Match

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has revealed his squad have been hit with a virus that has affected players and staff. The Blues were without Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens due to illness for their Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Arsenal and both players have been ordered to stay at home. More staff members have also been affected ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Brentford.

The Super Eagles came into the match hoping to go all the way and make amends for the shortcomings that saw them finish second two years ago in the Ivory Coast. However, they were not going to get it easy playing the Atlas Lions, who have enjoyed massive home support since the start of the biennial competition.

Fans were left puzzled after Arsenal's opening goal against Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final was allowed to stand on Wednesday night, despite Manchester City having a strike disallowed the day before for a similar infraction from Erling Haaland against Newcastle United. Robert Sanchez flapped at a corner which allowed Ben White the simplest of headers, but Viktor Gyokeres appeared to be in an offside position as he tangled with Marc Guiu, who was defending on the line. The Gunners ended up claiming a 3-2 victory at Stamford Bridge, handing Mikel Arteta's side a strong advantage as they bid to reach the final at Wembley.

Moises Caicedo was a notable absentee from Chelsea's squad for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal on Wednesday night. The Ecuador international is one of the Blues' most important players in central midfield but new boss Liam Rosenior was forced to deploy Andrey Santos alongside Enzo Fernandez against the Gunners because of his absence. Chelsea have struggled with suspensions so far this season, with five red cards forcing key players to miss out at various stages.

Despite San Diego FC’s sporting director and head coach stating that he no longer fits into the club’s plans - and reported interest from Cruz Azul - Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has no intention of leaving the MLS side. Backed by a long-term contract and a record salary, the Mexican winger reportedly wants to remain with the team and is confident he can earn his place, even as the door appears to be closed.

This is particularly a big blow to Mohamed Salah's individual ambition of winning the international trophy for his country, which has remained an elusive mission in his career so far. For Mane and his teammates, the dream of winning the second AFCON trophy remains very much alive after progressing to the ultimate stage. The win means Senegal have stamped their authority on this fixture, as they have a decent record against the Pharaohs, where they have now won four of their last six games. 

Chris Richards has been named U.S. Soccer's Male Player of the Year after a standout 2025 calendar year with both Crystal Palace and the U.S. Men's National Team. The central defender's award win comes in the first time he was nominated for the award, as he beat out Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Matt Freese, and Malik Tillman to this year's honors.

Neymar has revealed that Lionel Messi has expressed an interest in playing in the latter stages of the 2026 Kings League World Cup Nations tournament. The Kings League was set up by Messi and Neymar's former Barcelona team-mate Gerard Pique, and has regularly featured some huge stars.

Mason Greenwood produced a clinical display to lead Marseille into the last 16 of the Coupe de France with a stunning hat-trick. The 24-year-old took his season tally to 19 goals as Roberto De Zerbi’s men demolished sixth-tier Bayeux 9-0 in a ruthless performance, with Greenwood even donning the captain's armband during the second half of the one-sided rout.

San Diego FC’s abrupt decision to move on from Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano has raised questions about his future at both club and international level. Once the face of the expansion project, the Mexico international is now weighing his next move as interest grows from MLS and Liga MX. GOAL examines five realistic landing spots as Cruz Azul and Atlanta United lead the race.

Mikel Arteta says he's gunning for glory in the Carabao Cup to make up for previous failures during his time at Arsenal. The Gunners take on Chelsea on Wednesday in the first leg of their semi-final and face a Blues team under new management following the arrival of Liam Rosenior. Arsenal were knocked out at this stage of the competition last season by eventual winners Newcastle and Arteta wants his team to go one better this time around.

Michael Carrick has been officially named caretaker coach of Manchester United after the club decided against bringing back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Carrick, who was Solskjaer's assistant coach and became interim coach for three games when the Norwegian was sacked in November 2021, will take charge of the team until the end of the season following Ruben Amorim's sacking last week.

Wrexham took a trip to Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon for a friendly clash at the Premier League champions' AXA Training Centre. Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac's side faced an Under-21 Liverpool team and returned home after a 1-1 draw. Club legend Paul Mullin, who has been recalled to Wrexham after a loan spell with Wigan Athletic, featured along with former Red Conor Coady and ex-Burnley man Jay Rodriguez.

Liverpool’s passage to the fourth round of the FA Cup was marred by a moment of controversial flair from Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been fiercely criticised by Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane for a "disrespectful" piece of skill inside his own penalty area. The Hungarian’s casual backheel gifted the visitors a route back into the game, sparking anger from the opposition dugout and earning a stern rebuke from his own manager, Arne Slot.

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has refused to criticise his players despite suffering a shock elimination from the Coupe de France at the hands of local rivals Paris FC on Monday night. The Spaniard insisted the 1-0 defeat was "unfair" given his side's dominance, though the result has officially ended the capital club's hopes of securing a historic back-to-back treble this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing another trophy-less season at Al-Nassr after his team threw away a one-goal lead in their 3-1 loss to title rivals Al-Hilal. The Portugal international put his side ahead shortly before half time but a second half to forget may have again ended their hopes of winning the league title. The former Real Madrid man is yet to win any major silverware since moving to the Middle East three years ago and now they are seven points behind Al-Hilal after 14 games.

Minnesota United have named Cam Knowles as their new head coach, opting for continuity as Eric Ramsay prepares to return to Europe to take over West Brom. With preseason set to begin, the Loons moved quickly to reward a trusted figure within the club and maintain stability after a successful MLS campaign. Knowles has been in MLS for two decades as a player and coach.

Macclesfield boss John Rooney is hoping to upset more Premier League opposition after dumping FA Cup holders Crystal Palace out of the competition. The non-league side produced arguably the biggest upset in FA Cup history with their 2-1 win over Oliver Glasner's team at the weekend. The National League North club are 117 places below the Eagles but were more than a match for them, and now Wayne Rooney's brother wants another eye-catching tie in the fourth round.

Nine days after their Ligue 1 clash, PSG and Paris FC meet again for a highly anticipated French Cup derby.

Toronto FC have reportedly submitted an $18 million bid for USMNT striker Josh Sargent, but Norwich manager Philippe Clement has insisted the forward is not for sale amid growing MLS interest. Sargent missed the Canaries’ FA Cup match this weekend after informing the club he was focused on a potential transfer, with Clement saying there would be consequences.

Michael Olise and Luis Diaz have been compared to legendary Bayern Munich duo Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery after both wingers sparkled in their side’s 8-1 demolition of Wolfsburg on Sunday evening. The pair conjured up six goal involvements between them as Vincent Kompany’s side enjoyed a dream return to Bundesliga action following the recent winter break.

A furious Antonio Conte screamed in the face of the fourth official after being sent off in the second half of Napoli's top-of-the-table Serie A clash against Inter at San Siro on Sunday. The Napoli boss kicked a spare ball up the pitch in anger after seeing his side concede a late penalty, and was then shown a red card, but that only exacerbated his foul mood, with club officials eventually intervening to usher him down the tunnel. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Scott McTominay grabbing both goals for the visitors.

Vinicius Junior scored an amazing solo goal for Real Madrid in their Supercopa de Espana final clash with Barcelona, snapping a long barren spell in the process. The Brazilian winger had not scored since October 10 heading into the Saudi showpiece, but showed he still has the magic in his boots with a wonderful run and finish against Real's arch-rivals. It wasn't enough to give his team the edge heading in at the break, though, as the Spanish giants shared four goals between them in a crazy first 45 minutes.

Darren Fletcher has hinted he will not be given the Manchester United job for the remainder of the season after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by Brighton. The former United midfielder has failed to win either of his games since being named interim boss following Ruben Amorim's sacking on Monday, having overseen a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday.

Manchester United triggered an extraordinary 111-year low after they were beaten by a Danny Welbeck-inspired Brighton and Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday evening. The ex-Red Devils striker came back to haunt his former paymasters, who were reduced to ten men late on when academy graduate Shea Lacey was sent off at Old Trafford.

Bayern Munich enjoyed a perfect return to the Bundesliga as they crushed Wolfsburg 8-1 at the Allianz Arena on Sunday evening. Michael Olise scored two and set up another, with Luis Diaz, Raphael Guerreiro, Harry Kane and Leon Goretzka also finding the back of the net, as Vincent Kompany's side sparkled in their first match back following the winter break.

Zinedine Zidane's son Luca was involved in a brawl at full-time after his Algeria side were defeated in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Saturday. The 27-year-old Granada goalkeeper clashed with Nigeria ace Fisayo Dele-Bashiru following a 2-0 victory for the Super Eagles, who will meet hosts Morocco in the last four. But the incident after the full-time whistle saw a sour end to proceedings as Zidane's side were eliminated.

Jorrel Hato has praised new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, after the Blues thumped Charlton 5-1 in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. The young Dutchman opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time as he powered home a bouncing ball on the edge of the Addicks' area with a fierce left-footed strike. Speaking after the game, the left back said he felt Rosenior's style "suits" this Chelsea squad.

Micky van de Ven defended Tottenham and Aston Villa's fracas at the end of their FA Cup third round tie, but sent a blunt warning to his Spurs team-mates that they cannot only show "this passion" when they are losing, having gone into half-time 2-0 down.