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      Atletico Madrid 0 Man City 0 LIVE REACTION: Pep’s side hold off fiery Atleti side to reach Champions League semis

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      MANCHESTER CITY beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 on aggregate in the Champions League to reach the semi-finals of the competition. Kevin de Bruyne’s goal in the first leg was enough for victory, as Guardiola’s side survived a late onslaught from the Spaniards tonight at the Wanda Metropolitano.
      Felipe was sent off late on for a kick on Phil Foden, which sparked scenes of outrage from players of both sides.

      RESULT: Atletico 0-0 Man City (0-1 on agg)
      Atletico XI: Oblak, Llorente, Savic, Felipe, Renildo, Lodi, Kondogbia, Koke, Lemar, Joao Felix, Greizmann
      Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, Gundogan, Bernardo, Mahrez, De Bruyne, Foden

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
      That’s all from the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium
      Man City edge past a tough Atletico Madrid side with a 1-0 win on aggregate to progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
      Guardiola’s side showed great composure to get through the fixture whilst retaining a narrow lead.
      Focus is now on the next round, where they will take on Real Madrid.
      Thank you for reading, and goodnight!
      Player reactions

      Semi-Finals Confirmed
      The semi-finals of this year’s Champion’s League have been confirmed!
      Man City will take on Real Madrid.
      Liverpool will face Villarreal.

      Cityzen
      Pep Guardiola has now reached his ninth Champions League semi-final.
      He has reached this stage more times than any other manager.

      Pep Guardiola reacts
      When speaking to BT Sport, Guardiola said:
      “It is the champion of Spain and they played with energy and in second half were better than us and we were lucky we didn’t concede.
      “In the first half we had chances, overall we are in the semi-finals – it is well deserved.
      “The opponent is so tough, all the teams in Champions League come here and suffer so it is important we go through.”
      “We are in big trouble, so we can’t forget we played three days ago, travelled, come here, have a lot of injuries now and I don’t know what will happen in the next weeks but today we celebrate because it is the third time in Manchester City’s history we are in the Champions League semi-finals.
      “We cannot play all the time and score four or five goals, we are human beings – we come from a difficult game against Liverpool.”
      When asked whether Atletico went to far, Guardiola responded with: “Nothing to say”.
      Credit: Getty
      City’s injury concerns
      Kevin De Bruyne looks like he could have picked up an injury during the game.
      He was seen with an ice pack on his leg as he watched on from the bench.
      Meanwhile, Kyle Walker was forced off with an ankle injury after a 50/50 challenge.
      Credit: BT Sport
      Credit: PA
      John Stones reacts
      When speaking to BT Sport, Stones said:
      “We know that they sometimes try and make things happen like that and we dealt with it really well.
      “It is not nice to talk about and I don’t want to dwell on it because over the two legs we played incredible against such an experienced side in what they do.
      “We kept our tempers and it is easy to get drawn into stuff like that.
      “We knew it was not an easy place to come, it is a hostile environment, it was a difficult night all round and how we defended and controlled ourselves over the two legs was incredible.
      “Phil (Foden) was such a threat in both games, instant impact in the first and how he drove us up the pitch tonight, gained yards and free kicks – I think he is feeling it now.”
      Credit: Getty
      Full Time – Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Stefan Savic was only shown a yellow card for his actions late in the game…

      Credit: PA
      Credit: AFP
      Full Time – Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Atletico Madrid performed well throughout the game and significantly improved from the first leg.
      But that has now been tarnished by the unacceptable behaviour that was displayed in the final stages.
      Credit: PA
      Full Time – Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Man City and should be incredibly proud of that performance.
      Atletico applied pressure throughout, but the Cityzens did a fantastic job in absorbing it.
      They also had to deal with the behaviour of Atletico Madrid, which was poor to say the least.
      Pep Guardiola will be very happy with the way his team have conducted themselves.
      Full Time – Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Another brawl has broken out, but this time in the tunnel.
      Grealish has walked back to the dressing rooms, but he was chased by Savic.
      A group of policemen have now run down the tunnel.
      Full Time – Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Wow.
      What an end to a fantastic game!
      But Man City have done it! They are through to the semi-finals!
      Credit: Reuters
      90+10. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Simeone is now on the pitch.
      He is booked.
      This game is out of control.
      90+8. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Ederson makes a fantastic save to clear the danger!
      The atmosphere is electric in the Wanda Matropolitano as the home fans rally around their team.
      90+7. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Cancelo is booked for a challenge on Carrasco.
      Atletico have a free kick in a very dangerous area.
      90+6. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Oblak makes a fantastic save to prevent Gundogan from extending the lead.
      90+1. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      A crazy end to the game!
      Fernandinho is brought down by a poor challenge.
      And nine minutes have been added on.
      90. RED CARD
      Felipe is shown a second yellow for his challenge on Foden.
      Credit: EPA
      89. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      A huge brawl has broken out on the pitch!
      Foden is brought down by a dangerous challenge from Felipe and rolls off the pitch.
      Savic then storms over to the Englishman and DRAGS him back on by the shirt.
      City players storm over to the scene and are inevitably followed by the entire Atletico squad.
      Savic pulls Grealish’s hair…
      I’m pretty sure he head butted someone as well.
      …But only receives a yellow…
      Late drama!
      Credit: Getty
      Credit: Getty
      Credit: EPA
      87. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      What a block from Stones!
      The defender gets in the way of a close range shot from Cunha to keep City in the lead!
      85. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Rodri is booked for a high challenge.
      Meanwhile, Atletico players are appealing for a hand ball after Sterling was brought down on the edge of the box.
      82. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Atletico Madrid make two more changes, and they are significant ones.
      Suarez is on – he has replaced Lemar.
      Cunha has also come on to replace Felix.
      Atletico have eight minutes to level the score…
      81. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Llorente is booked for a late challenge on Fernandinho.
      This game has really opened up now.
      79. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Correa drives into the box before getting a shot away, but his effort is blocked… by De Paul!
      Atletico Madrid are throwing everything at the Cityzens right now.
      78. Atletico Madrid 0-0 Man City (0-1)
      Man City make another change.
      Fernandinho comes on to replace Silva.
      Load more entries… More

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      Liverpool 3 Benfica 3 LIVE REACTION: Reds through to Champions League semi-final despite late fight-back from visitors

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      LIVERPOOL reached the Champions League semi-finals after drawing their last eight second leg 3-3 at Anfield. The Reds beat Benfica 3-1 out in Portugal last week and put the final nail in the coffin tonight, despite a late fight-back from the Portuguese side.

      RESULT: Liverpool 3-3 Benfica (6-4 on agg)
      Liverpool XI: Alisson, Gomez, Matip, Konate, Tsimikas, Milner, Henderson, Keita, Diaz, Jota, Firmino
      Benfica XI: Vlachodimos, Otamendi, Gilberto, Vertonghen, Grimaldo, Goncalves, Taarabt, Weigl, Everton, Ramos, Nunez

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
      Quadruple still on for Reds
      Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are still on for an unprecedented quadruple.
      They take on Man City in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Saturday.
      Champions League can be put on the back burner while they focus their attentions elsewhere.
      Chance to write history……again
      Liverpool will take on Unai Emery’s Villarreal in the Champions League semi-finals this season.
      The winners will face Man City or Real Madrid in the final.
      Last time Liverpool made the final they faced English opponents, we may be relishing another all English showdown this year.

      Romantic evening in Paris
      Liverpool fans can start dreaming of the final at Stade de France now they are only one step away.
      The Reds have previously won the tournament in Paris.
      In 1981 they met Real Madrid and beat the Spaniards 1-0.
      Could history repeat itself?

      Top of the Klopps
      Jurgen Klopp takes his Liverpool team to their third Champions League semi-final as manager.
      With Villarreal waiting, the German has a big chance of taking his talented Liverpool side to yet another final.
      Able to rest players for the second leg tonight, it is very much job done by his side at Anfield.
      FT: Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      The referee blows the final whistle.
      Benfica have given Klopp’s team a shock this evening.
      They are through to the semi-finals however!!
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica – Nunez goal disallowed
      90+5. Darwin Nunez completes his hat trick.
      Sadly for him two of them are disallowed for offside.
      Much to the relief of the home fans.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica – Salah chance!
      90+3. It looked as though Liverpool may get the goal to win this leg.
      The ball comes to Salah, he drops the shoulder to get onto his left.
      As soon as he has created the space, he tries to curl it into the top corner but the ball is just too high.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      90+1. Origi comes on for Firmino.
      Benfica making some changes as well, not giving up the ghost.
      Liverpool running the clock down now.

      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      90. Sadio Mane scores for Liverpool but the flag goes up immediately.
      The replay shows he is off by a country mile.
      We are going to have four additional minutes here.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      89. The noise from the home fans has dwindled.
      Those Benfica goals have silenced them.
      Surely too little too late for the visitors.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      87. Benfica are still trying to press and get another goal.
      When the attack breaks down Liverpool have numbers on the counter-attack.
      The Reds seem happy to pass this around and manage the game to the final whistle.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica
      85. Well we have seen some goals here tonight.
      With five minutes and any added time, this is possible still.
      Another Benfica goal makes for a nervy finish for Liverpool.
      Liverpool 3-3 Benfica – Nunez chance!
      83. It was a great finish by Nunez for the goal.
      This has lifted his confidence.
      He has another shot on the half volley than Alisson has to get down to his right to save at full stretch.

      Goal – Darwin Nunez (Benfica)
      Liverpool 3-2 Benfica
      81. Thiago has been his usual self since coming on.
      No look passes, pulling the strings to get Liverpool going.
      Nunez has scored but the flag is up for offside.
      Liverpool 3-2 Benfica
      79. Chance for Firmino for the hat trick.
      The ball is played into Salah who flicks it into the path of Firmino.
      As he looks to strike at goal the defender manages to get a block in.
      Liverpool 3-2 Benfica
      77. Benfica have given a good account of themselves today.
      Liverpool opened them up way too easily for both second half goals but not many teams score two goals at Anfield.
      Their fans are still enjoying their trip to England as they sing like they are going through to face Villarreal.
      Liverpool 3-2 Benfica
      75. Liverpool may be concerned with the goals they have conceded.
      Then again with both full backs rested along with Virgil Van Dijk you could argue this is not their first team defence.
      Corner to be taken by Tsimikas.

      Liverpool 3-2 Benfica
      73. The replay shows Joe Gomez played Yaremchuk onside there.
      Cue the Benfica fans.
      They still need another three goals.
      Goal – Yaremchuk (Benfica)
      Liverpool 3-1 Benfica
      71. Nunez is still chasing the ball with some gusto after that clash with the boards earlier.
      Yaremchuk beats the Liverpool line seemingly, rounds Alisson and puts the ball in the net.
      VAR checking this one.
      Liverpool 3-1 Benfica
      69. The visitors seem to have lost their tempo now.
      The Liverpool goals have knocked the stuffing out of them.
      No way back for Benfica now surely with twenty minutes remaining.
      Liverpool 3-1 Benfica
      67. Liverpool are running rampant now.
      Tsimikas gets a deep cross in towards Salah.
      He knocks it down to Keita who shoots just wide.
      Liverpool 3-1 Benfica
      65. Diaz is given a standing ovation as he is replaced by Mane.
      Joao Mario comes on for Adel Taarabt.
      The Moroccan has been non-existent today.

      Goal – Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
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      in Soccer

      Chelsea takeover LIVE: Pagliuca announces NBA chairman as bidding partner, Lukaku PSG transfer latest

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      CHELSEA bidder Stephen Pagliuca has announced NBA chairman Larry Tanenbaum as co-managing partner in his bid.Also on his team are ex-Disney CEO Bob Iger & journalist Willow Bay, Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin & businesswoman Elaine Saverin; B Capital co-founder Raj Ganguly.
      It’s been reported that the Government are willing to speed through the process with all final offers to be made by TOMORROW.
      On the transfer front, Romelu Lukaku is being linked with a move to PSG and Juventus have named their price for ex-Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.
      JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
      Keep up to date with all of the latest updates from the takeover in our live blog…
      Man Utd, Real Madrid, PSG & Barca eye Rudiger
      Transfer interest in Antonio Rudiger is set to ramp up this week after Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League.
      Rudiger, 29, scored in the second leg against Real Madrid but Chelsea let their 3-0 lead slip and exited the competition.

      Now the Spanish giants could rub salt in the wounds by making an approach for Rudiger in the coming days.
      The centre-back is out of contract in the summer and there has been a lot of talk about his future with Chelsea desperate to keep hold of him.
      Several foreign clubs are keen on Rudiger and are ready to make a move now Chelsea are out of Europe. According to reports, Rudiger was not prepared to decide his future while the Blues remained in the Champions League.
      Barcelona have previously held talks with the German’s representatives about a possible move.
      Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are also said to be interested in Rudiger and might believe now is the right time to make a move.
      Meanwhile, Manchester United have been monitoring Rudiger’s situation but first the club will likely need to sort out their managerial situation.
      Erik ten Hag has reportedly verbally agreed to join the Red Devils on a four-year deal.
      ‘Our Mount and Loftus-Cheek tactics worked’
      Chelsea’s star defender Antonio Rudiger revealed the special tactics that so nearly pulled off a mighty Champions League comeback triumph against Real Madrid.
      The Blues surged into a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu before Real lethally struck twice from their limited chances for a 5-4 aggregate win in an outstanding quarter-final.
      And Rudiger enjoyed how Chelsea profited for so long from Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek getting in behind Real’s anchorman midfielder Casemiro.
      The German told the Blues’ website: “That was the game plan, to find our No10s Ruben and Mason, behind Casemiro always to find the space.
      “Mason found it, he got the goal and we controlled it. We didn’t panic or anything like this.
      “I think we did it quite well and in the second half we scored goals and did everything we could.
      ‘I think we found space between the defence and Casemiro. That was the plan and we got in those positions and Timo Werner, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz were very dangerous.”
      But Rudiger added: “The Champions League is difficult because you play against the best in Europe and if you make little mistakes they punish you.
      “Over the two legs we did too many mistakes, too many individual errors, that made them go through, and of course their quality with Modric and Benzema.
      ‘There are regrets, especially the first game, because we didn’t have the energy like in Madrid. Obviously over the two legs we made too many mistakes and at this high level of football you get punished.”
      Rudiger: We dominated and outplayed Real
      Antonio Rudiger believes Chelsea ‘dominated and outplayed’ Real Madrid despite their agonising champions league exit.
      The holders overturned their 3-1 first-leg deficit to lead 3-0 at the Bernabeu – before Real netted twice to win 5-4 on aggregate.

      The Blues’ second scorer, Rudiger, who was brilliant in central defence, told Chelsea’s website: “The positive is we didn’t give up.
      “Not many teams can come here and dominate them as we did. But the big ‘but’ is, over the two legs, we made these type of mistakes. Against Real Madrid you get punished.
      “We were close. I think we dominated them and we outplayed them, we outran them, but at the end of the day it’s little details that we missed.
      “We scored three goals, I think not many can come here and do that. For me we outplayed them, we outran them and we did a fantastic match, but if you look at both games we need to win these.”
      Wenger wants some throws replaced by kick-ins
      Arsene Wenger might have been thrown under the bus in Qatar last month – but he managed to avoid injury and is still seeking to remake football in his own image, writes MARTIN LIPTON.
      The former Arsenal boss was the frontman for the dumped biennial World Cup plan.

      But Wenger, Fifa’s head of global football development, remains keen on changing the Laws of the game to make football more entertaining.
      Wenger’s plans to trial a new “daylight” offside law, giving a huge advantage to the attacking team, have been iced pending the potential introduction of “semi-automated offsides” calibrated near-instantly by skeletal “limb-tracking” technology for the World Cup.
      The Frenchman, though, still believes allowing kick-ins instead of throw-ins in the defensive half, if they are within five seconds of the ball going out, will speed up play.
      Wenger’s mantra is “one thing at a time” but it is still on his agenda.
      Romelu tipped as ideal Kane replacement
      Darren Bent says his former club Tottenham should be in the market for Chelsea flop Romelu Lukaku.
      He told talkSPORT: “As long as Antonio Conte’s there I don’t think Harry Kane would go anywhere.
      “But if worse came to worse and Harry Kane did leave and go elsewhere, and if they can get Lukaku, then you’ve seen what Conte can get out of Romelu Lukaku.
      “Even down to his nutrition, because that was the best I’ve ever seen him look last season and at the start of this season.
      “If there was an opportunity and Kane leaves and Conte can get Lukaku, I’d go out all day to get it – all day.”
      Chelsea’s performance praised
      Football pundit Gabby Agbonlahor was blown away by Chelsea’s performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
      He said on talkSPORT: “Wow, how good were Chelsea? Do you know what I liked about the performance the most was that Chelsea played a four at the back,” admitted Agbonlahor.
      “I called them boring last week because that five at the back for me is a boring formation.
      “Last night, it was like ‘Reece James you go with Vinicius, Loftus-Cheek you stay on the right side and look to help Reece James when needed’; he didn’t even need the help.
      “Then the front three of Havertz, Werner and Mount, they were outstanding. The way they switched roles, all had free roles. And Chelsea were very unlucky.”
      If you Levi me now
      Chelsea may not get to see the best of Levi Colwill.
      The talented youngster, 19, has been a revelation on-loan at Huddersfield Town, as The Terriers push for promotion from the Championship.
      His form, and current situation with the Blues, has alerted Premier League clubs that he could be available in the summer.
      Everton, Leicester City, and Southampton are all keeping tabs on the centre-half, dubbed the ‘next Rio Ferdinand’.
      And it could be that Colwill leaves Stamford Bridge and establishes himself as an England international, just like his pal Marc Guehi has done some eight miles away at Crystal Palace.
      Piers slams Tuchel
      Piers Morgan has slammed “embarrassing” Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
      Seeing his comments, Morgan took to Twitter to criticise the Blues boss.
      The Sun columnist wrote: “Embarrassing by Tuchel.
      “They were probably laughing at how badly Chelsea choked after having the game in the bag.”
      Loftus-Cheek/Sarri reunion
      Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to be offered a career reboot at Lazio – under his former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, SUNSPORT’S STEVE GOODMAN WRITES.
      Loftus-Cheek has been shipped out on loan twice, to Crystal Palace in 2017 and Fulham last term.
      But the Londoner enjoyed his best ever season under Sarri’s management in 2018-19, when he played 40 games and scored ten goals.
      The current Lazio coach is braced to lose star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic this summer.
      The £60million-rated Serbian ace has been linked with a host of clubs including Manchester United.
      And reports in Italy claim Sarri will seek to bring in Loftus-Cheek as a replacement for the 27-year-old.
      Ferdinand defends Rudiger
      Rio Ferdinand has defended Antonio Rudiger following Chelsea’s Champions League exit
      Rudiger reacted explosively at full-time when Chelsea crashed out against Real Madrid 5-4 on aggregate.
      Former Manchester United defender Ferdinand backed the Chelsea defender, referencing his own experience of losing big games.
      Ferdinand told BT Sport: “You can’t control it. We’ve all been there after big games, I’ve said and done things that you regret.
      “I hit walls, I ended up kicking people at times.
      “I got done at Chelsea kicking someone by accident, you don’t mean it you just lose your head, you don’t mean anything by it.”
      Tuchel slams ref
      Thomas Tuchel has slammed the referee in Chelsea’s loss to Real Madrid for having a laugh with opposition boss Carlo Ancelotti after the game.
      Tuchel said: “I was disappointed that the referee had a good time with Carlo.
      “I know that Carlo is a gentleman and a nice guy but when I wanted to go and say thank you, I saw him smiling and laughing loud with the opponent’s coach.
      “I think this is the very, very wrong time to do this after the final whistle, 126 minutes of a team giving their heart and fighting to the last drop.
      “When you go and see a referee smiling and laughing with the other coach, it’s very bad timing. I told him this.”
      Lukaku tipped for Conte reunion
      Darren Bent says his former club Tottenham should be in the market for Chelsea flop Romelu Lukaku.
      He told talkSPORT: “As long as Antonio Conte’s there I don’t think Harry Kane would go anywhere.
      “But if worse came to worse and Harry Kane did leave and go elsewhere, and if they can get Lukaku, then you’ve seen what Conte can get out of Romelu Lukaku.
      “Even down to his nutrition, because that was the best I’ve ever seen him look last season and at the start of this season.
      “If there was an opportunity and Kane leaves and Conte can get Lukaku, I’d go out all day to get it – all day.”
      Chelsea player ratings
      N’golo Kante and Kai Havertz were in the firing line when the notoriously hard to please L’Equipe’s player ratings were published following Chelsea’s defeat to Real Madrid.
      French newspaper L’Equipe’s tough rating analysts gave the pair just a 4/10 for their performances at the Bernabeu – the worst out of the Chelsea squad.
      The performances of the pair clearly didn’t satisfy L’Equipe’s master raters.
      Although they were still rated higher than Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who was only given a lowly 3/10.
      Antonio Rudiger was Chelsea’s top performer, with his expert header combined with a dominating display at the back earning him an 8/10.
      Elsewhere is it was fives and sixes across the board, while James and Mason Mount both earned a 7/10.
      Real Madrid labelled ‘immortal’
      Real Madrid stars have been hailed as “immortal” after scraping past Chelsea into the Champions League semi-finals.
      Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been roundly praised for their resilience by the Spanish morning papers.
      AS labelled them “immortal” for their comeback.
      While Marca led with the line: “What a night, what delirium!”
      Alaba’s dance moves
      Real Madrid star David Alaba showed off some wacky dance moves after helping the Spaniards dump Chelsea out of the Champions League.
      There was quite the party in the Bernabeu home dressing room after Karim Benzema’s extra-time header saw Real qualify for the semi-finals.
      Goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner had initially seen Chelsea overturn a 3-1 deficit to lead 4-3 on aggregate, before the hosts came back to win the tie 5-4.
      It sparked joyous scenes in the Real Madrid dressing room after the game, with Alaba the man leading the celebrations.
      The 29-year-old was filmed busting out the dance moves by the club’s official Twitter account.
      Members of the squad clapped along as Alaba wiggled his body to the beat of the music that was blaring out of the dressing room speakers.

      Antonio Rudiger roars
      Antonio Rudiger let out a yell of frustration as his side were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid last night.
      Upon the final whistle Rudiger sank to the Santiago Bernabeu turf.
      Opposition defender David Alaba sportingly picked up his Blues counterpart.
      Just as he did so, Rudiger screamed in frustration, turning his back on Alaba.
      Around 45 seconds later the German sank to his haunches again, still muttering to himself in anger.
      Chelsea transfer options discussed
      Glen Johnson has identified who he’d like Chelsea to bring in if they sell Romelu Lukaku for the right price.
      He told Bettingodds: “If Chelsea get the money that they need, I’d like them to get Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland.
      “They’re both going to be super, super expensive. It just depends on what they can get for Lukaku.
      “If he goes, you’re not going to get anywhere near the £97.5m they paid for him from Inter Milan.
      “It would be an extremely tough deal to do. If you’re talking about just strikers however, then I’d like Haaland to come in to replace any outgoing forwards.”
      Modric praises Blues
      Real Madrid ace Luka Modric praised Chelsea after he played a hand in dumping the Blues out of the Champions League.
      Modric said of his fallen opponents: “They are a very good side. They are the most complicated rival we could face, for me.
      “I watch them a lot because of my friend Mateo [Kovacic]. I watch them a lot so I know how good they are, physical team and they have so many talented players.
      “I knew it was going to be complicated and it was not over before first result.”
      Rio Ferdinand loses voice
      Luka Modric proved age is just a number with another stunning Champions League performance for Real Madrid against Chelsea, capped off by an outrageous assist.
      The 36-year-old veteran played a ball so good to set up Rodrygo to score it caused Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand to “lose his voice”.
      The pass was so good it left Ferdinand “screaming”, with the former defender telling BT Sport: “This pass from Luka Modric is why I lost my voice today!
      “That’s illegal, that. 
      “I was screaming, Luka, Muka, whatever his name was. Phenomenal.”
      Prem clubs battle for Bremer
      Liverpool have reportedly waded into the fray to sign Torino defender Gleison Bremer along with Manchester United and Arsenal.
      And the Reds are willing to part with £25milllion to pip their Premier League rivals to the 25-year-old’s signature, according to Tuttojuve.
      The Brazilian has made 29 appearances for the Serie A side this season, chipping in with three goals and an assist along the way.
      His assured performances have caught the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs including Juventus and Bayern Munich.
      But Arsenal, United, Chelsea, and now Liverpool are keen on bringing the defensive stalwart to the Prem this summer.
      Blue trouble
      Chelsea and Manchester City yobs had to be separated by riot police as they fought in Madrid.
      The shocking scenes unfolded in Plaza Mayor square in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.
      A total of 8,000 supporters were expected to travel from England to Spain to watch the Champions League quarter-final showdowns.
      Chelsea faced Real Madrid in the Bernabeu on Tuesday, 24 hours before City’s second leg at Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano.
      And video footage posted on social media showed rival followers confronting one another, shouting and chanting.
      Then things spilt over as punches were thrown and drinks flew before the notoriously heavy-handed Madrid police rushed in with batons and shields to restore order.

      Morning, Chelsea fans
      Chelsea will be waking up this morning surely more devastated than they’ve ever been by a brilliant victory.
      The Champions League holders crashed out of the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate despite a 3-2 extra time win in Real Madrid.
      Manager Thomas Tuchel has never looked more frustrated or animated than he did last night as the unlucky Blues wasted their superiority and string of decent chances.
      Mason Mount’s superb curler, Antonio Rudiger’s thudding header and Timo Werner’s neat finish put the Blues 3-up on the night, 4-3 ahead overall.following their 3-1 first-leg loss
      But Real sub Rodrygo earned extra time with a classy volley following  a magical pass from Luka Modric, before  Karim Benzema clinched the Spaniards’ fortunate success.
       As for the Chelsea buy-out situation, bidder Tom Ricketts has recruited Indian beer baron Karan Bilimoria to help his efforts.
      Blues’ fan Lord Bilimoria founded Cobra lager from his flat in Fulham 30 years ago.
      The deadline for final offers for £3billion-rated Chelsea is tomorrow.
      Liverpool could join Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in a £68million summer hunt for Benfica strike sensation Darwin Nunez.
      And Arsenal legend Jack Wilshere has hailed Blues and United target Declan Rice as the world’s BEST defensive midfielder.
      Juve want £84m for De Ligt
      Chelsea and Manchester United have been linked with Juventus centre-back Matthew de Ligt – but he could cost around £84million.
      Calciomercato say the Italian giants are keen to keep the former Ajax superstar.
      Chelsea are thought to have monitored the 22-year-old this season.
      And United have reportedly trailed him in past campaigns
      Cheeky bid for World Cup place?
      England’s forgotten man for four years, Ruben Loftus-Cheek might just be timing a late World Cup run to perfection, writes OSCAR PAUL.
      And you can bet he’s one of the few buzzing that it’s this winter rather than next summer.

      Chances are that he would not make it if it was in July.
      Yet what we do know is that Gareth Southgate was a massive fan.
      And certainly on tonight’s evidence, it would come as no surprise if the England boss had again started pencilling his name down a couple of lists here and there.
      There is plenty more work to do if Loftus-Cheek, 26, is to force his way on to the plane for Qatar.
      But with seven months to go, time is on his side — and his form is undoubtedly now heading in the right direction.
      FULL VERDICT ON RLC
      Sub ratings
      Christian Pulisic (for Werner, 83′) – 5
      Had two golden chances to win it late on in normal time but twice volleyed over the bar from close range.
      Hakim Ziyech (for Kante, 100′) – 4
      Booked not long after coming on and did not make the impact Tuchel hoped for when he decided to bring him on.
      Jorginho (for Kovacic, 105′) – 6
      Saw plenty of the ball but was unable to create anything with Real sitting deep in defence for the second half of extra-time.
      Ball fell to him nicely twice in the box but his first effort was blocked and the second he dragged wide.
      Saul Niguez (for Loftud-Cheek, 105′) – 4
      Like Jorginho he came on at a time of desperation for Chelsea but failed to influence the game in any capacity.
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      Real Madrid 2 Chelsea 3 LIVE REACTION: Benzema’s extra-time goal sends Real to semis after heroic Blues effort – updates

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      CHELSEA were knocked out of the Champions League after losing to Real Madrid 5-4 on aggregate at the Bernabeu. The Blues went 3-0 up through goals from Mount, Rudiger and Werner but efforts from Rodrygo and then Benzema in extra-time put Carlo Ancelotti’s side into the semi-finals.

      RESULT: Real Madrid 2 Chelsea
      Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Alaba, Nacho, Kroos, Benzema, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Vinicius, Mendy
      Chelsea XI: Mendy, James, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Loftus-Cheek, Alonso, Mount, Kovacic, Kante, Werner, Havertz

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      That’s all from the Bernabeu
      It’s the end of a truly remarkable night in Madrid where two sides have given their all, showed spirit and skill, and given the watching world an absolute treat in the Champions League.
      Only one club could advance to the semi-finals, however, and that honour goes to Real, thanks to Karim Benzema’s header in extra-time.
      It’s left us all utterly exhausted, but we’ll be ready to do it all over again tomorrow night when it’s the turn of Manchester City and Liverpool to take part in the second leg of their quarter-finals.
      Until then, thanks for joining us and goodnight.
      Extra! Read all about it!
      Before we sign off at the end of an epic night of Champions League football, why not take a deep breathe and relive the drama with Mark Irwin’s match report of Real Madrid’s 5-4 after extra time victory over Chelsea.
      Forget the miracle of Munich or the ten-man comeback against Barcelona in 2012, this was Chelsea’s greatest performance in Europe, a night of pure bloody brilliance from Thomas Tuchel’s heroes.
      Tuchel blasts laughing ref
      While Thomas Tuchel was delighted with his players, he was less impressed with the match officials.
      The Chelsea boss was booked for his protests during the game, and went to let his feelings known to Szymon Marciniak at the full time whistle – only to find the Polish referee sharing a joke with Carlo Ancelotti.
      I was disappointed to see the referee smiling and laughing with the opponents’ coach. I think this is the wrong time after you see a team fighting until the very last drop. I thought it was bad timing and I told him this.Thomas Tuchel

      Tuchel pays tribute to team
      Thomas Tuchel was disappointed by the final outcome, but proud of his Chelsea players for the way they went about their mountainous task at the Bernabeu.
      The Blues were so close to the sensational.
      These are the kind of defeats that we can digest and swallow because we left nothing to regret out there. We played how we wanted to play, and showed the quality and character that this team has. We deserved to go through but it was not meant to be. We were simply unlucky.Thomas TuchelBT Sport

      Real’s Luka a Mod-el performer
      Real Madrid’s 36-year-old midfielder Luka Modric picked his side up when they were 3-0 down on the night, and orchestrated their way back into the game with an outrageous assist for Rodrygo.
      After the game, the Croatian praised the battling spirit of the Spanish club.
      It’s unbelievable to describe this game. We were dead until the goal that we scored. We didn’t give up, we kept fighting. We scored two goals and showed huge character. The stadium and the fans were very helpful when we were losing 3-0, they kept supporting and that gave us the boost to believe that we could turn it around.Luke ModricBT Sport
      Credit: @lukemodric10 Twitter
      Los Blancos are semi sonic
      So Real Madrid are in the semi-finals of the Champions League – again.
      For the tenth time in 12 seasons, the Spanish giants take their place in the last four, and will face either their city rivals Atletico Madrid or Manchester City later this month.
      Credit: @OptaJose Twitter
      Match stats from the Bernabeu
      It’s been a night that numbers simply cannot do justice to.

      Full time – Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      The European champions are out!
      The Chelsea players crash to the floor, they’ve given absolutely everything but it wasn’t quite enough.
      Thomas Tuchel’s team looked to have done the extraordinary by overturning their first leg deficit to take a 3-0 lead in the Bernabeu, but having got in front, they were then beaten at their own game.
      Karim Benzema’s header in extra-time was the eventual difference on an evening when European football was the real winner.

      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      120. There will be three extra minutes.
      Can Chelsea rescue it? Time is against them.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      119. A glorious chance for Jorginho! He’s put it wide!
      Chelsea win a corner, and send everyone up for it including goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
      The delivery is sent in the direction of the Senegalese stopper, but a defensive head gets it partially away.
      However, Ziyech follows it up with a scuffed snapshot that falls for Jorginho. The Italian controls brilliantly, but then misses terribly by pulling his shot the wrong side of the post from 15 yards.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4) – Carvajal yellow card
      118. Another booking, this one goes to Dani Carvajal, who miscues a clearance and connects with Ziyech.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      117. A big, big chance for Chelsea!
      Moments after a Jorginho shot is blocked in the box, the visitors spring forward on the right.
      A deep cross from James is inviting for Havertz, but the German completely miscues his leap and manages to put the ball wide with a combination of head and shoulder.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4) – Real Madrid substitution
      115. Vinicius Junior has had another impressive evening, but he won’t play the last five minutes.
      On comes former Arsenal man Dani Ceballos.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      114. Chelsea pick up two more yellow cards – but they’re not shown to any of their players on the pitch.
      Both manager Thomas Tuchel and substitute Cesar Azpilicueta are cautioned by referee Szymon Marciniak, the former for protesting a throw-in going the way of Real Madrid, the latter for wrestling the ball away from Lucas Vazquez.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      112. Almost inevitably, Real have dropped deep to allow Chelsea possession – and the whistles from the home fans have started.
      This will be an incredibly long eight minutes for them, but you can bet it will pass in the blink of an eye if you’re of a Chelsea persuasion.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      110. Courtois will be causing a few heart rates in Madrid to go through the roof with his antics.
      For the second time in quick succession, the Belgian avoids the sensible to attempt something clever with a backpass, and nearly loses possession to a sliding Havertz.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4) – Havertz yellow card
      108. Chelsea’s Champions League final hero has picked up a caution for a sly kick at David Alaba.
      Well, it’s Germany against Austria, what do you expect?
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      107. I bet Crystal Palace fans are watching on and licking their lips at how much the Chelsea players have put into this evening.
      The Blues face the Eagles on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final.
      Extra-time 2nd period – Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      106. This is it! Chelsea restart extra-time, and once again know what they have to do.
      The Premier League side have made another two changes. Thomas Tuchel has introduced Jorginho and Atletico Madrid loanee Saul for Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
      Extra-time half-time – Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      That’s the end of the first period.
      The whistling has long stopped, and it’s now the home fans making all the noise.
      Fifteen minutes remain, what have Chelsea’s players got? What have Chelsea’s travelling supporters got?
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      104. The Real Madrid subs this evening have really injected energy into the home ranks, and swung the tie back in the Spanish side’s favour.
      A tactical masterclass from Carlo Ancelotti?
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      103. The Chelsea players have given everything tonight, but they might now have much more in the tank.
      Kovacic gets caught in midfield, and is unable to get back to recover. Real break at pace, only for Camavinga to slam over from 20 yards.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      102. Ziyech wins the visitors a corner with his first attempt since coming on.
      Once again, Chelsea dominate the set-piece in the area, but Havertz’s header is weak and straight at Courtois.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      101. Chelsea keep on fighting, but there are some tired legs out there now.
      Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
      99. Thomas Tuchel makes a change as a response to that Madrid goal.
      Captain for the evening, N’Golo Kante, goes off, and on comes the more attacking Hakim Ziyech.
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      Bayern Munich 1 Villarreal 1 LIVE REACTION: Chukwueze’s late goal sends Spaniards to Champions League semi-final

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      BAYERN MUNICH were sensationally knocked out of the Champions League by Villarreal after Chukwueze’s late goal at the Allianz Arena. Robert Lewandowski put Bayern ahead but couldn’t keep out a late equaliser from Unai Emery’s side, who will face Liverpool or Benfica in the quarter-finals.

      RESULT: Bayern 1-1 Villarreal (1-2 on agg)
      Bayern Munich XI: Neuer, Upamecano, Pavard, Kimmich, Goretzka, Sane, Coman, Hernandez, Muller, Musiala, Lewandowski
      Villarreal XI: Gulli, Albiol, Torres, Parejo, Capoue, Foyth, Estupinan, Danjuma, Lo Celso, Coquelin, Moreno

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      That’s all from Munich
      So, to recap, Villarreal scored late to level 1-1 against Bayern Munich this evening, winning 2-1 on aggregate. They progress through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for just the second time in the club’s history, where they will meet either Liverpool or Benfica.
      It wasn’t to be for Bayern Munich, who crash out at the quarter final stage for the second season running.
      Thank you for reading and goodnight.

      The golden touch
      Chukwueze, off the bench to make history.
      .Credit: EPA
      A big miss
      Look away now, Bayern fans.
      .Credit: Reuters
      Bayern had multiple chances to score this evening, but few were bigger than Muller’s. Around the 70 minute mark, Sane whipped the ball into the German, but with the whole goal to aim at, Muller sent his header wide.
      ‘We knew we could do it’
      Villarreal forward, Gerard Moreno, who set up the winning goal this evening, has his word on proceedings:
      We feel a lot of happiness. Ever since the draw paired us with Bayern, we have been telling ourselves that we could do it.Gerard Moreno, Villarreal forward
      .Credit: EPA
      Can you blame them?

      Too easy…
      Villarreal will play either Liverpool or Benfica in the semi-final.
      You simply can’t bet against them!

      Serial overachievers at it again
      Last season, Emery’s Villarreal stunned both Arsenal and Manchester United to win the Europa Leage.
      This evening, they have just beaten five-time Champions League winners, Bayern Munich, to reach the semi-finals!
      The small town of Villarreal, defying expectations once more.
      .Credit: Getty
      The stats don’t lie
      2 shots. 2 goals.

      Bayern had 24 shots, just this evening.
      Unai Emery has reached the semi-finals of the champions league for the first time in his career.
      Villarreal victorious
      Wow! Villarreal stun Bayern in the final minutes to march on to the semi-finals of the Champions League!
      Everything looked in Bayern’s favour after Lewandowski’s goal. But Emery’s men were patient, and took full advantage when the opportunity came their way.
      What an achievement for the Spanish side!
      .Credit: Reuters
      Full time – Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      Villarreal have beaten Bayern on aggregate, in Munich!
      The entire bench runs on to the field. Speechless!
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      90+3, Lewandowski fouls Foyth and that might be that.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      90+3, Rulli claims the ball above is head before falling to the floor.
      The atmosphere has turned to almost total silence here, bar a small yellow corner of the stadium.
      One minute to play.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal – Villarreal substitution
      90+2, Aurier is on for Parejo.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      90, The board goes up for four added minutes.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal – Yellow card
      90, Lo Celso picks up a yellow for a push on Lewandowski.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      89, The ball is chipped over towards Lewandowski who goes down in the area. Albiol is furious with the striker, and the referee has to intervene. No penalty.
      Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      Oh my word, the Alianz Arena is stunned!
      Lo Celso holds off his man before sliding the ball into Moreno. The forward gets his head up and spots Chukwueze at the back post. The substitute hits it first time into the roof of Neuer’s net.
      What a story we have here!
      .Credit: Getty
      GOAL! – Bayern 1-1 Villarreal
      87, Chukwueze scores!
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal – Bayern change
      86, Davies is on for Hernandez. Not a sight Foyth would have wanted to see.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal
      85, Chukwueze is set free down the right with Moreno unmarked in the middle, but the substitute can’t get the ball right with the outsde of his boot. It’s far too close to Neuer who can claim it.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal – Villarreal changes
      84, Coquelin and Danjuma are off. Chukwueze and Pedrazza are on in their place.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal
      83, Neuer passes the ball straight out of play. The tiredness may be creeping into these players as the second half draws to a close.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal
      81, Danjuma gets in out of nowhere.
      Moreno heads it on to the Dutchman who takes the shot early, and it’s narrowly wide of Neuer’s far post.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal – Bayern change
      81, Gnabry is on for Musiala.
      Bayern 1-0 Villarreal
      80, The ball is floated into Muller who is judged to have impeded Rulli. Some words exchanged between the pair, and the game can continue.
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      Man City vs Liverpool LIVE: Stream, TV channel, team news as Jota EQUALISES for Reds – latest updates

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      LIVERPOOL will be hoping that they can derail the Manchester City train when they travel to the Etihad TODAY.And land in top spot having have clawed their way back into the title race by astonishingly closing the gap on City to just ONE point from 14.

      Start time: 4:30pm GMT
      TV/Live stream: Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.
      Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Jesus, Foden, Sterling
      Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago, Mane, Salah, Jota

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
      Man City 2-1 Liverpool
      37. Gabriel Jesus is JUST onside there.
      He took a long look at the assistant referee after putting the ball into the back of the net.
      It didn’t come though, and that’s Jesus’ first Premier League goal since September.
      Goal! Man City score!
      Gabriel Jesus scores against Liverpool AGAIN!
      Alexander-Arnold is caught napping at the back post, and Jesus lifts a glorious cross from Cancelo over Alisson and into the back of the net off the underside of the bar.
      Ederson’s close call
      This was how close Ederson came to scoring an own goal a few moments ago…

      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      34. Foden injects some life into Man City coming into the middle of the park, bursting past Fabinho and Thiago.
      He passes to Jesus on the right, who in turn spreads it to Cancelo on the other side of the pitch.
      Liverpool manage to get enough bodies back to deal with the danger though.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      32. Fabinho is dispossessed far too easily yet again, and suddenly De Bruyne is away.
      He tries an audacious cross-field path to Foden, which Alexander-Arnold just about manages to poke back to Alisson after stretching every muscle in his body.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      30. Chance for City!
      Now City go close through De Bruyne!
      This is breathless stuff.
      Cancelo pokes the ball into the City man inside the box, and he somehow has the freedom to shoot from a tight angle.
      There’s plenty of power on the effort, but it flies half a yard wide of Alisson’s near post.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      29. Ooooh, that is actually a half chance.
      Alexander-Arnold spots Ederson way off his line, and tries to score from inside his own half.
      The chance was actually there, with Ederson in no man’s land.
      Alexander-Arnold though scuffs his effort, which stays low and bounces straight to a grateful Ederson.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      28. Andy Robertson is shown the first yellow card of the match.
      The left-back scythes down De Bruyne on the City right after the goalscorer had poked the ball past him on the touchline.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      27. Cancelo and Salah are now involved down the other end.
      The Liverpool man does well to track Cancelo all the way to the byline, and block his attempted cross behind for a throw-in.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      25. Alexander-Arnold tries to play the ball around Cancelo and into the path of Salah.
      Ederson comes tearing off his line, rather strangely, as Cancelo simply deals with it himself.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      23. OH MY GOODNESS!
      What has happened there?
      Ederson takes an age on the ball, and it almost looks like he’s let it roll over his OWN goal-line.
      So much so Anthony Taylor checks his goal-line technology watch.
      Nothing is given and Ederson eventually clears… just.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      22. Liverpool try to break through Salah, who is picked out by Thiago on the right.
      Salah tries to poke the ball past Laporte and run on to it, but Walker hares over from right-back to get there in front of the Liverpool man.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      21. Fabinho looks all at sea here.
      He was at fault for the first goal, and now gives the ball away right on the edge of his own box.
      Eventually it falls to Rodri who shoots, but a red shirt manages to get a block in and send the ball behind for a corner.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      20. Liverpool deal with the first corner of the game easily enough.
      That’s 20 minutes on the clock. It’s absolutely flown by.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      19. Good defending by Van Dijk.
      Walker, who is causing all sorts of problems on the right, swings in another dangerous delivery.
      It looks like it’s going to fall for Jesus at the back post, but Van Dijk slides in to clear behind for a corner.
      Goals galore already
      It’s been some start at the Etihad…
      Credit: Getty
      Credit: Getty
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      17. Now it’s Salah’s turn to spring into life, as he tries to get on the end of a long ball over the top.
      Ederson is alive to the sanger though and springs off his line to mop up the danger.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      16. Sterling has started very well against his old club here, and gets in behind Robertson on the right again.
      He tees up Jesus on the edge of the box and the Brazilian shoots first time, straight into the arms of Alisson though.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      15. Matip gives the ball away sloppily at the back, straight into the path of De Bruyne.
      The Belgian tries to slide in Foden, but Matip recovers to block it out for a throw in.
      Man City 1-1 Liverpool
      13. Well, we expected a thrilling encounter, and that’s exactly what we’ve got.
      Liverpool hit back on 13 minutes after spending almost all of the opening exchanges under the cosh.
      Goal! Liverpool are level!
      Diogo Jota equalises for Liverpool!
      What a start at the Etihad!
      Robertson crosses in from the left, which Alexadner-Arnold pulls back at the far post.
      It drops to Jota on the penalty spot, and the forward squeezes it past Ederson and into the back of the net.
      Man City 1-0 Liverpool
      12. Now Liverpool finally string a few passes together, but they can’t get anywhere with it.
      The Reds are forced to go all the way back to Alisson, which is greeted by huge cheers from the home crowd.
      Man City 1-0 Liverpool
      10. Liverpool look like a shell of the team they’ve been this season.
      They need to sort themselves out before City score another and are out of sight.
      Man City 1-0 Liverpool
      9. Walkes tries to pick out Jesus on the right hand side, with Liverpool all at sea at the back.
      Van Dijk and Alisson get in a right tangle, almost allowing Jesus through on goal.
      He goes to ground as the Reds manage to smuggle clear, with the City man claiming for a penalty.
      Anthony Taylor shakes his head, and Liverpool breath a sigh of relief.
      Man City 1-0 Liverpool
      7. Liverpool certainly have got it all to do know.
      Pep Guardiola could not have dreamt of a better start.
      There’s still a very long way to go of course, but as it stands his side are going four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
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      F1 Australian Grand Prix LIVE REACTION: Leclerc WINS in Melbourne, Hamilton finishes FOURTH and Verstappen RETIRES

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      CHARLES LECLERC was crowned champion of Australia when he cruised to a Grand Prix victory in Melbourne on Sunday.The Ferrari driver secured the fastest lap on the final lap alongside leading for the entire race.
      Whilst his nearest rival, Max Verstappen was forced to retire having burnt out on lap 39.
      As for Lewis Hamilton, the British icon disappointingly missed out on the podium altogether with Sergio Perez and teammate George Russell finishing ahead of him.

      Results: Leclerc (1) Perez (2) Russell (3) Hamilton (4)
      TV/Live stream: Sky Sports F1
      Grand Prix start time: 6am BST – April 10

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      Follow ALL the action from Melbourne with our live blog below…
      Pushed it to the max
      Charles Leclerc’ arch rival was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix due to a fuel problem.
      The Red Bull racer was going strong in second place when an issue with his engine caused him to stop in lap 39.
      There appeared to be an issue with either his hydraulic fluid or engine oil and the Dutchaman was not happy in the slightest.
      During the event, Verstappen said: “I smell some weird fluid. Everything is s******* itself.”
      And after the race, the F1 icon stated: ”
       We are already miles behind so I don’t even want to think about the championship at the moment – it’s more important to finish races.
      “Today in general it was a bad day, not really having the pace and having to manage my tyres.
      “It looked like quite an easy P2 and I knew I could not reach Charles (Leclerc) so there was no point trying to put pressure on him.
      “Not even being able to finish the race is frustrating and unacceptable.”
      Verstappen added: “I knew there was a problem, there was always going to be a question mark of finishing the race. These kinds of things if you want to win the championship cannot happen.
      “I don’t know (what the issue was). They have. to get the car back to the factory to investigate.”
      Perez is second and Russell completes the podium
      Great stuff from Russell, who comes home ahead of his unhappy teammate.
      Russell says: “We’ve got to be in it to win it and capitalise on others’ misfortune and obviously we got a little bit lucky today twice, but we’ll take it.”
      Great to see McLaren scoring big points, too.
      Leclerc wins the Australian GP
      That was an easy one for the Ferrari man, who had the added boost of seeing his nearest rival retire from the race.
      That was pole position, victory, fastest lap on the last lap, and all laps led for Leclerc. Dominant.

      Lap 58 Albon pits
      The first stop of the race for the Williams man on the final lap. It means he finishes 10th and scores a point.
      He started last and made an excellent recovery. Driver of the Day.
      Hamilton critical of his team
      Just the way the cookie crumbles? Hamilton is not happy being behind Russell.
      Tells his team: “You guys have put me in a really hard position”
      A word on Albon
      He is in seventh place in his Williams. That is an excellent effort. Still yet to pit for tyres though.

      Lap 46
      Leclerc is leading and has the fastest lap.
      Perez in P2, Russell in P3, Hamilton in P4. Norris in P5 and Ricciardo in P6.

      Penalty for Stroll
      The hapless Aston Martin driver is penalised with a five second time penalty for weaving on the straight.
      He also bumped Bottas off track just moments ago.

      That clearly caught Red Bull out
      There was no sign of any problems and will be a huge concern to the team.
      A double failure in Bahrain and now another one in Melbourne. And without the pace of Ferrari.

      Lap 39 Verstappen’s Red Bull goes up in smoke
      Big drama as his title defence is off to a shaky start.
      He is told to pull over and stop the car and his car has caught fire.
      Wow. That is his second retirement of the season in only the third race of the campaign.

      Lap 37 Perez gets past Russell
      The Mexican is back in the podium places as Russell, who had lucked in on the pitstop under the safety car.
      Russell is in fourth and Hamilton is fifth.
      Leclerc is unchallenged

      Lap 34
      Norris gets past Magnussen and in to seventh place. It has been a much-improved weekend for McLaren so far. Ricciardo is in ninth.
      Alonso now dropping out of the mix
      The Spaniard had not pitted to form a cork in the bottle. But he is now out of the way down in sixth place.

      Halfway stage of the race
      It is Leclerc, Verstappen +2.470, Russell +3.829.
      We have lost Sainz and Vettel from this GP.
      Lap 27 Safety Car In
      We are racing again…
      Leclerc comes under attack from Verstappen.
      And Russell is also in the mix behind the Red Bull.
      Thrilling stuff, but the order remains the same.

      Russell has pitted too
      He did so behind the safety car and that has allowed him to get past Hamilton. He is running in third place.
      It is Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell…
      Lap 23 Vettel is out – Safety Car deployed
      The Aston Martin man has come to a stop after smashing into the barriers at turn four.
      That’s a bad mistake from the German, who has had a miserable week. He was fined for using a scooter on track, he was also fined for speeding in the pitlane.
      He is now out of this race and that mess will take some time to clear up.

      Lap 22 The race leader pits
      Leclerc is in for fresh tyres, as is Hamilton. Leclerc still leads and Hamilton remains ahead of Perez.
      Lap 21 Perez and Norris stop
      Two quick stops and Perez is in 9th and Norris in 12th.
      Lap 19 Verstappen is in the pits
      He is coming in for fresh tyres. A stop of 2.9 seconds and he has gone for the hard tyres.
      He was in second place and returns to the track in seventh place.
      Close calls for both Haas drivers
      Mick Schumacher AND Kevin Magnussen both go off track a different points, as Haas seem to be struggling with their set up.

      Problem for Verstappen
      The Red Bull man is struggling on those tyres. He has just had a lock up and complaining over the radio that he needs to pit.
      This was supposed to be a one-stop strategy, but he may need more than that.
      Meanwhile, Leclerc is pulling away in P1. He has a five second lead now.

      Lap 10 Perez gets past Hamilton
      The Mexican, who lost position at the start, has now managed to squeeze past the Brit at the first attempt.
      He had the benefit of DRS to get the move done, but he is now 6.4 seconds off the race leader.
      Leclerc holds the lead
      But the Red Bull of Verstappen is very close behind and looks to have the quicker car.
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      in Boxing

      Ryan Garcia vs Emmanuel Tagoe LIVE REACTION: Garcia remains UNDEFEATED following a dominant display over Tagoe

      by

      LIGHTWEIGHT sensation Ryan Garcia kept his unbeaten streak intact with a dominant display over Emmanuel Tagoe. The Flash, 23, hadn’t fought since January 2021 when he took the vacant WBC interim lightweight title by beating Luke Campbell.
      But Garcia left the judges with no choice other than to present him with the victory having left his Ghanaian opponent battered and bruised by round 12.

      Results: Ryan Garcia bt Emmanuel Tagoe, Shane Mosley Jr bt Gabriel Rosado, Marlen Esparza bt Naoko Fujioka, Azat Hovhannisyan bt Dagoberto Aguero.
      Main card US start time: 9pm EST/6pm PST
      Main card UK start time: 2am BST
      TV/Live stream: DAZN

      Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
      Garcia wins comeback bout
      Ryan Garcia marked his return to the boxing ring with a near-shutout on the cards against Emmanuel Tagoe.
      The American lightweight sensation last fought in January 2021, knocking out Britain’s Luke Campbell in seven rounds.

      But a battle with his mental health and injuries saw him sidelined for 15 months until he finally marked his comeback.
      And he did so against stubborn Ghanian Tagoe, who looked to survive the fight over the 12 round distance.
      But it saw Garcia, who scored a knockdown in round two, emerge victorious unanimously on the cards.
      He said: “I got nothing but respect for Tagoe, he fought a hard fight.
      “I think if I would have started pressing him harder in the beginning of the fight, I would’ve got him out of there.
      “But what can I say? I had to track him down, it was a new experience cutting the ring off with a guy who was in a fight to survive.”
      Garcia, 23, made a sharp start to the fight after a right hand bundled Tagoe, 33, to the floor.
      But he failed to follow it up and force a stoppage in a sign of things to come later on.
      Garcia would go on to control the fight throughout the rest of the rounds, throwing heavy left hooks and right hands.
      But Tagoe was keen to grab, hold and move as he evaded engaging in a firefight.
      It saw Garcia repeatedly back up Tagoe but fail to land a decisive blow despite threatening a few times.
      As the fight went to the cards, it saw the lightweight contender win wide on and secure his first win with new trainer Joe Goosen.
      Veteran Goosen was brought in to replace Canelo Alvarez’s esteemed coach Eddy Reynoso.
      Garcia said: “It felt great man, I was super comfortable with him in the ring.
      “I love Joe, we have a great relationship and I got nothing but love for him. He’s just the best guy.”
      Ger joking
      Ryan Garcia refuses to challenge long-time rival Gervonta Davis in the ring.
      “In the past, I’m always with the callouts but I’ve grown, I’ve matured Im going to let my team handle it.
      “I’m going to let all my coaches – and when it’s on, it’s on. As of right now, I’m going to trust my team going forward.”

      Garcia vs Tagoe
      This was Garcia’s first fight with his new coach Joe Goosen, who replaced Eddy Reynoso, Canelo Alvarez’s trainer.
      Garcia says: “It felt great man, I was super comfortable with him in the ring. I love Joe, we have a great relationship and I got nothing but love for him.
      “He’s just the best guy.”
      Garcia reacts
      Garcia says: “I got nothing but respect for Tagoe, he fought a hard fight.
      “I think if I would have started pressing him harder in the beginning of the fight, I would’ve got him out of there.
      “But what can I say? I had to track him down, it was a new experience cutting the ring off with a guy who was in a fight to survive.”
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Ryan Garcia is in the ring already celebrating with his daughter.
      But the judges officially score the bout: 119-108 (x2), 118-109 to your winner by unanimous decision, Ryan Garcia.
      The American prospect can now look towards bigger and better things.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 12 – Lovely little left hook clips Tagoe, it’s been a honey shot of Garcia’s all fight.
      Garcia has Tagoe pinned into the corner and is still looking for the KO shot.
      We go into the judges scorecards after 12 fairly one-sided rounds.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 11 – All one-way traffic as Garcia walks Tagoe down, looking to land a big right hand or left hook.
      The Ghanian is staying in there but has been second best all fight.
      We head into the 12th and final round with Ryan Garcia well ahead.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 10 – Tagoe is backed up against the ropes but he lands some shots over the top.
      Big right hand stuns Tagoe! He holds on as Garcia looks to pile on the pressure.
      Big round for Garcia, who almost forced through his second knockdown of the fight.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 9 – Right hand drives right through Tagoe’s guard but the Ghanian walks forward.
      Couple big shots land for Garcia but he lunges in and smothers his work.
      Right hand looks to have slightly wobbled Tagoe on the bell.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 8 – Garcia is winging in big right hands over the top but Tagoe is dipping underneath.
      Good combination lands for Garcia, who is desperately coming forward trying to land a big right hand.
      Tagoe is defending well but not coming back with eye catching work of his own.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 7 – Couple left hooks over the top land for Tagoe.
      But Garcia comes back with a double left hand of his own in response.
      Garcia lets his hands go towards the end of the round but Tagoe covers up well in defence.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 6 – Garcia walks Tagoe down and lands a combination to head and body.
      Couple chopping right hands for Garcia as Tagoe tries to duck and dodge.
      The American is letting his power punches go more as we head into the second half.
      Garcia vs Tagoe
      Round 5 – Garcia pushes Tageo back as the aggressor.
      Tagoe lands a right hand but it provides a response from Garcia.
      Another round banked for Garcia, who was active with his jab and to the body.
      TOTT
      Here is how the two headliners compare ahead of the main event.
      Ring walks coming up NEXT.

      No average Joe
      Ryan Garcia confirmed he is out of his fog by enjoying a joke about trainer Joe Goosen’s favourite fashion faux pas
      Garcia laughed: “Yeah it was definitely his Canadian tuxedo which really sealed the job for me!
      “No, really I have a connection with Joe from the amateurs when I was 17 and he was training me a little bit.
      “Joe is an old school guy and I feel like I am an old school soul when it comes to the game. We just have a good chemistry and I think that was why I picked him.
      “Joe and AJ probably would have been a great fit. Joe can bring a lot out of you, a lot of grit. He is one of those old school trainers, like Cus D’Amato, just that rough type of person and for me I love that.”

      Belting idea
      Ryan Garcia’s hopes of a lightweight world title shot are on the backburner after undisputed champ George Kambosos accepted a June 5 clash with his King Ry’s famous 2-2 amateur rival Devin Haney.
      That clash has a rematch clause and former four-belt king Vasiliy Lomachenko is first inline for a crack at his old crowns, once the Ukraine legend finishes bravely fighting Russian invaders in his besieged home.
      But instead of getting down about the likely delay, Garcia is lining up a thriller with fellow KO artist Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis.
      He said: “I am happy for the likes of Devin Haney and Kambosos, I am happy that they are getting it on, may the best man win.
      “But I am still a major player if they want to make a major fight down the line.
      “I think Tank is the most realistic super-fight out there for me because we both have connections to (US fight maker) Al Haymon and we can make something happen for sure.
      “We are big stars and we are the most exciting fighters on paper.
      “I don’t look too far ahead because every time I do it doesn’t happen. So now I just shut up and just destroy whoever it is in the ring with me.”
      Credit: Zuma Press
      Undercard action
      Shane Mosley Jr BEATS Gabe Rosado in the chief support.
      He earns a majority decision over Rosado over 12 rounds, to push himself onto world title contention.
      Up next, Ryan Garcia makes his anticipated return.

      No Shane in that
      Shane Mosley has had years of challengers queuing up to try and beat the son of a legend – but Gabe Rosado is not one of them.
      Rosado said: “I ain’t fighting his dad, I’m fighting his son.
      “For me, yeah they share the same name, but it’s not the same to me.
      “His father is a Hall of Famer, one of the greats of the game who I respect.
      “And it’s funny as when I was first offered the Mosley Jr fight, there was a part of me which was like, ‘Damn man, I don’t want to fight his son’.
      “But at the end of the day it’s just business, it’s not personal. It is what it is. We’re both grown men and we’re going to get it on, on the night.”
      Credit: Zuma Press
      Creed it & weep
      Creed star Gabriel Rosado has a “real-life Rocky story” fit for Hollywood – and is eyeing a world title to cap off his celebrated career.
      The American in 2015 starred in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky spin-off movie and featured as one of Michael B Jordan’s on-screen adversaries.
      The blockbuster movie received widespread acclaim but only years after its release does Rosado sit back and reflect on the experience.
      He told SunSport: “It was great, being from Philadelphia, Rocky is a Philadelphia story so to us it’s even more special.
      “I grew up watching the movie so when I got to be a part of it, it was just kind of like surreal.
      “But I think I appreciate it a little more now then I did at the time. At the time it was like, ‘This is cool’.
      “But as time goes by it’s like, ‘Yo, I really was a part of history, this is big’. So I appreciate it.”

      Gift of the Gabe
      Gabriel Rosado made his professional debut in 2006 and has been through it all in the ring.
      From challenging for world titles, sharing the ring with modern-day legends and even being robbed on the cards, he has seen and done it.
      It means if anyones career has been worthy of the big screen, it is probably Rosado’s.
      He said: “For sure, it’s like the real-life Rocky story, but we’re still pushing.
      “I still feel great, going back to 68’ and I really feel like we’re going to make a push in the division.”
      Rosado, who returns to the ring at super-middleweight against Shane Mosley Jr, warned he is not done yet, with a world title still in his sights.
      He added: “That’s the end goal. That’s what keeps me going and like I said, I’ve had a long career, 16-years going on 17.
      “The goal for me is to become a world champion. I was close in the last fight, it was close, competitive, dropped down to 160 which was tough.
      “I did it because in order to do great things you have to sacrifice.”

      Ryan’s reveal
      Before even landing a world title, Garcia had incredible fame – in the shape of almost 8million Instagram followers – that added pressure.
      “I think a lot of things were in play with what was happening to me,” he said. “I was struggling with anxiety and depression.
      “I don’t know if all that stuff plays a part, the pressure of being a boxer/influencer, but all I know is I noticed a problem and I fixed it.
      “It started with counselling. I went to see a therapist, I took the professional approach to it, making sure I got real professional help and then from there I just started understanding what anxiety really is – and depression too.
      “I just started talking to people and talking to people really helped me. It helped me understand what I was going through and understand that there’s a way out.
      “Hope does a lot for you and it helps you see a light at the end of the tunnel. I slowly but surely got myself out of the hole I was in.”
      Credit: Getty
      Garcia’s fightback
      Ryan Garcia believes his fight against anxiety and depression could have ended in a “trainwreck” if he had not seeked help.
      America’s 21-0 social media sensation will end a 15-month hiatus on Saturday against Emmanuel Tagoe.
      He took the break to save his life when his battle against mental health problems started to look like the first fight he couldn’t win.
      Since he climbed off the canvas to stop Luke Campbell in January 2021, Garcia has had professional help and changed from the Eddy Reynoso gym – which he shared with pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez – and teamed up with respected veteran Joe Goossen.
      And he confirms that unless he had taken drastic measures to break the vicious circle he was facing, the next stop was a terrifying first loss.
      “I couldn’t just keep on forcing myself to just get in the ring, get in the ring if I didn’t feel mentally right outside of the ring,” he said in a brave and emotional interview.
      “I took that time and I feel amazing now, I really feel it helped me stop a trainwreck and that’s what’s important.
      “If you’re not there mentally bad things can happen in that ring.”
      Credit: Rex
      Garcia vs Tagoe weigh-in
      Both Ryan Garcia and Emmanuel Tagoe looked in tremendous shape on the scales yesterday.

      Ryan Garcia – 138.8lbs
      Emmanuel Tagoe – 138.2lbs

      Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      What have both fighters said?
      Ryan Garcia: “I was struggling with anxiety and depression.
      “I don’t know if all that stuff plays a part – the pressure of being a boxer-influencer or whatnot – but all I know is I noticed a problem and I fixed it.
      “I made sure I was ok and I made the right decision for sure.
      “Now I can’t wait to be back in the ring on 9 April.”
      Emmanuel Tagoe: [My fans] know me well. They know what I can do.
      “I might need a translator to talk the talk. But in the ring Ryan, I can beat you.”
      Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      How to watch Garcia vs Tagoe

      You can catch all of the evening’s action live on DAZN.
      Coverage of the show will start at 8pm ET and 2am BST in the UK.
      A monthly subscription to the streaming service in the US costs $19.99, or you can grab an annual package for $99.99.
      In Canada, a DAZN monthly subscription is $20, while an annual subscription is $150. 
      And viewers in the UK can subscribe from £7.99/month.

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