Brits Abroad: Trent Alexander-Arnold & Marcus Rashford both roasted by Spanish press while Fikayo Tomori shines in AC Milan derby win

Real Madrid bounced back from two successive La Liga losses by beating Celta Vigo 2-1 away from home on Friday, keeping the title race alive in the process. It was by no means a straightforward evening for Alvaro Arbeloa's men, though, as they only got over the line thanks to a goal from Federico Valverde in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, and benefitted from a huge slice of luck as the Uruguayan's shot was taken into the net via a wicked deflection.

Celta would have been good value for a point, with Madrid once again struggling for real cohesion, particularly at the back. Borja Iglesias' 25th-minute strike to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni's early opener was a case in point, as Trent Alexander-Arnold was bypassed far too easily in the build-up. 

Williot Swedberg outpaced the England international to bring down a long pass down the left flank, before cutting back onto his right foot and delivering a low cross for Iglesias to coolly convert. Alexander-Arnold's defending was far too casual, to put it kindly, and not just in that one sequence; he only posted one tackle in the entire game.

The former Liverpool full-back continues to look like a fish out of water in Madrid, as the Spanish press have noted. Marca said in a scathing assessment of his latest performance: "He contributes a lot in attack but also takes a lot away in defence. He was incredibly weak on Celta's equaliser."

Diario Sport went a step further: "Trent's situation is very worrying. The Englishman is a problem in defence for Real Madrid, as demonstrated by Celta's first goal. He was very weak defensively and completely outmatched in every aspect of the game. To make matters worse, he's lost what little he contributed in attack. If [Dani] Carvajal recovers somewhat, he'll be back in the starting line-up."

If Alexander-Arnold doesn't significantly up his game in the coming weeks, he will surely also fall out of contention for a spot in England's 2026 World Cup squad.

Marcus Rashford's first season in La Liga has been more encouraging than Alexander-Arnold's, with the Manchester United loanee boasting a combined total of 23 goals and assists in a Barcelona shirt. However, he hasn't posted any in his last four La Liga appearances, and only lasted 62 minutes before being hooked in the Blaugrana's latest domestic outing.

Lamine Yamal provided the moment of magic to lift Barca to a 1-0 victory at Athletic Club, cracking a sensational shot into the top corner in the 68th minute which ultimately preserved the team's four-point lead at the summit. It was a sloppy collective showing, though, and Rashford was the man most guilty for persistently spurning opportunities to give the visitors some momentum.

The 28-year-old gave up possession 13 times and only delivered two accurate crosses in the game, often running down blind alleys instead of getting his head up. It was no surprise when his number came up for Raphinha when the scoreline was still 0-0, and Barca improved after his withdrawal.

Like Alexander-Arnold, Rashford was subsequently singled out by the biggest papers in Spain. Diario AS described the England winger's performance as "disastrous", while Sport wrote: "The Briton was quite lacklustre, never once getting past his marker, losing possession frequently, and looking uncomfortable. A missed opportunity in a match where he was completely unremarkable."

Barca have yet to confirm whether they will take up their buy-option on Rashford, and Saturday's run-out would have done little to convince the board. As good as his statistics look, he actually stands out as the weak link in Hansi Flick's frontline, and is still not a guaranteed starter.

Rashford has a better chance of making the World Cup than Alexander-Arnold due to England's limited options on the left flank, but on current form, Newcastle's Anthony Gordon is more deserving of a place in Thomas Tuchel's XI.

Sunday's Derby della Madonnina clash between AC Milan and Inter didn't generate as much pre-match hype as usual, in large part because the Nerazzurri held a 10-point lead over their local rivals at the top of Serie A. Inter were also full of confidence after eight league wins in a row, and could have ended the title race as a contest with another.

However, Milan were unwilling to bow down to the champions elect. Massimiliano Allegri's side tore up the script to secure a 1-0 win thanks to Pervis Estupinan's first goal for the Rossoneri, completing their first league double over Inter in 15 years.

Inter huffed and puffed after falling behind late in the first half, only to be pushed back by a wall of determined Milan defenders. They restricted the leaders to only one shot on target, with Koni De Winter putting in a colossal performance in the heart of the backline.

Fikayo Tomori was also at his very best on the right of the three-man defence, as he successfully shut down the threat posed by Francesco Pio Esposito and Federico Dimarco. Former Chelsea man Tomori, who is into his fifth full season at Milan, recorded four ground duel wins, four clearances and an 83 percent pass completion rate in an assured showing that could go a long way to making him a dark horse for England's World Cup squad.

He showed tremendous resilience, too, soldiering on for the full 90 minutes despite going down early in pain with what looked like a muscle issue.

"We worked a lot on staying compact. Playing against Inter and keeping a clean sheet is not easy, so I think it shows the good work we’ve done," Tomori said after the game. "The derby is always a special game and it’s always difficult. We’re happy with the win, now we’ll enjoy tonight and focus on finishing the season strongly."

Milan only have 10 matches left to claw back the seven-point gap to Inter, but hope has been restored. A late-season comeback cannot be completely ruled out, especially if Tomori continues to help provide such a rock-solid foundation.

Marseille were knocked out of the Coupe de France by Toulouse at the quarter-final stage last week, losing on penalties after a 2-2 draw at the Orange Velodrome. They had the chance to exact immediate revenge at the weekend, though, when they travelled to the Stadium de Toulouse on Saturday, where they produced a much more controlled performance to get the job done.

Unsurprisingly, it was Mason Greenwood who delivered the decisive blow with just 18 minutes on the clock. Igor Paixao raced onto a searching through ball in the left channel and cut it back for an on-rushing Greenwood to leather a superb first-time effort past helpless Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes.

That was the former Manchester United forward's 25th goal of the season, and 15th in Ligue 1, which once again makes him the frontrunner to finish as top scorer. It also ensured that Marseille moved back up to third ahead of Lyon, with Champions League qualification still in sight.

However, the afternoon was not a complete success for Greenwood. New OM manager Habib Beye raised a few eyebrows when substituting the 24-year-old just after the hour mark, and was forced to explain the decision in his post-match press conference.

"There was this scuffle where he takes a yellow card, and as Mason is an instinctive player, I didn't want us to find ourselves at 10 in that match," Beye said. He went on to add: "I put Mason as an attacker, but I wanted him to come and fix the left central defender and [Dayann] Methalie, to give space to Quinten Timber and Timothy Weah. I knew Mason was not a player who stayed in the axis." 

Greenwood was regularly criticised for his lack of defensive work by Beye's predecessor, Roberto De Zerbi, and it would seem he still hasn't learned his lesson. For all of his undeniable quality in the final third, the one-cap England international remains too individualistic, and that may prevent him from getting another shot at one of Europe's elite clubs.

Raheem Sterling has endured a difficult start to life at Feyenoord, which is perhaps unsurprising given the ex-Chelsea star arrived at the club in February without having played a competitive match since May last year. Robin van Persie thus handed Sterling second-half cameos in a 2-1 win over Telstar and a 2-0 defeat to Twente in the Eredivisie, and he made very little impact in either game.

While that was excusable as he regains proper match-fitness, some alarm bells will likely be ringing for Van Persie after the 31-year-old's full debut full against NAC on Sunday. Sterling only reached 0.16 for expected goals and a measly 0.03 for expected assists in his 63 minutes on the pitch, missing one big chance while failing to complete a single cross.

He was not the only one to blame for Feyenoord slumping to a 3-3 draw that leaves them in danger of being leapfrogged in second place behind runaway leaders PSV, but Sterling didn't offer nearly enough on the left of the attack. To make matters worse, he was also involved in a very awkward interview with ESPN after the final whistle.

The television reporter appeared to be laughing as he asked the former Manchester City talisman if he should have buried his scoring opportunity, prompting him to reply: "You shouldn't be laughing, my guy!"

Sterling then admitted: "But yeah, it’s one that, I said, [I need to] get the cobwebs off. I had the opportunity and that’s something, with my standards, I want to take and that would have been the game as well."

If Sterling doesn't get rid of those cobwebs soon, his future could again be plunged into doubt. Feyenoord only signed him on a contract until the end of the season, and so far, there's been little evidence of him potentially being a useful long-term asset. That being said, Van Persie's side do still have 14 league games left to play, and Sterling does at least have the right mindset to turn things around, as he concluded: "I want to get back to my old level. It's another good step."

Over in the United States, Lionel Messi typically dominated the weekend's MLS headlines after scoring Inter Miami's winning goal against D.C. United. That's three in three to open the 2026 season for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who is chasing his third successive MLS MVP award and back-to-back Golden Boots.

However, he may face stiff competition for the latter prize from Nashville hot-shot Sam Surridge. The former England U21 international bagged a brace in his team's 3-1 win over Minnesota on Sunday, making him the current joint-top scorer in MLS alongside the LA Galaxy's Joao Klauss with four goals. 

Surridge broke the deadlock by diverting a Patrick Yazbek shot into the net, and scored Nashville's all-important third, showing nimble footwork in the box before smashing home.

"Listen, Sam scores goals. That's what he does," Nashville head coach BJ Callaghan later told reporters. "He makes the difference in the game."

Surridge's performance was made all the more remarkable because he had missed Nashville's previous game, a 0-0 draw with Dallas, due to illness. Callaghan continued: "You've got to give the guy a ton of credit. I mean, this is a guy that was sick [and] down and out for four or five days. Just tremendous courage and bravery and a relentless mentality."

To further highlight his status among MLS' best players, Surridge has now scored a league-leading 17 goals on home soil since the start of 2025. The Bournemouth academy graduate has excelled since leaving Nottingham Forest to go and chase the American dream, and few would bet against him firing Nashville into the MLS playoffs once again.