Images from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Willian's late strike snatched a 1-0 home win for Chelsea over a stubborn Everton side to maintain lead.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field
Virgil van Dijk made a dream start to his Anfield career, scoring the winning goal on his debut for Liverpool, as they beat city rivals Everton 2-1 in a pulsating FA Cup third round tie on Friday.
Paris St Germain suffered their first defeat of the season when they were beaten 2-0 at Stade Rennais on Sunday to drop their first Ligue 1 points of the season.
Much of this has been made possible by the owners's insistence on building a team, rather than banking on a collection of talented individuals not necessarily suited to play alongside one another.
ManchesterCity's season began to unravel when Kevin de Bruyne missed 10 matches with a knee injury but as he showed when he scored against Paris St Germain on Tuesday, anything is possible with him back in the team.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
Leicester's Mahrez rules out PSG move
Manchester United survived a tense finale to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Hawthorns on Sunday and close to within 11 points of Premier League leaders Manchester City.
'Ghost-like stands repel rather than attract audiences,' observes Ashis Ray.
His side's passage to the final was in large due to the work put in both in the field and at the crease, with few players reading conditions quite like the Kiwi skipper.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
'My team gave their best. They played a very good second half and missed qualifying by just a few minutes. These kind of matches build the character of the team.'
Sevilla's devastating display to dispatch Malaga 4-1 on Saturday put them in their highest league position after 16 games for a decade and left little doubt that hiring coach Jorge Sampaoli to succeed serial winner Unai Emery was the right choice.
Premier League clubs Watford and Hull City, and Championship side Leeds United paid the penalty for fielding weakened teams when they were all knocked out of the FA Cup in the fourth round on Sunday -- but holders Manchester United won comfortably.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The 46-year-old has been hired to fill the sizeable void left by the departure of Frenchman Arsene Wenger who had been at the Arsenal helm since 1996.
Many former players believe that storming out of games is a powerful tool to counter racism, a move that will force administrators to take the problem more seriously, and act in a way that compels clubs to obliterate such a culture and evict those responsible, says Dhruv Munjal.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was left casting envious glances at his rivals' squads after a second defeat in four days bruised their title challenge and left him looking up the table rather than down.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is expecting an even greater impact from Luis Suarez this season with the cloud of disciplinary problems no longer hanging over the Uruguay striker.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of a first victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 26 years disappeared as a 2-2 draw left Leicester City celebrating the Premier League title on Monday.
After falling 2-0 down on the night, substitute Marcos Llorente struck twice in extra-time and Alvaro Morata added a late third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone's side against a Liverpool team unbeaten in their last 25 home games in European competition.
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said his only wish is to succeed with the Spanish champions and has dismissed the idea that he could be lured away to another club.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says his team can compensate for their lack of Champions League final experience by showing greater desire and work-rate than Real Madrid in Saturday's clash in Kiev.
He expressed hope that it will also benefit a large number of Hindi-speaking umpires and those giving training in this field, to whom the rules in English are hard to understand.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
A fixture billed as a pre-Christmas cracker was more 'In the Bleak Midwinter' than 'Jingle Bell Rock' as Arsenal's hopes of regaining top spot in the Premier League fizzled out in a turgid 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
It was just outside the stadium that Vichai crashed in the helicopter he used to take off from the pitch and fly back to London after games.
Former ESPN Star Sports MD Sawhney has already been working alongside outgoing Chief Executive Richardson for the last six weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
Late goals from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matric sealed a 4-2 victory for Chelsea over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a rip-roaring FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.
The English city's unheralded football club is on the brink of becoming league champions for the first time in their 132-year history, with just three defeats all season.
Liverpool came into Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid on a wave of confidence but Zinedine Zidane's side showed exactly why they are the masters of Europe's top club competition in their 3-1 win.
A senseless pitch invasion by Serbian fans in last month's Euro 2016 home qualifier against Albania has cost the Balkan nation dearly and the team fear the ramifications ahead of Friday's match against Denmark, Nemanja Matic said.
'We've always been behind Zidane because he is a humble person who likes to listen, and that always makes things easier'
