Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah may have scored on his first appearance at Anfield since announcing he'll be leaving the club at the end of the season, but teenage sensation Rio Ngumoha was the undoubted star of the show as the Reds recorded a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Fulham on Saturday afternoon that boosted their Champions League hopes - in every sense.

Kylian Mbappe endured an off night as Real Madrid slumped to a 1-1 draw with Girona that may well kill off their La Liga title hopes. Federico Valverde's second-half strike was countered by a Thomas Lemar goal to see the spoils shared at the Bernabeu. Los Blancos could trail Barcelona by nine points - with seven games to go - if their bitter rivals win on Saturday.

On the evening of February 28 in Verona, Romelu Lukaku came off the bench at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi to score a 96th-minute winner for Napoli against Verona with a close-range left-footed finish. It was by no means a beautiful goal - goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo had got a hand on the ball - but it was easily one of the most significant strikes of Lukaku's entire career.

Even when Chelsea were sweeping up trophies for fun during the first two decades of the 21st century, there was still an element of jeopardy to their seasons. Back then, however, that usually revolved around whether or not they would end the year with a piece of silverware to make up for the relative inconsistency of their Premier League campaign.

When England's Under-23s took on Norway back in November, there was no shortage of top talent on show. Be it Ruby Mace or Maisie Symonds, who have both been involved in Sarina Wiegman's senior team; Gracie Prior, a starter in seven of the first nine games of the season for Women's Super League leaders Manchester City; or Martine Fenger on the opposite side, the teenage forward who made her Barcelona debut earlier that month. And yet it was 17-year-old Erica Parkinson, a player some five years younger than some of those involved, who stood out most.

Arne Slot admitted on the eve of Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain that his side had suffered so many setbacks this season that he there wouldn't have been time to reference them all in the one press conference. In that sense, Wednesday's 2-0 loss at Parc des Princes could be passed off as just another disappointing defeat to add to an already lengthy list.

Much has been made of Arsenal's quadruple charge being dashed and downgraded to a double dream over the last few weeks, but that's still nothing to be sniffed at. The Gunners have an excellent chance of claiming the two top prizes available to them, though they are in danger of limping across the finish line rather than marching over it with the authority of champions.

With the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly presumably disappearing into the rearview mirror, the battle for the Ballon d'Or hasn't felt so open for the best part of 20 years, with countless players now beginning each campaign believing they have a chance of claiming the most prestigious individual prize football has to offer. Ousmane Dembele emerged from a career plagued with inconsistencies to win the Golden Ball in 2025, and he was among a crowded field of contenders as the 2026 race got going.