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Robbie Fowler's team selection before the FC Goa match had raised a few eyebrows as he dropped five players from the East Bengal lineup which had registered the club's first-ever win in the Indian Super League (ISL) just three days back.

Amongst the players who were dropped were big names like Anthony Pilkington and Jacques Maghoma. In the two talisman's absence, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of new recruit Bright Enobakhare who had played just 20 minutes in the last game but had managed to score a goal. The Nigerian attacker honoured his coach's trust as he scored a sensational goal.

East Bengal started the match in a 5-2-3 formation but they often changed shape during the course of the game. Enobakhare was given a free role as he was seen at times joining the strikers Harmanpreet Singh and Aaron Amadi-Holloway upfront and sometimes tracking back to support the midfielders.

The five-man defence worked well for Fowler as for the first time this season, the backline did not look shaky and instead confidently dealt with the lethal attack of FC Goa. In fact, Gaurs' most dangerous player, Igor Angulo, who is currently the top scorer in the league, was kept silent for the majority of the match. Credit must be given to Fowler whose plan of covering the Spaniard through zonal marking worked well.

Also, this was the first time the players in defence were all 'natural' defenders. Before this match, Fowler had used Surchandra Singh, Sehnaj Singh, Mohammed Irshad and Bikash Jairu in the backline in different matches but all of the aforementioned players were makeshift defenders and it reflected in their performance.

The Red and Golds would consider them unlucky not to walk away with three points as they clearly had better goal scoring opportunities than the Gaurs. Robbie Fowler too had mentioned after the game that his side deserved to get the three points. "We probably had the best chances. They obviously had some chances themselves, but ours were more clear cut, and their's were more from set-pieces."

The Gaurs dominated the game possession-wise as expected. Debjit Majumder had to make three genuine saves but two of them were from set-piece situations. They clearly had more quality upfront than East Bengal but were not able to break the Kolkata side defensively as expected except for once when Devendra Murgaonkar scored the equaliser. They failed to capitalise on the man advantage which they had for more than 30 minutes.

Ferrando's side of late has grown a habit of keeping the fate of the matches hanging until the dying moments. It worked in their last two matches and somewhat in this game as they scored a late equaliser but this shouldn't continue. They need to start grabbing their opponent by the scruff of their neck right from the off and try to finish the games early or else they might run the risk of dropping more points in the future.

They can't have Igor Angulo saving them in every game.

Nine matchdays into the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL), surprises, twists and turns have been scarce. 

Two teams who were touted to be favourites to win the title have pulled away from the rest of the league in the standings and look good to stay as the top two teams until the very end as of now.

Mumbai City were busy assembling a strong squad before the season kicked off and their efforts are getting rewarded. They also have a proven manager in Sergio Lobera who is heavily involved in implementing his project at his new club after three years of enthralling fans with a beautiful brand of football with FC Goa. They are currently at the top of the table with 22 points from nine matches with a seven-point lead already from the third-placed team, Lobera's former club Goa. 

Antonio Habas' ATK Mohun Bagan, which has the blueprint of the 2019-20 ISL champions ATK in terms of personnel, are also flying high at the second spot with 20 points from nine matches. Both Mumbai and Bagan have only lost one game this season and currently unbeaten in eight and five matches respectively.

Interestingly, these two teams stand on the opposite side of the football spectrum based on the method they undertake to win matches. Lobera's Mumbai City have an innate desire to keep the ball for long periods of play and carve defences open with the vision and skill of their players. Habas' Bagan are hell-bent on keeping the defence organized and as a result, they have the league's best defence as it stands and have only let in three goals in nine matches. 

Of the two teams, Mumbai have been far more impressive. They have managed to exhibit their style of play without leaking goals at the back like Goa did when Lobera first took charge of the Gaurs three years ago. They have a solid backline led by Mourtada Fall and Hernan Santana and one of the best custodians in the country in Amrinder Singh who is guarding the goal. 

Hyderabad and Jamshedpur rank low in the passing and ball retention stats because they have played with more Indian players, with key foreigners indisposed. 

Mumbai City midfielders Ahmed Jahouh and Hugo Boumous have been efficient in outclassing their opponents. Boumous has the most assists to his name in this season and even though Jahouh plays the role of a defensive midfielder, he has been the spine of Lobera's team, averaging 88 touches per game with a passing accuracy of 79.2. Rowllin Borges also deserves credit for the sheer work rate that he provides when he is on the field. 

With Adam Le Fondre in fine form in the final third, it is no surprise that they have the best shot conversion rate. But Le Fondre isn't the only one who has starred as a striker this season. Bagan's Roy Krishna has picked up from where he left off last with his match-winners for Bagan.

Le Fondre has a better shot on target-to-goals ratio compared to Krishna but three of Le Fondre’s first six goals were penalties, compared to Krishna's one. The Fijian, though, has the worst shooting accuracy among the top five strikers.

Rafael Crivellaro and Brandon Fernandes have created a lot of chances but the wastefulness of their strikers have meant that their assist column makes for dismal viewing.

Both Bagan and Mumbai City look unstoppable at the moment but the league is only half done. Teams such as Jamshedpur and Hyderabad have shown glimpses of brilliance.

All stats used in this article are from @OptaJeev and were taken on January 4, 2021.

Lyon star Memphis Depay said he may finish the season with the Ligue 1 giants after being linked to Barcelona for the majority of the summer.

Depay continues to be linked with a move to Barca, and he could be set to move there on a free as his contract at Lyon expires at the end of the season.

The Netherlands international's links to Barca have been heavily aided by his relationship with Ronald Koeman, who coached Depay with the Dutch national team before taking over the La Liga giants this summer.

Having earned 59 international caps, Depay has scored 21 goals for the Netherlands, featuring for the third-place finishers at the 2014 World Cup in Russia.

Depay scored twice in Lyon's 3-2 win over Lens on Wednesday as they moved three points clear at the top.

While he is linked with a move, Depay said he may yet finish the campaign with Lyon rather than depart this month before his contract expired.

"I'm happy here. We have a great team, I really like the president, we'll see what happens," he told Canal+ following Wednesday's win.

"The president and I know what happened in the last four seasons. Let's keep going and enjoy my presence. I might be here until the end of the season.

"Let's focus on Saturday's game, let's be happy, we have a great team."

Only Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe (16) has been directly involved in more Ligue 1 goals than Depay (14) this season.

But no player has created more chances than Depay's 42 for high-flying Lyon.

Depay has also created 10 big chances, with only Marseille forward Florian Thauvin (12) and PSG attacker Angel Di Maria (11) having created more.

The Dutch star originally moved to Lyon in 2017 after struggling to breakthrough with Manchester United.

Depay moved to Old Trafford in 2015, but scored just seven goals in 53 appearances during his time in England.

Since arriving in France, Depay has fired 64 goals in 155 matches, helping Lyon reach the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

As things stand, Lyon are in action again on Saturday when they visit Rennes.

Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes found himself in Roy Keane's firing line after going down to a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday. 

The Reds' Carabao Cup hopes were extinguished at the semi-final stage as the holders proved too strong at Old Trafford. 

John Stones gave the visitors the lead five minutes after the half-time restart, before Fernandinho put the result beyond doubt in the final stages to keep Pep Guardiola's men on track for a fourth straight success in the competition. 

Former United captain Keane was not happy with what he saw from the club, and singled Fernandes out for harsh criticism as United missed the chance to pursue their first silverware under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 

"It’s not easy, it’s not easy winning football trophies," Keane stated on Sky Sports, while going on to compare the Portuguese midfielder unfavourably with a past Reds idol.

"Fernandes has had great praise and over the past month people have been comparing him to people like Eric Cantona etcetera. But Cantona [won trophies].

"Fernandes didn’t really do much tonight. The top players turn up on the big occasions, and that’s what the Cantona’s used to do to get their hands on trophies. And that’s where this team is a little bit short.

"They’ll probably need one or two more players to come into the squad, no doubt, and the mentality they need – maybe the confidence of winning this semi-final to get them over the line and then you get momentum. And they just didn’t quite have it tonight.

"But credit to City. United were up against an outstanding Manchester City team tonight who turned up and put on a good show."

Despite Wednesday's setback Keane still sees plenty of positives around Old Trafford, with Solskjaer's charges tied at the top of the Premier League alongside Liverpool having played a game fewer than their great rivals. 

"The next game is always your most important game. Against Watford [in the FA Cup], Championship team, no doubt United will rotate and rest some players," he added. 

 "And then Burnley certainly won’t be an easy game for them but you can’t take your eyes off the Liverpool game. If United go and win at Burnley and then win at Liverpool, they could be six points clear of Liverpool.

"Bizarre when you think of the start to the season that United had, so United, Ole and the players have to stay positive and look forward to the upcoming games."

West Ham striker Sebastien Haller is close to sealing a move to the Eredivisie with Dutch giants Ajax. 

Goal understands that the striker, 26, is the subject of ongoing negotiations between the two clubs. 

The fee for his services is likely to reach around €25 million (£22.6m/$31m), with a meeting scheduled on Thursday to finalise the agreement between all the parties.

Haller is well-regarded in the Netherlands, having shined in the country during a previous spell in the Eredivisie. 

From 2015 to 2017 the Ivory Coast international starred with Utrecht, having landed at the club after struggling to establish himself at Auxerre.

He netted a total of 51 goals in 98 games for Utrecht, form which earned him a transfer to the Bundesliga with Frankfurt. 

And after two years in Germany, West Ham swooped in 2019 to make him part of their squad in a £45 million transfer. 

Haller, however, has never fully convinced in the Premier League, starting just 10 games in the current campaign. 

A stunning overhead kick against Crystal Palace back in December was a rare moment of celebration for the forward, who expressed his hopes that the goal would help him build his confidence and remain in David Moyes' plans. 

“To be honest, I used to score a goal like that every season, so I’m used to it!" he explained to West Ham's official website.

"I think it’s kind of special and I’m just happy because it was a beautiful goal and it helped us to get one point. I think we deserved three and we should have gone for the three, but I’m happy.

“I got two last season, against Watford and Bournemouth, so hopefully I can get another one on Monday at Chelsea – that’s the only thing I’d ask for, a goal like that! “It’s good for the eyes, for the confidence and for everything, but a goal is a goal so at the end it’s just one goal.”

Haller, who represented France throughout the youth divisions before opting to represent Ivory Coast at senior level, has played 54 games in all competitions for West Ham to date, scoring 14 goals.

Ronald Koeman was thrilled to see Lionel Messi and Pedri team up to stunning effect on Wednesday as Barcelona overcame an early setback to win 3-2 at Athletic Bilbao.

Inaki Williams raced clear to put the hosts, who had Marcelino in charge for the first time, in front inside three minutes of Wednesday's La Liga clash.

However, Barca responded impressively, with goals from Pedri and Messi putting them in front by the break before the latter increased their lead just after the hour mark.

Messi will understandably dominate the agenda having scored twice, but Koeman was also quick to praise the performance of Pedri, who completed over 90 per cent of his attempted passes.

The teenage midfielder scored the equaliser, heading in Frenkie de Jong's cutback cross with goalkeeper Unai Simon out of position, while it was his backheeled pass that set up Messi to make it 2-1.

"Pedri is showing despite his youth that he is very mature," the Dutchman said in his post-match interview.

"Messi has always shown his desire but today also with goals. It is very important."

Koeman had to endure a nervy finish after Iker Muniain's 90th-minute finish, but promised his squad will "fight until the last match" in La Liga after moving up to third in the table.

"The final result is a bit short because we have been superior in many phases," Koeman said, having now recorded three away wins on the spin in LaLiga for the first time in his reign.

"They made it 1-0 and we did not have the defensive coordination, but then we controlled [the game].

"I am happy with the result and with how we have achieved it. We have deserved it. Winning because of our game and our opportunities.

"The teamwork has been phenomenal. We will fight until the last match. There is distance [to go], but we are on the right track." 

Barca are next in action on Saturday, when they visit Granada.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted he was disappointed to began his spell in charge with a 1-1 draw at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.

Romain Hamouma grabbed the opener for the home side in the 19th minute, before Moise Kean struck back just three minutes later with an equaliser. 

That would be the end of the scoring, however, as PSG remained in second place in the Ligue 1 table, three points behind first-place Lyon.

Pochettino was appointed the new coach of PSG on Saturday, signing on a contract until the summer of 2022. The ex-Tottenham boss replaced Thomas Tuchel in the Paris side's hot seat.

The Argentine said he was disappointed not to get his tenure off to a winning start, saying his side have an obligation to win.

"I am of course a little disappointed because we are PSG, so we must win," Pochettino told Telefoot.

"But after three days we had little time to prepare. There are a lot of things to work on that we have to improve. It is not a result that we wanted but it is clear that Saint-Etienne deserved this result.

"We must improve a lot. We tried to put into practice different concepts, but I'm happy that the players tried to apply them. I'm happy with the effort, the attitude. We have to improve with the ball. It was positive but there are many things to improve."

PSG defender Marquinhos said the result wasn't a shock after his side had just days to adjust to their new coach's style of play.

"We knew that [Saint-Etienne] are a complicated team to maneuver against, who have tightened up the middle," the Brazilian said.

"We tried to create, to animate. It's the beginning of a new stage for us. We must continue to work and adapt to the new system of the coach.

"When you are behind, you have to push. They tried to counter several times, we lost a few balls and they scored. It's always more difficult when you have to run after conceding.

"There were some difficulties in the game but we need to improve very quickly with the new system."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists that Manchester United's recent semi-final struggles are "not psychological" as the Red Devils fell short against rivals Manchester City on Wednesday.

Goals from John Stones and Fernandinho lifted Pep Guardiola's side to a 2-0 win as Man City booked their place in the Carabao Cup finale.

They'll face Tottenham at Wembley in April, having won three consecutive Carabao Cups prior to this season - as well as the 2018-19 FA Cup.

While Manchester City have thrived in domestic knockout competitions, Manchester United have struggled to reach finals, and win trophies, with there still a gap in quality between themselves and their cross-town counterparts.

Man Utd have been eliminated from all four semi-finals they've played in since Solskjaer took over in December 2018, losing twice in the final four of the League Cup while also failing to reach an FA Cup and a Europa League finale.

Despite those semi-final struggles, Solskjaer says that Man Utd's issues on this stage are merely a coincidence and not an indication of any underlying issues. 

"Manchester City can score many great goals. You can accept that. When you concede two simple set-plays, it's very disappointing. Just not good enough in those moments," he told Sky Sports.

"We didn't create enough big chances. They didn't either. We didn't have the extra finesse we've had in the games lately. We weren't good enough today.

"We played against a very good Manchester City team. They played well. When they play well you have to play very well to beat them. We were just lacking that little bit.

"We're getting closer. This is a much better version of United than a year ago in those semis.

"It's not psychological [losing in four semi-finals]. Sometimes you meet good teams in the semis. We met City who, at the moment, are probably the best team in England."

Manchester United will have a chance to go top of the Premier League against Burnley next Tuesday, as they sit level on points with Liverpool.

However, before that, the Red Devils are set to continue their push in the FA Cup as they'll host Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Paul Onuachu scored a hat-trick as Genk started their 2021 with an emphatic 4-1 victory over AS Eupen in a Belgian First Division A encounter on Wednesday.

Onuachu who has played in all but one of Genk's league matches this season, extended his dominance in the top scorer's chart with 18 goals while his team close the gap on leaders Club Brugge to a point.

The 26-year-old restored the visitors' lead at the Kehrwegstadion just before half-time and he later converted two penalties after the restart to secure maximum points.

Nine minutes after grabbing his third goal of the night, the Super Eagles striker was replaced by his compatriot Cyril Dessers as Genk remain unbeaten in their last three outings in the Belgian top-flight.

Dessers, on the other hand, has been limited to substitute role with his last league start dating back to October but he has scored four goals so far in 14 league appearances.

With his latest heroics, Onuachu is still the leading Nigerian top scorer in Europe with 18 goals and he has equalled his best goalscoring return in a single season when he scored 18 goals for Midtjylland in the 2016-17 Danish Superliga campaign.

Ivory Coast midfielder Eboue Kouassi was also in action for John van den Brom's side while Zimbabwe's Knowledge Musona, Senegal's Amara Baby, DR Congo's Edo Kayembe and Congo's Senna Miangue were on parade for AS Eupen who have now lost their last three league matches.

Next up for Onuachu's Genk is another league trip to Kortrijk on Saturday and they will be targeting another victory to boost their title chances.

They have gathered 38 points after 19 matches while David Okereke and Emmanuel Dennis' Club Brugge lead with a point and superior goal difference.

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has admitted the Carabao Cup isn't quite the Champions League, but said reaching four finals a row in the domestic competition is a significant achievement nonetheless.

City defeated Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford in Wednesday's semi-final, as second-half goals from John Stones and Fernandinho booked a spot at Wembley against Tottenham in April. 

Guardiola's side became only the second team to reach four consecutive Carabao/League Cup finals, after Liverpool did so between 1981 and 1984. 

City have lost just two of their 24 Carabao Cup matches under Pep Guardiola (W18 D4), and have now won the competition in three consecutive years. 

As the club's wait for a first Champions League title continues, Guardiola has admitted he'd prefer success in Europe over the Carabao Cup but still hailed his side's accomplishment.

"When a team has the mentality to do it, we achieve something incredible," Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"I know the Carabao Cup is not the Champions League but reaching the final four times in a row is incredible! I'm so impressed for the quality of this team."

After a stuttering start to the season, City have turned things around of late and Wednesday marked their fifth consecutive win.

Guardiola said the club's condensed pre-season affected their form at the start of the campaign, but he now believes his side are starting to reach their potential. 

"It's about the consistency," the Spaniard said. "We didn't have a proper pre-season and that's why we need a little bit of time but I think we are already there.

"[The final] is not next week, the game will arrive at the final. We will be in the best possible condition. Tottenham are a top team but we won't think about it yet."

Guardiola also took time to dedicate City's win to Colin Bell after the club legend passed away this week at age 74. 

"It's for Colin Bell and his family," Guardiola said. "He helped to build something special for this club. It's an incredible victory for us to beat United away and it was for him absolutely."

Manchester City defender John Stones has said he thrives in big games after his goal at Manchester United helped send his side to the Carabao Cup final.

City defeated their cross-town rivals 2-0 at Old Trafford in Wednesday's semi-final, with Stones opening the scoring in the 50th minute. It was the defender's first City goal since he scored against Napoli in November 2017, breaking a drought of 1,162 days.

Fernandinho would add an insurance goal seven minutes from time with an excellent finish, as City booked their place at Wembley against Tottenham in April.

Stones, who has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence this season, said he is thriving after putting in plenty of hard work off the pitch. 

"I'm just working hard, just trying to play as many games as possible," he told Sky Sports. "I want to give everything to the team and stay true to myself - see what I can do, what I can improve on."

On his goal, he added: "I was just trying to follow the ball. They held a high line, just to get something on it was great.

"Playing these big games is something I thrive off and I just want to play well."

City turned in another strong performance as they continued their recent good form, with Wednesday their fifth consecutive win in all competitions.

Stones said the mentality instilled by manager Pep Guardiola is a big reason for their resurgence after a patchy start to the season.

"[Pep Guardiola] just said, 'Same again, same mentality, same everything,'" Stones said. "We dealt with the problems well and just tried to be more clinical in the final third.

"We had so many chances, great chances, great moves to get into the box and we did a job at the end of the day."

Stones also highlighted the death of City legend Colin Bell this week, with the club's former midfielder passing away at age 74.

"I'd like to send our condolences for Colin Bell and his family," Stones added.

"I think how we played today was a reflection of him. A great moment for us and hopefully he is looking down on us. It was a great occasion, another win against another top team."

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona ruined Marcelino's first match in charge of Athletic Bilbao with a hard-fought 3-2 triumph at San Mames.

Inaki Williams made an instant impression on Athletic's new boss - appointed following the dismissal of Gaizka Garitano - by scoring inside three minutes for the home team on Wednesday.

Capitalising on a ridiculously high defensive line, the forward ran clear from inside his own half and, after cutting back inside a half-hearted challenge from Clement Lenglet, fired low past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to break the deadlock. 

However, with Messi leading the way, Barca recovered from the setback to turn the game around by the interval, albeit with some help from the hosts.

Unai Simon was tempted out to deal with Messi's seemingly over-hit cross for the equaliser, the alert Frenkie de Jong stretching out to volley the ball back into the middle for Pedri to nod into an unguarded net. 

The Athletic goalkeeper was caught again when his side conceded seven minutes before the break, Pedri the provider as his clever back-heeled assist set up the supporting Messi to pass the ball in, Simon - who had initially rushed out expecting the teenager to shoot - stranded out of position.

Athletic briefly threatened a recovery of their own early in the second half, yet it was always their opponents who carried the far greater threat in attack.

Having seen a goal ruled out for offside and a long-range shot denied by a post, Messi finally scored again when sweeping Antoine Griezmann's square pass home via the underside of the crossbar.

There was late drama when a turnover in possession allowed Alex Berenguer to tee up Iker Muniain for a first-time finish that cut the gap in the 90th minute, but Barca held firm to claim all three points.

What does it mean? Barca still fighting  

Ronald Koeman called for realism after the 1-1 home draw with Eibar at the end of December, insisting it would be "very difficult" for Barcelona to challenge the two Madrid clubs for LaLiga glory. 

However, they have won two on the spin since that Camp Nou setback, moving them to third in the table. The combinations produced by the quartet of Messi, Pedri, Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele offer hope they can still yet claw back their title rivals, though defensive concerns remain after conceding two soft goals in the Basque country.

Teenage kicks for impressive Pedri

Messi's commitment beyond the next few months remains unclear, but Pedri looks to be the long-term future for Barca. The midfielder scored one goal, set up another and created three chances in total, as well as completing over 90 per cent of his 61 attempted passes. 

Not so simple for Simon in goal

Marcelino asked for Athletic's players to be brave ahead of the game but he may have wished his goalkeeper had taken a more cautious approach in the first half. Simon should have stayed at home for the opener and his positioning for the second allowed Messi a straightforward finish.

Key Opta Stats: 

- Barcelona have three away LaLiga wins in a row for the first time under Ronald Koeman.
- Messi has been directly involved in 25 goals in 26 LaLiga games against Athletic (17 goals and eight assists).
- The Argentina forward has played more LaLiga games without losing against Athletic than he has against any other opponent in the competition (GP26 W19 D7 L0).
- In-form Messi has been involved in 10 goals in his last 10 games in all competitions (eight goals, two assists).
- Messi has attempted 47 shots on target this season in LaLiga, more than double that of the next player in this ranking (Gerard Moreno, 21).

What's next?

Barcelona are on the road again on Saturday, as they travel to Granada. They will hope Athletic can do them a favour, meanwhile, when they visit LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid.

Paris Saint-Germain failed to get off to a winning start under Mauricio Pochettino as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1.

Thomas Tuchel oversaw a 4-0 defeat of Strasbourg in PSG's final game of 2020, although it was not enough for the German to keep his job as the defending champions sat third.

And Pochettino was unable to mastermind a victory to kickstart his reign as a rather lethargic PSG struggled to build on Moise Kean's 22nd-minute equaliser.

That goal cancelled out Romain Hamouma's opener, but PSG were ultimately fortunate Saint-Etienne did not snatch a first win over the capital club since 2012, their point enough to move second but three points behind Lyon.

Both goalkeepers were called into action inside the opening 10 minutes as Keylor Navas denied Harold Moukoudi at one end before Moise Kean tested Jessy Moulin at the other.

Yet Pochettino's tenure had its first setback 19 minutes in when PSG played themselves into trouble, Idrissa Gueye's slip pounced on by Denis Bouanga, with Hamouma supplying a neat finish over Navas.

PSG hit back inside three minutes, however, as Marco Verratti played in Kean to slam in the first goal of the Pochettino era on the turn.

Mathieu Debuchy's low strike forced Navas into a smart stop before half-time, and PSG's goalkeeper came to their rescue again in the second period, blocking Bouanga's path to goal.

Navas was beaten with 20 minutes remaining, but the crossbar kept out Bouanga's header.

Kean snatched at a good chance as PSG sparked back into life, yet Angel Di Maria's low strike – well saved by Moulin – was the only shot on target the visitors managed in the second half as Pochettino was forced to settle for a point.

Federico Chiesa scored a brilliant brace as Juventus ended Milan's unbeaten start to the season and clinched a crucial 3-1 victory that moves the Serie A champions up to fourth in the table.

Andrea Pirlo's men produced a scintillating attacking display to become the first team to beat leaders Milan in the league in 28 matches and did so without leading scorer Alvaro Morata.

Ably assisted by Paulo Dybala on both occasions, Chiesa scored with confident finishes in either half and Milan's waves of attacking pressure found Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in fine form before Davide Calabria found the net.

The Bianconeri, who added a third through substitute Weston McKennie, will hope this was a turning point in a tumultuous season, having played with the guile and poise they have lacked for so much of it, while Milan will reflect on a missed opportunity to extend their lead at the top to four points after Inter lost to Sampdoria.

Juventus' high press overwhelmed Milan early on and Paulo Dybala tested Gianluigi Donnarumma from six yards before Chiesa crashed a thunderous shot onto the post.

With 18 minutes played the Old Lady's superb start paid dividends, Dybala's smart back-heel sending Chiesa into the area and the Fiorentina loanee sent a low shot bouncing into the far corner of Donnarumma's net from 12 yards.

Juve had Szczesny to thank for keeping them ahead with a string of saves but he was powerless to stop Calabria's shot from finding the top corner after the lively Rafael Leao teed him up – although Juventus claimed Adrien Rabiot was fouled in the build-up.

Szczesny got down well to save Diogo Dalot's powerful 20-yard shot as Milan came out firing after the interval but Juve weathered the storm before Aaron Ramsey missed a golden chance to give them the lead, shooting wide from close range with just Donnarumma to beat.

Just after the hour mark, Chiesa struck again, Dybala picking him out on the edge of the box where he bent a superb left-footed shot into the far corner.

Chiesa then left the field with an injury and was replaced by McKennie, who swept home Juventus' third in the 76th minute after a jinking run through Milan's defence by fellow substitute Dejan Kulusevski.

What does it mean? The fightback is on

Juventus have now won three of their last four Serie A matches and are playing with real verve.

Having had such a short pre-season with his side, Pirlo has been playing catch-up but his expansive, fast-attacking style of play seems to be finally bearing fruit as his players cut out defensive errors.

Dybala at his best

Dybala's two assists were as incisive and spectacular as Chiesa's finishes and the Argentina international also won six duels to help Juventus stay on top.

Leao rues missed chances

Milan could have been ahead at half-time had Leao made more of the clear-cut chances that fell to him and, despite his assist for Calabria's goal, he will remember this game for his three unsuccessful shots at goal.

Key Opta Facts

- Juventus have won 14 of their last 16 Serie A games against AC Milan (L2).
- AC Milan are enjoying the third-longest streak of Serie A consecutive matches with a goal: 36. In the history of the competition, the only two longer streaks have both been by Juventus: 43 in 2014 and 44 in 2017.
- Federico Chiesa has been involved in six Serie A goals against AC Milan (3 goals, 3 assists).
- Prior to Wednesday, the last time a player twice assisted the same Juve team-mate was in February 2018 against Sassuolo (Federico Bernardeschi to Gonzalo Higuain).

What's next?

Milan are at home against struggling Torino on Saturday, and Juventus entertain in-form Sassuolo a day later.

John Stones ended his long goal drought as holders Manchester City secured a 2-0 derby win over Manchester United to set up an EFL Cup final showdown with Tottenham.

Stones has been outstanding at the heart of the City defence since forcing his way back into the side this season and he scored his first City goal in 1,162 days at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The in-form centre-back had earlier put the ball in his own net early on but Marcus Rashford was offside, summing up how his fortunes have changed.

United were unable to respond following Stones' goal early in the second half and Fernandinho doubled City's lead seven minutes from time with an excellent finish.

Pep Guardiola's side were worthy winners, dumping their neighbours out at the same stage they did 12 months ago as they aim to win the competition for a fourth consecutive season.

Stones was relieved to see the flag raised after the ball bounced off him and into his own net before Ilkay Gundogan had a goal ruled out for offside at the other end in a pulsating start after a poignant minute's silence for City legend Colin Bell, who died on Tuesday at the age of 74.

Zack Steffen denied Bruno Fernandes with a magnificent one-handed save at full stretch and Kevin De Bruyne rattled the point with a rasping drive from 20 yards out.

City were dictating the tempo and Phil Foden was also denied an opening goal after straying just offside in an entertaining, but goalless first half.

It took less than five minutes of the second half for the opening goal to arrive, though, Stones finding the back of the net for a second time on the night when he turned Foden's inviting free-kick in with his left thigh.

Dean Henderson tipped Raheem Sterling's header around the post and produced a fine save to keep out Riyad Mahrez's venomous strike as City scented a second goal.

United could not find a way through a well-drilled City defence and Fernandinho settled it, firing home with his right foot from outside the penalty area following a corner from the right.

What does it mean? Ominous City pay fitting tribute to Bell

City made a big statement in the battle for the Premier League title when they outclassed Chelsea last weekend and they are now unbeaten in 12 matches.

Guardiola's men have won five in a row and this was their first victory over United in four attempts as they paid a fitting tribute to their late midfield great Bell.

City have dominated the EFL Cup and will be favourites to lift the trophy for a sixth time in eight seasons when they face Spurs in the final at Wembley on April 25.

Stones rock solid alongside dominant Dias

After falling out of favour at the Etihad Stadium, Stones has been brilliant alongside the hugely impressive record signing Ruben Dias.

Brimming with confidence, Stones was typically calm on the ball and read the game superbly as United fired a blank for the first time since they were held to a goalless draw by City on the same ground on December 12.

As well as scoring his first City goal since November 2017, Stones gained possession six times, won 80 per cent of his duels and had a passing accuracy of 95.3 per cent. The uncompromising Dias made six clearances, two blocks and won all of his five duels.

Fernandes fails to fire

United have now lost four semi-finals in a row and they could have no complaints.

It was not a night to remember for Fernandes, who had a passing accuracy of only 59.4 per cent in the City half and twice blazed off target when he had a sight of goal.

Key Opta Stats:

- City are only the second side to reach four consecutive finals in the competition after Liverpool, who did so between 1981 and 1984.
- This will be their ninth final – only Liverpool (12) have played in more.
- United have been eliminated from three of their last four semi-final ties in the tournament, having progressed from eight of nine before that.
- The home team has won just three of the last 15 derbies between United and City in all competitions (D3 L9).
- City have now had 16 different goalscorers in all competitions this season, more than any other Premier League team.

What's next?

Guardiola's side are at home to Birmingham City in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, while United also face Championship opposition in the form of Watford a day earlier.

Abdul Majeed Waris scored his first goal of the season to help Strasbourg demolish Nimes 5-0 in Wednesday’s Ligue 1 game.

The forward came off the bench to make his 11th league appearance and delivered spectacular performances to help the Racers secure a comfortable win at Stade de la Meinau.

Thierry Laurey’s men hit the ground running in the encounter and opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Ludovic Ajorque.

Two minutes later, Senegal international Habib Diallo doubled the lead, hitting his effort past the reach of goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet after he was set up by Ivory Coast forward Jean Aholou.

Moments before the end of the first half, Kenny Lala made it three for the Stade de la Meinau outfit with a fine individual effort.

Ajorque got his second in the encounter in the 51st minute after receiving a timely assist from Anthony Caci.

The forward came close to grabbing a hat-trick in the game when he was afforded to take a penalty awarded to his side but he blew the glorious opportunity.

In the 73rd minute, Ghana international Waris was introduced into the game, replacing Ajorque and made his presence felt when he sealed his side’s victory.

The forward made no mistake in sending goalkeeper Reynet to the wrong side of the net, firing his penalty to the back of the net.

 Diallo featured for the entirety of the game for Strasbourg while Aholou played for 83 minutes before making ways for Mahame Siby.

For Nimes, Senegal international Moussa Kone played for 46 minutes before he was replaced by Niclas Eliasson while Morocco’s Yassine Benrahou featured for 20 minutes after he was brought on for Andres Cubas.

The victory moved Strasbourg off the bottom three to the 16thh spot after gathering 17 points from 18 games.

Waris will hope to continue his impressive performances when his side slug it out against Lens in their next league game on January 9.

The Ghana international teamed up with Strasbourg in January and has previously featured for Spartak Moscow, Lorient and Porto among others.

Diego Simeone hinted at the idea he could leave Atletico Madrid at the end of the season after their awful Copa del Rey defeat to third-tier Cornella.

Simeone's La Liga leaders exited the Copa on Wednesday, losing 1-0 to a goal from former Atletico B defender Adrian Jimenez.

Ricard Sanchez was sent off as Atleti slumped to a shock reverse swiftly described by the Spanish media as a "disaster" among the very worst of Simeone's 502 games in charge of the club.

The long-time coach named a strong side, including record signing Joao Felix, but saw his team remarkably unable to register a single shot on target.

Copa failings are a familiar story by now, though, with the Rojiblancos losing to Cultural Leonesa last season. Meanwhile, they have not beaten a fellow LaLiga outfit in the competition since seeing off Elche in January 2017.

Simeone recognised Atleti are struggling in one-off knockout matches - also losing in last season's Champions League to RB Leipzig - but added the surprising qualifier that it would be an issue to consider only if he was still at the helm next year.

"[Cornella] played better," he said. "In the whole game, what they wanted was always done better than what we wanted.

"They took advantage of the set-piece situations and immediately found the goal.

"The boys tried to compete in the best way. In the first half, we had more chances, and in the second, it was rockier. It got difficult after the red card.

"This competition has not given us satisfaction in recent years but solutions will have to be found if we are here next year."

Saul Niguez, captain on the night, identified the same problem as he added: "We apologise to the fans. We never throw away competitions, but in these single-game editions we are not doing well."

Given Atleti's struggles, the decision to replace Joao Felix with 18-year-old debutant Mario Soriano 15 minutes from time prompted some discussion.

But the Portugal international mustered only one shot, which was blocked, prior to his withdrawal and failed to create a single chance - unlike his replacement.

Joao Felix epitomised the visitors' display as he completed just 13 of his 21 attempted passes and lost possession 13 times, winning none of his three aerial duels.

The change still appeared a big call, yet Simeone explained his star forward was struggling with an ankle injury.

"He was hurt," Simeone said. "We looked for a fresher guy. He had a bruised ankle and we wanted to find a guy in good condition."

Jeremie Boga scored and provided an assist as Sassuolo secured a 2-1 victory over Genoa in Wednesday’s Serie A game.

The 24-year-old was handed his ninth league start and shone to help the Black and Greens bounce back to winning ways after suffering a heavy defeat against Atalanta in their first game of 2021 last weekend.

The Ivory Coast international played on the left wing behind Francesco Caputo, who led Sassuolo’s attack, along with Domenico Berardi and Filip Duricic.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men dominated proceedings in the opening minutes of the encounter but could not make their efforts count by finding the back of the net.

Boga then broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, firing his strike beyond the reach of goalkeeper Mattia Perin after receiving a sumptuous assist from Manuel Locatelli.

Moments after the hour mark, Eldor Shomurodov levelled proceedings for the Red and Blues after receiving a fine assist from Paolo Ghiglione.

With seven minutes left to full-time, Boga helped his side to turn the game in their favour when he set up Giacomo Raspadori to score the match-winning goal.

The Ivory Coast international featured for the duration of the game in his 12th league appearance this season.

The forward has now scored two goals and provided two assists in the current campaign, amid other dazzling displays.

The victory is Sassuolo’s eighth this season which propelled them to the fourth spot on the league table after gathering 29 points from 16 matches.

Boga has been with the Mapei Stadium outfit since the summer of 2018 when he teamed up permanently with the club from Premier League side Chelsea. 

The 24-year-old has found the back of the net 16 times in as many Serie A league games since joining the Black and Greens.

Boga will be expected to continue his fine performances when Sassuolo take on reigning champions Juventus in their next outing on January 10.

The forward has previously featured for the France youth team before pledging his international future to Ivory Coast.

He has only made one appearance for the West African country and will hope his impressive club performances will earn him a return to the national team.