Joao Felix scored the winner against his parent club as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at home to move above them in the LaLiga table.
Felix, who joined Barca on loan during the summer, grabbed the only goal with a deft finish in the 28th minute – five days on from scoring his side’s second in their 2-1 Champions League victory over Porto.
Raphinha almost doubled the lead when he hit a post after the break, before Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena came to the fore with some fine saves that included turning a Memphis Depay free-kick against the crossbar.
Xavi’s men replace Diego Simeone’s Atletico in third, with a four-point gap to leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona – Barcelona’s opponents at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium next Sunday.
Barca had a starting line-up unchanged from the Porto match until an issue in the warm-up for Inigo Martinez resulted in the defender being replaced by Andreas Christensen.
After the contest got under way, the home side had a chance in the opening seconds as Raphinha advanced into the box and shot wide.
Fellow forward Robert Lewandowski hit a subsequent volley off-target, before Felix put the hosts in front, collecting the ball from Raphinha, getting past Nahuel Molina and lifting the ball over Jan Oblak in delightful fashion.
The Portuguese then saw his flick well kept out by Oblak with a minute of normal time remaining in the first half.
Raphinha went closer in the 57th minute as his shot came back off a post, shortly before Pena produced a good save to keep out an Alvaro Morata attempt.
After Felix put another attempt wide, there were then further heroics from Pena in the 80th minute as he diverted ex-Barca man Depay’s free-kick onto the bar.
Lewandowski tried his luck again six minutes later, shooting wide, before Pena excelled once again in stoppage time to thwart Depay’s fellow substitute Angel Correa and ensure the champions claimed three points.
Everton withdraw appeal against two-point Premier League deduction
Everton have withdrawn their appeal against a two-point deduction issued for a breach of the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
Last November, the Toffees were hit with a 10-point deduction for breaching the competition's financial rules during a four-year assessment period ending in 2021-22, though that penalty was reduced to six points on appeal.
They were then – along with Nottingham Forest – charged with breaching again in the period culminating in the end of last season.
An independent commission found Everton had exceeded the maximum loss limit of £105million by £16.6m during that latter period, issuing a further two-point deduction, which the club pledged to appeal.
However, Everton have since secured safety with relative ease, winning four straight home games against Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Brentford last month.
They now sit 11 points clear of the bottom three with just two games remaining ahead of Saturday's meeting with already-relegated Sheffield United.
Having seen Forest fail in an attempt to overturn or reduce a four-point penalty for their breach, Everton have opted to let their punishment stand.
In a statement, the club said: "Everton Football Club has withdrawn its appeal of the decision by a Premier League independent commission to impose a two-point penalty for a breach of profit and sustainability rules for the accounting period ending in June 2023.
"A hearing, scheduled for later this month, will now not proceed and the club will conclude the 2023-24 season with the two-point deduction remaining in place."
While Everton have confirmed their top-flight status for next season, uncertainty continues to surround the club, with a prospective takeover by Miami-based investment group 777 Partners yet to be ratified, despite the deal being agreed in September.
The Everton Shareholders' Association (EFCSA) has called for majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri to cancel the deal amid continued doubts regarding 777's ability to fund the club.
Arsenal star Rice a worthy Player of the Season contender, believes Parlour
Declan Rice deserves to be in contention for the Premier League's Player of the Season award and has proven to be the best signing of the campaign, says former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour.
Rice joined Arsenal from West Ham in a £105million deal last July and has had a transformative impact, helping Mikel Arteta's side push Manchester City all the way in the title race.
On Thursday, Rice – alongside Arsenal team-mate Martin Odegaard – was named as one of eight nominees for the Premier League's Player of the Season prize, with the likes of Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Virgil van Dijk also on the shortlist.
As well as helping Arsenal maintain the Premier League's best defensive record in 2023-24, Rice has carried the ball further than any other player in the competition (7,520m), while only seven players have bettered his 147 carries progressing the ball at least 10 yards upfield.
Parlour says Rice's style reminds him of former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson, describing the Gunners man as a true box-to-box midfielder.
Parlour, an ambassador for NetBet, told Stats Perform: "Mark Noble's not too far away from me and I'd always ask, 'Mark, is Declan coming to Arsenal?' He'd always say, 'I don't think you can afford him!'
"I'm so pleased they stumped up the money and he's been brilliant. I never doubted him really because I know his attitude is very good. He wants to learn, he wants to get better.
"I think with [Thomas] Partey coming in as well, he can get forward a little bit more. He's a little bit more dangerous. He's got a good way of passing, he can probably score more goals if I'm being honest.
"The way he plays is like the old-fashioned midfielders. I go back to the older era with people like Bryan Robson, where you'd have to go box-to-box, and he can do that.
"He's got the energy to do that, so I like him to get forward a little bit more, but he's been absolutely superb this year and he's certainly my player of the season."
Defender William Saliba has joined Bukayo Saka in being nominated for Young Player of the Year honours, and Parlour believes the Frenchman is one of several Gunners worthy of recognition.
"There's been a lot of good performances, though. The two centre-backs have stayed fit this year and they've been excellent, Gabriel and Saliba," He added.
"Martin Odegaard has been absolutely brilliant as well, he always wants the ball, his vision is very, very good.
"But I think Declan has certainly stood out as the signing of the season and then probably player of the season for Arsenal."
Ray Parlour was speaking on behalf of NetBet Sports Betting https://sport.netbet.co.uk
Terzic calls on Dortmund to maintain focus ahead of Champions League final
Borussia Dortmund will not go easy on Mainz in the Bundesliga on Saturday as they look to maintain their rhythm ahead of the Champions League final, says coach Edin Terzic.
Dortmund are fifth in the Bundesliga with two games remaining, with the performances of German clubs in Europe ensuring that will be enough for Champions League participation next season.
They are also building towards their third appearance in the final of Europe's premier club competition, having overcome Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on aggregate in the last four.
While all eyes will soon turn to their trip to Wembley Stadium to face Real Madrid on June 1, Terzic is determined that his side maintain their intensity levels, even if he rotates his squad.
"Through this rotation we not only keep the team physically and emotionally fresh but we also give chances to other players," Terzic told reporters on Friday.
"Our season just got a bit longer and we want to keep the rhythm up. It is about what we have built up in the past weeks and us wanting to still achieve something big, and that cannot happen with us shifting down a gear.
"We want to make these weeks the best weeks of the season."
Mainz denied Dortmund the Bundesliga title last season, snatching a 2-2 draw against BVB on the final day as Bayern Munich swooped in to retain their crown.
They are now battling against relegation, but Terzic is not thinking of Saturday's game as a chance for payback.
"They did spoil our summer last year, but they did it fair and square. They had a say last season and did it well," he said. "Now we have the chance to have an influence."
Mainz are in 16th place, currently occupying the relegation play-off spot, five points ahead of 17th-placed Cologne.
More importantly for Terzic, the game marks the start of a three-week build-up towards the Champions League final.
"We celebrated our qualification for the final on the night and now we have to deal with the situation pragmatically," he said.
"Now a new preparation starts for the Champions League final with these remaining two Bundesliga matches."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
