“Ruben Amorim has shown that there is only so far a manager can push it,” said Sky News. The Manchester United head coach was shown a red card yesterday, only 14 months after joining from Sporting Lisbon.

After Sunday’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United, Amorim “inflamed tensions” with the Old Trafford hierarchy, telling the club’s director of football Jason Wilcox and scouting team to “do their jobs” as he had come to the club to be the manager, not the coach.

Just like Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea on New Year’s Day, “challenging the leadership in public has ended in the sack”.

‘Inevitable and predictable’

Amorim’s sacking was “inevitable and predictable”, said Sky Sports. The Portuguese was the 10th manager appointed since Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013; the United hierarchy was “desperate to give him a full season in charge before judging him” – partly because of the £12 million cost of sacking him and also to avoid the “recurring instability” of ever-changing leadership.

“Ruben needs to demonstrate he is a great coach over three years,” United minority owner Jim Ratcliffe told The Times’ The Business podcast in October. “We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch.”

But United’s results since Amorim took charge were “so poor, they never afforded the club’s bosses, or Amorim, the luxury of time”, said Sky Sports. Last season United finished 15th – their lowest since the mid-1970s – and were heavily criticised after losing the Europa League final to Spurs. This season, after spending more than £200 million on “attacking talent” last summer, the results have still been “awful”.

Despite “signs of progress” and a “charismatic approach that charmed supporters”, Amorim “must be considered United’s worst permanent manager of the post-Ferguson era”, said The Guardian. United are “adamant there have been no power clashes” and that Amorim was “sacked due to a lack of progress”. But the Old Trafford bosses “cannot have liked” his comments.

“I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach of Manchester United,” Amorim said. “I know that my name is not Tuchel, it’s not Conte, it’s not Mourinho, but I’m the manager of Manchester United and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decides to change.”

‘Bitter fracture’

Former United defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports that Amorim’s words were “something similar” to those of Maresca before he left Chelsea. Maresca said in mid-December that he’d endured “the worst 48 hours of his career at the club”.

The Italian arrived at Stamford Bridge from Leicester in 2024 and led the Blues to Uefa Conference League glory in his first season, as well as a fourth-place Premier League finish, “sealing a return to the Champions League”, said the Daily Mirror. “He followed that up with a run to glory in the Club World Cup, beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final.” As recently as November, Chelsea were second in the league table, and Maresca won manager of the month.

But on New Year’s Day, he “dramatically left his role” after “an irretrievable breakdown in his relationship with the club’s board”, said The Sun. He had signed a five-year deal with a further 12-month option, worth about £4 million per season, but the “bitter fracture” with the Chelsea hierarchy, including co-owner Todd Boehly, and confrontations over who should start games and substitutions, “left him feeling he could not stay in SW6”. A 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth “brought the final rupture”. Maresca walked out of Stamford Bridge without speaking to his players and forfeiting a potential £14 million payout.

Chelsea have “cycled through” four managers and two interim bosses in less than four years, and are now hunting for their fifth full-time head coach of the Boehly era. But Maresca’s decision to forego his payout means he’s immediately available for work. He is now, according to Sporting Life, one of the favourites to replace Amorim at United.

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has reached an agreement to lead the England men's football team. The German coach will take over from Gareth Southgate, who left the role after the Euro 2024 campaign in the summer.

A "control freak" who has been "described as 'charming', an 'incredible coach', but also 'divisive'", Tuchel will become only the third foreign permanent manager of England's men's team, said the BBC's Constantin Eckner, after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. His challenge is to become "just the second foreign coach to win a men's World Cup or European Championship".

The 51-year-old man is a "fiery tactical zealot", said Barney Ronay in The Guardian. He won league titles with both Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the Champions League during his time at Chelsea. While he may be "baggage heavy", he is still an "intriguing choice that makes sense".

He "possesses all the ingredients to become a classic England manager", said Andy Dillon in The Sun. "Tactical nous, drive, energy, experience", and "a tangled love life". He is a "vastly different personality" to Southgate, but we should "welcome back the most explosive, dynamic, charismatic and impossibly tall and gangly coach to have lit up the Premier League".

The pick of the Premier League XI could face the best footballers from Germany, Italy and other elite leagues as plans for a US-style all-star game are rekindled.

Earlier this month, Todd Boehly, the American billionaire co-owner of Chelsea, suggested that a team representing the north could meet the south in the Premier League, but “his suggestion for an English twist on the American format was widely criticised”, reported the BBC.

However, reported The Times, Boehly’s idea was one of a number “kicked about” by club executives, who seem to prefer a combined Premier League side meeting their counterparts from rival leagues.

Such contests “would surely have broadcasters and even fans salivating at the prospect”, said Metro, and the all-star match is “increasingly seen as an idea worth pursuing in order to grow audiences – particularly younger viewers – and enhance overseas TV rights”.

‘Evolution will come’

Staging such games across Europe or beyond in the summer months, or during a winter break, would be a way to “parade stars to expanding markets”, said The Times. Premier League sources also feel it could be a way to “keep growing audiences and enhancing overseas TV rights”, said the paper.

Boehly, who is also part-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team and basketball sides the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Sparks, said he hopes the Premier League “takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports”.

He also pointed out the potential financial benefits of an all-star approach, saying that “in the MLB All-Star game this year we made $200m (£181m)”.

Asked what fellow club owners would think about all-star games, he said: “Everyone likes the idea of more revenue for the league. There’s a real cultural aspect. I think evolution will come.”

‘Incredibly arrogant’

However, there’s little sign of such an evolution so far. “He’s only been here five minutes,” said Four Four Two of Boehly, and he is “being widely mocked” for his “bizarre comments on how the English game should be run”.

Jürgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, pointed out that the idea would add to the strain on elite players. “When he finds a date for that, he can call me,” Klopp said. “In American sports, these players have four-month breaks. Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher described the proposal as “incredibly arrogant”. Carragher, now a TV pundit, said that Boehly “is speaking about a league that he does not know”, reported Football 365.

Carragher’s former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard said “the calendar is busy enough”. Now the boss of Aston Villa, Gerrard added: “It’s a nice, outside the box idea, but we’ve got enough to focus on.”

Meanwhile, Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl has also come out against the idea, according to the BBC. “We don’t need to make football more colourful,” he said. “It is for me the most interesting sport,” he said.

Raheem Sterling’s transfer from Manchester City to Chelsea looks set to be announced after the England forward completed a medical with the Stamford Bridge club. The 27-year-old, who started his career at the Queens Park Rangers academy, will return to west London in a deal reportedly worth up to £50m including add-ons.

Sterling has “remained Chelsea’s top target this summer”, said Sky Sports. And the Blues are hopeful that the transfer will be completed in time to allow him to join the club’s pre-season tour in the United States. He has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months. It’s just “a matter of time for the official statement”, said football journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.

His opportunities at City were restricted by Jack Grealish’s arrival, while strikers Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez have both signed this summer, said Simon Stone on the BBC. City “wanted Sterling to stay” and he has “no ill feeling towards the club or manager Pep Guardiola”. However, the player “wants a fresh challenge” and he still has “team and professional targets he wants to fulfil, including winning the Ballon d’Or”.

Sterling ‘deserves respect’

After joining Liverpool from QPR as a 15-year-old in 2010, Sterling spent five years on Merseyside, scoring 23 goals in 129 appearances. He initially played for the club’s academy before making his senior debut in 2012, aged 17 years and 107 days.

Following a contract dispute he told Liverpool that he wanted to leave in May 2015. At the time former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said he was “disappointed” with Sterling’s decision, adding that the forward was at a “different end of the scale” to “professional” Jordan Henderson. Rejecting a new £100,000-a-week deal at Anfield, Sterling denied being a “money-grabbing 20-year-old” in a BBC Sport interview.

Sterling signed for Manchester City for an initial £49m in July 2015 and his time at the Etihad Stadium has “by any definition” been “a success”, Stone said on the BBC. He’s won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and scored 131 goals in 339 appearances for the Sky Blues.

He’s also become England’s “most important player”, Henry Winter said in The Times in July 2021. Scoring many “crucial goals”, including three at last year’s Euros, Sterling “deserves respect”, Winter added. Under head coach Gareth Southgate he’s also captained the national team.

‘Proven’ Premier League goalscorer

An “intelligent” leader and “proven” Premier League goalscorer, Sterling’s move to Chelsea “makes sense for all involved”, said Jacob Steinberg in The Guardian. The news has “gone down well” in Chelsea’s dressing room and head coach Thomas Tuchel is getting a “solid professional” whose “commitment can never be questioned”.

Despite his goal record at Man City – he’s scored on average 22 goals for the club across the past five seasons – Sterling is still “seriously underrated”, said Adam Bate on Sky Sports. That might be because his finishing is “misunderstood”. Sterling’s game is “unusually focused” on the chances that people expect players to score. “His goals often look easier. And so do the chances he misses.”

New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly “copped some flack” for revealing he would be “taking the wheel of the summer transfer drive”, said Michael Hincks on Eurosport. But “few will disagree that this is a very impressive start”. Signing Sterling is an “un-Boehly-vable” piece of business from Chelsea.

There has also been speculation that the Blues are interested in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. Ronaldo “may be glamorous”, but Sterling is “a far more sensible signing”, Steinberg added. For Chelsea, boss Tuchel and the team as a whole, “it has to be the way forward”.

The takeover of Chelsea Football Club has been completed – marking the end of Roman Abramovich’s 19 years of ownership at Stamford Bridge. It’s understood that a consortium led by Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital has paid £4.25bn for the Blues.

In a process overseen by the UK government, the consortium fought off “11 serious rivals” to become the new owners, the BBC reported. The sale started on 2 March and there were “more than 250 enquiries”.

When the UK government placed sanctions on Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich, over his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Blues’s future was “thrown into doubt”, said Sean O’Brien on talkSPORT. But now, with the consortium paying a “record sum” for a Premier League club, it’s “expected to restore normality in west London”.

The transaction has received all necessary approvals from the government, Premier League, and other authorities, Chelsea said in a statement. Under the terms of the agreement, Boehly and Clearlake will “share joint control and equal governance of the club”, while Boehly will serve as chairman of the holding company.

The end of Roman’s empire

Since Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, they have won “every trophy available”, Planet Football said. Before his ownership, the Blues had won “just one top-flight title and five domestic cups in the 98 years before his arrival”.

Chelsea’s 21 trophies under Abramovich leave their English rivals behind, The Independent said. Under “Roman’s empire”, the trophy cabinet at the Bridge includes: five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions League titles, two Europa Leagues, two Community Shields, one Uefa Super Cup and one Fifa Club World Cup.

Who is Todd Boehly and what’s his vision for Chelsea?

American businessman, philanthropist and investor Boehly is no stranger to elite sport – he’s also the co-owner of seven-time Major League Baseball champions the Los Angeles Dodgers, 17-time NBA champions the Los Angeles Lakers, and women’s basketball team Los Angeles Sparks. The 48-year-old, who co-founded investment firm Eldridge Industries in 2015, has a personal fortune of $4.5bn (£3.57bn), according to Forbes.

Boehly said the group were “honoured” to become the new custodians of Chelsea and were “all in – 100%” of every minute of every match. “Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.” The new owners have committed to developing the youth squad, acquiring the “best talent” and the plan of action is to “invest in the club for the long-term and build on Chelsea’s remarkable history of success”.

As well as Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the consortium includes Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, founder of the Wyss Foundation, and Mark Walter, co-founder and CEO of Guggenheim Capital. Walter is also a co-owner of the Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks.

It is expected that Marina Granovskaia, who runs Chelsea’s transfer business, and the chairman, Bruce Buck, will remain, The Guardian reported.

Ins and outs at the Bridge

With off-field matters now complete, Chelsea fans will “breathe a huge sigh of relief after a cloud of uncertainty was dispelled”, said Sami Mokbel in the Daily Mail. They can now “look forward to a new era”.

Chelsea finished third in the Premier League table, qualifying for next season’s Champions League. They were, however, 19 points adrift of champions Manchester City. German head coach Thomas Tuchel, who led the club to Champions League glory last year, will be “backed by the new owners” to rebuild a squad that has been “destabilised by the sale of the club these past three months”, said Matt Lawton in The Times. Tuchel is expected to be given “as much as £200m to spend on players this summer”.

In terms of players leaving the club, it’s already been confirmed that German defender Antonio Rüdiger has agreed to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expires. Danish defender Andreas Christensen is also set to sign for Barcelona on a free.

Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku is another player who may be heading for the exit door. According to Sky in Italy, Inter Milan will meet Lukaku’s lawyer today to enquire about the “feasibility of a potential move back to Serie A”.

With Rudiger and Christensen set to leave and Cesar Azpilicueta’s future “uncertain”, Chelsea are facing a “centre-back crisis”, said The Telegraph. An “eight-man list” of defenders has been drawn up, which includes Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez.

The first signing of “the Todd Boehly era” could be Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, said The Mirror. The French winger is out of contract in a few weeks and is “close” to agreeing a move to Stamford Bridge.

In a repeat of this season’s League Cup final, Chelsea and Liverpool will go head-to-head once again at Wembley Stadium – this time in the 141st FA Cup final. Liverpool won February’s League Cup on penalties and the Reds will be looking to add the second trophy of a possible quadruple.

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool side are second in the Premier League table and also through to the final of the Uefa Champions League. Since his appointment in 2015 he has led the Anfield club to five trophies. Should captain Jordan Henderson lift the cup on Saturday, it would see the German boss “complete the set” – the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup, said the Liverpool Echo. “I absolutely love this competition,” Klopp wrote in his programme notes. “I recognise its importance in our club’s own history and how much it means to our supporters.”

For Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel he is also looking for a first FA Cup title. In his first year at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea won the Champions League, Uefa Super Club and Fifa Club World Cup, but lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Leicester City. “This is a huge match in every sense,” Tuchel wrote. “These days, if you play in the final against either Liverpool or Manchester City, it cannot be bigger.”

FA Cup final kick-off time and TV coverage

The FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool takes place on Saturday 14 May, kick-off is at 4.45pm (BST). Football fans in the UK can watch the Wembley clash live on BBC One and ITV. Ahead of the match, the BBC’s cup final day coverage starts at midday with Football Focus, followed by MOTDx, Match of the Day Top 10: Most Memorable FA Cup Finals, FA Cup Rewind, and The FA Cup 2021/22: Road to Wembley. ITV’s match coverage begins at 3.45pm.

Pundit predictions: who will win the FA Cup?

According to Oddschecker.com, the bookies have Liverpool as 4/7 favourites to lift the FA Cup on Saturday, while Chelsea are priced at 13/8. The Reds are also highly fancied by the pundits.

Expect an “open-ended encounter” in Saturday’s “gargantuan” final, said Ben Knapton on Sports Mole. Securing a first-ever FA Cup would be “the perfect way” for Klopp to celebrate his recent contract extension, while Chelsea’s “Wembley curse” is yet to be lifted – the Blues have lost their last five domestic finals at the national stadium. “We expect the red side of the stadium to be celebrating after 90 minutes as the Blues’ FA Cup misery is prolonged,” Knapton added. “Liverpool 2-1.”

That same scoreline is also what Michael Potts is predicting on Radio Times. Liverpool boast “so much talent going forward” that it’s “hard to look beyond them” in any game, he said. Sadio Mane is the “latest hero on the rotating merry-go-round of match-winners”. If he doesn’t step up again, “Mo Salah will, Luis Diaz will, Diogo Jota will, Roberto Firmino will, even Divock Origi will”.

Liverpool will come into this match with “every belief” they can beat Chelsea, said BoyleSports. With the quadruple still possible, and Chelsea’s recent form “haunting them”, this looks like the FA Cup will be “heading back to Merseyside for the first time since 2006”.

There’s been “so little to split these two sides this season”, although Chelsea have looked “a lot less structured in big games of late”, said Jonathan Gorrie in the London Evening Standard. “Given their firepower, Liverpool could take advantage. Liverpool to win 2-1.”

The final will be a “fantastic” game, but “I don’t think this will be a walkover for Liverpool”, said Alan Brazil on talkSPORT. “I’d be going for a 2-2 in the 90 minutes and maybe one of them to find the winner in the extra 30. Liverpool are favourites of course, but it won’t be as easy as what some people think.”

Liverpool have been dealt a big blow with midfielder Fabinho ruled out with a hamstring injury. Could this be a major factor in the final? Paul Merson thinks so. “When I first thought about this game, I was inkling towards a draw,” Merson said on SportsKeeda. “But I fancy Chelsea to win it 2-1 as Fabinho’s absence swings the game in the Blues’s favour.”

The road to Wembley

How Chelsea reached the final:

• Third round: Chelsea 5 Chesterfield 1
• Fourth round: Chelsea 2 Plymouth Argyle 1 (aet)
• Fifth round: Luton Town 2 Chelsea 3
• Quarter-final: Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
• Semi-final: Chelsea 2 Crystal Palace 0

How Liverpool reached the final:

• Third round: Liverpool 4 Shrewsbury Town 1
• Fourth round: Liverpool 3 Cardiff City 1
• Fifth round: Liverpool 2 Norwich City 1
• Quarter-final: Nottingham Forest 0 Liverpool 1
• Semi-final: Manchester City 2 Liverpool 3

Chelsea women go for the double

Chelsea’s women’s team are also looking to win more silverware this weekend. The Women’s Super League champions play in the Women’s FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday. It’s the first time both the men’s and women’s FA Cup finals have been held on the same weekend.

The knockout stages of the Uefa Champions League have become “an absolute must-watch”, the BBC said last year. And this season, the “pinnacle” of European club football has once again proved to be one of the greatest shows in world sport.

In the two quarter-final second legs on Tuesday night, there was drama in both ties. In Spain Real Madrid lost 3-2 on the night to holders Chelsea and needed extra-time to seal a 5-4 aggregate victory. While in Germany Villareal scored an 88th-minute equaliser against six-time winners Bayern Munich to draw 1-1 on the night and progress 2-1 on aggregate.

The Spanish press celebrated “wildly” after the two La Liga teams made it through to the semi-finals, the Daily Mail reported. “What a night, what delirium!” was the headline in Marca, which released a “double-page front cover edition with each half dedicated to each side”.

Benzema breaks Chelsea hearts

Fans inside the iconic Santiago Bernabéu Stadium witnessed “arguably one of the best games this season”, said the Mail. On a dramatic Champions League night Real Madrid survived a stirring comeback from Chelsea to reach the last four.

Real, who needed their own comeback to beat Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, took a 3-1 lead into the second leg thanks to Karim Benzema’s hat-trick in last week’s match at Stamford Bridge. Defending champions Chelsea travelled to Spain requiring a miracle to reach the semi-finals – and the miracle was “soo close”, said Daniel Childs on Football.London.

Thomas Tuchel’s side went into a 3-0 lead on the night, 4-3 up on aggregate, after goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner. The “greatest comeback result in the club’s history was on”, said David Hytner in The Guardian.

But just after Werner’s 75th-minute goal, Real substitute Rodrygo forced extra-time with a superb volley and then in the 96th-minute in-form French striker Benzema “broke Chelsea’s hearts” with a headed winner, said the Mail. The Blues “will not get the credit they deserve for this performance, that is the pity”. It will go down as a defeat “when on the night Chelsea won”.

The clash at the Bernabéu will go down in history as a “Champions League classic”, said James Stroud on GiveMeSport. And the night “will live long in the memories of everyone present”, Hytner added.

When are the semi-finals?

There could be further drama when the remaining quarter-final second legs are played on Wednesday evening. After their 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium last week, Premier League champions Manchester City will travel to Spain to face Atlético Madrid. Liverpool host Benfica at Anfield and will be confident of reaching the last four having beaten the Portuguese side 3-1 in the first leg.

Real Madrid and Villarreal are the first two teams through to the Champions League semi-finals, which will be played on 26-27 April and 3-4 May. Thirteen-time winners Real will play Man City or Atlético and Villarreal will face Benfica or Liverpool.

Champions League semi-final draw

• Manchester City or Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid
• Benfica or Liverpool vs. Villarreal
• Ties will be played on 26-27 April and 3-4 May

Chelsea’s home fixture against Newcastle United last Sunday certainly wasn’t a contest “to warm the hearts of the romantics”, said David Hytner in The Guardian. It pitted a club owned by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin – and now effectively being run by the UK Government – against another that, since October, has been owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. So perhaps unsurprisingly, it proved an “edgy and uncomfortable” affair, with Chelsea “labouring for much of the afternoon” before a stunning strike from Kai Havertz in the final minutes broke the deadlock. There were “shades of Dennis Bergkamp” in the way the German cushioned Jorginho’s over-the-top pass and slotted the ball past Martin Dubravka. It was a reminder of the quality that exists in Thomas Tuchel’s squad – and it handed the Blues their “fifth Premier League win on the spin”.

It’s surprising, really, that Chelsea have been doing so well on the pitch, given the drama unfolding off it, said Alyson Rudd in The Times. The oligarch Roman Abramovich has been pouring money into the club since he bought it back in 2003; but days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he put it up for sale with a rumoured £3bn price tag. Then, on 10 March, the sale was suspended when the UK Government issued sanctions against him. Under a special licence, Chelsea have been allowed to continue competing, but have had to cease all revenue-raising activities, including selling new tickets for home matches and renegotiating players’ contracts. When faced with the prospect of his team’s upcoming trips to face Lille in the Champions League and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup, Tuchel joked that if his team could not get a plane “we go by train”, adding “if not by bus; if not I will drive a seven-seater”.

To allay some of the fears that these restrictions would force the club into administration, the Government issued a second licence this week, moderating some of the terms of its predecessor and allowing the club’s sale to be resumed, said Matt Law in The Daily Telegraph. Several parties are thought to be interested in a purchase, among them the British property tycoon Nick Candy, and a consortium headed by US businessman Todd Boehly. And so Abramovich’s 19-year relationship with Chelsea really does seem to be drawing to a close, said Jonathan Liew in the New Statesman. The “official narrative” of that relationship is that it was never based on money or self-interest: Abramovich claims he was drawn to Chelsea through “pure passion for the game and club”. Yet as bombs rain down on Ukraine, it seems possible to see – as if for the first time – why a man whose wealth depended on his links to the Kremlin might have wanted to sink billions into a football club. The truth is that Chelsea and Abramovich “locked each other into a kind of Faustian pact” – one that offered the club “trophies and clout”, while giving the Russian prestige and respectability, a “route into the British establishment”, and – perhaps most crucially – a “visibility that shielded him from the sort of political reprisals that were visited on so many of his fellow oligarchs”.

Given this tainted context, one might have expected some show of humility from the Chelsea fans gathered at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, said Oliver Brown in The Daily Telegraph. Such is the “selective myopia” induced by their tribalism, however, that they were mostly unbowed. “Champions of Europe, we know what we are,” they crowed. “We feel bad for the Ukrainian people,” one fan said, “but why should we have to suffer when it’s nothing to do with us?” Nor were such objectionable sentiments merely confined to the Chelsea sections of the crowd. “Chelsea’s skint and the Mags are rich,” sang the Newcastle fans swarming the Fulham Road. Their team, lest we forget, is owned by a fund presided over by Mohammed bin Salman, whose regime is “inflicting untold devastation on neighbouring Yemen”, and which, last Saturday, “used the cover of slaughter in Ukraine to execute 81 people in a single day”. While the Government’s move against Abramovich is to be welcomed, there is “no sense that it can or even wants to do anything about Newcastle’s links to Bin Salman”. Such is the “nightmarishly tangled web” that English football finds itself in in 2022. Having spent decades “gleefully accepting tainted money, it now finds itself in a moral maze from which there is no way out”.

1. Putin’s brutal war is the moment for Britain to reset its attitude to all refugees

Owen Jones in The Guardian

On a collision course

“British political culture is nearly as hostile to self-reflection as it is to refugees,” says Owen Jones in The Guardian. “Demonising foreign ‘others’ has long been a convenient means of diverting working-class anger at economic insecurity away from powerful interests,” he argues. And hostile media coverage of refugees and migrants makes “public defence of refugees an act of political courage in normal times. But it can be done”, such as in 2015 when Alan Kurdi, a Kurdish toddler, washed up dead on a Turkish beach. After that incident, “the number of people who believed Britain should accept more refugees surged” because “the dehumanisation of refugees encouraged by our politicians and media outlets was momentarily confronted” and “parents kissing the foreheads of their little ones at night could visualise Alan as one of their own”. A large majority of Britons are in favour of taking in thousands of Ukrainian refugees, which has put “government cruelty and public opinion on a collision course”. “Now is a moment to argue for a new permanent settlement – for a Britain that abandons its particularly inhumane indifference to the world’s most vulnerable and desperate people, whether they come from Ukraine, Yemen or Afghanistan.”

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2. Chelsea fans will also pay the price for sanctions against Roman Abramovich

John Simpson on the i news site

On a blue day

Yesterday was the 117th anniversary of Chelsea’s founding. But rather than being marked with celebrations, it was “one of the worst days the club has ever known”, says John Simpson on the i news site. The government may have “struck a major blow at Roman Abramovich” by freezing his UK assets, but it has hit Chelsea’s “faithful supporters” just as hard. Simpson, the veteran BBC correspondent, claims Abramovich “seems to have done what he could in recent years to keep his distance from Vladimir Putin” and has “revolutionised Chelsea FC” from “just another London club” to “one of the greatest clubs in the world”. At first Simpson assumed Chelsea “was just another über-rich man’s toy”, but he gradually found himself believing “that he loved Chelsea as much as we did”. Now Stamford Bridge is a “sad place”, with fans unable to spend money there, rumours of 10 players leaving and the club “as close to disaster as a multi-billion football club can get”. The sanctions may be the right thing to do, he adds, but “the greatest effect has fallen on us, the people who turn up in rain or sun to support Chelsea, and who have delighted in its success”.

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3. Why the pandemic’s increases in risky driving might not dissipate as we return to normal

Megan McArdle in The Washington Post

On a new culture

“It really has gotten more dangerous to be on the road, or even near a road,” writes Megan McArdle in The Washington Post. Americans drove about 13% fewer miles in 2020, yet fatal crashes rose by 6.8%. Early data suggests the trend continued in 2021. Why would a pandemic cause a “surge of risky driving behaviors”, she asks. The answer could be “the lure of wide-open roads”, “decreased traffic enforcement” or “pandemic stress”. As for the reduction in seat belt use, this is likely because “the most risk-averse people decide to stay home”. But the final mystery is why these trends continued as “the rest of us slowly returned to the roads”. A “more troubling possibility is that changing the mix of who was driving changed the whole culture of American roads, making it less law-abiding and more aggressive”. “As the risk-averse return, slowly and fitfully, to public life”, she says, “they could end up assimilating into the now-dominant culture that is more aggressive and less deferential to authority”.

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4. At times like these, what women secretly want is a ‘real man’

Judith Woods in The Telegraph

On ‘masculine’ traits

“A culture of mindfulness is all fine and dandy in peacetime, with a choice of oat or soya milk,” writes Judith Woods in The Telegraph. But in wartime, “you need someone who can dig a trench, chop wood and make split-second strategic decisions without agonising over diversity”. The middle classes place “little value” on “what used to be regarded as ‘masculine’ traits” because “somewhere along the line, the mastery of Excel spreadsheets became more respected than the ability to make things, to use tools, to physically shape our environment”. Now, “as Russian thermobaric rockets fall, there’s no pause for navel-gazing” because “the exigencies of survival are all that matter”. Men in Ukraine are “mounting an astonishing defence of the land and the life they hold dear”. But “would we do the same if Britain were invaded?”. If we “searched for the hero inside ourselves” would we find one? “Or just a punchline from the sitcom Miranda?”

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5. Cinema tickets for ‘The Batman’ take flight

John Gapper in the Financial Times

On dynamic pricing

“When The Batman opened to packed audiences around the world last weekend, it was a significant moment,” writes John Gapper in the Financial Times. The return of the superhero franchise is “a boost to cinemas that have suffered badly during the pandemic”, but also noteworthy because many US film-goers had to pay more to watch the film than other titles. Cinemas “cannot carry on simply raising all their ticket prices to gouge more out of extravagant popcorn munchers, leaving swaths of seats for their less popular films unfilled”. Therefore, cinemas will have to “adopt more inventive tactics”, including dynamic pricing, which is a “fancy way” of saying that some ticket prices will fall. “Change is overdue,” he argues. “Why should everyone have to pay superhero prices for quieter, gentler films in smaller venues? Cinemas have forgotten how to attract a variety of customers, but they must learn the skill again.”

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Given the week they’d had – losing a nail-biting Carabao Cup final to Liverpool, then finding out their club was up for sale – it was no surprise Chelsea began their match at Burnley last Saturday as if “wondering what was the point”, said Jonathan Liew in The Observer.

For 45 minutes, the Blues were poor, but two quick goals by Kai Havertz helped them to a 4-0 victory. Throughout the match, Chelsea fans chanted the name Roman Abramovich – even during a minute of applause to show solidarity for the Ukrainian people. The manager, Thomas Tuchel, was visibly displeased. This was not “the moment to do this”, he said.

Abramovich reportedly tried to sell the club for an asking price of £3bn, said Duncan Castles in The Sunday Times. It seems an astronomically high sum, given that Chelsea is a club with “inferior revenue streams” to Manchester United, which is thought to be worth about £1.5bn.

Another huge issue is Stamford Bridge, which is in need of costly redevelopment, said Matt Law in The Daily Telegraph: it makes the real cost of a purchase even more expensive. On Thursday, the situation changed drastically when sanctions were imposed on Abramovich by the UK government.

Russian-born billionaire Abramovich is one of seven more oligarchs who have had sanctions placed on them in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sky News reported. A government document said Abramovich has had a “close relationship for decades” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

How will sanctions impact Chelsea and a potential sale?

As a result of the sanctions, the club’s income has been frozen. It is under an effective transfer embargo and it cannot even sell tickets to matches.

The future of the reigning European champions is “uncertain”, the BBC said. But a special licence allows the Stamford Bridge club to keep operating. The men’s and women’s teams can fulfil their fixtures for the rest of this season as normal and the licence allows wages to be paid to all employees, including players and coaching staff.

Abramovich can “no longer press ahead with selling the club”, said the Daily Mail. However, Chelsea can request “special dispensation”, which would be considered if the government views a change of ownership in the “best interests of the club”, provided it does not benefit Abramovich. “It effectively leaves Abramovich with two options: agree to the government’s conditions and lose the club for nothing, or let Chelsea slowly rot.”

Chelsea fan and British property tycoon Nick Candy has confirmed that he remains interested in buying the club, the Mail reported. “We are examining the details of the announcement and we are still interested in making a bid,” a spokesperson said. “Clearly this is a time of great uncertainty for all Chelsea fans. In our view no one is the owner of a football club – you are the custodian of it for the fans and the community.”

It’s not just Candy who is interested in buying Chelsea, The Daily Telegraph reported. New York-based merchant bank Raine, which is handling the sale, has received around 150 inquiries from individuals or groups claiming to be interested. The sanctioning of Abramovich is set to “spark a shootout” between three American-led groups who are bidding to “save Chelsea from the threat of financial armageddon”.

What about the sponsors?

Following Thursday’s developments, Chelsea could “lose millions” in sponsorship revenue, the Mail said. Telecoms firm Three has put its £40m shirt sponsorship on hold while fellow partners Hyundai, Parimatch and Zapp are also considering ending their agreements. A Three spokesperson said it had asked Chelsea to “temporarily suspend our sponsorship of the club, including the removal of our brand from shirts and around the stadium until further notice”.

The “off-field chaos” continued on Friday with “further news of unrest”, The Independent reported. Kit supplier Nike may also follow main sponsor Three in suspending its deal with the club. Nike agreed a 15-year, £900m deal with Chelsea in 2016 and should they walk away it would see the club miss out on £540m. Could the Nike deal be the “nail in Chelsea’s coffin?”, the Mail asked.

A club in turmoil – but Tuchel is holding it together

Chelsea are facing the “harsh reality of life after Abramovich”, said Miguel Delaney in The Independent. “The sanctions against the owner not only impact the here and now of the football club but its future too.”

Away from the financial woes there were positive results on the pitch for Chelsea’s senior teams on Thursday night. The men’s side beat Norwich 3-1 in the Premier League while the women’s team were 4-1 winners at West Ham in the WSL.

This may be “the crumbling of the Roman Empire”, but someone forgot to tell Chelsea manager Tuchel, James Robson said in the Evening Standard. Amid the “chaos, trauma and uncertainty”, the German is the man “holding it together in the eye of the storm”. Tuchel has emerged as the figurehead of a club that is in “desperate need of leadership”.

The glory years at Stamford Bridge

Since Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, they have won “every trophy available”, Planet Football said. Before his ownership, the Blues had won “just one top-flight title and five domestic cups in the 98 years before his arrival”.

The Blues have lifted 18 major trophies in the 19 years since the Russian arrived at Stamford Bridge. And last month the reigning Champions League holders completed the set by beating Palmeiras 2-1 in the Fifa Club World Cup final. They did, however, miss out on a domestic trophy after losing on penalties to Liverpool in the League Cup final at Wembley.

Chelsea’s trophies under Abramovich leave their English rivals behind, The Independent said. Under “Roman’s empire”, the trophy cabinet at the Bridge includes: five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions League titles, two Europa Leagues, two Community Shields, one Uefa Super Cup and now the Club World Cup.

How Abramovich made his money

Worth an estimated $12.3bn, according to Forbes’s real-time data, Abramovich’s interests include stakes in the steel giant Evraz and the Russian mining and smelting company Norilsk Nickel.

Abramovich’s story involves a “remarkable rise”, the Daily Mail said. Born a “penniless orphan” in Saratov, south-west Russia, he was brought up by his grandparents from the age of four. He first started out in business “flogging plastic dolls on a market stall” after dropping out of college.

The majority of his fortune is “derived from proceeds collected selling previously Russian state-owned assets he acquired following the fall of the Soviet Union”, Bloomberg said. In 2005, he sold a 73% stake in Russian oil firm Sibneft to state-owned Gazprom for $13bn, Forbes reported. Once Russia’s richest man, Abramovich’s net worth peaked at $23.5bn in 2008.

After his British investor visa expired in April 2018, Abramovich, who is Jewish, was granted Israeli citizenship. Last year he also gained EU citizenship via a Portuguese passport. He qualified under Portugal’s naturalisation scheme for descendants of Sephardic Jews, The Guardian reported.

After a fifth defeat in eight games the pressure is building on Frank Lampard and he is reportedly on the verge of getting sacked as manager of Chelsea.

Blues legend Lampard, who was appointed in July 2019, watched his team lose 2-0 at Leicester City on Wednesday night. The result saw the Foxes go top of the Premier League and left Chelsea in eighth place.

Chelsea spent more than £200m on transfers in the summer and a strong start to the season saw them top the table in December. However, a poor run of form since has seen them lose league games against Everton, Wolves, Arsenal, Manchester City and now Leicester.

It was a lacklustre performance at the King Power Stadium - one which has left Lampard “worried” about his team’s form, the BBC reports.

After the loss, the former England midfielder said: “It’s not where we want to be. I am worried. From the form we were in to get so quickly into the form we’re in now, even with the Fulham win [on Saturday] and some other wins in there, we should be better than losing five in eight.

“It’s a young team. They won’t be feeling nice. I’m not against the lads in the dressing room. They will have learned a lesson.”

‘Out of my control’

Lampard is now the bookies’ favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job, The Sack Race reports. One bookmaker has Lampard as the 7/2 favourite to leave next, while he’s as short as 10/3 with others, according to Oddschecker.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the Leicester defeat, Lampard admitted his future is “out of my control”. He said: “It’s not my decision, that’s something that will always be there. You always understand some things are beyond your control. Things you can control are going again, lifting the players and working hard. That, I can’t answer.

“It intensified for me a while ago - expectations at this club, right or wrong, are always high. I know we’re in a different position if you look at our squad today and the age in our squad, and look at the composition of our squad, it’s a new squad. I keep talking about transition, but when you perform like that it's normal that people ask questions.”

Football365’s Sarah Winterburn believes it’s “now when, not if” Lampard is fired. She said: “Despite some who continue to protest that Frank Lampard should and will be given time by a changed Chelsea, the worst-kept secret in football is that Lampard will be sacked sooner rather than later.”

Should Lampard get the axe, the new man in charge would become the 13th different manager since Roman Abramovich became owner in June 2003.

German speaker next or Shevchenko?

The Athletic reports that if Lampard departs Stamford Bridge, then Chelsea’s next manager is “likely to speak German”. Former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel is heavily linked with the Chelsea job today, as are Julian Nagelsmann, Ralph Hasenhuttl and Ralf Rangnick.

It’s believed a German speaker will be able to tap into the influence of the Bundesliga and bring out the best out in big-money summer signings Kai Havertz and Timo Werner.

Meanwhile, former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko is reportedly “outright favourite” to replace Lampard, The Sun says. Shevchenko is currently head coach of the Ukrainian national team.

Other names being linked with the Chelsea job include ex-Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri and France head coach Didier Deschamps.

Betting odds: next permanent Chelsea manager

Latest odds according to Paddy Power

• Thomas Tuchel evens
• Andriy Shevchenko 10/3
• Max Allegri 5/1
• Julian Nagelsmann 15/2
• Brendan Rodgers 15/2
• Ralf Rangnick 12/1
• Ralph Hasenhüttl 12/1

Messi’s high praise for Mount

Chelsea youngster Mason Mount has been backed to become a star by arguably the biggest star of all, Lionel Messi.

After spending last season on loan at Championship club Derby County, 21-year-old Mount has enjoyed a breakthrough year under Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge.

He has scored six goals in 41 games for the Blues and also won six international senior caps for England.

Football.London reports that Barcelona and Argentina captain Messi has partnered with Topps to produce an exclusive set of Champions League “Greatest Moments” football cards.

One category of card is “youth of the rise” and this is where Mount is featured.

Messi gives his comments on each player and on Mount’s card he gives the young midfielder the highest of praise.

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi said of the Chelsea man: “Having watched him play he has the potential to be one of the best.”

Premier League has ‘ambitious’ plan to resume season in May

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Inter set to reject Alexis loan extension

The Daily Telegraph reports that Alexis Sanchez’s loan spell at Inter Milan will come to an end.

Alexis has been a “popular” figure in the changing room at the San Siro but injuries have plagued his time in Italy.

Inter are poised to reject the chance to extend Alexis’s loan deal and the 31-year-old is likely to return to parent club Manchester United.

Alexis’s future at Old Trafford is a “problem” for United. The Chilean forward earns a reported £500,000-a-week and has two years left on his contract.

The Telegraph says the huge wage means there is “little chance of another club looking to cover his salary on a loan”.

No Reds return for Coutinho

According to the Daily Mirror Liverpool have “zero interest” in bringing Philippe Coutinho back to Anfield.

Brazilian Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona in January 2018 but has struggled to make an impact at the Camp Nou. He is currently on loan at Bayern Munich and recent reports suggest he could return to the Premier League.

Manchester United and Chelsea have been linked with the playmaker but Liverpool are out of the running.

The Mirror says this “is a blow to the 27-year-old, who has admitted to friends that he made a big mistake in forcing his way out of the Merseyside club to join Barca”.

Today’s back pages

‘Covidiot’ Jack Grealish is fined by Aston Villa

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Pogba’s United career ‘over’

Paul Pogba’s second spell as a Manchester United player looks likely to come to an end this summer.

Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently dismissed speculation that the midfielder could leave at the end of the season, but today the Daily Mail reports that his time at Old Trafford is “over”.

French World Cup winner Pogba returned to Old Trafford from Juventus four years ago in a club-record £89.3m deal and reports suggest that both parties are ready to cut ties.

The Mail says that United are “willing to listen to offers in the region of £100m” for Pogba. The Sun adds that £80m has been “slashed” off his asking price.

In the past 12 months former club Juventus and Spanish giants Real Madrid have regularly been linked with a potential move for the 27-year-old.

Bruno Fernandes: Man Utd’s star has the X factor to become a legend

Ole ready to make Jude bid

The Daily Star reports that Manchester United are ready to table a £30m bid “to beat off rivals” for the hand of Jude Bellingham.

The 16-year-old wonderkid has been in blistering form for Birmingham City in the Championship this season and the Star says that United are “obsessed with coming out on top in the race for him”.

Apparently Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also “keen” on the teenage sensation but United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to bring the youngster to Old Trafford.

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Chelsea keen on Coutinho

Spanish newspapers Sport and AS both report that Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho could return to the Premier League.

The Brazilian formerly played at Liverpool before making a £142m move to Barcelona in January 2018. However, he struggled to impress at the Camp Nou and is currently on loan at German giants Bayern Munich.

Metro says that Chelsea have already contacted Coutinho’s representatives and have held talks with Barcelona over a loan deal.

It’s believed that the player would like a return to the Premier League but Chelsea could face competition from his former club Inter Milan.

Today’s back pages

Football unites against virus as Gary Neville and Roman Abramovich hand hotels over to NHS staff

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Fury and the farmer

The Guardian and The Times report that UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has launched an investigation into Tyson Fury over an allegation that false evidence was submitted in his defence after a failed drugs test in 2015.

The story was first broken in the Mail on Sunday in which Martin Carefoot, a Lancashire farmer, alleged he was offered £25,000 by “someone linked to the world heavyweight champion to falsely claim that he sold wild boar to the Furys”.

The Times says that Fury and his cousin Hughie, also a boxer, tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone but subsequently blamed the result on eating uncastrated wild boar or contaminated supplements.

Carefoot said that though he didn’t receive any money he did sign two witness statements in which he falsely claimed to have supplied the wild boar.

In the ensuing legal battle, reports The Times, “the Furys agreed in 2017 to a backdated two-year ban for both boxers”.

Frank Warren, Tyson Fury’s promoter, responded to the new allegations by casting doubt on the farmer’s credibility but The Times says the world heavyweight champion “could face a ban of eight years if Ukad finds that false evidence was knowingly submitted”.

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Mount defies ban

The Daily Mirror and the Daily Express are indignant to see that Mason Mount broke Chelsea’s self-isolation ban “for a park kickabout with Declan Rice”.

Mount had been instructed to steer clear of people following Callum Hudson-Odoi’s positive test for coronavirus last week, but the young frontman defied the Blues’s ban for a Sunday kickabout.

The Mirror predicts that Mount will receive “a major dressing down from Stamford Bridge chiefs”, while West Ham may also take a dim view of Rice - who hasn’t been told to self-isolate - for putting himself at risk.

Coronavirus stops sport: what is cancelled or postponed?

Rugby League plays on

Several newspapers report on the “business as usual” approach of rugby league, which, in contrast to practically every other professional sport in the UK, fulfilled its fixtures at the weekend, although Leeds postponed their match against the Catalans on Saturday after a player was tested for coronavirus - a test which came back negative.

Castleford beat St Helens in the Super League and there’s some unintentional humour to be found in The Guardian’s report of the match.

“We shouldn’t be playing,” a St Helens fan called Dave tells the paper. “There’s a social responsibility to protect fans and help public health.”

Dave can’t have been that concerned as he and hundreds of Saints supporters travelled across the M62 to watch the match.

Today’s sport headlines

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Football was thrown into turmoil last night as it emerged that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi had both tested positive for coronavirus.

The news came after the Premier League announced that this weekend’s fixtures would go ahead. However, it was confirmed today that all matches are now postponed until 3 April at the earliest.

Spaniard Arteta was, according to the Daily Mail, “the first confirmed member of staff of a Premier League team to contract the disease”.

But the paper says that the 37-year-old did not come into contact with Olympiakos owner Evangelos Marinakis, who earlier this week revealed he is infected, during their Europa League game on 27 February.

In a statement released on Arsenal’s official website, Arteta said: “This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”

The Gunners also confirmed that their London Colney training centre has been closed. The north London club said: “Arsenal personnel who had recent close contact with Mikel will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines.

“We expect this to be a significant number of people from Colney, including the full first-team squad and coaching staff, as well as a smaller number of people from our Hale End Academy which we have also temporarily closed as a precaution.”

Arteta is said to be “in good spirits” and Arsenal’s head of football Raul Sanllehi told the club website: “Mikel and the full first-team squad, players and staff, will be fully supported, and we look forward to getting back to training and playing as soon as medical advice allows. Obviously Mikel’s full recovery is the priority now for us all.”

A few hours after Arteta’s announcement, Chelsea revealed that 19-year-old Hudson-Odoi had also tested positive.

A club statement said: “Chelsea personnel who had recent close contact with the player in the men’s team building will now self-isolate in line with Government health guidelines. These will include initially the full men’s team squad, coaching staff and a number of backroom staff.”

Coronavirus impact on sport: which events are cancelled, postponed or being played behind closed doors?

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Return on 4 April?

Following Arteta and Hudson-Odoi testing positive for coronavirus the Premier League, Football Association (FA), English Football League (EFL) and the Women’s Super League (WSL) have collectively agreed to postpone the professional game in England until 3 April at the earliest.

A statement said: “Following a meeting of shareholders today, it was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on 4 April, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time.”

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “Above all, we wish Mikel Arteta and Callum Hudson-Odoi speedy recoveries, and everyone else affected by COVID-19.

“In this unprecedented situation, we are working closely with our clubs, Government, The FA and EFL and can reassure everyone the health and welfare of players, staff and supporters are our priority.

“Despite the challenges, it is the Premier League’s aim to reschedule the displaced fixtures, including those played by Academy sides, when it is safe to do so. In this fast-moving environment, further updates will be provided when appropriate.”

Today’s back pages

Five-star Man Utd march on and Euro 2020 could be put back a year

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The 2019-20 Uefa Champions League knockout stage began with some huge results in the round of 16 first legs. But there is now as much focus on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak as the football.

Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that their game against Napoli on March 18 would take place behind closed doors, and it is expected that Chelsea's tie with Bayern Munich the same night will also be a lock-out.

On Monday Paris Saint-Germain were ordered to play Wednesday’s home tie against Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors after banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of the disease.

The clash between Valencia and Atalanta tonight will also be played in an empty stadium, and Uefa has done away with the pre-match handshakes, following in the footsteps of the Premier League.

On the pitch Spurs travel to Germany this evening and even though his team lost 1-0 Jose Mourinho was in a positive mood after the first leg.

“It’s not 10-0 and the result is still open,” said Tottenham boss Mourinho. “It’s as simple as that. We wouldn’t be the first team to lose 1-0 at home and then win the tie away. So why shouldn’t we believe?”

Despite losing 1-0 in the Spanish capital, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes the power of Anfield can help his side progress to the last eight on Wednesday night.

He said: “I am really looking forward to the second leg. It’s half-time and we’re 1-0 down. The second half will be played in our stadium and they will feel it.”

Chelsea require a miracle after losing 3-0 at home in their first leg against Bayern Munich, but may not have to contend with raucous home support if the tie does take place in an empty arena, while Manchester City will be confident of progressing after winning 2-1 at Real Madrid.

Here we take a look at the round of 16 second leg fixtures and pick out the pundit predictions ahead of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Champions League last-16 second leg fixtures

• Tuesday 10 March: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0 on aggregate); Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)
• Wednesday 11 March: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2); Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)
• Tuesday 17 March: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (2-1); Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)
• Wednesday 18 March: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1); Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)
• All matches kick off at 8pm (GMT) and are live on BT Sport

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Predictions: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0)

Bwin

“Only Timo Werner’s 58th-minute penalty separated these sides in London, but the Bundesliga outfit looked much the better team for large parts of that contest. We’re backing Julian Nagelsmann’s men to come out on top again on home turf.”

Football Predictions

“We’ve got the feeling that RB Leipzig look likely to get the goals that they need when they face Tottenham, who will not find it easy to score. We’re predicting a decent 2-0 winning margin for RB Leipzig after 90 minutes.”

Pinnacle

“A Timo Werner penalty proved enough to separate these sides for the first leg in London, and Leipzig are heavily expected to finish the job and book their quarter-final place at the expense of a Tottenham team who are clearly struggling in the absence of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. Percentage chance of qualifying: RB Leipzig 80.20% Tottenham 19.80%.”

Football Tips

“If Mourinho’s strike-force options don’t improve, then the prognosis, like our predictions, suggest a heavy loss that will send Spurs out of the Champions League knockout rounds with a bitter aftertaste.”

BettingPro

“Leipzig are unlikely to risk their away goal lead and chase the game with the same fearless aggression from the start, so we’re going to go with a low scoring game in the return leg, with a Leipzig 1-0 win the most likely outcome.”

Infogol

“The Infogol model predicts a 61% chance of a win for RB Leipzig. There is a 20% chance that Tottenham Hotspur will win. The draw is a 19% chance.”

Predictions: Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)

Football Predictions

“In our opinion, Atalanta and Valencia should both be able to score more than once here although it’s hard to pick a clear winner. Shouldn’t be much in it, and there should be goals with a draw being quite a realistic outcome. With that in mind, we reckon that it will be a 2-2 when the full-time whistle blows.”

Football Tips

“We can see this one fizzling out into a draw. Valencia have to come forward to try and come from behind in the tie, but Atalanta have the quality to pick them off on the break and as such, we expect the two sides to cancel each other out in this game for a draw.”

Pinnacle

“Valencia found themselves hopelessly overpowered by a free-scoring Atalanta side that have netted the third most goals [70] in Europe’s top five leagues this season, and the odds give them less than a 10% chance of overturning their 4-1 defeat. Percentage chance of qualifying: Valencia 9.72% Atalanta 90.28%.”

Predictions: Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)

Squawka

“All their good work will be undone as [Diego] Simeone heads to Anfield and tries to defend for 90 minutes; only to find that Liverpool’s relentless will to win and his own side’s mental fragility means there will be only one outcome from such an approach. They will hold as long as they can, but eventually they will cave to the pressure as they always do. Liverpool to advance.”

Football Tips

“The fortress that is Anfield has played host to many historic Champions League games down the years, paired with a wall of red banners and the cacophonous singing Kop. Combine this with the Reds’s gegenpressing, attack-dominant starting XI and the chances of another comeback are more than likely.”

Pinnacle

“Defending champions Liverpool fell foul of a typically stern and defensively organised Atletico performance in the first leg, although they are still very narrowly favoured to remain in the competition ahead of Diego Simeone’s side. Percentage chance of qualifying: Liverpool 51.12% Atletico Madrid 48.88%.”

Predictions: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2)

Bwin

“Past evidence suggests Borussia will struggle to keep PSG at bay on the road. They lost 3-1 at Barcelona and 2-0 at Inter during this season’s group stage, while last term they went down 2-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their pool and were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham in London at this point. Take 11/1 for a 3-1 home victory.”

Pinnacle

“Whilst an impressive brace from this season’s breakout star Erling Braut Haaland led Dortmund to a first leg victory, the odds give PSG a slight edge in advancing to the quarter-finals for what would be the first time in four seasons. Percentage chance of qualifying: PSG 52.11% Borussia Dortmund 47.89%.”

PSG’s striker situation: keep Mbappe by selling Neymar or risk losing both?

Predictions: Man City vs. Real Madrid (2-1)

Pinnacle

“A Kevin De Bruyne masterclass enabled Manchester City to come from behind and defeat La Liga leaders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and the market indicates they have reason to feel confident about their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. Percentage chance of qualifying: Man City 86.99% Real Madrid 13.01%.”

Predictions: Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)

Pinnacle

“A fortuitous Nicolas Tousart goal condemned Juventus to defeat versus Lyon in arguably the most shocking result amongst the first legs, and whilst they are still favoured to advance, their chances have dropped from an initial 85% rating to just under 55%. Percentage chance of qualifying: Juventus 54.60% Lyon 45.40%.”

Predictions: Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)

Pinnacle

“Bayern Munich produced a thoroughly impressive and ruthlessly clinical second half performance to dismantle Chelsea in the first leg of their tie, leaving Frank Lampard’s side virtually zero chance of advancing and all but ending their campaign.”

Predictions: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1)

Pinnacle

“Napoli turned in a determined display to earn a respectable 1-1 draw at home against Barcelona, although the market indicates that will not be enough to secure a spot in the quarter-final. Percentage chance of qualifying: Barcelona 77.72% Napoli 22.28%.”

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FA Cup fifth round Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

First Atlético Madrid, then Watford and now Chelsea. Liverpool’s losing streak is now three games out of four as the Reds were beaten 2-0 by the Blues at a swinging Stamford Bridge last night.

Goals from Willian and Ross Barkley dumped Liverpool out of the cup and added to Jurgen Klopp’s woes.

It’s not a crisis for Klopp, but the well-oiled Liverpool machine is spluttering and for the first time in a year the German will have to carry out a maintenance check.

With a 22-point lead in the Premier League Liverpool are almost guaranteed of the title, but of more immediate concern is next week’s return leg against Atletico in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The holders were beaten 1-0 in Madrid on 18 February and they’ll need to rediscover their sharpness and swagger before next Wednesday’s second leg at Anfield.

Klopp was questioned about the Atletico tie in his post-match press conference last night, but he brushed away such thoughts.

“We are not interested in Atletico Madrid, it is all about Bournemouth,” he said, referring to Saturday’s Premier league match. “They are fighting with all they have and they did really well against Chelsea.”

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Don’t panic

Asked what had gone wrong at Stamford Bridge, Klopp said: “A lot of parts of the performance I really liked. We know we have to improve, it is not about destiny, not about not clicking here or there, it is all about us and we have to take it in the right way.

“Nobody has to feel sorry for us, we will win football games and that is what we want to do on Saturday.”

Chelsea had also suffered a setback in their first leg of the Champions League last-16 clash, losing 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich.

Manager Frank Lampard had admitted his side had been “outclassed” on that occasion, and so he was delighted with the way his side had dominated Liverpool.

Barkley over the moon with goal

“An impressive performance,” Lampard declared. “It’s hard to be comprehensive against Liverpool because they remain in the game because of the team they are.

“But we can’t ask for any more. The spirit, the work ethic, the quality, you’ve got to defend really well to keep a clean sheet against them.”

No one was more ecstatic than goalscorer Ross Barkley, the former Everton midfielder who remains a dedicated Toffees supporter.

“Scoring against Liverpool is massive for me,” said the Scouser. “As an Everton fan, it’s always a dream to score against them. It was brilliant, a massive result for the lads.”

FA Cup fifth round results and fixtures

• Monday: Portsmouth 0 Arsenal 2
• Last night: Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0; Reading 1 Sheffield United 2 (AET); West Bromwich Albion 2 Newcastle United 3
• Tonight: Leicester City vs. Birmingham City (7.45pm, live on Facebook); Sheffield Wednesday vs. Manchester City (7.45pm, live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer); Tottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich City (7.45pm, live on BBC iPlayer)
• Tomorrow: Derby County vs. Manchester United (7.45pm, live on BT Sport)

Today’s back pages

Mako Vunipola virus shock for England rugby and a howler by ‘Adriaaaan’ gifts Chelsea FA Cup win

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Vunipola virus confusion

“Mako virus shock” is the headline on the back page of today’s Daily Express, which is one of several newspapers to relay the latest misfortune to befall England rugby player Mako Vunipola.

The Saracens star has been stood down from the England squad for this Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales and is self-isolating after he travelled through Hong Kong last weekend, which is considered a hotspot for coronavirus.

Vunipola was on his way back from his native Tonga, where he had gone for personal reasons, an enforced absence that caused him to miss England’s game against Ireland last month.

An eye injury forced him out of the Six Nations opener against France, and this latest episode is another blow in a disrupted international campaign for the prop.

The Times also covers the story but says that “in a bizarre twist”, Vunipola will be considered for selection for Saracens in their Premiership match against Leicester this Saturday.

The paper says that “their medical team assessed the prop and decided that he was fit enough to join them after showing no symptoms of the virus”.

The Guardian also uses the “bizarre” word in describing the situation, adding that his presence at Saracens is “starkly at odds over governmental guidelines for anyone who may have been exposed to coronavirus sufferers”.

The NHS recommends that anyone who could be infected self-isolates for 14 days.

Coronavirus: Six Nations matches to go ahead as scheduled

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Reds feeling the Blues

Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat of Liverpool in the fifth round of the FA Cup dominates the back pages and they won’t make pleasant reading for Adrian.

The Reds goalkeeper gifted Chelsea an early goal when he failed to deal with an innocuous long-range strike from Willian.

“Adriaaaan” screams the Daily Mirror, above a picture of the Brazilian fumbling the ball into his own net. The Mirror describes the mistake as a “calamity”, while the Daily Star goes for “howler”.

The Times is more focused on the Reds’s sudden slump in form. “Liverpool losing it”, the paper proclaims, pointing out that Jurgen Klopp’s boys have lost three of their last four matches, including the 3-0 hammering at the hands of Watford on Saturday that ended their unbeaten Premier League season.

Toon hit the high notes

The Guardian finds space on its back page to laud Newcastle United’s 3-2 victory against West Bromwich Albion, a win that takes the Magpies into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2006.

Under the headline, “Top of Toon”, the paper says the two goals from Miguel Almiron were crucial in Newcastle’s win.

The Daily Express also name checks the Magpies’s victory on its back page, as it does Sheffield United’s 2-1 victory at Reading under the headline “Sharp sticks knife into Royals”, a reference to the extra-time winner from Blades striker Billy Sharp.

FA Cup fifth round results and fixtures

• Monday: Portsmouth 0 Arsenal 2
• Last night: Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0; Reading 1 Sheffield United 2 (AET); West Bromwich Albion 2 Newcastle United 3
• Tonight: Leicester City vs. Birmingham City (7.45pm, live on Facebook); Sheffield Wednesday vs. Manchester City (7.45pm, live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer); Tottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich City (7.45pm, live on BBC iPlayer)
• Tomorrow: Derby County vs. Manchester United (7.45pm, live on BT Sport)

Today’s sport headlines

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Frank Lampard is set for a busy summer with reports suggesting that the Chelsea manager is planning to make major changes to his squad.

The Blues were beaten 3-0 at home by Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek and the result - and gulf in quality - could force Lampard to wield the axe.

The Sun reports that Lampard is preparing to sell eight first-team players as part of a major overhaul at Stamford Bridge. According to several media outlets the Blues are also linked with a number of high-profile new signings.

Here we look at the potential outs and ins at the Bridge in the summer transfer window...

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Jorginho, Kepa and Barkley at risk

Italian £50m midfielder Jorginho, £72m Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and England midfielder Ross Barkley are among the eight players who could be heading for the exit.

The Sun says that others also under the microscope in the final months of the season are centre-half Kurt Zouma and wingers Willian and Pedro. Meanwhile, left-sided defenders Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri are not rated as good enough.

According to the Sun Lampard’s mind is “rapidly being made up on who has what it takes to survive a major cull”.

Willian considers exit

Brazilian playmaker Willian could leave when his contract expires at the end of the season. The Daily Mirror reports that the 31-year-old has been offered two more years but he is holding out for three.

Speaking to Esporte Interativo Willian said: “Chelsea offered me two years, and they are not going to change what they offered. I said I wanted three more years. The situation is difficult because of this, I really don’t know if it will be possible.”

Willian has long been linked with a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.

Kepa out, Oblak in?

At £72m Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga is the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, but he has recently been dropped to the bench by Lampard.

Metro and the Daily Express both report that Chelsea are plotting a swap deal that would see Kepa move to Atletico Madrid and Slovenian No.1 Jan Oblak switch to west London.

Conte keen on left-sided duo

Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on bringing Marcos Alonso or Emerson Palmieri to Italy this summer.

The Daily Mail, citing a report in Tuttosport, says that the former Chelsea boss is eyeing extra strength in depth as Inter look to continue to close the gap to Juventus in Serie A.

Upamecano and Chilwell to bolster defence?

Lampard is planning a “defensive overhaul”, the Mirror reports, and his No.1 target is RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano.

The 21-year-old Frenchman is seen by Lampard as a perfect partner for Antonio Rudiger at the heart of the Chelsea defence.

With captain César Azpilicueta still a major influence in the dressing room and Reese James impressing at right-back, it’s on the left where Lampard is also seeking improvements.

One player who could bolster the left side of Chelsea’s defence is Leicester City and England international Ben Chilwell.

Sancho to join Ziyech in attack?

Chelsea have already agreed a deal to bring Ajax star Hakim Ziyech to the Bridge, but another attacker being linked with the Blues is Jadon Sancho.

Borussia Dortmund and England star Sancho is also a reported target for Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The battle to sign the £150m-rated 19-year-old could be the biggest transfer scramble of the summer.

Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to ‘spend, spend, spend’

Today’s newspaper back pages

Man City are the Real deal with ‘Bernablue’ win

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Champions League last-16 first leg Chelsea 0 Bayern Munich 3

Chelsea saw their Champions League aspirations crushed by Bayern Munich last night as the Blues were battered at Stamford Bridge.

The German champions inflicted a 3-0 thrashing on their hosts in the first leg of their last-16 tie, a deficit that will take a minor miracle to overturn when the two clubs meet at the Allianz Arena in the return leg on 18 March.

London calling

Bayern have acquired a habit of humiliating London’s finest, having annihilated Arsenal 5-1 at the Emirates in 2017, and then scoring seven against Tottenham last October in a group match.

Chelsea similarly had no answer to the brutal brilliance of Bayern, although ironically it was a former Gunner who once again did the most damage.

Serge Gnabry scored four goals in the 7-2 hammering of Spurs, and against Chelsea he found the net twice in a superb display of finishing.

The provider on both occasions was Robert Lewandowski, and the Pole added a third for the visitors on 76 minutes to give the Germans a lead that will almost certainly take them through to the quarter-finals.

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Super Serge

Arsenal must wonder how and why they let Gnabry, 24, slip through their fingers in 2016 after four seasons at the club, but at least the fans can now appreciate his tweets.

“North London is RED!!!” he tweeted last autumn after demolishing Spurs, and last night he declared on the same platform: “London still red.”

Count yourselves lucky, Arsenal, that you won’t be meeting Serge and Bayern Munich any time soon.

Bad discipline

A miserable evening for Chelsea was rounded off by the dismissal of defender Marcos Alonso, sent off seven minutes from time for tangling with Lewandowski.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the Blues, there was also a yellow card for Jorginho (for dissent), which rules him out of the return leg.

“Jorginho is done by talking to the ref, which is unnecessary,” rued Frank Lampard, who was also candid in his assessment of his side’s display.

“The performance was poor and sometimes you have to be brutally honest. They outclassed us in every department and it’s quite sobering.

“I’m disappointed we couldn’t do more against them. We have to take it on the chin and work towards getting back to the levels we want to be at.”

Napoli 1 Barcelona 1

In last night’s other last-16 tie, Barcelona came from a goal down to draw with Napoli in Italy.

Dries Mertens put the hosts in front in the first half - a goal that took him level with Marek Hamsik as Napoli’s all-time top scorer with 121 - but Barcelona levelled after 57 minutes when Antoine Griezmann converted Nelson Semedo’s low cross.

The Spaniards lost Arturo Vidal late on when he was dismissed for a second yellow card, but they held out and will be favourites to progress to the last eight when the sides meet at the Camp Nou on 18 March.

“They didn’t hurt us, they tickled us,” reflected Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso. “It went wrong in one moment and they punished us.”

Tonight’s fixtures

There’s a huge game at the Bernabeu this evening as Real Madrid host Manchester City. In tonight’s other last-16 first leg tie Lyon are at home to Juventus. Both matches kick off at 8pm and are live on BT Sport.

Today’s back pages

Bayern Munich and Gnabry cause a ‘power Serge’ at Stamford Bridge

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Super Serge

The remarkable exploits of Serge Gnabry dominates the back pages with The Guardian’s “power Serge” headline encapsulating the gushing praise for the brilliant Bayern Munich marksman.

Having scored four goals in their 7-2 win against Tottenham in October, the 24-year-old added two more against Chelsea as the Germans ran out 3-0 winners in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge.

“Serge and destroy” is splashed across the back of the Daily Mirror with the paper claiming that Bayern’s victory “all but knocks out Chelsea” from the competition. The Sun’s “Smash ’N Gnab 2” headline is a nod to Gnabry’s feats against Tottenham.

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Murray sidelined?

The Guardian, The Times and the Daily Mirror have some worrying news about Andy Murray, who is struggling to be fit for this summer.

“Fear” is the word used by the Mirror and The Times, both of whom claim that the 32-year-old British tennis star may be required to go under the surgeon’s knife once more.

According to the Times, the three-time grand-slam champion “will discover in the next few weeks whether he requires more surgery on his right hip that could rule him out of Wimbledon this summer”.

The Guardian says that Murray, who has not played since November, is still eager to carry on playing at the top level but the paper quotes the Scot saying: “I have become quite pessimistic about time frames.”

Stokes honoured

The Daily Mirror carries a photograph on its back page of England cricket star Ben Stokes receiving his OBE from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.

Jos Buttler was also there to collect an MBE from Prince William in recognition of what England achieved last year in winning the Cricket World Cup for the first time.

According to the Mirror, “Big Ben” declared: “This gong is for the whole team.”

The decoration caps a remarkable transformation for the 28-year-old Stokes, who two years ago was cleared of affray in a high-profile court case after a brawl in Bristol.

Today’s sport headlines

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Premier League Chelsea 0 Manchester United 2

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard described the video assistant referee (VAR) as “soul destroying” after three crucial calls were made in the Blues’s 2-0 defeat against Manchester United last night.

United defender Harry Maguire got lucky in the first half when he escaped sanction from VAR after it appeared he had kicked Michy Batshuayi in a particularly sensitive area.

Maguire later scored for United, adding to Anthony Martial’s first-half effort, but the scoreline could have been different had VAR not ruled out two Chelsea goals, one for a shove in the penalty area and the other for offside.

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Fred foul first?

The first incident was particularly contentious given that replays suggested that while Cesar Azpilicueta had laid a hand on Brandon Williams, United’s Fred had been the first to make contact with the Chelsea captain. Had Kurt Zouma’s goal been allowed by VAR official Chris Kavanagh the score would have been 1-1.

Olivier Giroud then had his header chalked off when VAR ruled that the Frenchman’s foot was in an offside position as he moved towards Mason Mount’s free-kick.

So United left Stamford Bridge having completed their first league double over Chelsea since the 1987-1988 season.

Of far greater significance, however, were the three points that move United to seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind Chelsea, who remain fourth.

Game changer

“It’s a bit soul destroying,” said Lampard, when asked about the controversial decisions. “I’ve seen it again and VAR is there for that and they didn’t get it right. Harry Maguire should have been sent off, that’s clear, and that obviously changes the game.”

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a different take on the incident, saying: “Was Harry Maguire lucky? I don’t think so. He was fouled first and Batshuayi was going to fall on top of him so he put his leg out and hit him where it hurts.”

Reactions to the VAR decisions

Harry Maguire, Man Utd captain, speaking to Sky Sports

“I felt he was going to fall on me and my natural reaction was to straighten my leg to stop him. It wasn’t a kick out and there was no intent. I think it’s the right decision.”

Chris Sutton, former Chelsea striker, on BBC Radio 5 Live

“Fred shoves Azpilicueta into Williams - the goal should stand. That’s ridiculous! That’s absurd, that’s crazy stuff. They want their heads banging together. I’m bamboozled by that decision.”

Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea captain

“I pushed Williams but I was pushed. At least go to the monitor - it takes 30 seconds. The referee on the pitch has to be the one to take the decisions... I’m not saying the push from Fred was a penalty but my push is a consequence of his push.”

Henry Winter, The Times

“Atmospheres in grounds are becoming that frustrated, almost toxic, particularly here where there were three VAR calls against Chelsea, one correct, but two of them horribly, almost laughably, wrong.”

Jason Burt, The Daily Telegraph

“There was confusion as to how Harry Maguire escaped sanction, and probably a red card… it was fair enough that referee Anthony Taylor did not see it, but what about Chris Kavanagh, the VAR?”

Today’s back pages

Chelsea are left feeling blue and Wenger backs Uefa over Man City ban

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Ighalo self-isolating

Several papers report the plight of Manchester United’s new signing, Odion Ighalo, who according to The Times, has agreed to keep clear of the club’s training ground for two weeks “because of concerns over the spread of coronavirus”.

The paper claims that the frontman, who was signed by the Red Devils last month on loan, has yet to meet his new team-mates because he is self-isolating after arriving from parent club Shanghai Shenhua.

Ighalo has spent three years with the Chinese outfit and with coronavirus an ongoing menace, it’s been agreed that the 30-year-old should undergo a fortnight’s quarantine in order to ensure there is no risk of contaminating his team-mates.

Daily Star says that the Nigerian international has been working on a personalised fitness programme provided by the club at the British Taekwondo headquarters in the east of Manchester, near Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

“I can confirm Odion has been training at the taekwondo centre and has not been to Carrington,” his agent Oladele Salami told the Star. “The team are back on Saturday and he will join up with them then.”

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Chelsea chase Ziyech

The Guardian and the Daily Express both report that Chelsea have sealed a deal with Ajax to sign Hakim Ziyech in the summer, although the papers quibble on the cost of landing the 26-year-old Morocco winger.

According to the Guardian, the Blues will hand “€40m [£33.6m] plus add-ons” to the Dutch champions in return for Ziyech as Frank Lampard finally gets his hands on a player he’s admired for a while.

Although the Blues have also been linked with Jadon Sancho in recent days, the Guardian says that Lampard is more likely to bring in Ziyech as a replacement for Willian, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

The Guardian says that Chelsea tried to sign Ziyech in January but Ajax were “unwilling to sanction a sale mid-season” and instead said they would be willing to talk in the summer.

The Daily Express echoes the view of the Guardian but claims the asking price is around £38m.

Jadon Sancho’s next club: Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea or somewhere else?

South Africa win T20 thriller

The Guardian’s back page carries a photo of a jubilant Lungi Ngidi celebrating one of the three wickets he claimed against England in yesterday’s thrilling Twenty20 encounter in South Africa.

“Packing a punch” is the headline in what the paper describes as a “dramatic game”.

England had looked on course for a comfortable win before South Africa ace Ngidi ripped through the middle order to secure a one-run victory in the first of three T20 matches.

Today’s sport headlines

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Sancho scrap

The future of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho is the hot topic in a number of tabloids this morning with the lack of domestic football action because of the winter break clearly beginning to bite in the newsroom.

The Daily Star, Daily Mirror and Daily Express all devote some of their back pages to whether Sancho will leave Germany at the end of this season and return to England.

The consensus is “yes”, but will the teenage sensation choose Chelsea or Manchester United?

The Mirror says that United are “confident” of winning the race to land Sancho in what the paper claims will be a £120m transfer tussle as Ed Woodward looks to quell rising anger among the Old Trafford faithful at the club’s declining fortunes.

But the Daily Star takes a different view, stating that Chelsea are in pole position to snap up the 19-year-old as they look to bring in a replacement for Willian, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Apparently Sancho has a “soft spot” for the Blues and would favour a move to London. The Star says the fee would be in the region of £118m.

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Bye bye Bairstow

The other story dominating the papers is the omission of Jonny Bairstow from England’s Test cricket squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka.

Bairstow, one of the stars of England’s World Cup triumph last summer, has been in dreadful form ever since, and there is speculation in Metro and the Daily Express that his axing could signal the end of his Test career.

“Jonny be gone” is the headline in The Sun, which says that although he has been officially “rested”, the truth is that his waning powers have cost him his place in the squad.

In his stead comes wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes while there is a return for opener Keaton Jennings, who has struggled for consistency in previous outings but wins his place because of his reputation against spin.

James Anderson, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, was not considered for selection as he recovers from a cracked rib suffered in the 3-1 series win in South Africa last month.

Today’s sport headlines

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Premier League: Chelsea 2 Arsenal 2

How Chelsea didn’t take maximum points against Arsenal last night is a mystery that left Frank Lampard an angry and bewildered Blues manager.

His side dominated their visitors and took the lead from the penalty spot on 26 minutes after David Luiz had hauled down Tammy Abraham as he closed in on an open goal.

Luiz was given his marching orders and after he trudged off the pitch, Chelsea midfielder Jorginho stroked the spot kick past Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Cynical as Luiz’s foul was, he was left with little choice after Shkodran Mustafi’s shocking back-pass had gifted the ball to Abraham.

German centre-half Mustafi has built up an impressive back-catalogue of blunders in his four seasons at Arsenal but last night’s gaffe was surely the one that will close the book on his catastrophic career at the Emirates.

Teenage sensation

Yet despite the disaster, Arsenal showed what head coach Mikel Arteta described as “togetherness and leadership” to fight back against their London rivals.

Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli was the beating heart of the Gunners, the 18-year-old belying his youth to score a brilliant length-of-the-field goal on 63 minutes after a slip by N’Golo Kante.

There were more defensive blunders to come, first from Arsenal, who allowed Cesar Azpilicueta to restore Chelsea’s lead on 84 minutes with a tame effort, and then from the hosts, who gave Hector Bellerin the freedom of Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard’s speculative effort from the edge of the penalty area three minutes from time crept into the far post to give Arsenal a point that few of their fans had expected when Luiz was sent off an hour earlier.

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Fighting spirit

“To do that against this kind of opponent in this stadium, I really value,” said Arsenal boss Arteta, who has instilled a fighting spirit into his players in the last month if nothing else.

“The way they have done it, with the spirit they have done it, that’s great. I wasn’t here a few weeks ago but what I am demanding every day they are trying their best to do it. The togetherness and leadership they showed today, this is what I wanted to see.”

Lampard livid

All Arteta has to do now is get the Gunners winning, for despite the joy at rescuing a point, the fact remains that Arsenal lie tenth in the table, only seven points above the relegation zone.

Chelsea are six places and ten points superior to their London rivals, but it was another inconsistent performance from the Blues that left Lampard fuming.

“We could have had three or four goals today, having shots, crosses and lots of ‘ooh’ moments,” said Lampard, who also saw striker Abraham hobble off at the end of the game after colliding with an advertising hoarding.

“You have to have the killer instinct. We’ve not got that at the moment… Then we didn’t defend and gifted them two goals.

“That’s people not doing their jobs which they should know. Moments like that lose you points at this level.”

Shkodran Mustafi gets savaged

BT Sport pundit Martin Keown

“I sense there’s a fear in this player, you can smell it. When he gets the ball, when he defends, and he thinks he’s going to make a mistake - and then he makes it.”

Joe Miles, The Sun

“Mikel Arteta needs to sell him now or he will make the same mistakes until his deal expires in 2021.”

TV presenter Piers Morgan

“Sub him now, and transfer him immediately. I’ll drive him to any UK airport.”

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand

“I feel sorry for Arteta because he has to keep picking Mustafi. I don’t ever see a good performance in him, he makes mistake after mistake, there’s nothing in his performance that gives me any comfort or confidence.”

Today’s back pages

Arsenal are ‘saved by the Bell’, Rashford ruckus, Saracens saga

Premier League results and fixtures

Last night’s results

• Aston Villa 2 Watford 1
• AFC Bournemouth 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 1
• Crystal Palace 0 Southampton 2
• Everton 2 Newcastle United 2
• Sheffield United 0 Manchester City 1
• Chelsea 2 Arsenal 2

Tonight’s fixtures

• Leicester City vs. West Ham United (7.30pm, live on BT Sport 2)
• Tottenham Hotspur vs. Norwich City (7.30pm)
• Manchester United vs. Burnley (8.15pm, live on BT Sport 1)

Tomorrow’s fixture

• Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on BT Sport 1)

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Drama at the Bridge

There is one story that dominates the back pages and that is Arsenal’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Domination is what the Blues did to the Gunners on the pitch, but the visitors still managed to share the spoils thanks to Hector Bellerin’s late equaliser.

“Saved by the Bell” is the headline in the Independent, Daily Star and the Daily Express, while Metro plumps for “Gunners survive Luiz cannon”, a nod to the first-half red card for ex-Chelsea defender David Luiz.

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Rashford ruckus

The other prominent story making the back pages is the long-term injury to Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.

The Times claims that the stress fracture to his back could keep Rashford out of England’s Euro 2020 campaign, which will be “a worry” for England manager Gareth Southgate, given that Harry Kane’s hamstring injury has also cast a doubt on his availability.

The Daily Mirror and the Independent focus on the criticism directed towards United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

BBC pundit Ian Wright has accused the United boss of putting his own needs before those of his player, but the Norwegian has hit back, saying: “I never put myself before the team. I always put the team and the club before anything else.”

Saracens saga

Several papers carry the latest news on Saracens, the bad boys of English rugby union, after their relegation from the Premiership for breaching salary cap limits.

The Daily Express slams Sarries for their lack of contrition and says that the club has “refused to hand back trophies” that were won during their tainted era.

Independent reports that Saracens are refusing to refund season-ticket holders despite the fact that next season they will be watching their team in the second tier of English rugby.

The Guardian’s angle is that Saracens should “come clean over [the] salary-cap report”, which they are allegedly not doing at the moment.

Today’s newspaper back pages

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Fernandes set for Spurs medical

With Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko both out until the spring and Christian Eriksen set to leave, Spurs are poised to make their first signing under Jose Mourinho, with Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes expected to arrive for a a medical, reports the Evening Standard.

“Spurs have agreed to sign the 21-year-old on an 18-month loan with an option to make the deal permanent for around £40m in summer 2021,” reports the paper.

“Fernandes, who fell out of favour at Benfica, chose Spurs over West Ham, having been offered to the north London club by Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes.”

United chase another Fernandes

From one Fernandes to another, as Man United close in on a deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has watched the player in action and the two teams are said to be working on a £50m deal.

But although the player has asked Sporting to let him leave and Portuguuse officials have travelled to England the move may not be straightforward as it seems.

That’s because, as Metro reports, “Sporting have told Manchester United they want Marcos Rojo as part of any deal… but will likely need the Premier League giants to subsidise his wages”.

The defender earns £160,000 a week, and Sporting could not afford to pay that, so United would have to chip in, says the paper. “If an agreement cannot be reached over Rojo, United and Sporting will need to go back to the negotiating table,” adds Metro.

“Nevertheless, there is a growing feeling that Fernandes will become a United player before the end of the month – though Sporting are hoping he will remain long enough to play against Benfica on Friday night. That would be his farewell appearance for the side, with United ready to offer him a five-and-a-half year deal as they look to bring more flair, creativity and goal threat to their midfield.”

Solksjaer scouts Soumare

United are also keen on Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare, but will scout the 20-year-old again this month before deciding whether to make an offer.

According to The Sun: “United and Spurs have both been watching the 20-year-old closely throughout this season as they weigh up whether to make a move this month.

“But reports in L'Equipe suggest Lille have already received six offers for the young Frenchman as the battle hots up for his signature.”

Lille will expect a fee of around £50m is they do let the France Under-21 international leave.

Arsenal face fight for Boateng

Arsenal will have to see off AC Milan if they are to land Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng, reports Mail Online.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta wants to shore up the Emurates back line and has “earmarked Boateng as a target and Bayern are understood to want £12.8m for their experienced defender”, says the website. “The player himself is keen on a move away in January and can play either centre-back or full-back, though he is more comfortable in central defence.”

However, AC Milan are also in the market for a defender and are keen on the 31-year old.

Chelsea interested in Brighton's Dunk...

Chelsea are another London club looking at defenders in the January sales and the Sunday Times reported this weekend that the Blues have “have inquired about Brighton and Hove Albion’s Lewis Dunk”.

However, he will not come cheap. “The 28-year-old, who has one full international appearance for England, is understood to be valued at around £50m by Brighton, who would not prevent Dunk from moving to a club of Chelsea’s stature,” says the paper.

...As Forest eye Glenn Murray

Championship high flyers Nottingham Forest are expected to start the bidding for Brighton striker Glenn Murray, according to the Daily Telegraph.

It says: “The 36-year-old has attracted interest in the January transfer window as the veteran has not started a Premier League game since mid-September.

“Championship clubs are willing to offer a deal for him to be part of a promotion push in the second half of the campaign, although there have been no bids yet.”

Premier League sides Liverpool and Manchester City will face Madrid clubs in the Uefa Champions League round of 16.

Holders Liverpool have been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the first knockout stage while Man City take on Real Madrid.

Tottenham and Chelsea both have German opposition in the last 16. Last season’s beaten finalists Spurs are drawn against RB Leipzig and Chelsea have a huge tie against Bayern Munich.

In the other games Borussia Dortmund face Paris Saint-Germain, Atalanta take on Valencia, Lyon play Juventus and Napoli face Barcelona.

Round of 16 draw in full

The eight seeded teams play at home in the last-16 second legs.

• Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
• Atalanta vs. Valencia
• Atlético Madrid vs. Liverpool
• Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich
• Lyon vs. Juventus
• Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig
• Napoli vs. Barcelona

When are the last-16 fixtures?

The Champions League round of 16 first legs will take place on 18-19 and 25-26 February 2020. The second legs are on 10-11 and 17-18 March. All matches kick-off at 8pm and will be live on BT Sport.

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Last-16 first-leg fixtures

Tuesday 18 February

• Borussia Dortmund vs. PSG
• Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

Wednesday 19 February

• Atalanta vs. Valencia
• Tottenham vs. RB Leipzig

Tuesday 25 February

• Napoli vs. Barcelona
• Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Wednesday 26 February

• Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
• Lyon vs. Juventus

Last-16 second-leg fixtures

Tuesday 10 March

• Valencia vs. Atalanta
• RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham

Wednesday 11 March

• PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid

Tuesday 17 March

• Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
• Juventus vs. Lyon

Wednesday 18 March

• Barcelona vs. Napoli
• Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea

Reactions to the draw

Atlético Madrid vs. Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool manager: “It’s an interesting draw. Before the draw I actually thought it would be Madrid – either one of the two clubs – and that’s the way it is. Madrid is the place where we only have fantastic memories, all of us, so that’s great, but this time we play Atletico there and it’s their home ground.

“It’s a tough one, but if you go through all of the draws, there are pretty much four or five potential finals already in the last 16.

“So, really, really good; a good draw, a difficult game like it should be, but how we most of the time think and say, I don’t think Mr Simeone is running through his living room and is happy that he got Liverpool.

“It will be a tough game. Two teams who are used to playing intense football, different styles and slightly different organisation of course, but both are ready for intensity and that makes it pretty tough for both.”

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Txiki Begiristain, Man City director of football: “It is a difficult one, of course. Real Madrid have won 13 times so they are the best. We want to be the best so we want to beat them. It is always a pleasure to go to Real Madrid and play in big stadium like the Bernabeu. We know what we are going to face but they know our team and our manager too. I think we have to keep connected to all of the competitions and we will have chances to win some. In the league, Liverpool are many points ahead but we have to be connected.”

Lyon vs. Juventus

Pavel Nedvěd, former Juventus player: “We can’t complain, considering that last year we drew Atlético, but if you’re not in form when the Champions League comes back around between February and March, there is little that you can do. The precedents are favourable to us, but they do not count for anything, only the form in the moment counts.”

Rudi Garcia, Lyon head coach: “It’s a great challenge to take, a real pleasure to host them [Juventus]. We’re in the top 16 teams in Europe [and we’re happy for that]. Miralem Pjanić [former Garcia player at Roa, former Lyon player, now at Juve] is a person with great quality, incredibly skilled. He is a big strength of Juventus. Happy to welcome Maurizio Sarri. He is a very good coach, with a lot of experience.”

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Thomas Müller, Bayern forward: “Now we know which team we have to deal with. We expected it to be a team of European top quality. But we are very confident, I am okay with that draw. Nevertheless, Chelsea has players who can be very dangerous, like [Christian] Pulisic or [Callum] Hudson-Odoi.”

Manuel Neuer, Bayern goalkeeper: “We watched the draw with the team. We are looking forward to London. We made some great experiences there. Surely you think of the final 2012 in Munich. They are a dangerous team, which we have to take seriously. We have to deliver a highly concentrated performance, but want to move to the next round.”

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Markus Krösche, RB Leipzig sporting director: “It was obvious that we’d get a big club. That is normal at this stage of the competition. But we will do everything we can to qualify for the next round.”

Julian Nagelsmann, Leipzig coach: “Spurs is very nice and exciting! They are a top team in Europe, in a fantastic city, with world stars who have experienced a lot. Of course it won’t be easy. But we are really looking forward to it – especially the stadium.”

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Marco Reus, Dortmund forward: “A great matchup for both the players and fans. Our goal is to advance to the next round!”

Atalanta vs. Valencia

Antonio Percassi, Atalanta president: “The draw could have been worse. In my opinion Valencia was the best possible option for us to deal with, then we’ll see how it goes.”

Napoli vs. Barcelona

Gennaro Gattuso, Napoli head coach: “A great team, a great challenge, two fascinating races. We will face them [Barcelona] without fear.”

2019-20 Champions League season calendar

• 18-19 and 25-26 February: round of 16, first leg
• 10-11 and 17-18 March: round of 16, second leg
• 20 March: quarter-final and semi-final draw
• 7-8 April: quarter-finals, first leg
• 14-15 April: quarter-finals, second leg
• 28-29 April: semi-finals, first leg
• 5-6 May: semi-finals, second leg

When is the final?

The 2020 Champions League final will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday 30 May.

How to watch on TV

BT Sport has the UK rights for the Champions League and the broadcaster will show every game live in the 2019-20 season.

Champions League winner betting odds

Prices according to Oddschecker

• Manchester City: 4/1
• Liverpool: 5/1
• Barcelona: 11/2
• Paris Saint-Germain: 15/2
• Bayern Munich: 8/1
• Juventus: 12/1
• Tottenham Hotspur: 20/1
• Real Madrid: 20/1
• Atlético Madrid: 40/1
• Chelsea: 50/1
• RB Leipzig: 50/1
• Borussia Dortmund: 66/1
• Atalanta: 100/1
• Valencia: 100/1
• Napoli: 125/1
• Lyon: 250/1

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Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea will be in the draw for the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League.

Taking place on Monday 16 December in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw will see the eight seeded teams (group winners) paired with one of the eight unseeded teams (group runners-up).

Uefa has confirmed that no team can play a club from their group or a club from the same country.

Round of 16 first-leg matches will be played in February and the second legs will be played in March.

What time is the last-16 draw?

The Champions League last-16 draw starts at 11am (GMT) on Monday.

TV and live stream details

BT Sport 1 will provide coverage of the draw from 10.45am and Uefa.com will also show a live stream from 11am.

Fans can watch the last-16 action via BT Sport’s new contract-free monthly pass, costing £25 per month. See more at bt.com

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Which teams are in the draw?

Seeded teams: group winners

• Paris Saint-Germain (group A winners)
• Bayern Munich (group B winners)
• Manchester City (group C winners)
• Juventus (group D winners)
• Liverpool (holders; group E winners)
• Barcelona (group F winners)
• RB Leipzig (group G winners)
• Valencia (group H winners)

Unseeded teams: group runners-up

• Real Madrid (group A runners-up)
• Tottenham Hotspur (group B runners-up)
• Atalanta (group C runners-up)
• Atlético Madrid (group D runners-up)
• Napoli (group E runners-up)
• Borussia Dortmund (group F runners-up)
• Lyon (group G runners-up)
• Chelsea (group H runners-up)

What are the rules of the draw?

• Seeded teams are at home in the second legs
• No team can play a club from their Champions League group or a side from the same country

When are the last-16 fixtures?

Round of 16 first legs will be on 18-19 and 25-26 February. The second legs are on 10-11 and 17-18 March. Seeded teams will be at home in the second legs. All matches will kick-off at 8pm and are live on BT Sport.

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Chelsea conquered their nerves to book a place in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Lille at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta set the Blues on their way against a second-string Lille side, but a late goal from the French visitors threatened to derail their progress.

Loic Remy’s effort on 78 minutes meant the Chelsea faithful endured a nervous few final minutes, aware that defeat would see them slip out of contention at the expense of Ajax.

But Frank Lampard’s team held on to finish second in group H behind Valencia and one point ahead of their Dutch rivals, who lost 1-0 at home to the Spanish outfit.

Last season’s semi-finalists, Ajax have paid the price for selling off so many of their squad in the summer, and their failure to progress is a bitter disappointment after their thrilling brand of football last year.

Twitchy

Chelsea have now made it to the knockout stages in 15 of their 16 Champions League campaigns, with 2012-13 their only failure, but Lampard admitted it had been squeaky bum time in the final ten minutes.

“It did get twitchy,” he said. “We need to take our chances better. At 2-0 I thought it was not quite done and when Lille scored it made it a more nervy finish to the game than it needed to be.”

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Reds also through

Defending champions Liverpool picked up the points they needed to qualify from group E, but they were made to work hard for it by Red Bull Salzburg.

The Austrian outfit threw everything they had at the visitors in the first 45 minutes, looking to add to their recent tally of 87 goals in 24 matches. But the Reds stayed strong, kept a clean sheet, and then hit their hosts with two goals in two minutes after the break.

Naby Keita headed in Sadio Mane’s cross on 57 minutes and then Mohamed Salah fired home from a tight angle to make sure of their passage into the last 16.

“I really love it that my team is so smart that they listen and they put in a shift in like that,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “Salzburg was unbelievably strong, especially in the first half, but we as well were ready for that fight.”

Napoli thrashed Genk 4-0 to finish second in group E, but an hour after the win the Italian club parted company with head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is already being linked to both Arsenal and Everton.

Today’s back pages: Salah stunner seals a ‘full English’ in last 16

The end for Inter

Ansu Fati became the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history as he scored a late winner for Barcelona to end Inter Milan’s hopes of reaching the last 16. The 17-year-old converted Luis Suarez’s pass four minutes from time to seal a 2-1 win at the San Siro.

The Spanish giants had already qualified for the knockout phase, but their win on the road, coupled with Borussia Dortmund’s 2-1 victory at home against Slavia Prague, means Inter finish third with the second qualifying spot going to the Germans.

“I played the give and go with Luis and when I scored the stadium just went silent, I’m super-happy,” said Fati. “It’s a dream… you look around and think: ‘what have I done?’”

Two spots left in last 16

There are still two qualification places up for grabs on Wednesday evening. Manchester City are through as group C winners and it will be between Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta for the runners-up spot.

Man City are away at Dinamo Zagreb (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3) while Shakhtar host Atalanta (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1).

Juventus have won group D but second place is yet to be confirmed with Atlético Madrid and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in contention. On Wednesday Atlético host Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3) and Leverkusen are at home against Juve (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2).

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Fixtures, permutations and draw details

When is the draw for the last 16?

The draw for the Champions League round of 16 takes place at 11am (GMT) on Monday 16 December in Nyon, Switzerland. The draw features the eight group winners (seeded) and eight runners-up (unseeded). Two final spots will be decided on Wednesday evening.

Teams through to the last 16Seeded (group winners)

• Barcelona (group F)
• Bayern Munich (group B)
• Juventus (group D)
• RB Leipzig (group G)
• Liverpool (group E)
• Manchester City (group C)
• Paris Saint-Germain (group A)
• Valencia (group H)

Unseeded (group runners-up)

• Borussia Dortmund (group F)
• Chelsea (group H)
• Lyon (group G)
• Napoli (group E)
• Real Madrid (group A)
• Tottenham Hotspur (group B)

Wednesday 11 December: fixtures and permutations

Group A

• Club Bruges vs. Real Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Galatasaray (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Permutations (according to Uefa)

• PSG are through as group winners
• Real Madrid are through
• Club Brugge cannot finish in the top two. They will finish third if they beat Madrid, or if Galatasaray fail to beat PSG
• Galatasaray cannot finish in the top two. They will be confirmed in fourth place if they lose to PSG

Group B

• Bayern Munich vs. Tottenham Hotspur (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
• Olympiakos vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 5)

Permutations

• Bayern are through as group winners
• Tottenham are through
• Red Star are unable to finish in the top two. They will finish in third if they avoid defeat at Olympiacos
• Olympiacos are unable to finish in the top two. They will finish in third if they beat Red Star

Group C

• Dinamo Zagreb vs. Manchester City (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)

Permutations

• Man City are through as group winners
• Shakhtar will go through if they beat Atalanta, or if they draw and Dinamo fail to win
• Dinamo will go through if they beat City and Shakhtar do not beat Atalanta
• Atalanta will go through if they beat Shakhtar and Dinamo do not beat City

Group D

• Atlético Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Permutations

• Juventus are through as group winners
• Atlético will go through if they beat Lokomotiv or if Leverkusen fail to beat Juventus
• Leverkusen will go through if they beat Juventus and Atlético do not beat Lokomotiv
• Lokomotiv will finish fourth

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Salah hits stunner as Reds progress

The Daily Mirror reports there will be a “full English” in the Uefa Champions League last 16 after Liverpool and Chelsea joined Manchester City and Tottenham in next Monday’s draw.

Holders Liverpool secured their place in the knockout rounds after a 2-0 win last night against Red Bull Salzburg.

Naby Keita opened the scoring on 57 minutes and just 100 seconds later Mohamed Salah sealed the win with a “miraculous finish” from a tight angle, says The Guardian.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hailed his team after coming through and gaining the points needed for qualification from group E. The Anfield side finished top of the group with 13 points and are joined in the round of 16 by Napoli.

Klopp said: “I love it, I really love it that my team is so smart that they listen and they put in a shift in like that. Salzburg was unbelievably strong, especially in the first half, but we as well were ready for that fight.”

Blues march on

It was “double delight” for the English teams, says The Daily Telegraph, as Chelsea beat Lille 2-1 at Stamford Bridge to finish runners-up in group H.

First-half goals from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta meant Frank Lampard’s side ended the group campaign on 11 points, the same as group winners Valencia. Ajax missed out on the last 16 by a point.

Lampard said: “It did get twitchy. We need to take our chances better. At 2-0 I thought it was not quite done and when Lille scored it made it a more nervy finish to the game than it needed to be.

“It’s going to be a work in progress. With the young players we have in this side there will be bumps in the road. I push them and can be quite hard on them, setting the high standards I want to see them reach, but at the same time I have to be patient.

“Today was a sign of how much work we still have got to do. It should have been a calmer finish to the game and that is the biggest thing, for me, that we need to improve.”

In tonight’s Champions League games Manchester City travel to Dinamo Zagreb for their final group C match (5.55pm). Tottenham are away against Bayern Munich in group B (8pm).

Champions League reactions: Chelsea hold on to qualify as Ajax and Inter Milan crash out

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Today’s newspaper back pages

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Eight teams have already qualified for the Champions League round of 16 and the remaining spots will be decided in the final group games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Manchester City and Tottenham confirmed their places in the last 16 after the matchday five fixtures and on Tuesday night Liverpool and Chelsea will hope to join their Premier League rivals in the next round.

The draw for the Champions League round of 16 takes place on Monday 16 December. The draw in Nyon, Switzerland, starts at 11am (GMT).

Which teams have qualified for the last 16?

• Paris Saint-Germain: group A winners
• Bayern Munich: group B winners
• Manchester City: group C winners
• Juventus: group D winners
• Barcelona: group F winners
• RB Leipzig: group G qualifiers
• Real Madrid: group A runners-up
• Tottenham Hotspur: group B runners-up

Klopp prepared for ‘final’

Champions League holders Liverpool are currently top of group E on ten points, one ahead of Napoli and three clear of Red Bull Salzburg. However, they still need one point in Salzburg to ensure their place in the knockout stages.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s clash in Austria, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said: “Everybody knows it’s a final and we’re prepared for that - Salzburg has to win against us.

“We are not a typical Champions League winner, we’re still ambitious like crazy, we will go for everything and run for our lives. It’s not that I expect us to go through, I expect us to play the best game we can play.”

Red Bull Salzburg vs. Liverpool kicks off at 5.55pm and is live on BT Sport 3.

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It’s a knockout at the Bridge

If Chelsea are to qualify then Frank Lampard’s side will need to beat Lille in their final group H fixture on Tuesday.

After five matches the Blues currently sit third in the group, level on eight points with second-placed Valencia and two behind leaders Ajax.

With three teams still in with a chance of qualifying, the match at Stamford Bridge is a knockout tie for Lampard’s men.

“I was fortunate to have big nights as a player and they are the ones that stick in your mind,” the Chelsea boss said. “So it’s an opportunity for the team, and particularly the young boys, because it’s quite new for them.

“It’s a big game and they are coming thick and fast. I like the pressure of this game being a knockout, and if we are going to do anything good here, we have to have lots of these nights.”

Chelsea vs. Lille kicks off at 8pm and is live on BT Sport 2.

Tuesday 10 December: fixtures and permutations

Group E

• FC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Liverpool (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Napoli vs. KRC Genk (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)

Permutations (according to Uefa)

• Liverpool will go through if they draw, or if Napoli lose to Genk
• Napoli will go through if they draw, or if Salzburg do not beat Liverpool
• Salzburg will be through if they beat Liverpool and Napoli do not beat Genk
• If Napoli win, Salzburg must beat Liverpool by a better scoreline than the 4-3 by which they lost against them on Matchday 2
• Genk will finish fourth

Group F

• Borussia Dortmund vs. Slavia Prague (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
• Inter Milan vs. Barcelona (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)

Permutations

• Barcelona are through as group winners
• Inter will go through if they beat Barcelona, or as long as they finish at least level on points with Dortmund (due to their superior head-to-head goal difference)
• Dortmund must pick up more points than Inter to finish second
• Slavia will finish fourth

Group G

• Benfica vs. Zenit St Petersburg (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 5)
• Lyon vs. RB Leipzig (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Permutations

• Leipzig are through and will clinch first place with a draw
• Zenit will go through if they beat Benfica and Lyon do not beat Leipzig, or if both games are drawn due to their head-to-head superiority over Lyon, or regardless if Lyon lose
• Lyon will go through if they beat Leipzig (when they would also clinch first place), or if they draw and Zenit lose to Benfica. Benfica are unable to finish in the top two
• They will finish third if they beat Zenit by a scoreline better than 3-1 and Lyon does not lose, or if they win by any score and Lyon lose to Leipzig

Group H

• Ajax vs. Valencia (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Chelsea vs. Lille (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)

Permutations

• Ajax will go through if they draw, or if Chelsea fail to beat Lille
• Valencia will go through if they beat Ajax, or as long as they finish at least level on points with Chelsea due to their superior head-to-head record
• Chelsea will go through if they beat Lille, or if they draw and Valencia lose to Ajax
• Lille will finish fourth

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Wednesday 11 December: fixtures and TV guide

Group A

• Club Bruges vs. Real Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Paris Saint Germain vs. Galatasaray (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Group B

• Bayern Munich vs. Tottenham Hotspur (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
• Olympiakos vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 5)

Group C

• Dinamo Zagreb vs. Manchester City (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Atalanta (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)

Group D

• Atlético Madrid vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Today’s back pages

‘No excuses’ for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool

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Uefa Champions League group H Valencia 2 Chelsea 2

Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League will go down to the wire after the Blues drew 2-2 at Valencia.

The result leaves them third in group H, level on eight points with the Spanish club but with an inferior goal difference. Ajax are top with ten points and will qualify as group winners if they avoid a home defeat against Valencia in their final pool match.

“I’m happy to a degree,” said Chelsea manager Frank Lampard. “It was a really tough match but the draw keeps things in our hands for the last game against Lille. There were positives and negatives from the game but that’s a big positive.”

Not serious

One of the negatives was the sight of striker Tammy Abraham being stretched off shortly before half time after the 22-year-old fell awkwardly going for a header.

Lampard said later that the England forward was walking on the bruised hip and he hoped “it’s nothing too serious”.

Abraham left the field with the score at 1-1 after team-mate Mateo Kovacic had equalised Carlos Soler’s effort for the hosts.

Christian Pulisic then gave Chelsea the lead five minutes into the second half, but his goal required a lengthy intervention from the video assistant referee (VAR). For three minutes officials scrutinised replays of the goal before deciding that Pulisic had been played onside by the boot of Ezequiel Garay.

Hero and villain

VAR was required again on 63 minutes to adjudge that Jorginho had indeed fouled Jose Gaya, but Daniel Parejo’s penalty was well saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However, the Chelsea keeper’s judgement wasn’t so sure on 82 minutes as he failed to deal with what appeared to be a cross by Daniel Wass. The ball hit the far post and ended up in the visitors’ net and now Chelsea must beat Lille (who lost 2-0 at home to Ajax) in their final match on 10 December to ensure they progress to the knockout stage.

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Champions League group E Liverpool 1 Napoli

Defending champions Liverpool had to come from behind against Napoli at Anfield, but the point they secured in the 1-1 draw was still not enough to confirm their passage to the last 16.

The Reds require at least a point in their final group game at Red Bull Salzburg to progress to the knockout stage.

The frustration felt by Liverpool was embodied in manager Jurgen Klopp, who was shown a yellow card for his antics on the touchline.

Asked why he had been booked by referee Carlos Del Cerro Grande , the Reds boss said: “He stopped the game twice and made a big fuss. There was an opportunity for both teams to have a quick restart but twice he [intervened] and had things to say. So I said: ‘Why did you do that? Please don’t do that’ and then I got it [the yellow card].”

No holiday

In truth, Klopp’s irritation was due more to the fact that his side were off-colour in the first period, going a goal down to Dries Mertens after 21 minutes.

Dejan Lovren headed the hosts level midway during the second period but they were unable to force a winner and must now pick up at least a point in Austria on 10 December.

They’ll probably have to do so without Fabinho after the influential midfielder sustained an ankle injury that is expected to sideline him for several weeks.

“People wished we could finish the group tonight and make kind of a holiday game in Salzburg,” reflected Klopp.

“If we have ambitions in the Champions League, we have to show that in Salzburg. Until then we have to show our ambitions in the Premier League.”

Messi stars as Barca qualify

On his 700th appearance for Barcelona, Lionel Messi scored once and provided two assists as the Catalans beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 at the Camp Nou.

Barca have clinched top spot in group F and join Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and RB Leipzig in the knockout stages.

The final group matches are on 10-11 December and the round of 16 draw will take place on 16 December.

Today’s back pages

Champions League holders Liverpool on red alert

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Manchester City and Tottenham are through to the Uefa Champions League round of 16 after their fixtures on matchday five of the group stage.

A 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk means Man City will finish top of group C, while in group B Spurs came back from two goals down to beat Olympiakos 4-2. Tottenham will finish second in the group.

Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also through to the knockout stages of the competition.

Matchday five results: Tuesday 26 November

• Group A: Galatasaray 1 Club Bruges 1; Real Madrid 2 Paris Saint Germain 2
• Group B: Red Star Belgrade 0 Bayern Munich 6; Tottenham Hotspur 4 Olympiakos 2
• Group C: Atalanta 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0; Manchester City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
• Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow 0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2; Juventus 1 Atlético Madrid 0

Which teams are through to the last 16?

• Bayern Munich (group B winners)
• Juventus (group D winners)
• Manchester City (group C winners)
• Paris Saint-Germain (group A winners)
• Real Madrid (group A runners-up)
• Tottenham Hotspur (group B runners-up)

Cannot finish in the top two

• Club Brugge
• Red Star Belgrade
• Galatasaray
• Genk
• Lokomotiv Moscow
• LOSC Lille
• Olympiacos

Group A permutations

• PSG are through as group winners
• Real Madrid are through
• Club Brugge cannot finish in the top two
• Galatasaray cannot finish in the top two

Group B permutations

• Bayern are through as group winners
• Tottenham are through
• Red Star are unable to finish in the top two
• Olympiacos are unable to finish in the top two

Group C permutations

• Man City are through as group winners

Group D permutations

• Juventus are through as group winners
• Lokomotiv will finish fourth

Group E fixtures: Wednesday 27 November

• KRC Genk vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 5)
• Liverpool vs. Napoli (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)

Permutations (according to Uefa):

Group F fixtures: Wednesday 27 November

• Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Slavia Prague vs. Inter Milan (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Permutations (according to Uefa):

• Barcelona will be through if they beat Dortmund, if both games are drawn, or if Slavia beat Inter. Barcelona will clinch first place with a win
• Dortmund will be through if they beat Barcelona
• Inter will be unable to finish in the top two if they lose
• Slavia will be unable to finish in the top two if they do not beat Inter or if Dortmund beat Barcelona

Group G fixtures: Wednesday 27 November

• Zenit St Petersburg vs. Lyon (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)
• RB Leipzig vs. Benfica (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Permutations (according to Uefa):

Group H fixtures: Wednesday 27 November

• Valencia vs. Chelsea (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 3)
• Lille vs. Ajax (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)

Permutations (according to Uefa):

Champions League key dates

• 10/11 December: matchday six group fixtures
• 16 December: round of draw
• 18/19 and 25/26 February: round of 16 first legs
• 10/11 and 17/18 March: round of 16 second legs
• 20 March: quarter-final and semi-final draws
• 7/8 April: quarter-final first legs
• 14/15 April: quarter-final second legs
• 28/29 April: semi-final first legs
• 5/6 May: semi-final second legs
• 30 May 2020: Champions League final in Istanbul, Turkey

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side are 2/5 on to win the Premier League after their decisive victory over Manchester City on Sunday and most commentators now agree that the title is theirs to lose.

Sky Sports pundit Jose Mourinho said after the 3-1 win at Anfield: “From my position, I think it's done unless something, something dramatic happens in terms of an injury situation that breaks the team.

“I think this Liverpool team... it's adapted to the quality of the players and the puzzle is complete. City are capable of winning seven, eight, nine in a row, but I can't see how Liverpool can lose this advantage.”

And fellow Sky commentator Gary Neville agrees. “Liverpool are playing Premier League title-winning football and have been for the last 18 months. Yes, they could blow this lead, yes City could come back, yes there could be a shock from Chelsea or Leicester, but it's becoming more unlikely.”

If Liverpool do carry on in their current vein then it seems the title race is done and dusted and battle between the three teams Neville mentions – City, Leicester and Chelsea – will be for second place.

So, will City ­­– at one point title favourites – find themselves looking over their shoulders as Leicester and Chelsea chase them down.

Here’s how the battle for second is shaping up:

Leicester City:

The spirit of 2016 appears to have been rekindled at the King Power Stadium, and after outclassing Arsenal Leicester’s Champions League credentials are “increasingly hard to resist” says Nick Ames in The Guardian.

“Even accounting for the excellence of Liverpool and Manchester City, it is hard to pinpoint a better-balanced unit in the top flight; nor a manager who has been able to instil his vision with such clarity in a time frame this narrow.

“With Wilfred Ndidi and [Youri] Tielemans, [James] Maddison caps the most exciting midfield three in the country. Their snap off the ball and control after winning it… are formidable and the composure with which Leicester pick their passes around the area resembles that of a team far longer in the making.”

And according to website Football Web Pages, it is Leicester who will hold on to finish second this season. It’s predictor tool suggests the Foxes will draw with City and beat Liverpool over the Christmas period and then down City in February as they go the rest of the season unbeaten. It might sound far-fetched but Leicester have done it before...

Chelsea:

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea side have overcome a shaky start to the season and are up to third after a fine run of six straight wins. They are level on points with Leicester and one ahead of City.

Lampard has devised a clever game plan that relies on overloading the wide areas, says JJ Bull in the Daily Telegraph. “Chelsea are great fun to watch when they flow forward like this but whether it will work against teams like Liverpool and Manchester City, their next opponent, is another matter. City will be wise to the wide overloads and built to hit Chelsea in transition,” he says.

Former boss Mourinho is also unsure that they can maintain that momentum and does not believe they have what it takes to win big games. But Lampard’s assistant Jody Morris laughed off his concerns, reports the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile Jermaine Jenas has changed his mind about the top four finishers this season, and has said he believes Chelsea will claim a Champions League spot. “I think what Frank’s [Lampard] got going there is solid. The players are top drawer,” he said.

Man City:

Bruised and battered after yet another horror show at Anfield, can City bounce back? There are worrying signs for Pep Guardiola whose side have twice conceded three goals in defeats this season.

Sky pundit Neville says there was an absence of “toughness and authority” about Guardiola’s side, while the manager failed to come up with a plan to knock Liverpool off their stride.

The City manager’s fury at refereeing decisions was reminiscent of Basil Fawlky, says Matt Dickinson in The Times and speaks of a wider frustration.

“However bright and brilliant these top coaches are, they struggle to keep their sanity on afternoons like this, especially when a league title is slipping away as this one surely has from City,” he says. “Nine points is not insurmountable but there is something more hardened about this Liverpool side and more fragile about City.

“With 25 points from 12 league games, it is the lowest total by a Guardiola side at this stage of a top-flight campaign though this was not a statistic, or a defeat, to extrapolate into any sort of crisis.”

But it does mean that the pressure will now be on City to succeed in Europe and that could perhaps mean less of a focus on the Premier League.

Champions League group H: Chelsea 4 Ajax 4

Truly, a game of two halves at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea overturned a 3-1 half-time deficit to draw 4-4 in a thrilling encounter with Ajax.

The result leaves the two clubs on seven points, the same number as Valencia who thrashed Lille 4-1, as group H of the Uefa Champions League looks to go down to the wire.

“It’s hard to put it in perspective,” said a breathless Frank Lampard. “I had some mad nights over the years but for spectacle this is up there.”

Throw in the fact that Ajax received two red cards and Chelsea conceded two own goals and scored two penalties it’s hard to argue with Lampard’s assessment.

The Chelsea boss added: “For all the things we might analyse back, the madness of the game, we are here for entertainment I suppose, and anyone who watched that has to say what a game of football.”

The madness started early, the third minute to be exact, when Tammy Abraham put the ball into his own net. Two minutes later the Blues were level from the penalty spot as Jorginho took advantage of an Ajax foul on Christian Pulisic.

Ajax restored their lead on 20 minutes as Quincy Promes headed home Hakim Ziyech’s cross and the visitors went 3-1 up in bizarre circumstances as a free-kick pinballed off the Chelsea post into the face of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and back into the net.

Blues fightback

The 3-1 lead became 4-1 ten minutes after the break when Donny van de Beek capitalised on sloppy Chelsea defending, but that seemed to spark the hosts into life.

Three goals in 12 minutes midway through the second half brought them level as Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho and substitute Reece James all found the net.

The tension clearly got to the Ajax players with Daley Blind and Joël Veltman both sent off, and Chelsea thought they had made the most of their numerical advantage when Azpilicueta put the ball in the visitors’s net. VAR, however, detected a handball from Abraham in the build-up and the goal was disallowed.

Too many mistakes

“I said at half-time it will be 3-3 or 4-4,” said Lampard, who described his side’s first-half performance as “a mixture of sloppiness and our bad fortune”.

He added: “We looked dangerous and I felt we would build momentum. I’m not happy overall, this is the Champions League and we made too many mistakes.”

The result leaves group H intriguingly poised with Chelsea’s next game away to Valencia on 27 November before they finish their group campaign by hosting Lille at Stamford Bridge on 10 December.

Liverpool win but Barca draw a blank

In other Champions League results, Liverpool moved to the top of group E after beating Genk 2-1 at Anfield.

With Napoli held to a 1-1 draw by Red Bull Salzburg, the Reds are now one point clear of the Italians and on course to qualify for the knockout stages. Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored for the holders but manager Jurgen Klopp admitted his side “didn’t finish our situations in the way we could have done”.

There were also wins for Lyon and Borussia Dortmund but Barcelona were held to a goalless draw at home to Slavia Prague, the first time they’ve failed to score at the Camp Nou in 46 matches. The result leaves them top of group F with eight points, one more than Dortmund after their 3-2 win over Inter Milan.

Tuesday’s Champions League results

• Group E: Liverpool 2 KRC Genk 1; Napoli 1 FC Red Bull Salzburg 1
• Group F: Barcelona 0 Slavia Prague 0; Borussia Dortmund 3 Inter Milan 2
• Group G: Zenit St Petersburg 0 RB Leipzig 2; Lyon 3 Benfica 1
• Group H: Chelsea 4 Ajax 4; Valencia 4 Lille 1

Wednesday’s Champions League fixtures

Matches kick-off at 8pm (GMT) unless stated and fixtures are live on BT Sport

• Group A: Paris Saint Germain vs. Club Bruges; Real Madrid 20:00 Galatasaray
• Group B: Bayern Munich vs. Olympiakos (5.55pm); Red Star Belgrade vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• Group C: Atalanta vs. Manchester City; Dinamo Zagreb vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
• Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Juventus (5.55pm); Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Atlético Madrid

Rivals round on Sarries

Exeter Chiefs CEO Tony Rowe has told The Daily Telegraph that Saracens “should be thrown out of the league”.

The English rugby Premiership and European champions have been hit with a 35-point deduction and a £5.3m fine after breaching salary cap rules.

A club statement said: “Saracens Rugby Club is shocked and disappointed by these heavy-handed sanctions and will launch an appeal against all the disciplinary panel’s findings.”

With the club appealing the decision, the punishments will be suspended until the outcome is confirmed.

i Sport reports that “rivals have rounded on Sarries” and Exeter’s Rowe told Telegraph Sport: “The penalty does not fit the crime. If you look at other leagues, if you do something like that you get chucked out. They should have been at least relegated and made to reduce their squad immediately.

“If they are still allowed to keep the same members in their squad and maintain the same spending then that is nothing. A fine of £5m although it sounds a lot when you look at the backing they have and what they have achieved with two English titles and European championships.

“For winning a European and English title a year at £2.5m a year, it is cheap isn’t it?”

Fireworks at the Bridge

Chelsea and Ajax played out a Champions League fireworks night thriller at Stamford Bridge. There were eight goals, two red cards, two penalties and two own goals in the 4-4 group H draw.

On “Guy 4s night” The Sun says the two Ajax reds lit the Blue touchpaper as Chelsea battled back from 4-1 down to claim a vital point.

‘Xhaka canned’

The Sun also reports that Granit Xhaka has been stripped of the Arsenal captaincy following his outburst against supporters during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace last month.

Arsenal boss Unai Emery said: “I had a meeting with him and told him he is no longer in the captain’s group. He accepted my decision. I needed to take a decision and now it’s closed.”

Emery also confirmed that striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is the new permanent club captain.

Today’s newspaper back pages

Champions League group E: KRC Genk 1 Liverpool 4

Liverpool thrashed Genk 4-1 in Belgium but the Champions League holders still sit second in group E after Napoli’s 3-2 win at RB Salzburg.

The Italians are top on seven points, one more than the Reds, and the group winner will likely be decided when Liverpool host Napoli at Anfield on 27 November.

The Ox is on fire

The architect of Liverpool’s win was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Absent for most of last season with a knee injury, the England midfielder scored twice in Genk, including a delicious strike with the outside of his boot that mesmerised team-mates as well as opponents.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goals were brilliant, and very important,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “We’re really pleased for him, it was a big step.”

Super Sunday

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah also got on the scoresheet, while the hosts scored a late consolation goal through Stephen Odey.

The night belonged to Liverpool, who returned to winning ways after being held to a 1-1 draw at Manchester United at the weekend.

Next up for Klopp’s team is Tottenham on Sunday, and the Liverpool boss can’t wait to welcome them to Anfield after their thumping win on Tuesday against Red Star.

“We’ve just had two away games that were both difficult for different reasons,” he said. “I don’t know where we are now but I know where we need to be on Sunday.

“It’s a refreshed Tottenham… but we’re a different team to Red Star Belgrade, just like Tottenham are different to Genk.”

Group H: Ajax 0 Chelsea 1

Chelsea stunned Ajax with a 1-0 victory in Amsterdam that has thrown group H wide open.

Michy Batshuayi scored the only goal of the game, coming off the bench to net the winner four minutes from time.

The result means that Ajax and Chelsea both have six points and Valencia have four. Lille, who drew 1-1 with Valencia, have just one point.

The west London club host the Dutch side for their return fixture at Stamford Bridge on 5 November.

Beautiful baby blues

Ajax had their chances but VAR denied Quincy Promes’s strike in the first half for offside and Edson Alvarez headed against the post in the second-half.

Otherwise the Blues did a good job at taking the sting from last season’s Champions League semi-finalists.

For Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, the result was a vindication of his determination to rebuild the Chelsea squad, using the club’s younger players as the foundations.

“The young players are still babies in terms of Champions League minutes so this was a huge test for them,” said Lampard, who took over the reins at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

“I think we’re allowed to be excited tonight. That’s the blueprint. There are no excuses for us now. That’s the standard and we can’t drop it.”

Today’s back pages

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea ‘babies’ come of age

Matchday three results

Videos courtesy of BT Sport: all Uefa Champions League matches are shown live in the UK on BT Sport

Uefa Champions League group H: Ajax 0 Chelsea 1

Frank Lampard hailed his Chelsea “babies” after their superb 1-0 victory away at Ajax in the Champions League last night.

Substitute Michy Batshuayi scored the winning goal on 86 minutes to give the Blues the three points and move them level with Ajax at the top of group H.

Metro and i Sport report that Lampard’s team have “come of age” with their win in Amsterdam.

Speaking after the match the Blues boss said: “I’m delighted with every element of the performance. I think we’re allowed to be excited tonight.

“That’s the blueprint. There are no excuses for us now. That’s the standard and we can’t drop it.

“The young players are still babies in terms of Champions League minutes so this was a huge test for them.

“There was a good balance of young players and experience. We need to realise the things that made that happen tonight because Ajax are a top, top team.”

Holders Liverpool also won last night, 4-1 away at Genk in Champions League group E.

Ajax vs. Chelsea

• What: Uefa Champions League group H, matchday three
• When: Wednesday 23 October
• Where: Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam
• Kick-off time: 5.55pm (BST)
• TV and live stream: BT Sport 3 and sport.bt.com

Frank Lampard takes his Chelsea team to Amsterdam on Wednesday for a vital group H clash against last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Ajax.

The Dutch club may have lost defender Matthijs de Ligt and midfielder Frenkie de Jong, to Juventus and Barcelona respectively, but they still have a very talented squad.

Unbeaten this season in the Eredivisie, Ajax are top of the Dutch league with eight wins and two draws from their ten matches. In Europe Erik ten Hag’s side have kicked off their group H campaign with two wins from two.

Like Ajax, Chelsea are also in fine form having won their past five matches in all competitions.

Chelsea boss Lampard respects the threat that Ajax offer but is confident that his own team can cause problems for the Dutch.

“We have confidence in ourselves, but it’s a tough match,” said Lampard. “I watched them play last year and I know their team has changed slightly.

“I’m very aware of the new threats they have. They’ve won their two Champions League games convincingly.”

TV and live stream details

The group H clash will be live on BT Sport 3. Coverage starts at 5.15pm and the match kicks off at 5.55pm (BST). The broadcaster will also show a live stream of the game at sport.bt.com.

Lille host Valencia in the other group H fixture (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4).

Team news and possible starting XIs

Ajax team news

Except for the fitness concerns of Hassane Bandé, Ajax do not have any other injury or suspension worries for Wednesday’s clash at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Chelsea team news

Blues boss Frank Lampard will be without a number of players for the trip to Amsterdam.

Midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek, N’Golo Kante and Ross Barkley are out while defenders Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will also miss the clash.

Chelsea have taken a 19-man squad to Holland. Left-back Emerson Palmieri is included, as is winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Lampard confirmed that Hudson-Odoi could be ready to make his first Champions League start.

“I think he is,” said Lampard. “So are some other players and there comes my problem but it’s a competitive squad.”

How the teams could line up according to Uefa.com

• Ajax possible starting XI: Onana; Dest, Veltman, Blind, Tagliafico; Martínez, Van de Beek, Álvarez; Ziyech, Tadić, Promes
• Out: Bandé (fitness)
• Chelsea possible starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori; James, Kovačić, Jorginho, Alonso; Willian, Abraham, Mount
• Out: Rüdiger (knee), Loftus-Cheek (achilles), Kanté (groin), Barkley (ankle), Christensen (hamstring)

Pundit predictions

Chris Smith, Squawka: Ajax 1 Chelsea 1

“This is an extremely mouth-watering clash between two teams that are in red-hot form and cannot afford to slip up in this tight Champions League group. Defeat would be especially damaging to Chelsea, so expect Lampard’s team to bunker in and play on the break, although a point might not be a terrible result on the road.”

Sean Wilson, SportsMole: Ajax 2 Chelsea 1

“Ajax are unbeaten in all competitions and have brushed aside their first two Champions League opponents, so it’s hard to go against last year’s semi-finalists, particularly at home. Chelsea have struggled a little on the European stage this season and could be undone by a well-oiled outfit on this occasion.”

Joe Rutter, The Stats Zone

“Ajax have not conceded in their last four European games but that run may well end against an improving Chelsea side who have only failed to score in one of their last 12 games in all competitions. Both teams are characterised by youth and flair, which should make for an open contest.”

Kevin Palmer, Irish Independent

“One of the most attractive Champions League fixtures of the week sees last season’s semi-finalists take on Frank Lampard’s Chelsea in Amsterdam, with Ajax continuing to defy their doubters with impressive performances at the start of this season. Despite the departures of star men Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Kasper Dolberg last summer, Ajax are still proving themselves to be a force at home and in the Champions League, with their convincing wins against Lille and Valencia putting Erik ten Hag’s side in pole position in group H ahead of back-to-back games against Chelsea. Verdict: A score draw in an entertaining encounter.”

Charlie Nicholas, Sky Sports: Ajax 2 Chelsea 2

“People are quite rightly complimenting Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi. At this age, they will go through a quiet spell, but does Frank Lampard keep them in during this or take them out for the Champions League? Ajax will look to have a lot of possession whereas Chelsea normally get that. They are a good counter-attack team but Ajax will cause them problems.”

Uefa Champions League group E Liverpool 4 FC Red Bull Salzburg 3

Red Bull Salzburg almost pulled off one of the great European comebacks only to run out of energy late on as Liverpool had the last word in a rollercoaster encounter.

Champions League holders Liverpool had eased into a 3-0 lead at Anfield in the group E clash but the Kop fell quiet as the Austrian side stormed back in the second half to level the tie.

But showing the spirit of champions, the Reds restored their lead on 69 minutes in another pulsating night of football under the lights at Anfield.

Lesson learned

“We opened the door and they were running through,” admitted Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. “It was a very important lesson for us.”

Alarmed at the ease with which Salzburg were able to come back, Klopp was nonetheless proud of the way his players responded to the audacious Austrians.

“We showed character,” said the German. “I was not surprised about that, which is why I was not overly concerned at 3-3 because I knew we would have chances again.”

Cruise control

Liverpool were on cruise control as the game headed towards half-time with goals from Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah giving them a comfy three-goal cushion.

But complacency crept in and Red Bull Salzburg got one back shortly before the break through Hwang Hee-chan’s crisp strike.

The visitors then scored ten minutes after the restart with Takumi Minamino’s volley and substitute Erling Braut Haaland then made it 3-3 on the hour mark.

Needed new wings

Nine minutes later Salah restored order to Anfield but it was a reminder to the Reds of what can happen when a team takes their foot off the gas.

“At 3-3, our guys put a lot into it and they were a bit tired and the energy of the stadium picks up,” reflected Salzburg boss Jesse Marsch.

“We learned when you come to a place like Anfield it is not just the opponent; it is the entire experience.”

The result means Liverpool are second in group E, a point behind pool leaders Napoli, who were unable to repeat their heroics of a fortnight ago when they beat the Reds, and were held to a goalless draw at Genk.

Uefa Champions League group H LOSC Lille 1 Chelsea 2

Chelsea put last month’s home defeat to Valencia behind them with a vital 2-1 away win in Lille.

The Blues took the lead through Tammy Abraham but the French side levelled on 33 minutes thanks to Victor Osimhen. The scores remained tied until 13 minutes from time when Willian volleyed home Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross.

Chelsea now sit third in group H after Ajax romped to a 3-0 win in Valencia, and manager Frank Lampard knows the importance of beating the Dutch side when they visit Amsterdam later this month.

“Ajax have set their stall out in the group,” he said. “There is a long way to go in the group... [but] this gives us confidence and points. Now the hard work begins.”

Champions League results

Matchday two results

• Group A: Real Madrid 2 Club Bruges 2; Galatasaray 0 Paris Saint Germain 1
• Group B: Red Star Belgrade 3 Olympiakos 1; Tottenham Hotspur 2 Bayern Munich 7
• Group C: Atalanta 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 2; Manchester City 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0
• Group D: Juventus 3 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0; Lokomotiv Moscow 0 Atlético Madrid 2
• Group E: KRC Genk 0 Napoli 0; Liverpool 4 FC Red Bull Salzburg 3
• Group F: Slavia Prague 0 Borussia Dortmund 2; Barcelona 2 Inter Milan 1
• Group G: RB Leipzig 0 Lyon 2; Zenit St Petersburg 3 Benfica 1
• Group H: Lille 1 Chelsea 2; Valencia 0 Ajax 3

Matchday three fixtures

Tuesday 22 October

• Group A: Club Bruges vs. Paris Saint Germain (8pm); Galatasaray vs. Real Madrid (8pm)
• Group B: Olympiakos vs. Bayern Munich (8pm); Tottenham Hotspur vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm)
• Group C: Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Dinamo Zagreb (5.55pm); Manchester City vs. Atalanta (8pm)
• Group D: Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (5.55pm); Juventus vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm)

Wednesday 23 October

• Group E: FC Red Bull Salzburg vs. Napoli (8pm); KRC Genk vs. Liverpool (8pm)
• Group F: Inter Milan vs. Borussia Dortmund (8pm); Slavia Prague vs. Barcelona (8pm)
• Group G: RB Leipzig vs. Zenit St Petersburg (5.55pm); Benfica vs. Lyon (8pm)
• Group H: Ajax vs. Chelsea (5.55pm); Lille vs. Valencia (8pm)

All matches are live across the BT Sport network.

LOSC Lille vs. Chelsea

• What: Uefa Champions League group H, matchday two
• When: Wednesday 2 October
• Where: Stade Pierre Mauroy, Villeneuve d’Ascq, Lille, France
• Kick-off time: 8pm (BST)
• TV and live stream: BT Sport 2 and sport.bt.com

After losing their opening matches in Champions League group H both Lille and Chelsea will be going all out to get their first victory of the campaign.

Chelsea lost 1-0 at home against Valencia last time out while French club Lille were beaten 3-0 in Amsterdam against Ajax.

Lille winger Jonathan Bamba knows that the clash against Frank Lampard’s side is critical.

He said: “This game is key for us after a poor start at Ajax. We’re focused on doing well and eradicate the mistakes we made in the first game.

“Chelsea misfired in their first game but they are a free-scoring team in the Premier League. We’ll need to be efficient in defence to stop their attacks and convert our chances.”

Confidence is back

Chelsea manager Lampard believes if his side can play to their best and build on their previous two domestic results they can secure points in France.

Since losing to Valencia and Liverpool the Blues found their scoring boots by beating Grimsby 7-1 in the league cup and Brighton 2-0 in the Premier League.

Lampard said: “We have to be honest. Valencia wasn’t the worst game for us, we played okay and should’ve got a result, but it was a harsh lesson in switching off for a second and losing a match at this level.

“That idea ramps up even more when you play away from home at stadiums like this against top European teams. Lille have a lot of threats to us, particularly in attacking areas. They have a lot of speed and a lot of quality.

“It’s not the be all and end all [against Lille], there are four more games after this, we have to see the big picture, but as we sit here now it’s certainly a game we have to be very ready to try and pick up something.

“We can hopefully bring the confidence from the last two results back home. We have to trust that if we play at our best, we will get the result we want.”

TV and live stream details

The group H clash will be live on BT Sport 2. Coverage starts at 7pm and the match kicks off at 8pm. The broadcaster will also show a live stream of the game at sport.bt.com.

Valencia host Ajax in the other group H fixture (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2).

Team news and starting XIs

Lille team news

Uefa.com reports that American forward Timothy Weah is a major doubt because of a hamstring injury. Otherwise the Ligue 1 side have no suspensions or other injury worries.

Chelsea team news

Midfielder N’Golo Kante and striker Olivier Giroud returned to training on Tuesday after missing the 2-0 win over Brighton last weekend. However, Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Emerson Palmieri did not train with the 24-man group.

Lampard revealed that Frenchman Kante will need to have a fitness test. The Chelsea boss said: “He is still one we have to assess but we are positive he will be fit to play.”

How the teams could line up

• Lille possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Zeki Çelik, Gabriel, Fonte, Bradarić; Andre, Soumaré; Araújo, Ikoné, Bamba; Osimhen
• Chelsea possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Tomori, Alonso; Kovačić, Jorginho; Pulišić, Mount, Willian; Abraham

Lille vs. Chelsea pundit predictions

Charlie Nicholas, Sky Sports: Lille 1 Chelsea 1

“This is a very awkward tie. I am trying to work out how Frank Lampard goes about this. When is the right time to put all of these youngsters in together? If he can use them, he would much prefer to use them at home. After being on a high, you do not want to flip the switch and raise question marks. He will go with a solid base I think for that reason. Lille drew 1-1 away at Nice at the weekend and are sitting pretty comfortable in fourth [in Ligue 1], so this is a test for Chelsea. I think they may get something from this, but it will be a more experienced Chelsea side that we see. Prediction: Lille 1-1 Chelsea.”

Tom Doyle, London Evening Standard: Lille 0 Chelsea 2

“The Blues may have lost their opening group game, but Lampard will hope that setback against Valencia will give his players a little focus on the task at hand. Expect a tight affair with Chelsea to seal an away win. Prediction: Lille 0-2 Chelsea.”

Ben Green, Squawka: Lille 1 Chelsea 1

“Chelsea have shown improvements under Lampard since their 4-0 humbling at Old Trafford earlier this season, but Lille have also proven a deadly proposition in Ligue 1, so don’t let their 3-0 slip up against Ajax overshadow the threat Galtier’s side truly possess. With the likes of Bamba, Ikone and Osimhen running at a Chelsea side without Rudiger and potentially Kante, the Great Danes should break their European duck on home turf, but so should Chelsea, with this matchup offering the potential for a very interesting and tight game. Prediction: Lille 1-1 Chelsea.”

Darren Plant, SportsMole: Lille 2 Chelsea 2

“Despite keeping their first shutout of the season against Brighton, Chelsea face a step up in class versus Lille. Both clubs will have a desire to score goals on Wednesday, and that could lead to an entertaining draw being played out in France. Prediction: Lille 2-2 Chelsea.”

Tuesday 1 October: matchday two results

Group A

• Real Madrid 2 Club Brugge 2
• Galatasaray 0 Paris Saint Germain 1

Group B

• Red Star Belgrade 3 Olympiakos 1
• Tottenham Hotspur 2 Bayern Munich 7

Group C

• Atalanta 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 2
• Manchester City 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0

Group D

• Juventus 3 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0
• Lokomotiv Moscow 0 Atlético Madrid 2

Wednesday 2 October: UCL matchday two fixtures

Group E

• KRC Genk vs. Napoli (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)
• Liverpool vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (8pm, live on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport Ultimate)

Group F

• Slavia Prague vs. Borussia Dortmund (5.55pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Barcelona vs. Inter Milan (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)

Group G

• RB Leipzig vs. Lyon (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Zenit St Petersburg vs. Benfica (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

Group H

• Lille vs. Chelsea (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)
• Valencia vs. Ajax (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

The fourth round draw of the Carabao Cup has thrown up two mouthwatering all-Premier League clashes that will end two of the big six’s interest in the competition.

Liverpool’s reward for beating MK Dons 2-0 on Wednesday night is a home tie against Arsenal, while Manchester United travel to Chelsea, who thrashed Grimsby 7-1.

Young guns

If Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery continue their policy of using the Carabao Cup to blood their young stars then Liverpool against Arsenal will be an intriguing glimpse into the clubs’ futures.

The Gunners’s 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday was inspired by their youngsters, and Liverpool fielded four teenagers as they overcame League One side MK Dons.

Sweet 16

One of them, 17-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever, scored the Reds’s second goal, while Harvey Elliott became the youngest player to start a competitive match for Liverpool at 16 years and 174 days.

“They are all good, we can’t have bad young players, they are all really skilled,” Liverpool boss Klopp said of his teenage quartet.

“That’s why it’s important we can give them these matches, and we will try to continue like this.”

Teenage kicks

Man Utd were also reliant on adolescence to scrape past Rochdale, in what was another dispiriting night for fans at Old Trafford.

Despite peppering the Rochdale goal with speculative efforts, United didn’t manage to find the net until 17-year-old Mason Greenwood scored with a low shot on 68 minutes.

But eight minutes later the League One outfit were level, thanks to a stunning strike from 16-year-old Luke Matheson. That took the tie to penalties and United held their nerve to win the shoot-out 5-3.

Learning curve

“As you normally are when it gets tight, you’re happy when you win, you’re through and you learn again about different things,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The United boss fielded a couple of other teenagers in Brandon Williams and Tahith Chong, and the Norwegian hinted that the fans might be seeing more of these youngsters in the coming months as he tries to reboot United’s season.

“We just have to take one game at a time but also we’ve got more than one eye on the future,” he said.

“We know we have to change things throughout the club and we are doing that. It’s a great stage for some of the youngsters to prove themselves and there were one or two that really did.

“I think Mason shows again he’s a goal-scorer and you’ve seen Brandon coming on, really assured performance on his debut, fantastic debut.”

James stars for Chelsea

At Stamford Bridge 19-year-old Chelsea full-back Reece James produced a man-of-the-match performance in the 7-1 thrashing of Grimsby.

The teenager scored Chelsea’s fifth and also had a hand in goals for Michy Batshuayi and Kurt Zouma.

Blues boss Frank Lampard said: “With his end product, Reece James showed what he can do. Two assists and a goal, but Reece’s performances on loan last year at Wigan showed the talent he has got.

“I think he is going to be a big player for this club. It is just the start for Reece.”

Another highlight for Chelsea was the return from injury of Callum Hudson-Odoi. The England forward, 18, also scored in the rout.

Carabao Cup fourth round draw

Ties will take place in the week starting 28 October

• Everton vs. Watford
• Aston Villa vs. Wolves
• Manchester City vs. Southampton
• Burton vs. Leicester
• Crawley vs. Colchester
• Chelsea vs. Manchester United
• Oxford vs. Sunderland
• Liverpool vs. Arsenal

Carabao Cup third round results

• Colchester United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (Colchester won 4-3 on penalties)
• Crawley Town 1 Stoke City 1 (Crawley won 5-3 on penalties)
• Luton Town 0 Leicester City 4
• Portsmouth 0 Southampton 4
• Preston North End 0 Manchester City 3
• Sheffield Wednesday 0 Everton 2
• Watford 2 Swansea City 1
• Arsenal 5 Nottingham Forest 0
• Brighton 1 Aston Villa 3
• Burton 2 Bournemouth 0
• Chelsea 7 Grimsby 1
• MK Dons 0 Liverpool 2
• Oxford United 4 West Ham United 0
• Sheffield United 0 Sunderland 1
• Wolves 1 Reading 1 (Wolves won 4-2 on penalties)
• Man Utd 1 Rochdale 1 (Man Utd won 5-3 on penalties)

Napoli 2 Liverpool 0 Uefa Champions League group E

Liverpool’s defence of their Champions League crown began in ignominious fashion as they lost 2-0 at Napoli.

The Reds are the first holders to lose the opening game of the following campaign since AC Milan in 1994, and manager Jurgen Klopp admitted it had been a bad night for his side.

“It should hurt because there were opportunities for us,” he said. “It was an open game with a lot of counter attacks, but we didn’t finish them off and that is a problem.”

Napoli’s goals came late on with Dries Mertens scoring from the penalty spot on 82 minutes after Andy Robertson had fouled Jose Callejon. Then in stoppage time Fernando Llorente seized on a mistake from Virgil van Dijk to fire the ball past Adrian in the Liverpool goal.

“We controlled moments but had not enough chances in the end,” rued Klopp, whose side were twice denied by fine saves from Napoli’s Alex Meret.

“We made decisions that were not right and have to accept the result. It was very often the final ball that was not right.”

Asked about the penalty decision, Klopp said that in his eyes it was the wrong call by the referee. “Callejon jumps before he has any contact,” he told reporters. “But we cannot change that so we have to be critical with ourselves.”

Chelsea 0 Valencia 1 Uefa Champions League group H

It was an even worse night for the other Premier League club in action with Chelsea going down 1-0 at home to Valencia. To add to the Blues’s woes, Ross Barkley missed a late penalty that would have salvaged a share of the spoils for the London club.

As it is, Chelsea now face an uphill task to qualify for the knockout stages in a tough pool that also includes Lille and last year’s semi-finalists Ajax.

“We probably should have won, or at least got a draw,” reflected manager Frank Lampard. “We created enough chances, we had the penalty, and we conceded with their one shot on goal. It’s a harsh lesson but that’s Champions League football.”

Rodrigo put Valencia one up from a set-piece on 74 minutes but the Stamford Bridge faithful believed their boys were about to level the scores when VAR ruled that Daniel Wass had used his hand to block Fikayo Tomori’s header three minutes from time.

There was some animated discussion as to who should take the spot-kick and Barkley’s insistence won out, only for the Englishman to send the ball onto the crossbar.

“Ross is the penalty taker,” Lampard said when asked about the confusion. “He was in pre-season and scored a couple. He has been when he started. He was when he came on today and he missed it. That is the clear story.

“I don’t know what the conversation was, but Jorginho and Willian were the takers on the pitch. When Ross comes on he becomes the penalty taker.”

Today’s back pages

Liverpool and Chelsea are Champions League ‘chumps’

Champions League results and fixtures

Tuesday 17 September results

• Group E: FC Red Bull Salzburg 6 KRC Genk 2; Napoli 2 Liverpool 0
• Group F: Inter Milan 1 Slavia Prague 1; Borussia Dortmund 0 Barcelona 0
• Group G: Lyon 1 Zenit St Petersburg 1; Benfica 1 RB Leipzig 2
• Group H: Ajax 3 Lille 0; Chelsea 0 Valencia 1

Wednesday 18 September fixtures Group A

• Club Brugge vs. Galatasaray (5.55pm live on BT Sport 1)
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Ultimate)

Group B

• Olympiakos vs. Tottenham Hotspur (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 2)
• Bayern Munich vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Group C

• Dinamo Zagreb vs. Atalanta (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Manchester City (8pm, live on BT Sport 3)

Group D

• Atlético Madrid vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

‘Chumpions’ League

“Chumps”. That’s the Daily Mirror’s verdict of Liverpool and Chelsea’s performances in the Uefa Champions League last night.

In their group E opening game defending champions Liverpool were beaten 2-0 by Napoli. Late goals from Dries Mertens (penalty) and Fernando Llorente gave the Italian side the win.

In west London Chelsea lost 1-0 against Valencia with Rodrigo scoring the winner for the Spaniards on 74 minutes.

The Blues had the chance to take a point from the group H opener but Ross Barkley missed a late penalty.

Wales coach sent home from RWC

The main story on the back pages of The Guardian, Daily Express and The Times is Wales backs coach Rob Howley being sent home from the Rugby World Cup.

He has left Japan because of suspected betting infringements. The Welsh Rugby Union said the 48-year-old had “returned to Wales to assist with an investigation”.

Chelsea vs. Valencia

• What: Uefa Champions League group H, matchday one
• When: Tuesday 17 September
• Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England
• Kick-off time: 8pm
• TV and live stream: live on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport Ultimate

Champions League football returns to Stamford Bridge with Chelsea taking on Spanish side Valencia on matchday one of group H.

Chelsea won last season’s Europa League under Maurizio Sarri, but in the dugout at the Bridge on Tuesday night will be club legend Frank Lampard.

The former England midfielder won the Champions League playing for the Blues in 2012 but the clash against Valencia will be his first as a manager in European football.

Lampard is expecting a tough group with Valencia, Ajax and Lille and he said: “I’m confident but very aware of the dangers.

“Our target is to qualify from a tough group. It is different [from league football]; the main thing is that the concentration levels throughout the game have to be spot on. The different level can surprise you. I have belief in the players. I think we have talent that can blossom in the Champions League.

“I had some incredible nights in the Champions League, and some bad ones.

“It’s the ultimate in club football. There is something about Stamford Bridge, Champions League football and that music. I will be proud to do it.”

Ajax host Lille in the other group H fixture (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2).

TV and live stream details

Tuesday’s clash at Stamford Bridge will be live on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport Ultimate. Coverage begins at 7.15pm and the match kicks off at 8pm. Sport.bt.com will also have a live stream of the game for BT Sport customers.

Team news and starting XIs

Chelsea team news

London Evening Standard reports that midfielder N’Golo Kante remains a doubt after missing the 5-2 win at Wolves at the weekend.

Sky Sports says that defenders Antonio Rudiger and Emerson are also out of action.

Winger Callum Hudson-Odoi and full-back Reece James are back in training but are not expected to feature. Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek remains on the sidelines.

Valencia team news

Valencia boss Albert Celades will be without long-term injury absentees Carlos Soler and Cristiano Piccini.

How the teams could line up

• Chelsea possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Tomori, Christensen, Alonso; Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Mount, Pulisic; Abraham
• Valencia possible starting XI (4-4-2): Cillessen; Wass, Gabriel, Garay, Gaya; Ferran Torres, Coquelin, Parejo, Guedes; Rodrigo, Gameiro

Chelsea vs. Valencia predictions

Joe Krishnan, London Evening Standard

“Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem for Lampard’s men, but the fact [is] they have conceded 13 in just six games under Lampard. That could give Valencia some hope in grabbing at least one goal at Stamford Bridge, although the Blues are expected to come through their first European test with a narrow victory. Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Valencia.”

Darren Plant, SportsMole

“If ever a game was guaranteed goals, this would probably be it. While both managers will be striving for improved defensive performances, they are unlikely to materialise overnight, and we feel that the two teams will cancel each other out in an entertaining tussle in England’s capital. Prediction: Chelsea 2-2 Valencia.”

Harry Edwards, Squawka

“Chelsea did show some signs of weakness at Molineux, but Valencia looked unconvincing in their defeat to Barcelona in their first game post-Marcelino. Expect Tuesday to not go too much better for the Spaniards. Scoreline prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Valencia.”

Roger Gonzalez, CBS Sports

“[Tammy] Abraham scores, but a valiant Valencia gets a goal to steal a point from Maxi Gomez. Pick: Chelsea 1 Valencia 1.”

Tuesday 17 September fixtures

Group E

• FC Red Bull Salzburg vs. KRC Genk (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)
• Napoli vs. Liverpool (8pm, live on BT Sport 2)

Group F

• Inter Milan vs. Slavia Prague (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 1)
• Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)

Group G

• Lyon vs. Zenit St Petersburg (5.55pm live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Benfica vs. RB Leipzig (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)

Group H

• Ajax vs. Lille (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)
• Chelsea vs. Valencia (8pm, live on on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport Ultimate)

Wednesday 18 September fixtures

Group A

• Club Brugge vs. Galatasaray (5.55pm live on BT Sport 1)
• Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Madrid (8pm, live on BT Sport 2 and BT Sport Ultimate)

Group B

• Olympiakos vs. Tottenham Hotspur (5.55pm, live on BT Sport 2)
• Bayern Munich vs. Red Star Belgrade (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 2)

Group C

• Dinamo Zagreb vs. Atalanta (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 3)
• Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Manchester City (8pm, live on BT Sport 3)

Group D

• Atlético Madrid vs. Juventus (8pm, live on BT Sport ESPN)
• Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (8pm, live on BT Sport Extra 4)

As things stand there will be no new faces at Stamford Bridge for a further 253 days. Chelsea were banned from buying players for two transfer windows earlier this year after impropriety in signing foreign under-18 players.

However, according to The Sun the Blues are “confident of being able to return to the transfer market with a vengeance in January”.

Chelsea have appealed Fifa’s transfer ban, which runs until the end of this season, and the Blues are bullish that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will “cut short the punishment”.

If that’s the case then new manager Frank Lampard will have a war chest of nearly £133m to spend on new players after the club posted a record profit under owner Roman Abramovich.

Zaha in the sights

The priority for Lampard, claims the Sun, is Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, seen by the gaffer as the perfect replacement for “ageing stars Pedro and Willian”.

Arsenal and Everton failed with summer bids for the Eagles ace but apparently Lamps believes he will have more luck, and he is “considering an £80m bid for the Ivory Coast international”.

The rumours in south London are that Zaha would love to make the move from Selhurst Park to the Bridge as he wouldn’t have to uproot his home life.

French connection

Another player on Chelsea’s wishlist is up-and-coming Lyon hot-shot Houssem Aouar.

The 21-year-old playmaker is highly rated at Lyon, a club not averse to selling their young stars for a healthy profit.

Also on Lampard’s radar is Benfica defender Ruben Dias. However, Chelsea may miss out in January because the 22-year-old is also being tracked by Manchester City and Manchester United.

Piatek pursuit

Ben Chilwell has been linked to Chelsea in the past and apparently Lampard has told his scouts to keep a close eye on the Leicester City left-back as this is a problem position for the Blues.

Finally, the Sun reckons that Lampard could offload Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi in the near future and replace the duo with AC Milan’s Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek.

With Tammy Abraham looking like Chelsea’s frontman future, Lampard is after a reliable understudy for the long-term and the 24-year-old Piatek fits the bill far more than Giroud.

The Frenchman, 32, made it clear over the weekend that he’s not happy playing second fiddle to the 21-year-old Abraham.

Emerson offer

The Daily Star reports that Abraham is one of three Chelsea stars who will soon receive lucrative new contract offers.

The paper says that Lampard is keen to secure the young striker’s loyalty along with right-back Reece James.

Emerson is another player who Lampard is keen to keep at the Bridge. The defender, who tweaked a hamstring playing for Italy at the weekend, has impressed his club manager this season and consequently Lampard is “looking to reward him with a new long-term deal”.

That is also because of recent rumours suggesting that Juventus are circling Emerson with a view of luring him to Turin.

Luck was on the side of the four Premier League clubs when the draw was made for the 2019-20 Uefa Champions League group stage.

While Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague were pooled together in this season’s “group of death”, the managers of England’s four representatives breathed a sigh of relief.

Reigning champions Liverpool are the favourites to top group E with Napoli, Salzburg and Belgian side Genk fighting it out to see who finishes second.

Last season’s beaten finalists Tottenham Hotspur have to contend with German giants Bayern Munich in group B, but the north London outfit will back themselves to reach the last 16 ahead of Olympiakos and Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade.

Geography has been kind to Chelsea, who travel to Ajax of Amsterdam, Valencia and Lille in their away matches in group H. Dutch club Ajax reached last season’s semi-final but having lost several of that squad in the summer transfer window they have been diminished and the Blues should have no trouble qualifying for the knockout phase.

The same goes for Manchester City, who have been handed the easiest group of all with Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta standing between the Sky Blues and a place in the last 16.

Italy’s Atalanta are appearing in the tournament for the first time while Zagreb have never been beyond the group stage of the Champions League.

Spain’s champions, Barcelona, will have to be on top of their game to qualify from group F where they face Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Slavia Prague.

Similarly, Italy’s top dogs, Juventus, have a tricky group with Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow.

The tournament’s dominant club of recent years, Real Madrid, are in group A and it will be a shoot-out between them and Paris Saint-Germain to see who tops the pool with Club Brugge and Galatasaray making up the numbers.

Uefa Champions League draw in full

• Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
• Group B: Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiakos, Red Star Belgrade
• Group C: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Atalanta
• Group D: Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lokomotiv Moscow
• Group E: Liverpool, Napoli, Salzburg, Genk
• Group F: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Slavia Prague
• Group G: Zenit St. Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon, RB Leipzig
• Group H: Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia, Lille

2019-20 Champions League season calendar

• 17/18 September: group stage, matchday one
• 1/2 October: group stage, matchday two
• 22/23 October: group stage, matchday three
• 5/6 November: group stage, matchday four
• 26/27 November: group stage, matchday five
• 10/11 December: group stage, matchday six
• 16 December: round of 16 draw
• 18/19 and 25/26 February: round of 16, first leg
• 10/11 and 17/18 March: round of 16, second leg
• 20 March: quarter-final and semi-final draw
• 7/8 April: quarter-finals, first leg
• 14/15 April: quarter-finals, second leg
• 28/29 April: semi-finals, first leg
• 5/6 May: semi-finals, second leg
• 30 May 2020: Champions League final (Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey)

UCL draw: player and manager reactions

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “Napoli are obviously a very experienced side… I will need now to have another, closer look at Genk and Salzburg, but I already know they are very young, very exciting and very fresh, so it will be interesting.”

Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch: “It’s a brilliant group! Good opponents and obviously playing against Liverpool, that’s a huge game, a superb team and an unbelievable challenge.”

Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain: “Zagreb and Atalanta are new opponents for us, but both teams play really good football and I think you will see some great games in this group.”

Shakhtar Donetsk forward Junior Moraes: “I’m a little upset about Manchester City. Now it’s three years in a row.”

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min: “Bayern will be special because they are one of the biggest teams in Europe, you’re always excited to play in this competition against these teams.”

Borussia Dortmund coach Lucien Favre: “That really is a very tough group, which makes it an even bigger challenge for us.”

Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo: “Tough group, like always, the group stage is always like that but we are confident. We are Juventus and we are looking forward to starting well in the Champions League. It is a difficult competition to win but we are very confident for this year.”

Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor Petr Cech: “We can be satisfied with the draw. We avoided long travel so that was one of the positives.”

The Daily Telegraph on Man City’s draw: “It feels like this could be Pep Guardiola’s year - if the big decisions go his way.”

It was a good matchday three in the Uefa Champions League for the four teams from England.

On 22 October Tottenham and Manchester City put on five-star displays in group B and group C respectively. Spurs were 5-0 winners over Red Star Belgrade while City were 5-1 victors over Atalanta.

On 23 October holders Liverpool won 4-1 away at Genk in group E. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea secured a superb 1-0 victory away at Ajax in group H.

After three matches Tottenham are second in group B, Man City top group C, Liverpool are second in group E and Chelsea are second in group H.

Champions League results

Matchday three: 22-23 October

• Group A: Club Bruges 0 Paris Saint Germain 5; Galatasaray 0 Real Madrid 1
• Group B: Olympiakos 2 Bayern Munich 3; Tottenham Hotspur 5 Red Star Belgrade 0
• Group C: Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Dinamo Zagreb 2; Man City 5 Atalanta 1
• Group D: Atlético Madrid 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0; Juventus 2 Lokomotiv Moscow 1
• Group E: FC Red Bull Salzburg 2 Napoli 3; KRC Genk 1 Liverpool 4
• Group F: Inter Milan 2 Borussia Dortmund 0; Slavia Prague 1 Barcelona 2
• Group G: RB Leipzig 2 Zenit St Petersburg 1; Benfica 2 Lyon 1
• Group H: Ajax 0 Chelsea 1; Lille 1 Valencia 1

Matchday four fixtures

Tuesday 5 November

• Group E: Liverpool vs. KRC Genk (8pm); Napoli vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (8pm)
• Group F: Barcelona vs. Slavia Prague (5.55pm); Borussia Dortmund vs. Inter Milan (8pm)
• Group G: Zenit St Petersburg vs. RB Leipzig (5.55pm); Lyon vs. Benfica (8pm)
• Group H: Chelsea vs. Ajax; Valencia vs. Lille (8pm)

Wednesday 6 November

• Group A: Paris Saint Germain vs. Club Bruges (8pm); Real Madrid vs. Galatasaray
• Group B: Bayern Munich vs. Olympiakos (5.55pm); Red Star Belgrade vs. Tottenham Hotspur
• Group C: Atalanta vs. Manchester City (8pm); Dinamo Zagreb vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (8pm)
• Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Juventus (5.55pm); Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs. Atlético Madrid

Champions League winner betting odds

Prices according to Oddschecker

• Manchester City: 3/1
• Barcelona: 6/1
• Liverpool: 7/1
• PSG: 7/1
• Bayern Munich: 8/1
• Juventus: 11/1
• Real Madrid: 20/1
• Atletico Madrid: 20/1
• Chelsea: 33/1
• Tottenham: 40/1
• See Oddschecker.com for the full price list

2019-20 UCL season guide: groups and fixtures dates

Teams and group draw Group A

• Paris Saint-Germain (France)
• Real Madrid (Spain)
• Club Brugge (Belgium)
• Galatasaray (Turkey)

Group B

• Bayern Munich (Germany)
• Tottenham Hotspur (England)
• Olympiacos (Greece)
• Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)

Group C

• Manchester City (England)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
• Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
• Atalanta (Italy)

Group D

• Juventus (Italy)
• Atlético Madrid (Spain)
• Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)
• Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Group E

• Liverpool (England)
• Napoli (Italy)
• Salzburg (Austria)
• Genk (Belgium)

Group F

• Barcelona (Spain)
• Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
• Inter Milan (Italy)
• Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Group G

• Zenit (Russia)
• Benfica (Portugal)
• Lyon (France)
• RB Leipzig (Germany)

Group H

• Chelsea (England)
• Ajax (Netherlands)
• Valencia (Spain)
• LOSC Lille (France)

Season calendar

• 5-6 November: group stage, matchday four
• 26-27 November: group stage, matchday five
• 10-11 December: group stage, matchday six
• 16 December: round of 16 draw
• 18-19 and 25/26 February: round of 16, first leg
• 10-11 and 17-18 March: round of 16, second leg
• 20 March: quarter-final and semi-final draw
• 7-8 April: quarter-finals, first leg
• 14-15 April: quarter-finals, second leg
• 28-29 April: semi-finals, first leg
• 5-6 May: semi-finals, second leg

When is the final?

The 2020 Champions League final will be played at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on Saturday 30 May.

How to watch on TV

BT Sport has the UK rights for the Champions League and the broadcaster will show every game live in the 2019-20 season.

2019-20 results and reports

Matchday one: 17-18 September

• Group A: Club Brugge 0 Galatasaray 0; Paris Saint Germain 3 Real Madrid 0
• Group B: Olympiakos 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2; Bayern Munich 3 Red Star Belgrade 0
• Group C: Dinamo Zagreb 4 Atalanta 0; Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Manchester City 3
• Group D: Atlético Madrid 2 Juventus 2; Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1 Lokomotiv Moscow 2
• Group E: FC Red Bull Salzburg 6 KRC Genk 2; Napoli 2 Liverpool 0
• Group F: Inter Milan 1 Slavia Prague 1; Borussia Dortmund 0 Barcelona 0
• Group G: Lyon 1 Zenit St Petersburg 1; Benfica 1 RB Leipzig 2
• Group H: Ajax 3 Lille 0; Chelsea 0 Valencia 1

Matchday two: 1-2 October

• Group A: Real Madrid 2 Club Bruges 2; Galatasaray 0 Paris Saint Germain 1
• Group B: Red Star Belgrade 3 Olympiakos 1; Tottenham Hotspur 2 Bayern Munich 7
• Group C: Atalanta 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 2; Manchester City 2 Dinamo Zagreb 0
• Group D: Juventus 3 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0; Lokomotiv Moscow 0 Atlético Madrid 2
• Group E: KRC Genk 0 Napoli 0; Liverpool 4 FC Red Bull Salzburg 3
• Group F: Slavia Prague 0 Borussia Dortmund 2; Barcelona 2 Inter Milan 1
• Group G: RB Leipzig 0 Lyon 2; Zenit St Petersburg 3 Benfica 1
• Group H: Lille 1 Chelsea 2; Valencia 0 Ajax 3

Matchday three: 22-23 October

• Group A: Club Bruges 0 Paris Saint Germain 5; Galatasaray 0 Real Madrid 1
• Group B: Olympiakos 2 Bayern Munich 3; Tottenham Hotspur 5 Red Star Belgrade 0
• Group C: Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Dinamo Zagreb 2; Man City 5 Atalanta 1
• Group D: Atlético Madrid 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0; Juventus 2 Lokomotiv Moscow 1
• Group E: FC Red Bull Salzburg 2 Napoli 3; KRC Genk 1 Liverpool 4
• Group F: Inter Milan 2 Borussia Dortmund 0; Slavia Prague 1 Barcelona 2
• Group G: RB Leipzig 2 Zenit St Petersburg 1; Benfica 2 Lyon 1
• Group H: Ajax 0 Chelsea 1; Lille 1 Valencia 1

Bouncer battle brewing

A battle is brewing in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s after England’s were bundled out for 258 on the second day of the match after the first was washed out. But Australia lost David Warner before the close to finish 30-1 at stumps.

Joe Root’s side were undone in part by a bombardment of short bowling, and the third day could be interesting after opener Rory Burns, who top scored with 53, suggested England’s bowlers could return the favour.

The Sun, for one, is excited by the prospect. England were “roughed up”, but “Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad want revenge against Australia after England succumbed to a bouncer barrage,” it says. “Archer didn’t take a wicket in his first six overs of Test cricket but will be dangerous on Friday.”

But there was more to think about than cricket at Lord’s says the Daily Telegraph. “Perhaps it was appropriate that what was in effect the opening day of the Lord’s Test belonged to both England and Australia. It was dedicated to the Ruth Strauss Foundation, and the best part of half a million pounds was raised in memory of one who was Australian by birth and English by adoption.”

Ugly face of racism

Meanwhile in the Premier League racism has reared its ugly head once again after Chelsea striker was abused online after missing a vital penalty as the Blues lost to Liverpool in the Uefa Super Cup final on Wednesday.

“The striker’s saved effort handed the Super Cup to the Reds and gave trolls an excuse to bombard him with offensive tweets on social media,” says the Mirror. Anti-racism watchdog Kick It Out condemned the messages and called on Twitter to take action against racists and bigots.

“Blues boss Frank Lampard has backed Abraham while the club have given the youngster their full support,” adds the paper.