Europa League

BRIGHTON played out their wildest dreams in the city of sin – taking a huge stride towards knockout European football on one of the club’s greatest nights.Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra scored either side of half-time to seal back-to-back wins over Euro greats Ajax – something no Seagulls fan could have dreamt up just a year ago, regardless of what they had been smoking.
Brighton played out their wildest dreams in HollandCredit: Rex
Brighton had started to find their feet in Europe after three games, triumphing over the Dutch giants at The Amex last time out.
The four time European Cup winners have improved since, with a new manager and two wins in the Eredivisie lifting them away from the bottom of the table.
But other than a little more possession and a couple of pot shots from range, there was no huge sign of improvement in the opening stages.
De Zerbi’s side suffered slow starts against AEK Athens and especially in Marseille. But here in their second ever overseas trip in the competition, the Seagulls got off to a flier thanks to some quick thinking by Adingra.
Adingra, who is getting plenty of chances following Solly March’s injury, pounced on a loose ball from Silvano Vos before quickly playing in Barcelona loanee Fati.
The nimble Spaniard raced in behind the red and white back line before finding the bottom left with a cute finish.
With back-to-back goals in Europe for the Seagulls, Fati is starting to sparkle and took to one of Europe’s most storied stages with ease.
There were tricks and flicks on the halfway line before he returned the favour for Adingra.

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Fati drove forward from the centre circle, gifted space by the retreating Ajax defence, and slipped in the Ivorian winger to his right.
Adingra set himself with a touch and lifted a fine finish into the far corner for his first goal in European football.
Fati departed with a goal and an assist from an hour’s work as Brighton began rotating and resting, just to make this evening all the more surreal for their travelling fans.
Ajax are the only side to face the Seagulls this season and not score, though Brian Brobbey came closest in an improved second half – almost finding a way back when his strike hit the inside of the post but rolled across the line before being put behind.
Bart Verbruggen had to be sharp to stop from Chuba Akpom and protect a rare clean sheet.
Brighton’s brilliant night was not without concern.

Ansu Fati opened the scoringCredit: Alamy
Fati and Simon Adingra celebrate the openerCredit: Getty
Pervis Estupinan returned from injury as a second half sub only to have to be hooked again shortly after.
Both James Milner and captain Lewis Dunk were also lost in the first half.
Dunk, who was named in the England squad on Thursday, suffered a groin injury after Milner had hobbled off after just eight minutes.
With the Seagulls struggling to cope with the extra burden of Europa League football back home, they are five without a win in the Premier League, more walking wounded is the last thing they need.
But that was a problem for the morning, the Brighton fans in Amsterdam had some serious celebrating to do – this was a night to toast and the perfect city to do it in.

Simon Adingra doubled Brighton’s leadCredit: Rex
Adingra put the game to bedCredit: Rex More

RANGERS held on to pick up three crucial points in their Europa League Group C clash against Sparta Prague.Danilo and Todd Cantwell’s first-half goals were enough to maintain the Gers’ European hopes.

RESULT: Rangers 2-1 Sparta Prague
TV channel/live stream: TNT Sports 3/discovery+

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UPON their arrival in East London, the travelling Olympiacos fans were given the starkest of warnings to behave themselves.In a club statement before kick-off, the Greeks produced an astonishing list of banned items deemed inappropriate for the London Stadium, including ammunition, pets and machetes.
Lucas Paqueta’s volley separated the sidesCredit: Getty
And after a lengthy VAR check, he was able to celebrate with Said BenrahmaCredit: EPA
Ward Prowse’s chip provided a great assist for PaquetaCredit: Rex
Thankfully, that list did not contain West Ham’s Brazilian maestro Lucas Paqueta, who lit up this otherwise dull affair with a beautiful 73rd minute match-deciding volley.
It was initially given as offside, but VAR came to the rescue to show Paqueta was kept on from James Ward-Prowse’s clever dink thanks to Francisco Ortega’s lazy positioning.
Having lost their record-breaking 17-match unbeaten run in Europe with defeat out in Athens last month, this crucial result ensures the Hammers are in pole position to top their Europa League group with two games remaining. Victory away at Serbia’s Backa Topola after the international break could clinch it.
Moyes left his skipper Kurt Zouma at home, the French defender still nursing a troublesome knee injury with Sunday’s clash against Nottingham Forest in mind. Konstantinos Mavropanos was drafted in again to face his compatriots.
Jarrod Bowen led the line, and not for the first time this campaign, with Michail Antonio left on the bench, a sign perhaps that the Jamaican is falling out of favour.
You can hardly blame Moyes, who right now is enjoying watching a free-flowing and exciting attacking trio of Bowen, Paqueta and Mohamed Kudus strut their stuff.
That threesome helped create the first big chance as the hosts began with plenty of zip and aggression. Said Benrahma’s curling effort was tipped wide by Alexandros Paschalakis.
From the resulting Ward-Prowse corner, the Olympiacos keeper was forced into another save as Nayef Aguerd connected with a header six yards out.

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But frustration crept in. West Ham have proven already this season they struggle to create when they have more of the ball, and so it was playing out that way.
Edson Alvarez, only just back from suspension, picked up another booking for a mistimed lunge, while Kudus also saw yellow for a petulant rant at the officials.
The only consolation for Moyes’ Irons was that Olympiacos looked pretty toothless on the counter. Wolves loanee Daniel Podence shanked their best opening just inside the box.
West Ham huffed and puffed, and it was much of the same after the break. Olympiacos were sent out to eradicate any rhythm this game had to offer with timewasting, and were succeeding.
That was until Ward-Prowse and Paqueta combined with devastating effect, although the latter’s eventual celebration in front of the seething away end was perhaps unwise.
Nerves were jangling in the final seconds as Olympiacos defender Mady Camara struck the post, but the Irons hung on with all their might. More

ANOTHER day, another completely bonkers game.The week which keeps on giving once again once produced a completely crazy game, just like the previous ones between Spurs and Chelsea along with Manchester United’s loss at Copenhagen.
Jarell Quansah was denied his special momentCredit: Reuters
Alexis Mac Allister was adjudged to have handled the ball in the build-up to the goalCredit: TNT Sports

It may only have been the Europa League but do not tell that to anyone inside this stadium who could not believe what they were seeing.
Unbelievably, Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah thought he had scored a 97th-minute equaliser after Diogo Jota made it 3-2 in the 89th minute.
While there was mayhem on the touch with players arguing with each other, Bulgarian ref Georgi Kabakov – having pointed to the centre circle for a goal – was called over to the screen after VAR spotted that the ball bounced up off Alexis Mac Allister’s chest and on to his sleeve.
After a long check, Kabakov ruled the goal out so Liverpool were denied a remarkable recovery.
Thousands of Liverpool fans have booked their accommodation for the Europa League final in Dublin next May and there is no room for panic. Certainly not yet.
But here was a reminder that even though Jurgen Klopp’s men will surely still qualify for the knockout stages, the route to Ireland on May 22 will not necessarily be that straightforward – even against teams as seemingly poor as Toulouse.
Yet with just two wins in their previous 13 games, the Ligue 1 strugglers were deserved winners over Jurgen Klopp’s mix-and-match team in what was another bonkers game in this crazy week of football.
A first-half strike from Norwegian winger Aron Donnum and a cracking second-half goal from Thijs Dallinga put Toulouse in control.
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Even when Liverpool pulled one back through an own goal from Cristian Casseres, Toulouse restored their two-goal lead through sub Frank Magri with Klopp’s defence all over the place.
Jota scored to set up a tense finish although no one could have expected another huge twist right at the end.
Luis Diaz was celebrating the news that just hours before kick-off, his father had been released by kidnappers in Colombia.
Having scored a leveller in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Luton, Diaz started here in southern France but lost possession for the second goal, not that it will bother him considering what he has been through.
Mac Allister pleaded his innocence to the refereeCredit: Reuters
Aron Donnum celebrated his goal in styleCredit: EPA

Ultimately, this was a night Klopp will rather forget knowing a win at home to LASK in three weeks will be enough to get them through.
For much of the first half, Liverpool were in control against a Toulouse team who were desperately poor.
Yet they capitalised on a really poor effort from Konstantinos Tsimikas which merely illustrated why the injured Andy Robertson cannot return soon enough.
Tsimkas was caught dithering and he was dispossessed by Donnum who charged into the Liverpool area and saw his shot deflect off Quansah and over Caoimhin Kelleher.
Klopp made three changes at half-time, including the introduction of Mo Salah, and the German boss was clearly unimpressed with Tsimikas who was replaced with Trent Alexander-Arnold coming into the defence and Gomez moving across to left-back.
Liverpool lost their perfect Europa League record in dramatic fashionCredit: EPA
Cristian Casseres scored an unfortunate own goalCredit: Reuters
Diogo Jota pulled one back on 88 minutesCredit: Rex
Not even Mo Salah could rescue the Reds in FranceCredit: Reuters
Yet Liverpool actually got worse in the second half. Toulouse striker Dallinga thought he had scored a second but was penalised for a shove on Joel Matip.
He celebrated wildly, not releasing the referee had blown for a free-kick yet the Dutch striker did not have to wait too long before scoring one for real as he smashed a shot via the far post after Diaz lost the ball.
Niklas Schmidt thought he had made it 3-0 but the goal was ruled out for offside and then Liverpool pulled one back when Gomez’s header was turned into the net by the arm of midfielder Casseres.
Toulouse moved into a 3-1 lead Kelleher spilled a cross into the path of Magri who had only been on the pitch for six minutes.
Yet in the 89th minute, Diogo Jota scored the best goal of the night, tearing past three players before finishing from inside the area.
When the ref signalled seven minutes of injury-time, the locals feared the worst and when Quansah scored they feared the worst – before VAR struck.
Here’s how the action unfolded… More