth. Betis are just two points behind Sociedad in the automatic Europa League qualification spot. Real Valladolid climbed out of the relegation zone despite extending their winless league run to eight in a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo. Valladolid were denied a first league win since January 2 by Jeison Murillo's stoppage time header. In an intense relegation scrap Valladolid are level on 22 points with Alaves and Eibar, Elche are 19th on 21 points and rock-bottom Huesca have 20.

Atletico hold La Liga rivals at bay with tight Villarreal win

Romelu Lukaku scored after 33 seconds and set up another in Inter Milan's 3-0 win over Genoa on Sunday to keep their title push on track ahead of city rivals AC Milan, who beat Roma 2-1.

Inter remain four points ahead of second-placed Milan, who got back to winning ways in Rome after consecutive league losses including last weekend's derby defeat.

Champions Juventus are a further six points adrift after being held 1-1 at Hellas Verona on Saturday, but have played a game fewer.

Atalanta, equal on points with Juventus, take fourth spot two points ahead of Roma who drop to fifth following the loss to Milan.

Lukaku scored with the first chance at the San Siro, then laid on Matteo Darmian for Inter's second in the 69th minute. Alexis Sanchez came off the bench to add a third with 13 minutes to go.

"We're first in the standings and it's a good feeling," said Lukaku as Inter try to deny Juventus a 10th consecutive league title after finishing runners-up last season.

Antonio Conte's side followed on from last weekend's 3-0 derby win over Milan, notching up a fifth win in a row as they push for a first league title since 2010.

"We're happy because our hard work is paying off," said Conte.

"We know that there are 14 games left. Let's keep our antennas up until the end if we want to do something good."

Lukaku led the way, completing a give-and-go with Lautaro Martinez after good work from Nicolo Barella to fire in from an angle for his 18th Serie A goal of the season, one shy of leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 27-year-old has scored six goals in the last five games.

"I'm in a good moment of my career but the important thing is that Inter win," added the former Manchester United player.

"These matches are opportunities for us to give signals to others, but the championship is long."

<h2>- Milan edge Roma -</h2>

Milan won an intense battle with rivals Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital, as Stefano Pioli's side push for a first league title since 2011.

A Franck Kessie penalty gave Milan the lead five minutes before the interval after Federico Fazio fouled Davide Calabria.

Jordan Veretout pulled Roma level five minutes after the break with an arrowed shot, but the away side were soon back in front.

Ante Rebic drilled home the winner eight minutes later after collecting a pass from Alexis Saelemaekers following a poor clearance from Roma goalkeeper Pau Lopez.

Off-form Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been substituted shortly before Croatia international Rebic scored the decisive goal.

"I told the lads that two games (losses) cannot take away the confidence build up over a year," said Pioli.

"It's an important win at a decisive moment in the season which takes us out of two very strange weeks."

Ibrahimovic watched the end of game with an ice pack on his left thigh before a week in which he will juggle football and show business as one of the star presenters of the San Remo music festival.

Atalanta kept their Champions League push alive with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria with goals in either half from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Robin Gosens.

Napoli's record goalscorer Dries Mertens returned from injury to help the southerners boost their own top four hopes with a 2-0 win over local rivals Benevento that puts them a point behind Roma in sixth.

Mertens started for the first time in over two months and the 33-year-old got his boot to a Faouzi Ghoulam cross after half an hour for his 131st Napoli goal.

Matteo Politano turned in the second in the 66th minute and Gennaro Gattuso's side held on for the points despite Kalidou Koulibaly's sending off 10 minutes from time.

In the relegation battle, Cagliari snapped their 16-match winless run in coach Leonardo Semplici's first match in charge with a 2-0 success over rock-bottom Crotone.

Romelu Lukaku scored after 33 seconds and set up another in Inter Milan's 3-0 win over Genoa on Sunday to keep their title push on track ahead of city rivals AC Milan, who beat Roma 2-1.

Romelu Lukaku scored after 33 seconds and set up another in Inter Milan's 3-0 win over Genoa on Sunday to keep their title push on track ahead of city rivals AC Milan, who beat Roma 2-1. Inter remain four points ahead of second-placed Milan, who got back to winning ways in Rome after consecutive league losses including last weekend's derby defeat. Champions Juventus are a further six points adrift after being held 1-1 at Hellas Verona on Saturday, but have played a game fewer. Atalanta, equal on points with Juventus, take fourth spot two points ahead of Roma who drop to fifth following the loss to Milan. Lukaku scored with the first chance at the San Siro, then laid on Matteo Darmian for Inter's second in the 69th minute. Alexis Sanchez came off the bench to add a third with 13 minutes to go. "We're first in the standings and it's a good feeling," said Lukaku as Inter try to deny Juventus a 10th consecutive league title after finishing runners-up last season. Antonio Conte's side followed on from last weekend's 3-0 derby win over Milan, notching up a fifth win in a row as they push for a first league title since 2010. "We're happy because our hard work is paying off," said Conte. "We know that there are 14 games left. Let's keep our antennas up until the end if we want to do something good." Lukaku led the way, completing a give-and-go with Lautaro Martinez after good work from Nicolo Barella to fire in from an angle for his 18th Serie A goal of the season, one shy of leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo. The 27-year-old has scored six goals in the last five games. "I'm in a good moment of my career but the important thing is that Inter win," added the former Manchester United player. "These matches are opportunities for us to give signals to others, but the championship is long." - Milan edge Roma - Milan won an intense battle with rivals Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the Italian capital, as Stefano Pioli's side push for a first league title since 2011. A Franck Kessie penalty gave Milan the lead five minutes before the interval after Federico Fazio fouled Davide Calabria. Jordan Veretout pulled Roma level five minutes after the break with an arrowed shot, but the away side were soon back in front. Ante Rebic drilled home the winner eight minutes later after collecting a pass from Alexis Saelemaekers following a poor clearance from Roma goalkeeper Pau Lopez. Off-form Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been substituted shortly before Croatia international Rebic scored the decisive goal. "I told the lads that two games (losses) cannot take away the confidence build up over a year," said Pioli. "It's an important win at a decisive moment in the season which takes us out of two very strange weeks." Ibrahimovic watched the end of game with an ice pack on his left thigh before a week in which he will juggle football and show business as one of the star presenters of the San Remo music festival. Atalanta kept their Champions League push alive with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria with goals in either half from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Robin Gosens. Napoli's record goalscorer Dries Mertens returned from injury to help the southerners boost their own top four hopes with a 2-0 win over local rivals Benevento that puts them a point behind Roma in sixth. Mertens started for the first time in over two months and the 33-year-old got his boot to a Faouzi Ghoulam cross after half an hour for his 131st Napoli goal. Matteo Politano turned in the second in the 66th minute and Gennaro Gattuso's side held on for the points despite Kalidou Koulibaly's sending off 10 minutes from time. In the relegation battle, Cagliari snapped their 16-match winless run in coach Leonardo Semplici's first match in charge with a 2-0 success over rock-bottom Crotone.

Lukaku keeps Inter's title push on track as Milan bounce back against Roma

Former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu, chief executive Oscar Grau and legal head&nbsp;Roman Ponti have been arrested by the police for their role in the much-talked-about BarcaGate scandal, where the Spanish club reportedly hired and overpaid a company to smear some of the club's footballers, including Lionel Messi, and political opponents.

Police on Monday raided the offices of FC Barcelona while carrying several arrests. The massive&nbsp;development comes just six days ahead of Barcelona presidential elections, a Catalan regional police spokesman told AFP.

Spain's Cadena Ser radio reported that one of those arrested was former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who had resigned in October 2020, along with&nbsp;CEO Oscar Grau and the club's head of legal services. However, the police said that the operation was being run by officers from the financial crimes unit.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/atletico-hold-la-liga-rivals-at-bay-with-tight-villarreal-win-367029" hreflang="en">Atletico hold La Liga rivals at bay with tight Villarreal win</a>

In 2020, it was claimed that the Spanish giants had paid a whopping sum to a social media company in a bid to carry online criticism of important club figures in what turned out to be a scandalous 'Barcagate'.

Allegedly, the likes of Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola, Xavi and Gerard Pique were among those targeted by I3 Ventures in a three-year smear campaign'. The reason behind the attacks included Messi's reluctance to pen&nbsp;a new deal at the Camp Nou while iconic defender Pique was attacked for his project to revamp the Davis Cup.

However, Barcelona's then-president Bartomeu had denied the accusations. However, eight Barcelona members decided to launch an official police complaint which resulted in an investigation.&nbsp;

Emili Rousaud, who resigned as Barcelona vice president in March last year,&nbsp;said in an interview with RAC1: "If the auditors tell us the cost of these services is 100,000 euros and we have paid one million, it means someone has had their hand in the till." The club took legal action against him.

Rousaud was among six Barca executives to leave their posts, with a joint letter citing the controversy as a key issue needing to be resolved.

Bartomeu said the company had been hired only to monitor posts on social media and announced an internal audit by&nbsp;PricewaterhouseCoopers, which cleared the club of financial corruption in July.

"Let one thing be clear," Bartomeu said. "To the question: Have we commissioned the monitoring of social networks? The answer is yes.

"To the question: Have we commissioned to discredit people or institutions through social networks? The answer is no and we will take action against all those who accuse us of that."

Former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu, chief executive Oscar Grau and legal head Roman Ponti have been arrested by the police for their role in the much-talked-about BarcaGate scandal, where the Spanish club reportedly hired and overpaid a company to smear some of the club's footballers, including Lionel Messi, and political opponents.

Former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu, chief executive Oscar Grau and legal head Roman Ponti have been arrested by the police for their role in the much-talked-about BarcaGate scandal, where the Spanish club reportedly hired and overpaid a company to smear some of the club's footballers, including Lionel Messi, and political opponents. Police on Monday raided the offices of FC Barcelona while carrying several arrests. The massive development comes just six days ahead of Barcelona presidential elections, a Catalan regional police spokesman told AFP. Spain's Cadena Ser radio reported that one of those arrested was former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who had resigned in October 2020, along with CEO Oscar Grau and the club's head of legal services. However, the police said that the operation was being run by officers from the financial crimes unit. ALSO READ: Atletico hold La Liga rivals at bay with tight Villarreal win In 2020, it was claimed that the Spanish giants had paid a whopping sum to a social media company in a bid to carry online criticism of important club figures in what turned out to be a scandalous 'Barcagate'. Allegedly, the likes of Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola, Xavi and Gerard Pique were among those targeted by I3 Ventures in a three-year smear campaign'. The reason behind the attacks included Messi's reluctance to pen a new deal at the Camp Nou while iconic defender Pique was attacked for his project to revamp the Davis Cup. However, Barcelona's then-president Bartomeu had denied the accusations. However, eight Barcelona members decided to launch an official police complaint which resulted in an investigation. Emili Rousaud, who resigned as Barcelona vice president in March last year, said in an interview with RAC1: "If the auditors tell us the cost of these services is 100,000 euros and we have paid one million, it means someone has had their hand in the till." The club took legal action against him. Rousaud was among six Barca executives to leave their posts, with a joint letter citing the controversy as a key issue needing to be resolved. Bartomeu said the company had been hired only to monitor posts on social media and announced an internal audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which cleared the club of financial corruption in July. "Let one thing be clear," Bartomeu said. "To the question: Have we commissioned the monitoring of social networks? The answer is yes. "To the question: Have we commissioned to discredit people or institutions through social networks? The answer is no and we will take action against all those who accuse us of that."

Ex Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu arrested over 'Barcagate' scandal against Lionel Messi & Co

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 19th goal this campaign but champions Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday.

The draw gives leaders Inter Milan the chance to pull 10 points clear of Juventus when they play mid-table Genoa at the San Siro on Sunday.

Juventus are third and three points adrift of second-placed AC Milan who travel to Roma, two points behind the champions in fourth, on Sunday.

"We managed to take the lead, which was the hardest part, it's a pity not being able to hold it," said Juve coach Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo's side paid for their many absences and a redesigned defence with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini out injured and Danilo suspended.

Also missing were Juan Cuadrado, Arthur and Paulo Dybala to injury with Alvaro Morata recovering from a viral infection.

"We lacked experienced players, we had many youngsters on the pitch and there are details that they don't understand," continued Pirlo.

"I asked Ronaldo and Alex Sandro to make their voices heard, but it wasn't enough."

Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and the post saved Juventus just minutes into the game at the Stadio Bentegodi following a Davide Faraoni header.

Ronaldo broke through four minutes after the break connecting with a perfect lay-off from Federico Chiesa to fire in.

Aaron Ramsey missed a chance for a second before the hour mark after a Dejan Kulusevski pull-back which the Verona defence closed down.

Antonin Barak headed in an equaliser with quarter of an hour to go and the hosts were denied a late winner with Szczesny deflecting a Darko Lazovic effort onto the crossbar.

<h2>- Immobile penalty miss -</h2>

Lazio's European ambitions took a knock with a 2-0 loss at Bologna, days after a heavy defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Ciro Immobile missed a penalty with goals in either half from Ibrahima Mbaye and Nicola Sansone sealing all three points for Bologna who snapped their 15-match winless league run against the Romans.

"The missed penalty set the tone for the game," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi.

Inzaghi's side showed signs of fatigue as they came off a 4-1 Champions League last 16, first leg loss to holders Bayern Munich.

"We must forget about these two defeats which hurt. An ambitious team like ours needs to roll up our sleeves and do better."

Lazio have lost momentum since losing to Inter Milan in the league two weeks ago, and next host Torino before travelling to Juventus.

Last season's European golden shoe winner Immobile had a chance to score from the spot after Joaquin Correa was tripped in the box with goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski easily holding the striker's weak effort.

And 11th-placed Bologna got the breakthrough two minutes later when Mbaye tapped in a rebound after Pepe Reina parried a Riccardo Orsolini volley.

Musa Barrow set up Sansone for the second after 64 minutes as Lazio's 19-game league scoring streak ended, two short of their record run in 1956.

Lazio stay sixth on 43 points and could also be overtaken by Napoli on Sunday, while European rivals Atalanta travel to Sampdoria.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 19th goal this campaign but champions Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday. The draw gives leaders Inter Milan the chance to pull 10 points clear of Juventus when they play mid-table Genoa at the San Siro on Sunday.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 19th goal this campaign but champions Juventus had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Hellas Verona in Serie A on Saturday. The draw gives leaders Inter Milan the chance to pull 10 points clear of Juventus when they play mid-table Genoa at the San Siro on Sunday. Juventus are third and three points adrift of second-placed AC Milan who travel to Roma, two points behind the champions in fourth, on Sunday. "We managed to take the lead, which was the hardest part, it's a pity not being able to hold it," said Juve coach Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo's side paid for their many absences and a redesigned defence with Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini out injured and Danilo suspended. Also missing were Juan Cuadrado, Arthur and Paulo Dybala to injury with Alvaro Morata recovering from a viral infection. "We lacked experienced players, we had many youngsters on the pitch and there are details that they don't understand," continued Pirlo. "I asked Ronaldo and Alex Sandro to make their voices heard, but it wasn't enough." Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and the post saved Juventus just minutes into the game at the Stadio Bentegodi following a Davide Faraoni header. Ronaldo broke through four minutes after the break connecting with a perfect lay-off from Federico Chiesa to fire in. Aaron Ramsey missed a chance for a second before the hour mark after a Dejan Kulusevski pull-back which the Verona defence closed down. Antonin Barak headed in an equaliser with quarter of an hour to go and the hosts were denied a late winner with Szczesny deflecting a Darko Lazovic effort onto the crossbar. - Immobile penalty miss - Lazio's European ambitions took a knock with a 2-0 loss at Bologna, days after a heavy defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Ciro Immobile missed a penalty with goals in either half from Ibrahima Mbaye and Nicola Sansone sealing all three points for Bologna who snapped their 15-match winless league run against the Romans. "The missed penalty set the tone for the game," said Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi. Inzaghi's side showed signs of fatigue as they came off a 4-1 Champions League last 16, first leg loss to holders Bayern Munich. "We must forget about these two defeats which hurt. An ambitious team like ours needs to roll up our sleeves and do better." Lazio have lost momentum since losing to Inter Milan in the league two weeks ago, and next host Torino before travelling to Juventus. Last season's European golden shoe winner Immobile had a chance to score from the spot after Joaquin Correa was tripped in the box with goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski easily holding the striker's weak effort. And 11th-placed Bologna got the breakthrough two minutes later when Mbaye tapped in a rebound after Pepe Reina parried a Riccardo Orsolini volley. Musa Barrow set up Sansone for the second after 64 minutes as Lazio's 19-game league scoring streak ended, two short of their record run in 1956. Lazio stay sixth on 43 points and could also be overtaken by Napoli on Sunday, while European rivals Atalanta travel to Sampdoria.

Ronaldo scores as Juventus held in Verona

Barcelona reignited their title hopes after Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele scored in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to put them two points behind Atletico Madrid.&nbsp;

Atletico still have two games in hand, the first of those coming against sixth-placed Villarreal on Sunday, but a dip in form from La Liga's leaders has given their chasing rivals hope.&nbsp;

Barca looked dead and buried a few weeks ago but this was their ninth win out of 10 in La Liga, a surge that has put them back in contention, with Atletico playing against Real Madrid next weekend.

"We've taken some big hits and we have got up again," said Barca's Gerard Pique.&nbsp;

"Of course the title race is on, there is confidence and a lot of hope in this team."&nbsp;

Sevilla started the day as arguably the form team at the top, having won all of their last six league games, the last five of those without conceding a goal.&nbsp;

But they were second best at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, a dominant performance from Barcelona exposing them still as slightly short of Spain's top three.&nbsp;

It also creates an intriguing back-drop to Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg when these two teams meet again, with Barca hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit at Camp Nou.&nbsp;

Although Pedri and Ronald Araujo could be doubts after both were substituted in the second half with injury problems.&nbsp;

"We believe we can come back but Wednesday is a different game," said coach Ronald Koeman. "We have to play a perfect match, only then do we have a chance."

Koeman could well stick with his new 3-5-2 system, which saw Jordi Alba and Sergino Dest playing as wing-backs ahead of a back three and Dembele deployed up front alongside Messi.&nbsp;

Without Antoine Griezmann, who dropped to the bench, Koeman sacrificed some creativity in the final third for control through the middle, not to mention the threat of Dembele in behind.&nbsp;

Certainly for the best part of an hour Sevilla struggled to escape Barcelona's press or establish any sustained pressure, even after Julen Lopetegui introduced three substitutes at half-time and switched formation to match their opponents.&nbsp;

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was passed fit to play by the team doctor despite hurting his right thumb in the warm-up and in truth it was hardly tested in the first half.&nbsp;

Barca controlled the game and while Alba and Dest never really advanced as much as Koeman might have liked, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were a constant threat through the middle, with the speedy Dembele just in front.&nbsp;

Chances, though, were few and far between and it took a counter-attack for Barcelona to take the lead.&nbsp;

Fernando gave the ball away cheaply up front and two passes were enough, Messi curling the decisive one through for Dembele to race clear and finish.&nbsp;

Lopegtegui reacted with three changes at half-time and two more after the hour but even by matching Barcelona's system, Sevilla struggled to gain a foothold.&nbsp;

Alba came up just short of De Jong's cross, Dest slammed against the post and Messi blazed over after another surge from Dembele.&nbsp;

One of Lopetegui's substitutes Youssef En-Nesyri had Sevilla's best chance but headed over.&nbsp;

Yet without a second goal, a nervy finale was always likely and En-Nesyri found the corner on the turn but had the goal ruled out for a handball, his tussle with Araujo seeing Barca's defender go off and he booted some chairs over in frustration.&nbsp;

But Sevilla's push was brief, ended by Messi with six minutes left.&nbsp;

He traded passes with Ilaix Moriba, nipped inside Diego Carlos and tried to finish with a chip. Bono saved but the ball came to Messi, one yard out.&nbsp;

Barcelona reignited their title hopes after Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele scored in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to put them two points behind Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona reignited their title hopes after Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele scored in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla on Saturday to put them two points behind Atletico Madrid. Atletico still have two games in hand, the first of those coming against sixth-placed Villarreal on Sunday, but a dip in form from La Liga's leaders has given their chasing rivals hope. Barca looked dead and buried a few weeks ago but this was their ninth win out of 10 in La Liga, a surge that has put them back in contention, with Atletico playing against Real Madrid next weekend. "We've taken some big hits and we have got up again," said Barca's Gerard Pique. "Of course the title race is on, there is confidence and a lot of hope in this team." Sevilla started the day as arguably the form team at the top, having won all of their last six league games, the last five of those without conceding a goal. But they were second best at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, a dominant performance from Barcelona exposing them still as slightly short of Spain's top three. It also creates an intriguing back-drop to Wednesday's Copa del Rey semi-final second leg when these two teams meet again, with Barca hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit at Camp Nou. Although Pedri and Ronald Araujo could be doubts after both were substituted in the second half with injury problems. "We believe we can come back but Wednesday is a different game," said coach Ronald Koeman. "We have to play a perfect match, only then do we have a chance." Koeman could well stick with his new 3-5-2 system, which saw Jordi Alba and Sergino Dest playing as wing-backs ahead of a back three and Dembele deployed up front alongside Messi. Without Antoine Griezmann, who dropped to the bench, Koeman sacrificed some creativity in the final third for control through the middle, not to mention the threat of Dembele in behind. Certainly for the best part of an hour Sevilla struggled to escape Barcelona's press or establish any sustained pressure, even after Julen Lopetegui introduced three substitutes at half-time and switched formation to match their opponents. Marc-Andre ter Stegen was passed fit to play by the team doctor despite hurting his right thumb in the warm-up and in truth it was hardly tested in the first half. Barca controlled the game and while Alba and Dest never really advanced as much as Koeman might have liked, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were a constant threat through the middle, with the speedy Dembele just in front. Chances, though, were few and far between and it took a counter-attack for Barcelona to take the lead. Fernando gave the ball away cheaply up front and two passes were enough, Messi curling the decisive one through for Dembele to race clear and finish. Lopegtegui reacted with three changes at half-time and two more after the hour but even by matching Barcelona's system, Sevilla struggled to gain a foothold. Alba came up just short of De Jong's cross, Dest slammed against the post and Messi blazed over after another surge from Dembele. One of Lopetegui's substitutes Youssef En-Nesyri had Sevilla's best chance but headed over. Yet without a second goal, a nervy finale was always likely and En-Nesyri found the corner on the turn but had the goal ruled out for a handball, his tussle with Araujo seeing Barca's defender go off and he booted some chairs over in frustration. But Sevilla's push was brief, ended by Messi with six minutes left. He traded passes with Ilaix Moriba, nipped inside Diego Carlos and tried to finish with a chip. Bono saved but the ball came to Messi, one yard out.

Barcelona brush aside Sevilla to reignite La Liga hopes

Manchester City's centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones both struck as the Premier League leaders beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday, while West Brom enlivened the battle to beat the drop with a controversial 1-0 win over Brighton in which the Seagulls missed two penalties.

Pep Guardiola's men are now 13 points clear thanks to a 20-game winning run in all competitions that has seen them close in on an unprecedented quadruple of trophies.

For the first time in recent weeks, City showed signs of fatigue, though, and needed the dominant centre-back pairing that has been a huge part of their success defensively this season to also make their mark at the other end.

"After 10 or 15 minutes today we realised we were not going to paint anything beautiful," said Guardiola.&nbsp;

"When you play a lot of games - in the league and then the Champions League - this is normal. We were lucky to get all three points."

Kevin De Bruyne made just his second start since returning from a hamstring injury and the Belgian's teasing cross was powered home by Dias for his first City goal since joining from Benfica in September.

City had kept eight clean sheets in their previous 10 league games, but West Ham showed why they are fourth and pushing to edge out the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"I'm really disappointed we didn't get a point," said West Ham boss David Moyes.&nbsp;

"It was a terrific performance. We came here and tried to match a top side - and for long periods we did."

Michail Antonio had already threatened an equaliser by hitting the post before he did level by tapping home Jesse Lingard's mishit shot just before half-time.

But City's determination to keep winning shone through in the second-half as Stones smashed home Riyad Mahrez's pass for the winner on 68 minutes.

<h2>- Blunder costs Brighton -</h2>

West Brom kept their hopes of avoiding the drop alive with just a second win in 13 games under Sam Allardyce in a match overshadowed by a surreal moment of refereeing by Lee Mason that cost Brighton an equaliser.

Kyle Bartley's early header gave West Brom the lead before Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck both hit the woodwork either side of half-time from the penalty spot for the visitors.

Brighton did have the ball in the net when Lewis Dunk's quickly taken free-kick, after Mason had whistled for it to be taken, caught Sam Johnstone napping.&nbsp;

Mason initially did not award the goal before reversing his decision. However, after reviewing the incident on VAR, the goal was ruled out as the referee changed his mind for a second time.

"It's embarrassing, it's just a horrendous decision," said Dunk. "I said to the ref 'can I take it', he blew his whistle and I took it. I don't think he knew what he was doing."

In a statement, the Premier League said: "Referee Lee Mason has overturned the goal because the whistle had been blown a second time before the ball had crossed the line."

Victory for the Baggies hauls Allardyce's men to within eight points of safety, while Brighton remain just four points clear of the drop zone in 16th.

Newcastle are also now four points clear of the bottom three despite blowing the lead to draw 1-1 at home to Wolves.

Jamaal Lascelles's towering header put the Magpies in front before Ruben Neves equalised for Nuno Espirito Santo's men, who remain in 12th.

Aston Villa coped without the injured Jack Grealish and kept their bid for the top four alive with a 1-0 win at Leeds.

Anwar El Ghazi's early strike moved eighth-placed Villa to within six points of West Ham with two games in hand to come.

Manchester City's centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones both struck as the Premier League leaders beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday, while West Brom enlivened the battle to beat the drop with a controversial 1-0 win over Brighton in which the Seagulls missed two penalties.

Manchester City's centre-backs Ruben Dias and John Stones both struck as the Premier League leaders beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday, while West Brom enlivened the battle to beat the drop with a controversial 1-0 win over Brighton in which the Seagulls missed two penalties. Pep Guardiola's men are now 13 points clear thanks to a 20-game winning run in all competitions that has seen them close in on an unprecedented quadruple of trophies. For the first time in recent weeks, City showed signs of fatigue, though, and needed the dominant centre-back pairing that has been a huge part of their success defensively this season to also make their mark at the other end. "After 10 or 15 minutes today we realised we were not going to paint anything beautiful," said Guardiola. "When you play a lot of games - in the league and then the Champions League - this is normal. We were lucky to get all three points." Kevin De Bruyne made just his second start since returning from a hamstring injury and the Belgian's teasing cross was powered home by Dias for his first City goal since joining from Benfica in September. City had kept eight clean sheets in their previous 10 league games, but West Ham showed why they are fourth and pushing to edge out the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal to qualify for next season's Champions League. "I'm really disappointed we didn't get a point," said West Ham boss David Moyes. "It was a terrific performance. We came here and tried to match a top side - and for long periods we did." Michail Antonio had already threatened an equaliser by hitting the post before he did level by tapping home Jesse Lingard's mishit shot just before half-time. But City's determination to keep winning shone through in the second-half as Stones smashed home Riyad Mahrez's pass for the winner on 68 minutes. - Blunder costs Brighton - West Brom kept their hopes of avoiding the drop alive with just a second win in 13 games under Sam Allardyce in a match overshadowed by a surreal moment of refereeing by Lee Mason that cost Brighton an equaliser. Kyle Bartley's early header gave West Brom the lead before Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck both hit the woodwork either side of half-time from the penalty spot for the visitors. Brighton did have the ball in the net when Lewis Dunk's quickly taken free-kick, after Mason had whistled for it to be taken, caught Sam Johnstone napping. Mason initially did not award the goal before reversing his decision. However, after reviewing the incident on VAR, the goal was ruled out as the referee changed his mind for a second time. "It's embarrassing, it's just a horrendous decision," said Dunk. "I said to the ref 'can I take it', he blew his whistle and I took it. I don't think he knew what he was doing." In a statement, the Premier League said: "Referee Lee Mason has overturned the goal because the whistle had been blown a second time before the ball had crossed the line." Victory for the Baggies hauls Allardyce's men to within eight points of safety, while Brighton remain just four points clear of the drop zone in 16th. Newcastle are also now four points clear of the bottom three despite blowing the lead to draw 1-1 at home to Wolves. Jamaal Lascelles's towering header put the Magpies in front before Ruben Neves equalised for Nuno Espirito Santo's men, who remain in 12th. Aston Villa coped without the injured Jack Grealish and kept their bid for the top four alive with a 1-0 win at Leeds. Anwar El Ghazi's early strike moved eighth-placed Villa to within six points of West Ham with two games in hand to come.

Man City stride clear, Brighton pay the penalty amid refereeing chaos

David Beckham says Inter Miami are ready to make big-name signings as they prepare for their second season in Major League Soccer under new coach Phil Neville.

Speaking Saturday at an event to launch Miami's new jersey, Inter co-owner Beckham said the club saw home-grown talent as the cornerstone of the franchise's long-term success.

However he acknowledged that Inter remained in the hunt for big-name players, citing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have both previously indicated interest in playing in MLS.

"I have said from day one that our academy system is a massive part of this club and if we can bring players through here that have lived and breathed Inter Miami then that is the goal," Beckham told AFP.

"But we also know that being in Miami, our fans want to see the big stars.

"We already have players like Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi who add to the glitz and glamour but also going forward we want to have the opportunity to bring some great names in."

Asked about Messi and Ronaldo, Beckham refused to rule out a move for either player.

"The player has to be right for the team, still have ambition and want to win," Beckham said.&nbsp;

"So whatever player we talk to, we have to make sure that is a priority.&nbsp;

"Of course, we always want to bring in great players. Miami is a great pull for anyone and those kinds of players (Messi and Ronaldo) are the kind we aspire to bring here."

Beckham said Miami's recruitment policy took inspiration from his former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson.

"Sir Alex Ferguson was the master at choosing the right player, he didn't always bring the best player in the world, he brought the right player for the club and that is one of the things that I have taken into this place," he said.

Miami boss Neville has already added former Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross to his squad as well as Brazilian midfielder Gregore while talks with West Bromwich Albion full-back Kieran Gibbs continue.

David Beckham says Inter Miami are ready to make big-name signings as they prepare for their second season in Major League Soccer under new coach Phil Neville. Speaking Saturday at an event to launch Miami's new jersey, Inter co-owner Beckham said the club saw home-grown talent as the cornerstone of the franchise's long-term success.

David Beckham says Inter Miami are ready to make big-name signings as they prepare for their second season in Major League Soccer under new coach Phil Neville. Speaking Saturday at an event to launch Miami's new jersey, Inter co-owner Beckham said the club saw home-grown talent as the cornerstone of the franchise's long-term success. However he acknowledged that Inter remained in the hunt for big-name players, citing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have both previously indicated interest in playing in MLS. "I have said from day one that our academy system is a massive part of this club and if we can bring players through here that have lived and breathed Inter Miami then that is the goal," Beckham told AFP. "But we also know that being in Miami, our fans want to see the big stars. "We already have players like Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi who add to the glitz and glamour but also going forward we want to have the opportunity to bring some great names in." Asked about Messi and Ronaldo, Beckham refused to rule out a move for either player. "The player has to be right for the team, still have ambition and want to win," Beckham said. "So whatever player we talk to, we have to make sure that is a priority. "Of course, we always want to bring in great players. Miami is a great pull for anyone and those kinds of players (Messi and Ronaldo) are the kind we aspire to bring here." Beckham said Miami's recruitment policy took inspiration from his former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. "Sir Alex Ferguson was the master at choosing the right player, he didn't always bring the best player in the world, he brought the right player for the club and that is one of the things that I have taken into this place," he said. Miami boss Neville has already added former Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross to his squad as well as Brazilian midfielder Gregore while talks with West Bromwich Albion full-back Kieran Gibbs continue.

Miami ready for big-name signings - Beckham

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur may have to be with manager Jose Mourinho for a while as there is no break clause in his contract. Daniel Levy always wanted Mourinho to take the charge at his club and pounced on the chance when the 'Special One' was available while offering him a contract until 2023 worth a whopping&nbsp;£15&nbsp;million&nbsp;a&nbsp;season.&nbsp;

While Tottenham Hotspur were doing well under Mourinho till December, the London club has been on a crashing run of late&nbsp;spiralling&nbsp;them down in the points table. Since then, Mourinho has been under immense pressure with the club out of the title race.&nbsp;

According to a report in Daily Mail, Levy would have to shell out a massive&nbsp;£35&nbsp;million&nbsp;if he was to sack the former&nbsp;Real Madrid manager.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With Mourinho bagging a reported&nbsp;£290,000-a-week&nbsp;at Tottenham Hotspur,&nbsp;the London club would need to fork out&nbsp;£5m for the remainder of this season, as well as a further £30m for the next two&nbsp;seasons.&nbsp;

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However, the type of pay would be nothing new for the Portuguese who has earned&nbsp;£68m in compensation after being&nbsp;sacked by his former clubs&nbsp;Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid.&nbsp;

Interestingly, Tottenham Hotspur have just finished paying former boss Mauricio Pochettino, whom Mourinho replaced in the late stages of 2019.&nbsp;

Tottenham Hotspur faithful have already grown tired of Mourinho's defensive and unattractive football with the club dropping to ninth place in the standings following five defeats in their last six Premier League matches.&nbsp;

Reportedly, RB Leipzig manager Julian&nbsp;Nagelsmann&nbsp;is ready to accept an offer in Premier League and that has mounted even more pressure on Mourinho.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/monchi-speaks-to-wion-regarding-uefa-champions-league-and-en-nesyris-transfer-rumours-366477" hreflang="en">Monchi speaks to WION regarding UEFA Champions League and En-Nesyri's transfer rumours</a>

However, Mourinho remains&nbsp;confident&nbsp;over his future at the club.&nbsp;

“The problem is if you don’t have pressure,” Mourinho said.&nbsp;

“I felt in trouble when I was at home and did not have pressure for a few months.&nbsp;

“That’s the problem. It comes like oxygen, it is out life, I don’t think there is any coach in the world without objectives or any kind&nbsp;if&nbsp;pressure.&nbsp;

“You just get used to it and also used to the way the press is at the time, you just have to adapt to it.”&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur may have to be with manager Jose Mourinho for a while as there is no break clause in his contract. Daniel Levy always wanted Mourinho to take the charge at his club and pounced on the chance when the 'Special One' was available while offering him a contract until 2023 worth a whopping £15 million a season.

Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur may have to be with manager Jose Mourinho for a while as there is no break clause in his contract. Daniel Levy always wanted Mourinho to take the charge at his club and pounced on the chance when the 'Special One' was available while offering him a contract until 2023 worth a whopping £15 million a season. While Tottenham Hotspur were doing well under Mourinho till December, the London club has been on a crashing run of late spiralling them down in the points table. Since then, Mourinho has been under immense pressure with the club out of the title race. According to a report in Daily Mail, Levy would have to shell out a massive £35 million if he was to sack the former Real Madrid manager. With Mourinho bagging a reported £290,000-a-week at Tottenham Hotspur, the London club would need to fork out £5m for the remainder of this season, as well as a further £30m for the next two seasons. ALSO READ: Man City stride clear, Brighton pay the penalty amid refereeing chaos However, the type of pay would be nothing new for the Portuguese who has earned £68m in compensation after being sacked by his former clubs Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Interestingly, Tottenham Hotspur have just finished paying former boss Mauricio Pochettino, whom Mourinho replaced in the late stages of 2019. Tottenham Hotspur faithful have already grown tired of Mourinho's defensive and unattractive football with the club dropping to ninth place in the standings following five defeats in their last six Premier League matches. Reportedly, RB Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann is ready to accept an offer in Premier League and that has mounted even more pressure on Mourinho. ALSO READ: Monchi speaks to WION regarding UEFA Champions League and En-Nesyri's transfer rumours However, Mourinho remains confident over his future at the club. “The problem is if you don’t have pressure,” Mourinho said. “I felt in trouble when I was at home and did not have pressure for a few months. “That’s the problem. It comes like oxygen, it is out life, I don’t think there is any coach in the world without objectives or any kind if pressure. “You just get used to it and also used to the way the press is at the time, you just have to adapt to it.”

Tottenham Hotspur in dilemma over Jose Mourinho sacking due to to £35m contract clause

Bundesliga club FC Schalke on Sunday sacked almost their complete sporting leadership group, including head coach Christian Gross, following an alleged player revolt after the German club's 16th&nbsp;league defeat took their season deeper into crisis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The decision had become unavoidable after results against Dortmund and Stuttgart," said Schalke chairman Jens Buchta in a statement following Schalke's 5-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday, a week after a defeat&nbsp;to arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The team now owe it to the club and the fans to be as successful as possible in the last third of the season."&nbsp;

&nbsp;Head coach Gross, sporting&nbsp;director Jochen Schneider and team&nbsp;co-ordinator&nbsp;Sascha Riether were all sacked from their respective roles in Sunday's mass clear out of FC Schalke. Gross’ assistant Rainer Widmayer and fitness coach Were&nbsp;Leuthard&nbsp;were also fired from their roles&nbsp;with the move coming with one-time giants Schalke lying bottom of the Bundesliga standings and nine points clear of safety after winning just one of their 23 league matches in the ongoing 2020-21 season.&nbsp;

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Schalke are now heading towards their first-ever relegation since 1988. Notably, they were playing Champions League football two seasons ago – making their dip even more shocking.&nbsp;

Gross took over Schalke just two months ago, taking over from interim coach Huub Stevens to&nbsp;become&nbsp;the club's fourth coach of the season.&nbsp;

While Gross won his second game in charge – defying a record-equalling&nbsp;54-year-old Bundesliga record of 31 matches without a win. However, he couldn't stop the downward spiral.&nbsp;

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Reports of player revolt against Gross came to light in the German media last week.&nbsp;Team&nbsp;co-ordinator&nbsp;Reither played down the speculations,&nbsp;saying it was "normal that players are disappointed"&nbsp;&nbsp;

However, both Gross and Reither were relieved of their duties on Sunday.&nbsp;The club has already begun to rebuild for the second division, handing over squad planning duties to loan director Mike&nbsp;Bueskens&nbsp;and youth director Peter Knaebel.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A replacement for Gross as head coach is yet to be announced.&nbsp;

Bundesliga club FC Schalke on Sunday sacked almost their complete sporting leadership group, including head coach Christian Gross, following an alleged player revolt after the German club's 16th league defeat took their season deeper into crisis.

Bundesliga club FC Schalke on Sunday sacked almost their complete sporting leadership group, including head coach Christian Gross, following an alleged player revolt after the German club's 16th league defeat took their season deeper into crisis. "The decision had become unavoidable after results against Dortmund and Stuttgart," said Schalke chairman Jens Buchta in a statement following Schalke's 5-1 loss to Stuttgart on Saturday, a week after a defeat to arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. "The team now owe it to the club and the fans to be as successful as possible in the last third of the season." Head coach Gross, sporting director Jochen Schneider and team co-ordinator Sascha Riether were all sacked from their respective roles in Sunday's mass clear out of FC Schalke. Gross’ assistant Rainer Widmayer and fitness coach Were Leuthard were also fired from their roles with the move coming with one-time giants Schalke lying bottom of the Bundesliga standings and nine points clear of safety after winning just one of their 23 league matches in the ongoing 2020-21 season. ALSO READ: Table tennis sensation Anna Hursey, 14, set to help US President Joe Biden fight climate crisis Schalke are now heading towards their first-ever relegation since 1988. Notably, they were playing Champions League football two seasons ago – making their dip even more shocking. Gross took over Schalke just two months ago, taking over from interim coach Huub Stevens to become the club's fourth coach of the season. While Gross won his second game in charge – defying a record-equalling 54-year-old Bundesliga record of 31 matches without a win. However, he couldn't stop the downward spiral. ALSO READ: Man City stride clear, Brighton pay the penalty amid refereeing chaos Reports of player revolt against Gross came to light in the German media last week. Team co-ordinator Reither played down the speculations, saying it was "normal that players are disappointed" However, both Gross and Reither were relieved of their duties on Sunday. The club has already begun to rebuild for the second division, handing over squad planning duties to loan director Mike Bueskens and youth director Peter Knaebel. A replacement for Gross as head coach is yet to be announced.

Relegation-bound FC Schalke 04 sack coach Gross in major clear out

Barcelona compounded their Champions League misery at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain by drawing on Sunday at home to Cadiz, who scored an 89th-minute penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou.&nbsp;

Lionel Messi broke a Barcelona record by making his 506th La Liga appearance for the club and marked the milestone with a goal, his own spot-kick looking likely to secure a narrow win for his side.

But Barca failed to score a second despite a hatful of chances and Cadiz punished them with a late equaliser, Alex Fernandez converting from the spot after a wild swing from Clement Lenglet.&nbsp;

The draw means Ronald Koeman's side move only one point closer to Atletico Madrid in the table instead of three, after Atletico gave their rivals an opportunity by losing at home to Levante on Saturday.

"I'm very disappointed," said Koeman. "Maybe even more than after the game on Tuesday. We were on a good run in the league and we could have cut the distance with those above us.&nbsp;

"We didn't have many problems and it's a game that with our quality we should win, but we haven't done it."

Barcelona had won their previous seven games and another victory would have put them back in sight of Atletico, who are now eight points ahead of the Catalans. Real Madrid are only three points behind Atleti but have played a game more.&nbsp;

"It hurts a lot, after Atletico’s result, we had a chance," said Gerard Pique. "So lose two points like we did in the last minute is tough to swallow.”

It also brings an end to a hugely disappointing week for Barcelona after their 4-1 hammering by PSG, with Elche up next on Wednesday before a tough trip to fourth-placed Sevilla next weekend.

Barca had 21 shots to Cadiz's three but having failed to capitalise, they were always vulnerable to a lapse at the back, which the out-of-form Lenglet duly provided.&nbsp;

Fernandez held his nerve to score the equaliser, an even more memorable goal for him perhaps as a Real Madrid fan and brother of Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez.&nbsp;

Messi's goal was his 16th of the season, drawing him level with Atletico's Luis Suarez at the top of the La Liga charts.&nbsp;

The 33-year-old cooly rolled the ball into the corner after Pedri was stopped from breaking through, sandwiched between Salvi and Isaac Carcelen.&nbsp;

Both Frenkie de Jong and Pedi had goals ruled out for offside while Messi almost teed up Antoine Griezmann early in the second half. Ousmane Dembele's driving run lacked a finish too.&nbsp;

Then Cadiz's moment came, a long ball launched into the box and Lenglet failing to spot Ruben Sobrino arriving behind him. Lenglet swung a leg but Sobrino touched the ball away first, allowing Fernandez a special equaliser.

Real Sociedad later destroyed Alaves 4-0, with Alexander Isak scoring his first ever hat-trick in La Liga. La Real sit fifth, four points behind Sevilla, having played two games more.

Barcelona compounded their Champions League misery at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain by drawing on Sunday at home to Cadiz, who scored an 89th-minute penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou.

Barcelona compounded their Champions League misery at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain by drawing on Sunday at home to Cadiz, who scored an 89th-minute penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi broke a Barcelona record by making his 506th La Liga appearance for the club and marked the milestone with a goal, his own spot-kick looking likely to secure a narrow win for his side. But Barca failed to score a second despite a hatful of chances and Cadiz punished them with a late equaliser, Alex Fernandez converting from the spot after a wild swing from Clement Lenglet. The draw means Ronald Koeman's side move only one point closer to Atletico Madrid in the table instead of three, after Atletico gave their rivals an opportunity by losing at home to Levante on Saturday. "I'm very disappointed," said Koeman. "Maybe even more than after the game on Tuesday. We were on a good run in the league and we could have cut the distance with those above us. "We didn't have many problems and it's a game that with our quality we should win, but we haven't done it." Barcelona had won their previous seven games and another victory would have put them back in sight of Atletico, who are now eight points ahead of the Catalans. Real Madrid are only three points behind Atleti but have played a game more. "It hurts a lot, after Atletico’s result, we had a chance," said Gerard Pique. "So lose two points like we did in the last minute is tough to swallow.” It also brings an end to a hugely disappointing week for Barcelona after their 4-1 hammering by PSG, with Elche up next on Wednesday before a tough trip to fourth-placed Sevilla next weekend. Barca had 21 shots to Cadiz's three but having failed to capitalise, they were always vulnerable to a lapse at the back, which the out-of-form Lenglet duly provided. Fernandez held his nerve to score the equaliser, an even more memorable goal for him perhaps as a Real Madrid fan and brother of Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez. Messi's goal was his 16th of the season, drawing him level with Atletico's Luis Suarez at the top of the La Liga charts. The 33-year-old cooly rolled the ball into the corner after Pedri was stopped from breaking through, sandwiched between Salvi and Isaac Carcelen. Both Frenkie de Jong and Pedi had goals ruled out for offside while Messi almost teed up Antoine Griezmann early in the second half. Ousmane Dembele's driving run lacked a finish too. Then Cadiz's moment came, a long ball launched into the box and Lenglet failing to spot Ruben Sobrino arriving behind him. Lenglet swung a leg but Sobrino touched the ball away first, allowing Fernandez a special equaliser. Real Sociedad later destroyed Alaves 4-0, with Alexander Isak scoring his first ever hat-trick in La Liga. La Real sit fifth, four points behind Sevilla, having played two games more.

Barca hit by late penalty to draw with Cadiz

Manchester City remain 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's early header was enough to beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday, while Jose Mourinho's Tottenham suffered another damaging defeat at fourth-placed West Ham.

Manchester United and Leicester are City's closest challengers as United saw off Newcastle 3-1 at Old Trafford and Leicester won 2-1 away to Aston Villa.

An 18th consecutive win in all competitions edged City ever closer to a third league title in four years, even if Pep Guardiola's men did not hit the heights they have in recent weeks at the Emirates.

Sterling could have scored three times inside the first five minutes, but his soaring leap to nod home Riyad Mahrez's cross secured all three points as City kept a 10th clean sheet in their last 13 league games.

"The people think it looks easy. This is so difficult," said Guardiola.

"I didn't expect this consistency in the past month. Winning in this period these games 1-0 is what we need."

Arsenal remain in 10th with their best chance of a return to the Champions League next season dependent on success in the Europa League.

Tottenham are just two points better off than their north London rivals in ninth, nine points off the top four after a fifth defeat in their last six league games.

Mourinho's men were undone by a slow start to each half at the London Stadium and lost 2-1.

Michail Antonio opened the scoring after just five minutes before the rejuvenated Jesse Lingard smashed home the third goal of his loan spell from Manchester United two minutes into the second half.

"The results are the consequences of multiple situations in football. Mine and my coaching staff methods are second to nobody in the world," said a defiant Mourinho.

"Our potential is higher than where we are so there is frustration."

Tottenham rallied after Lucas Moura's powerful header pulled a goal back as the impressive Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min hit the woodwork late on.

But West Ham held on to bolster their unexpected challenge for Champions League football by moving two points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.

"We are enjoying it but are also not going to be daft," said Hammers boss David Moyes, who enjoyed his first win over Mourinho in 16 attempts. "We will keep calm and hopefully keep pushing the teams at the top."

<h2>- Man Utd see off Newcastle -</h2>

Manchester United opened up six-point cushion over Chelsea as they deepened Newcastle's fears of being dragged into the bottom three.

Marcus Rashford's thunderous near post strike opened the scoring, but was quickly cancelled out by Allan Saint-Maximin in a spirited first-half performance by the visitors.

However, Daniel James's powerful drive restored United's lead before Bruno Fernandes stroked home a penalty for his 22nd goal of the season.

Victory keeps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men ahead of Leicester on goal difference.

The Foxes are determined not to make the same mistakes of last season when they let a huge lead over Manchester United and Chelsea slip away and missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the campaign.

"Maybe a little bit of excitement gathered last season," said Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers.&nbsp;

"This season everything is much calmer, knowing that you've got to keep going and you can't get excited too early."

James Maddison and Harvey Barnes struck inside the first 23 minutes as Leicester punished a Villa side badly missing the presence of injured captain Jack Grealish.

Villa were handed a lifeline three minutes into the second half when Bertrand Traore swept home Matt Targett's cross, but lacked the creative spark for which they rely on Grealish to find an equaliser.

Manchester City remain 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's early header was enough to beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday, while Jose Mourinho's Tottenham suffered another damaging defeat at fourth-placed West Ham.

Manchester City remain 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's early header was enough to beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday, while Jose Mourinho's Tottenham suffered another damaging defeat at fourth-placed West Ham. Manchester United and Leicester are City's closest challengers as United saw off Newcastle 3-1 at Old Trafford and Leicester won 2-1 away to Aston Villa. An 18th consecutive win in all competitions edged City ever closer to a third league title in four years, even if Pep Guardiola's men did not hit the heights they have in recent weeks at the Emirates. Sterling could have scored three times inside the first five minutes, but his soaring leap to nod home Riyad Mahrez's cross secured all three points as City kept a 10th clean sheet in their last 13 league games. "The people think it looks easy. This is so difficult," said Guardiola. "I didn't expect this consistency in the past month. Winning in this period these games 1-0 is what we need." Arsenal remain in 10th with their best chance of a return to the Champions League next season dependent on success in the Europa League. Tottenham are just two points better off than their north London rivals in ninth, nine points off the top four after a fifth defeat in their last six league games. Mourinho's men were undone by a slow start to each half at the London Stadium and lost 2-1. Michail Antonio opened the scoring after just five minutes before the rejuvenated Jesse Lingard smashed home the third goal of his loan spell from Manchester United two minutes into the second half. "The results are the consequences of multiple situations in football. Mine and my coaching staff methods are second to nobody in the world," said a defiant Mourinho. "Our potential is higher than where we are so there is frustration." Tottenham rallied after Lucas Moura's powerful header pulled a goal back as the impressive Gareth Bale and Son Heung-min hit the woodwork late on. But West Ham held on to bolster their unexpected challenge for Champions League football by moving two points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea. "We are enjoying it but are also not going to be daft," said Hammers boss David Moyes, who enjoyed his first win over Mourinho in 16 attempts. "We will keep calm and hopefully keep pushing the teams at the top." - Man Utd see off Newcastle - Manchester United opened up six-point cushion over Chelsea as they deepened Newcastle's fears of being dragged into the bottom three. Marcus Rashford's thunderous near post strike opened the scoring, but was quickly cancelled out by Allan Saint-Maximin in a spirited first-half performance by the visitors. However, Daniel James's powerful drive restored United's lead before Bruno Fernandes stroked home a penalty for his 22nd goal of the season. Victory keeps Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men ahead of Leicester on goal difference. The Foxes are determined not to make the same mistakes of last season when they let a huge lead over Manchester United and Chelsea slip away and missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the campaign. "Maybe a little bit of excitement gathered last season," said Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. "This season everything is much calmer, knowing that you've got to keep going and you can't get excited too early." James Maddison and Harvey Barnes struck inside the first 23 minutes as Leicester punished a Villa side badly missing the presence of injured captain Jack Grealish. Villa were handed a lifeline three minutes into the second half when Bertrand Traore swept home Matt Targett's cross, but lacked the creative spark for which they rely on Grealish to find an equaliser.

Man City march on towards title, West Ham inflict more pain on Tottenham

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte hailed a game "played to perfection" as Lautaro Martinez scored a double, with Romelu Lukaku also on target in a 3-0 win over city rivals AC Milan to extend their lead at the top of Serie A on Sunday.

Inter opened up a four-point lead over their second-placed opponents Milan as Conte's side target a first league title since their unprecedented treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010.

"Credit to the lads, they put in an extraordinary performance, carried out to perfection," said Conte, bidding to end his former club Juventus's quest for a 10th consecutive league title.

In third, Roma were held to a goalless draw at 15th-placed Benevento, giving Juventus, who are 11 points off top spot, the chance to move third against rock bottom Crotone on Monday.

Roma are five points adrift of Milan with both teams going head-to-head in Rome next weekend.

Behind, in a match for fourth place, Napoli crashed 4-2 at Atalanta with Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen stretched off and hospitalised overnight after losing consciousness following a knock to his head.

In the San Siro, Lukaku was on top form, the Belgian playing a role in Martinez's two goals on five and 57 minutes before scoring his 17th goal in the league this season to move top of the Serie A scorers' chart.

Milan, chasing a first Scudetto since 2011, fell to back-to-back Serie A losses for the first time this season.

"We've suffered a lot this year," said Martinez.

"Two eliminations in the Italian Cup and the Champions League, this is the only goal we have left and we're fighting for that."

The match was played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that did not stop thousands of fans gathering outside the stadium.

It was the third derby of the season, with Milan winning the first 2-1 in the league, and Inter the Italian Cup quarter-final by the same scoreline, a game overshadowed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lukaku squaring off and trading insults.

Despite the restrictions supporters waited for the team buses to arrive, waving flags and singing, setting off smoke bombs, before the teams entered the stadium.

"The welcome the fans gave us at the stadium gave us goosebumps," said Conte.

The former Chelsea manager warned against complacency against their next opponents, 11th-placed Genoa and lowly Parma.

"Psychologically, I dread these two games, that's where we'll have to show that we have passed a milestone.&nbsp;

"These two games will say a lot about what we can do."

<h2>- 'Tough week' -</h2>

Inter were fresher with Milan coming off a 2-2 Europa League midweek draw at Red Star Belgrade.

Lukaku powered down the right flank in the opening minutes. Milan defender Simon Kjaer blocked his initial cross, but the ball returned to the Belgian for a perfect delivery for Martinez to nod home.

Ibrahimovic threated with a back-heel flick after quarter of an hour following a scramble in the box but Samir Handanovic kept it out, the Inter keeper also pulling off a double save from the Swede after the break.

But Martinez broke through again, finishing off an Ivan Perisic pull-back from the by-line in a move started by Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.

Donnarumma denied Lukaku minutes later but the former Manchester United striker then burst through to score the third.

"A striker depends on the team's performance," said Milan coach Stefano Pioli of Ibrahimovic who limped off with calf cramps with 15 minutes to go.

"It was a tough week, the worst one of the season."

In Bergamo, Atalanta moved fourth at the expense of Napoli in a game where all six goals came in the second half.

Colombian pair Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata both scored for the hosts with Robin Gosens scoring for his side and also an own-goal for Napoli, with Cristian Romero nodding in the fourth.

The match finished in confusion after Osimhen hit his head on the ground after a Romero challenge in stoppage time.

The 22-year-old was hospitalised overnight under observation for head trauma, the team said.

Napoli are now seventh, three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League place.

Roma meanwhile failed to take advantage against 10-man Benevento who played half an hour a man down after Kamil Glik's sending off.

The capital side were also denied a late penalty which was awarded and then overruled after a VAR viewing.

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte hailed a game "played to perfection" as Lautaro Martinez scored a double, with Romelu Lukaku also on target in a 3-0 win over city rivals AC Milan to extend their lead at the top of Serie A on Sunday.

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte hailed a game "played to perfection" as Lautaro Martinez scored a double, with Romelu Lukaku also on target in a 3-0 win over city rivals AC Milan to extend their lead at the top of Serie A on Sunday. Inter opened up a four-point lead over their second-placed opponents Milan as Conte's side target a first league title since their unprecedented treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010. "Credit to the lads, they put in an extraordinary performance, carried out to perfection," said Conte, bidding to end his former club Juventus's quest for a 10th consecutive league title. In third, Roma were held to a goalless draw at 15th-placed Benevento, giving Juventus, who are 11 points off top spot, the chance to move third against rock bottom Crotone on Monday. Roma are five points adrift of Milan with both teams going head-to-head in Rome next weekend. Behind, in a match for fourth place, Napoli crashed 4-2 at Atalanta with Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen stretched off and hospitalised overnight after losing consciousness following a knock to his head. In the San Siro, Lukaku was on top form, the Belgian playing a role in Martinez's two goals on five and 57 minutes before scoring his 17th goal in the league this season to move top of the Serie A scorers' chart. Milan, chasing a first Scudetto since 2011, fell to back-to-back Serie A losses for the first time this season. "We've suffered a lot this year," said Martinez. "Two eliminations in the Italian Cup and the Champions League, this is the only goal we have left and we're fighting for that." The match was played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but that did not stop thousands of fans gathering outside the stadium. It was the third derby of the season, with Milan winning the first 2-1 in the league, and Inter the Italian Cup quarter-final by the same scoreline, a game overshadowed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lukaku squaring off and trading insults. Despite the restrictions supporters waited for the team buses to arrive, waving flags and singing, setting off smoke bombs, before the teams entered the stadium. "The welcome the fans gave us at the stadium gave us goosebumps," said Conte. The former Chelsea manager warned against complacency against their next opponents, 11th-placed Genoa and lowly Parma. "Psychologically, I dread these two games, that's where we'll have to show that we have passed a milestone. "These two games will say a lot about what we can do." - 'Tough week' - Inter were fresher with Milan coming off a 2-2 Europa League midweek draw at Red Star Belgrade. Lukaku powered down the right flank in the opening minutes. Milan defender Simon Kjaer blocked his initial cross, but the ball returned to the Belgian for a perfect delivery for Martinez to nod home. Ibrahimovic threated with a back-heel flick after quarter of an hour following a scramble in the box but Samir Handanovic kept it out, the Inter keeper also pulling off a double save from the Swede after the break. But Martinez broke through again, finishing off an Ivan Perisic pull-back from the by-line in a move started by Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi. Donnarumma denied Lukaku minutes later but the former Manchester United striker then burst through to score the third. "A striker depends on the team's performance," said Milan coach Stefano Pioli of Ibrahimovic who limped off with calf cramps with 15 minutes to go. "It was a tough week, the worst one of the season." In Bergamo, Atalanta moved fourth at the expense of Napoli in a game where all six goals came in the second half. Colombian pair Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata both scored for the hosts with Robin Gosens scoring for his side and also an own-goal for Napoli, with Cristian Romero nodding in the fourth. The match finished in confusion after Osimhen hit his head on the ground after a Romero challenge in stoppage time. The 22-year-old was hospitalised overnight under observation for head trauma, the team said. Napoli are now seventh, three points behind Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League place. Roma meanwhile failed to take advantage against 10-man Benevento who played half an hour a man down after Kamil Glik's sending off. The capital side were also denied a late penalty which was awarded and then overruled after a VAR viewing.

Inter crush AC Milan to pull clear in Serie A as Roma, Napoli lose ground

Jurgen Klopp slammed Liverpool's sloppy defending after Everton won at Anfield for the first time since 1999 with a 2-0 victory in Saturday's Merseyside derby.

Klopp's side were punished for mistakes at the back by Ozan Kabak and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Kabak was caught out by Richarlison for Everton's third minute opener and Alexander-Arnold conceded the 83rd minute penalty converted by Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Liverpool have lost four successive leagues games at Anfield for the first time since 1923 and Reds boss Klopp had no excuses for the troubled champions' latest flop.

"It is (tough to take) but we conceded this early goal which was completely unnecessary and have to defend it better," he said.

Klopp was also frustrated by Liverpool's failure to take the chances that came their way in a typically frantic derby.

"We had to chase the game and did it well creative wise, we created some in the first half and even more in the second half but we did not finish our situations off," he said.

"We made one mistake in the first half and they used it, I don't like to talk today about the good stuff because we lose the game and we feel that deeply, I have to use it tomorrow and it is our lifeline to keep going.&nbsp;

"We have to improve on the finishing stuff and then we will win football games."

Liverpool have now lost four in a row in the league and sit three points adrift of the top four after a first defeat against Everton since 2010.

Missing out on Champions League qualification would be an incredible fall from grace after they won the title for the first time in 30 years last term.

"Decisive margins, to score a goal you have to create a situation and finish it off," Klopp said.&nbsp;

"There is no alternative but to keep going. You concede which is not cool, lose Jordan Henderson which is not cool and I feel the boys dealt with it quite well, could they deal with it better? Maybe. We will keep going.

"We stand here having lost 2-0. I know how important it is. We feel it deep inside. But from tomorrow on I have to use all the good stuff.&nbsp;

"These good situations are the guarantee that we can change it but the decisive moments we have to change as well."

The potentially long-term injury to Henderson is the latest fitness blow for Klopp, who is already without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho.

"It's in the region of his groin and abductor. It's not good. It's how it is. The rest we will know tomorrow," Klopp said.

Jurgen Klopp slammed Liverpool's sloppy defending after Everton won at Anfield for the first time since 1999 with a 2-0 victory in Saturday's Merseyside derby. Klopp's side were punished for mistakes at the back by Ozan Kabak and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Jurgen Klopp slammed Liverpool's sloppy defending after Everton won at Anfield for the first time since 1999 with a 2-0 victory in Saturday's Merseyside derby. Klopp's side were punished for mistakes at the back by Ozan Kabak and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Kabak was caught out by Richarlison for Everton's third minute opener and Alexander-Arnold conceded the 83rd minute penalty converted by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Liverpool have lost four successive leagues games at Anfield for the first time since 1923 and Reds boss Klopp had no excuses for the troubled champions' latest flop. "It is (tough to take) but we conceded this early goal which was completely unnecessary and have to defend it better," he said. Klopp was also frustrated by Liverpool's failure to take the chances that came their way in a typically frantic derby. "We had to chase the game and did it well creative wise, we created some in the first half and even more in the second half but we did not finish our situations off," he said. "We made one mistake in the first half and they used it, I don't like to talk today about the good stuff because we lose the game and we feel that deeply, I have to use it tomorrow and it is our lifeline to keep going. "We have to improve on the finishing stuff and then we will win football games." Liverpool have now lost four in a row in the league and sit three points adrift of the top four after a first defeat against Everton since 2010. Missing out on Champions League qualification would be an incredible fall from grace after they won the title for the first time in 30 years last term. "Decisive margins, to score a goal you have to create a situation and finish it off," Klopp said. "There is no alternative but to keep going. You concede which is not cool, lose Jordan Henderson which is not cool and I feel the boys dealt with it quite well, could they deal with it better? Maybe. We will keep going. "We stand here having lost 2-0. I know how important it is. We feel it deep inside. But from tomorrow on I have to use all the good stuff. "These good situations are the guarantee that we can change it but the decisive moments we have to change as well." The potentially long-term injury to Henderson is the latest fitness blow for Klopp, who is already without Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Fabinho. "It's in the region of his groin and abductor. It's not good. It's how it is. The rest we will know tomorrow," Klopp said.

Klopp blasts sloppy Liverpool as Everton party like its 1999

Real Madrid are back within touching distance of the top of La Liga after they punished another Atletico Madrid slip against Levante on Saturday by beating Real Valladolid 1-0.

Atletico had the chance to stretch their lead to 11 points this week by winning back-to-back games against Levante but instead they followed a 1-1 draw on Wednesday with a surprise 2-0 loss, meaning a five-point advantage became only six.

Real Madrid cranked up the pressure again by edging to a win over struggling Real Valladolid, Casemiro's second-half header cutting the gap to just three points, albeit with Atletico still owning a game in hand.

The swing in momentum comes at a bad time for Atletico, who face Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, and it feels significant given it has coincided with a resurgence, in La Liga at least, for their chasing rivals.

Real Madrid's victory at the Jose Zorilla Stadium was their fourth in a row, three of those coming with clean sheets, which suggests a return to form for a defence that all but clinched them the title last season.

Zinedine Zidane's side have done it without several key players too. Karim Benzema is the latest absentee through injury, joining the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines.

It meant a rare start for Mariano Diaz up front against Valladolid, while Isco was the only senior player named by Zidane on the bench.

Barcelona, meanwhile, play at home to Cadiz on Sunday when Ronald Koeman's side will be hoping to ease the pain of the Champions League thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in midweek with an eighth consecutive win in La Liga. Victory would put them six points behind Atletico.

<h2>- Atletico undone by Levante -</h2>

Atleti's defeat was only their second in the league this season and their first at the Wanda Metropolitano in any competition since Barca beat them there in December 2019.

They have now gone seven league games without a clean sheet, their longest run since Simeone became coach in 2011, and their hopes of tightening up will not be helped by an injury to Jose Gimenez, who hobbled off and may not be fit to face Chelsea.

"League campaigns are always the same, with big moments, difficulties, obstacles, for everyone, not only for Atletico Madrid," Simeone said. "The teams that are strong in those moments are the ones that will achieve their objectives."

Due to rearranged fixtures, they were facing Levante for the second time in four days and Levante proved their draw in midweek was no fluke, even if they had to survive 28 Atletico shots before the final whistle blew.

Luis Suarez went closest to finding an equaliser, his bending free-kick in the second half coming back off the post. Suarez has now gone three league games without scoring for the first time this season.

Jose Luis Morales had already put Levante in front with a deflected finish off Felipe and while Atletico huffed and puffed, they were unable to find a way past Levante's inspired goalkeeper Dani Cardenas.

Cardenas made 10 saves, the most from any La Liga keeper without conceding this term.

Atletico's goalkeeper Jan Oblak then went up for a corner in injury-time, leaving Jorge de Frutos to make it two from the halfway line by launching into an open net.

"In the first half we were flat," said Simeone. "In the second we created a lot of chances, Suarez hit the post -- there was a lot of positives to take."

For an hour, it looked like Real Madrid might suffer similar frustration against a determined Valladolid, who would have led had it not been for a string of excellent saves by Thibaut Courtois.&nbsp;

Courtois had to pull off a double stop to deny Fabian Orellana and Saidy Janko in the first half and then in the second blocked Orellana, who had been bizarrely set up by Ferland Mendy launching a ball across his own penalty area.

The Belgian kept Madrid in it and then Casemiro put them in front. Casemiro had been allowed two free headers already by Valladolid's defence and he pounced at the third opportunity, nodding in Toni Kroos' free-kick to give Real Madrid hope.

Real Madrid are back within touching distance of the top of La Liga after they punished another Atletico Madrid slip against Levante on Saturday by beating Real Valladolid 1-0.

Real Madrid are back within touching distance of the top of La Liga after they punished another Atletico Madrid slip against Levante on Saturday by beating Real Valladolid 1-0. Atletico had the chance to stretch their lead to 11 points this week by winning back-to-back games against Levante but instead they followed a 1-1 draw on Wednesday with a surprise 2-0 loss, meaning a five-point advantage became only six. Real Madrid cranked up the pressure again by edging to a win over struggling Real Valladolid, Casemiro's second-half header cutting the gap to just three points, albeit with Atletico still owning a game in hand. The swing in momentum comes at a bad time for Atletico, who face Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday, and it feels significant given it has coincided with a resurgence, in La Liga at least, for their chasing rivals. Real Madrid's victory at the Jose Zorilla Stadium was their fourth in a row, three of those coming with clean sheets, which suggests a return to form for a defence that all but clinched them the title last season. Zinedine Zidane's side have done it without several key players too. Karim Benzema is the latest absentee through injury, joining the likes of Eden Hazard, Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines. It meant a rare start for Mariano Diaz up front against Valladolid, while Isco was the only senior player named by Zidane on the bench. Barcelona, meanwhile, play at home to Cadiz on Sunday when Ronald Koeman's side will be hoping to ease the pain of the Champions League thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in midweek with an eighth consecutive win in La Liga. Victory would put them six points behind Atletico. - Atletico undone by Levante - Atleti's defeat was only their second in the league this season and their first at the Wanda Metropolitano in any competition since Barca beat them there in December 2019. They have now gone seven league games without a clean sheet, their longest run since Simeone became coach in 2011, and their hopes of tightening up will not be helped by an injury to Jose Gimenez, who hobbled off and may not be fit to face Chelsea. "League campaigns are always the same, with big moments, difficulties, obstacles, for everyone, not only for Atletico Madrid," Simeone said. "The teams that are strong in those moments are the ones that will achieve their objectives." Due to rearranged fixtures, they were facing Levante for the second time in four days and Levante proved their draw in midweek was no fluke, even if they had to survive 28 Atletico shots before the final whistle blew. Luis Suarez went closest to finding an equaliser, his bending free-kick in the second half coming back off the post. Suarez has now gone three league games without scoring for the first time this season. Jose Luis Morales had already put Levante in front with a deflected finish off Felipe and while Atletico huffed and puffed, they were unable to find a way past Levante's inspired goalkeeper Dani Cardenas. Cardenas made 10 saves, the most from any La Liga keeper without conceding this term. Atletico's goalkeeper Jan Oblak then went up for a corner in injury-time, leaving Jorge de Frutos to make it two from the halfway line by launching into an open net. "In the first half we were flat," said Simeone. "In the second we created a lot of chances, Suarez hit the post -- there was a lot of positives to take." For an hour, it looked like Real Madrid might suffer similar frustration against a determined Valladolid, who would have led had it not been for a string of excellent saves by Thibaut Courtois. Courtois had to pull off a double stop to deny Fabian Orellana and Saidy Janko in the first half and then in the second blocked Orellana, who had been bizarrely set up by Ferland Mendy launching a ball across his own penalty area. The Belgian kept Madrid in it and then Casemiro put them in front. Casemiro had been allowed two free headers already by Valladolid's defence and he pounced at the third opportunity, nodding in Toni Kroos' free-kick to give Real Madrid hope.

Real Madrid close on top spot after Atletico stumble again

Everton earned their first win at Liverpool since 1999 as the troubled Premier League champions crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby, while Chelsea's revival under Thomas Tuchel stalled in a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday.

Richarlison's early opener and Gylfi Sigurdsson's late penalty gave the Toffees a first win on any ground over Liverpool in 24 attempts dating back to 2010.

After a run of 68 league games unbeaten at Anfield, injury-ravaged Liverpool have lost their last four on home turf for the first time since 1923.

"I'm very pleased for the club and the supporters. I hope for sure that they are going to celebrate tonight," said Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Liverpool have won just two of their last 11 league games to leave them in grave danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since Jurgen Klopp's first season in charge five years ago.

The Reds are languishing in sixth place and would be five points adrift of the top four if West Ham beat Tottenham on Sunday.

"The first goal which we have to defend better gave the direction of the game. It was unnecessary," said Klopp. "We had to chase the game and were not calm enough."

The sting from defeat in the 238th Merseyside derby will linger even longer given it was a bad tackle from Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in their meeting earlier this season that left Virgil van Dijk sidelined ever since with a serious knee injury.

Without the influential Dutch centre-back, Liverpool have endured a wretched time and their defensive flaws were exposed by Everton after just 145 seconds.

A weak headed Ozan Kabak clearance fell to James Rodriguez, who slipped in a pass behind the on-loan Schalke centre-back and Richarlison ran on to fire an angled drive past Alisson Becker.

Liverpool then suffered the latest in a series of injury blows when captain Jordan Henderson limped off with a groin problem.

The hosts applied all the pressure in the second half but they were hit with a sucker punch seven minutes from time when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was brought down by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Sigurdsson stroked home the penalty to take Everton level on points with their local rivals and with a game in hand to come.

<h2>- Hudson-Odoi targeted by Tuchel -</h2>

Chelsea remain in fourth for now as Tuchel is unbeaten in seven games since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard last month.

But the German endured some of the same frustrations that Lampard suffered earlier in the season as the Blues' domination of the ball created little, while one slack moment defensively cost them two points.

On-loan Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino did his parent club a favour by opening the scoring with a cool finish after sitting down Edouard Mendy and Cesar Azpilicueta on 33 minutes.

Tuchel sent on Callum Hudson-Odoi for the second half but was less than impressed with the England international as he was replaced just 21 minutes later by Hakim Ziyech.

By that point the visitors were level as Mason Mount converted from the penalty spot after he had been chopped down by Danny Ings.&nbsp;

"We brought in Callum Hudson-Odoi but I was not happy with his attitude, energy and counter-pressing. I took him off and we demand 100 percent," Tuchel said.

"I feel he is not in the right shape to help us. I was not happy with his body language."

After losing six consecutive league matches for the first time in their history, even a scrappy point was a welcome boost for Southampton.

At the bottom, Fulham closed to within three points of survival thanks to Ademola Lookman's strike to beat bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United 1-0.

West Brom's chances of beating the drop are diminishing after a 0-0 draw at Burnley left them still 11 points from safety.

Despite Semi Ajayi's 30th-minute red card for deliberate handball, the Baggies had the better chances at Turf Moor but have won just once in 13 games under Sam Allardyce.

Everton earned their first win at Liverpool since 1999 as the troubled Premier League champions crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby, while Chelsea's revival under Thomas Tuchel stalled in a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday.

Everton earned their first win at Liverpool since 1999 as the troubled Premier League champions crashed to a 2-0 defeat in the Merseyside derby, while Chelsea's revival under Thomas Tuchel stalled in a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday. Richarlison's early opener and Gylfi Sigurdsson's late penalty gave the Toffees a first win on any ground over Liverpool in 24 attempts dating back to 2010. After a run of 68 league games unbeaten at Anfield, injury-ravaged Liverpool have lost their last four on home turf for the first time since 1923. "I'm very pleased for the club and the supporters. I hope for sure that they are going to celebrate tonight," said Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti. Liverpool have won just two of their last 11 league games to leave them in grave danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since Jurgen Klopp's first season in charge five years ago. The Reds are languishing in sixth place and would be five points adrift of the top four if West Ham beat Tottenham on Sunday. "The first goal which we have to defend better gave the direction of the game. It was unnecessary," said Klopp. "We had to chase the game and were not calm enough." The sting from defeat in the 238th Merseyside derby will linger even longer given it was a bad tackle from Everton keeper Jordan Pickford in their meeting earlier this season that left Virgil van Dijk sidelined ever since with a serious knee injury. Without the influential Dutch centre-back, Liverpool have endured a wretched time and their defensive flaws were exposed by Everton after just 145 seconds. A weak headed Ozan Kabak clearance fell to James Rodriguez, who slipped in a pass behind the on-loan Schalke centre-back and Richarlison ran on to fire an angled drive past Alisson Becker. Liverpool then suffered the latest in a series of injury blows when captain Jordan Henderson limped off with a groin problem. The hosts applied all the pressure in the second half but they were hit with a sucker punch seven minutes from time when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was brought down by Trent Alexander-Arnold. Sigurdsson stroked home the penalty to take Everton level on points with their local rivals and with a game in hand to come. - Hudson-Odoi targeted by Tuchel - Chelsea remain in fourth for now as Tuchel is unbeaten in seven games since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard last month. But the German endured some of the same frustrations that Lampard suffered earlier in the season as the Blues' domination of the ball created little, while one slack moment defensively cost them two points. On-loan Liverpool midfielder Takumi Minamino did his parent club a favour by opening the scoring with a cool finish after sitting down Edouard Mendy and Cesar Azpilicueta on 33 minutes. Tuchel sent on Callum Hudson-Odoi for the second half but was less than impressed with the England international as he was replaced just 21 minutes later by Hakim Ziyech. By that point the visitors were level as Mason Mount converted from the penalty spot after he had been chopped down by Danny Ings. "We brought in Callum Hudson-Odoi but I was not happy with his attitude, energy and counter-pressing. I took him off and we demand 100 percent," Tuchel said. "I feel he is not in the right shape to help us. I was not happy with his body language." After losing six consecutive league matches for the first time in their history, even a scrappy point was a welcome boost for Southampton. At the bottom, Fulham closed to within three points of survival thanks to Ademola Lookman's strike to beat bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United 1-0. West Brom's chances of beating the drop are diminishing after a 0-0 draw at Burnley left them still 11 points from safety. Despite Semi Ajayi's 30th-minute red card for deliberate handball, the Baggies had the better chances at Turf Moor but have won just once in 13 games under Sam Allardyce.

Everton savour first win at Liverpool since 1999, Chelsea held

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has said that the Premier League points table doesn't reflect the performance of his side following their 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday. Tottenham Hotspur are currently lying eighth in the points table after suffering another defeat&nbsp;in the English top-flight.&nbsp;

Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard netted a goal each to help West Ham win the match with Tottenham managing a goal through&nbsp;Brazilian&nbsp;forward Lucas Moura.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"I feel that we are not in the position in relation to our potential,”&nbsp;Mourinho&nbsp;said.&nbsp;

“Even if I think for a long, long time that we have problems in the team that I cannot resolve by myself as a coach.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/klopp-blasts-sloppy-liverpool-as-everton-party-like-its-1999-365161" hreflang="en">Klopp blasts sloppy Liverpool as Everton party like its 1999</a>

"Our potential is higher than where we are so of course there is frustration. We should be in a better position.&nbsp;

“To think about a top-four spot is getting very difficult. To play in the Europa League will give us a window of opportunity to get a Champions League spot by winning it. Of course, difficult, but it is possible."&nbsp;

However, Mourinho lavished praise on Tottenham Hotspur's goal-scorer Lucas Moura as he said that the Brazilian has a "big heart" whil adding he&nbsp;always gives 100 per cent effort for his team regardless of whether he is starting or coming off the bench.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tuchel-slams-hudson-odoi-after-chelsea-sub-hauled-off-in-saints-draw-365106" hreflang="en">Tuchel slams Hudson-Odoi after Chelsea sub hauled off in Saints draw</a>

"He is a team player. A big heart. Comes from the bench and gives everything, no regrets,” said the 58-year-old.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Starts the game and where you need him, he is there for you. Today his performance was really good and that's because he is a team player."&nbsp;

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has said that the Premier League points table doesn't reflect the performance of his side following their 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has said that the Premier League points table doesn't reflect the performance of his side following their 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Sunday. Tottenham Hotspur are currently lying eighth in the points table after suffering another defeat in the English top-flight. Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard netted a goal each to help West Ham win the match with Tottenham managing a goal through Brazilian forward Lucas Moura. "I feel that we are not in the position in relation to our potential,” Mourinho said. “Even if I think for a long, long time that we have problems in the team that I cannot resolve by myself as a coach. ALSO READ: Klopp blasts sloppy Liverpool as Everton party like its 1999 "Our potential is higher than where we are so of course there is frustration. We should be in a better position. “To think about a top-four spot is getting very difficult. To play in the Europa League will give us a window of opportunity to get a Champions League spot by winning it. Of course, difficult, but it is possible." However, Mourinho lavished praise on Tottenham Hotspur's goal-scorer Lucas Moura as he said that the Brazilian has a "big heart" whil adding he always gives 100 per cent effort for his team regardless of whether he is starting or coming off the bench. ALSO READ: Tuchel slams Hudson-Odoi after Chelsea sub hauled off in Saints draw "He is a team player. A big heart. Comes from the bench and gives everything, no regrets,” said the 58-year-old. “Starts the game and where you need him, he is there for you. Today his performance was really good and that's because he is a team player."

Our potential is higher: Jose Mourinho gives his verdict as Tottenham Hotspur lose 2-1 against West Ham

Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "unhappy" with Callum Hudson-Odoi's attitude after dragging off the Chelsea winger soon after his introduction as a substitute in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Southampton.

Hudson-Odoi was sent on as a half-time replacement for Tammy Abraham, but his afternoon ended in embarrassment when he was replaced to make way for Hakim Ziyech in the 76th minute.

Blues boss Tuchel made no attempt to hide his frustration with the England international's lack of effort.

"We brought in Callum Hudson-Odoi but I was not happy with his attitude, energy and counter-pressing. I took him off and we demand 100 percent," Tuchel said.&nbsp;

"I feel he is not in the right shape to help us. I was not happy with his body language.

"It was a hard decision but tomorrow it is forgotten and he has all possibilities to start against Atletico Madrid," Tuchel said, referring to the Champions League last 16 game on Tuesday.

Chelsea trailed to a first half goal from Japan star&nbsp;Takumi Minamino at St Mary's.

Mason Mount came to the rescue as he won and converted the second half spot-kick that extended Tuchel's unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions since he replaced Frank Lampard in January.

Chelsea remain fourth in the Premier League after their run of five successive wins came to an end and they will fall out of the top four if West Ham beat Tottenham on Sunday.

In a performance reminiscent of the issues that plagued Lampard, Chelsea monopolised possession without delivering the knockout blow and paid for a defensive lapse.

Former Paris Saint Germain boss Tuchel will demand a much-improved display against Atletico.

"Clearly yes, we had all the chances and all possibilities to take the win, it would have been deserved, sometimes in football you concede one chance and they score," Tuchel said.

After losing six consecutive league matches for the first time in their history, even a scrappy point was a welcome boost for Southampton.

N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kurt Zouma and Reece James had come back into the Chelsea team as Tuchel made four changes from Monday's win against Newcastle.

James has had less opportunities under Tuchel than he did with Lampard and the England defender made a bid to catch Tuchel's eye with a fine cross to Marcos Alonso, whose volley flashed just wide.

Chelsea had over 70 percent of the possession but lacked the cutting edge to turn that territorial dominance into a tangible reward.

<h2>- Bitter blow -</h2>

Chelsea had conceded just one goal in the six games, but Southampton sliced them open in the 33rd minute.

Nathan Redmond cut infield and slipped a superb pass between Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta.

With the centre-backs caught out of position, on-loan Liverpool forward Minamino scampered clear and cleverly dummied Mendy and Azpilicueta before flicking a cool finish past the Chelsea keeper.

It was the first time Chelsea had trailed in the Tuchel era and they threatened an immediate equaliser when Zouma's header from Alonso's free-kick was pushed away by Alex McCarthy.

Hampered by an ankle injury, Abraham was replaced by Hudson-Odoi for his brief appearance.

Werner fired into the side-netting from a tight angle, but it was an incisive break from Mount that led to Chelsea's 54th minute equaliser.

Mount's burst into the Southampton area prompted a rash lunge from Danny Ings and he converted the penalty for his fifth club goal of the season.

Jan Vestergaard was inches away from restoring Southampton's lead when his header from Moussa Djenepo's cross beat Mendy and cannoned back off the bar.

James could have won it for Chelsea in the closing minutes but he side-footed over from Mount's pass.

Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "unhappy" with Callum Hudson-Odoi's attitude after dragging off the Chelsea winger soon after his introduction as a substitute in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Southampton.

Thomas Tuchel admitted he was "unhappy" with Callum Hudson-Odoi's attitude after dragging off the Chelsea winger soon after his introduction as a substitute in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Southampton. Hudson-Odoi was sent on as a half-time replacement for Tammy Abraham, but his afternoon ended in embarrassment when he was replaced to make way for Hakim Ziyech in the 76th minute. Blues boss Tuchel made no attempt to hide his frustration with the England international's lack of effort. "We brought in Callum Hudson-Odoi but I was not happy with his attitude, energy and counter-pressing. I took him off and we demand 100 percent," Tuchel said. "I feel he is not in the right shape to help us. I was not happy with his body language. "It was a hard decision but tomorrow it is forgotten and he has all possibilities to start against Atletico Madrid," Tuchel said, referring to the Champions League last 16 game on Tuesday. Chelsea trailed to a first half goal from Japan star Takumi Minamino at St Mary's. Mason Mount came to the rescue as he won and converted the second half spot-kick that extended Tuchel's unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions since he replaced Frank Lampard in January. Chelsea remain fourth in the Premier League after their run of five successive wins came to an end and they will fall out of the top four if West Ham beat Tottenham on Sunday. In a performance reminiscent of the issues that plagued Lampard, Chelsea monopolised possession without delivering the knockout blow and paid for a defensive lapse. Former Paris Saint Germain boss Tuchel will demand a much-improved display against Atletico. "Clearly yes, we had all the chances and all possibilities to take the win, it would have been deserved, sometimes in football you concede one chance and they score," Tuchel said. After losing six consecutive league matches for the first time in their history, even a scrappy point was a welcome boost for Southampton. N'Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Kurt Zouma and Reece James had come back into the Chelsea team as Tuchel made four changes from Monday's win against Newcastle. James has had less opportunities under Tuchel than he did with Lampard and the England defender made a bid to catch Tuchel's eye with a fine cross to Marcos Alonso, whose volley flashed just wide. Chelsea had over 70 percent of the possession but lacked the cutting edge to turn that territorial dominance into a tangible reward. - Bitter blow - Chelsea had conceded just one goal in the six games, but Southampton sliced them open in the 33rd minute. Nathan Redmond cut infield and slipped a superb pass between Zouma and Cesar Azpilicueta. With the centre-backs caught out of position, on-loan Liverpool forward Minamino scampered clear and cleverly dummied Mendy and Azpilicueta before flicking a cool finish past the Chelsea keeper. It was the first time Chelsea had trailed in the Tuchel era and they threatened an immediate equaliser when Zouma's header from Alonso's free-kick was pushed away by Alex McCarthy. Hampered by an ankle injury, Abraham was replaced by Hudson-Odoi for his brief appearance. Werner fired into the side-netting from a tight angle, but it was an incisive break from Mount that led to Chelsea's 54th minute equaliser. Mount's burst into the Southampton area prompted a rash lunge from Danny Ings and he converted the penalty for his fifth club goal of the season. Jan Vestergaard was inches away from restoring Southampton's lead when his header from Moussa Djenepo's cross beat Mendy and cannoned back off the bar. James could have won it for Chelsea in the closing minutes but he side-footed over from Mount's pass.

Tuchel slams Hudson-Odoi after Chelsea sub hauled off in Saints draw

Twitter will not end the practice of allowing people to post from anonymous accounts despite protests from Premier League chiefs over the abuse suffered by several of their star players.

Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said this week that abuse endured by black players on social media sites is the "biggest problem" in football.

On Friday, Arsenal winger Willian called for change after revealing he was called a "monkey" by two different Instagram users following Arsenal's 1-1 Europa League draw against Benfica.

Willian's Arsenal team-mate Eddie Nketiah, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial and Chelsea's Reece James are among the others to have suffered racist abuse on social media.

A number of the abusive messages have come from accounts where an individual hides behind a pseudonym, and it has been repeatedly mentioned within football that social media companies should prevent anonymous users.

Defending its policy, Twitter said: "At Twitter, we are guided by our values, and never more so than when it comes to fundamental issues like identity.

"We believe everyone has the right to share their voice without requiring a government ID to do so.

"Pseudonymity has been a vital tool for speaking out in oppressive regimes, it is no less critical in democratic societies."

The American company did promise to work alongside the UK Government and football authorities, including anti-racism group Kick It Out, to fight the issue.

"We join our partners in condemning racism and we will continue to play our part in tackling this unacceptable behaviour - both online and offline. We want to reiterate - there is no room for racist abuse on Twitter," the statement added.

Twitter will not end the practice of allowing people to post from anonymous accounts despite protests from Premier League chiefs over the abuse suffered by several of their star players.

Twitter will not end the practice of allowing people to post from anonymous accounts despite protests from Premier League chiefs over the abuse suffered by several of their star players. Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham said this week that abuse endured by black players on social media sites is the "biggest problem" in football. On Friday, Arsenal winger Willian called for change after revealing he was called a "monkey" by two different Instagram users following Arsenal's 1-1 Europa League draw against Benfica. Willian's Arsenal team-mate Eddie Nketiah, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial and Chelsea's Reece James are among the others to have suffered racist abuse on social media. A number of the abusive messages have come from accounts where an individual hides behind a pseudonym, and it has been repeatedly mentioned within football that social media companies should prevent anonymous users. Defending its policy, Twitter said: "At Twitter, we are guided by our values, and never more so than when it comes to fundamental issues like identity. "We believe everyone has the right to share their voice without requiring a government ID to do so. "Pseudonymity has been a vital tool for speaking out in oppressive regimes, it is no less critical in democratic societies." The American company did promise to work alongside the UK Government and football authorities, including anti-racism group Kick It Out, to fight the issue. "We join our partners in condemning racism and we will continue to play our part in tackling this unacceptable behaviour - both online and offline. We want to reiterate - there is no room for racist abuse on Twitter," the statement added.

Twitter won't bow to pressure over abuse of Premier League stars

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool won't focus on catching Manchester City when he reviews what went wrong in their disastrous Premier League title defence.

City are 10 points clear at the top of the table and Liverpool boss Klopp has been forced to concede the champions are out of the title race.

The injury-plagued Reds are languishing 16 points behind City in sixth place after three successive league defeats.

But Klopp, whose team were thrashed 4-1 by Pep Guardiola's men recently, is adamant City are not going to be the driving force behind his own plans for improvement next term.

"We do not have to think about that now because we do not play them any more this year, probably. Maybe in the Champions League," Klopp told reporters on Friday.

"It was never the case where we thought 'how can we overtake City', or 'how can we become the finest team in English football again'?

"We just wanted to be the best version of ourselves. We have that chance again. If that is good enough, it is good enough. If another team is better, that's how sport works.

"We cannot do more than be the best version of ourselves and that is what we will try again as a team. For that we need a little bit more luck, of course. Slightly more luck with injuries and we can get closer to that."

Klopp has lost all three of his senior central defenders to injury, with first-choice pair Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez both suffering long-term problems within a couple of weeks of each other two months into the campaign.

Thiago Alcantara also missed 16 matches with an injury sustained in October, barely a month after arriving.

"We all agree, and I'm sure Pep would say that, in a normal season for both teams we would not be 16 points away. But we are. That's how it is. We accept it," Klopp said.

"This season it is not our concern how close we get to City. It is how far we can go up the table. That is enough work to do."

Having managed just two wins in their last 10 league matches, Saturday's visit of Everton - three points behind their local rivals with a game in hand - for the 238th Merseyside derby is a crucial one.

Liverpool have not lost to Everton at Anfield since September 1999, but their formidable home form has deserted them and they have gone five matches without a win.

October's derby at Goodison saw Thiago sidelined for two-and-a-half months and Van Dijk's season prematurely ended due to a reckless Jordan Pickford tackle.

And while Klopp said there would be no payback from his players, he does want them to be "emotional".

"We always are emotional. That is our way to play. What the other team does, I have no influence. Nothing to say about that," he said.

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool won't focus on catching Manchester City when he reviews what went wrong in their disastrous Premier League title defence. City are 10 points clear at the top of the table and Liverpool boss Klopp has been forced to concede the champions are out of the title race.

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool won't focus on catching Manchester City when he reviews what went wrong in their disastrous Premier League title defence. City are 10 points clear at the top of the table and Liverpool boss Klopp has been forced to concede the champions are out of the title race. The injury-plagued Reds are languishing 16 points behind City in sixth place after three successive league defeats. But Klopp, whose team were thrashed 4-1 by Pep Guardiola's men recently, is adamant City are not going to be the driving force behind his own plans for improvement next term. "We do not have to think about that now because we do not play them any more this year, probably. Maybe in the Champions League," Klopp told reporters on Friday. "It was never the case where we thought 'how can we overtake City', or 'how can we become the finest team in English football again'? "We just wanted to be the best version of ourselves. We have that chance again. If that is good enough, it is good enough. If another team is better, that's how sport works. "We cannot do more than be the best version of ourselves and that is what we will try again as a team. For that we need a little bit more luck, of course. Slightly more luck with injuries and we can get closer to that." Klopp has lost all three of his senior central defenders to injury, with first-choice pair Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez both suffering long-term problems within a couple of weeks of each other two months into the campaign. Thiago Alcantara also missed 16 matches with an injury sustained in October, barely a month after arriving. "We all agree, and I'm sure Pep would say that, in a normal season for both teams we would not be 16 points away. But we are. That's how it is. We accept it," Klopp said. "This season it is not our concern how close we get to City. It is how far we can go up the table. That is enough work to do." Having managed just two wins in their last 10 league matches, Saturday's visit of Everton - three points behind their local rivals with a game in hand - for the 238th Merseyside derby is a crucial one. Liverpool have not lost to Everton at Anfield since September 1999, but their formidable home form has deserted them and they have gone five matches without a win. October's derby at Goodison saw Thiago sidelined for two-and-a-half months and Van Dijk's season prematurely ended due to a reckless Jordan Pickford tackle. And while Klopp said there would be no payback from his players, he does want them to be "emotional". "We always are emotional. That is our way to play. What the other team does, I have no influence. Nothing to say about that," he said.

Klopp won't focus on Man City when Liverpool review title flop

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday it could be the "right time" to play Liverpool at Anfield after more than a decade without a win over their city rivals.

The Toffees last tasted victory against the Reds in 2010 and have not won away since 1999.

Until recent weeks the Premier League champions had looked invincible at home but they have lost their past three games on their own turf.

Ancelotti's men are seeking a response after defeats against Fulham and leaders Manchester City, while Jurgen Klopp's side got back to winning ways with a 2-0 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig in Budapest.

"It is a long time that Everton were able to win a derby and it can be the right time tomorrow," Ancelotti said.

"But it depends on what we are able to do on the pitch tomorrow.

"I don't think we feel pressure (of not winning against Liverpool for so long). I think we are better (now) compared to the past, so I think we can have more opportunity to get a result."

The Italian said the lack of spectators at Anfield due to coronavirus restrictions had hurt Liverpool, who lost defender Virgil van Dijk to a serious injury in the reverse fixture in October.

"For sure they have lost the support of their fans, in this sense Anfield was one of the most difficult stadiums to play (in)," he said.

"The fact that the supporters are not there can be an advantage for the away teams.

"But it is all the same what happened to us and the other teams in this particular season where you cannot have the support of your fans."

Ancelotti played down reports that Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez was unsettled and homesick.

"He is OK, he has no problem," he said. "I talk to him every day, he is happy here, is confident and motivated.

"He had a little problem in the last few games with his calf, but now he is in a good condition. He really feels good here because everyone takes care of him, and that is it."

Ancelotti added: "I don't know if he complains about the weather, but we know that is not the best (here), but there are a lot of things good in this area."

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday it could be the "right time" to play Liverpool at Anfield after more than a decade without a win over their city rivals.

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday it could be the "right time" to play Liverpool at Anfield after more than a decade without a win over their city rivals. The Toffees last tasted victory against the Reds in 2010 and have not won away since 1999. Until recent weeks the Premier League champions had looked invincible at home but they have lost their past three games on their own turf. Ancelotti's men are seeking a response after defeats against Fulham and leaders Manchester City, while Jurgen Klopp's side got back to winning ways with a 2-0 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig in Budapest. "It is a long time that Everton were able to win a derby and it can be the right time tomorrow," Ancelotti said. "But it depends on what we are able to do on the pitch tomorrow. "I don't think we feel pressure (of not winning against Liverpool for so long). I think we are better (now) compared to the past, so I think we can have more opportunity to get a result." The Italian said the lack of spectators at Anfield due to coronavirus restrictions had hurt Liverpool, who lost defender Virgil van Dijk to a serious injury in the reverse fixture in October. "For sure they have lost the support of their fans, in this sense Anfield was one of the most difficult stadiums to play (in)," he said. "The fact that the supporters are not there can be an advantage for the away teams. "But it is all the same what happened to us and the other teams in this particular season where you cannot have the support of your fans." Ancelotti played down reports that Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez was unsettled and homesick. "He is OK, he has no problem," he said. "I talk to him every day, he is happy here, is confident and motivated. "He had a little problem in the last few games with his calf, but now he is in a good condition. He really feels good here because everyone takes care of him, and that is it." Ancelotti added: "I don't know if he complains about the weather, but we know that is not the best (here), but there are a lot of things good in this area."

Ancelotti says 'could be right time' for Everton to end Liverpool hoodoo

ATK Mohun Bagan are set to lock horns with SC East Bengal in what will be the Kolkata Derby clash in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday. While ATK Mohun Bagan are sitting atop the ISL points table, arch-rivals SC East Bengal lie at the ninth spot.&nbsp;&nbsp;

While both ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal have played courageous football in the ISL season so far, both the team have had contrasting results which reflects firmly in the ISL points table. SC East Bengal will be eyeing to take revenge for their defeat the last time they faced ATK Mohun Bagan in November 2020. With Kolkata Derby one of the biggest&nbsp;spectacles&nbsp;in not only Indian football but also world football, fans can't miss the action.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/felt-like-the-loneliest-guy-virat-kohli-opens-up-on-battle-with-depression-364757" hreflang="en">'Felt like the loneliest guy': Virat Kohli opens up on battle with depression</a>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 🔥 
 
It's time for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KolkataDerby?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KolkataDerby</a>! 
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATKMBSCEB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATKMBSCEB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HeroISL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HeroISL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsFootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsFootball</a> <a href="https://t.co/iJBySTPDFO">pic.twitter.com/iJBySTPDFO</a>
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) <a href="https://twitter.com/IndSuperLeague/status/1362605327313760257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Here's all you need to know about ATK Mohun Bagan vs SC East Bengal, Kolkata Derby in ISL:</h2>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d3e3ed04-9827-45e5-a508-b07d31aff4b7}{229}" paraid="1109475081" >When is ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League (ISL)?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby will be played on Friday, February 19.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d3e3ed04-9827-45e5-a508-b07d31aff4b7}{241}" paraid="406146461" >When will the Kolkata Derby between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal start in the Indian Super League (ISL)?&nbsp;</h2>

ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby will start at 7:30 PM IST.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d3e3ed04-9827-45e5-a508-b07d31aff4b7}{253}" paraid="39050685" >Which stadium will host the Kolkata Derby between&nbsp;ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal in the Indian Super League being played?&nbsp;</h2>

The&nbsp;Kolkata Derby&nbsp;between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will be played at the&nbsp;Fatorda&nbsp;Stadium.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e456b033-5f95-490f-89c0-6ca9dca44a88}{10}" paraid="1309118352" >Which channel will&nbsp;telecast&nbsp;ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby&nbsp;in the Indian Super League?&nbsp;</h2>

The match between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will broadcast on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e456b033-5f95-490f-89c0-6ca9dca44a88}{22}" paraid="962979306" >Where can I watch the live streaming match between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal?&nbsp;</h2>

The live streaming match of ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will be available on&nbsp;Hotstar&nbsp;and Jio TV.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{511fc407-0c97-41fc-985f-9d066f329812}{187}" paraid="1655698637" >What are the predicted playing XIs of ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal?&nbsp;</h2>

Predicted XIs&nbsp;

ATK Mohun Bagan: Arindam Bhattacharya, Subhasish Bose, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Carl McHugh, Lenny Rodrigues, Manvir Singh, David Williams, Marcelinho, Roy Krishna&nbsp;

SC East Bengal: Subrata Paul, Danny Fox, Raju Gaikwad, Sarthak&nbsp;Golui, Narayan Das, Jacques Maghoma, Ankit Mukherjee, Matti Steinmann, Anthony Pilkington, Sourav Das, Bright Enobakhare&nbsp;

ATK Mohun Bagan are set to lock horns with SC East Bengal in what will be the Kolkata Derby clash in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday. While ATK Mohun Bagan are sitting atop the ISL points table, arch-rivals SC East Bengal lie at the ninth spot.

ATK Mohun Bagan are set to lock horns with SC East Bengal in what will be the Kolkata Derby clash in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Friday. While ATK Mohun Bagan are sitting atop the ISL points table, arch-rivals SC East Bengal lie at the ninth spot. While both ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal have played courageous football in the ISL season so far, both the team have had contrasting results which reflects firmly in the ISL points table. SC East Bengal will be eyeing to take revenge for their defeat the last time they faced ATK Mohun Bagan in November 2020. With Kolkata Derby one of the biggest spectacles in not only Indian football but also world football, fans can't miss the action. ALSO READ: 'Felt like the loneliest guy': Virat Kohli opens up on battle with depression 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 🔥 It's time for the #KolkataDerby! #ATKMBSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/iJBySTPDFO — Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) February 19, 2021 × Here's all you need to know about ATK Mohun Bagan vs SC East Bengal, Kolkata Derby in ISL: When is ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League (ISL)? ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby will be played on Friday, February 19. When will the Kolkata Derby between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal start in the Indian Super League (ISL)? ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby will start at 7:30 PM IST. Which stadium will host the Kolkata Derby between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal in the Indian Super League being played? The Kolkata Derby between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will be played at the Fatorda Stadium. Which channel will telecast ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League? The match between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will broadcast on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. Where can I watch the live streaming match between ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal? The live streaming match of ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV. What are the predicted playing XIs of ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal? Predicted XIs ATK Mohun Bagan: Arindam Bhattacharya, Subhasish Bose, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Carl McHugh, Lenny Rodrigues, Manvir Singh, David Williams, Marcelinho, Roy Krishna SC East Bengal: Subrata Paul, Danny Fox, Raju Gaikwad, Sarthak Golui, Narayan Das, Jacques Maghoma, Ankit Mukherjee, Matti Steinmann, Anthony Pilkington, Sourav Das, Bright Enobakhare

ATK Mohun Bagan vs SC East Bengal, Live Streaming, ISL: When and where to watch ATKMB vs SCEB, Kolkata Derby?

Manchester City on Friday denied reports of a massive&nbsp;£430million contract offer to&nbsp;Barcelona talisman&nbsp;Lionel Messi.&nbsp;There have been speculations surrounding Messi's future at the&nbsp;Nou&nbsp;Camp since the summer transfer window of 2020 but the&nbsp;rumours&nbsp;have grown since Barca's crushing 4-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the round of 16 encounter.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Messi, 33, asked Barcelona to allow him to leave the club but stayed put after it was revealed that both Messi and Barca will have to battle it out in the court. However, with mediocre performances on the pitch, under new head coach Ronald Koeman,&nbsp;Messi could end his long stay at Barcelona.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Manchester City, among other clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, have been strongly linked to Messi. But the English club has now denied reports of any contact with the Argentine maestro, be it in last summer or&nbsp;now.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/guardiola-inspires-man-city-masterclass-liverpool-face-everton-test-364716" hreflang="en">Guardiola inspires Man City masterclass, Liverpool face Everton test</a>

According to media reports, Man&nbsp;City offered the 33-year-old&nbsp;with&nbsp;a five-year deal worth £600m last summer but have now presented the Barca captain with a new package of £430m.&nbsp;

A Manchester City spokesperson has denied those reports, insisting that there have been no offers made.&nbsp;

Notably, Messi is Barcelona's highest-earner on a mammoth&nbsp;£500,000 a week (£26m a year)&nbsp;but took a wage cut in November with the Spanish giants battling financial crisis.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/one-of-the-best-in-the-world-haaland-stars-as-dortmund-beat-sevilla-364473" hreflang="en">'One of the best in the world' - Haaland stars as Dortmund beat Sevilla</a>

Messi looked frustrated as PSG hammered Barcelona 4-1 in the first leg of their round of 16 UEFA Champions League encounter on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and showed the glimpse of present and future.&nbsp;

Barcelona also&nbsp;trail&nbsp;in the LaLiga title race with the Spanish giants currently nine points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. They were earlier defeated 2-0 in the first-leg of Copa del Rey semi-final by Sevilla.&nbsp;

Manchester City on Friday denied reports of a massive £430million contract offer to Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi. There have been speculations surrounding Messi's future at the Nou Camp since the summer transfer window of 2020 but the rumours have grown since Barca's crushing 4-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the round of 16 encounter.

Manchester City on Friday denied reports of a massive £430million contract offer to Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi. There have been speculations surrounding Messi's future at the Nou Camp since the summer transfer window of 2020 but the rumours have grown since Barca's crushing 4-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the round of 16 encounter. Messi, 33, asked Barcelona to allow him to leave the club but stayed put after it was revealed that both Messi and Barca will have to battle it out in the court. However, with mediocre performances on the pitch, under new head coach Ronald Koeman, Messi could end his long stay at Barcelona. Manchester City, among other clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, have been strongly linked to Messi. But the English club has now denied reports of any contact with the Argentine maestro, be it in last summer or now. ALSO READ: Guardiola inspires Man City masterclass, Liverpool face Everton test According to media reports, Man City offered the 33-year-old with a five-year deal worth £600m last summer but have now presented the Barca captain with a new package of £430m. A Manchester City spokesperson has denied those reports, insisting that there have been no offers made. Notably, Messi is Barcelona's highest-earner on a mammoth £500,000 a week (£26m a year) but took a wage cut in November with the Spanish giants battling financial crisis. ALSO READ: 'One of the best in the world' - Haaland stars as Dortmund beat Sevilla Messi looked frustrated as PSG hammered Barcelona 4-1 in the first leg of their round of 16 UEFA Champions League encounter on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and showed the glimpse of present and future. Barcelona also trail in the LaLiga title race with the Spanish giants currently nine points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. They were earlier defeated 2-0 in the first-leg of Copa del Rey semi-final by Sevilla.

Lionel Messi to sign for Manchester City? English club responds

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United romped to a 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad in their Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday, while Gareth Bale impressed for Tottenham in a 4-1 thrashing of Austrian side Wolfsberg.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United are all but into the last 16, with four 'away' goals to take into the return game in a week's time, after the first leg was played in Turin due to coronavirus travel restrictions.

"We know 4-0 is a good result but we have to be aware of what they can do," Fernandes told BT Sport. "My target is to score the most goals I can, that is my position. The only target is to win trophies."

The Premier League outfit grabbed the lead in the 27th minute when Fernandes pounced on a defensive mix-up to slot in from Marcus Rashford's clipped pass.

Solskjaer's men doubled their advantage 12 minutes into the second period as Fernandes stroked home his 21st goal of the season.

The effort was initially ruled out for offside before the linesman's decision was overruled by VAR.

United continued to play at a pace Sociedad could not deal with and Rashford finally got his goal in the 65th minute following a blistering counter-attack started by goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

The tie was surely put to bed in the final minute of normal time as Daniel James raced clear and fired into the bottom corner.

<h2>- Bale strikes -</h2>

Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett had said on Wednesday the Wales winger was "towards the end of his career", after Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho had questioned the player's Instagram post suggesting he was in good health despite being unavailable for Spurs' FA Cup defeat at Everton last week.

But Bale notched his first Tottenham assist since April 2013 to tee up Son Heung-min for the opening goal in Budapest against Wolfsberg, before drilling in the second before the half-hour mark.

A wonderful individual strike from Lucas Moura extended Spurs' first-half lead, and although Michael Liendl pulled one back for the Austrians with a second-half penalty, the English club have one foot in the next round after Carlos Vinicius' 88th-minute goal.

"I have a really close relationship with him (Bale)," said Son. "I'm very happy he's getting game time and scored a goal and got an assist. I really enjoy playing with him."

Mourinho has never lost a knockout tie in the competition, which he won with Porto in 2003 and Man United in 2017.

<h2>- Milan, Arsenal held -</h2>

AC Milan, who have not reached the quarter-finals of any European competition since the 2011-12 Champions League, had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Red Star Belgrade.

Milan, who face Inter in a top-of-the-table Serie A derby on Sunday, were pegged back as Milan Pavkov netted a dramatic 93rd-minute leveller for Red Star, who played the closing stages with 10 men.

Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka continued his excellent season as his sixth goal of the campaign cancelled out Pizzi's penalty in a 1-1 draw against Benfica at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

"I feel like I'm improving every game. I'm trying to impress, trying to learn," said Saka. "I just want to keep progressing."

Ligue 1 leaders Lille conceded twice in the final three minutes to lose 2-1 at home to Ajax.&nbsp;

Timothy Weah, son of former Ballon d'Or winner George, put the French team ahead with 18 minutes to play, but Dusan Tadic's penalty and a goal from teenager Brian Brobbey put the Dutch champions on top after the first leg.

"It's good that I scored but I'm not happy because we didn't win," Weah told RMC Sport.

Leicester, sitting third in the Premier League, were held to a goalless draw at Slavia Prague, but there was plenty of excitement elsewhere.

Bayer Leverkusen fought back from three goals down only to lose 4-3 to Young Boys in Bern, while Olympiakos beat PSV Eindhoven 4-2 in Piraeus.

Borna Barisic netted two penalties, including the winning goal in the last minute, as Steven Gerrard's Rangers snatched a thrilling 4-3 victory at Royal Antwerp.

Molde came back from 3-1 down to draw with Hoffenheim, while Edin Dzeko's early goal helped Roma to a 2-0 win at 10-man Braga and Napoli lost 2-0 to Granada.

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United romped to a 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad in their Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday, while Gareth Bale impressed for Tottenham in a 4-1 thrashing of Austrian side Wolfsberg.

Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Manchester United romped to a 4-0 victory over Real Sociedad in their Europa League last-32 first leg on Thursday, while Gareth Bale impressed for Tottenham in a 4-1 thrashing of Austrian side Wolfsberg. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United are all but into the last 16, with four 'away' goals to take into the return game in a week's time, after the first leg was played in Turin due to coronavirus travel restrictions. "We know 4-0 is a good result but we have to be aware of what they can do," Fernandes told BT Sport. "My target is to score the most goals I can, that is my position. The only target is to win trophies." The Premier League outfit grabbed the lead in the 27th minute when Fernandes pounced on a defensive mix-up to slot in from Marcus Rashford's clipped pass. Solskjaer's men doubled their advantage 12 minutes into the second period as Fernandes stroked home his 21st goal of the season. The effort was initially ruled out for offside before the linesman's decision was overruled by VAR. United continued to play at a pace Sociedad could not deal with and Rashford finally got his goal in the 65th minute following a blistering counter-attack started by goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The tie was surely put to bed in the final minute of normal time as Daniel James raced clear and fired into the bottom corner. - Bale strikes - Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett had said on Wednesday the Wales winger was "towards the end of his career", after Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho had questioned the player's Instagram post suggesting he was in good health despite being unavailable for Spurs' FA Cup defeat at Everton last week. But Bale notched his first Tottenham assist since April 2013 to tee up Son Heung-min for the opening goal in Budapest against Wolfsberg, before drilling in the second before the half-hour mark. A wonderful individual strike from Lucas Moura extended Spurs' first-half lead, and although Michael Liendl pulled one back for the Austrians with a second-half penalty, the English club have one foot in the next round after Carlos Vinicius' 88th-minute goal. "I have a really close relationship with him (Bale)," said Son. "I'm very happy he's getting game time and scored a goal and got an assist. I really enjoy playing with him." Mourinho has never lost a knockout tie in the competition, which he won with Porto in 2003 and Man United in 2017. - Milan, Arsenal held - AC Milan, who have not reached the quarter-finals of any European competition since the 2011-12 Champions League, had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Red Star Belgrade. Milan, who face Inter in a top-of-the-table Serie A derby on Sunday, were pegged back as Milan Pavkov netted a dramatic 93rd-minute leveller for Red Star, who played the closing stages with 10 men. Arsenal youngster Bukayo Saka continued his excellent season as his sixth goal of the campaign cancelled out Pizzi's penalty in a 1-1 draw against Benfica at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. "I feel like I'm improving every game. I'm trying to impress, trying to learn," said Saka. "I just want to keep progressing." Ligue 1 leaders Lille conceded twice in the final three minutes to lose 2-1 at home to Ajax. Timothy Weah, son of former Ballon d'Or winner George, put the French team ahead with 18 minutes to play, but Dusan Tadic's penalty and a goal from teenager Brian Brobbey put the Dutch champions on top after the first leg. "It's good that I scored but I'm not happy because we didn't win," Weah told RMC Sport. Leicester, sitting third in the Premier League, were held to a goalless draw at Slavia Prague, but there was plenty of excitement elsewhere. Bayer Leverkusen fought back from three goals down only to lose 4-3 to Young Boys in Bern, while Olympiakos beat PSV Eindhoven 4-2 in Piraeus. Borna Barisic netted two penalties, including the winning goal in the last minute, as Steven Gerrard's Rangers snatched a thrilling 4-3 victory at Royal Antwerp. Molde came back from 3-1 down to draw with Hoffenheim, while Edin Dzeko's early goal helped Roma to a 2-0 win at 10-man Braga and Napoli lost 2-0 to Granada.

Fernandes double helps Man United thrash Sociedad, Bale stars for Spurs

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie.

Such was Juve's lacklustre performance that coach Andrea Pirlo claimed his team handed victory to their hosts on "a silver platter".

Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi put Porto ahead after just a minute at Estadio do Dragao following a Rodrigo Bentancur error.

And Mali striker Moussa Marega added a second straight after the break.

But Federico Chiesa pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go to keep Juventus afloat with the second leg in Turin on March 9.

"The approach was wrong from the first minute," said Pirlo.&nbsp;

"When you concede a goal like this it's normal that fear sets in, you lack a bit of certainty.&nbsp;

"Porto are good at closing down and after that goal it was much more difficult. We served them the match they wanted on a silver platter.

"Fortunately we scored an important goal through Chiesa and now we will focus on the return leg."

It was a below-par performance by Juventus,chasing their third Champions League title and first in 25 years.

Record Champions League goal scorer Ronaldo, 36, drew a blank against a side captained by his Portuguese international teammate Pepe, as the visitors struggled to recover from their early blunder.

"We studied Juventus well," said defender Pepe who won three Champions League titles with Ronaldo at Real Madrid.&nbsp;

"We knew that we had to press hard to keep Juventus from playing.&nbsp;In these type of games it's difficult to concede goals at home, but we played a great game."

It was a shocking start for Juventus, with Wojciech Szczesny sending the ball out to Bentancur, who passed back to the Polish goalkeeper despite Taremi being just on front of goal.

The Iranian quickly pounced to prod past Szczesny for his first Champions League goal.

Porto pressed forward with Juventus almost conceding a second on 23 minutes as Szczesny cleared straight to Sergio Oliveira whose shot was deflected away from goal.

To add to Andrea Pirlo's woes captain Giorgio Chiellini limped off 10 minutes later with defender Merih Demiral coming off the bench.

Pirlo had juggled Juve's defence with Leonardo Bonucci out injured with Alex Sandro returning, playing alongside veteran Chiellini, Matthijs de Ligt and Danilo.

Juve had to wait until four minutes before the break for their first shot on goal with an Adrien Rabiot overhead kick cleared by Porto 'keeper Agustin Marchesin, but the offside flag had already been raised.

The Italians suffered another terrible start to the second half with Marega picking up a Wilson Manafa cross to finish low past&nbsp;Szczęsny.

Ronaldo had to wait until five minutes after the break to have a shot on goal. Weston McKennie nodded the ball into the path of the Portuguese star, whose weak effort was blocked.

However, Chiesa pulled Juventus back into the tie following a Rabiot run down the right with a pull back for the Italian to finish off into the corner of the net.

"The goal will give us strength for the second leg, and it will certainly be another game," said Chiesa.&nbsp;

It was the first goal conceded by Porto in the competition at home this season for the former two-time winners.

Ronaldo had penalty appeals waved away after going down under a Sanusi Zaidu challenge late as the hosts held on for their first win over Juventus in five meetings.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie. Such was Juve's lacklustre performance that coach Andrea Pirlo claimed his team handed victory to their hosts on "a silver platter". Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi put Porto ahead after just a minute at Estadio do Dragao following a Rodrigo Bentancur error. And Mali striker Moussa Marega added a second straight after the break. But Federico Chiesa pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go to keep Juventus afloat with the second leg in Turin on March 9. "The approach was wrong from the first minute," said Pirlo. "When you concede a goal like this it's normal that fear sets in, you lack a bit of certainty. "Porto are good at closing down and after that goal it was much more difficult. We served them the match they wanted on a silver platter. "Fortunately we scored an important goal through Chiesa and now we will focus on the return leg." It was a below-par performance by Juventus,chasing their third Champions League title and first in 25 years. Record Champions League goal scorer Ronaldo, 36, drew a blank against a side captained by his Portuguese international teammate Pepe, as the visitors struggled to recover from their early blunder. "We studied Juventus well," said defender Pepe who won three Champions League titles with Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "We knew that we had to press hard to keep Juventus from playing. In these type of games it's difficult to concede goals at home, but we played a great game." It was a shocking start for Juventus, with Wojciech Szczesny sending the ball out to Bentancur, who passed back to the Polish goalkeeper despite Taremi being just on front of goal. The Iranian quickly pounced to prod past Szczesny for his first Champions League goal. Porto pressed forward with Juventus almost conceding a second on 23 minutes as Szczesny cleared straight to Sergio Oliveira whose shot was deflected away from goal. To add to Andrea Pirlo's woes captain Giorgio Chiellini limped off 10 minutes later with defender Merih Demiral coming off the bench. Pirlo had juggled Juve's defence with Leonardo Bonucci out injured with Alex Sandro returning, playing alongside veteran Chiellini, Matthijs de Ligt and Danilo. Juve had to wait until four minutes before the break for their first shot on goal with an Adrien Rabiot overhead kick cleared by Porto 'keeper Agustin Marchesin, but the offside flag had already been raised. The Italians suffered another terrible start to the second half with Marega picking up a Wilson Manafa cross to finish low past Szczęsny. Ronaldo had to wait until five minutes after the break to have a shot on goal. Weston McKennie nodded the ball into the path of the Portuguese star, whose weak effort was blocked. However, Chiesa pulled Juventus back into the tie following a Rabiot run down the right with a pull back for the Italian to finish off into the corner of the net. "The goal will give us strength for the second leg, and it will certainly be another game," said Chiesa. It was the first goal conceded by Porto in the competition at home this season for the former two-time winners. Ronaldo had penalty appeals waved away after going down under a Sanusi Zaidu challenge late as the hosts held on for their first win over Juventus in five meetings.

Pirlo says lacklustre Juventus handed Porto victory 'on silver platter'

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Suso's deflected strike gave last season's Europa League winners an early lead behind closed doors at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, but Mahmoud Dahoud soon equalised before Haaland took over.

The Norway phenomenon put Dortmund in front in the 27th minute and then scored again two minutes before half-time, the goals taking him to 25 in 24 appearances this season in all competitions.

Still aged just 20, he has scored 18 times in just 13 Champions League appearances since the start of last season.

Substitute Luuk de Jong's late reply gave Sevilla cause for hope heading into the return leg on March 9, but Dortmund remain favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.

"We didn't deserve to lose, but in the end they had one of the best players in the world up front and he made the difference in three situations which could have been avoided," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui.

Haaland, who also set up Dahoud's equaliser, produced a performance, in the first half at least, which showcased his remarkable strength, hold-up play and pace as well as his brilliant finishing.

<h2>- Nine-game winning run ended -</h2>

It was too much for a Sevilla side who had come into this tie with high hopes, having only been beaten by La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, away, in their previous 19 outings.

Lopetegui's team had won their previous nine matches on the bounce and had kept seven straight clean sheets before the arrival of Dortmund and Haaland.

"This was one of our best performances of the season," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who replaced the sacked Lucien Favre after the group phase, told Sky.

"We are pleased with the result and proud to have beaten such a team."

Sevilla have won the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, an incredible six times since 2005, but only once have they got past the last 16 of the Champions League, when they beat Manchester United in 2018 before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

The quality of Haaland was the difference here as Dortmund, having sunk to sixth in the Bundesliga on a poor run of form, came to life on their return to the Champions League.

"We had a good plan. Edin has been good and I've been talking a lot with him. He said today would be my game and that I would get my chances and I did, so it was an important win," Haaland told DAZN.

Yet the game had started well for Sevilla, with Suso opening the scoring in the seventh minute, his shot deflecting in off Mats Hummels.

Dortmund drew level in the 19th minute as Haaland showed terrific strength to hold the ball up on the right before coming infield and feeding Dahoud, who worked his way into position to fire a superb shot high into net from just outside the area.

It was the first goal Sevilla had conceded in more than 12 hours of football.

Eight minutes later they conceded again.

Haaland dropped deep, collecting possession near the halfway line, and then turned and charged towards goal, playing a pass to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box and then continuing on to place the return ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

He struck again two minutes before half-time, slotting home first-time after Marco Reus had stolen the ball from the feet of Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez before bearing down on goal.

However, Sevilla dominated the second half as Dortmund sat back, and the hosts got a potentially crucial second goal six minutes from the end.

Oscar Rodriguez's high, hanging free-kick was turned into the net by De Jong, giving them something to cling to.

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday. Suso's deflected strike gave last season's Europa League winners an early lead behind closed doors at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, but Mahmoud Dahoud soon equalised before Haaland took over. The Norway phenomenon put Dortmund in front in the 27th minute and then scored again two minutes before half-time, the goals taking him to 25 in 24 appearances this season in all competitions. Still aged just 20, he has scored 18 times in just 13 Champions League appearances since the start of last season. Substitute Luuk de Jong's late reply gave Sevilla cause for hope heading into the return leg on March 9, but Dortmund remain favourites to progress to the quarter-finals. "We didn't deserve to lose, but in the end they had one of the best players in the world up front and he made the difference in three situations which could have been avoided," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui. Haaland, who also set up Dahoud's equaliser, produced a performance, in the first half at least, which showcased his remarkable strength, hold-up play and pace as well as his brilliant finishing. - Nine-game winning run ended - It was too much for a Sevilla side who had come into this tie with high hopes, having only been beaten by La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, away, in their previous 19 outings. Lopetegui's team had won their previous nine matches on the bounce and had kept seven straight clean sheets before the arrival of Dortmund and Haaland. "This was one of our best performances of the season," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who replaced the sacked Lucien Favre after the group phase, told Sky. "We are pleased with the result and proud to have beaten such a team." Sevilla have won the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, an incredible six times since 2005, but only once have they got past the last 16 of the Champions League, when they beat Manchester United in 2018 before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The quality of Haaland was the difference here as Dortmund, having sunk to sixth in the Bundesliga on a poor run of form, came to life on their return to the Champions League. "We had a good plan. Edin has been good and I've been talking a lot with him. He said today would be my game and that I would get my chances and I did, so it was an important win," Haaland told DAZN. Yet the game had started well for Sevilla, with Suso opening the scoring in the seventh minute, his shot deflecting in off Mats Hummels. Dortmund drew level in the 19th minute as Haaland showed terrific strength to hold the ball up on the right before coming infield and feeding Dahoud, who worked his way into position to fire a superb shot high into net from just outside the area. It was the first goal Sevilla had conceded in more than 12 hours of football. Eight minutes later they conceded again. Haaland dropped deep, collecting possession near the halfway line, and then turned and charged towards goal, playing a pass to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box and then continuing on to place the return ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. He struck again two minutes before half-time, slotting home first-time after Marco Reus had stolen the ball from the feet of Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez before bearing down on goal. However, Sevilla dominated the second half as Dortmund sat back, and the hosts got a potentially crucial second goal six minutes from the end. Oscar Rodriguez's high, hanging free-kick was turned into the net by De Jong, giving them something to cling to.

'One of the best in the world' - Haaland stars as Dortmund beat Sevilla

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Riyad Mahrez scored the pick of the goals in between Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva's strikes as City extended their English top-flight record winning run to 17 games.

"It is really difficult to say another name in this moment," said Ancelotti when asked if his side had just been beaten by the champions.

"They are in a good form, they have belief and they are strong. We tried to be physical but it is difficult against Rodrigo, (Ruben) Dias and (Aymeric) Laporte."

Richarlison's first-half equaliser was little consolation for seventh-placed Everton, who have now won just one of their last six league games to fall five points behind in the battle for a top-four finish.

"We don't need to have regrets tonight," added Ancelotti as he looked forward to Saturday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool.

"It's a fantastic opportunity. We know how important this game is for our supporters."

This fixture was rearranged from late December due to a coronavirus outbreak affecting multiple players at City that threatened to derail their title challenge.

Guardiola's side were eighth in the table at the time, but have not dropped a point in their 10 league games since to streak clear of the chasing pack.

The visitors were without the in-form Ilkay Gundogan due to a groin injury, while Kevin De Bruyne was fit to return from a hamstring problem but only for a late cameo appearance off the bench.

Sergio Aguero was also among the substitutes, but Gabriel Jesus has failed to make the most of his chance to shine in the absence of the Argentine for most of the season and the Brazilian had another off night in front of goal as he blazed over an early chance.

When the deadlock was broken there was a hint of fortune to it as Foden's shot deflected off Seamus Coleman to leave the helpless Jordan Pickford wrong-footed.

Ancelotti's men had shown no attacking intent until conceding, but were immediately rewarded for pushing forward after falling behind as Lucas Digne's shot came back off the post and ricocheted in off Richarlison.

A moment of the highest quality saw City restore their lead just after the hour mark.

Silva's cushioned pass teed up Mahrez on the edge of the box and his sumptuous curling effort clipped the inside of the far post on its way into the net.

"We have the quality up front but always it comes through the passes," said Guardiola. "We need a little bit more patient, the second goal is an example of that. In the end we have to try and get the players up front in a better position."

The roles were reversed for the visitors' third 13 minutes from time as Mahrez and Jesus picked out Silva on the edge of the box and his shot had too much power for Pickford..

At the other end of the table, Fulham missed the opportunity to close to within four points of survival as Burnley came back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw.

Both sides struck early in the second-half of a largely uneventful game as Ashley Barnes cancelled out Ola Aina's opener for Fulham.

A point for Fulham takes Newcastle's advantage over the bottom three to six points, while Burnley remain eight points clear of the drop zone and edge up to 15th.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Riyad Mahrez scored the pick of the goals in between Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva's strikes as City extended their English top-flight record winning run to 17 games. "It is really difficult to say another name in this moment," said Ancelotti when asked if his side had just been beaten by the champions. "They are in a good form, they have belief and they are strong. We tried to be physical but it is difficult against Rodrigo, (Ruben) Dias and (Aymeric) Laporte." Richarlison's first-half equaliser was little consolation for seventh-placed Everton, who have now won just one of their last six league games to fall five points behind in the battle for a top-four finish. "We don't need to have regrets tonight," added Ancelotti as he looked forward to Saturday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool. "It's a fantastic opportunity. We know how important this game is for our supporters." This fixture was rearranged from late December due to a coronavirus outbreak affecting multiple players at City that threatened to derail their title challenge. Guardiola's side were eighth in the table at the time, but have not dropped a point in their 10 league games since to streak clear of the chasing pack. The visitors were without the in-form Ilkay Gundogan due to a groin injury, while Kevin De Bruyne was fit to return from a hamstring problem but only for a late cameo appearance off the bench. Sergio Aguero was also among the substitutes, but Gabriel Jesus has failed to make the most of his chance to shine in the absence of the Argentine for most of the season and the Brazilian had another off night in front of goal as he blazed over an early chance. When the deadlock was broken there was a hint of fortune to it as Foden's shot deflected off Seamus Coleman to leave the helpless Jordan Pickford wrong-footed. Ancelotti's men had shown no attacking intent until conceding, but were immediately rewarded for pushing forward after falling behind as Lucas Digne's shot came back off the post and ricocheted in off Richarlison. A moment of the highest quality saw City restore their lead just after the hour mark. Silva's cushioned pass teed up Mahrez on the edge of the box and his sumptuous curling effort clipped the inside of the far post on its way into the net. "We have the quality up front but always it comes through the passes," said Guardiola. "We need a little bit more patient, the second goal is an example of that. In the end we have to try and get the players up front in a better position." The roles were reversed for the visitors' third 13 minutes from time as Mahrez and Jesus picked out Silva on the edge of the box and his shot had too much power for Pickford.. At the other end of the table, Fulham missed the opportunity to close to within four points of survival as Burnley came back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw. Both sides struck early in the second-half of a largely uneventful game as Ashley Barnes cancelled out Ola Aina's opener for Fulham. A point for Fulham takes Newcastle's advantage over the bottom three to six points, while Burnley remain eight points clear of the drop zone and edge up to 15th.

Man City beat Everton to march 10 points clear

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday.

When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom.

Jose Mourinho's team have been involved in 22 Premier League matches following Bale's return to the north London club but the 31-year-old has started just two of those.

Mourinho last week questioned Bale's Instagram post which suggested he was in good health despite being unavailable to feature in his side's FA Cup defeat at Everton.

Asked why Bale was not playing regularly in his second spell at Spurs, Barnett, speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit, said: "He's towards the end of his career. Really, you have to ask Mourinho that."

Barnett defended Bale's record in the game -- the Welshman has won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Real Madrid.

"When they say, 'What's happened to him?' -- he's won more trophies abroad than any British player in history," the agent said.

"He's done very well financially, and he has enough money for the rest of his life. He has a very good lifestyle, so that is what has happened to him."

Bale came through the ranks at Southampton and joined Spurs as a 17-year-old in 2007 before sealing a big-money move to the Bernabeu six years later.

Addressing his initial transfer to Spurs, Barnett, who has overseen the Welshman's career, said: "With Gareth, we always knew where he wanted to be.

"We knew he had the talent so when clubs came in, the first thing we did was look at the clubs that were there and the ones to progress his career.

"We chose Tottenham for clear reasons, the path to the first team and good coaching.

"We turned down two offers for more money at the time but we spoke with him, his parents and they listened to us and he ended up at Real Madrid."

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday. When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom.

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday. When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom. Jose Mourinho's team have been involved in 22 Premier League matches following Bale's return to the north London club but the 31-year-old has started just two of those. Mourinho last week questioned Bale's Instagram post which suggested he was in good health despite being unavailable to feature in his side's FA Cup defeat at Everton. Asked why Bale was not playing regularly in his second spell at Spurs, Barnett, speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit, said: "He's towards the end of his career. Really, you have to ask Mourinho that." Barnett defended Bale's record in the game -- the Welshman has won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Real Madrid. "When they say, 'What's happened to him?' -- he's won more trophies abroad than any British player in history," the agent said. "He's done very well financially, and he has enough money for the rest of his life. He has a very good lifestyle, so that is what has happened to him." Bale came through the ranks at Southampton and joined Spurs as a 17-year-old in 2007 before sealing a big-money move to the Bernabeu six years later. Addressing his initial transfer to Spurs, Barnett, who has overseen the Welshman's career, said: "With Gareth, we always knew where he wanted to be. "We knew he had the talent so when clubs came in, the first thing we did was look at the clubs that were there and the ones to progress his career. "We chose Tottenham for clear reasons, the path to the first team and good coaching. "We turned down two offers for more money at the time but we spoke with him, his parents and they listened to us and he ended up at Real Madrid."

Bale 'towards end of career', admits agent

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go.&nbsp;

Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world.&nbsp;

The 22-year-old certainly outshone Lionel Messi, even if snap comparisons are perhaps unfair on the Argentinian, given the mismatch in the teams each had behind them.&nbsp;

This was not a contest between Mbappe and Messi nor a failure on Messi's part that his Barcelona side were overrun, outclassed and ultimately obliterated, a 4-1 defeat putting PSG within sight of the quarter-finals.&nbsp;

Instead, it was a reality check for Koeman's Barca, a brutal assessment of where they are in their recovery and a measuring of the distance still to be covered before they can rejoin Europe's elite.&nbsp;

"I know where we are," said Koeman. "We have to change but we are not at the end of this road, we are halfway through."&nbsp;

The problem for Koeman was not the result, which many had expected before Neymar's injury and a string of encouraging displays in La Liga raised false hope.&nbsp;

If the mauling by Bayern Munich last season was the end of something for Barcelona, a cycle finished and players subsequently discarded, Koeman's project is, in theory, just beginning.&nbsp;

Of those that played on Tuesday, Pedri is 18 and Sergino Dest 20, with Oscar Mingueza, Francisco Trincao and Riqui Puig all 21. Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie De Jong are both 23.&nbsp;

For some of these players, this was the biggest game of their careers and it showed, the usually immaculate Pedri miscontrolling a pass or De Jong stumbling into an opponent instead of gliding by.&nbsp;

And yet what may trouble the players, Messi and perhaps Barcelona's incoming president next month was the extent of the gap, how by the end the full-time whistle felt like a relief.&nbsp;

In an interview with Movistar television afterwards, De Jong struggled to find the words. "I don't know, there is one leg left," he said. "It will be very difficult, we all know that, but we will try."&nbsp;

<h2>- 'We have to change' -</h2>

"There is always another match," said Koeman. "But after a 1-4 (loss) at home I'm not going to lie to you, there is very little chance."&nbsp;

He had gambled on the fitness of Gerard Pique and then took him off with 12 minutes left, not for injury but preservation. "There was no need to take risks," said Koeman, who was even asked if he had the desire to carry on.&nbsp;

"Fortunately I'm a fairly honest and up-front person," Koeman said. "If I was someone who gets happy when we win and then after a result like today said I had no desire to continue, that would be crazy.&nbsp;

"I know where we are. We have to change but we're not at the end of this road, we're halfway through."&nbsp;

Before kick-off, Koeman had arrived at the stadium gates in his car, with Barcelona fans cheering as they saw him and chanting his name.&nbsp;

Since his appointment last summer, Koeman has stabilised Barca, instilled a sense of purpose and promoted youth. He inherited a mess and has brought direction.

But he will know all that is just a platform, that the weeks between now and June will be what define his season and ultimately whether he stays on as coach.&nbsp;

Barcelona are eight behind Atletico Madrid in the league, trailpoints 2-0 to Sevilla in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey and now have a mountain to climb in Paris.&nbsp;

Some sort of crescendo may be needed. Even if PSG cannot be caught in the second leg, Koeman cannot afford humiliation. Not everything can be put down to transition.&nbsp;

"I am not sad," said Koeman. "It is a path that we are trying to go down and it's not the end of this path yet. It seems I am more realistic than others." Others may not be as patient either.

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go. Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world.

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go. Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world. The 22-year-old certainly outshone Lionel Messi, even if snap comparisons are perhaps unfair on the Argentinian, given the mismatch in the teams each had behind them. This was not a contest between Mbappe and Messi nor a failure on Messi's part that his Barcelona side were overrun, outclassed and ultimately obliterated, a 4-1 defeat putting PSG within sight of the quarter-finals. Instead, it was a reality check for Koeman's Barca, a brutal assessment of where they are in their recovery and a measuring of the distance still to be covered before they can rejoin Europe's elite. "I know where we are," said Koeman. "We have to change but we are not at the end of this road, we are halfway through." The problem for Koeman was not the result, which many had expected before Neymar's injury and a string of encouraging displays in La Liga raised false hope. If the mauling by Bayern Munich last season was the end of something for Barcelona, a cycle finished and players subsequently discarded, Koeman's project is, in theory, just beginning. Of those that played on Tuesday, Pedri is 18 and Sergino Dest 20, with Oscar Mingueza, Francisco Trincao and Riqui Puig all 21. Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie De Jong are both 23. For some of these players, this was the biggest game of their careers and it showed, the usually immaculate Pedri miscontrolling a pass or De Jong stumbling into an opponent instead of gliding by. And yet what may trouble the players, Messi and perhaps Barcelona's incoming president next month was the extent of the gap, how by the end the full-time whistle felt like a relief. In an interview with Movistar television afterwards, De Jong struggled to find the words. "I don't know, there is one leg left," he said. "It will be very difficult, we all know that, but we will try." - 'We have to change' - "There is always another match," said Koeman. "But after a 1-4 (loss) at home I'm not going to lie to you, there is very little chance." He had gambled on the fitness of Gerard Pique and then took him off with 12 minutes left, not for injury but preservation. "There was no need to take risks," said Koeman, who was even asked if he had the desire to carry on. "Fortunately I'm a fairly honest and up-front person," Koeman said. "If I was someone who gets happy when we win and then after a result like today said I had no desire to continue, that would be crazy. "I know where we are. We have to change but we're not at the end of this road, we're halfway through." Before kick-off, Koeman had arrived at the stadium gates in his car, with Barcelona fans cheering as they saw him and chanting his name. Since his appointment last summer, Koeman has stabilised Barca, instilled a sense of purpose and promoted youth. He inherited a mess and has brought direction. But he will know all that is just a platform, that the weeks between now and June will be what define his season and ultimately whether he stays on as coach. Barcelona are eight behind Atletico Madrid in the league, trailpoints 2-0 to Sevilla in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey and now have a mountain to climb in Paris. Some sort of crescendo may be needed. Even if PSG cannot be caught in the second leg, Koeman cannot afford humiliation. Not everything can be put down to transition. "I am not sad," said Koeman. "It is a path that we are trying to go down and it's not the end of this path yet. It seems I am more realistic than others." Others may not be as patient either.

Koeman faces scrutiny after PSG halt Barcelona revival

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