Champions/Europa Semi Finals Review

As the domestic European seasons near the end, the semi finals of both the Champions League and Europa League saw the final four sides in European competition decided.

The first legs of the Champions League semis saw an all-Madrid battle as holders Real Madrid hosted Atletico Madrid.

The hosts went ahead inside ten minutes as Cristiano Ronaldo struck, he went on to claim a hat-trick and a comfortable 3-0 advantage for Real with further strikes in the 74th and 87th minutes.

Monaco and Juventus faced off in the other tie and it was to be the Italians who secured first leg success. Gonzalo Higuain's brace secured a 2-0 win as he struck in the 29th and 59th minutes.

The first legs of the Europa League semis began with Ajax securing a huge 4-1 advantage against Olympique Lyonnais. The hosts opened the scoring through Bertrand Traoré before Kasper Dolberg doubled the lead before half-time.

The win looked to be secure within five minutes of the restart as Amin Younes made it 3-0 but the visitors struck what could be a crucial away goal through Mathieu Valbuena. The goal was to be merely a consolation on the night as Traoré scored his second and Ajax's fourth.

Manchester United secured a narrow 1-0 lead against Celta Vigo.The visitors secured the win with an away goal from Marcus Rashford on 68 minutes.

The final step on the 'Road to Cardiff' saw Juventus secure a place in the final with a 2-1 win that saw them advance past Monaco with a 4-1 aggregate.

First half strikes from Mario Mandzukic and Dani Alves put the Italians in control at 2-0 (4-0) before Kylian Mbappe secured some consolation for the visitors.

Juve will face Real Madrid in the final despite Los Blancos suffering a 2-1 defeat to Atletico as they advanced 4-2 on aggregate.

Atletico went 2-0 up on the night inside 17 minutes as Saul Niguez struck ahead of a penalty from Antoine Griezmann. They were unable to level the tie though as Real secured their spot in the final with a strike just before half-time from Isco.

After a five goal thriller in the first leg, Ajax secured a trip to Stockholm for the final with a 5-4 aggregate win despite losing 3-1 to Lyon on the night.

Kasper Dolberg continued his scoring streak with the opener on 27 minutes before a superb brace from Alexandre Lacazette as he struck from the penalty spot and open play in the final minutes of the first half for a 2-1 lead (3-5 agg).

Rachid Ghezzal made it 3-1 and 4-5 on agg with nine minutes to go and with the dismissal of Nick Viergever, the hosts had hope of levelling but to no avail as Ajax's away goal was enough to win the tie.

The Dutch side will face Manchester United in the final after the Red Devils advanced 2-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw against Celta Vigo. An opener from Marouane Fellaini made it 1-0 (2-0 agg) but a late rally from the visitors saw Facundo Roncaglia strike an away goal for Celta before being sent off after an altercation with United defender Eric Bailly who was also dismissed. United managed to hold on and secure a spot in the final. 

Chelsea Close on Title as Saints Halt Reds

The Premier League run-in is in full swing with just two gameweeks left after the recent weekend-midweek gameweek 36.

The gameweek began on Friday night with a London derby as West Ham United hosted title challenging Tottenham Hotspur.  The Hammers claimed the points with a 65th minute strike from Manuel Lanzini who secured a 1-0 win.

Manchester City kept up their hopes of a top two finish with a comfortable 5-0 rout over Crystal Palace. The hosts started perfectly with David Silva scoring inside two minutes before Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne made it 3-0 before the hour mark. A miserable afternoon for the Eagles was completed in the final seven minutes as Raheem Sterling added a fourth ahead of a rare goal from Nicolas Otamendi in added time,

Bournemouth and Stoke City confirmed safety with a share of the points in a 2-2 draw. An own goal from Lys Mousset put the Potters ahead on 33 minutes before Junior Stanislas levelled for the Cherries on 63 minutes. A strike from Mame Biram Diouf restored the visitors' lead but they were to be denied the win by an own goal from Ryan Shawcross. 

Burnley all but secured safety as they salvaged a point in a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion. Sam Vokes put the Clarets ahead on 57 minutes before Salomon Rondon levelled for the Baggies. The visitors completed the turnaround on 79 minutes as Craig Dawson struck but the hosts were to level with four minutes to go with a second strike from Vokes.

Hull City's safety hopes were dented as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to already relegated Sunderland. The visitors secured the three points with two second half strikes as Billy Jones opened the scoring on 69 minutes ahead of Jermain Defoe's effort in added time.

Leicester City moved into the top half with a comfortable 3-0 win over Watford. Wilfred Ndidi put the Foxes ahead on 38 minutes before Riyad Mahrez doubled the lead just before the hour. The win was rounded off late on by a strike from Marc Albrighton. 

Swansea City boosted their survival hopes with a 1-0 win over Everton. The result which kept the Swans out of the bottom three was secured by a 30th minute strike from Fernando Llorente.

Liverpool's top four hopes fell out of their hands as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Southampton. The Saints made it four out of four against the Reds in terms of clean sheets this season.

Arsenal kept up their top four hopes and dented Manchester United's with a 2-0 win that also restored Liverpool's control of their destiny.
The Gunners secured the points with a three minute brace as Granit Xhaka struck ahead of an effort from former United striker Danny Welbeck.

Monday night saw Chelsea edge closer to the title with a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough who had their relegation to the Championship confirmed. The Blues went ahead on 22 minutes with an opener from Diego Costa before Marcos Alonso doubled the lead before half-time.  The win was wrapped up by a superb strike from Nemanja Matic.

Wednesday night saw Arsenal move closer to a top four spot at they secured a 2-0 win against Southampton. The Gunners secured the points with a strike from Alexis Sanchez just before the hour mark and an 83rd minute effort from Olivier Giroud. 

Chelsea Close In On Title While Reds 'Can' Watford

As the Premier League run-in continued, a mix of midweek-weekend schedules set to run until the end of the season began.

The first of the midweek games came on Tuesday as Chelsea extended their stay at the top with a 4-2 win over Southampton. An early opener from Eden Hazard came just five minutes in but the Saints were level by the half hour mark with Oriol Romeu's leveller. 

The Blues took control just before half-time as Gary Cahill made it 2-1 before Diego Costa made it 3-1 on 53 minutes. Costa wrapped up the win with his second strike before the final say went to the visitors with Ryan Bertrand's effort.

Arsenal continued their top four push with a narrow 1-0 win over champions Leicester City. The crucial strike came with three minutes left as Robert Huth deflected into his own net.

Middlesbrough boosted their survival hopes with a narrow 1-0 win that pushed Sunderland closer to relegation. The hosts sealed the win with a goal with just eight minutes on the clock from Marten De Roon. 

Tottenham Hotspur cut the gap to leaders Chelsea with a narrow 1-0 win at London rivals Crystal Palace. The winning goal came with 12 minutes left of the 90 as Christian Eriksen struck.

The battle for the top four continued as Manchester City and Manchester United faced off in the Manchester Derby. The sides were side by side in the table so it was no huge surprise that they shared the points in a 0-0 draw but one which saw United end with ten men after Marouane Fellaini's dismissal.



The weekend began with an afternoon dubbed as 'The Worst Ever Premier League Saturday'. The opening game of the review was a 0-0 draw between Southampton and Hull City. A result that boosted the visitors survival hopes.

West Ham United extended their gap above the drop zone with a point in a 0-0 draw at Stoke City.

The third game of the afternoon between Sunderland and Bournemouth had the potential to see the hosts relegated with a defeat. The sides remained locked at 0-0 as the game entered the final stages but the hosts were to suffer the big blow as Joshua King sealed a 1-0 win for the Cherries thereby relegating Sunderland.


Leicester City continued their push for a top ten finish with a narrow 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion.

The winning goal came just before half-time as Jamie Vardy continued his scoring run against the Baggies with a 43rd minute strike.

The evening game saw Crystal Palace miss the chance to all but confirm safety as they lost 2-0 to Burnley.

The Clarets went ahead after just even minutes as Ashley Barnes struck before Andre Gray confirmed the win with five minutes remaining.

Sunday's action began with Manchester United's top four hopes suffering a blow as they drew 1-1 win Swansea City who moved two points from safety.

United took the lead just before half-time as Wayne Rooney slotted in a penalty but they would be denied a win by a 79th minute leveller from Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Chelsea moved closer to the title with a comfortable 3-0 win at Everton.

A tight first hour saw the sides locked at 0-0 but the visitors took control with an opener from Pedro before Gary Cahill and Willian struck to seal the win.

Middlesbrough boosted their survival hopes with a 2-2 draw against Manchester City who missed the chance to move third. Boro opened the scoring six minutes before half-time as former City man Alvaro Negredo struck before Sergio Aguero levelled from the penalty spot on 69 minutes.

Callum Chambers restored the lead for the hosts just seven minutes later but they were to be denied a vital win by a leveller from Gabriel Jesus with five minutes remaining.

Tottenham cut the gap to Chelsea at the top with a 2-0 win over fierce rivals Arsenal who as a result would finish behind Spurs for the first time in over 20 years.

A four minute double for the hosts secured the points as Dele Alli struck ahead of a penalty from Harry Kane.

The final game of the gameweek saw Watford suffer a 1-0 defeat to a Liverpool side who strengthened their grip on third spot after capitalising on the woes of the sides below them. The Monday night game was settled in style as Emre Can struck with an overhead kick just before half-time. 

Europa League Quarter Finals Review

The month of May is within sight and the European season has begun the final straight, this review focuses on the Europa League quarter finals.

The first legs began with Ajax securing a 2-0 aggregate lead over Schalke 04. An opener from Davy Klaassen from the penalty spot put the hosts ahead on 23 minutes before he struck for a second time seven minutes after half time to complete the victory.

A five goal thriller saw Celta Vigo secured a narrow 3-2 aggregate advantage over Genk.The visitors struck first with an effort from Boetius inside ten minutes before two goals in as many minutes from Sisto and Iago Aspas put the hosts 2-1 ahead.

A 38th minute strike from Guidetti made it 3-1 to the Spanish side before the visitors set up a tight final period with a second goal on 67 minutes from Buffel for 3-2.

Olympique Lyonnais secured a 2-1 aggregate advantage as they defeated Besiktas.

The Turks opened the scoring with 15 minutes played through Ryan Babel and the early strike looked to be enough to secure a potentially crucial away win. However, the hosts turned the game around in the space of two minutes late on as Tolliso levelled on 83 minutes before Morel sealed the win seconds later.

Anderlecht and Manchester United would go into the second leg level after drawing 1-1 in the first leg.

United opened the scoring through Henrikh Mkhitaryan with 36 minutes played and the visitors were on course to secure a narrow win with their away goal as the game entered the final stages but the Belgians had other ideas as Dendoncker levelled four minutes from the end of the 90.

After a smash and grab in the first leg, Lyon secured a place in the last four as they won 7-6 on penalties after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Besitktas on the night.

The sides ended the tie level at 3-3 on aggregate after Talisca had levelled the tie at 2-2 with the night's opening goal on 27 minutes. Lacazette levelled at 1-1 (2-3 agg) before a second from Talisca on 58 minutes made it 2-1 (3-3) and led to extra tie before the crucial penalty shootout.

Another tie which had to be settled in extra time was the five goal thriller between Schalke 04 and Ajax. The Germans went 2-0 up before the hour to level the tie at 2-2 as Goretzka and Burgstaller struck. Ajax suffered a blow with the dismissal of Veltman and the hosts took advantage in extra time to lead 3-0 and 3-2 on agg. However, the ten men of Ajax staged a superb fightback with Viergever scoring on 111 minutes for 3-1 (3-3) before a last-gasp strike from Younes made it 3-2 but secured a 4-3 aggregate win for the Dutch side.

Celta Vigo secured a spot in the last four as they drew 1-1 at Genk but progressed 4-3 on aggregate.

Celta opened the scoring on the night through Sisto on 63 minutes for a 2-4 aggregate lead. The hosts levelled on the night at 1-1 through Trossard just four minutes later but they were unable to avoid an exit on aggregate.

The final tie of the round was to be the third decided after normal time as Manchester United advanced after a 2-1 win and 3-2 aggregate success.

United raced into an overall lead after Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck inside ten minutes only for his effort to be levelled by Hanni's 32nd minute strike to level the tie. The sides could not be separated across the 180 minutes of both legs which led to extra time. United secured the win with a strike on 107 minutes from Marcus Rashford. 

Prem Lge/FA Cup Semis Weekend Review

A shortened Premier League weekend programme due to the FA Cup semi finals gave some of the chasing pack the chance to close the gap at the top while those at  the bottom hoped to boost survival hopes.

The weekend opened with Bournemouth denting Middlesbrough's survival hopes with a 4-0 rout at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries raced out of the blocks with an opener inside two minutes from Joshua King before Benik Afobe doubled the lead with 16 minutes gone.

'Boro's afternoon suffered another blow with the dismissal of Gaston Ramirez just four minutes later. The hosts completed a comfortable win with two goals after the hour mark as Marc Pugh (65) and Charlie Daniels (70) struck.

Hull City remain on the fringes of the drop zone despite a 2-0 win over Watford. The hosts suffered a blow inside the first half hour with the dismissal of Oumar Niasse but defied the numerical disadvantage to secure the win with two goals in nine minutes after the hour mark as Lazar Markovic broke the duck on 62 minutes ahead of Sam Clucas' 71st minute effort.

Swansea City sit two points from safety after securing a 2-0 win at home to Stoke City.

The Swans went ahead inside ten minutes as Fernando Llorente struck before Tom Carroll wrapped up the points with 20 minutes to go.

West Ham United edged closer to securing safety after they claimed a point in a 0-0 draw with Everton whose hopes of a top four finish suffered a blow.

Sunday's action began with Manchester United boosting their top four hopes with a 2-0 win away to Burnley.

The Clarets went behind to a 21st minute opener from Anthony Martial before the visitors wrapped up the win before half time with a strike from Wayne Rooney.

Liverpool missed the chance to close the gap on the top two as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The Reds opened the scoring with a traditionally spectacular effort from Philippe Coutinho on24 minutes before they were hit by the curse of the ex-player as Christian Benteke marked his first return to Anfield with a leveller on 42 minutes before securing the win on 74 minutes with his second goal.

The FA Cup Semi finals saw a battle between four of the current top six in the Premier League.

Saturday afternoon saw a battle of the top two as league leaders Chelsea faced off against fierce city rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues raced out of the block with an opener from Willian inside five minutes before being pegged back around ten minutes later by a leveller from Harry Kane. 

Willian restored the lead from the penalty spot just before half time but again Spurs came back with Dele Alli equalising on 52 minutes. Chelsea led for a third time as Eden Hazard struck on 76 minutes but this time Spurs had no reply as they fell to a 4-2 loss with a superb strike from Nemanja Matic completing the passage to the final for the Blues.

The second semi final saw a South v North battle as Arsenal faced Manchester City with both managers under pressure to secure silverware to boost mixed seasons. A goalless first hour between the sides was soon broken as Sergio Aguero put City ahead on 63 minutes. The Gunners levelled through Nacho Monreal just nine minutes later for 1-1 which is how the score remained until the end of normal time leading to extra time.

Arsenal secured the win and set up an all-London final with a strike four minutes before the end of the first half of extra time as Alexis Sanchez struck for 2-1.

Chelsea's Gap Cut While Reds Edge Baggies

As the Premier League run-in is set to begin this very weekend, the FA Cup semi finals clash means a reduced programme but last weekend saw a full schedule which threw up a surprise at the top.

The weekend opened with the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at White Hart Lane as Tottenham Hotspur hosted Bournemouth.

Spurs raced into a 2-0 lead with goals from Moussa Dembele and Son Heung-Min inside the first 20 minutes. Bournemouth looked out of the contest less than four minutes after half-time as Harry Kane struck for 3-0 before Vincent Janssen completed the 4-0 rout late on.

Crystal Palace remain clear of the drop zone after coming from behind to secure a point against Leicester City.

The Foxes struck early through Robert Huth before Jamie Vardy doubled the lead on 53 minutes. An instant reply saw Yohan Cabaye make it 2-1 before a superb leveller from Christian Benteke sealed a 2-2 draw.

Everton kept up their European hopes with a 3-1 win over Burnley at Goodison Park.The Toffees went ahead four minutes after half time as Phil Jagielka extended his scoring run but his effort was quickly levelled by a Sam Vokes penalty.

An own goal from Ben Mee saw the hosts regain the lead before Romelu Lukaku wrapped up the points three minutes later.

Stoke City kept up the pressure on relegation threatened Hull City with a 3-1 win. Marko Arnautovic put the Potters ahead inside six minutes but Hull hit back through Harry Maguire on 51 minutes. The hosts secured the win with two goals after the hour as Peter Crouch struke ahead of Xherdan Shaqiri's effort.

Sunderland remain bottom of the table but cut the gap to safety as they salvaged a 2-2 draw against West Ham United. The Hammers raced into the lead as André Ayew scored inside five minutes but the hosts were to level on 26 minutes through Wahbi Khazri.

James Collins restored the lead for the visitors just after half-time but Sunderland were to suffer defeat as Fabio Borini equalised late on with the Hammers ending with ten men after Sam Byram's dismissal.


Swansea City remain in the drop zone after losing 1-0 away to Watford with the Hornets sealing the points three minutes before half time through Etienne Capoue's effort.

Manchester City strengthened their top four hopes with a comfortable 3-0 win at Southampton. The sides remained level after a close run first half but the deadlock was to be broken by a surprise strike as Vincent Kompany put City ahead.

Two goals in three minutes sealed the points as Leroy Sané and Sergio Aguero struck on 77 and 80 minutes.

Liverpool also moved close to cementing a top four spot as they claimed a 1-0 win at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The crucial strike came in added time in the first half as Roberto Firmino sealed the win.

Chelsea's gap at the top was cut as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United who themselves kept up their top four hopes.

An early opener from Marcus Rashford saw United lead inside seven minutes before Ander Herrera confirmed the win with a strike four minutes after half time.

The final game of the gameweek saw Middlesbrough host Arsenal on Monday night.

The Gunners opened the scoring three minutes before half time through Alexis Sanchez before Alvaro Negredo drew Boro level five minutes after the interval. The win was sealed for the visitors on 71 minutes by Mesut Ozil's effort for 2-1.

Champions League Quarter Finals Review

Eight would become four as the Champions League reached the quarter final stage with Spain boasting three sides, Germany two and France and Italy with a single representative.

The opening tie of the round saw Juventus hosting Barcelona at Juventus Stadium. The hosts started superbly as Paulo Dybala put them ahead inside seven minutes before he doubled the advantage with 22 minutes on the clock.

A comfortable first leg victory was completed ten minutes after half time as Giorgio Chiellini struck for 3-0.

The tie between Borussia Dortmund and AS Monaco was played on Wednesday night after being postponed the previous night due to an explosion involving the Dortmund team bus.

The visitors struck first with a Kylian Mbappe scoring in the 19th minutes before the lead was doubled by a Sven Bender own goal.

Dortmund hit back with an Ousmane Dembele effort on 57 minutes though Monaco regained a two goal advantage with Mbappe's second goal with 11 minutes left. The hosts had the last say though as Shinji Kagawa made it 3-2 on 84 minutes to give Dortmund hope for the second leg.

Atletico Madrid hosted Leicester City at Vicente Calderon with the Foxes looking to continue their European fairytale. However, the visitors suffered a narrow 1-0 loss after a controversial penalty from Antoine Griezmann on 28 minutes gave the hosts a first leg advantage.

The final tie of the round saw Bayern Munich host Real Madrid at Allianz Arena. Bayern opened the scoring through Auturo Vidal with 5 minutes gone but were pegged back just after half time by a leveller from Cristiano Ronaldo. 

A blow for the hosts saw Javi Martinez sent off on the hour mark before Ronaldo struck for a second time on 77 minutes to secure a 2-1 win.

Leicester City looked to overturn the narrow deficit from the first leg as they hosted Atletico Madrid at King Power Stadium. Their hopes were dented inside 26 minutes as Saul Niguez gave the visitors the lead and made it 2-0 overall.

Leicester remained in the tie as Jamie Vardy levelled on the night at 1-1 and 2-1 overall but the visitors held on to end the Foxes dream run in the competition.

A six goal thriller saw Real Madrid and Bayern Munich battle at the Bernabeu. A close first half saw the sides remain level at 0-0 and 2-1 overall before Bayern levelled on agg with a Robert Lewandowski penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo made it 1-1 on the night and restored Real's aggregate lead on 76 minutes before an instant reply saw Sergio Ramos hit into his own net for 2-2 (3-3 agg). The visitors were dealt a blow six minutes from the end with the dismissal of Arturo Vidal but Bayern held on to force extra time. Real took control in extra time as Ronaldo completed his hat-trick either side of the midway point for 4-2 (5-3 agg) with the latter seeing him become the first player to score 100 times in the competition. The hosts rounded off the win with a goal from Marcos Asensio to finish with a 6-3 aggregate.

After heroics against PSG in the previous round, Barcelona hosted Juventus at Nou Camp looking to overturn a three-goal deficit.

However, the Catalans were unable to break through the defence of the Italians as 'The Old Lady' became only the third team to prevent Barca from scoring in both legs of a tie as the sides drew 0-0

Borussia Dortmund had a single goal deficit to overcome as they visited AS Monaco at Stade Louis II.  However, they fell behind after just three minutes as Kylian Mbappe continued his scoring streak and were in big trouble when Radamel Falaco doubled the lead on 17 minutes.

Dortmund boosted their hopes just after half-time with a Marco Reus effort for 2-1 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate. The strike was to be only a consolation though as Valéré Germain confirmed a 3-1 win nine minutes from the end to complete a 6-3 aggregate success.