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BORRUSIA DORTMUND SACK COACH LUCIEN FAVRE FOLLOWING 5-1 DEFEAT TO STUTTGART.

Borussia Dortmund have sacked coach Lucien Favre following a 5-1 home defeat to newly promoted Stuttgart, the club has confirmed.

Dortmund, title contenders ahead of the season, have lost their last three home games and trail league leaders Bayer Leverkusen by six points after 11 matches.

We are all grateful to Lucien Favre for his excellent work over the past two-and-a-half year, in which he and his team won two runner-up championships. As a professional and as a person, Lucien Favre is beyond any doubt,” Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke said in a statement.

Edin Terzic, Otto Addo and Sebastian Geppert will take over until the end of the season amid a tight schedule which sees Dortmund face away trips to Werder Bremen on Tuesday, to Union Berlin on Friday, and then to 2. Bundesliga club Braunschweig in the German Cup on Dec. 22.

Terzic, a youth coach who has also worked as an assistant at West Ham and Besiktas, took charge of the Sunday afternoon training session.

“It is very difficult to take this step,” sporting director Michael Zorc said. “But we believe because of the negative developments lately that there is a need to act.”

After just one point from their last three games against Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, Dortmund have dropped to fifth in the Bundesliga and face a fight to return to the Champions League next season.

“It was a disaster. It was bad,” Favre said after the loss. “We weren’t good at winning the ball. We made too many big mistakes. It’s hard to explain. If you’re not good at winning the ball, and I mean the whole team, then you have a problem. Stuttgart played well, but we were very, very poor. You can’t get away with that.”

Despite players pushing to break through into the European elite such as Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Jude Bellingham and United States international Gio Reyna, as well as established and experienced stars like Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Axel Witsel, Dortmund have struggled this season.

Dortmund have scored only four of their 23 league goals in the first 45 minutes and have conceded first in their last four games, of which they only won one when Haaland scored four in one half at Hertha Berlin on Nov. 22.

Favre was appointed by Dortmund in the summer of 2018 following a turbulent season at the club which saw them qualify for the Champions League thanks to goal difference.

In his first year, Dortmund led the Bundesliga for large parts of the season, but ultimately lost out on the title following a home defeat to local rivals Schalke.

In the 2019-20 season, Favre’s Dortmund once again finished runners-up, having challenged until a 1-0 home defeat to Bayern in late May following the restart of the Bundesliga amid the coronavirus pandemic.

His three-year contract was due to run out at the end of the season.

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UCL DRAW: BARCA FACE PSG, CHAMPIONS BAYERN DRAW LAZIO IN ROUND OF 16 FIXTURES.

Barcelona were drawn against Paris Saint-Germain in the standout tie of the Champions League round of 16, which took place on Monday at 11 a.m. GMT

The clash means that, if fit, Neymar will return to Camp Nou. The last time these teams met in the competition produced one of the most memorable matches in Champions League history as Barca — inspired by Neymar — won the round-of-16 second-leg clash 6-1 to recover from a 4-0 first-leg defeat. Neymar left in the summer of 2017, and this will be his first return.

Cristiano Ronaldo will make a return to Portugal as Juventus were drawn with Porto — a side he has mixed memories of playing against in the competition.

In 2004, his Manchester United side were eliminated by Porto after a draw at Old Trafford, which sparked Jose Mourinho’s famous run down the Old Trafford touchline. However, five years later, Ronaldo scored a stunning goal that decided their quarterfinal clash, and he was awarded the Puskas Award for it.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will face Diego Simeone as his side were paired with Atletico Madrid in a repeat of the 2014 semifinal.

Holders Bayern Munich were drawn against Lazio, who were unbeaten in the group phase and qualified for the knockout stages for the first time in 20 years, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp returns to Germany to face RB Leipzig.

Manchester City were drawn against Borussia Monchengladbach, while Real Madrid will face Atalanta. Europa League winners Sevilla were paired against Borussia Dortmund. The two-legged ties will be played starting Feb. 16.

Full draw
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City

Lazio vs. Bayern Munich

Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea

RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool

Porto vs. Juventus

Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain

Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund

Atalanta vs. Real Madrid

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LEICESTER 3-0 BRIGHTON: MADDISON BRACE FIRES FOXES TO THIRD ON THE TABLE.

James Maddison scored twice as Leicester City moved third in the Premier League table with a 3-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.

Jamie Vardy hit the post in the 26th minute, but within 60 seconds the striker laid a James Justin cross back to Maddison, who scored with a low, deflected shot.

Vardy doubled the lead in the 41st minute, converting another centre from Justin.

And three minutes later, Maddison curled in a brilliant third from Vardy’s pass after a flowing move.

Brighton’s best opportunities came early in the first half, as Kasper Schmeichel made saves from Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Danny Welbeck before Leicester took control.

Leicester are on 24 points, one behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, while Brighton stay 16th on 10 points, two above the bottom three.

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ARSENAL 0-1 BURNLEY: AUBAMEYANG OWN GOAL HANDS BURNLEY HISTORIC WIN.

A Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own goal gave Burnley their first-ever Premier League win over Arsenal, who finished the match with 10 men.

Ashley Westwood’s left-wing corner flicked off Aubameyang’s head and into his own net at the near post in the 73rd minute.

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka had been sent off, following a Video Assistant Referee check, after a clash with Westwood in the 58th minute.

Burnley had nearly taken the lead in the 14th minute when Chris Wood’s free header eight yards from goal went wide.

But they were grateful to goalkeeper Nick Pope for saving from Alexandre Lacazette and Kieran Tierney either side of the break.

Arsenal’s third straight Premier League defeat leaves them 15th on 13 points, while Burnley climb out of the bottom three to go 17th on nine points.

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FULHAM 1-1 LIVERPOOL: IMPRESSIVE FULHAM DENY REDS TOP SPOT.

Mohamed Salah’s 79th-minute penalty earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw at Fulham as they missed out on the chance to go top of the Premier League.

Salah converted the spot-kick, after a handball by Aboubakar Kamara in the wall at Georginio Wijnaldum’s free-kick, to cancel out Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s 25th-minute opener.

Fulham had the better of the first half, forcing Alisson into three saves before De Cordova-Reid found the net with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area.

But Liverpool improved after the interval and Fulham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had already denied Salah and Jordan Henderson before just being beaten by the former’s penalty.

Liverpool are level on 25 points with leaders Tottenham Hotspur but they are second on goal difference.

Fulham stay in 17th, two points above the bottom three.

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CRY 1-1 TOT: SCHLUPP, GUAITA HELP EAGLES HOLD SPURS AT SELHURST PARK.

A late Jeffrey Schlupp equaliser and two superb Vicente Guaita saves in the closing stages helped Crystal Palace hold league leaders Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park.

Guaita denied Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane but in the 23rd minute he was deceived by Kane’s long-range strike as Spurs took the lead.

Palace’s goalkeeper saved from Ndombele again, and his side went close to a leveller when Eberechi Eze struck the post at the end of the first half.

Schlupp, who earlier missed a great chance from close range, found an equaliser on 81 minutes when he reacted quickest as Hugo Lloris could not collect Eze’s free-kick.

Spurs nearly regained their lead when Ben Davies struck the crossbar late on, while Guaita produced stunning stops to deny Kane and Eric Dier as Palace hung on for a point.

Palace are 11th with 17 points while Spurs are top of the table on 25 points, one clear of Liverpool before the champions’ match at Fulham on Sunday.

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SOTON 3-0 SHU: SAINTS GO THIRD AFTER THRASHING THE BLADES AT ST. MARY’S.

Southampton moved up to third in the table as the return of fans to St Mary’s spurred them on to a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Saints dominated the first half and went close on 20 minutes when Jannik Vestergaard headed James Ward-Prowse’s cross narrowly wide.

The hosts eventually went ahead on 34 minutes when Sheff Utd could not clear Ward-Prowse’s free-kick and Che Adams was at the back post to finish from close range.

Sheff Utd improved at the start of the second half, with John Egan putting a header wide at the near post from John Fleck’s corner.

But Southampton doubled their lead on 62 minutes when Danny Ings found Stuart Armstrong to score with a deflected shot.

Substitute Nathan Redmond’s run and shot sealed victory with seven minutes remaining.

Back-to-back victories move Saints one point clear of Chelsea with 23 points. The Blades remain bottom of the table with one point from their opening 12 matches

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EVERTON 1-0 CHELSEA: SIGURDSON PENALTY ENDS CHELSEA UNBEATEN RUN.

Sigurdsson penalty ends Chelsea’s unbeaten run
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s first-half penalty earned Everton a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park.

Everton were awarded the spot-kick in the 22nd minute after Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had fouled Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Sigurdsson sent Mendy the wrong way for his first Premier League goal of the season.

Chelsea came close to a quick response when Reece James hit the inside of the post with a shot from distance.

Three minutes after half-time Mason Mount clipped the crossbar with a deft lob over the advanced Jordan Pickford.

And, after a second penalty award for a foul on Calvert-Lewin was overturned by the VAR for offside in the build-up, Mount hit the woodwork again, from a free-kick.

Everton held on to move up to seventh on 20 points.

Chelsea, who lost for the first time in 10 PL matches, lie third on 22 points.

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NEW 2-1 WBA: SUBSTITUTE DWIGHT GAYLE HEADS NEWCASTLE TO VICTORY.

Dwight Gayle came off the bench to head in a late winner for Newcastle United against West Bromwich Albion.

Miguel Almiron gave Newcastle the lead with the fastest goal of the season after just 19.98 seconds.

West Brom recovered and Conor Gallagher spurned a good chance to equalise before half-time, screwing his shot wide.

The Baggies equalised five minutes after the break. Matt Phillips burst down the left wing and crossed for Darnell Furlong to convert first-time.

At the other end, Phillips cleared Gayle’s header off the line.

With eight minutes remaining, another substitute, Jacob Murphy, crossed for Gayle to head in off the crossbar.

Newcastle move to 11th on 17 points, while West Brom stay 19th with six points.

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WOLVES 0-1 A.VILLA: EL GHAZI LATE PENALTY GIVE VILLA THREE POINTS.

Anwar El Ghazi’s stoppage-time penalty and Emiliano Martinez’s saves helped Aston Villa bounce back from two straight defeats to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0.

In a first half of few clear chances, Ezri Konsa headed just wide for Villa, while Daniel Podence forced a fine save from Martinez.

After the break, Fabio Silva came close to his first Wolves goal but saw his strike hit a post, while Martinez brilliantly denied Leander Dendoncker from close range.

With five minutes remaining, Douglas Luiz was dismissed after a second yellow card, one of 11 in the match.

Villa’s penalty came as Nelson Semedo brought down John McGinn and substitute El Ghazi converted.

Wolves then had Joao Moutinho sent off for a second booking as defeat drops them to 11th on 17 points.

A fourth away win in five matches takes Villa up to eighth on 18 points.