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Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy claimed his team were defeated “not in Fergie time but in offside time” after Harry Maguire scored a last-gasp offside winner for Manchester United in their FA Cup fourth-round clash on Friday night.

Maguire headed in from Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick in the third minute of stoppage win to secure a 2-1 come-from-behind victory for the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

But replays showed the former Leicester centre-back was clearly in an offside position when the cross was clipped in. The goal was not ruled out because there was no VAR.
The FA announced in December that VAR will only be used from the fifth round onwards in the competition this season. A statement read: “VAR has only been used in the FA Cup previously for matches at Wembley Stadium and at Premier League grounds due to the infrastructure, workforce and costs that are required for its operation.

“This decision ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition.”

Leicester were left aggrieved however, with Van Nistelrooy claiming VAR shouldn’t have even been needed to overturn the decision, which denied the Foxes the chance to play extra time and even potentially penalties.

ITV’s Gabriel Clarke posed the question to the Dutch coach post-match: “Ruud, defeated in Fergie time, that famous phrase, was that tough on your team tonight?”

And an angry Van Nistelrooy replied: “We are not defeated in Fergie time, we are defeated in offside time. VAR wasn’t necessary. VAR you have for a couple of centimetres or a couple of inches.
“This was half a metre, clear in a line. That’s a hard one to take because the team deserved the draw in the end, the extra time. We stay in the game and you never know what happens.

“Of course we knew second half there was going to be some pressure on us and some chances but not even that much. So we deserved to go into extra time and go for the battle and maybe penalties. But yeah, decisions like these, in our level, are hard to swallow.”

Manchester City have launched a fresh legal challenge against the Premier League over new rules governing sponsorship deals which the club claims are “void”.
Last year an independent arbitration panel found aspects of the league’s Associated Party Transaction regulations (APTs) to be unlawful after a lawsuit instigated by the champions.
The rules were formed by the Premier League to prevent clubs from profiting from commercial deals with companies linked to their owners that are deemed above “fair market value”.
In November a majority of top-flight clubs voted to approve amendments to the APTs, despite opposition from City.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters wrote, “On January 20, 2025, Manchester City FC began a further arbitration to challenge the APT rules… the new challenge relates to the amendments to the APT rules that clubs approved at the 22 November 2024 shareholders’ meeting.
“Manchester City FC seeks a declaration that the amendments approved by clubs in November (and therefore the current APT rules in force) are unlawful and void.
“The Premier League remains strongly of the view that the amendments passed in November were lawful and the APT rules comply with all competition law requirements.

Last year a tribunal ruled low-interest shareholder loans should not be excluded from the scope of the APTs, and changes made to toughen up the regulations also breached competition law.

Following the ruling, City criticised the Premier League’s “misleading” suggestion the regulations could be swiftly amended – and threatened further legal action if there was a “knee-jerk reaction”.
City insisted the league’s proposed changes “would introduce into the rules a retrospective exemption for shareholder loans… one of the very things that was found to be illegal in the recent arbitration”. It said there should be no vote on changes before a further determination by the panel.
However, the Premier League voted through the amendments despite opposition from Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, as well as city.

The Premier League and City attended a two-day hearing last week to make submissions in relation to the impact of the original ruling. The panel is still deliberating.
This is the latest development in a long-running legal battle that has already cost both sides millions of pounds in legal fees.
City are also awaiting the outcome of a landmark disciplinary hearing after being charged by the Premier League with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial rules. The club denies wrongdoing.

The news about City’s latest legal challenge also comes less than a week before top-flight clubs gather for their first shareholder meeting of 2025 in London.
Both Manchester City and the Premier League declined to comment.

Chelsea and Manchester City have been drawn against each other in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League, while Arsenal will take on Real Madrid.

City had been initially paired with Barcelona in Friday’s draw in Nyon, but with no team able to face a side they had played in the group stage, they were instead handed an all-English tie against the Women’s Super League leaders.
Chelsea beat Manchester City 2-0 in their WSL match in November.

The semi-final breakdown was also confirmed, with the winner of Chelsea and Manchester City to take on either Wolfsburg or holders Barcelona. Should Arsenal progress, they will play Bayern Munich or Lyon.

Arsenal won the Women’s Champions League in 2007, while Chelsea were runners-up in 2021 and City have twice reached the semi-finals, but not since 2018.

Chelsea and Arsenal had qualified top of their respective groups, so were seeded, while City finished second behind Barcelona.
Real Madrid were runners-up in Group B, six points behind Chelsea, who won all of their matches.

Arsenal topped Group C, two points ahead of Bayern, having recovered from a 5-2 defeat in Germany in their opening game.
City finished level on points with Barcelona in Group D, but dropped into second place after a 3-0 away defeat in their final fixture.
The first leg of the quarter-finals will be played on March 18 or 19, with the second legs set for March 26 and 27, when Chelsea and Arsenal will both be at home.

The semi-finals will also be played over home-and-away legs, first on April 19 and 20, then concluding the following week.
The 2025 Women’s Champions League final will be held in Lisbon, Portugal on May 24.

Vinícius Júnior’s second goal for Real Madrid against Salzburg has been voted as the fans’ 2024/25 UEFA Champions League Goal of the League Phase, presented by Heineken.

The Brazilian winger provided a sublime finishing touch at the end of a sweeping counterattack, evading his marker with a sharp chop before finding the bottom right corner with a precise left-footed finish.

Erling Haaland finished second in the vote thanks to his acrobatic back-heeled finish against Sparta Praha on Matchday 3, with Zeno Debast completing the top three for his stunning long-range strike in Sporting CP’s Matchday 1 victory over Lille.

Fans’ 2024/25 UEFA Champions League Goal of the League Phase

1. Vinícius Júnior, REAL MADRID 5-1 Salzburg (Matchday 7)
2. Erling Haaland, MAN CITY 5-0 Sparta Praha (Matchday 3)
3. Zeno Debast, SPORTING CP 2-0 Lille (Matchday 1)
4. Hakan Çalhanoğlu, INTER 4-0 Crvena Zvezda (Matchday 2)
5. Johan Bakayoko, PSV 3-2 Liverpool (Matchday 8)
6. Guélor Kanga, Young Boys 0-1 CRVENA ZVEZDA (Matchday 8)
7. Anis Hadj Moussa, FEYENOORD 1-3 Salzburg (Matchday 4)
8. Lazar Samardžić, Young Boys 1-6 ATALANTA (Matchday 5)
9. Kevin Wimmer, Celtic 5-1 S. BRATISLAVA (Matchday 1)
10. Christoph Baumgartner, LEIPZIG 2-3 Aston Villa (Matchday 6)

Kerem Aktürkoğlu took the honours in 2023/24, while the previous two seasons saw Lionel Messi win the UEFA Champions League Goal of the Group Stage votes.

Arne Slot’s side trailed 1-0 from the first leg of the semi-final but dominated Thursday’s second leg from first whistle to last, with Cody Gakpo’s first-half goal being added to after the break by a Mohamed Salah penalty and further strikes from Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds will therefore now look to retain the trophy they won last season when they meet Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday March 16.

Slot made four changes from last weekend’s win at AFC Bournemouth, with Caoimhin Kelleher starting in goal.
Conor Bradley came in for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez replaced Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.

First half
An atmosphere befitting the occasion set the backdrop but the early breakthrough the home crowd craved was not forthcoming.
But Liverpool’s grip on the game tightened as the half wore on and a flurry of opportunities arrived around the half-hour mark.
Nunez first saw a shot blocked by Archie Gray before the No.9 rose well but could only direct his header from Gakpo’s cross straight at Antonin Kinsky.
Szoboszlai then swept Salah’s pass beyond Kinsky but was flagged offside and Salah volleyed a deep Andy Robertson delivery over the crossbar.

But, 34 minutes in, Tottenham could hold out no more as Gakpo’s fifth Carabao Cup goal of the season, and 16th overall, cancelled out their first-leg advantage.
Salah was the provider, his outside-of-the-boot cross finding its way to Gakpo, who drilled home a controlled half-volley.
The pressure on Spurs’ goal was incessant until the break but the visitors made it to half-time level in the tie.

Second half
Liverpool simply picked up where they left off after the restart and Kinsky somehow denied Gakpo from point-blank range after Szoboszlai had glanced Robertson’s corner on.
Kinsky erred soon after, however, as the goalkeeper brought Nunez down after being beaten to Salah’s teasing pass by the Uruguayan. A penalty was awarded and Salah buried his kick into the top corner.
The Reds kept on coming and Nunez fired Bradley’s cut-back into the side-netting before a fierce left-footed drive by Gakpo kissed the outside of the post.

Ryan Gravenberch then struck the foot of the post from 20 yards but, moments later, the outcome was put beyond any doubt as Szoboszlai coolly rounded off a lovely move.
Substitute Mac Allister fed Bradley, whose underlapping surge was not tracked, and the right-back slipped in Szoboszlai, who slotted past Kinsky with ease.
And Liverpool were not done there as Van Dijk towered above Tottenham’s defence to head in number four and rubber-stamp his team’s place in the final.

Barcelona have become the fourth and final team to reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and they got there in fine style with a crushing victory over Valencia in their quarter-final tie.

Hansi Flick opted to bring in Eric Garcia, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres to the side that defeated Alaves last weekend, and it was the latter that broke the deadlock against his former club inside the opening three minutes. Alejandro Balde’s wonderfully-weighted through ball made its way to Ferran, who made no mistake from close range.
14 minutes later, Ferran got his and Barcelona’s second, as the Catalans looked to flex their muscles early on at the Mestalla. Raphinha was slipped in by Pedri before laying off to Lamine Yamal, whose shot was saved by Valencia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. The rebound fell to Ferran, who made no mistake – the ball was originally ruled out for offside, but after a VAR check, it was given.

Fermin Lopez would get in on the act soon after to make it 3-0. Pedri played a wonderfully through ball to his fellow midfielder, and he found an empty net after taking the ball around the onrushing Dimitrievski. And soon after that strike, Ferran fired home his third of the evening on the half hour to complete a sensational hat-trick.

On the hour mark, it went 5-0 as Lamine Yamal got himself in on the act. Raphinha laid the ball off to the 17-year-old on the right side of the box, and his tame shot somehow trickled past Dimitrievski, whose miserable evening was compound at that moment.

Valencia managed to survive the remaining 30 minutes with conceding, but that is still 12-1 to Barcelona in an aggregate scoreline in the two teams’ meetings over the last 11 days. Barcelona can now look forward to the Copa del Rey semi-finals, where they will be matched against one of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid or Real Sociedad.

Arsenal were well beaten in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night as they lost 2-0 to Newcastle United at St James’ Park and 4-0 on aggregate.
The Gunners turned in possibly one of their worst performances of the season, in a cauldron of noise at St James’ Park. Goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon secured the Magpies’ safe passage to the final at Wembley Stadium in March.

For Arsenal it means their focus now remains on the Premier League and the Champions League, with work to do in both competitions. They are chasing Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, while the Gunners made it through to the last 16 of the Champions League without needing a play-off.

Mikel Arteta’s side could be given something of a helping hand in the race to win the Premier League with what happens in the second Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday night.

League leaders Liverpool are in action, hosting Arsenal’s fierce north London rivals Tottenham in their second leg match-up. Spurs lead 1-0 from the first leg, so have a narrow advantage.

As if Arsenal needed another reason not to want Tottenham to win, however, they have one in the form of a potential Premier League title boost. Should Liverpool overturn the first leg deficit and beat Spurs to reach the Carabao Cup final, the Reds will have an extra game on their agenda.

The Carabao Cup final is not part of the schedule in its own right, with Premier League fixtures set for that weekend. The teams taking part will have their matches rearranged. So if Liverpool do make it to the final, not only will they have an extra game to play more than Arsenal, it will mean a league fixture rescheduled for midweek.

Those are never easy to negotiate, particularly as the games come thick and fast at the end of the season and it could prove beneficial for Arsenal, with fewer matches on their agenda.

One of the greatest left-backs in football history, Marcelo has officially announced his retirement, bringing an end to a glittering career that saw him redefine the position.
The Brazilian icon, who spent 15 years at Real Madrid (2007-2022), leaves behind an unforgettable legacy at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Marcelo donned the famous white jersey 546 times, scoring 38 goals and providing 103 assists.
More than just numbers, his flair, technical brilliance, and attacking prowess made him a key figure in Real Madrid’s golden era.

With the club, he won an astonishing 25 trophies, including five Champions League titles, six La Liga titles, and numerous domestic and international honors.
Brought in as a promising teenager from Fluminense in 2007, Marcelo quickly established himself as a successor to Roberto Carlos.

Over the years, he became more than just a left-back—he was an artist on the ball, an offensive weapon, and a leader both on and off the pitch.
In 2021-22, he captained Real Madrid to their 14th Champions League title, his last triumph before leaving the club.

After a brief stint at his childhood club Fluminense, Marcelo has now decided to hang up his boots at the age of 36 – marking an end to a wonderful career.

Although his playing days are now over, Marcelo will forever be remembered as one of the best players to play for Real Madrid in the 21st century, which is quite the feat.

The Premier League may implement sanctions on players whose celebrations are considered to damage the reputation of the game.
Excessive celebrations have been a hot topic of late with Myles Lewis-Skelly imitating Erling Haaland’s signature celebration during Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Manchester City last weekend.

The 18-year-old did not receive any punishment but the same cannot be said of Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye against Brighton, who received a yellow card after he netted the winner and flapped his arms like a seagull.
The Premier League’s chief football officer, Tony Scholes, said: “There’s a balance. I think we all like to see celebrations. Some of the celebrations have been very funny, entertaining, but there’s a line.
“Once it crosses over into mockery or criticism then we would need to deal with it.”

If the Premier League were to introduce celebration regulations they would be following in the footsteps of the NBA and NFL.

NFL referees have clamped down on prolonged celebrations, violent or offensive acts such as mimicking gunfire, sexually suggestive moves and taunting opponents.

This can result in an on-field punishment or a hefty fine.
Similar to the NBA where players can receive what is called a technical foul which comes after unsportsmanlike conduct.
Receiving two in a game will result in the player being ejected from the match permanently.

Phil Foden and Joshua Zirkzee who have their own signature gun celebrations will be the most likely to receive punishment for celebrations if the PGMOL were to clamp down on certain celebrations.
Jamie Vardy has also been known to ridicule rival fans as he did against Tottenham last month after pointing to the Premier League badge in mockery of Spurs’ lack of trophies.

He also imitated an Eagle after he scored against Crystal Palace in 2019 and did not receive a card.

Usually celebrations do not lead to players clashing on the pitch but that was not the case for Neal Maupay last season.
The Frenchman mocked James Maddison’s darts throw celebration which led to a passive aggressive exchange with the two holding each other and slapping their chests.
Later the English international star posted a picture of Maupay on his Instagram doing the celebration, alongside the caption: “A short story… COYS”.
Maupay commented under Maddison’s post: “Ahaha rent free,” with kissing emojis.

Newcastle have reached the Carabao Cup final for the second time in three seasons after beating Arsenal 4-0 on aggregate in their semi-final clash.
Eddie Howe’s side booked their place at Wembley next month after beating 2-0 in either leg – with their win on Wednesday night wrapping up the tie

They went into the clash with a two-goal advantage from the first game but made no mistake in seeing the tie off with a dominant performance at St James’ Park.

The Magpies thought as though they’d taken the lead inside four minutes when Alexander Isak raced in on goal and finished with ease.
However, VAR quickly overturned the decision and Simon Hooper was left with the unfamiliar task of announcing it to a frustrated Newcastle crowd.
Despite the set-back, Howe’s side did eventually take the lead on the night through Jacob Murphy after he tucked home following a rebounded Isak shot.

Howe’s side doubled their advantage in the second-half after their press resulted in an opportunity for Anthony Gordon, who made no mistake with the finish.

Arsenal battled hard but, ultimately, it wasn’t enough to prevent a two-goal defeat on the night and a 4-0 loss on aggregate to Howe’s high-flying Magpies.
As a result, Newcastle will head to Wembley on March 16th, where they will face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the final.

Their clash will take place on Thursday night, with the north London side holding a 1-0 lead as they head to Anfield.

Tottenham Hotspur beat their north London rivals to the signing Mason Melia for a League of Ireland record transfer fee.

Melia has left St Patrick’s Athletic for a reported initial fee of £1.6m and signed a deal that will see him move in January 2026 on a five-year contract.

The unusual timing of the move is due to Brexit-related regulations.

Melia was previously on trial at Manchester City and reportedly had interest from Arsenal.

Chelsea, Everton, Celtic and Bayer Leverkusen were also linked.

Spurs also bolstered their youth ranks with Luca Furnell-Gill from Liverpool, Daniel Batty from Manchester City, and Reiss Russell-Denney from Chelsea, all joining this window.

Prior to this move the record stood at £500,000 when Celtic bought Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers in 2021.

The 17-year-old made his senior debut for St Patrick’s Athletic in May 2023 and later became the youngest scorer in league history aged 15.

The centre forward has appeared 54 times for the Irish club with 10 goals and three assists to his name.

He was a regular in the squad last season as St Pats progressed to the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds. “Mason is a terrific talent with an exceptional attitude and a real appetite for hard work,” Kenny told the club’s website,” said St Pat’s manager Stephen Kenny.

“He has had a dramatic impact for one so young, his performances in our Conference League games playing as a central striker against high calibre opposition were of real quality.

Melia has been a regular in the youth age groups for the Republic of Ireland, representing them at the 2023 European Under-17 Championship finals. He earned his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad in October, 2024.

Melia embodies what it means to be a modern day striker. Being able to drop deep and link up with teammates or drive with confidence at the opposition.

Speaking about Melia, St Pat’s sporting director Ger O’Brien said: “When we recruited Mason in 2022 we knew we had signed an incredible talent. We had watched his development with St Joseph’s Boys and Bray Wanderers for a number of years.

“He has been fantastic during his three years at the club, and we’re delighted for Mason that he’ll be making the move to the Premier League early next year. “Mason has really developed, technically, physically and mentally and I’d like to thank all of the coaches who have worked with him in our Academy and also with the First Team over the last three years.

In regards to the senior team, 19-year-old striker Mathys Tel joined on loan from Bayern Munich to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s injury ridden side alongside goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 40th birthday on Wednesday with no signs of slowing down his majestic career.

The Portugal captain increased his record to 923 goals after scoring twice in Al Nassr’s 4-0 triumph over Al Wasl in Monday’s Asian Champions League. It was his 700th club career win.
Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time. In his mind, he believes he has little competition for that title.
“I honestly haven’t seen anyone better than me,” the AL Nassr forward told El Chiringuito TV. “I believe I am the most complete player that has ever existed. I do everything in football.”

He is a unique player if you consider his achievements and longevity.
Ronaldo, who started his professional career at Sporting CP in 2002 before moving to Manchester United one year later, has won 33 senior titles.
He has lifted five Champions League crowns, including four during his nine-year spell at Real Madrid.
“I’m so competitive that many times I forget what I’ve achieved as it gives me motivation to do more and be better every year,” Ronaldo said. “I think that is the difference with others. Somebody else in my position would have left football 10 years ago. I continue with that passion. I’m different.”

Ronaldo, who has won five Ballon d’Ors and two FIFA the Best awards, said he isn’t ready to stop

“I could honestly end my career now and I wouldn’t have any regrets,” he said. “It would be a pity, however, because I’m still very well, I still make a difference. I can continue making a difference for one or two years more.”
It remains to be seen if Ronaldo will reach the 1000 career goal mark.
“It would be great, but if it doesn’t come, I’m already the player in history with the most goals,” Ronaldo said. “To score goals is the best sensation in the world and the most difficult thing in football.”
Among his many achievements, Ronaldo captained Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, and to the inaugural UEFA Nations League three years later.

He is the men’s all-time leading scorer in international football with 135 goals and holds the world record for most appearances at 217.
Ronaldo is the only player to have featured in six European Championships. He is the record goal scorer in the history of the competition with 14 goals.
His impact on the sport transcends the boundaries of football.