Player ratings

  1. Hat-trick hero Raphinha runs things for five-star Barca

    Barcelona re-established their healthy lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday afternoon, beating Sevilla 5-2 to move back four points clear of Real Madrid. It was another fruitful outing for Raphinha, who bagged a hat-trick in the win. Two of his strikes came from the penalty spot, with his third a looping deflection that put the game to bed early in the second half.

  2. It had to be LJ! England star is Chelsea's League Cup hero

    Lauren James' brilliance took centre stage as Chelsea retained the Women's League Cup on Sunday, the England international once again coming back to haunt Manchester United as her goal was backed up by Aggie Beever-Jones' opportunistic finish to give the Blues a 2-0 win and the first piece of silverware of the season. In a tight game of few chances, James' clinical touch looked set to prove decisive before Beever-Jones made sure of the win in the latter stages, rounding off a remarkable effort from a Chelsea side plagued by injuries.

  3. Smith & Blackstenius get job done for Arsenal in WSL

    Olivia Smith and Stina Blackstenius got the goals as Arsenal beat London City Lionesses 2-0 on Sunday, a result which allowed the Gunners to move within one point of the Women's Super League's European places. With Chelsea playing in the League Cup final on Sunday, Arsenal knew the short journey across the capital presented an opportunity to close the gap and put some pressure on the third-placed Blues, and they took it, winning their seventh game in a row in comfortable fashion.

  4. Shaw silenced as WSL leaders City held to drab draw

    Manchester City's march towards the Women's Super League title was stalled somewhat on Sunday as the runaway leaders were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa. Andree Jeglertz's side struggled to create chances against the most porous defence in the division, and if not for some excellent Khiara Keating saves, they may well have fallen to just a third defeat of the campaign.

  5. Valverde's at it again while Guler & Huijsen star for Madrid

    Real Madrid cruised to a 4-1 win over struggling Elche to put the pressure back on La Liga leaders Barcelona. Los Blancos built on their thrashing of Manchester City in the Champions League, with Federico Valverde among the goal scorers again in the Spanish capital. Although it was substitute Arda Guler who stole the show with a stunning strike from his own half in the dying stages.

  6. Joao Pedro goes missing as Chelsea punished by Newcastle

    Chelsea lost crucial ground in the race for the Champions League as Anthony Gordon's goal earnt Newcastle United a 1-0 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge. The Blues huffed and puffed but looked far from their best as Joao Pedro offered little threat in attack while substitute Liam Delap missed a huge chance to equalise. For the Magpies' first-half winner, a severe lapse in judgement by both Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana allowed Joe Willock in behind, while Gordon tapped in unchallenged.

  1. Messi kept quiet as Inter Miami settle for drab goalless draw

    Inter Miami were forced to settle for a frustrating scoreless draw with Nashville SC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup last 16 tie. Neither side created much, and Lionel Messi was kept surprisingly quiet in a poor fixture between two sides that looked more eager not to lose. The two teams combined for just five shots on target over the course of 90 minutes.

  2. Jorgensen clangers cost Chelsea as PSG expose Rosenior

    Errors from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen helped condemn Chelsea to a 5-2 loss in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain. Goals from Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez looked to have earned the Blues a deserved draw in the French capital, only for Jorgensen to gift the ball to the defending champions on the edge of his own penalty area, which Vitinha took advantage of before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added two further late goals.

  3. Pep gets his tactics wrong AGAIN as O'Reilly run ragged

    Manchester City have a mountain to climb in the Champions League after slumping to a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 tie at the Bernabeu. Pep Guardiola raised eyebrows with his team selection in the Spanish capital and saw his team simply swept away by Los Blancos, with Fede Valverde stealing the show for the hosts with a brilliant first-half hat-trick.

  4. Last-gasp Yamal earns Barca a draw they barely deserved

    Lamine Yamal kept his cool to convert a penalty with the last kick of the game to earn Barcelona an undeserved 1-1 draw with Newcastle in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at St. James' Park on Tuesday. The Blaugrana's teenage sensation had, just like the rest of his team-mates, performed poorly on Tyneside and could have had no complaints had another winger, Harvey Barnes, proven the match-winner.

  5. Calamitous Kinsky produces all-time stinker as Spurs spanked

    Igor Tudor stated that he is more confident than ever that relegation-threatened Tottenham will remain in the Premier League, but their terrible form in 2026 continued with a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16. It was another night of embarrassing individual errors, combined with a confusing system that handed the Spanish giants all the initiative they needed to put the tie to bed in the first leg.

  6. Shocking Salah & comical Konate lead Liverpool shambles

    Liverpool coach Arne Slot claimed that his team were in a much better place as they returned to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday - but the Reds looked to have made zero progress at all as they slumped to another 1-0 defeat at RAMS Park that this time puts them at real risk of elimination.

  7. Garnacho to the rescue! Chelsea avoid Wrexham cupset

    Chelsea needed extra-time to beat 10-man Wrexham in their FA Cup fifth round tie, prevailing 4-2 in North Wales on Saturday. The Blues went behind twice in an entertaining encounter but managed to find two equalisers, before a red card after a VAR check meant Liam Rosenior's men finished the night with an extra player than their hosts on the pitch.

  8. James runs riot as Bronze & Stanway seal Lionesses win

    Lauren James stole the show as England beat Iceland 2-0 on Saturday, with Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway on the scoresheet as the Lionesses started their 2027 Women's World Cup qualifying campaign with two wins from two. After the 6-1 win over Ukraine on Tuesday, this was another dominant performance from Sarina Wiegman's side, setting up next month's clash with world champions Spain perfectly.

  9. Eze saves subpar Arsenal after massive Mansfield scare

    Arsenal just about did enough to edge past League One side Mansfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round, running out 2-1 winners on the road on Saturday. Mikel Arteta made several changes to his starting XI and initially lined them up in a 3-5-2 formation with wingers in lieu of wing-backs, which only emboldened their ambitious hosts. Nevertheless, goals in either half helped see the Gunners into the hat for the quarter-finals.

  10. Robertson & Rio send message to Slot in FA Cup cruise

    The recalled Andy Robertson was the star of the show with a goal and an assist as Liverpool went some way towards making amends for Tuesday's utterly embarrassing Premier League loss at Wolves. Indeed, the rematch was a far better experience for the Reds as they returned to Molineux on Friday evening to record a 3-1 win that secured Arne Slot's side a spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

  11. Valverde saves the day after Trent's defensive disaster

    Federico Valverde's lucky late winner papered over an otherwise disappointing performance from Real Madrid as they snuck past Celta Vigo with a 2-1 win. Los Blancos took the lead inside the first half, but conceded an equaliser shortly after. They seemed destined to settle for a point, but Valverde's winner - a heavily deflected strike in second-half stoppage time - gave them a vital win on the road.