FEATURES

Just like pretty much everyone else on the planet, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock thoroughly enjoyed Bayern Munich's thrilling Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. The tie ebbed and flowed for 180 mesmerising minutes before the Bavarians eventually prevailed 6-4 on aggregate, thanks in no small part to Eduardo Camavinga's idiotic dismissal in the closing stages of the second leg.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including a clash between USMNT teammates in Italy's big game

Arsenal will take a slender advantage into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final clash with Lyon, after the defending European champions beat the eight-time winners 2-1 in north London on Sunday. Jule Brand had given OL an early lead but two calamitous errors in the visitors' defence proved costly, as Ingrid Engen's own goal levelled the scores up to set the scene for Olivia Smith, who had been a livewire all afternoon, to win the game late on.

Manager-less Chelsea earned the right to salvage something from their waning season by battling past Leeds in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley on Sunday, courtesy of Enzo Fernandez's first-half header. Interim head coach Calum McFarlane can now prepare to lead his side out against Manchester City in the showpiece in May.

When Bryan Mbeumo joined Manchester United last summer, he said his mentality was "to always be better than I was yesterday". But after a wonderful start to life at Old Trafford. the £71 million signing has hit a wall, with no shortage of fans starting to wonder whether he was worth the money at all.

The Herons came from behind as the search for a home win goes on for Lionel Messi and his teammates.

Nico Gonzalez scored a late screamer as Manchester City roared back from an almighty scare to beat Southampton 2-1 on Saturday and reach the FA Cup final for a fourth consecutive season. Finn Azaz's unstoppable curler had given the Championship side an unlikely lead, but Jeremy Doku's deflected equaliser soon restored parity before Gonzalez provided the grandstand finish.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table as Eberechi Eze's stunning strike secured a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday. The Gunners produced another nervy display in their bid to end their 22-year wait for the title, but the struggling Magpies couldn't take advantage as Mikel Arteta's side moved three points clear of Manchester City, albeit with Pep Guardiola's side again now having a game in hand.

Liverpool climbed up to fourth in the Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Alexander Isak and Andy Robertson's first-half goals put the Reds in control while third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman produced a number of superb saves to help preserve the lead before Florian Wirtz made the points safe in stoppage time. The afternoon was somewhat soured, however, after Mohamed Salah suffered an injury that might rule him out for the final weeks of his Liverpool career.

Manchester City's hopes of wrapping up the Women's Super League title with games to spare suffered a major blow as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. Kerolin had given the champions-elect an early lead on the south coast, but Andree Jeglertz's side were wasteful in attack and desperate in defence as they suffered just their third league defeat of the campaign.

Lindsey Heaps has done a lot of incredible things in her career to date. With the United States women’s national team, she has won the World Cup, and at she has lifted another 12 major titles at club level, including the Champions League. But perhaps her biggest impact on the sport has been her trailblazing efforts for U.S. women’s soccer, in more ways than one.

In the wake of Liam Rosenior's all-too-predictable sacking, Chelsea's search for a new head coach could and perhaps should come down to a choice between two Spanish tacticians. Andoni Iraola and Cesc Fabregas are the two leading candidates for the role - a result of the fine work they have done at overachieving Bournemouth and Como, respectively. However, as the Blues' owners face a defining appointment of their turbulent reign, who would be the right choice?

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including some big meetings of USMNT stars

At just 17 years of age, Vasilije Kostov is rewriting the record books at the highest level of Serbian football. The latest jewel to emerge from Red Star Belgrade's famed academy, the attacking midfielder is defying all logic as he puts Europe's elite on red alert with a stellar individual campaign for his country's biggest club.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice made a point of telling his team-mates after Sunday's Premier League loss to title rivals Manchester City, "It's not done." And he was right, it's not. The title race is far from finished, as underlined by City's laboured win over Burnley on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola's men may have gone top of the table with their 1-0 victory at Turf Moor - but only on goals scored.

"It's a long way from Cumbria", said James Trafford after 25 friends and family travelled to watch the Manchester City goalkeeper star in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in March. But many of those who were there to support Trafford that day will again be making the same 300-plus mile journey on Saturday to see him in action against Southampton in City's FA Cup semi-final, and will hope to do so again for the final on May 16.

When Arsenal stunned Barcelona to win the Women's Champions League last year, there were so many individuals who deserved to be singled out for praise. Be it the exceptional turnaround overseen by interim-turned-permanent coach Renee Slegers, the goal-scoring exploits of Alessia Russo or the timeless class of Kim Little in midfield, there were so many reasons for the success. It was hard, though, not to be drawn in particular to the impact of Mariona Caldentey.

McKennie is putting together a historic season at Juventus - but how does it stack up against Bradley, Reyna, and the best USMNT midfield campaigns in Europe?

The 2026 World Cup is the most expensive ever - and with tickets going unsold, one expert explains where FIFA got it wrong and how it can fix it

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick doesn't want to get bogged down in questions about the summer transfer window at this particular moment in time, and that's perfectly understandable. The Catalans may be presently nine points clear of Real Madrid in the Spanish title race, but there's still work to be done - possibly without an injured Lamine Yamal - and, as Flick pointed out on Tuesday, "La Liga is not an easy league."

To paraphrase the great Homer Simpson, it is not only easy to criticise, but fun, too. It is quite simple to sit and judge from this ivory tower, but hey, that's football after all, merely a game of opinions. Being a Premier League manager must be one of the loneliest gigs in the world, particularly when results are wayward and your job security is the subject of international speculation.

Newcastle's season has unravelled; with five Premier League games remaining and in the thick of a dire run of form, the Magpies find themselves closer to the bottom three than they are to the Champions League places, and their hopes of securing any form of European football are fading fast. To make matters worse, their struggles are unfolding against the backdrop of significant upheaval behind the scenes as pressure mounts on head coach Eddie Howe.

Almost every footballer's career has a sliding doors moment, and Georgia Stanway's came in the summer of 2022. It's remarkable to think now, given her role in the England team and her status as one of the best midfielders in the game, but as that year's European Championship approached, Stanway was not in Sarina Wiegman’s starting XI.

For much of Wednesday night, it looked like Inter Miami would drop points in Utah, but two of the club's biggest names stepped up with world-class finishes.

A Lamine Yamal penalty ensured Barcelona saw off a stubborn Celta Vigo side on Wednesday night to stretch their lead over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to nine points. However, the 1-0 victory at Spotify Camp Nou came at a cost, as the wonderkid winger was forced off injured straight after converting the winner from the spot in the first half.

Erling Haaland scored the only goal as an underwhelming Manchester City beat Burnley 1-0 to move top of the Premier League and relegate the Clarets in the process. Three days after netting the winner in the title showdown against Arsenal, the Norwegian demonstrated his physical prowess to score the winner in just the sixth minute as Pep Guardiola's men edged to victory.

Mic'd up: Kaylyn Kyle breaks down Canadian teams in MLS, who Inter Miami could appoint to replace Javier Mascherano, and why Neymar would be an excellent fit in North America

If we're being brutally honest, it always felt like a case of not if, but when the axe would fall on Liam Rosenior after he was named as the surprise successor to the sacked Enzo Maresca in January. A positive start in the Stamford Bridge dugout now feels like a distant memory, with a historically-bad run of form accelerating his downfall. Having overseen a fifth league defeat in a row, Rosenior has deservedly been relieved of his duties - but he was simply a symptom of the Blues wider, deeper problems.

No team benefits more from an expanded World Cup than the All Whites, who head into this summer's tournament with a genuine opportunity