Eden Hazard inspired Chelsea while Lionel Messi sizzled for Barcelona. Rediff.com takes a look at the other top soccer players of the weekend in Europe.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Lucas ended a goal drought stretching back to 2010 and Divock Origi missed a late penalty as Liverpool beat fourth tier Plymouth Argyle 1-0 in an FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday.
The defending champions beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 to move to fourth place in the Premier League.
Manchester City took another step toward the Premier League title when they brushed aside Blackburn Rovers 3-0 for their 18th successive home league win to move five points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table on Saturday.
Manchester City took another step toward the Premier League title when they brushed aside Blackburn Rovers 3-0 for their 18th successive home league win to move five points clear of Manchester United at the top of the table Saturday.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Michael Owen's first-half double helped Liverpool crush Blackburn Rovers 4-0 and reclaim fourth place in the English premier league.
The Dutch striker has agreed a three-year contract with Spanish Primera Liga side.
Former European Footballer of the Year Michael Owen may be on the verge of joining Manchester United from relegated Newcastle United, according to several media reports Friday. The England international could move to the Premier League champions if he passes a stringent medical examination, said the reports.
Chelsea, looking for a league and Cup double, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder Anderson will be sidelined until February with a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.
Tottenham Hotspur celebrated the return of manager Harry Redknapp with a comfortable 2-0 win over Aston Villa which lifted them to third in the Premier League on Monday.
Stuart Pearce will take temporary charge of England for this month's friendly against the Netherlands while the search for Fabio Capello's permanent successor as boss gets underway ahead of June's European Championship.
Under-fire Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has been priced odds-on to be the first Premier League manager to leave his job this season.
Palace outclass Everton to cruise into FA Cup semi-finals
United are four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand, as they search for a way into the top four and a place in next season's Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke the all-time international goalscoring record on Wednesday in a stunning late show for his side, with his 110th and 111th Portugal goals taking him past Iranian great Ali Daei's mark.
The unstoppable Gareth Bale scored twice in Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday while rivals Chelsea and Arsenal also won to add spice to the race for the Champions League spots.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor is racing to get back in time from the African Nations Cup with fellow forward Jermain Defoe ruled out for as long as three weeks for the striker-light club.
Harry Kane may have had his thunder as England's brightest young strike hope stolen of late by Jamie Vardy but Tottenham Hotspur's own home-polished jewel sparkled once more on his 100th appearance for the club on Saturday.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson knows how many goals he wants new signing Michael Owen to score next season -- "plenty."
Team mates Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer were sent off for fighting each other as Newcastle United suffered a 0-3 defeat by Aston Villa
The Newcastle United striker has postponed his retirement and will play on next season on a player/coach contract.
The Chelsea left back will miss the rest of the season with a double fracture of his ankle.\n
Newcastle grabbed a point to leave City manager Pep Guardiola frustrated.
Arsenal claimed the final Champions League spot at the expense of their arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the Premier League season on Sunday with a 1-0 win at Newcastle United.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard was presented with a statue of the city's liver bird symbol to mark his 600th appearance for the club before their Premier League game against Newcastle United at Anfield on Sunday.
Wes Morgan's 90th-minute header earned 10-man Leicester City a 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Saturday.
Images from the Europa League matches played across Europe on Thursday.
Tottenham Hotspur trounced a sorry Inter Milan 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday while last year's European champions Chelsea were humbled 1-0 by Steaua Bucharest after being stung by a Raul Rusescu penalty.
aka was excellent in the opening minutes and it was his cross that was headed into the net by Martinelli for the opener, but he went down injured shortly afterwards after a challenge from Forest's Renan Lodi. Saka tried to continue but came off after 27 minutes.
Images from the FA Cup matches played on Saturday
Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner issued a public apology on Saturday following his arrest in Britain on Thursday.
Chelsea have accepted transfer requests from former France striker Nicolas Anelka and Brazilian defender Alex, the Premier League club said on Saturday.
Chelsea's Didier Drogba proved Arsenal's nemesis again on Sunday when he scored the opening goal in the champions' 2-0 win over their London rivals which stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League. Blackpool also had an afternoon to remember, with a shock 2-1 win at Liverpool, which left Roy Hodgson's mis-firing side in the bottom three.
