English Premier League
Liverpool 2 – 5 Real Madrid

Liverpool have been left with a mountainous task to keep their Champions League ambitions alive after they were torn apart by ruthless Real Madrid at Anfield.
Holders Real – who beat Liverpool in last season’s final in Paris – became the first side to score five at Anfield in Europe despite going two goals down early on as Liverpool made a dream start to this last-16 tie.
Darwin Nunez’s brilliant flick put Liverpool ahead after only four minutes before Mohamed Salah cashed in on Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ poor clearance to double their advantage 10 minutes later.
Liverpool’s supporters, who had vented their fury at being wrongly blamed for the chaos at last season’s final by holding up a flag emblazoned with “Uefa Liars” and loudly jeering the Champions League anthem, were soon to have their thunderous celebrations silenced in emphatic fashion.
Vinicius Junior’s brilliant 21st-minute strike pulled a goal back before Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson followed Courtois’ lead by hacking a clearance straight at the Brazilian, holding his head in anguish as the ball looped behind him into the net in front of a disbelieving Kop.
It changed the whole emphasis of the contest, Real going ahead two minutes after the break when Eder Militao headed in Luka Modric’s free-kick.
Real then rammed home their superiority as Karim Benzema’s shot deflected in off Joe Gomez, the French striker then coolly adding a fifth after more brilliant work by the ageless Modric.
Liverpool have pulled off spectacular comebacks before, but it would be truly extraordinary if they turned this one around at the Bernabeu.
Liverpool made the start of their dreams as they rattled Real with their high-tempo play, getting the two goals they thought would provide the platform for a night of glory.
Instead, Anfield was reduced to near silence by the end as Jurgen Klopp’s side were reduced to chasing shadows in the face of Real’s imperious style and lethal threat in front of goal.
Liverpool did not help their cause with mistakes and dreadful defending, offering up invitations to a side of vast experience and world-class quality that is dangerous enough without being delivered gifts.
Alisson was guilty of an uncharacteristic error that saw Real draw level and you could visibly see the belief draining out of the side that has struck fear into opponents so many times at Anfield.
Militao’s routine header from a free-kick was also helped by poor marking while the unhappy Gomez was unfortunate to deflect in Benzema’s first.
The danger then was that Liverpool would concede even more as they barely raised a threat after the break.
Klopp will no doubt invoke the spirit of Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semi-final – when Liverpool overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit to advance with a stunning 4-0 win at Anfield – but this is not the same Liverpool, Real are not as flimsy as the Catalans and this time the second leg is in Spain.
If Liverpool somehow pull this one off, it would be one of the most spectacular feats in their history.
Real’s run to winning the Champions League last season was full of moments when they looked to be in genuine strife, first against Chelsea then especially against Manchester City in the semi-final.
And yet, under the calm guidance and wisdom the great coach Carlo Ancelotti, Real held their nerve on those occasions to win, eventually lifting the trophy against the opponents they blew away at Anfield on Tuesday.
Vinicius was the catalyst in Paris and turned the game here, firing a shot cross past Alisson before closing down the keeper for Real’s second.
After that, Real was truly outstanding as they controlled possession, kept Liverpool at arm’s length with ease and put away those three second-half goals that put them in complete command of this tie.
Inspired by the two great veterans Modric and Benzema, Real have an iron belief that they will prevail and so it proved again.
Many sides would have subsided after going two goals down so soon but Real simply kept playing, confident their chances would come, and they did.
Ancelotti is too experienced to allow any complacency but he will know this is a truly outstanding result for any side to achieve at Anfield, even the Champions League holders.
Source: BBC
English Premier League
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – 0 Burnley

Gary O’Neil hailed a “massive win” after Hwang Hee-chan scored a first-half winner to edge Wolves past relegation-threatened Burnley at Molineux.
The Clarets had come into the game on the back of Saturday’s morale-boosting 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United, but were unable to back up that impressive showing and were left to rue a costly defensive error.
On a chilly evening in the Midlands, the contest failed to spark into life until the 38th minute when stand-in goalkeeper Daniel Bentley made a fine double save to deny Jay Rodriguez then Josh Brownhill’s follow-up at full stretch.
Having been in a position to lead, the visitors then conceded at the other end shortly after as Sander Berge’s heavy touch was picked off by Matheus Cunha, who fed Hwang to slot a composed finish.
O’Neil said: “I think it was a massive win for us because I have watched a lot of Burnley. They are very well organised and every team I have watched struggled to progress up the pitch with the ball.
“They are a good side and [it’s] disrespectful to just say ‘job done’. They won the Championship by a long way, spent around £90m-odd and will be competitive at this level. No Premier League game is easy and it is a big win.”
The Clarets sought for the equaliser in the second half but were unable to trouble Bentley, with Vitinho’s effort from outside the area which sailed over the closest they came to claiming a point.
Wolves held on to secure their first win in three games and move up to 12th in the table, while Burnley remain in trouble in the bottom three.
Hwang continues fine form
O’Neil’s men had been beaten by league leaders Arsenal and Fulham in their last two games and ground out a much-needed result in freezing conditions.
Number one Jose Sa failed to recover from a back injury suffered against the Gunners and Bentley came in to keep Wolves’ first clean sheet since August.
The Englishman made a telling contribution in the opening period when Joao Gomes gave the ball away deep in his own half and Burnley fashioned their best opportunity of the game.
Rodriguez, who scored after 15 seconds on Saturday, could only his hit strike straight at Bentley but the goalkeeper’s second save was superb, springing low to his right to tip away Brownhill’s volley.
“The double save should never exist from our own throw-in,” added O’Neil. “That was crazy but a big save from Daniel. Really pleased with the goal and clean sheet, pleased to be on 18 points.”
Burnley’s possession-based style of football is admirable but individual errors have left them in the league position they find themselves in and it was another mistake that led to their downfall here.
Vincent Kompany’s side had been controlling much of the game and Zeki Amdouni’s low drive tested Bentley, but then Berge’s loose touch proved fatal as Hwang tucked away his ninth goal of the campaign, and sixth at Molineux.
Pablo Sarabia forced visiting goalkeeper James Trafford into tipping the ball over the crossbar from a deflected strike and the England U21 international also pushed away a free-kick from the Spaniard which was heading for the top corner.
Wolves could have made it a more handsome scoreline but Mario Lemina headed over at the far post and Cunha’s long-range drive was gathered by Trafford.
Burnley failed to apply pressure on the Wolves goal as the match wore on and have now lost eight of their nine away games this season – the worst record of any top-flight team.
Kompany said: “It is defined in moments. We had ours, didn’t take it and one of the few chances we conceded we conceded a goal. In the end I don’t think the game was decided by just one moment, we should have scored.
“I am never going to be here after a defeat and not feel the way I feel now. I can be objective and quite honest about what I am seeing – a team that is alive, in games and fighting.
“We have to believe that being in games for some time now is what will give us the results. When you have the chances you have to take them, at the moment I am not going to feel sorry for us but this is where we need to step it up.”
–BBC
English Premier League
Luton Town 3 – 4 Arsenal

Declan Rice’s last-gasp header snatched victory for Arsenal in a seven-goal thriller at Luton to move them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
It was the conclusion to a compelling encounter in which the hosts twice fought back and threatened to win when Elijah Adebayo and Ross Barkley scored in an eight-minute period after the break, with Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya culpable for both goals.
However, the Hatters were denied a valuable point when Rice met Martin Odegaard’s cross in the seventh minute of stoppage time, 23 seconds after the six official minutes added on had expired.
Arsenal had dominated a largely uneventful opening to a game which sparked into life when Gabriel Martinelli steered Bukayo Saka’s pass into the bottom-left corner.
Gabriel Osho’s header from Alfie Doughty’s corner brought the hosts level shortly after, but when Gabriel Jesus nodded in Ben White’s cross from close range the Gunners looked to have regained control.
But in a chaotic period after the interval, the league’s best defence suddenly appeared flustered with Adebayo leaping above Raya to head in another Doughty delivery from a corner.
And with Luton in the ascendency, Barkley collected an Andros Townsend pass and beat White before driving a low left-foot shot under Raya.
The momentum swung back towards Mikel Arteta’s side when Kai Havertz prodded in from the impressive Jesus’ pass to equalise, but Luton looked to have held the visitors at bay until Rice’s dramatic intervention.
The result leaves Luton 17th, two points above the relegation zone. Second-placed Liverpool, five points adrift of Arsenal, play their game in hand at Sheffield United on Wednesday (19:30 GMT), while Manchester City, a point further back, are at fourth-placed Aston Villa (20:15).
Jesus stars as Raya blunders rekindle goalkeeper debate
Arsenal have now won their past six matches in all competitions but there were clear positives and negatives to take from this latest success.
Jesus underlined his importance to Arteta’s side with a superb contribution that saw him have a hand in two goals and score another.
The Brazil forward’s quick thinking caught Doughty out for Arsenal’s first goal, while his physicality and perfectly weighted pass gave Havertz the simplest opportunity to level at 3-3.
While he has only scored two top-flight goals this season, his influence is key. He has not lost any of the 58 Premier League games in which he has scored for Arsenal or Manchester City, and the Gunners will need to keep him fit if they are to stay the course in the title race.
On the flipside Arteta’s team had conceded just three league goals on their travels before kick-off, but they leave Bedfordshire with that tally having doubled.
All three appeared preventable, with Martinelli standing and watching as Osho got Luton back on track for the first time in the evening.
The performance of Raya will also undoubtedly add further scrutiny to Arteta’s decision to prefer his fellow Spaniard as first-choice goalkeeper to England stopper Aaron Ramsdale.
Gallant Luton go close
For Luton, this was another occasion when they came so close to delivering a result their fans could only have dreamed of on their long climb back up the English football pyramid.
While Luton famously beat the Gunners in the 1988 League Cup final, Andros Townsend was the only player in their starting XI on Tuesday to have been born when the clubs last met in the English top flight 32 years ago.
Their draw against Liverpool in November showed exactly what they are capable of against the Premier League big boys, and on another night they would have secured at least a point for their endeavours.
Barkley excelled in midfield and both Teden Mengi and goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski impressed for Rob Edwards’ side, who also face Manchester City, Newcastle and Chelsea at home before the end of the year.
–BBC
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