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UCL: LIVERPOOL MAINTAIN PERFECT RECORD WITH WIN OVER PORTO

Midfielder Thiago Alcantara swept away 14 months of frustration with one swing of his cultured right foot to set Liverpool on the way to a 2-0 victory over Porto and a record Champions League group stage points haul.

The Spain midfielder’s sweetly-struck low half-volley early in the second half was worthy of winning any game and the fact it came in a dead-rubber having already qualified for the last 16 should not diminish the quality of the goal.

Mohamed Salah scored for the fourth time in three meetings against this opposition to take his personal Champions League tally to 32 with Steven Gerrard’s European record of 41 well within his sights.

But while the Egypt international has shone for the entire time he has been at Anfield it has been a less successful time for Thiago.

However, when it came his goal was nothing less than could be expected of the playmaker, whose arrival from Bayern Munich in a £20million deal in the summer of 2020 was hailed as being the signing to take Jurgen Klopp’s side to the next level.

He endured a mixed start to his Anfield career, contracting Covid-19 shortly after arriving and then missing almost three months with a knee injury sustained in his first Merseyside derby.

This, though, was one of his better days as he gradually warmed to the occasion after a side showing four outfield changes – including two in the back four – from Saturday’s victory over Arsenal struggled for cohesion.

Thiago began to find his range midway through the first half and his perfectly-weighted pass to pick out Sadio Mane to run through and slide a shot across Diogo Costa appeared to have made the breakthrough only for VAR to rule it out by the tightest of offside margins.

That was merely an appetiser as he saved his best of the night for in front of the Kop, caressing a 25-yard shot past Costa after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s free-kick was only half-cleared.

While the 30-year-old Thiago was impressing a fellow midfielder 11 years his junior was enjoying his Champions League debut.

Five days after his first Premier League appearance, academy graduate Tyler Morton slotted in between the Spaniard and Oxlade-Chamberlain and showed he could do a job at this level with some important defensive work, with one back-tracking run into the penalty area cutting out a dangerous cross at 0-0.

Klopp’s changes did not help their early cohesion and Porto, with much more to play for, immediately seized the initiative but failed to take advantage due to some poor finishing and good defensive work from Morton and Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Mehdi Taremi’s header was deflected wide but Otavio will still be wondering how he side-footed when faced with an open goal after Evanilson broke clear down the left.

Not much was going right at the other end for Liverpool either as when Costa’s hurried clearance rebounded off Mane Salah was unable to get enough power on his shot to trouble the goalkeeper.

The loss of experienced defender Pepe, who made his competitive debut before Morton was even born, to injury afforded the hosts an opening but VAR denied them the lead.

Porto’s profligacy continued in the second half with Matheus Uribe shooting wide from a corner and it was the last real sight of goal they got as although the breakthrough was 52 minutes in arriving it was more than worth the wait.

Takumi Minamino had a volley ruled out for offside but there was no denying Salah, who cut in from the left to score a trademark goal this time with a shot inside the near post.

It was his sixth of the group stage, equalling Roberto Firmino’s record from 2017-18 – with still one match to go.

In adding a second Liverpool became the first English top-flight side in 82 years to score two or more goals in 16 consecutive matches.

Victory also brought up 15 points – beating their previous best of 14 set in 2008-09 – as they remain on course to be the first English side to win all six group games.

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LEWANDOWSKI SUPER GOAL HELP COVID-INFESTED BAYERN EDGE DYNAMO KIEV

Bayern Munich, missing half a dozen players to COVID-19 quarantine, edged past Dynamo Kiev 2-1 on Tuesday to secure top spot in Champions League Group E with a game to spare.

First-half goals from striker Robert Lewandowski, who struck with a spectacular 14th-minute overhead kick, and Kingsley Coman three minutes from halftime and amid heavy snowfall, put the German champions in front.

Dynamo, who are now eliminated from the competition, cut the deficit with their maiden group-stage goal through Denys Garmash in the 70th minute.

They then forced Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer to make a fine save in the 75th and hit the post in stoppage time as they looked for an equaliser with a strong finish.

The Bavarians, desperate to bounce back from Friday’s shock 2-1 loss to Augsburg in the Bundesliga, top the group on 15 points with five wins from five games. They are also unbeaten in a record-extending 21 consecutive Champions League away games.

Barcelona, who face Benfica later, are in second place on six points and the Portuguese side are third on four, with Dynamo bottom on one point.

“It was maybe not our best performance but overall we are satisfied with the Champions League so far with five wins for five games and 15 points,” Neuer said.

“It was important to focus on the task today and put all the other issues aside,” he added, referring to an ongoing debate over the vaccination of players.

“But that is not that easy when you have a different squad with players who would normally not start.”

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann’s options were extremely limited with only four outfield players on the bench but Lewandowski, who has now scored in each of his last nine Champions League appearances, struck with the first chance of the game.

A cross into the box bounced awkwardly off a Dynamo defender, and the Polish striker connected with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

The hosts almost scored an equaliser when Neuer attempted to clear a ball in the box but miskicked, sending it bouncing onto the post and wide.

Instead, Coman doubled their lead three minutes before halftime, drilling in from a Corentin Tolisso cross that Lewandowski let slip through his legs.

Neuer made amends for his earlier mistake with a double save to stop Mykola Shaparenko two minutes after the restart to protect their two-goal lead, but he was beaten when Garmash slotted the ball through the keeper’s legs for 2-1. Dynamo were the stronger side in the closing minutes and kept Neuer busy before Viktor Tsygankov struck the post with a long range effort in stoppage time.

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CHELSEA RUN RIOT AGAINST JUVENTUS TO TAKE CONTROL OF UCL GROUP

Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner struck to sink Juventus 4-0 and march an imperious Chelsea into the Champions League’s last 16.

The defending champions battered the outclassed Italians, Chelsea booking their place in the knockout stages but also overhauling their Serie A rivals at the top of Group H.

Match or better Juve’s result in the final set of round-robin fixtures in early December and the Blues will top the group.

Chelsea’s sole concerns on a raucous west London night proved injury scares for N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell, who both hobbled out of action well ahead of time.

England wing-back James became Chelsea’s outright top scorer for the season so far. The unassuming 21-year-old now boasts five goals and five assists for the term and continued his revelatory form with a sublime finish against The Old Lady.

Fast-improving young defender Chalobah lashed Chelsea into an early lead, palming his hands together in celebratory prayer. An outmanoeuvred Juventus side would quickly be left to wish for divine intervention, such was the scale of Chelsea’s stifling dominance.

Thomas Tuchel has long since vowed to make Chelsea horrible to play against, and on this evidence that mission is complete.

James struck and Hudson-Odoi finished a sumptuous team goal before replacement Werner rounded off the rout at the death.

Chelsea ripped straight into opponents seemingly entirely unprepared for the Blues’ gameplan.

The sluggish visitors were pulled apart time and again by an increasingly slick Chelsea side and once the hosts coupled that tight attacking approach with the ability to recover the ball almost immediately, a bleak night unfurled in front of the stunned Juve players.

Chalobah could have opened the scoring in mere minutes with a squarer connection to Ziyech’s corner, before Matthijs De Ligt had to deflect Chilwell’s low cross to safety.

James almost caught Wojciech Szczesny napping from a free-kick on the wing after the out-of-sorts Juan Cuadrado had been booked for hauling down Hudson-Odoi.

Chalobah finally provided the inevitable Chelsea lead, lashing into the net after a deflected corner.

Juventus’ woeful first-half showing descended into protesting an obviously issue-free goal, the visiting defence clutching at straws in claiming any kind of Chelsea handball.

Adrien Rabiot’s faltering clearing header deflected off Antonio Rudiger’s arm at point-blank range, with the Chelsea defender looking entirely in the opposite direction. Chalobah swept home as Juve protested pointlessly, with the Blues’ goal rightly standing.

Juve rallied to the point of Morata lobbing Mendy on the break, only for the ageless Thiago Silva to conjure a stunning goal-line clearance.

James chested down Hudson-Odoi’s crossfield ball to fire in a sweet strike on goal that forced Szczesny to tip around the post.

Rudiger nodded wide from another teasing Ziyech corner and Bonucci had to mop up just as Hudson-Odoi looked to pull the trigger having nipped in behind on Jorginho’s lofted pass.

Silva flicked a header on target to open the second half before Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi should have combined for a goal, but neither could quite find space for a shot.

James’ bullet finish doubled the home lead however, as the England wing-back chested down before delivering the killer blow.

Juventus never recovered, and conceded again in a flash.

Rudiger raked a ball out to James and he chopped inside in one touch then laid off to Ziyech, who slipped a first-time pass into Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The resurgent former England midfielder skipped over two challenges in the area and cut through to Hudson-Odoi, who did the rest with a fine finish.

Just when Juventus thought their ignominy was at an end, James pinged a crossfield pass to Ziyech and his low ball invited Werner to tap into the empty net.

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BARCA IN UCL KNOCKOUT ROUND JEOPARDY AFTER DRAW WITH BENFICA

Barcelona and Benfica played out a thrilling goalless draw in the Champions League in Xavi Hernandez’s second match in charge on a rainy night at the Camp Nou.

The match was Xavi’s first in charge of a Champions League match for Barca after leading the team to a 1-0 win against Espanyol in his LaLiga opener since taking the reins for the Catalans.

The result leaves Barca still not assured of a spot in the knockout rounds of the Champions League pending results from the final matchday when they face Bayern Munich away in Group E.

Barcelona had the better of the play in the first half — executing crisp passing in the final third and hitting on the counter when the chance arose — but the end product was missing.

Benfica’s Roman Yaremchuk had a close-range header turned away by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Yusuf Demir hit the post with a lovely curling shot soon after as the opening 45 minutes ended scoreless.

Benfica’s Nicolas Otamendi intervened with a sliding tackle just before the hour mark to deny Memphis Depay an excellent goalscoring chance from close range as the score stayed 0-0.

Ronald Araújo looked to have scored a classy winner shortly before the end of the match, but the goal was ruled out for offside and both teams settled for a point on the night.

Barca are two points ahead of Benfica with one game still to play, but they face a daunting task in the last group when they travel to Germany to take on Bayern, who have a perfect winning record so far. Benfica, meanwhile, host winless Dinamo Kiev at home in Lisbon in their final game.

While new manager Xavi appeared to have quickly fixed many issues like the team’s intensity, rhythm, ball control and collective effort, scoring remains a problem.

Barca had 61% of the ball but created only a few chances, including a shot across goal from Demir in the first half, a header from Frenkie de Jong after the break, and a volley from Araujo that went in only to be disallowed because he was in an offside position.

Haris Seferovic failed to score what looked like the winner on one of the last kicks of the game when through on goal in a stoppage-time counter-attack, leaving his coach infuriated.

“In my 30 years as a coach, I have never seen a player miss an opportunity like this. Unfortunately, it happened to us,” Jorge Jesus told reporters.

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UCL: RONALDO, SANCHO ON TARGET AS UNITED START LIFE AFTER SOLSKJAER WITH A WIN AT VILLAREAL

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered yet another critical late Champions League goal before Jadon Sancho got his first in a Manchester United shirt to give caretaker manager Michael Carrick a 2-0 victory over Villarreal.

United were far from convincing against a side 12th in LaLiga, but where there is Ronaldo there is a way and his sixth Champions League goal of the season, 12 minutes from time, set them on course for victory.

The Portuguese then helped start a move capped by Sancho in the last minute of the 90, with the England forward crashing a shot off the underside of the bar to confirm United’s place in the knockout stages and ending the three-match winless run that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job.

Elsewhere United’s managerial search continued – Ernesto Valverde the latest candidate linked with the interim role as Mauricio Pochettino played down his interest in swapping Paris St Germain for Old Trafford – but here the focus was on Carrick.

The 40-year-old, who was integral to Solskjaer’s set-up and had said in Tuesday’s press conference that his ideas were similar to the Norwegian’s, made a major statement on the teamsheet with Donny van de Beek, starting only his third match of the season, selected ahead of Bruno Fernandes.

That was one of four changes – Alex Telles came in for Luke Shaw in an enforced move, while Anthony Martial and Fred came in for Nemanja Matic and Marcus Rashford.

United fans, high above the goal in Villarreal’s El Madrigal, sang Solskjaer’s name during a seven-minute delay to kick-off due to problems with the officials’ radio sets.

When play did get under way, Martial partnered Ronaldo in attack with Van de Beek at the tip of a diamond midfield, though United struggled to make much of an impression going forward.

Scott McTominay had an early chance from a free-kick, heading into the side-netting, but it was a familiar story of United looking too passive in midfield, and giving away possession too easily to offer Villarreal chances.

The best of them came in the 27th minute when Pino pulled the ball inside for Manu Trigueros, whose first-time shot was kept out by a strong hand from David De Gea.

Carrick, prowling the technical area, watched on as Ronaldo headed straight at Geronimo Rulli before firing a free-kick into the wall from a dangerous position.

But the better openings were at the other end. Arnaut Danjuma, an injury doubt before the match, fired wide after Aaron Wan- Bissaka lost possession.

It was De Gea to the rescue again just before the hour mark, with the goalkeeper denying Trigueros with a strong right hand after Danjuma’s shot was deflected into the midfielder’s path.

United were living dangerously, with Danjuma firing over after Wan-Bissaka allowed him too much space.

But Carrick’s double substitution of Van de Beek and Martial for Fernandes and Rashford changed the game, with United on the front foot thereafter.

Sancho brought a fine save from Rulli after cutting in from the right and exchanging passes with Ronaldo.

Moments later, United led, and this time Rulli needed to hold his hands up. The goalkeeper’s short pass played Etienne Capoue into trouble. Fred got a toe to the ball and Ronaldo did the rest with a lob over Rulli.

The Portuguese almost had another five minutes later, a short header back from Juan Foyth allowing him to nip in but he poked his shot just wide.

Villarreal were run ragged – Rashford shot straight at Rulli before Fernandes’ effort was deflected wide, and United inflicted the killer blow at the death.

Ronaldo started the counter in which Rashford and Fernandes switched play to the right, where Sancho fired home to leave the traveling fans chanting Carrick’s name.

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Jose Mourinho buys Afena-Gyan £675 trainers after match-winning Roma display

Jose Mourinho made good on a promise to buy Felix Afena-Gyan an €800 pair of trainers after his match-winning exploits for Roma at the weekend. 

The Ghanaian 18-year-old scored a double off the bench to lead Roma to a 2-0 Serie A victory over Genoa on Sunday, ending their three-game winless streak in all competitions. 

He became the first player born since January 1, 2003 to score in the Italian top flight and the third-youngest foreigner to score at least twice in a single Serie A game. 

Afena-Gyan celebrated his first goal, which came when he slotted home Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s throughball in the 82nd minute, by running over to Mourinho. 

“I promised him a very expensive pair of shoes, for 800 euros, and he came to me to make sure I didn’t forget,” Mourinho told broadcaster DAZN. 

“I really like his coldness, his physicality, but above all his humility.” 

Afena-Gyan on Monday shared a video on Instagram of himself unboxing the new shoes in the presence of Mourinho. He included the caption: “Forever grateful Sir. I’ll make you proud.”

Speaking to Roma’s official website after the game, Afena-Gyan said of Mourinho: “He is teaching me a lot and I am learning a lot from him. He is someone who has achieved a lot during his career and he is a great person. I am glad to be working with him. 

“He encourages me day in and day out to do everything that will help me improve in future. So I am happy to be working with Jose Mourinho. I thank him very, very much. I thank him a lot. He’s a great person.” 

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Manchester United and Chelsea eye knockout qualification

Chelsea and Manchester United fly the English flag on Tuesday with both clubs knowing victories will ensure progression.

Life after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer begins for United with a difficult trip to Villarreal in Group F.

The duo are level at the top but know that Atalanta will look to take advantage of whichever team drops points.

Donny van de Beek is one player who may find himself given a real chance at Old Trafford after Solskjaer’s reluctance to play him.

Our match preview focuses on the Dutchman and considers what he can bring to the Red Devils in the short term.

Chelsea can secure their spot in the knockout stages with victory over Group H leaders Juventus at Stamford Bridge.

Juve’s 100% record means they are assured of a spot in the last 16 but the Blues will want three points and the chance to top the group.

Christian Pulisic returned from his injury troubles with a goal at Leicester on Saturday and may be given a chance to shine against the Italian giants.

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The Best FIFA Men’s Player award: Messi, Ronaldo and Salah lead nominees

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah have all been nominated for the 2021 The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

Chelsea midfielders Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Paris Saint-Germain stars Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are also on the shortlist.

Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema complete the 11-man list.

There are seven nominees for the Best FIFA Men’s Coach prize, including City boss Pep Guardiola and Italy coach Roberto Mancini, who led his side to Euro 2020 glory.

Hansi Flick is nominated after significant success with Bayern before taking the Germany job, along with Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone and new Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte.

Lionel Scaloni, who guided Argentina to a Copa America triumph, completes the list.

Liverpool’s Alisson, PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, Bayern’s Manuel Neuer and Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City are up for the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award.

The shortlist for the Best FIFA Women’s Player includes four Barcelona players, among them Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso.

Pernille Harder leads a four-woman Chelsea contingent, while City duo Ellen White and Lucy Bronze are nominated, as is Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema.

Barcelona’s Lluis Cortes, Sweden’s Peter Gerhardsson, Chelsea’s Emma Hayes, Canada’s Beverly Priestmann and England boss Sarina Wiegman are up for the Best FIFA Women’s Coach prize.

The candidates for each category were selected by respective panels of experts for men’s and women’s football. A public vote will run until 23:59 CET on December 10, after which three finalists in each category will be announced ahead of the ceremony on January 17.

Lewandowski won the Men’s Player prize in 2020, ahead of Ronaldo and Messi, while Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp took the Men’s Coach award.

Bronze was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player and Wiegman the Best FIFA Women’s Coach.

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Lyon fans banned after Marseille trouble

Lyon will have to play home games without fans in attendance until at least December 8 as a result of the crowd trouble that saw their Ligue 1 fixture with Marseille postponed.

Sunday’s match at Groupama Stadium was halted after Marseille star Dimitri Payet was hit by a bottle hurled by a spectator. 

The former West Ham playmaker was preparing to take a corner amid a hostile atmosphere when he was struck on the side of the head by a plastic bottle full of liquid.

Payet went to ground and required treatment, with players taken from the field at the direction of referee Ruddy Buquet.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas later apologised to Payet and confirmed a spectator had been arrested in connection with the incident.

A statement from the Ligue de Football Professionnel said Lyon’s next home match versus Reims will be played without fans, with a disciplinary committee scheduled to announce any further punishment and the outcome of the game versus Marseille on December 8.

Among possible further sanctions is a points deduction, with Nice having been docked two, one of which was suspended, following crowd trouble at their game against Marseille this season.

French football has been plagued by a series of incidents this term, starting from the opening weekend when Marseille midfielder Valentin Rongier was struck by a bottle when celebrating a goal scored by Payet against Montpellier.

Payet was also targeted in late August when Nice fans hurled bottles onto the pitch. Payet threw a bottle back into the stands, which led to a pitch invasion from Nice ultras. On that occasion, the game was abandoned and replayed behind closes doors at Troyes’ neutral ground in October, with Nice served their points penalty.

Last month, Saint-Etienne and Angers saw their fixture delayed by an hour after angry supporters hurled flares onto the pitch and demanded the resignation of Saint-Etienne boss Claude Puel. There was also trouble at Saint-Etienne’s game against Lyon, while the meeting between Lens and Lille in September was held up after rival fans clashed at half-time.

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu told France Info radio: “They have to come to an agreement, this kind of problem is for the league to solve. 

“I think that everyone must understand that it is the survival of French [football] that is at stake.”

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MAURICIO POCHETTINO WANTS TO QUIT PSG FOR UNITED JOB

Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly ready to quit his job as manager of Paris Saint-Germain in order to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United boss. Solskjaer was sacked by the Red Devils following an embarrassing defeat to relegation-threatened Watford, which left them 12 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea.

United have stated that they hope to first appoint an interim manager until the end of the season, with first team coach Michael Carrick taking charge until that man is brought in.

They will then look to bring in Solskjaer’s long-term successor at the end of the season, with a range of options in the running.

Brendan Rodgers, Erik Ten Hag and Zinedine Zidane are all thought to be seen as potential managers by United.

Pochettino is also understood to be one of the frontrunners, with the Argentine having long drawn the eye of the Red Devils.

His first spell in the Premier League came with Southampton and Tottenham, with Pochettino successful at both clubs.

But he was sacked by Spurs at the end of 2019, after their form fell apart following an appearance in the Champions League final.

He was forced to wait more than a year before his next appointment as a manager, with PSG bringing him in as Thomas Tuchel’s successor.

It has not been an enjoyable stay at the Parc des Princes, with the French giants having been beaten to the Ligue 1 title by Lille last season.

Lionel Messi arrived in the summer after a remarkable transfer window that saw PSG seriously boost their squad.

Despite the super-squad he now has at his disposal, which includes Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Gianluigi Donnarumma, Pochettino is still struggling to stamp his authority in Paris.

The Argentine does remain an attractive option for United and the Daily Mail report he could be brought in much sooner than first thought.

It is stated that Pochettino is ‘ready to answer’ the call from United and is ‘prepared’ to leave PSG immediately.

Pochettino is said to be ‘unhappy’ at the Parc des Princes, with the former Spurs boss currently living in a hotel room with his family still in London.

Personal reasons are not the only thing making him ready to depart though, with the Mail also reporting he is ‘frustrated’ with managing big egos such as Messi.

He is thought to still be admired by United, having first been linked with the job when Jose Mourinho was sacked in 2018.

PSG travel to Manchester this week to face United’s fierce rivals Manchester City in the Champions League.

That provides United with the chance to confirm Pochettino’s interest in the job, though the Mail claim no contact has been made between the two parties as of yet.