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?
Diant Ramaj has been loaned by BVB to 1. FC Heidenheim, where he currently holds an unwanted European record. The 24-year-old goalkeeper’s future remains highly uncertain.
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.
Since arriving on loan in the January transfer window, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Daniel Peretz has enjoyed an almost unbelievable run of form with Southampton. Now, promotion to the Premier League and a place in the FA Cup final are within reach.
VfB Stuttgart have reached the DFB-Pokal final once again. Here are three key observations from their semi-final clash with defending champions SC Freiburg.
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?
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."
Pellegrino Matarazzo and Real Sociedad are a perfect match, each propelling the other to greater heights. Their symbiosis has already hit a milestone, yet both are set to aim higher.
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.
FC Bayern have reached the DFB-Pokal final for the first time since 2020. In the semi-final, the Munich side won 2–0 away against Bayer Leverkusen. Individual player ratings for the FCB squad.
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.
Johan Manzambi, who evokes memories of BVB’s Felix Nmecha, is poised to fill the void left by Leon Goretzka at Bayern Munich. The 20-year-old has quickly established himself as a match-winner for SC Freiburg.