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Lucien Agoume has expressed his feeling after playing a part in Inter Milan’s 3-3 draw against Sassuolo in Wednesday’s Serie A fixture.

The Yaounde-born midfielder replaced Christian Eriksen in the 62nd minute for his second appearance in Antonio Conte's team this term since his summer-signing from French club Sochaux.

Goals from Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Biraghi and Borja Valero were not enough to give the Nerazzurri maximum points at the San Siro Stadium.

During the 28 minutes he spent on the pitch, Agoume completed 10 passes with a 100 per cent accuracy, and he also managed three tackles - the third-highest by an Inter player after defenders Milan Skriniar and Andrea Ranocchia.

In his reaction, the 18-year-old rued Inter Milan's missed chances as the dropped points leave them unmoved from the third spot in the Serie A table with four points behind second-place Lazio and eight points behind leaders Juventus.

"I am happy to have entered today even if the result is a pity. We had many opportunities, we had to win,” Agoume told the club website.

He made his league debut against Fiorentina last December, and he has disclosed how he is working to make himself a better player in Italy.

"I always try to work to be available to the coach when he needs me and I hope to continue like this,” he added.

“I try to learn from everyone, in my role there they are many strong players, I want to learn the best to improve more and more.

“Everyone told me to be calm, to play as I can do without haste. I tried to do it when I entered.”

Although born in Cameroon, Agoume also has a French nationality and he has represented the European country across their U16, U17 and U18 youth teams.

He led France U17 team as captain to the 2019 World Cup in Brazil where they won bronze.

The 18-year-old is currently France U18 captain and he is still eligible to play for Cameroon at the senior level.

Sergio Ramos says people "shouldn't be imagining things" when it comes to Real Madrid benefitting from decisions in an apparent riposte towards Gerard Pique and Barcelona.

Zinedine Zidane's side moved back to the top of La Liga by virtue of their superior head-to-head record on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Real Mallorca, thanks to goals from Ramos and Vinicius Junior.

Madrid reclaimed top spot after La Liga's return this month due to Barcelona's 0-0 draw with Sevilla last Friday, after which Pique suggested it would be hard to stop Los Blancos winning the title because VAR and referee decisions too often go their way.

Ramos, though, thinks such arguments are only being made now that Madrid have the edge in the title race.

"There's a lot of noise in the media because we’re leaders again," he told Movistar. "They didn't talk so much before. They talk about VAR, but I don't think anyone has an advantage over the season.

"We don't pay attention to this noise. I don't think they [the referees] take any predetermined decisions. It seems like we should be thanking the refs for being leaders! People shouldn't be imagining things.

"We've been working hard and since the lockdown, we've been united, and we deserve to be where we are."

Ramos became the top-scoring defender in La Liga history against Real Sociedad last week and his goal on Wednesday, his 69th in the top flight, made him the first defender to reach eight in a single season since Ezequiel Garay 13 years ago.

However, the Madrid captain remains far more concerned with team performances and admitted they felt tired as the Mallorca match went on.

"I've always said this is a team game at the end of the day," he said. "The personal side makes you feel proud and motivates you but it's secondary. The most important thing is the consistency of the team. It's a job well done and three more points. 

"The team was tired, we felt that. Obviously, we don't have long to recover between games, and we have to continue improving. We all know what our objective is but there are plenty of things we can improve.

"Our play stagnated a little at times, but I think we can generally improve in all aspects. We could have put the game to bed earlier and taken more chances, played with the ball in their half. That's what we want to do: we want to dominate more."

Mallorca youngster Luka Romero became the youngest player ever to feature in La Liga when he came on against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The 15-year-old replaced Idrissu Baba in the 83rd minute of the 2-0 defeat to Zinedine Zidane's side to set a new record in the Spanish league.

The previous record had been set over 80 years ago when former defender Sanson made his debut for Celta in December 1939.

The attacking midfielder had been included in the Mallorca matchday squad for clashes against Villarreal and Leganes in recent weeks, but was finally given his first taste of senior football with a brief appearance against the capital club.

Romero, who is said to have caught the attention of Manchester United, Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid, was born in Mexico but represents the Argentina Under 17s. 

At the age of seven he had a trial at Barcelona and impressed the Camp Nou outfit's scouts enough to convince them to try to sign him, but his parents refused to move to Catalunya and he ended up joining the Mallorca youth set up five years ago.

The teenager is the son of Argentine defensive midfielder Diego Romero, who currently plays for Son Verí in the regional leagues in Spain. 

Romero's brief appearance could do little to turn his team's fortunes around, as Los Blancos had already taken a two-goal lead thanks to strikes from Vinicius Junior and Sergio Ramos.

The victory took the Santiago Bernabeu side back to the top of the Spanish top flight with seven games left to play. They are level on points with Barcelona but have a better head-to-head record over their fierce rivals.

Mallorca, meanwhile, are still in the relegation zone. Vicente Moreno's team are third from bottom and three points behind 17th placed Eibar, who have a game in hand as they face Valencia on Thursday.

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool showed their supporters “the respect they deserve” in beating Crystal Palace 4-0 on Wednesday night.

Anfield’s first behind-closed-doors saw the Reds move to within touching distance of a first league title in 30 years, after a performance of discipline, hunger, intensity and quality from the runaway Premier League leaders. 

Goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and Sadio Mane gave the Reds their joint-biggest home league win of the campaign.

Liverpool will be crowned champions on Thursday night should Manchester City, 23 points adrift in second place, fail to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but Klopp was happy just to savour the excellence of his team’s display against a shell-shocked Palace.

He said: “We showed a lot, if not everything, which helped us into the position we are in.

“Before this part of the season, I said I wanted to see the best behind-closed-doors football ever. I don’t know if we had that, but for sure it was the best counter-pressing behind closed doors ever! 

“The attitude, the passion we showed was exceptional, and we played some outstanding football. Usually in my job I have to calm things down and say we can improve – and we can improve – but that’s not important tonight.

“We showed our supporters the respect they deserve – that we can play like they are here even when they are not. 

“Yes, they can push us to incredible things, and without them it is nothing. I never missed them more than I did tonight because imagine this game in front of 50,000 people, the emotions that would have been in the stadium. It would have been incredible!”

Klopp confirmed he would watch City’s game at home tomorrow night, but insists that he is still focused completely on his side’s remaining games – including their trip to the Etihad next week.

“I will not watch it to prepare a celebration, but because we play against City a week later!” he said. 

“And we play Chelsea as well, so this game is important to watch for plenty of reasons. 

“Whatever happens tomorrow, we cannot influence. But I’m pretty sure that when we play City, it is a must-watch for each football fan on this planet. Whatever is decided or not, it will be two really good teams facing each other. It will be pretty interesting, to be honest!”

For now, though, Liverpool can reflect on a job well done. Even Roy Hodgson, the Palace manager, admitted his side could not cope with the Reds’ energy, desire and relentless pressing.

“You should not underestimate how much this team wants it,” Klopp said. “This team really wants it. 

“They want to fulfil the wishes of the people at home, really. We all have a common dream but we have to work for it.  We have to work our way for it.

“We can’t play like other teams but we can play pretty good stuff. That is what the boys did. 

“The game was exceptional. From talking about football, it was exceptional from so many points of view.

“This game will last in my mind for a while. This is where we want to be. This is what we have to show against each and everybody. This is us.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold says he is honoured to be compared to David Beckham, but he says he has a long way to go to match the former Manchester United star as "the best free-kick taker in Premier League history".

The Liverpool fullback scored a stunning free kick to open the scoring in the Reds' 4-0 battering of Crystal Palace, a victory that moved the champions-elect within two points of sealing the title.

Alexander-Arnold has developed a reputation as a dead-ball specialist, with former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher describing Wednesday's stunner as "Beckham-esque".

When told of the comparison, Alexander-Arnold laughed and admitted that he believes he's not there yet.

"The comparisons with the best free-kick taker in Premier League history are very nice but there is a lot of work to do," Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports.

He added: "I have been practising a lot and I had a few against Everton which I was disappointed not to score with, but it's always good to get the ball rolling for the boys."

As Alexander-Arnold started the scoring, it was also only the beginning of one of Liverpool's best performances of the season.

Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah found the back of the net as well, with the former firing a long-range missile to compete with Alexander-Arnold for the goal of the day.

The victory comes on the heels of a performance that was poor by Liverpool standards, as the Reds settled for a 0-0 draw against Everton last time out.

"The lads have done really well," Alexander-Arnold said. "It was a difficult game and we were disappointed to only get the draw at Everton, but for the first game back at Anfield, it couldn't have gone any better."

With the win, Liverpool can seal the title as early as Thursday as Manchester City take on Chelsea.

If the Blues are able to seal a win or a draw against Pep Guardiola's side, Liverpool will officially be declared champions. If not, though, the Reds can win the title in their next match which comes, coincidentally, against Manchester City.

"It is quite close [the title] but we know a lot can happen in the Premier League. We have worked hard for this and this is what we have always dreamed of," Alexander-Arnold added.

"We are in a good position so hopefully we can get over the line soon. We have to focus on ourselves, we are not hoping Man City drop points, we know it's our hands. We still have to go to City next week and get a result."

Real Madrid returned to the top of LaLiga thanks to a 2-0 defeat of Real Mallorca at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium on Wednesday.

Barca's 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao 24 hours earlier had put the pressure back on Zinedine Zidane's men, but Vinicius' goal after 19 minutes steadied any nerves within the home side.

Mallorca, who sit third from bottom of the table, gave a spirited account of themselves but rarely looked likely to claim a share of the spoils despite Madrid having made four changes from the 2-1 win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Zidane elected to start Vinicius, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale in support of Karim Benzema but it was captain Sergio Ramos who made the win safe with an exceptional free-kick early in the second half.

Vinicius might have been a surprise starter but he justified Zidane's call 19 minutes in, steering a finish high past Manolo Reina after a clever reverse pass from Luka Modric.

The Brazilian hit the bar with a lob from a Karim Benzema throughball four minutes later, but it was Mallorca who threatened more as the half went on, even though Thibaut Courtois' goal was largely well protected.

Madrid took control with a second goal 10 minutes into the second half, Ramos curling a fine free-kick into the top-left corner from just outside the penalty area.

Mallorca did not lose heart at least and threatened through Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo, who saw a shot hit the side-netting after one impressive run through the box.

The visitors remain three points from safety and at serious risk of relegation, but they did at least make a moment of LaLiga history when Luka Romero came off the bench to become the youngest player ever to play in the competition at the age of 15 years and 219 days.

What does it mean? Zidane's side taking shape for double charge

Madrid are back on top of the table above Barcelona on their head-to-head record and appear to be in good shape after the lockdown.

Zidane changed the system and personnel but was still rewarded with a strong performance. That sort of adaptability bodes well for their title challenge, and the return of the Champions League in August.

Vinicius on a mission

Having gone through a difficult spell this season, Vinicius looks determined to become a mainstay in Zidane's plans.

He scored one good goal, almost got a second and pressed across the front in the second half to keep the Mallorca defence worried.

No lucky break for Bale

Bale got out of Vincius' way to let his team-mate open the scoring and it was his most useful contribution of the game.

It was more a disinterested performance than a poor one, but certainly was not one to make his coach think he merits a regular place in the first XI.

What's next?

Madrid head to Espanyol on Sunday, with Mallorca facing Athletic Bilbao at San Mames a day earlier.

Matteo Guendouzi must learn to conform to Arsenal's values after his latest brush with controversy, Mikel Arteta has warned.

The midfielder was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons again on Saturday following an unsavoury incident with Neal Maupay, whose late goal earned Brighton victory over the Gunners.

Guendouzi appeared to grab Maupay, who had earlier clashed with Bernd Leno, by the throat and push him to the ground following the final whistle at the Amex Stadium, while it has also been reported that the former Lorient player was taunting the opposition.

It is not the first time the 21-year-old has left his manager unimpressed, with Arteta dropping him for a game against Newcastle United in February because of his attitude in training.

While Arteta wants to deal with Guendouzi privately, he did remind the Frenchman of the need to maintain certain standards.

"More personal issues or behaviours, I like to deal with them on a personal level, in the dressing room, and don't make them public," Arteta said.

"Obviously I don't like it, but I don't like either to put words in the newspaper, or use somebody to put words in the newspaper for you to talk about what has been happening on the pitch, because if 22 players do that every three days that will be a circus.

"It's not about learning, it's about experiencing certain things and some behaviours that you expect as a manager, as a club, to represent each other, and ways to show frustration or happiness.

"We have so many different cultures in our team, they've been educated in different ways and I have to understand and accept that as well.

"But we need to know that we have a route, we have certain ways, we have some values and you have to be within that."

Despite his evident concerns over Guendouzi's conduct, Arteta suggested that you sometimes have to take the rough with the smooth.

"You can't cut edges off players, you have to be clear what you expect and publicly as well, what they have to represent," he said.

"But that drive, that aggression that sometimes a player has to show is part of why they are football players and why they are competing at this level."

The Football Association confirmed Guendouzi would face no punishment for his clash with Maupay.

Monaco have opted not to give Leicester City loanee Islam Slimani a permanent contract despite his impressive performances in the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season.

Slimani helped Monaco finish ninth in the Ligue 1 table with a tally of nine goals and seven assists in 18 appearances before the French top-flight was abruptly concluded due to the coronavirus pandemic in May.

He joined Robert Moreno's side on a season-long loan from Leicester City last August, for his third loan stint away from the Premier League club.

The 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign turned out to be Slimani's best goalscoring season since he joined the Foxes from Sporting CP in 2016.

The Algerian striker has not been able to cement a regular spot at the King Power Stadium, playing 46 games with 13 goals to his name and his current deal is set to expire in June 2021.

“AS Monaco also wishes to salute three players who participated in the previous season in the form of a loan, including Tiemoue Bakayoko,” the club statement read.

“On loan from Chelsea, the former Monaco midfielder (2014-2017) played 23 games last year.

“Already present in the second half of the previous season, Portuguese midfielder Adrien Silva has played a total of 40 games with Monaco.

“Finally, the Algerian international from Leicester City Islam Slimani, played 19 games, for a total of nine goals and seven assists.”

Malian descent player Moussa Sylla and Senegalese goalkeeper Seydou Sy were also among the players released by the Red and Whites on Wednesday.

The duo developed through the ranks at Monaco but Sylla played just nine minutes of football in 2019-20 while Sy did not feature for the first-team at all.

“Also at the end of the lease, the Senegalese international goalkeeper Seydou Sy, 24, arrived in 2014 after having played in Italy, with AC Milan U19s,” the statement continued.

“A highly-appreciated teammate, Seydou Sy had started with the reserve team and was notably part of the 2016-17 French Champion group.

“For his part, striker Moussa Sylla, a product of Monaco training, has 34 appearances in Red and White colours (4 goals, 1 assist), including six in the Champions League (1 goal).

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to see Manchester United be more clinical despite Anthony Martial's hat-trick sealing a commanding 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Martial's first treble in senior football - also the first by any United player in the Premier League since Robin van Persie more than seven years ago - was just reward for a fine showing from the hosts, as the Blades laboured in the Manchester heat.

It could have been a more commanding margin of victory, with Marcus Rashford culpable for a pair of glaring first-half misses, and it was this area of his side's performance that drew Solskjaer's attention as much as Martial's brilliance.

"The build-up into the last pass or finish was good, but we need to do better with all the spaces we created," he told Sky Sports.

"I do expect them to take those moments. It didn't cost us today. We know we played well but we can do so much better.

"There's been games where we have dominated and not taken our chances, so we need to take our chances – that's what I'm saying.

"We created enough to win by more and in other games we've created enough to win them but not taken them.

"We need to take the chances and on the last pass be aggressive and progressive enough with our passing."

Aaron Wan-Bissaka assuaged doubts over the attacking side of his game with a superb assist for Martial's second in the 44th minute – a pivotal moment in the contest given Sheffield United had resumed brightly from the first-half drinks break.

"He's a former winger, he had another couple of great crosses as well. We need to be on the end of those," Solskjaer said.

"Aaron is developing all the time. He's not played full-back many years and he'll only get better."

Paul Pogba turned in a polished performance on his first start since September, operating alongside Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Matic in a United midfield three that appeared ideally balanced.

"Paul was quality out there. He settled us, good decision making, good passing, hard to take the ball off him," Solskjaer added.

"I'm very pleased that we can get more minutes into him and let's see what we do in the weeks coming."

United are keeping the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea and now sit two points behind them ahead of the Blues' home match against Manchester City on Thursday.

Wednesday's victory extended the Red Devils' unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 matches.

Frank Lampard says that he supports Raheem Sterling's fight for equality in football, but doesn't necessarily agree with the fact that his own rise in management was used in an individual comparison.

Sterling recently discussed the lack of minority coaches at the top level of football in the wake of ongoing protests for racial equality as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

As part of that discussion, Sterling pointed to four former England stars, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, while discussing their coaching journeys.

Gerrard and Lampard are currently managers at historic clubs in Rangers and Chelsea, respectively.

Campbell, on the other hand, has worked with both Macclesfield and Southend, while Cole is currently in charge of Chelsea's Under-15s.

In Sterling's eyes, Lampard and Gerrard's rapid rise to big management positions should be compared with the difficulties faced by their former England team-mates, who have had to take significantly more modest paths.

But Lampard says its important to not look at individual cases such as his own, although he admitted that there is still much work to be done when it comes to diversifying those in charge of top-level clubs.

"I think there is certainly an argument," Lampard said. "I think we're moving forwards and I think we can move forward more quickly, where [black] players are getting equal opportunities if they move into management.

"Not just players, but also young coaches who come into the game. The FA do a lot of good work, I've just finished my pro licence, it was very diverse, it was very open. That needs to be encouraged, if there's anything we can do to ensure everyone gets an equal opportunity in the paths towards management, then it needs to be done.

"The numbers suggest that needs to be done. But with Raheem, the individual comparison, when you don't have the detail of each person's pathway, I felt it wasn't quite right.

"Again, I'll level that out slightly, because I want to say that Raheem Sterling as a player, and as a person and what he's stood up for over the last two years, I think has been fantastic."

Sterling's Manchester City will face Lampard's Chelsea on Thursday as players will continue to wear shirts with "Black Lives Matter" patches on the sleeve.

The trip to Stamford Bridge comes just 18 months after Sterling was racially abused at the stadium, with the winger becoming a prominent voice in the battle against racism ever since. 

Frank Lampard is comfortable playing N’Golo Kante in an advanced midfield role because he believes the Frenchman has the attributes to play anywhere on the field.

Kante joined the Blues as a defensive midfielder in 2016 and was regarded as one of the best in the world in the role until Maurizio Sarri took over as coach in 2018.

The Italian coach began to use the ex-Leicester star further upfield to accommodate Jorginho, who slotted into the holding midfield role after his arrival from Napoli.

Kante excelled in his new role, however, scoring four goals and setting up another four in the Premier League last season, and Lampard has continued to play him there since he was appointed Chelsea boss last summer.

The 29-year-old has netted three goals in 19 top-flight appearances this term and Lampard says he has shown he is more than comfortable in several positions.

"I think we all know N'Golo's attributes, and he hasn't really played as the deep-lying midfielder, he's generally played as one of two, or in recent times one of the more slightly offensive players ahead of one deep-lying midfield player,” Lampard said.

"I think he has the attributes to do all roles, that's one of the beauties of the way he plays and, of course, what he gives by winning the ball back, being so quick in the tackle, so quick into the press, covering lots of ground – and also how good he is on the ball, I think people can underestimate how good N'Golo is on the ball, how quickly he can move with it and pass the ball.

"So I've got no problem in playing him in different positions, it's something we've worked on with him a little bit, and it gives me good options to have different types of attributes in that deeper position at times."

Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League after 30 matches, four points behind third-placed Leicester and five ahead of Manchester United.

The London side’s next match is at home to second-placed Manchester City, three days before they visit Leicester in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has hailed "incredible" Willian, detailing how the normally-reserved winger has emerged as a vital leader for the Blues this season.

The 31-year-old has been with Chelsea for seven years, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, Willian could depart at the end of the season, with his contract originally set to expire at the end of June.

The Brazilian recently delayed that departure, though, joining Pedro in agreeing to terms through the end of the 2019-20 season.

Willian has made it publicly clear that the Blues are unwilling to offer him the three-year deal he's hoping for, and, as a result, his future remains undecided.

Having played with the winger, Lampard has a unique appreciation for the Brazilian and the Chelsea boss is thrilled to have Willian involved for the final eight matches of the Premier League season as well as the FA Cup and Champions League.

"He's been incredible in terms of that the younger players look up to him," Lampard said. "He's played every level, and at a high level himself throughout.

"He has a great character about him and it's good, it's important when you have a lot of young players that they have people to look up to from within. He's not a shouter and a screamer, but he certainly works by example in how he is daily, so yes, I'm very thankful for having him in the squad this year."

In recent times, Willian, like most modern footballers, has seen his fair share of criticism on social media.

The Brazilian, who has started all but one of Chelsea's Premier League matches, isn't deserving of any of it, Lampard says.

The head coach added that he understands the importance and influence of social media, but he won't let outside opinions impact his own decision-making process.

"In terms of social media, I remember the back-end of my playing career I had a couple of moments of viewing of what fans thought of me, either Chelsea or outside," he said.

"And it kind of stopped me wanting to look at it again because if you were to view social media, you'd never pick a team, you'd change it every two seconds. And I suppose that's the beauty of football in one way, that everyone has opinions.

"My opinion, fortunately, is the important one here at the moment, at the club. And I get to see what the players are like, how they train day to day, so when you make a selection people might comment on from the outside, they don't see what you see.

"And I have a huge value on training, how players behave and work in training in the week. I knew Willian had it as a player because I've played with him. I think we've all seen it on the pitch this year, his work ethic off the ball, his creation and his work on the ball, and you saw it against Aston Villa as well.

"So I think, generally, Chelsea fans hold him in real high regard. It's difficult in the modern day to take a view on what social media says from all over the world. I think people who are in the club know the value of him, and no matter what happens at the end of the season, he's been a fantastic servant for the club."

Super-sub Ahmed El Mohamady was on target in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday, in the process ending his five-year wait to find the net in England’s elite division.

The hosts looked destined to secure maximum points at St James’ Park having taken a 68th-minute lead,  however, the 32-year-old headed home a corner-kick with seven minutes left to play to earn his team a point.

Dean Smith’s men neck to neck against Steve Bruce’s team with aspiration on ending their six-game run without a victory.

They could have taken the lead after six-minute but Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ scraped his shot over the bar after meeting Ezri Konsa’s cross.

After a dominant first-half that ended goalless, Villa continued with their imposing display but go stunned in the 68th minute through substitute Dwight Gayle. He picked the far corner after being assisted by Andy Carroll.

That propelled manager Smith to introduce Conor Hourihane and El Mohamady as he looked for a comeback – which he got in the 83rd minute after the Egyptian headed past Hourihane’s corner past Martin Dubravka.

With that, he has now scored his first Premier League goal since March 22, 2015 – when he beat Thibaut Courtois in Hull City’s 3-2 defeat to Chelsea.

Also, that marked his second English topflight strike at against the Magpies – making Newcastle United the only side he has netted more than once against in the competition.

Tanzania superstar Mbwana Samatta was handed a starter’s role and he saw every minute of action, while Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba replaced John McGinn in the 77th minute.

Even with the draw, Aston Villa remain 19th in the log with 27 points from 31 league games - six ahead of Norwich City who sit at the base of the table.

For Newcastle, they are ranked 13th having accrued 39 points from the same number of matches. They welcome Manchester City in their next encounter on Sunday, as Samatta and his team continues to fight against relegation against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Liverpool moved a step closer to clinching their first title in the Premier League era with a resounding 4-0 triumph over Crystal Palace.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's delightful free-kick midway through the first half set Jurgen Klopp's side on the way as they maintained their 100 per cent league record at Anfield this season.

A 16th straight home victory in the competition in 2019-20, albeit this one coming inside an empty stadium due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was wrapped up just prior to half-time by the returning Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool will now wait to see if Manchester City keep them waiting into July to end a 30-year wait to be crowned champions again; Pep Guardiola's side must win at Chelsea on Thursday to remain in the hunt, mathematically at least.

Palace were the last away team to triumph at Anfield in the Premier League, back in April 2017, though hopes of a repeat suffered an early blow when an already depleted visiting line-up lost the talismanic Wilfried Zaha to injury. 

Their cause was also not helped either by facing opponents clearly determined to do better after a Sunday stalemate against neighbours Everton. 

Georginio Wijnaldum had already spurned a glorious opportunity before Alexander-Arnold's sublime set-piece strike broke the deadlock, the full-back lifting the ball over the Palace wall and beyond Wayne Hennessey's desperate dive.

Fabinho's delightful pass picked out Salah's run in behind to lift the ball over the Palace goalkeeper in the 44th minute, while the Brazilian went for power to thump in a stunning third from distance 10 minutes into the second half.

Sadio Mane rounded out the scoring when Salah's throughball allowed him a clear run on goal before steering a low shot past Hennessey. Job done for Liverpool, meaning their attention now switches to what happens at Stamford Bridge.

What does it mean? Reds right on the edge

The 30-year wait (plus a few weeks) is almost over. Pedestrian in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on their return after a three-month hiatus, Liverpool were far more up to speed back on the other side of Stanley Park.

City will have a major say in when exactly a title race that turned into a procession long ago officially comes to an end, just not quite in the way they might have hoped.

All systems Mo again

In case anyone needed reminding, Salah demonstrated his importance to Liverpool. An unused substitute at the weekend due to a fitness concern, the Egyptian made it 15 home goals in the Premier League season.

Firmin-woe continues at Anfield 

While Salah and Mane scored, the other member of Liverpool's formidable frontline once again drew a blank at Anfield. Roberto Firmino is not all about goals, of course, but his last at home in the league was way back in March 2019, against Tottenham.

What's next?  

Liverpool have time to recover before they travel to the Etihad Stadium on July 2. Palace are in action prior to then, however, welcoming Burnley to Selhurst Park on June 29. 

 English North East Regional Women’s Football League side Wakefield Trinity Ladies has secured the services of Uganda defender Jean Sseninde on a one-year deal.  

Wakefield Trinity Ladies was established in 2019 and are bolstering their ranks ahead of the new 2020-21 season following the cancellation of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The English outfit were second in the 2019-20 season but their Women's National League promotion dreams were dashed after the season was voided with all results expunged.

The West Yorkshire based outfit had already confirmed the acquisition of Chelsea Pilmer, Rosie Gresswell, Tyler Carter Dabda and the latest and fourth this summer is the Uganda international.

The Crested Cranes star had enjoyed stints at Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier before being sidelined due to injury.

Earlier this week, Sseninde had established a partnership with the English outfit on the empowerment of women and youth in communities through education and non-formal skills training in Uganda.

"Wakefield Trinity Ladies FC will forge a partnership with the Sseninde Foundation and in the summer of 2021 Trinity player-coaches will visit Uganda, spend time with a Ugandan family and experience the culture but also deliver exhibition coaching sessions with their girls’ football teams, schools and communities during a two-week stay," the club recently announced.

Speaking on her switch to Goal, Sseninde expressed delight over her move and shared how valuable the opportunity is to return to the field again.

"I agreed on a one-year with an option of another extension with the club," she told Goal.

"My ambition now is to get back to playing next season and regaining full fitness after being out for almost a year with injuries and other commitments.

"Had a lot of injuries and needed to recover other commitments to help develop women’s football and administration work in the game which am still committed to and I will never put limits on what I can do and want all young girls to believe it’s all possible.

"For me now it’s to settle into getting back to a professional playing setting and also inspiring many young girls in Africa and around the world that you can be successful both in and off the field if you trust God, work hard, believe in yourself and stay committed. Never allow people to write you off or define you on what you want to achieve."

Sseninde will be aiming to return to the field after months out due to injury and inspire her new English side to the second division next season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned there is more to come from his Manchester United as they target a third place finish after beating Sheffield United.

Man Utd moved to within two points of Chelsea in fourth after a dominant display at Old Trafford thanks to an Anthony Martial hat-trick.

And while Solskjaer was happy with his side’s performance, he thinks there is still room for improvement and thought they should have scored more.

“At times it was very, very good football we could and should have scored more goals to put the game to bed before half time,” Solskjaer said. “It’s always worrying going into half time knowing you should have scored [more] goals the way we controlled the game, pressed and stopped them playing.

“I’m very happy with it but there is still more to come and we shouldn’t be 100 per cent happy with it.”

The win means Man Utd are now six points off third-placed Leicester, with a trip to the King Power to come before the end of the season - and Solskjaer isn’t ruling out United finishing third.

“I have never said fourth is our aim. We want to win, we want to go up to third, of course we want to,” he said. “Hopefully we can count the points and only have two teams ahead of us at the end.”

Martial shone in the match, which was the first behind-closed-doors fixture at Old Trafford, and while everyone raved about his third - which was a lovely chip past Simon Moore - Solskjaer was more impressed with the Frenchman’s movement for the first goal.

“The third goal was a great goal. But for me the first and the second were better. He’s in the box, ready to go. We have worked on that, getting in the box in that situation more often,” Solskjaer said.

“At the near post he showed composure and I think, as I said, the first goal was vital the way he turns and gets himself into a position to score from Marcus' cross. [I'm] very pleased with that. 

“He’s getting more and more into those position he could have had one at Spurs  - a great turn and finish and a great save, he’s in good form.”

The hat-trick was Martial's first in senior football as well as the first scored by a Man Utd player since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Robin van Persie was the last Man Utd player to fire three goals in one match, and Martial says he hopes Wednesday's hat-trick is a sign of things to come.

“It's special for me because it's my first one and I hope it's not the last one,” Martial told Sky Sports.

“It was a long time with nobody scoring three goals [for Manchester United].

“It was an important win against a team who are just behind us, so it is important for us to keep going and win the next one.”

Great Olympics director and former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice president Fred Pappoe believes it will be "difficult" for the West African nation to resume the Premier League (GPL) amid the current coronavirus situation.

All domestic football competitions have been on hold since a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into effect as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease on March 15.

Following the recent return of some national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, there have been calls for Ghana to follow suit. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has revealed it is currently engaging the national government over the possible resumption of football under strict safe protocols such as playing matches behind closed doors.

“If you look at the fact that we are having the infection rate going up at this stage, it’s still dangerous, it’s not getting positive or encouraging,” Pappoe said, as reported by Footballmadeinghana.

“You will ask yourself whether, under the circumstances, we can start our game. Definitely we cannot unless there is a change.

“Now one can also argue that other leagues are playing, England, Spain and all the rest.

“But then you ask yourself what they did or what they are doing to enable them to play safely. Do we have the capacity to do what they’ve done or what they are doing to get to this level? Definitely I think that will also be difficult.

“So much as it is sad to say it, looking at what we know now and what is happening now, it will be very difficult to say we should start our game."

Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, remains in effect until at least July 31.

The GFA has set a June 30 deadline to make a final decision on the future of the 2019-20 Ghana football season in the wake of the disruptions.

The Premier League was at the matchweek 15 stage - with Aduana Stars leading the table - when the competition came to a standstill.

With huge uncertainties over the immediate future of domestic football due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections in Ghana, there have also been some calls for the complete termination of the season. 

Claudia Dabda provided an assist and Salimata Simpore was on target for Dinamo-BSUPC as they gained a first-leg advantage in the Belarusian Women's Cup semi-final after defeating Zorka-BSU 6-0 on Wednesday.

The Cameroon defender and Burkina Faso striker have continued to impress since joining the Belarusian club during the winter transfer window this year. 

Going into the contest, Simpore contributed an assist in Dinamo's 5-0 thrashing of Neman to maintain their lead at the top last Friday.

Again at home, Dinamo maintained their fantastic form as Hanna Pilipenko opened the scoring through an assist from Anastasia Shlapakova in the 14th minute at the Dynama-Juni Stadium.

In the 31st minute, Anastasiya Linnik teed up Simpore to double the lead before Karina Olkhovik netted the third four minutes later and also set up Shlapakova for the fourth six minutes from half time.

After the restart, Linnik grabbed a fifth of the match off an assist from Vita Nikolaenko in the 59th minute before Dabda teed up Krystsina Tikhavodava to seal the victory nine minutes from time. 

Simpore's goal was her seventh in seven games for Dinamo and the Burkina Faso star, who lasted for 71 minutes.

Cameroon's Dabda was also involved from the start to the finish but South Africa's Bambanani Mbane was not involved in the encounter.

A draw in the second leg away on July 8 will be enough for Yury's ladies to advance to the semi-finals for the first time in their debut season.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has announced plans to restart the 2019-20 Botola Pro season and Botola 2 campaign on July 24.

After a virtual meeting between the league authorities and the FRMF led by President Fouzi Lekjaa, it was announced the campaign will resume next month and end on August 8 without fans in stadiums.

Football activities in Morocco were suspended on March 14 to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country and following the progress made by health institutions, the top-flight and second division clubs have been cleared to resume.training sessions which will be in two stages. These are individual and collective sessions - from June 25 with the individual phase having five players occupying half of the stadium for 10 days.

The FRMF also concluded the start date for the 2020-21 football season will be October 16.

In reducing the impact of Covid-19 on players' performances, the federation approved the recommendation of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) which grants clubs permission to make five substitutions instead of three in a game. There will also be a pause for three minutes in every 30 minutes of a match.

Prior to the suspension of football in March, Wydad Casablanca sit at the top of the Botola Pro table with 36 points after 18 matches and they still have two games in hand.

FUS Rabat trail in second spot with 35 points after 20 games while Mouloudia Oujda are third with 34 points from 19 outings.

In the Second Division, Maghreb Fes and Chabab Mohammédia are leading the hunt for promotion to Botola Pro, and they are level on 39 points after 22 matches.