Liverpool overcame a spirited Villarreal performance to book their spot in the Champions League final with a 3-2 away win, netting three second-half goals after seeing their first-leg lead wiped out in Spain.

Boulaye Dia handed Unai Emery s men an early lead in front of a boisterous home crowd, before Francis Coquelin stunned the below-par visitors by wiping out their aggregate lead on the stroke of half-time.

But Liverpool grew into the game after their dismal start, and after Geronimo Rulli failed to make a routine stop from Fabinho s effort, half-time substitute Luis Diaz headed home to send Jurgen Klopp s men to the final.

Sadio Mane raced clear to round Rulli and roll home a late third to make the result safe before Etienne Capoue was sent off late on, keepi…

Barcelona have secured purchase options on highly rated Brazilian teenagers Kaiky and Angelo Gabriel, according to Santos president Andres Rueda.

The Blaugrana have become mired in financial issues in recent years, with their debts topping €1.4billion in 2021, meaning much of their focus in the transfer market has been on free signings and young players.

While a hefty bank loan last year ensured they could flex some financial muscle in the January transfer window, bringing in Ferran Torres from Manchester City in a deal potentially worth €65million, they still had to rely on free transfers for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dani Alves, while Adama Traore joined on loan – albeit with a €34.4m purchase option.

Despite their problems, it would seem Barca rema…

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes top-level football has already “crossed the limits of what players can handle” as he prepares for a critical six days for his club.

United had made their worst start to a season since 1962 as they headed into their away match at Fulham on November 4, with eight defeats in their opening 15 matches in all competitions, as injuries continued to rob Ten Hag of momentum and balance.

Ten Hag believes the team are now on an upward trajectory after winning that match at Fulham and the subsequent home Premier League game against Luton, to leave them with four wins from five in the league.

The boss has news on , , Jonny Evans and Rasmus Hojlund ahead of ||

— Manchester United (@ManUtd)

They now face…

Manchester United are interested in signing Victor Osimhen from Napoli in the summer of 2023, according to . The report has claimed that the former Premier League and UEFA Champions League winners want to sign a young centre-forward next summer, and that they are looking into the possibility of bringing in Osimhen.

Osimhen has been on the books of Napoli since the summer of 2020 when he joined from French club Lille. The Nigeria international striker has been superb for the Serie A club and has established himself as an important player in the team.

So far this season, Osimhen has scored eight goals and provided two assists in nine Serie A starts for Napoli. The striker has also scored one goal in three UEFA Champions League matches for the Naples outfit so far this cam…

Diego Simeone suffered his heaviest defeat in charge of Atletico Madrid after Borussia Dortmund ran riot in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Axel Witsel s deflected first-half strike and a late double from Raphael Guerreiro either side of substitute Jadon Sancho s tap-in secured the Bundesliga leaders a memorable 4-0 victory at Signal Iduna Park.

The final scoreline marked the widest losing margin former River Plate boss Simeone has suffered in all competitions since his Atleti appointment in December 2011.

A brace of Europa League triumphs and a LaLiga title have come in the following seven years, but a sobering result in Germany presents the club s former midfielder with plenty of questions.

The result was made all the more sensational in view of t…

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen on having goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who is currently on loan with Sheffield United, back in his squad next season, according to The Athletic.

David De Gea has been the undisputed choice for the place between the posts for a very long time now and possibly United s best performer overall in that that time as well. Sergio Romero has been an able stand-in option, playing mostly in cup games since his arrival from Sampdoria in 2015, but due to his age (32) and an occasional knee problem, he cannot challenge the Spain international properly.

Henderson, 10 years younger than Romero, has had a good loan spell with the Blades this term, helping them to a surprisingly good Premier League campaign so far. On the other hand, …

Alexandre Lacazette s first Europa League goal of the season secured Arsenal a straightforward 1-0 home win over Qarabag as Unai Emery took the opportunity to blood young and returning players in a pressure-free match.

The Gunners were confirmed as winners of Europa League Group E after their 3-0 win over Vorskla and Emery handed Laurent Koscielny his first competitive start since last season s semi-final, while Mesut Ozil made his first appearance after a back injury.

With Qarabag already eliminated from the competition, the game was played like an exhibition match, but there were flashes of brilliance from 17-year-old midfielder Bukayo Saka, making his first start for Arsenal on the left wing.

Lacazette s eighth goal of the season in the 16th minute settled th…

Enzo Maresca says Conor Gallagher is training at Chelsea but will not be involved against Manchester City as he looks to find a solution with the club .

Gallagher had flown to Spain last week to finalise a move to Atletico Madrid, but the transfer has stalled due to the collapse of an agreement over Samu Omorodion going the other way.

The England international, who has made 95 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, netting 10 goals and registering 10 assists, has since returned to London while negotiations continue.

Maresca confirmed that while Gallagher has returned, he is training separately while talks between the clubs are still ongoing.

Gallagher is back and he is training. He is doing some medical tests and training separately, so he won t be…

Gareth Bale has further risked the wrath of Real Madrid s notoriously vociferous support by acknowledging he gets more excitement playing for Wales than Los Blancos.

Bale, 30, joined Madrid for a then world-record fee reported to be worth €100million in 2013 and enjoyed significant success at the club, winning every competition, including four Champions League titles.

In the most recent of those Champions League successes in 2017-18, Bale scored a vital brace as Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1, but despite his haul of trophies at the club, fans never truly took to the winger, who has also had issues with coach Zinedine Zidane.

He has received particular criticism for his inability to speak Spanish and a perceived commitment to golf ahead of Madrid, with the Spanish m…

The 19-year-old man of the match strolled through the Wembley mixed zone on Sunday evening wearing a beaming grin along with his winners medal, only to receive one more instruction from his manager.

Phil, you must! said Pep Guardiola, gesturing towards the gaggle of waiting journalists, eagerly wanting a piece of Phil Foden.

But no sooner had he headed towards the microphones, the midfielder was told in no uncertain terms it was time to go right now as the team bus was ready to leave.

It meant Manchester City s coach driver had done something largely beyond Aston Villa for the duration of Sunday s EFL Cup final by stopping Foden from doing whatever he wanted. 

City continued their recent dominance of the competition with a third successive triumph than…