Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool went top of the Premier League thanks to a resounding 4-0 victory over an abject Manchester United at Anfield on Tuesday. 

Luis Diaz and Salah were on target inside 22 minutes to put Jurgen Klopp s side on course to leapfrog defending champions Manchester City, who will hope to return to the summit when they face Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday. 

United failed to produce a single shot in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time in four years. On that occasion they came from 2-0 down to beat City 3-2, but there were scant signs of such a stirring fightback this time. 

Sadio Mane made sure of that by adding a fine finish to his exemplary assist for Salah, who sealed Liverpool s first Premier Le…

Paris Saint-Germain s Achraf Hakimi hailed team-mate Kylian Mbappe as one of the best in the world and hopes the forward will stay at the club.

However, the Morocco international said he will support Mbappe in whatever decision he makes at the end of the season, with the striker s contract set to expire in June.

Across all competitions, Mbappe has recorded 31 goals and 18 assists – both club-highs – in 39 appearances this season as PSG close on the Ligue 1 title.

The club suffered a disappointing Champions League exit to Real Madrid last month, however, furthering speculation that Mbappe could swap Paris for Los Blancos when his deal expires.

Hakimi is desperate to see Mbappe extend his five-year stay in the French capital.

Mbappe is one of t…

Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he is likely to call time on his coaching career at club level once he leaves Real Madrid, but is open to staying in charge of Los Blancos for another 10 years.

The 62-year-old last week became the first ever coach to win each of Europe s top five leagues when guiding Madrid to LaLiga glory.

Ancelotti s legendary managerial career has spanned 26 years and across 11 jobs, including two stints with Spanish giants Madrid.

But the Italian is now thinking about the future and hopes to spend more time travelling and with his family.

After Real, yes, I ll probably stop, he told Amazon Prime. But if the club keeps me here for 10 years, I ll train for 10 years.

I d like to be with my grandchildren, go on vacation with my wi…

Gareth Bale says his future in football is not dependent on the result of Wales  World Cup play-off final against Ukraine on Sunday.

Bale, who was the world s most expensive player when he joined Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013, has confirmed he will leave the European champions when his contract expires at the end of this month.

The 32-year-old has been linked with a return to Spurs, where he spent the 2020-21 campaign on loan, as well as hometown club Cardiff City, while it has also been suggested he could retire if Wales fail to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Bale, though, insisted the result of Sunday s clash at the Cardiff City Stadium will have no bearing on his decision over what to do next season.

Asked if his future hinges on the vital clash, Bale …

Emma Hayes insists Chelsea have not overanalysed “world-class” Barcelona ahead of their Champions League clash on Saturday.

Chelsea have travelled to Catalonia for the first leg of their semi-final 12 months on from the two clubs meeting at the same stage of the competition.

Barcelona prevailed 2-1 on aggregate on that occasion before overcoming Wolfsburg in Eindhoven to lift the trophy for the second time in three years.

Chelsea boss Hayes, speaking ahead ahead of this weekend’s first leg at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, said: “Barcelona have been the top team in Europe in recent years.

“Results have suggested that, they are world champions and European champions, but this is a football match and there’s two legs.

“Our job is to ge…

Florian Wirtz is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a capsular injury to his right ankle while on international duty with Germany.

The midfielder suffered the injury during Germany s 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the Nations League on Monday, being replaced at half-time by Bayer Leverkusen team-mate Robert Andrich.

Leverkusen confirmed the 21-year-old underwent an MRI scan on Tuesday and is receiving treatment. However, the club also confirmed it is unclear when Wirtz will return to training.

He is a doubt for their return to Bundesliga action against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with a Champions League meeting with Brest following that next week.

Wirtz, who was named the Bundesliga Player of the Season last campaign, has been an …

Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United, according to . The report has claimed that PSG were looking at a deal for Rashford in the summer of 2024 when they were on the hunt for a replacement for Kylian Mbappe after he moved to Real Madrid and are now eyeing a move for the England international forward.

Rashford has not been at his best for a while now. With United themselves not having the best of times, the 26-year-old forward’s form has dipped. Rashford has struggled to maintain consistency in his game and is not scoring enough goals or providing enough assists.

The England international has scored one goal in six starts and one substitute appearance in the Premier League for United so far this season. Rashford has also s…

Competition: Euro 2016
Market: Switzerland to qualify
Odds:

Switzerland haven’t had the best international week, suffering defeats to the Republic of Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina in friendlies, but are still looking forward to this summer’s European Championships after a promising qualifying campaign.

The prestigious international tournament doesn’t kick off until June, and the Swiss outfit still have a handful of friendlies to come to build up some momentum ahead of the Championship. A lack of goals in their last two games is somewhat of a worry, so they’re likely to use their remaining friendlies as an indicator of their performance levels.

Switzerland were drawn in Group A along with France, Romania and Albania, and stand a good chance …

Cristiano Ronaldo s Portugal hiatus has come to an end after he was included in a 25-man squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against Ukraine and Serbia.

Ronaldo, 34, has not played for his country since their disappointing World Cup campaign which saw them eliminated by Uruguay in the last 16.

The Juventus forward was allowed to miss the international get-together in September, and that extended to matches in October and November, as he settled into life at his new club.

Portugal did not suffer without him, however, going undefeated as they recorded three wins in six matches, qualifying for the Nations League Finals in the process.

But, with Euro 2020 qualifying set to start, Ronaldo is back involved with the national team.

Coach Fernando Santos has al…

Best odds: 173/100

Bookmaker:

The Championship s opening weekend features a Midlands showdown as Stoke City host Coventry City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Stoke aim to break free from their run of midtable finishes, while Coventry will have their sights set on a long-awaited promotion to the Premier League after several near misses in recent years.

Stoke City

Since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Stoke City have experienced six consecutive seasons of bottom-half finishes in the Championship, leaving fans at the bet365 Stadium with little to cheer about. Facing a potential relegation battle early last season under Alex Neil, the club made a decisive managerial change in December by appointing Steven Schumacher, who had …