Category: Football

VILLAREAL: Etienne Capoue scored twice to seal a dominant 4-2 win for Villareal over 10-man Espanyol on Thursday and improved the side’s chances to qualify for the European championships. 

Valencia edged past Valladolid 2-1 thanks to a late strike from Javier Moreno in the dying minutes of an exciting contest.

Villarreal moved up to fifth on the table with 50 points, one ahead of sixth-placed Real Betis and five behind fourth-placed Real Sociedad. Espanyol are in the relegation zone with only 28 points in 31 matches this season.

Barcelona top the standing and are likely to win their first title since 2019 with a nine-point advantage over arch-rivals Real Madrid, who are on second place with 65 points.

Valencia, on the other hand, stay afloat of the relegation zone with the latest win, taking 16th place on the table while Valladolid remained 14th.

Espanyol opened the scoring through Javi Puado just before halftime but Villareal rebounded after the break finding the equalizer in the 53rd minute when Capoue slotted in the right-footed shot from outside the box.

Daniel Parejo took the lead for Villareal 10 minutes later from the very close range following a set piece situation.

Espanyol, however, rebounded and brought the game to a 2-2 stalemate in the 73rd minute when Joselu fired in from the centre of the box after Martin Braithwaite’s superb assist.

Nicolas Jackson put his team back into the lead seven minutes later after Alberto Moreno set him up with a fine through ball.

Capoue hit another one in the additional time to wrap up the game for Espanyol who were reduced to 10 men at the end.

In another La Liga fixture on Thursday, Sevilla broke Atheltic Club’s three-game winning streak with a late decider scored by Lucas Ocampos in stoppage time.

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LONDON: Manchester City seized control of the Premier League title race as Kevin De Bruyne inspired a crucial 4-1 rout of crumbling leaders Arsenal on Wednesday.

De Bruyne scored twice and set up John Stones’ goal before Erling Haaland capped the demolition at the Etihad Stadium as City showed why they have been champions four times in the last five seasons.

Pep Guardiola’s side have trailed unexpected pace-setters Arsenal for much of the campaign, but the Gunners have choked over the last month while battle-hardened City show no signs of being affected by the pressure.

Second placed City are now just two points behind Arsenal with two games in hand.

City will become champions for a third successive season if they win six of their last seven matches.

Few would bet against them after a blistering run of seven consecutive league victories reeled in Arsenal.

Unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions, City have won 13 of their past 14 games as they chase a remarkable treble.

They booked an FA Cup final date with Manchester United last weekend and face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.

“The connection between Kevin and Erling is extraordinary, today we tried to use it as much as possible,” Guardiola said.

“I know the next three games are really important. The reality is today we are two points behind Arsenal, they are in front of us.”

While City eye a memorable end to the season, Arsenal, who were eight points clear at the start of April, have failed to win any of their last four league games.

Arsenal’s third defeat against City in 2023 could prove the final blow to their hopes of winning the title for the first time in 19 years.

Mikel Arteta’s young team have lost their nerve at the worst possible time, with three successive draws, featuring a pair of blown two-goal leads, followed by their first loss in 11 league games.

“The better team won. They were probably at their best in the first half and we weren’t at our level. In terms of the basics we didn’t do it,” Arteta said.

“There’s still five games to go. I’ve been in this country 22 years and things change a lot.”

De Bruyne started the demolition in the seventh minute when he took Haaland’s deft pass and surged towards the Arsenal area before smashing a low strike past Aaron Ramsdale from 20 yards.

Stones rewarded City’s incessant pressure on the stroke of half-time when he headed in De Bruyne’s free-kick, with the goal awarded by VAR after initially being disallowed for offside.

– Record-breaker Haaland –

Imperious City were in complete control and De Bruyne put the result beyond doubt with another clinical finish from Haaland’s pass in the 54th minute.

Rob Holding smashed home in the 86th minute, but the defender’s goal was no consolation for reeling Arsenal.

With virtually the last kick of the game, Haaland slotted under Ramsdale for his 49th goal in all competitions this term and his 33rd in the league, beating Mohamed Salah’s record for a single 38-game Premier League season.

Chelsea crashed to a fifth successive defeat under Frank Lampard as their west London neighbours Brentford won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.

In his second spell as Chelsea boss after replacing the sacked Graham Potter until the end of the season, Lampard has failed to spark a revival from his troubled team, who were booed off at full-time.

With former Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino reportedly close to taking charge, Chelsea are enduring their worst run since 1993 after their winless streak extended to eight games.

Cesar Azpilicueta’s 37th minute own goal and Bryan Mbeumo’s 78th minute strike left 11th placed Chelsea in danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1996.

“The fans feel down because they are used to success. We have to take it on the chin,” Lampard said.

Liverpool kept alive their slender hopes of a top four finish with a 2-1 win at West Ham.

The Hammers took a 12th-minute lead through Lucas Paqueta’s spectacular strike, only for Cody Gakpo to equalise from long-range five minutes later.

Joel Matip’s 67th minute header moved sixth placed Liverpool within six points of fourth placed Manchester United, who have two games in hand.

Nottingham Forest climbed out of the relegation zone as they beat Brighton 3-1 at the City Ground to win for the first time in 12 games.

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MADRID: Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday and wasted a golden chance to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga. 

Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, celebrated their 120th anniversary in fashion as they beat Mallorca 3-1 to close in on city rivals Real Madrid with a difference of just two points.

Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia scored goals in each half to upset the lacklustre Barca, who still enjoy a healthy 11 points lead over second-placed Real.

With seven games to play, defending champions Real faced a severe jolt to their title hopes when they were stunned 4-2 at Girona on Tuesday.

Xavi’s side, however, are poised to win their first title since 2019 despite running out of luck at the end of the race as they won just one of their last four league matches – a close win over Atletico on Sunday.

Rayo lived up to the expectations at a sold-out Estadio de Vallecas as they broke the seven-game unbeaten streak of the Catalan giants in the league.

They proved to be the better side for most of the match and took the lead in the 19th minute after Sergio Camello tackled Gavi and quickly fed Alvaro Garcia who fired an unstoppable low shot past Barca goalkeeper.

Rayo doubled their lead in the 52nd minute thanks to a superb effort from Fran Garcia, who stole the ball from Frenkie de Jong in midfield and ripped through the Barca defence to finish with a fine touch past Ter Stegen.

Lewandowski scored the consolation goal for Barca in the 83rd minute.

Earlier Atletico put on an impressive show on their 120th anniversary with Antoine Griezmann assisting two of three goals scored by Rodrigo de Paul, Alvaro Morata and Yannick Carrasco.

Donned in special blue and white kits at home to mark the special occasion, Atletico faced an early setback as Matija Nastasic put Mallorca ahead after 20 minutes of play.

De Paul levelled right before the break after Predrag Rajkovic saved a shot from Griezmann, but the Frenchman crossed the rebound to his teammate.

The host then took the lead early in the second half when Morata fired a header home from Nahuel Molina’s cross.

Carrasco struck the third for his side after 77 minutes after Griezmann set him up with a fine lobbed pass.

Almeria moved up to 15th with a 2-1 win over 10-man Getafe, which left the hosts 17th, one point above the bottom three.

Celta Vigo earned a 1-0 win over rock-bottom Elche thanks to defender Joseph Aidoo’s diving header in the dying minutes of the game.

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GIRONA: Valentin Castellanos scored four goals to shock defending champions Real Madrid as they lost 2-4 against Girona on Tuesday in a major setback to their fading LaLiga title hopes.

Castellanos became the first player to hit more than three goals in a LaLiga game against Real Madrid since Esteban Echavarria’s five goals for Real Oviedo in December 1947.

With seven games left, Real title chances slipped further into dismay as they sit second on the table with 65 points, 11 behind leader Barcelona, who can stretch their lead on Wednesday when they play Rayo Vallecano.

Girona moved to ninth place with 41 points.

The hosts took Madrid by surprise with their all-out attack right from the start, scoring the opener just 12 minutes into the match when unmarked Castellanos headed in from close range on a cross from Miguel Gutierrez.

Girona doubled their lead 12 minutes later when the Argentinian grabbed on to a long ball, pushed his way into the box and blasted low underneath Madrid keeper Andriy Lunin.

Real’s Vinicius Junior reduced the home side’s advantage to 2-1 in the 34th minute, heading in Marco Asensio’s cross.

Castellanos, however, regained the two-goal cushion for his side right after the break,  netting home a right-footed half-volley after Real’s defence gave him room in the box.

The visitors repeated their mistake and left Castellanos alone inside the box when the 24-year-old headed in his fourth goal of the evening in the 62nd minute.

Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez hit a consolation goal from close range in the 85th minute.

Madrid has had a difficult time facing Girona this season since the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu ended 1-1 in October.

In another LaLiga fixture on Tuesday, Osasuna beat Cadiz 1-0 thanks to Ruben Garcia Santos’ winner in the 62nd minute.

Real Sociedad held Real Betis to a nil-nil draw at the latter’s home after 90 minutes of high-voltage action.

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Ferran Torres’ strike propelled Barcelona to recover from a recent slump to edge Atletico Madrid 1-0, moving them closer to winning their first La Liga title since 2019.

Earlier, having contested two straight goalless matches, Barca saw the defending champions Real Madrid cut into their lead with a victory over Celta Vigo. However, a first-half strike from Torres sealed the deal for the home side.

Torres’s brilliant low strike brought Barca back on the winning track and also restored their advantage to 11 points with eight games remaining.

Diego Simeone’s Atletico, being in red-hot form, failed to keep the home side silent as Torres stroked home from the edge of the box in the 44th minute to secure victory for Xavi Hernandez’s side.

Both sides then had multiple golden opportunities to score in the second half but Barcelona held on to their lead to script Atletico Madrid’s first defeat since the two teams clashed in January.

The hosts produced their 23rd clean sheet of the season in La Liga, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen making a brilliant stop to deny Antoine Griezmann an equaliser.

In another Sunday La Liga fixture, 13th-ranked Sevilla, fresh from thumping Manchester United in the Europa League, carried on their brilliant form to snatch a late winner and edged sixth-placed Villarreal 2-1 with Youssef En-Nesyri heading home in stoppage time.

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Espanyol halted a six-match losing streak with a goalless draw against Cadiz on Friday, but they remain in La Liga’s relegation zone.

The Catalans sit 18th, two points from safety, and have played one more game than the three teams above them. Cadiz currently sits 14th, four points above the relegation zone.

Espanyol almost seized the lead at the half-hour mark but Cesar Montes headed wide, while Nico Melamed also came close but faltered.

Sergi Guardiola wasted two fine first-half chances for Cadiz, who held their own as Espanyol fought valiantly to halt their losing streak.

Espanyol striker Joselu headed one against the post at the hour mark and then had a goal disallowed for offside.

Espanyol applied pressure but came up empty as Joselu once more struck the woodwork, and Jeremias Ledesma saved Martin Braithwaite.

Ledesema then once again denied the Spain international a chance to score with a brilliant safe in the stoppage time of the enthralling contest.

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SEVILLE: Manchester United crashed out of the Europa League in shambolic fashion on Thursday with Sevilla beating them 3-0, to reach the semi-finals 5-2 on aggregate.

The record six-time winners thoroughly outplayed Erik ten Hag’s side, who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot again, having scored two own goals in the first leg.

Harry Maguire, guilty of one of those calamitous moments, endured another as he gave the ball away on the edge of his own area and Youssef En-Nesyri pounced to break the deadlock early on.

Loic Bade headed home the second from a corner in the first minute of the second half, with Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side meriting their advantage, which they defended adroitly.

En-Nesyri rolled home his second goal into an empty net after United goalkeeper David de Gea put the ball on a plate for him, with home fans rejoicing on an electric night at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Sevilla will face Italian giants Juventus in the semi-finals after the Old Lady beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 on aggregate.

Ten Hag criticised his “unacceptable” team, saying they lacked spirit compared to their opponents.

“We have to be better, it’s not about playing skills, it’s about character, to be composed and have desire and passion — they had more willingness to win and it can’t be, I think that’s unacceptable,” the coach told reporters.

“Even though they are a great team and the ambience was also great, with a lot of positive energy in the stadium, we have to deal with it, we have to do better.”

Ten Hag started with Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw on the bench with the duo on their way back from injury.

With the stadium rocking, Sevilla threw themselves into the game with great intensity and were swiftly rewarded by Maguire.

With Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane injured, Ten Hag had no choice but to start with the Englishman at centre-back alongside Victor Lindelof.

Maguire rolled the ball back to goalkeeper De Gea and called to receive it again from the Spanish goalkeeper, seemingly nonplussed about the three Sevilla players buzzing around him.

As Maguire tried to pass the ball, former Tottenham winger Erik Lamela intercepted it and En-Nesyri took charge of the situation and stroked it past De Gea at his near post.

United tried to fight back but created few chances of note, shorn of suspended playmaker Bruno Fernandes.

Sevilla thought they had netted a second goal when Lucas Ocampos rammed home to ignite the Pizjuan again but VAR showed a tight offside against Marcos Acuna in the build-up.

The hosts looked every bit the Europa League experts their outstanding record illustrates, rather than their domestic version, battling relegation.

– ‘Football is simple’ –

Ten Hag threw on Shaw and Rashford at the break, but Sevilla started the second half just as they ended the first, on the front foot, and Bade immediately steered home a looping header from Rakitic’s corner.

Back on home soil, De Gea might have done more to keep out Bade’s effort, with some also criticising him for his role in Sevilla’s opener — worse was yet to come.

Anthony Martial, who made no impact on loan at Sevilla last season, made way for Wout Weghorst, as Ten Hag turned to Plan B.

However Sevilla killed the game with 10 minutes remaining when De Gea ran out of his box and mishit an attempted clearance, and Morocco international En-Nesyri took full advantage to stroke home.

“The truth is I’m very happy for the two goals, and because of the fans — I’ve never seen an atmosphere like this in my life,” En-Nesyri told Movistar after his brace.

Sevilla’s Europa League adventure is the highlight of their campaign, with the Andalucians 13th in Spain, eight points above the relegation zone.

Mendilibar is unbeaten in five games across all competitions since being appointed to replace Jorge Sampaoli, adopting a back-to-basics approach.

“Football is simple, I don’t want to make things complicated for the players,” said Mendilibar.

“Adopting the most simple way to play, the players see they can play like this.”

United must pick themselves up to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Brighton at Wembley on Sunday.

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MUNICH: Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals for the second straight season after Erling Haaland scored in a 1-1 draw which secured a 4-1 aggregate last-eight win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

The Norwegian missed a first-half penalty but muscled his way upfield midway through the second half, lashing past Bayern goalkeeper Yann Sommer for his 48th goal in 41 appearances this season.

Bayern scored a late penalty through Joshua Kimmich but were again haunted by their inability to make possession and chances count.

City will play in the semis for the third straight year but face a rematch with manager Pep Guardiola’s old foe Real, who scored two late goals to spectacularly turn the tie their way on the way to eventually winning the title last season.

“The semi-final again… the experience that we have in the competition, the players feel it a lot, they want to do really well,” Guardiola told BT Sport.

Bayern sacked previous coach Julian Nagelsmann in favour of Thomas Tuchel earlier this month despite a perfect record in the Champions League this season but have since been eliminated from Europe and the German Cup.

“If we can’t take positives from this match, we would have a problem,” Tuchel, whose side are only two points clear of Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race, told DAZN.

“At the moment, City are in the best shape, with the best players in the best league in the world.”

Guardiola, so often criticised in the Champions League for tinkering with his side, named the same XI that won the first leg 3-0 in Manchester.

Tuchel made two changes, opting for the creativity of City loanee Joao Cancelo at full-back and bringing back Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, the only recognised striker in the squad.

– Bayern’s fast start in vain –

Bayern, hoping to replicate previous miracle Champions League comebacks which started with an early goal, went on the attack from the outset.

Bayern’s other former City star, Leroy Sane, chipped just wide on 17 minutes when through one-on-one with goalkeeper Ederson.

The six-time European champions received a massive let-off just a minute later in one of City’s first attacks thanks to a narrow offside call against Haaland.

Dayot Upamecano, widely criticised for a nervous first-leg performance, initially saw red for bringing down the Norwegian with the goal in sight, but the card was immediately rescinded.

An animated Tuchel received a yellow for exchanging words with the assistant referee while theatrically applauding the decision.

Bayern’s lack of confidence and fluidity up front was obvious just minutes later, when Sane, clean through again, cut the ball back to an off-balance Leon Goretzka.

Upamecano was in the thick of it once more with 35 minutes gone, handballing in the box, bringing former Dortmund player Haaland to the spot in front of the home ultras.

The Norwegian, however, blasted over, only his third miss from 36 penalty attempts, and his first for City.

Haaland made up for his error in the 57th minute when he burst away from Upamecano, who slipped, blasted the ball past Sommer and into the goal to cap off a quick City counter-attack.

Bayern had the ball in the net on 73 minutes but French teenager Mathys Tel’s goal was ruled out for offside.

With seven minutes left, Kimmich converted a consolation from the spot after a Manuel Akanji handball.

The winner of the City-Real tie will face either AC Milan or Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10.

For Bayern, the recriminations will begin on and off the field after City’s dominant display, with a frustrated Tuchel sent to the stands for picking up a second yellow in the final minutes.

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NAPLES: AC Milan reached the semi-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday after Olivier Giroud struck the crucial goal in a 1-1 draw at Napoli which completed a 2-1 aggregate victory over their fellow Italians.

Giroud tapped in what turned out to be the decisive goal two minutes before the break after a blistering run from Rafael Leao, who was once again key as Milan beat Napoli for the third time this month.

The France striker’s 13th goal of the season saved his blushes after he missed a penalty midway through the first half.

Stefano Pioli’s side now have the prospect of a local derby in the last four as Inter Milan hold a two-goal lead ahead of their second leg with Benfica on Wednesday night.

“I’m very proud of this team, with that spirit we can dream of anything,” said Giroud to Mediaset.

“In the next round there will be another hard match whether it’s against Inter or Benfica, but if we keep this spirit we can go anywhere.”

After the match Mediaset showed Leao a video of Ruud Gullit setting up a goal with an almost identical run at Napoli in 1988.

“It’s the same,” said a shocked Leao.

“It’s what I try to do, go at players, it’s how I can make difference. If I can’t score I look for my teammates. I saw Giroud there.”

Milan have not contested a Champions League semi-final since they were crowned kings of Europe for the seventh and most recent time in 2007.

Victor Osimhen scored in stoppage time but it was not enough for Napoli who are creaking as they come towards the end of what has been a phenomenal season.

Luciano Spalletti’s once freewheeling team are  struggling for goals and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also had a penalty saved with 10 minutes remaining, a miss which condemned his team to defeat.

Napoli are on the verge of their first league title since 1990, but after being placed on the easier side of the draw Tuesday’s exit was an underwhelming end to their European adventure.

– Well-organised Milan –

Their hardcore fans had agreed a truce in an ideological battle with owner Aurelio De Laurentiis which had made the atmosphere at home matches poisonous, and on Tuesday a packed Stadio Maradona was initially in fine voice.

Their team went straight at Milan, dominating possession and pushing the opposition back towards the vibrating stands.

However, the best they could muster was two long-distance efforts from Matteo Politano which crept wide. On Milan’s first serious attack Mario Rui clattered into Leao and handed Giroud the chance to give the away side a huge advantage from the penalty spot.

However Giroud’s weak effort was easily stopped by Alex Meret, whose save unleashed a roar from the stands, a colossal racket repeated when he prevented Giroud netting a more than presentable chance shortly afterwards.

Napoli had scored at least three goals in all of their previous Champions League home games this season but looked short on ideas against a well-organised Milan defence which kept a tight lid on Osimhen.

And as the hosts pushed to level the scores on aggregate, Milan pounced at the end of the first half.

Leao scooped up the ball after Tanguy Ndombele’s sloppy control and charged from deep his own half, breezed past three Napoli players and rolled an unmissable chance across to Giroud, who fell to his knees in a mixture of joy and relief.

Napoli were again on the front foot after the break but struggled to create much, with Mathias Olivera’s header wide from a 64th-minute corner the best chance until Fikayo Tomori handled Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s low cross as he put in a challenge in the penalty area.

Kvaratskhelia fluffed his own spot-kick just like Giroud, meaning Osimhen’s bullet header in the 93rd minute meant nothing for Napoli who will wonder what might have been after wasting so many chances in the first leg.

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LONDON: Rodrygo scored twice as Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, completing an emphatic 4-0 aggregate win against Chelsea that ends a disastrous season for the London club.

The home team, with Frank Lampard back in the dugout for a second spell, came into the match at Stamford Bridge with form and history against them.

They started brightly but rued a number of huge missed chances that would have heaped pressure on the defending champions.

The Spanish giants made Chelsea pay for their profligacy when Rodrygo scored in the 58th minute after a speedy counter-attack and he made it 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.

“We suffered a lot and helped us stay at 0-0 at the end of the first half,” Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told BT Sport.

“Second half we were much better and scored the two goals. We are happy to have qualified.”

Chelsea, the 2021 European champions, have now lost all four of their matches since Lampard returned to the club as caretaker boss earlier this month in place of the sacked Graham Potter.

Lampard, who also managed the club from 2019 until early 2021, bemoaned his team’s profligacy.

“We played really well for 60 minutes,” he said. “We created chances but you have to take them.”

The former Chelsea midfielder said his men must find motivation from playing for the club as they contemplate a bleak final few weeks of the season.

“You’re playing for Chelsea,” he said. “So regardless, every game you play you have to give everything. I won’t let anyone off the hook and we have to show. That standard cannot drop.”

Ancelotti stuck with the same team that won the first leg 2-0 last week while Chelsea caretaker boss Lampard restored Reece James, Mateo Kovacic and N’Golo Kante to his line-up.

Roared on by an expectant crowd despite their current woes, the home side made a good start against the 14-time winners.

– Chances –

They had a glorious chance to take the lead but Kante skewed his left-foot shot wide from about 12 yards.

The visitors, content to bide their time, looked sharp on the break.

Midway through the opening period Rodrygo created space for himself and thumped an effort against the outside of the post from an acute angle while Luka Modric tested Kepa.

But Chelsea should have been ahead on the stroke of half-time when James fizzed a ball across the box from the right and it fell to Marc Cucurella at the back post.

The defender took a touch and shot but Thibaut Courtois came flying out of his goal to save.

Kante had another golden opportunity to take the lead early in the second half but his close-range effort hit Eder Militao and deflected away to safety.

Real took the wind out of Chelsea’s sails with just over half an hour to go, when Rodrygo scored from close range after an assist by Vinicius Junior.

Lampard made a number of attacking substitutions, bringing on Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk in a desperate bid to get back into the match.

But Rodrygo found the net again in the 80th minute, tapping home after a clever assist from Federico Valverde.

Real Madrid will likely play Manchester City in the semi-finals, with Pep Guardiola’s team 3-0 up against Bayern Munich after the first leg of their last-eight tie.

Former Chelsea boss Ancelotti is chasing a record-extending fifth win as a coach in the tournament.

But Chelsea, used to winning silverware over the past two decades, are contemplating the final stretch of a horrendous campaign despite a staggering spend of more than £500 million ($621 million) in the first year of the club’s new ownership.

Trophyless this season, they are languishing in 11th in the Premier League and look unlikely to qualify for European football next season.

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