Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to be investigated by Uefa over an “alleged financial interest in a betting company”.
According to reports in his native Sweden, the AC Milan striker, 39, has broken rules after becoming a partner in a betting company.
Uefa’s disciplinary regulations state players should not have a financial interest in betting.
Last week he signed a new contract that will run until after his 40th birthday.
“A Uefa ethics and disciplinary inspector has today been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of the Uefa disciplinary regulations by Mr Zlatan Ibrahimovic for having an alleged financial interest in a betting company,” a Uefa statement said.
The former Manchester United striker has scored 17 goals in 25 appearances in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic has been fined 4,000 euros (£3,500) for his part in an ugly clash with Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku during a Coppa Italia match in January.
The pair were involved in a number of exchanges and Ibrahimovic, who denied he used racist language, was eventually sent off.
Like Ibrahimovic, Lukaku was charged with “unsportsmanlike behaviour with provocative phrases” by the Italian Football Federation. The Belgian has been fined 3,000 euros (£2,600).
Marcelo Bielsa says his Leeds side are evolving as a Premier League force by learning from past errors against the top flight’s elite after holding Manchester United to a goalless draw at Elland Road.
Sunday’s stalemate continued Leeds’ fine run of results against teams in the top six since the turn of the year, having won at Leicester and leaders Manchester City, as well as holding Chelsea, Liverpool and, now, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United.
They have conceded just three times across those five games, a stark contrast to the opening months of the season when they shipped goals in thrilling but gung-ho fashion, losing 4-3 at Anfield, 4-1 to Leicester and 6-2 at Old Trafford.https://emp.bbc.com/emp/SMPj/2.40.2/iframe.htmlLeeds 0-0 Man Utd: Marcelo Bielsa says his side are evolving
“In the game we defended well. We couldn’t attack how we wanted to. Even if we didn’t dominate, we avoided the game becoming unbalanced. There are signs of evolution,” Bielsa told BBC Sport.
“The group of players have constructed a solid group. Throughout this time they made errors and have learned how to correct them.
“In the same way, they learned to avoid errors that are avoidable. I have the feeling there has been a growth in their maturity in how to manage these games.
“Clearly at this moment we cannot go into the games to dominate them and think we can win while dominant.
“But the capacity for the players to go up against these very good players has also increased. We can impose ourselves on defences and can avoid being overcome by attackers of the highest level.”
The result means Manchester City will be crowned Premier League champions next weekend if Pep Guardiola’s side beat Crystal Palace on Saturday and second-placed United lose at home to Liverpool on Sunday.
United boss Solskjaer praised the hosts but felt his side were unfortunate not to come away with all three points after creating the game’s clearer chances.
“I have not seen many teams dominate in the second half the way we did against Leeds – they steamroller teams but I felt we steamrollered them,” Solskjaer told BBC Sport.
“Today we just didn’t have the moment, didn’t take them when we had them. A draw is disappointing because we wanted to put pressure on City.”
They could have fallen further behind after Berenguer headed home Ander Capa’s cross but Jan Oblak foiled Asier Villalibre’s shot and Oihan Sancet wasted two good openings.
Atletico improved after the break, Marcos Llorente drilling just wide from 20 yards before Savic glanced home a corner to equalise – but Martinez powered home a set-piece header to win it.
West Brom’s faint hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a significant setback after substitute Keinan Davis scored a 92nd-minute equaliser for Aston Villa.
The Baggies fell behind when Anwar El Ghazi marked his return to the side by firing Villa ahead from the penalty spot after Semi Ajayi had clipped Ross Barkley.
They were then awarded a penalty of their own, Matheus Pereira beating Emiliano Martinez to equalise after Ezri Konsa caught Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Brazilian forward Pereira then hit the bar from a free-kick after creating chances for Okay Yokuslu and Maitland-Niles before Mbaye Diagne’s deflected finish off Tyrone Mings looked to have sealed a third win in four games.
But Davis pounced in the closing moments for his first Premier League goal after a defensive mix-up to deny the Baggies, who are now nine points from safety with five games remaining.
West Brom’s players dropped to their knees when referee Stuart Attwell blew for full time after seeing three points ripped from their grasp by Davis’ dramatic goal.
They had shown tremendous character to bounce back from Thursday’s tame defeat at Leicester and come from behind to lead their West Midlands rivals at Villa Park.
West Brom started this game 10 points from safety following Burnley’s handsome victory at Wolves earlier on Sunday and could quite easily have collapsed after El Gahzi’s ninth minute penalty.
Instead they clawed their way back with Pereira outstanding, the former Sporting Lisbon player scoring one, hitting the bar and setting up several chances for his team-mates.
At the other end Sam Johnstone, whose long clearance led to the second goal, produced a huge save to stop England striker Ollie Watkins from equalising.
But they could not hold on and face a quick return to the Championship one season after winning automatic promotion with Leeds although Sam Allardyce is not conceding defeat just yet.
“We put it to the lads the teams who have got out of this position and there are about six of them,” said the Baggies boss.
“It means winning a lot of games in your last few but five or six teams have done that.
“People might have looked at the team and thought ‘are they going to go under?’ but we didn’t.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says owner Stan Kroenke has apologised to him over the club’s aborted attempt to join the European Super League.
The Spaniard added that football fans had sent “the strongest message” over their opposition to the ESL.
Arteta said he had spoken to Kroenke, while Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham had addressed the players.
He said they accepted the ESL episode “has had terrible consequences and it was a mistake”.
The Gunners were one of 12 clubs, including English counterparts Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, to sign up to the ESL, which was announced on Sunday.
All six withdrew on Tuesday, with Arsenal apologising in an open letter to their fans.
“They [the owners] have the maximum responsibility to run the football club and what they said was: ‘apologies for disturbing the team, we did it without the capacity to communicate in a different way earlier and pass on my message to the players’ – that is all you can ask for,” said Arteta.
“I found out just a little bit before the news was leaked. And then everything was completely out of control and the world reacted in a really unified manner.
“There was not really time to think about it, reflect and evaluate or anything because by the time that was out, a big tsunami already came on to it and basically killed it.
“Vinai spoke to me and explained a little bit what was happening. He was very clear and transparent with me.
“I understand the reasons why we could not know. We were not involved in the decision.”
‘The soul of this sport belongs to the fans’
The proposed new league was condemned by fans, football authorities and government ministers in the UK, and across Europe by Uefa and league associations.
Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest at their club’s involvement.
“I think this has given big lessons and it shows the importance of football in the world,” said Arteta.
“And it shows that the soul of this sport belongs to the fans – and that’s it. During this pandemic, for a year, we have been trying to sustain this industry with no fans in the stadium.
“But, when the fans have to come out to talk, they’ve done it really loud and clear, and they sent probably the strongest message that has ever been sent in the football world.
“And every club, leaving their interests apart, has done the right thing – which is, they are the ones [the fans], we have to listen to them, we put it aside and in 24 hours we kill the project.
“So that is a massive statement for the history of football.”
BBC sports editor Dan Roan has reported that senior executives from the six Premier League clubs who agreed to join the ESL are being asked to stand down from various league working groups – or face being voted out by the top flight’s other 14 clubs.
Everton accused the six of ” preposterous arrogance” and “disrespect”, while their manager Carlo Ancelotti said he thought it was a “joke” when he heard about the ESL plan.
“For every supporter of football it was a strange day, a surprise,” said Ancelotti, who has coached four of the 12 clubs who signed up for the ESL.
“We’ve heard about it [before] but I was sure the Super League wasn’t going to happen.
“Those 12 clubs were wrong because I think they didn’t take into consideration the opinion of two parts that are really important – the players and managers, and the supporters.
“They wanted to build a competition without sport merit and this is not acceptable.”
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson said he had been “disappointed” by events surrounding the ESL but that “the best thing that’s happened has been the fans”.
Hodgson – who has managed two of the clubs who tried to break away, Liverpool and Inter Milan – said: “You could argue that fans of these clubs could have been quite happy to say, ‘we’re with you on this one and we’re quite happy to make certain you never have to worry about the last game of the season and we are going to qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League because our place is guaranteed’.
“The fact that the fans, as [Palace chairman] Steve [Parish] put it, voted for the right to lose is the most important thing of all.”
Burnley captain Ben Mee said the news of the breakaway “shocked” him and his team-mates. A meeting scheduled between the captains of Premier League teams to discuss the issue was cancelled after the English teams withdrew.
“We were going to have a meeting on Wednesday but, thankfully, it wasn’t necessary because the fans took action and I think owners realised what a mistake they had made,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“For our league, it would have been terrible. We’ve got the best league in the world. Other countries envy it – it’s exciting. It’s competitive and we certainly want to keep it that way.”
He added: “We’ve heard [former England and Manchester United defender] Gary Neville talking about about regulation, legislation and bringing things in to stop anything like this from happening, and it’s got to be looked at, for sure.”
Atletico Madrid returned to the top of La Liga with a win over Huesca 24 hours after withdrawing from the European Super League.
Real Madrid had replaced neighbours Atletico at the summit after a 3-0 win over Cadiz on Wednesday.
On Thursday, goals by Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco helped Atletico see off struggling Huesca.
Diego Simeone’s side are three points clear at the top with six games remaining.
Atletico had apologised to fans for causing “confusion” after ending their involvement in the breakaway European Super League.
They are chasing a first La Liga title since 2014 but still have to play title rivals Barcelona away on 8 May.
Huesca are 18th in the table, one point from safety with six games remaining.
They went close to taking a surprise early lead but Dimitrios Siovas’ close range shot was saved by Jan Oblak before Argentina forward Correa scored his third goal in two games.
Carrasco added the second while Marcos Llorente finished the match with two assists.
Real Madrid went level on points with Atletico Madrid at the top of La Liga with a win at Cadiz in a week dominated by the announcement and seeming collapse of the European Super League.
There were fan protests outside the ground against the new league, which Real had intended to compete in.
Inside, the visitors ran riot, sealing the win with three first-half goals.
Karim Benzema scored twice – the first a penalty – and provided the assist for Alvaro Odriozola to head in.
The result gets Real’s La Liga challenge back on track after the minor slip in drawing 0-0 at Getafe on Sunday.
It was on the same evening that they and 11 other leading European clubs were announcing their plans to form a breakaway Super League – a project that has seemingly now collapsed just three days later.
Real president Florentino Perez has been one of the most vocal advocates of the proposed competition, telling Spanish TV show El Chiringuito de Jugones that it had been devised “to save football”.
Real have still yet to announce their withdrawal from the Super League, despite the majority of the rest of the clubs doing so, including all six English sides.
They will certainly qualify for next season’s Champions League, but they are currently in a fascinating four-horse race at the top of La Liga to decide if that will be as Spanish champions.
With Benzema firing they certainly have a good chance.
The French striker coolly slotted in his penalty, after VAR was used to rule on the illegality of Isaac Carcelen’s trip on Vinicius Junior.
He then swung over a perfect cross for Odriozola to head the second before nodding in the third himself from Casemiro’s cross – all three goals coming in the space of 10 minutes.
As they ave in England over the last few days, fans gathered outside the Ramon de Carranza to protest the Super LeagueNine of the 12 clubs – including La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid – have withdrawn from the proposed Super League
Twelve notable football clubs intended to begin a new sensational league European Super League but major football league organizers -UEFA , FIFA etc refused with sanctions.
Just when you thought this season could not get any stranger, along came a plan that appeared to divide the game and then united fans in fighting against it.
Here’s how the European Super League debacle unfolded…
Sunday 13:00 BST: The news breaks
It all began on Sunday afternoon, just as Arsenal were limbering up to play Fulham.
The Times reported that 12 clubs from England, Italy and Spain – including six of the Premier League’s biggest – had agreed to take part in a new European Super League, to the fury of European governing body Uefa.
As details emerged – two groups of 10 teams, followed by a play-off phase – people began to realise just how far planning for this European Super League had already got.
What raised most eyebrows, though, was the prospect the ‘dirty dozen’, as they were soon named, would never have to forfeit their places in the league, locking out all but five other clubs across the whole of Europe in the process, once another three founding clubs had been confirmed.
Protest banners were placed outside Liverpool’s Anfield stadium
Sunday 16:00 BST: ‘It’s pure greed’
The Premier League moved quickly to condemn the plans, followed swiftly by… every other major body in football, including Uefa and the English, Spanish and Italian football federations. Uefa – European football’s governing body – announced at 16:30 BST it would use “all measures” possible to stop the “cynical project”.
Politicians were soon involved, a statement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson supporting the sport’s authorities “in taking action”, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer quickly following suit.
Former Manchester United and England defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville added later: “It’s pure greed. There’s 100-odd years of history in this country of fans who have lived and loved these clubs.
“Dock them all points tomorrow. Put them at the bottom of the league and take the money off them. Seriously. You have to stamp on this.”
Sunday 23:00 BST: ‘Commence as soon as practicable’
The response to breaking the internet on a sleepy Sunday afternoon? The ESL put out an official statement, confirming the 12 clubs signed up: AC Milan, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham.
The statement also said the ESL wished to “commence as soon as practicable”, and that “clubs look forward to holding discussions with Uefa and Fifa to work together in partnership”.
Fifa got involved just before midnight, condemning the move
Monday 07:30 BST: Things get official
As soon as Europe was awake again the ESL contacted Fifa and Uefa presidents Gianni Infantino and Aleksander Ceferin to issue notice of legal proceedings in European courts designed to block any sanctions the two governing bodies might try enforce over the formation of the ESL.
An hour later, all 12 clubs turned the screw further by resigning from the European Club Association (ECA), as Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano also stood down from their roles at Uefa.
Spain’s top flight, La Liga, would soon condemn the proposals.
Monday 11:40 BST: ‘The rich stealing what the people created’
Current players soon began speaking out: one of the first was Ander Herrera, Paris St-Germain’s former Manchester United midfielder. The Spaniard, whose French club side had not signed up to the ESL, said: “I cannot remain silent about this, I believe in an improved Champions League, but not in the rich stealing what the people created.”
“This is new for us,” he added. “We might be naive in not knowing we have snakes close to us. Now we do. There will be legal action soon.”
Uefa simultaneously announced its widely trailed new format for the Champions League from 2024, with 36 teams in one league, each team playing 10 matches.
At 17:00 BST Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi denied he had turned down the chance to replace Andrea Agnelli as chairman of the ECA because PSG were considering joining the ESL, insisting his reason was simply a reluctance to add to his existing workload.
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Monday 19:00 BST: ‘Earn it’
Elland Road became the focal point on Monday evening. Leeds supporters were joined by fans from other clubs as they gathered outside the ground to stage a protest – during which a Liverpool shirt was burned, and a plane flew over the stadium displaying an anti-ESL message.
In the stadium, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was the focal point. The German had said in 2019 he hoped there would never be a Super League, and at Elland Road he confirmed his opinion had not changed.
Leeds players wore T-shirts saying ‘Earn it’ next to the Champions League logo and ‘Football is for the fans’, and left the shirts in Liverpool’s dressing room in case they wanted to join the protest. That angered Klopp.
“We were not involved in the process,” he said after the game. “We are the team, we wear the shirts with pride. Somebody has made a decision with the owners in world football that we don’t know exactly why.
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At 23:00 BST former England captain David Beckham, now a franchise owner in the United States’ Major League Soccer, posted on Instagram that football was “nothing without the fans” and that the game should be “for everyone” and competitions “based on merit”.
Tuesday 06:00 BST: ‘We’re doing it to save football’
Tuesday began as combatively as Monday had ended, as much of Europe awoke to an interview with Real president Florentino Perez – the first ESL chairman – that had gone out on Spanish TV late on Monday night. Perez claimed the clubs were “doing this to save football at this critical moment” and that “young people are no longer interested in football”.
He later said expulsion from the Champions League would not happen, claiming “the law protects us”.
By 09:30 BST Fifa president Infantino had given an insight into the world governing body’s approach, saying his organisation “strongly disapproves” of the plans and warning the breakaway clubs they could not be “half in and half out” and would have to “live with the consequences of their choice”.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who is now the club’s technical director, called for calm from fans during protests at Stamford Bridge
At 12:00 GMT Boris Johnson held a meeting with the representatives from the Football Association, Premier League and football fan groups, with Downing Street saying the prime minister had reiterated his “unwavering support” for their attempts to prevent the breakaway competition.
A meeting of the 14 non-ESL Premier League clubs “unanimously and vigorously rejected” plans for the Super League at 14:00 BST, and the league announced it was “considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing”.
At about 17:00 BST Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich confirmed they had said no to the ESL.
Tuesday 19:00 BST: ‘We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen’
As Chelsea warmed up for their match against Brighton, and fans gathered outside Stamford Bridge to protest, the BBC learned Manchester City were to pull out of the ESL – and that Chelsea were considering following suit.
At 20:00 BST, Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said he would resign at the end of 2021, and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson posted on social media that his side’s “collective position” was against the breakaway.
His message – “We don’t like it and we don’t want it to happen” – was also posted by many of his Liverpool team-mates.
The pressure had built, the cracks had begun to show, and then the dam burst.
From 22:45 BST, all six of the Premier League teams involved in the ESL announced they were to formally withdraw from the competition.
Wednesday 06:45 BST: End of the road?
Uefa president Ceferin said the six English clubs were “back in the fold”, adding: “The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.”
But perhaps the ESL is not dead yet.
In a statement released at 07:30 BST it said: “Despite the announced departure of the English clubs, forced to take such decisions due to the pressure put on them, we are convinced our proposal is fully aligned with European law and regulations as was demonstrated today by a court decision to protect the Super League from third-party actions.”
Wednesday 08:00 BST: ‘I’ve let you down’
Just 36 hours after the team kicked off against Leeds amid a maelstrom of criticism, Liverpool released a video in which owner John W Henry apologised to the club’s supporters, saying: “In this endeavour I’ve let you down.”
The American also apologised to Klopp, the players and chief executive Billy Hogan, promising to do all he could to win back the supporters’ trust.
Wednesday 10:00 BST: ‘I don’t think that project is still up and running’
For the first time, a senior figure in the ESL acknowledged publicly what seemed inevitable once the English teams pulled out late on Tuesday.
Asked whether the project could still happen, ESL founder and Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli told Reuters: “To be frank and honest, no. Evidently that is not the case.
“I remain convinced of the beauty of that project, of the value that it would have developed to the pyramid, of the creation of the best competition in the world, but evidently no. I don’t think that project is now still up and running.”
Within the next 90 minutes, both Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan pulled out. Just four of the initial 12 remained.
Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Tottenham after just 17 months in charge.
The Portuguese replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs manager in November 2019 and guided the club to sixth in the Premier League last season.
They are currently seventh, having picked up two points from their past three league games, and were knocked out of the Europa League in March.
Spurs face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on 25 April.
On Sunday, Tottenham were one of six Premier League clubs to announce they were joining a new European Super League, but it is not related to Mourinho’s sacking.
Mourinho’s coaching staff of Joao Sacramento, Nuno Santos, Carlos Lalin and Giovanni Cerra have also been sacked.
Mason Greenwood says “anything is possible” in the title race after he scored twice to help Manchester United beat Burnley and close the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to eight points.
The 19-year-old saw his thumping opener after the break quickly cancelled out when James Tarkowski rose above Harry Maguire to level.
Greenwood put the hosts back in front six minutes from time with a fierce left-footed strike that deflected beyond goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell at the front post.
Edinson Cavani then tapped in from close range in stoppage time to wrap up the victory at Old Trafford.
The visitors’ direct attacking play had caused United problems of their own and they had the ball in the net after 14 seconds.
Chris Wood beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson to a floated delivery on the edge of the penalty area and headed into an empty goal, only to be correctly flagged offside.
It means Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are now eight points behind leaders City in second place with six games to play, while Burnley remain 17th and six points above the relegation zone.
“You can never be sure,” said Greenwood about United’s hopes of catching their rivals. “They might slip up, we have to concentrate on our next games.
“Anything’s possible, hopefully they drop some points but we just have to keep focused on our games.”
Can United do the unthinkable?
“Can we catch City?” said boss Solskjaer beforehand. “Stranger things have happened in football. Bigger leads have been given away.”
The Norwegian first arrived at Old Trafford the summer after Sir Alex Ferguson’s outfit had overturned a 12-point deficit to pip Newcastle to the title in 1996.
Solskjaer’s own side trailed leaders Manchester City by 14 points last month but have now reduced that to eight with six games to play – the same advantage United boasted when City fought back to win the title on a dramatic final day in 2012.
Had United started the season better the title race may have been even closer, with the Red Devils having lost just once in their past 26 league games after slipping to three defeats in their first six.
They showed the perseverance and patience needed if they are to mount an unlikely title charge after leaving it late to beat Burnley on Sunday.
The club changed the seat coverings at Old Trafford from red to black this week to give a greater contrast to the players’ shirts on the pitch but that could not help the hosts in the first half as they lacked fluidity going forward.
Solskjaer turned to Cavani, in place of Fred, at the break and that extra attacking impetus immediately paid off as Marcus Rashford squared the ball to Bruno Fernandes and the Portugal international cleverly dummied the pass to allow Greenwood to fire beyond Peacock-Farrell.
That lead lasted all of 114 seconds as Tarkowski levelled for Sean Dyche’s side from a corner and it looked as if United may be frustrated once again by the Clarets.
But on 84 minutes Greenwood’s deflected effort squeezed into the bottom corner, making him the club’s joint-top scoring teenager in the Premier League with 15 goals, alongside Wayne Rooney, and earning praise from boss Solskjaer.
“He’s mixing up his game. He goes inside and outside, he’s maturing all the time,” said Solskjaer. “It’s lovely to see. He’s put the work in on the training ground and reaps the rewards.
“I’ve seen how mature he is on the training ground and he plays with maturity and understanding.”
It was a player at the other end of his career who added gloss to the win, with the experienced Cavani tapping in Donny van de Beek’s low pass to seal a victory that sees United match their points tally from last season.
Clarets looking over their shoulder?
James Tarkowski scored his first Premier League goal of the season
Burnley ended a winless run of 20 matches at Old Trafford with victory in this fixture last season and arrived in Manchester looking to become only the second Premier League side to go unbeaten in five away games there, after Chelsea’s run of six between 1994 and 1998.
Dyche’s side stifled the hosts in the first half and posed their own threat with Wood, having already had a goal disallowed, heading Matt Lowton’s smart delivery wide and then almost turning a dropping ball in at the far post.
The visitors produced a superb response to going behind when Tarkowski met Ashley Westwood’s corner to head past Henderson as Manchester United conceded their 1,000th goal in the Premier League era.
But two late goals mean the Clarets have now picked up just one win in their last nine top-flight games and have lost three in a row, dragging them towards the bottom three.
Fulham’s draw at Arsenal means the gap between Burnley and a relegation spot is six points and Dyche will hope that has not narrowed further by the time his side visit Craven Cottage next month.
Thibaut Courtois made a number of important saves as a depleted Real Madrid held off a spirited Getafe to earn a point that keeps them in touch with La Liga leaders Atletico.
Zinedine Zidane was without several players through injury, suspension or in isolation because of Covid-19.
Courtois’ first big save came early on when he kept out Mathias Olivera’s effort from close range.
The Belgian also tipped over Nemanja Maksimovic’s deflected effort late on.
Vinicius Junior brought a save out of David Soria just before half-time but Real rarely looked like snatching victory.
The draw means Real, who beat Barcelona last weekend and knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League in midweek, are three points behind leaders Atletico and two ahead of Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
Manchester City’s bid for a historic quadruple was ended by Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final – with pundits highlighting Pep Guardiola’s team selection as a factor.
Games are coming thick and fast for City, as they play in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup final and the Champions League over the next 11 days.
And that hectic schedule may have played a part in Guardiola’s decision to make eight changes for the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley – with Hakim Ziyech giving Thomas Tuchel’s side a 1-0 win.
“There were so many changes that had a negative impact on City,” ex-Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The front three just didn’t function at all. I can’t believe Guardiola didn’t start his best team today.”
But how much was the outcome down to Guardiola’s selections, and how much down to Tuchel’s tactics?
Phil Foden started on the bench for Manchester City
Just three days before facing Chelsea, Manchester City beat Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time under Guardiola.
For large parts of Saturday’s semi-final, though, a much-changed City struggled to build any rhythm.
“Eight [changes] is a little bit much,” former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said on BBC One.
“City had no spark. Because of the Champions League, they looked a bit leggy. I have to give credit to Chelsea. They made them only have little chances.”
Former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon believes Guardiola may come to regret his approach for this game.
“When Guardiola looks back at this, he’ll think his team missed an opportunity,” said Dixon.
“If City have two or three trophies at the end of the season it’ll be fine, but they’ll be disappointed about this for a while.”
Barcelona scored four goals in 12 minutes – including a brilliant strike from Lionel Messi – to thrash Athletic Bilbao and win the Copa del Rey.
Barca were frustrated until the 60th minute when Antoine Griezmann turned in Frenkie de Jong’s cross before De Jong headed in himself three minutes later.
Messi then drove from his own half, exchanged twice with De Jong and found the bottom corner for Barca’s third.
Messi added his second four minutes later, sweeping in Jordi Alba’s cross.
Victory gives Barca their first trophy under manager Ronald Koeman and their first silverware since 2019.
“To win a title is important for me,” said Koeman, whose side are third in La Liga – two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
“Despite the changes at the club and the young players, at Barca you have to always fight for trophies.
“We have the first one and now we are going to fight to the last game in La Liga.”
For Athletic is was a second Copa del Rey final defeat in two weeks after they lost to Real Sociedad in the delayed 2020 final on 3 April.
Messi stars on good night for Barcelona
Lionel Messi clinched his seventh Copa del Rey trophy
This has been a strange season for Barcelona which began with Messi saying he wanted to leave the club and has since seen a team in transition both impress and underwhelm.
In Seville, however, they were by far the better team and would have scored earlier but for two excellent saves from Unai Simon.
As ever, Messi was at the forefront of their attacking play and he capped the win with two trademark goals.
His first included the dribbling, vision and finishing we have come to expect throughout his stellar career and the second was a first-time, left-footed strike into the bottom corner also seen so often.
The question now – one posed to his team-mates at full-time – is whether this trophy, Messi’s seventh triumph in the competition, is enough to convince the Argentine to stay.
It boosts Koeman’s chances of remaining into the second year of his contract, whether or not his side succeed in their title race with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Manchester City are through to the semi-finals of the Champions League for only the second time after sealing victory over Borussia Dortmund in the last eight courtesy of comeback win in Germany.
Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, City found themselves needing to chase the tie when 17-year-old England international Jude Bellingham curled in a superb shot from the edge of the box.
Stung by the concession, the visitors threw everything they could muster at the German side, with Kevin de Bruyne smashing an effort off the bar before Riyad Mahrez saw a shot blocked on the line by the brilliant Bellingham.
The crucial breakthrough for City came early in the second half as Emre Can was penalised for handling in the box and Mahrez stepped up to fire his side ahead again in the tie.
Phil Foden sealed it, adding to the late goal he scored at the Etihad to give his side their first-leg lead with a fierce drive that found the Dortmund goal via the post.
It is the first time City have reached the semis under current boss Pep Guardiola, who twice won the competition during his time as manager of Barcelona.
Their previous appearance in the last four came in 2015-16, when they were knocked out by Real Madrid in Manuel Pellegrini’s final season in charge.
The defeat likely ends Dortmund’s hopes of playing in next season’s Champions League, with them fifth in the Bundesliga, seven points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool’s all-conquering season that brought them the club’s first league title in 30 years seemed an age away as they were eliminated by Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final at a deserted Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s side, who carried all before them in the league last season, are now left with only the Premier League’s top four – and a place in Europe’s elite competition next term – to aim for if they are to salvage something from this fragmented, disappointing, injury-hit campaign.
As Zinedine Zidane’s players celebrated a professional job that saw them set up a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, Klopp was left to ponder Liverpool’s fall from grace in the past 12 months.
He will no doubt face calls from frustrated Reds fans to revamp a squad that has served him and the club magnificently in recent seasons – indeed the social media jury was already delivering that knee-jerk verdict moments after elimination.
The manager, quite rightly, will guard against over-reaction. Liverpool have achieved too much and have too many high-class players for that – but that does not mean he does not have serious questions to consider.
So does this Liverpool squad really need a major overhaul, or just minor renewal?
A team as good as Liverpool have been seems an unlikely candidate for an extensive rebuild – but fresh faces can create momentum, renewal and a new mood, and this group has been together a long time.
When Liverpool and Real met in the Champions League final in Kyiv in 2018, Klopp’s line-up included seven of those who started at Anfield on Wednesday.
Liverpool are winless in their past five games against Real Madrid in the Champions League
And in those intervening three years Liverpool have continued to lean heavily on those seven starters from Kyiv on all fronts.
They have been carrying a very heavy workload for a long time and while the likes of Diogo Jota, who has been excellent, and Thiago Alcantara, who has not, have lightened the load in phases this season, Liverpool’s squad and best starting line-up still has a very familiar look to it. It is inevitable it has taken its toll.
Injuries have been the backdrop to all of Liverpool’s efforts this season and their inspirational leader – and one of the world’s finest central defenders – Virgil van Dijk is expected to be fit for the start of next season after the serious knee injury that has kept him out since September.
Joe Gomez, another fine talent, should also be back after a similar injury but there is no question a central defensive reinforcement is required. It remains to be seen whether it will be Ozan Kabak, currently on loan from Schalke, or RB Leipzig’s outstanding 24-year-old Ibrahima Konate. Nat Phillips has been excellent but Klopp needs more strength and quality.
Klopp has plenty of resources in midfield but Georginio Wijnaldum’s reluctance to sign a new contract points towards his departure while Jordan Henderson, still a huge influence at 30, has been sorely missed in his injury absences.
Thiago was meant to be a tempo-dictating game-changer after arriving from last season’s Champions League winners Bayern Munich but he has struggled, and it was significant that he did not start in either leg of this quarter-final when these looked like the sort of games he had been signed to play in.
Liverpool are relaxed about any speculation on Mohamed Salah’s future. The Egyptian is 29 in June but is still of such world class that he would command a huge fee. It would be a major shock if any situation developed where he left Anfield this summer.
The complications may arise if Liverpool fail to reach next season’s Champions League, a real possibility as they currently stand sixth, three points behind surprise package West Ham in fourth.
The idea of dropping into Europe’s lesser competitions may exercise the minds of the likes of Salah.
Jota has been a major success since his £45m summer arrival from Wolves and Liverpool will look to him to offer competition, respite and support for their main three forwards next season – although Roberto Firmino’s indifferent form means he may face a real fight for his place from the Portuguese.
But even if Liverpool do not finish in the Champions League places this is a time for measured judgements and careful recruitment, rather than for tearing down the monument to success that has brought Klopp and his players the European and domestic glory in the two preceding seasons.
As Mauricio Pochettino celebrated with his Paris St-Germain players after their Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, his opposite number Hansi Flick cut a frustrated figure.
A result that feels like a launchpad for one manager’s tenure has all the hallmarks of an ending for the other.
Just three months on from taking the PSG job, Pochettino – whose side have faltered in Ligue 1 – is making his mark on the European stage, with Tuesday’s end result an especially sweet one against the side that beat the French club in last season’s final.
In contrast, the final in Lisbon eight months ago now feels like the peak for Flick’s Bayern, with their exit from this season’s competition and disagreements between club hierarchy and coach likely to spell the end for the 56-year-old.
BBC Sport takes in the reaction to Tuesday’s game and looks at the ramifications of a big result for two huge clubs.
Neymar hit both the bar and the post in the second leg against Bayern
“It was a really tough match and I’m really happy because the players deserve the credit and we’re so happy for them, the club and the president,” Pochettino told BT Sport after the away-goals win, speaking to a harmony that now exists at PSG.
The club’s progress over the past two years is there for all to see.
Having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League only once in 11 previous campaigns, they have now made the last four twice in succession.
“To suffer a broken finger in the very first game is just devastating.”
England’s next fixture is the first Test against New Zealand starting on 2 June.
The IPL runs until 30 May with the possibility of England players missing the New Zealand Test if their side qualifies for the latter stages.
England bowler Jofra Archer, another Royals player, has missed the start of the tournament because of an elbow injury and returned to training on Monday in a bid to prove his fitness.
The Royals say Stokes will remain in India to support the rest of squad and they will review replacement options.
Monday’s defeat was their first game of this year’s IPL with Stokes bowling one over for 12 before being dismissed for a three-ball duck.
After the two-Test New Zealand series, England’s year also includes a home Test series against India, a Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes in Australia in the winter.
Saturday night’s bruising Clásico may have set the scene for Real Madrid’s second leg of the Champions League quarter-final in Liverpool, but it didn’t help with the injury situation.
As we all know now, Lucas Vázquez’s injury turned out to be a tear of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the left knee, sustained in a heavy challenge which is typical of the injury mechanisms for knee injuries of this nature.
There will no doubt be ongoing discussions over the next few days regarding the forward management of Lucas’ injury, since PCL surgery can be complicated and the club will want to ensure the correct pathway is followed.
The reason for mentioning this is that not all PCL injuries go down the surgical route. The tricky nature of the operation often means that many surgeons will go for the physiotherapy and rehabilitation option instead, and although this can turn out to be the correct decision, the choice of which pathway to follow needs careful consideration.
It’s important to get this right at the assessment stage, and although the option to operate is one that can always be taken up at a later date, any delay in going to surgery will invariably affect the outcome in terms of returning to play.
Such is the importance of making the correct decision, it might even be later in the week before that decision is taken.
With the game not being played until Wednesday, Zinedine Zidane will at least have an extra day to assess the injury situation in general. Real’s players went through a rest and recovery session on Sunday morning and trained on Monday behind closed doors with several players still feeling the effects of Saturday’s game.
Fede Valverde was replaced by Marco Asensio after an hour against Barça and was also clearly struggling at time up. Having only returned to full training 48 hours before the first leg against Liverpool he did well to compete for that hour against Barça.
Being replaced by Marco Asensio on Saturday night was a reversal of the roles against Liverpool when Fede made his entry from the bench, and it just shows how incredibly difficult coming back from injury can be.
Being able to ease himself back into playing mode with some game time in the last week will have helped, but Fede will likely be only one of several players Zidane et al will have been assessing in the past 48 hours.
He didn’t take part in Real’s training on Monday morning and will continue to have treatment over the next 24 hours.
Although none of Zidane’s triple substitutions appeared to have been made for injury reasons, it will probably be late in the day before there is some clarity over who is likely to be fit for Anfield and who isn’t.
Taking into account the weather conditions in Madrid on Saturday night, the Barça game was always going to be a test of players’ fitness. Every time there was a stoppage the players could be seen desperately trying to keep warm until play resumed. All this takes its toll on the players and of course, there will be no let-up.
Zidane’s rotation system is currently being tested to its limit and now that Lucas Vázquez has joined Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal on the sidelines it’s just another challenge for Zidane and his staff to address.
As everyone knows, Real are unlikely to be given a warm welcome on Wednesday night as a result of the fall-out from the final in Kyiv three years ago, but it was extremely disappointing to see Jürgen Klopp fan the flames before the first leg with his comments about the Alfredo de Stéfano.
Zidane refused to be drawn and in doing so treated the criticism of the de Stéfano with the contempt he felt it deserved, but others were not so diplomatic.
Real’s former Sporting Director Jorge Valdano didn’t waste any time in taking the bait with his response about the current stadium developments at the Bernabéu and was less than flattering about Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium in response.
Even Barça coach Ronald Koeman admirably came out in support of Real’s current use of the Castilla stadium, a facility many clubs in La Liga (and elsewhere) would be glad to be able to avail themselves of.
The fact that Koeman felt strongly enough about Klopp’s comment to respond as he did speaks volumes about the standard of Real’s facilities. It seems to be just another example of the post-Kyiv reaction that has been simmering since the draw was made.
Injuries apart, Real need to rise above all of this and focus on getting a result at Anfield
UEFA have appointed Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers as the referee in charge of Wednesday’s clash between Liverpool and Real Madrid in the return leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals.
Per Realmadrid.com Björn Kuipers will referee the Liverpool-Real Madrid match at Anfield, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals (Wednesday, 9pm CEST). The Dutchman will referee our team for the eighth time in this competition. The last game was this season’s group stage matchday six encounter against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Alfredo Di Stéfano, which Real Madrid won 2-0.
The first Real Madrid game he refereed was in 2011/12, in the first leg of the round of 16 against CSKA in Moscow (1-1). In 2012/2013 he refereed the first leg of the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park (4-1) and in the 2013/14 season he was in charge of the La Décima final against Atlético de Madrid (4-1).
In 2017/18 he oversaw Real Madrid’s win in matchday two of the Group Stage against Borussia Dortmund (1-3) and the first leg of the semi-finals in Munich against Bayern (1-2). The following season he refereed Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Roma at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first match of the Champions League group stage.
This return leg will be a very intense match between both sides, so having an experienced referee like Kuipers will help both sides.
Real Madrid have a 3-1 lead on aggregate, so Liverpool will need to win at least 2-0 in order to advance to the Semifinals. Los Blancos will be without Lucas Vazquez, who was set to start as the right-back but suffered and injury in El Clasico.
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