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Manchester United will face rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final after Solly March’s spot-kick miss saw Brighton suffer semi-final shoot-out heartache.

Three days on from their Europa League quarter-final exit to Sevilla, Erik ten Hag’s side found themselves in the familiar position of needing to bounce back from a humiliating loss.

Brighton made United sweat as the south-coast club sought to reach just their second FA Cup final, with the semi-final ending 0-0 after 120 minutes at Wembley.

The first 12 penalties of the shoot-out found the net before Albion favourite March blazed over, allowing Victor Lindelof to win it 7-6 and set up a Wembley return against City.

Roberto De Zerbi’s exciting side had been bookmakers’ favourites in their third FA Cup semi-final appearance and began in the manner onlookers have become accustomed to.

Alexis Mac Allister’s early free-kick was saved by David De Gea, with the under-fire United goalkeeper brilliantly tipping over a Julio Enciso attempt after half-time.

United settled and the match went to extra-time, which also ended goalless meaning the semi-final went to spot-kicks under the arch.

March’s miss was the key moment, with Lindelof striking brilliantly in sudden death as the Carabao Cup winners progressed to a record-equalling 21st FA Cup final.

Brighton began on the front foot at Wembley, where Mac Allister hit a brilliant sixth-minute free-kick that De Gea did well to stop nestling in the top right-hand corner.

Enciso struck wide before Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan got in each other’s way as Albion continued in the ascendancy with only fleeting flickers of life from United.

Bruno Fernandes, sorely missed against Sevilla, forced Robert Sanchez into action from 20 yards and was soon the subject of nervous conversation after pulling up in pain. The patched-up Portuguese was given the green light to carry on.

Enciso fired wide for Brighton but it was United who ended the half on top, with Fernandes dragging a shot across the face of goal.

Two further chances followed in stoppage time. Anthony Martial overhit an attempt to catch out Sanchez and Eriksen fired straight at the keeper from a Rashford cross.

Brighton returned from the break strongly, prodding and probing before De Gea denied them a 56th-minute goal.

Adam Webster and Mitoma were denied in quick succession before the ball fell to Enciso to fizz an effort that the United goalkeeper expertly tipped over.

Ex-United striker Danny Welbeck went close with a header from the resulting corner and De Gea was soon called upon to stop a March cross-shot.

United belatedly gained a measure of control and composure, with Sanchez denying Antony before Fernandes fired a free-kick at the wall from a dangerous position.

De Gea got down to push away a low March shot and substitute Jadon Sancho saw a curling effort deflected behind.

When extra time got under way, Brighton substitute Deniz Undav was guilty of a heavy touch at the end of a fine move before Marcel Sabitzer glanced wide and fellow substitute Fred caused problems.

First the Brazil midfielder sent over a dangerous cross that nobody met, before cutting out the ball as Rashford ended up getting away a strike that took a deflection off Webster and was saved superbly by Sanchez.

The second period also ended goalless. March saw a shot stopped and Rashford lashed across the face of goal, with Brighton just unable to squeeze home a late chance that ended with Mitoma leaving De Gea in a heap.

The final whistle saw attention turn to penalties, with each player finding the net in the first five rounds.

Sancho and Rashford showed character to score at the stadium where they missed spot-kicks in England’s Euro 2020 final loss to Italy, with Sanchez getting a hand on Marcel Sabitzer’s fifth attempt for United.

Webster and Wout Weghorst scored the first goals of sudden death, only for March to miss in front of the Brighton end and Lindelof to score the decider.

The sensational Erling Haaland scored five as Manchester City ran riot to power into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-0 thrashing of RB Leipzig.

Haaland took his tally for the campaign to a staggering 39 from 36 appearances in a ruthless performance at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne also got on the scoresheet as City completed an 8-1 aggregate triumph over the German side but it was Haaland who took the plaudits – and had people reaching for the record books – on a wintry evening.

By scoring his first two goals, the Norwegian became the youngest player to reach 30 goals in the Champions League aged 22 years and 236 days.

Yet he did not stop there, going on to become only the third player to score five in a single Champions League game and take his overall total in the competition to 33 in 25 games.

He is now also the most prolific scorer in a single season for City, beating the previous record of 38 set by Tommy Johnson in 1928-29.

City made light of the snow and sleet, setting their stall out early with Gundogan, Haaland and Jack Grealish all threatening in the opening stages.

It still took a couple of dubious decisions to help them establish an early stranglehold, but once they had control of the game the visitors wilted.

Their first stroke of luck came when they were awarded a contentious penalty after a VAR review.

Referee Slavko Vincic was sent to the screen to check whether a Rodri header prior to a goalmouth scramble had clipped the back of Benjamin Henrichs’ arm at point-blank range.

The defender certainly knew little about it but Haaland did not pass up the opportunity offered to him from the spot as he fired City ahead after 22 minutes.

The Norwegian doubled the lead little over a minute later, typically finding himself in the right place at the right time to head home a rebound after a thunderous De Bruyne shot struck the bar.

He might have had his hat-trick moments after that but Janis Blaswich parried a ferocious drive.

Leipzig tried to battle back but City benefited from another controversial call after Ederson raced out of his area and appeared to bring down Konrad Laimer. The City keeper escaped punishment and, with that, Leipzig rarely threatened again.

Haaland claimed his treble on the stroke of half-time after a Ruben Dias header struck the post and rolled across the line. Amadou Haidara did get to it first but his attempted clearance cannoned off Haaland’s legs and into the net.

The scoreline became a rout four minutes into the second half when Gundogan beat a defender with a neat touch on the edge of the area and beat Blaswich with a low left-foot shot across goal.

Things almost immediately got even worse for Leipzig as Haaland claimed his fourth following a corner. There was some pinball in the area as Blaswich saved from Haaland and Manuel Akanji but City’s formidable number nine made no mistake at the second attempt.

It began to look like Haaland and City could score at will as he then made it 6-0 after 57 minutes.

Again Blaswich managed to keep out an initial effort from Akanji but Haaland, at his ruthless best, blasted back the rebound.

City went close again when substitute Riyad Mahrez forced Blaswich to save but the excitement began to subside after manager Pep Guardiola decided to take Haaland off just after the hour.

Naturally, he left the field to a huge ovation for his remarkable performance.

De Bruyne wrapped up the scoring in injury time with a superb strike from the edge of the area.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has apologised for the chaotic scenes at last season’s Champions League final and expressed his relief “nothing terrible happened” in Paris.

An independent report published last month found European football’s governing body was primary responsible for serious congestion problems outside the Stade de France.

Thousands of Liverpool fans were penned in against perimeter fences and tear-gassed by police trying to alleviate further problems after a decision was made to close turnstile gates ahead of Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Liverpool.

Liverpool fans are set to have their tickets refunded and UEFA’s general secretary Theodore Theodoridis has apologised to those affected by events in Paris.

But Ceferin, speaking in an interview on Gary Neville’s The Overlap channel, said: “First of all I can say that I feel sorry for what happened and we will make sure that it doesn’t happen anymore. That’s the most important thing for me.

“When I was at the match, I remember I had a meeting with the King of Spain and my people came into the room and said, ‘something urgent had happened’. I went out and they say there is a problem with an entrance or some entrances for the fans. Nothing else.

“We didn’t know how serious that was back then because UEFA does not have jurisdiction outside the stadium. There is French police and they didn’t communicate with us.

“It was a difficult situation and look, trust me there is not a single person in UEFA who is not terribly sorry that those things happen. Probably this is the main topic at UEFA how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Legal action is being pursued by Liverpool fans over what happened in Paris, where supporters were initially blamed by UEFA for delaying kick-off by arriving late while French officials also claimed thousands of tickets had been forged.

These were “manifestly inaccurate” according to the independent report.

“That was a mistake, that was a mistake from our side but it was hard to check what was right and what was wrong. We got so strange information and I really didn’t know the scale of the thing that happened,” Ceferin said.

“I am still expecting feedback from the experts we have that are dealing with it.

“Me as president of UEFA, I don’t deal with organisation of the match but we have to have better communication with the local authorities because in London (at the Euro 2021 final) again it was not UEFA who should protect outside the stadium, it was local police and, obviously, not very successful.”

Ceferin insisted it was “too early” to decide if people will lose their jobs over the farcical scenes in Paris but promised lessons would be learned for next year’s Champions League final at Wembley.

He added: “We’ll try to speak with the local authorities more and they learn a lot as well.

“They would understand and wouldn’t underestimate the situation. We have a team there all the time and they report. Thank God nothing terrible happened.”

Ceferin also reflected on the European Super League saga from 2021 with ex-Manchester United captain Neville.

He alleged United and Liverpool were the English clubs most powerful in joining the breakaway league, which collapsed within 72 hours after all ‘Big Six’ members eventually pulled out.

“As much as I know, unfortunately your club, the (United) owners were very much involved and Liverpool as well,” Ceferin said.

“I think that those two were from the English side the most. The last joining were Chelsea and (Manchester) City. I’m not so sure about Tottenham and Arsenal. Both Chelsea and Manchester City were hesitant from the beginning.”

On the possibility of the European Super League being revived by founding members Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, Ceferin insisted: “I say play your Super League.

“You are three, you can play your Super League. No one cares. Football doesn’t want them.”

Gianni Infantino was re-elected as Fifa president during the 73rd Congress in Kigali on Thursday, promising record revenues in the next four-year cycle of $11 billion as he called for more football to be played around the world.

Infantino stood unopposed, making his re-election as head of football’s governing body a formality, even if he is not universally popular among member associations amid controversies including the treatment of migrant workers in the run-up to last year’s World Cup in Qatar and a failed plan to play the tournament every two years.

“It is an incredible honour and privilege, and a great responsibility,” Infantino said. “I promise to continue serving Fifa and football around the world.

“To those that love me, and I know there are many, and those who hate me … I love you all.”

Infantino confirmed Fifa’s income hit record levels in the last cycle from 2019-22, but promised to substantially raise this again on the back of expanded men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments and the introduction of a 32-team Club World Cup.

“Revenues rose to a record $7.5 billion (to 2022) in a period that was hit by Covid-19. When I arrived, Fifa reserves stood at around $1 billion, today they are at almost $4 billion,” Infantino said.

“We promise new record revenues for the next cycle of $11 billion, and the new Club World Cup is not included in that figure, so it could increase by a couple of billion.”

Infantino said Fifa would continue to review the transfer system to “improve transparency” and suggested the organisation might discuss a salary cap.

“We must improve our regulations and the Fifa statutes. We will continue to evolve our good governance principles and look at the transfer system, and maybe have a discussion to improve transparency of transfer fees and salaries.

“It might be necessary to introduce a cap, we have to think how we can do that. We will look at it with all stakeholders and see what we can do.”

Amid the financial success of his seven years in office, Infantino has also courted controversy that has made him unpopular with some member associations.

He accused critics of host Qatar’s human rights record of hypocrisy and racism at the World Cup.

The tournament in the desert state led to a significant amount of political discussion around the host’s treatment of migrant labour, its approach to LGBT rights and Fifa’s threats to penalise players for political statements.

This included the banning of the anti-discrimination “One Love” armband which drew anger from a number of quarters.

Fifa has previously spoken about setting up a legacy fund to assist and compensate migrant workers who helped build the stadiums and other infrastructure for the World Cup, but as yet no concrete plans have been revealed and Infantino made no mention of it in his address.

He did suggest that Fifa had cleaned up its act with regards to governance.

“Every single dollar that is being invested in projects and associations will undergo an independent audit. Money just doesn’t get lost any more.

“That is why the institutions have regained their trust in Fifa. The Department of Justice of the United States has given us more than $200 million back that was stolen by corrupt officials. We have re-invested that in football.”

Player welfare groups have questioned Fifa’s decision to expand the men’s World Cup from 64 to 104 games, but Infantino says there needs to be more football played around the world.

“When I hear there is too much football, yes, maybe in some places, but not everywhere. In fact, in most parts of the world there is not enough football played.

“We need way more and not less competitions, we want football to develop worldwide.

“We are discussing organising a women’s Club World Cup and a Fifa World Series in March every two years, when teams are free from playing qualifiers.”

Infantino was first elected in an Extraordinary Congress in 2016 following the resignation of his predecessor Sepp Blatter, and retained his position unopposed three years later.

But this counts as his second term of office and he will therefore be available for a third and final term in four years’ time.

Source: Reuters

Napoli cruised into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a comfortable 5-0 aggregate victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Victor Osimhen hit a brace as the hosts won the second leg 3-0 in Naples as three Italian clubs reached the last eight for the first time since 2006.

Trouble in the streets of the city between supporters marred the evening but on the pitch it was one-way traffic as a Piotr Zielinski penalty sealed victory for the Serie A leaders.

Napoli were always favourite to advance after a good win in Germany and Osimhen’s fine header on the stroke of half-time sent them on their way.

A close-range finish after the restart all-but secured safe passage before Zielinksi won and scored a spot-kick.

Liverpool’s impossible job against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu proved exactly that as there was no dramatic comeback and a 1-0 defeat saw them exit the Champions League without much of a fight.

All the damage had been done in the first leg but even with a 5-2 deficit there remained the romantic notion among the die-hards and dreamers that Jurgen Klopp’s side could fashion a performance to rival that of Istanbul 2005 or Anfield 2019 against Barcelona.

Klopp gave his side a one percent chance ahead of the game but had it not been for the brilliance of goalkeeper Alisson Becker all hope would have been extinguished in the opening quarter.

This was the 14-time winners’ 300th Champions League match and all that experience showed with a balanced and controlled display of sharp attacking and tidy defending capped by a goal from their long-time nemesis Karim Benzema.

However, it may be Liverpool’s last in the competition for a while unless they can iron out wild inconsistencies in their domestic form.

In truth few players, their goalkeeper excepted, reached the level required to properly trouble the defending champions never mind threaten an unlikely comeback.

Liverpool needed their big name and most experienced players, many of them Champions League winners, to drive the team forwards while cajoling something out of the raw talent of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.

But players like Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold never got to grips with the game and that asked too much of the likes of Nunez, substituted in the 57th minute, and Gakpo.

And it was a misjudgement by one of their most experienced Virgil van Dijk, allowing Vinicius Jr a second chance to pass to Benzema to slot into an open goal and eventually kill off their remote hopes in the 78th minute.

Ivan Toney was on target again to give Brentford’s slim chances of securing a place in Europe a boost following a 2-0 Premier League win at struggling Southampton.

The Bees had a 12-match unbeaten run that bolstered the aspirations broken by a 1-0 defeat at Everton but bounced back on a wet day on the south coast.

Toney poked the ball into the net from a corner for his 16th goal of the season in a game with few clear-cut chances, before Yoane Wissa wrapped up all three points with a second in second-half stoppage time.

The result ensures Saints remain rooted to the foot of the table, despite a recent improvement in fortunes including a draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Brentford started the brighter of the two sides, forcing Gavin Bazunu into action to deny Bryan Mbeumo, with the hosts also struggling to create space going forwards.

It was the visitors who took the lead after a cagey opening half-hour, capitalising from a free-kick, with Toney in the right place at the far post to tap the ball home following a headed flick-on from Christian Norgaard.

The forwarded rewarded the faith of his manager Thomas Frank, who ahead of the game said Toney was capable of partnering Harry Kane for England.

However, questions had been raised over whether he should still be allowed to take the field as Toney is still waiting for a Football Association verdict after being charged with 262 breaches of FA gambling rules, with a lengthy suspension possible.

Carlos Alcaraz tried his luck from distance as Southampton tried to level the match, but his drive was always rising and went just over the crossbar.

The hosts almost drew level at the start of the second half, responding after being booed off by some sections of their fanbase at the break.

Kyle Walker-Peters drove into the box and cut the ball back for Che Adams, but his shot was cleared off the line by Aaron Hickey.

James Ward-Prowse also came close for Southampton from a free-kick just outside the area, but his curled strike was just wide of the target.

Tempers were frayed from both sides – with 33 fouls – before Brentford added a second in the nine minutes of stoppage time, with Wissa beating the offside trap before slotting the ball into the back of the net.

Solly March’s timely goal boosted Brighton’s bid for Europe as they sank derby rivals Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Premier League.

March scored the winner in the 15th minute – on March 15 – to move the Seagulls level on points with sixth-placed Liverpool with a game in hand.

It also provided a double celebration for Brighton chairman Tony Bloom after his horse Energumene won the Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

The problems are mounting up for Palace, though, after their winless run stretched to 11 matches.

They were forced to hand teenage goalkeeper Joe Whitworth a professional debut with regular number one Vicente Guaita and deputy Sam Johnstone both injured.

At 19 years and 15 days, Whitworth was the youngest goalkeeper to appear in a Premier League game since Ben Alnwick played for Sunderland in December 2005.

The former Palace ball-boy made a nervous start with an unconvincing headed clearance outside the area, but Brighton could not punish him.

Yet Jason Steele was the busier keeper in the opening stages despite Palace not managing a shot on target in their last three matches.

Wilfried Zaha at least righted that particular wrong early on when he tested Steele with an angled drive.

Steele saved with his knee after Joachim Andersen’s through-ball split the Brighton defence and sent Michael Olise through on goal, before he palmed Odsonne Edouard’s drive away.

Whitworth got his first decent touch of the ball when he held Kaoru Mitoma’s long-range effort.

But he was beaten moments later when Mitoma sent March clean through to find the net with a composed finish.

Palace could have equalised before half-time but Andersen volleyed Olise’s free-kick across goal and wide.

They could also have been down to 10 men after Cheick Doucoure, back from suspension and already on a booking, scythed down Moises Caicedo as he was about to burst through but somehow escaped another yellow.

Understandably, the Palace midfielder did not emerge for the second half with Patrick Vieira sending on Eberechi Eze in his place.

The second half was delayed after a floodlight failure momentarily plunged the stadium into darkness, and referee Peter Bankes then stopped the match, apparently because his headset was no longer working.

Once play resumed Whitworth highlighted his potential with a stunning reaction save to keep out Alexis Mac Allister’s header at a corner.

Mac Allister almost added a second with a mazy run and shot which flew just wide, but in the end Brighton had to hang on to March’s goal for nine minutes of stoppage time.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi believes the in-form winger deserves an England call-up, so March’s seventh goal of the season was a useful reminder to Gareth Southgate, who names his latest squad on Thursday.

The 28-year-old also scored in last week’s draw at Leeds, and if he gets the nod from Southgate it really would be the month of March.

Kim Kardashian made a surprise appearance at a football match in London, to watch Arsenal take on Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League.

The world-famous reality star and influencer was in attendance at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, as filming takes place on her new documentary.

As part of the pre-match commentary, sports presenter Carrie Brown confirmed Kardashian’s presence, along with her son Saint, via an Arsenal communications officer.

Seven-year-old Saint is a fan of the north London club, Brown said, and was reportedly seen sporting an Arsenal strip at his birthday party in January.

“The other team news that seems to be setting social media alight – yes, Kim Kardashian is here, we can confirm now from the communications officer,” Brown said.

Pictures of Kardashian and Saint, who was wearing an Arsenal jersey, later circulated on social media.

She later posted an Instagram story with pieces of Arsenal merchandise, with the caption “send help SOS”.

The reality star’s appearance at the Premier League ground comes after Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recently lamented Hollywood actress Julia Roberts’ apparent preference for Manchester United.

“I have three idols in my life. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Julia Roberts. These are my three idols,” the manager told a post-match press conference on Wednesday.

“Julia Roberts years ago came to Manchester – not in the 90s when Sir Alex (Ferguson) was winning titles and titles and titles. She came in the period where we were better than United, in these four or five years, right?

“And she went to visit Man United. She didn’t come to see us. That’s why even if I win the Champions League it will not compare to the fact that Julia Roberts came to Manchester and didn’t come to see us.

“Even if I win the Champions League it will not compare to this disappointment I had.”

Marcus Rashford fired Manchester United to victory at Real Betis with a rocket of a strike as Erik ten Hag’s side cruised through to the Europa League quarter-finals.

The Red Devils headed to Spain all-but assured of progress from this last-16 tie having won the first leg 4-1 in freezing conditions at Old Trafford last Thursday.

Betis made United sweat during the opening stages in the return fixture, but Rashford’s outstanding strike silenced the bouncing Estadio Benito Villamarin and secured a 1-0 win on the night.

The impressive 5-1 aggregate triumph puts them through to the quarter-finals, with Friday’s draw to outline their potential path to the Europa League final in Budapest.

The second leg in Seville had started in unconvincing fashion against Manuel Pellegrini’s Verdiblancos, with Juanmi wasting a glorious chance before Joaquin struck the post from distance.

Facundo Pellistri, making his first United start, hit the post at the end of a poor first half that was followed by a much-improved second-period performance by Ten Hag’s team.

Rashford looked sharp and followed an inexplicable miss moments earlier by unleashing a stunning 25-yard strike that ensured United’s first away trip since their Anfield annihilation ended in a win.

Betis’ 50,000-plus fans were always here in hope rather than expectation given their three-goal deficit and their side flew out of the blocks, wasting a glorious eighth-minute chance.

United were caught out of position and Ayoze Perez sent Juanmi through, only to drag his shot across the face of goal with Harry Maguire breathing down his neck.

It was a huge let-off followed by 41-year-old Joaquin winding back the years to unleash a stunning 30-yard effort that hit the post after a slight Casemiro deflection.

Betis were making life uncomfortable for a strong-looking United side, although Ten Hag’s men eventually managed to slow the tempo and frustrate the hosts without ever looking in control.

The sharp start had waned but David De Gea had to be alert to stop Juanmi, who had raced between the visitors’ centre-back pairing to meet a fine through ball.

Maguire blocked the lively forward’s next attempt as the raucous home support continued to back their team, whose faint hopes were almost extinguished in stoppage time.

Casemiro went down on the left following a foul by Joaquin and Bruno Fernandes swung in the resulting free-kick, with the ball falling to Pellistri to get a shot into the ground that hit the post.

Wout Weghorst threw himself at it in an attempt to prod home but could not stretch to meet it, just as he had failed when trying to reach a Casemiro header at the start of the game.

The sides traded wayward efforts when the second half got under way, with Rashford among those to miss as he played with the bit between his teeth.

Betis goalkeeper Rui Silva denied the 25-year-old after Fernandes played onto him, with the forward furious with himself after uncharacteristically blazing over a brilliant chance.

Rashford quickly let that frustration out in stunning fashion.

Having been found by a sweeping Casemiro pass, he took a couple of touches and then let rip with a fizzing 25-yard strike that flew home to silence the Betis faithful in the 55th minute.

De Gea had produced a fine reaction save to deny Perez from a corner shortly before a brilliant goal that ended hope of an always improbable Betis comeback.

Maguire headed off target as United looked for a second in Seville, with substitutes Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer both having attempts.

Fernandes, walking a suspension tightrope with Casemiro, was withdrawn and Weghorst had an attempt saved as United exerted the kind of control Ten Hag craved from the start.

More changes took the sting out of a tie that ended with United’s travelling fans calling for the Glazer family to sell the club.