Final Whistle
Under-fire Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was relieved after his side's impressive 2-0 Europa League last 16, first-leg victory at AC Milan on Thursday, following a "nightmare" week.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan drove Arsenal into a 15th-minute lead with his first goal for the club, and a shellshocked Milan fell further behind before half-time as Aaron Ramsey waltzed through to score.
Wenger desperately needed a positive result after coming under pressure for a run of four straight defeats, and he got just that against a Milan side who saw a 13-match unbeaten run ended.
"It is an important win of course after we had a nightmare week," the 68-year-old Frenchman told BT Sport. "I am happy with the spirit and response we gave. When you are knocked down like a boxer you don't have time to react and you are only halfway up, but you have to respond. Your pride and desire to show quality has to come through in the game."
Gennaro Gattuso's seven-time European champions now have it all to do ahead of the second leg at the Emirates in seven days' time.
"Arsenal are in a very difficult period, but are a great team, but we made too many mistakes," said Gattuso.
But Arsenal, 13 points adrift of the top four in the Premier League, will be confident of continuing their bid to return to the Champions League by winning Europe's second-tier competition for the first time.
"Overall it is important to win, but it is not qualification. We have to finish the job at home," Wenger added.
Borussia Dortmund slumped to a shock first-leg 2-1 loss at home to Salzburg, although Andre Schurrle's second-half strike did cut the deficit ahead of next week's return game in Austria.
Kosovo international Valon Berisha scored twice shortly after half-time to put Salzburg in control, the first from the penalty spot, and leave German giants Dortmund facing a surprise exit.
La Liga title challengers Atletico Madrid eased to a 3-0 victory over Lokomotiv Moscow at the Wanda Metropolitano.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Riyad Mahrez has refused to rule out a move away from Leicester in the summer but insists he is happy for now at the King Power Stadium.
The 27-year-old did not train for 10 days and missed two matches after his proposed transfer to Premier League leaders Manchester City collapsed in January.
Asked about what would happen when the transfer window opened again in the summer, Mahrez declined to commit his future to the Foxes.
He said: "I don't want to want to talk about this, because first it will bring more rumours and more talk, and second we are very far away from this transfer window. My mind, focus is on Leicester, that's all I'm focused on."
"In football players come, players leave. I'm not saying I'm going to leave, I'm going to go. Everything is very good. We will see in the summer if something comes, but at the moment I'm a Leicester City player and I'm good here."
Mahrez insisted he faced no hostility from his team-mates following his failed move to City and is now firmly back in the Leicester fold.
And the Algeria international says the saga has not caused any tension within the club, even if he declined to confirm he would not seek another move in the summer.
He added: "I was away from here because I needed some time to think. We've moved on now. Everyone to be honest has been very good and it's the past now."
"It was difficult but I spoke with the players, I spoke with the manager, I spoke with everyone. Everyone was OK, was good. Now it's the past, it's behind me."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Everton manager Sam Allardyce insists he wants to stay for the long term and is speaking to major shareholder Farhad Moshiri about the future. The 63-year-old's position has come under scrutiny in recent weeks after just two wins in 12 matches, while their last away win came at Newcastle three months ago.
Unhappy fans, for whom Allardyce was not a popular choice when he was appointed in November, have been calling for his 18-month contract to be ended in the summer.
But the manager is taking a wider view of things, and asked whether he wanted to stay at the club he said: "Of course. I am having talks with him (Moshiri) but those talks are confidential."
"I came out of retirement because there was a long-term plan at Everton, a long-term aspect of going forward which I was excited to be a part of and understanding the history of Everton Football Club."
"It is a difficult period at the moment, yes, but we have to turn that around and start on Saturday."
"There are tough times and there are times when you have to draw in and close the doors and stay focused on what you want to try to achieve."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Romelu Lukaku is ready to continue as Jose Mourinho's "sergeant on the pitch" as Manchester United prepare to do battle with rivals Liverpool. The eyes of the footballing world will be on Old Trafford this Saturday lunchtime as Jurgen Klopp's swashbuckling third-place side head to their second-place rivals.
Much has been spoken about Liverpool's potent attack in the build-up, but United boast threats of their own and a front man coming into form as the season reaches a conclusion.
Lukaku took his tally for the season to 23 in Monday's remarkable 3-2 comeback win at Crystal Palace, but believes he offers far more than goals to Mourinho and the team.
"It's been really good," the Belgium striker told Sky Sports when asked about linking up again with his former Chelsea boss in the summer. "But I think he knows that I have like a soldier mentality."
"I think the work rate that I am delivering to the team is a lot. I think the manager in his mind thinks that I'm like his sergeant on the pitch - and that's strange for a striker because normally it's normally always the midfielders."
"But he knows he can come to me whenever and he knows that I will always put the team first ahead of myself. And that's something that I told him. I said, 'for me, the team is the most important thing'."
"My desire to win is bigger than ever now since I came to this club, because I always wanted to win, I always wanted to chase trophies.
"I always put that in front of my personal objectives and he knows that, and I think that's the reason why I'm playing all the time."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Crystal Palace expect Ruben Loftus-Cheek to return to the club on Monday and be declared fit to play for the first time in 2018.
The on-loan midfielder, 22, has been with parent club Chelsea since his last first-team appearance - in the 3-2 defeat by Arsenal on December 28.
He has been receiving treatment on an ankle injury and also suffered setbacks in his attempts to recover.
Loftus-Cheek had previously been so influential that he had been expected to be included in the England squad for the summer's World Cup, and in his absence Palace have slid from the relative safety of mid-table to the Premier League's bottom three.
Roy Hodgson's team on Saturday visit Chelsea, where Loftus-Cheek would have been ineligible owing to the terms of his loan. But at a time when Wilfried Zaha and Mamadou Sakho are nearing first-team returns, Hodgson is optimistic about the midfielder's prospects of featuring on March 17 at Huddersfield.
His availability would also represent a significant positive for England manager Gareth Southgate, whose central midfield options are limited, and Hodgson said he expected Loftus-Cheek to train on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week.
"Then as long as he comes through those three sessions OK, which both we and he are hoping, he will have Sunday off and will come back (to Palace) on Monday and he will be available to us," Hodgson said.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Gabriel Jesus admits his knee problems have been at the back of his mind during his recent return to action for Manchester City.
The Brazil striker, who was sidelined for two months after suffering ligament damage on New Year's Eve, stepped up his comeback by starting in Wednesday's Champions League clash against Basel.
The 20-year-old, who had appeared as a substitute in the three previous games, also got back on the scoresheet for the first time since November by netting after just eight minutes.
It did not prove enough to prevent City's first loss at the Etihad Stadium for 15 months, with the Swiss side coming back to win 2-1, but progress to the quarter-finals was still comfortably secured 5-2 on aggregate.
Jesus said: "When you are in the game, without wanting it, you end up thinking about the previous game where you got injured, you have a bit of fear. But, as you are playing more and more, you are going to get that fear away and play your football."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Chris Hughton does not believe it is his place to discuss a potential England call-up for Brighton's in-form top-scorer Glenn Murray.
Veteran striker Murray has emerged as a surprise contender for the Three Lions' World Cup squad after hitting five goals in as many Premier League games - including last weekend's winner against Arsenal - to help propel Albion away from the relegation zone.
The 34-year-old now has 11 league goals for the season, with national team regulars Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Jamie Vardy the only Englishmen to have managed more.
Seagulls manager Hughton admits Murray is playing an important role for his team but would not be drawn on talk of him being selected for international duty by Gareth Southgate.
"It's probably not my position to talk about the merits of an England cap, or playing for England," said Hughton ahead of Saturday's game at Everton. "That's down to other people and what they see. What I can do is talk about what he has given us. And he's been excellent playing in the top division, a division he's always wanted to play in."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Carlos Carvalhal expects Renato Sanches to rejoin Swansea's Premier League survival battle this month after returning to his native Portugal to recover from injury.
Sanches has not featured for Swansea since damaging a hamstring in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Notts County on January 27.
The on-loan Bayern Munich midfielder lasted only 32 minutes at Meadow Lane after suffering a similar injury in the previous round at Wolves three weeks earlier.
"I believe Renato will be available to start training and be ready this month," Carvalhal said.
"He has missed a lot of weeks to be in a normal physical condition. It will take a bit of time for him to try and help the team but I believe he will be ready to be involved in the 18."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Sean Dyche believes James Tarkowski and Nick Pope deserve to be talked about as possible England candidates.
Gareth Southgate was at Turf Moor last Saturday for Burnley's victory over Everton and both defender Tarkowski and keeper Pope are rumoured to be in the frame for England's friendlies against Holland and Italy later this month.
Jack Cork is hoping to keep his place in the squad while Ben Mee and Matthew Lowton also have an outside chance. Austria coach Franco Foda, meanwhile, will be at West Ham on Saturday to watch striker Ashley Barnes, who qualifies through a grandparent.
Dyche said: "They are certainly candidates to be spoken about. Corky as well, Ben Mee and Lowts are on the periphery, people mention their names."
"I respect Gareth Southgate and speak to him, but I don't always speak to him about the players here. If he asks my opinion I'll give it but I do respect it's very difficult to choose the right players in a squad, whether it's a friendly or a tournament."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus backed Brazilian international team-mate Neymar to make a full recovery in time to lead his country's bid to win a sixth World Cup.
Neymar underwent surgery in Brazil last week to repair a broken bone in his foot just over three months from the tournament getting underway in Russia.
Jesus was Neymar's strike partner as Brazil stormed through qualification once Tite took over as coach in June 2016.
But he too has had to bounce back from injury as he scored on his first start for over two months in City's 2-1 Champions League defeat by Basel on Wednesday after recovering from knee ligament damage.
"Neymar sent me a message right after his injury," said Jesus. "I told him how I felt and how my recovery was. He is a fighter and everything is going to be fine."
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Thursday that he is growing impatient with the corruption investigation which led to his and Michel Platini's downfall.
Blatter said "nothing" had happened since September 2015, the date of the opening of proceedings against him for "corrupt management" stemming from the two million Swiss Franc payment to Platini, the former head of European governing body UEFA, adding "it's a bit long".
In a wide-ranging interview, the 82-year-old also expressed his support for the 2026 World Cup to be staged in Morocco and not awarded to the United States-Canada-Mexico bid.
Blatter was president of FIFA from 1998 until June 2015 when he quit days after winning re-election for a fifth term as a wave of scandals broke.
He was later banned from football by FIFA for eight years, a sentence then reduced to six years over a payment to Platini, his former friend and ally.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
Thousands of mourners holding banners and letting off smoke flares gathered in Florence on Thursday for the funeral of Fiorentina and Italy footballer Davide Astori.
The sudden death of the 31-year-old who captained his club has sparked an outpouring of grief in football-mad Italy.
One banner in the crowd read "Ciao captain", another "Our captain forever".
Children wearing Fiorentina's distinctive purple formed a guard of honour outside the Santa Croce basilica in the city as Astori's coffin was carried out after the service.
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and his Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini were among the mourners having flow back from London where the Turin team dedicated their Champions League victory over Tottenham on Wednesday to Astori.
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
AC Milan 0-2 Arsenal
Atletico Madrid 3-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
Borussia Dortmund 1-2 RB Salzburg
CSKA Moscow 0-1 Lyon
Lazio 2-2 Dynamo Kiev
Marseille 3-1 Athletic Bilbao
RB Leipzig 2-1 Zenit St P.
Sporting 2-0 Viktoria Plzen
A KVH SatNews service. Sources: PA, AFP
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