Player ratings

Manchester United lost for the first time under Michael Carrick as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Newcastle on Wednesday. Despite having the numerical advantage for the entire second half, the Red Devils were unable to make it count after Casemiro equalised Anthony Gordon's penalty, and were made to pay by Will Osula's superb strike in the final minute for the Magpies.

Bukayo Saka's first-half strike earned Arsenal a crucial 1-0 win at Brighton as they took full advantage of Manchester City's shock 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest to move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League. Mikel Arteta's side were far from their best at the Amex Stadium, but Saka's ninth-minute effort gave them something to hang onto, and with Gabriel Magalhaes colossal at the back they ground out a huge win on what could prove to be a pivotal night in the title race.

Manchester City twice threw away the lead to draw 2-2 at home to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, thus ceding ground in the Premier League title race to Arsenal. Antoine Semenyo and Rodri scored for Pep Guardiola's side but they were caught out twice in the second half by a pair of magnificent goals from England duo Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.

Chelsea boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League with an emphatic 4-1 win at Aston Villa on Wednesday. The Blues had gone three games without a Premier League win to significantly weaken their chances of a top-five finish, but answered plenty of critics with a superb comeback victory in the West Midlands.

Liverpool blew a glorious chance to move into the Premier League's top four by slumping to a humiliating 2-1 loss away to basement boys Wolves on Tuesday. After a strangely subdued first-half showing, the Reds pinned their hosts back in the second half but failed to turn their possession into clear-cut chances. Then, with just 12 minutes to go, Tolu Arokodare bullied Virgil van Dijk in the air, before putting Rodrigo Gomes through to score with Wolves' first shot of any variety all evening.

Barcelona fell agonisingly short of an epic comeback in their Copa del Rey semi-final against Atletico Madrid as the Blaugrana won Tuesday's second leg 3-0 but lost out 4-3 on aggregate. Teenage midfielder Marc Bernal scored twice on a night where Barca launched attack after attack, but they couldn't find the fourth goal that would have taken the tie to extra-time.

Alessia Russo's quick-fire brace kickstarted England's 6-1 win over Ukraine on Tuesday, with Georgia Stanway and Jess Park also netting twice to get the Lionesses off to a strong start in qualifying for the 2027 Women's World Cup. It took Sarina Wiegman's side until the second half to break down a resolute Ukraine defence, but once they did, the result was never in doubt, even if Yana Kalinina grabbed a consolation to temporarily halve the deficit.

Real Madrid lost for the second game in a row and were lacking in the final third in a 1-0 defeat to lowly Getafe. With Kylian Mbappe sidelined due to a knee injury, Los Blancos looked void of ideas. They conceded a remarkable goal in the first half, and didn't create enough in the second to deserve any more than a disappointing home defeat to a scrappy Getafe side.

With their backs against the wall, the defending MLS Cup champions responded in a big way.

The USWNT opened up their SheBelieves tournament with a scrappy but effective victory over Argentina at GEODIS Stadium.

There's just no stopping Set-piece FC! Arsenal performed poorly in Sunday's crucial Premier League clash with Chelsea at the Emirates, but still managed to eke out a vital 2-1 victory over the 10-man Blues that moves them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea suffered their first Premier League defeat of the Liam Rosenior era as they went down 2-1 at Arsenal on Sunday. The Blues were undone by two Gunners set-pieces, and despite causing problems from dead balls themselves, most notably when Piero Hincapie put the ball into his own net, they were unable to make their chances count before Pedro Neto's red card ended their hopes of taking anything away from north London.

Manchester United came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday that lifts them to third place in the Premier League table. The Red Devils were not at their best for much of the afternoon, but benefitted from a Maxence Lacroix red card to turn the game around in the second half through goals from Bruno Fernandes and the in-form Benjamin Sesko.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal thanks to a 1-0 win away at Leeds United on Saturday. Leeds were unbeaten in their previous 25 evening games at Elland Road but they saw that run snapped by a City side who were without Erling Haaland, who pulled out of the fixture with a minor injury.

A hat-trick from Lamine Yamal ensured Barcelona stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to four points with an impressive 4-1 win over Villarreal on Saturday. The winger was sensational as he helped himself to three goals and the first match ball of his career. Barcelona made light work of the third best side in Spain this season and extended their advantage over Real Madrid, who play on Monday.

Liverpool beat West Ham United 5-2 in a remarkable Premier League fixture on Saturday. Arne Slot's side were indebted to the magic of Hugo Ekitike, who scored and assisted in a nervy defensive display, as the Reds let the Hammers back into the game not once but twice.

Vinicius Jr danced and Real Madrid overcame an early deficit to see off Benfica in the Champions League playoff round, 2-1. Los Blancos fell behind early, before goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius gave them a comfortable lead, and sealed a 3-1 aggregate win. There were some uncertain moments, but Madrid were otherwise good value for the result.

Newcastle eased into the last 16 of the Champions League as they ran out 3-2 winners over Qarabag on Tuesday to secure a 9-3 aggregate win in their play-off encounter. Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Sven Botman got the on the scoresheet for Eddie Howe's men, who will now face Chelsea or Barcelona in the next round.

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to fire Manchester United to a narrow and barely deserved 1-0 win at Everton which could be utterly priceless in their quest to finish in the Premier League's top four. The Slovenian started on the bench for the sixth game in a row but for the third time in four appearances he made all the difference, banging in the crucial goal in the 71st minute.

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scored twice as Arsenal crushed Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby for the second time this season to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Gunners, who came into Sunday's game under huge pressure following their midweek capitulation at Wolves, made a mockery of those questioning their stomach for a title race as they ran riot at the home of their neighbours, who remain firmly in the relegation mire.

Barcelona returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over Levante on Sunday that moved them back to the summit of La Liga as they took advantage of Real Madrid's defeat to Osasuna 24 hours earlier. First-half goals from midfield duo Marc Bernal and Frenkie de Jong put the hosts in control before Fermin Lopez scored a stunner on a day when Joao Cancelo was the real star of the show.

Manchester United's bid to reach a fourth-straight Women's FA Cup final was ended on Sunday as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Chelsea after extra time in their fifth-round tie. Phallon Tullis-Joyce produced heroics in the Red Devils' goal but couldn't keep out strikes from Sam Kerr and Naomi Girma, while Simi Awujo's equaliser couldn't spark a come-from-behind win for Marc Skinner's side.

Naomi Girma picked a perfect time to score her first Chelsea goal on Sunday, with her finish in extra-time allowing the Blues to secure a dramatic 2-1 win over Manchester United and put themselves into the FA Cup quarter-finals. It looked like Sam Kerr's late second-half strike was going to be the difference for Sonia Bompastor's side in a tightly-contested clash, but Simi Awujo's quick-fire response prolonged the tie, paving the way for Girma to be the hero.

Alexis Mac Allister scored a 96th-minute winner as Liverpool beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the City Ground on Sunday. The Argentina international thought he had won the game with two minutes left, only for VAR to rule it out, but the midfielder would not be denied, as the Reds consigned Forest to a damaging defeat, doing so without the injured Florian Wirtz.

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami came into the 2026 season with a ton of new shiny toys, but it was a familiar LAFC who dominated in their season opener - crushing the Herons in a 3-0 rout in front of an MLS-record opening day crowd of 75,673 at LA Memorial Coliseum. Denis Bouanga sparked an impressive performance for the Black and Gold, with an impressive goal and assist in the second half.

Lionel Messi was unable to make an impact and Inter Miami were poor defensively as they dropped the first game of the season to LAFC, 3-0. The Herons never really got into the game, and were undone by three clinical counterattacks by the home side - who showed that they just might be serious challengers for MLS Cup this year.

Nico O'Reilly continued his incredible season by powering Manchester City to a 2-1 win over Newcastle which cut the gap with Arsenal in the Premier League title race to just two points. O'Reilly scored a brilliant opener which was soon cancelled out by Lewis Hall. But City's homegrown midfielder restored his side's advantage with a well-taken header set up by a fine cross from Erling Haaland.

After a testing week, Vinicius Jr did what he does best as he scored to bring Real Madrid backing into it against a spirited Osasuna side. The Brazilian's work was undone by some shoddy defending, however, as two cheap goals saw Los Blancos fall to a 2-1 defeat. The side from Pamplona struck before the break and in the 92nd minute to inflict a loss on Alvaro Arbeloa's side that might be crucial in the scope of the title race. Barcelona, how play on Sunday, can now move top with a win.

Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-battling Burnley on Saturday afternoon, with the 10-man Blues conceding an equaliser in the 93rd minute at Stamford Bridge. Liam Rosenior's men moved back into the Premier League's top four ahead of Manchester United on goal difference, though will feel they missed the chance to steal a march on their rivals for Champions League qualification.