English Trio Leave Top Table

After a month's worth of action, the Champions League last 16 came to a close with the exit of all three English sides with two exiting cruelly via the away goals rule while Spain will boast three representatives in the final eight.

 The first of the English trio to tumble was Chelsea who despite drawing 2-2 on the night after extra time exited on away goals to Paris St Germain via a 3-3 aggregate. PSG suffered a blow to their cause on 30 minutes with the dismissal of Zlatan Ibrahimovic before a late show saw Gary Cahill look to hand the tie to Chelsea with a 81st minute strike. However, extra time beckoned when former Chelsea defender David Luiz levelled four minutes from the end before Eden Hazard reinstated the Blues lead with a 96th minute penalty which proved to be in vain when Thiago Silva's 114th minute leveller secured a safe passage for the French side.

Bayern Munich cruised into the last eight with a stunning 7-0 win at home to Shakthar Donetsk who after drawing 0-0 in the first leg collapsed resulting in a 7-0 aggregate. A horror of a game for Shakthar began with the dismissal of Kucher inside three minutes with Thomas Muller slotting in the resulting penalty.  Boateng added a second on 34 minutes before two goals in as many minutes from Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller opened up a 4-0 lead which increased with strikes from Badstuber and Robert Lewandowski before being rounded off on 87 minutes by Mario Gotze.

FC Porto eased into the last eight with a 4-0 win at home to Basel who exited the competition via a 5-1 aggregate. Brahimi put the hosts in front overall on 14 minutes before strikes from Herrera and Casemiro and later Aboubakar sealed the victory but Basel's miserable night was completed by the late dismissal of Samuel.

Defending champions Real Madrid scraped through 5-4 on aggregate after a shock 4-3 defeat to Schalke who came just one goal away from dumping out the holders.

Fuchs opened the scoring for the visitors on 20 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled five minutes later to make it 3-1 on aggregate, Klass-Jan Huntelaar and Ronaldo both struck before half-time leaving Schalke with a two goal deficit to overcome which became three when Karim Benzema struck on 52 minutes. Sane made it 3-3 on the night on 57 minutes before Huntelaar's second goal put the Germans in front at 4-3 and just 5-4 behind on aggregate but Real held off a late charge to advance by the narrowest of margins. 

 Alike their city rivals, Atletico Madrid also scraped through as they overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit against Bayer Leverkusen to draw 1-1 on aggregate and advance 3-2 on penalties.

The turnaround in the tie came with a first half strike from Mario Suarez in the 27th minute with Griezmann, Suarez and Torres all converting in the shootout with Castro and Rofles scoring for the Germans.

Despite sealing a 2-0 win away at Monaco, Arsenal bowed out of the competition via the away goals rule after a 3-3 aggregate score. Olivier Giroud put the Gunners in front on 36 minutes before Aaron Ramsey added a second on 79 minutes but the crucial third goal they needed to advance failed to arrive as they became the second English casualty of the round.

Manchester City completed the trio of English casualties after they suffered a 1-0 defeat away at Barcelona who advanced 3-1 on aggregate.

Ivan Rakitic scored the winning goal on the night as Manchester City failed to overturn the 2-0 first leg deficit.

Juventus cruised into the last eight with a 3-0 win away at Borussia Dortmund who exited after a 5-1 aggregate loss. Carlos Tevez struck a brace in the third and 79 minutes sandwiching a Morata strike in the 70th minute to continue the Italians good form in the competition.

English Euro Hopes Dashed

After the English representation in the Champions League ended on Wednesday, Thursday night saw the remaining hopes of an English quarter finalist in Europe come to an end in the Europa League last 16 second legs as Everton bowed out.

The Toffees travelled to face Ukranian side Dynamo Kiev with a 2-1 lead but suffered a huge turnaround as they fell to a 5-2 defeat which saw them exit the competition via a 6-4 aggregate. The hosts levelled the tie with Yarmolenko's opener on 21 minutes before Phil Jagielka restored Everton's aggregate lead just eight minutes later. However, Kiev turned the tie around with two rapid strikes from Teodorczyk and Veloso before half-time before Gusev and Antunes rounded off the win with efforts on 56 and 76 minutes.

The all-Italian tie between Roma and Fiorentina saw the Firenze come out on top with a 3-0 win on the night and 4-1 triumph on aggregate. Rodriguez slotted in the opening goal with a ninth minute penalty before Alonso added a second on 18 minutes which put the visitors ahead overall, Basanta sealed the tie on 21 minutes with the Firenze's third goal on the night. A miserable night for Roma got worse late on with the dismissal of Ljajic on 88 minutes as they exited the competition.

Zenit St Petersburg advanced to the last eight despite suffering a 1-0 defeat away to Torino as they benefited from their 2-0 first leg win to advance 2-1 on aggregate. The tie looked set to be solely settled by the first leg result until Glik gave Torino hope in the 90th minute but the strike served only as a win on the night.

Liverpool's conquerors Besiktas exited the competition after suffering a 3-1 home loss to Club Brugge who advanced 5-2 on aggregate as a result. After trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Besiktas levelled the tie through Motta's 48th minute opener before being pegged back on the night by De Sutter's 61st minute equaliser. Brugge wrapped up the tie with a late brace from Mbombo in the 80th and 90th minutes with the latter soon followed with the dismissal of Sahan for the hosts.

Despite drawing 0-0 on the night, Dinamo Moscow exited the competition at the hands of Napoli whose 3-1 first leg advantage proved to be enough to secure a place in the last eight. Sevilla continued their pursuit of securing back-to-back titles with a 2-1 win over fellow La Liga side Villarreal who bowed out 5-2 on aggregate.

The holders went ahead on the night with Iborra's 69th minute strike only to be pegged back four minutes later by Dos Santos' leveller but Villarreal's hopes suffered a blow with the dismissal of Bailly in the 77th minute leaving them with ten men to overturn a 4-2 overall deficit which soon proved futile as Suarez sealed the tie with an 83rd minute strike.

Dnipro survived a late fightback from Ajax to secure a place in the last eight for the first time in their history after advancing on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate which saw their narrow first leg advantage cancelled out on the hour by Badzoer's strike. Extra time saw Konoplyanka give the visitors a 2-1 lead overall before Van Der Hoom levelled with three minutes left of the 120 before being dismissed in added time as the Eredivisie side exited the competition.

Wolfsburg continued their fine form in the competition by dumping out three time winners Inter Milan with a 2-1 win which saw then advance 5-2 on aggregate. After a 3-1 first leg win, Caligiuri extended their aggregate lead with a 24th minute opener before Palacio cut the gap to two goals with a 71st minute leveller. Nicklas Bendtner sealed the win for the Germans with an 89th minute strike to end the Italians hopes of a fourth title.

Europa League Last 16

After a few surprises in the previous round, the draw for the last 16 of the Europa League created some interesting meetings which after the first leg has seen the trend of surprise results in the knockout stages continued.

Zenit St Petersburg look good to progress to the last eight after a 2-0 win at home to Torino with the Italians suffering an early blow with the dismissal of Benassi on 27 minutes. The hosts utilised their numerical advantage just 11 minutes later as Witsel put them in front with the win sealed early in the second half with Criscito's 53rd minute strike.

Club Brugge also secured a home win but a narrow 2-1 victory over Besiktas with the visitors taking the lead in the 46th minute through Tore before the hosts drew level through De Sutter on 62 minutes and secured the win with a Refaelov penalty 11 minutes from the end.

Dnipro will take a narrow advantage into the return leg after a slim 1-0 win at home to Ajax with the crucial strike coming in the 30th minute from Zozulya while Wolfsburg completed a shock 3-1 win at home to Inter Milan.

The Italians opened the scoring inside five minutes through Palacio but were soon pegged back by Rodrigues' effort on 28 minutes. The Germans then took control of the tie with a brace from De Bruyne who struck in the 63rd and 75th minutes to secure the win.

Everton remain the sole Premier League representative in the competition and gave themselves good hope of extending their stay with a 2-1 win at home to Dynamo Kyiv who took an early lead through Gusev on 14 minutes. However, they were pegged back by Steven Naismith's leveller on 39 minutes before Romleu Lukaku secured the victory from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute.

Fiorentina and Roma met in an all-Serie A tie that saw the two share the spoils in a 1-1 draw which saw the hosts take the lead through Ilicic in the 17th minute only to be denied the win late on by a 77th minute equaliser from Keita.

Napoli look well placed to advance after a 3-1 win at home to Dinamo Moscow with Kuranyi putting the visitors ahead inside two minutes before Higuain levelled in the 25th minute before soon adding a second from the penalty spot just six minutes later.  The visitors suffered a double blow early in the second half with Zobnin sent off or a second booking on 46 minutes before Higuain completed his hat-trick in the 55th minute to confirm the win.

Defending champions Sevilla moved closer to potentially retaining their title with a 3-1 win away to Villarreal with Perez giving them the perfect start inside the first minute before Mbia added a second on 26 minutes. Vietto gave the hosts hope with a 48th minute strike but the hope lasted just seconds as Gameiro's 50th minute effort sealed the win for the visitors.

FA Cup Sixth Round/ Prem Lge Re-arranged

 After a huge amount of shocks in this season's competition, The FA Cup reaches the sixth round with just five top flight sides with the Championship and League One both represented.

In the first of two top flight clashes, Aston Villa hosted neighbours West Brom hoping to complete a derby double after triumphing earlier in the week in the league meeting between the two. 

Fabian Delph put the hosts in front on 51 minutes before Claudio Yacob was controversially sent off for a second booking on 80 minutes.

Scott Sinclair sealed the win with Villa's second goal four minutes from the end but Villa also ended with ten men after Jack Grealish received a second booking in the final seconds which led to a pitch invasion around the final whistle.


Liverpool and Championship side Blackburn face a replay next month after a hard fought 0-0 draw at Anfield.

League One side Bradford were unable to add to their giant-killing collection as they drew 0-0 at home to Championship side Reading which means both remain in the draw for the last four.

The final tie of the round saw the second top flight clash as Manchester United hosted holders Arsenal and the Gunners are just two wins away from retaining the trophy after a 2-1 win.

Nacho Monreal put the visitors ahead on 25 minutes only for Wayne Rooney to level four minutes later. Danny Welbeck scored against his former side to put Arsenal in front and United's hopes suffered when Angel Di Maria was dismissed in the 77th minute as Arsenal held on
for the victory. 

Just one Premier League game took place at the weekend with QPR hosting Tottenham in a re-arrange game due to last week's Capital One Cup Final.

The wait proved to be a good one for the visitors who secured a 2-1 win with a brace from Harry Kane in the 34th and 68th minutes with former Spurs midfielder Sandro sealing a consolation for the hosts in the 75th minute. 

Magnificent Seven Triumph

Ahead of the next round of the FA Cup which sees some sides welcome a week's rest, the Premier League saw its third midweek programme of the season and alike the previous two, it certainly didn't disappoint with all of the top seven securing wins though some left it later than others.

 Tuesday night featured three games with Aston Villa and West Brom meeting in the opener in a local derby which saw the hosts take a 22nd minute lead with a rare strike from Gabriel Agbonlahor. Saido Berahino continued his superb scoring form with the equaliser in the 66th minute but Villa secured a last-gasp win with Christian Benteke slotting in a penalty for a 2-1 triumph.

Hull and Sunderland both sit on the fringes of the bottom three after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw which saw Dame N'Doye extend his superb form in front of goal with the opener after 15 minutes but Sunderland dented the hosts' chances of moving towards safety with a leveller from Jack Rodwell in the 77th minute who should have secured a win for the visitors late on but wasted a great chance.

Southampton halted their recent blip with a 1-0 win at home to Crystal Palace with the Saints leaving it late to secure all three points with Sadio Mané striking the vital winner in the 83rd minute to keep them in the hunt for a spot in the top four.

Wednesday night featured seven games starting with bottom side Leicester's trip to champions Manchester City, the Foxes defied their league position with a fine first half which to their dismay ended with an opener from David Silva. City seemed unable to add to their tally in the second half but alike the first period, ended the second with a goal as James Milner confirmed the win in the 88th minute.


In the battle of the United's, Newcastle hosted Manchester with the hosts eager to close the gap to the top half while their opponents looked to close up on the top three but neither seemed able to make a breakthrough in the game. However, a Tim Krul mistake with just a few minutes remaining gave Ashley Young a great chance which he took well to seal the win with a rare strike for a narrow 1-0 victory.

As one of only two sides to play twice this week in the league, QPR looked to start with a win as they hosted Arsenal who themselves hoped to keep in touch with the top two. The Gunners took the lead in the 64th minute through Olivier Giroud before Alexis Sanchez added a second just five minutes later for 2-0. QPR set up a tight finish with a strike from Charlie Austin on 82 minutes but it acted as a consolation as Arsenal held on for the win.


Everton's poor form continued as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat away to Stoke who moved up to eighth as a result. The Potters have quietly rose up the table with a run of good results which continued after strikes from Victor Moses and Mame Diouf in the 32nd and 84th minutes left their visitors just six points above the drop zone.

After losing to rivals Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, Tottenham hosted Swansea ahead of a weekend trip to QPR and they prepared for Saturday's derby with narrow 3-2 win over a Swansea side who remain in the top half. Nacer Chadli opened the scoring with his tenth strike of the season before Ki Sung-Yeung levelled just 12 minutes later. Ryan Mason restored the hosts' lead on 51 minutes before Andros Townsend's solo effort on the hour made it 3-1. Gylfi Sigurdsson gave the Swans hope in the 89th minute with a strike against his former side but in vain as Spurs secured the points.

Chelsea buoyed by their League Cup triumph travelled to face city rivals West Ham who looked to avoid back-to-back derby defeats but fell to a narrow defeat as Eden Hazard secured all three points with the crucial strike after 22 minutes.

The final game of the night saw second bottom Burnley travel to face in-form Liverpool with the Reds aiming to extend their unbeaten run to 12 games and they did just that with a 2-0 victory. Jordan Henderson fired in the opener in the 29th minute before Daniel Sturridge connected to a superb Gerrard-esque pass from Henderson to secure the win and all three points i the 51st minute to put the Reds just outside the top four.

Premier League/Capital One Cup Final Results