Chelsea endured a frustrating start to the post-Graham Potter era as they shared a 0-0 Premier League draw with Liverpool, a VAR check denying Kai Havertz a winner at Stamford Bridge.
Interim Blues boss Bruno Saltor saw his team create plenty of chances against a much-changed Reds side after Jurgen Klopp omitted Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and other key players from his starting XI.
However, Chelsea's familiar attacking woes were on full display as Havertz saw a potentially decisive strike ruled out for handball to cap a wasteful performance.
While the result keeps Chelsea inside the bottom half, Liverpool failed to make up ground on their rivals for a top-four finish as their winless run was extended to four games across all competitions.
Chelsea started brightly as Mateo Kovacic forced Ibrahima Konate into a sliding goal-line clearance, before Alisson smothered Havertz's close-range flick following good work from Ben Chilwell.
Reece James thought he had volleyed Chelsea ahead after 24 minutes, but an offside call against Enzo Fernandez in the build-up saw his powerful finish chalked off.
Having offered virtually nothing as an attacking force, Liverpool almost snatched the lead on the stroke of half-time, Wesley Fofana crucially deflecting Fabinho's volley around the post.
Kovacic fired over from a glaring one-on-one chance after the interval, before Havertz was denied the opener by a VAR review when the German's tame finish bounced back off Alisson and found the net via his arm.
Joao Felix sent a wild volley over as Chelsea continued to create the clearest opportunities late on, with even the introduction of Salah failing to inspire out-of-form Liverpool.
Lucas Holer's last-gasp penalty saw Freiburg snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals to end Thomas Tuchel's hopes of a domestic double.
The tie appeared to be headed to extra time, until Jamal Musiala handled Nicolas Hofler's strike, enabling Holer to secure a shock win.
Bayern had looked the likelier of the two teams to claim a late winner, after seeing Dayot Upamecano's first-half header cancelled out by Hofler's excellent volley.
It means Tuchel, in his second game since replacing Julian Nagelsmann, will miss out of the chance of both Bundesliga and Pokal glory as Christian Streich's side proceed to the last four.
Justin Thomas is prepared for business as usual at The Masters with little interest in the contentious inclusion of LIV Golf International Series players in Augusta.
The world number 10 will be joined by 17 LIV Golf stars at the Augusta National Golf Course, with six of those rebel golfers automatically qualifying via a lifetime exemption after winning the tournament.
Majors are the only tournaments the two sets of golfers can feature in after the PGA Tour banned those who joined the Saudi-backed rebel series for record purses and 54-hole events.
The DP World Tour also acted to punish the breakaway stars, with £100,000 fines and potential suspensions for those playing in LIV events and opting out of the European competition.
A report from The Times on Tuesday claimed the DP World Tour will win its ongoing court case against the 13 LIV golfers appealing those sanctions, but Thomas is focused on his own matters in Georgia.
"I haven't really talked to any of them," Thomas said at a pre-tournament press conference.
"I don't know if it's just been coincidence or I've had the blinders on, but it's just been business. I'm just trying to take care of myself and I'm not worried about what they're doing."
Thomas' best Masters finish came when he battled to fourth in 2020, while the American tied for eighth in his most recent appearance last year.
Ahead of the start of the tournament on Thursday, Thomas is aiming to take a more casual approach in search of his third major title – having won the PGA Championship in 2017 and 2022.
"I can definitely want something too much," he continued. "I've wanted to win this tournament too much in the past.
"I've wanted to be world number one too badly, I've wanted to win golf tournaments too badly – it's a fine line.
"It's a learning process and I'm starting to learn a bit more. I'd love to be world number one and win tournaments, and not have to figure it out the tough way.
"But there is a lot of good that can come out of some negative experiences if you choose to look at it that way."
Thomas will play with Jon Rahm and Cameron Young in his first round, with that three-ball line-up teeing off at 10:42am local time.
Sai Sudharsan's unbeaten 62 helped Gujarat Titans continue their winning start in the IPL with a six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals.
Chasing 163, defending champions Gujarat lost three wickets before the end of the powerplay, including that of captain Hardik Pandya for just five.
But Sudharsan's half-century, aided by a big-hitting cameo from David Miller (31 off 16), set up an ultimately straightforward win.
The 21-year-old survived an eighth-over review for caught behind and put on 53 for the fourth wicket with Vijay Shankar (29).
Miller then joined Sudharsan in the middle and ensured the Titans raced to their target with 11 balls to spare – the Capitals' 162-8 never having really looked like being enough.
David Warner had opened with 37 but required 32 balls, with that plodding run rate keeping the Titans firmly in the match.
Nortje enjoys opener rewards
In a brief spell in which the Capitals looked capable of causing their opponents some problems, Anrich Nortje dismissed openers Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill.
Since the start of the 2022 tournament, Nortje has taken the wicket of six openers, the second-most among Capitals bowlers.
Miller turns on the style
The Titans have an impressive record chasing targets of 150 or more, doing so a leading seven times in the past two years.
They were able to do so this time in large part due to Miller's contribution, which saw two fours and two sixes in a 28-minute dash to the finish.
Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out of Liverpool's Premier League trip to Chelsea through illness, with Mohamed Salah surprisingly named on the bench as Jurgen Klopp makes six changes to his side.
Van Dijk reportedly missed training after feeling unwell ahead of Tuesday's game at Stamford Bridge, where Liverpool are looking to end a run of three successive defeats either side of the international break.
The defender previously missed seven games with a hamstring injury in January and February, with the Reds suffering demoralising defeats at Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolves in his absence.
Van Dijk is not the only notable absentee from Klopp's starting lineup in west London, with Salah joining Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson in dropping to the bench.
Joe Gomez and Konstantinos Tsimikas replace the full-back pair, while Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino have been brought in, with Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo also replaced.
Chelsea's interim head coach Bruno Saltor, meanwhile, has made two changes to the side that began Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa – a result that led to Graham Potter's dismissal.
N'Golo Kante will captain Chelsea on his first Premier League start since last August, with Wesley Fofana the second player introduced by former Brighton and Hove Albion full-back Bruno.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mykhailo Mudryk are both named on the bench after starting the defeat against Villa, a result that left Chelsea mired inside the Premier League's bottom half.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been handed an eight-match ban after pushing referee Chris Kavanagh during Fulham's FA Cup defeat at Manchester United last month.
Mitrovic was sent off for pushing Kavanagh after the official dismissed his Fulham team-mate Willian for handball during the second half of their 3-1 quarter-final defeat at Old Trafford.
The Serbia international subsequently apologised for his actions, though he always appeared likely to receive an extended ban after the Football Association (FA) said a three-match suspension was "clearly insufficient".
Mitrovic was subsequently charged with violent conduct, as well as with using "improper, abusive, insulting and threatening" language towards Kavanagh.
Following a hearing by an independent regulatory commission, it was revealed Mitrovic would be banned for a total of eight matches on Tuesday, with the striker also receiving a £75,000 fine.
Mitrovic missed Saturday's Premier League defeat at Bournemouth through suspension, meaning he must sit out seven further games and will next be available when the Cottagers face Southampton on May 13.
Fulham's head coach Marco Silva was also shown a red card during the defeat to United, and he will serve a two-game touchline ban after being charged with improper conduct and using "abusive and insulting" language.
Silva, who subsequently said he regretted the incident, has also been fined a total of £40,000 after the FA said his post-match comments questioned the integrity of the match officials.
In the aftermath of the loss, Silva said it was "difficult to understand" why Kavanagh had been appointed to the fixture, accusing the referee of making mistakes during a prior defeat at West Ham.
There could be more bad news to come for Fulham, however, with the FA outlining an intention to appeal the sanctions in a bid to increase their severity.
In a statement, the governing body said: "Our current intention is to appeal both sanctions, however, we will await the written reasons before confirming our final position."
Tiger Woods believes it is simply "a matter of time" before Rory McIlroy wins the Masters, backing him to complete a career grand slam in due course.
The Northern Irishman is a four-time major winner, and has claimed all three of golf's other key honours in his career.
But the nearest he has come to success at Augusta National was last year, when he finished second, three strokes off victor Scottie Scheffler.
Woods, a five-time champion in Georgia, thinks it is just a waiting game for McIlroy now, and is confident he will claim the green jacket before long.
"He will [win it]," he said. "It's a matter of time. He has the talent, he has the game, he has all the tools to be able to win here.
"It's a matter of time. A lot of things have to happen to win at this golf course, a lot has to go right. You have to know how to play the course.
"Last year he had a great run and put himself [in] there. Whether it's this year, next year or whatever, he will do it, and he will have a career grand slam."
Woods also weighed in on the anticipated revamp to several key events on the PGA Tour, with plans for no-cut tournaments in response to LIV Golf.
The 15-time major winner feels it has potential, suggesting it will not penalise players for poor performance, but stressed no firm calls had been made yet.
"There [are] still some discussions about some of the designated events and whether we're going to have cuts," he added.
"I'm certainly pushing for my event to have a cut. Maybe the player-hosted events will have cuts. There does need to be a penalty for not playing well.
"Every event shouldn't be a guaranteed 72 holes. We're trying to figure that out, to see where those designated events will be and how many there will be."
Tiger Woods plans to relish every moment when he makes his 25th start at the Masters this week, admitting he is uncertain how many more majors he will be able to play.
Having suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021, Woods made a stirring return to competitive golf at last year's edition of the Masters.
Five-time champion Woods finished 47th at Augusta National Golf Club last year, making the cut before carding back-to-back 78s across the final two rounds.
While playing his first non-major PGA Tour event since 2020 at February's Genesis Invitational, Woods confirmed he planned to appear at all four majors this year – but the 47-year-old knows that aim is dependent on his fitness.
Asked if the possibility this could be his final major had crossed his mind, Woods told reporters: "Yeah, it has. Last year, I didn't know if I was going to play again at that time.
"For some reason, everything came together, I pushed a bit and was able to make the cut, which was nice.
"I don't know how many more I have in me, so I just have to be able to appreciate the time I have here and cherish the memories.
"So much of my life has been here at Augusta National. I'm just so excited to be able to come back here and play."
Woods ended an 11-year major title drought at the 2019 Masters, and while he is not being discussed as a leading contender this time around, he has not given up hope of a repeat performance.
"Whether I'm a threat, who knows," Woods said. "People probably didn't think I was a threat in 2019 either, but that turned out okay!
"If there's any one golf course I can come back at like I did last year, it's here.
"I think my game is better than it was at this particular time last year. My endurance is better, but it aches a little more than it did last year.
"I just have to be conscious of how much I can push it. I can hit a lot of shots, but the difficulty for me is going to be walking, going forwards. That's how it is.
"It has been tough, and it will always be tough. It will never be the same, I understand that; it's one of the reasons why I can't prepare and play as many tournaments as I would like. That's my future, and I'm okay with that."
Jurgen Klopp sees chances for Liverpool's fringe players to push for inclusion, suggesting just a handful of his squad are safe amid rough form.
The Reds slipped to a 4-1 loss against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, their third straight defeat across all competitions.
Only a slew of fortunate results elsewhere has kept them in eighth place, and still in the hunt to secure European qualification after a poor season.
But ahead of Tuesday's trip to Chelsea, Klopp acknowledges plenty of spots are up for grabs amid the lacklustre efforts of his regular picks.
"We have opportunities to change, and we have to change," he told Sky Sports News. "We cannot just close our eyes and say 'the same again and again'.
"We have to change, and now the door is miles open for everybody to get into the team because there's only two or three who have their spot safe.
"The boys know, that's one thing I told them. We have to fight through this, that's the only way.
"You cannot play a little bit of here and there, or play with a backheel five times in a row and [hope] something will happen
"You have to really open your eyes, put everything straight and go. That's what we will do."
Klopp was public in his evisceration of his squad following their capitulation against City, but the German is unconcerned that his words may harm morale.
"The players feel very responsible for everything, so there's not one player in the dressing room who doesn't care," he added.
"We were underperforming in almost every other position and that doesn't help. None of the performances were great, and you cannot play like that against City.
"You cannot play like that in the Premier League. The next opponent requires everything we have to offer and that's what we prepare for."
Rory McIlroy claims he is more relaxed than ever ahead of this year's Masters, after shedding "scar tissue" last time out.
The world number two returns to Augusta National a year on from a second-place finish, where he finished three strokes behind Scottie Scheffler.
McIlroy's result marked his best-ever return at the Masters, the only one of golf's four majors to elude him across his professional career.
With that performance in 2022 still in his mind, the Northern Irishman feels he can put the ghosts of past Masters to rest for good this time around.
"Not every experience is going to be a good experience," he said ahead of Thursday's first round. "I think that would lead to a pretty boring life.
"You have to learn from those challenges, and [the] scar tissue that has built up. Last year, I maybe shed some of that scar tissue and made a breakthrough.
"I feel like my game is in a pretty good place and I know [Augusta] just about as well as anyone. It's always great to be back at the Masters.
"The whole field has been building up to this point, [so it is] good to be back. I've been up here quite a bit in recent weeks.
"I've played 81 holes, so I've very familiar with the place again. I'm feeling as relaxed as I ever have coming in here."
McIlroy's performance in 2022, where he posted a sensational eight-under final round, saw him bounce back after he failed to make the cut in 2021.
Since then, the Northern Irishman reclaimed top spot on the PGA Tour rankings, though he has been displaced at the summit by Scheffler.
Deandra Dottin’s return to the field of play did not go as planned as her Barmy Army Women suffered a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Spirit Women in their FairBreak Invitational tussle at the Kowloon Cricket Club in Hong Kong on Monday.
Spirit Women won the toss and elected to field first, restricting Barmy Army Women to 135-5 off their 20 overs.
West Indian Shemaine Campbelle top-scored with 33* off 25 balls while Kavisha Egodage made 30 and captain Lauren Winfield-Hill 22.
Dottin, who controversially missed the recently concluded WPL, made eight as Mahika Gaur and Betty Chan took two wickets each.
Then, thanks to 40* from captain Nicola Carey and 35 from Sophia Dunkley, Spirit Women needed juts 18.2 overs to reach 138-6.
Tara Norris took 2-34 off her four overs while Rumana Ahmed took 2-21 from her four. Dottin also bowled her full quota of overs, finishing with 1-33.
Christian Eriksen returns to full training with Manchester United on Tuesday, manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed.
The Denmark international has been sidelined since January with an ankle injury but remains hopeful of featuring before the end of the season.
While Eriksen will not be available to feature against his former side, Brentford, on Wednesday, a return could be right around the corner.
"He's not ready for tomorrow but he's returning to the pitch and into team training today, so we now have to see how quickly he can make progress," Ten Hag said at a press conference.
Eriksen's continued absence in midfield is further complicated by Casemiro's suspension. He was issued a four-match suspension following his red card in the goalless draw against Southampton and remains absent for the midweek clash, as well as Saturday's meeting with Everton.
Ten Hag accepts that losing two players of such a high calibre has an impact on the side but called on his squad to step up, expressing a necessity to win.
"They are two quality players. In the midfield department, games will be decided. When you miss two quality players, it's a clear [impact], but you have a squad and, when you don't have them, you still have to win," he added.
After winning the EFL Cup in February, United have hit a poor run of form in the Premier League with a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool and 2-0 loss at Newcastle either side of the aforementioned draw with Saints, dropping to fifth after Tottenham's Monday draw with Everton.
United are tied on points with Newcastle and Spurs, though hold two games in hand over the latter, but the club's struggles in the league since ending their trophy drought at Wembley are a cause for concern.
Ten Hag sees things differently, however, highlighting the FA Cup quarter-final win over Fulham as evidence that there are no issues in securing results against Premier League opponents.
"We played 60 minutes against Southampton with 10 men, we beat Fulham, that's a Premier League opponent, we beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, a Premier League opponent, so there's no concern - we know we can beat Premier League teams," he concluded.
Carlo Ancelotti branded Toni Kroos and Luka Modric as "untouchable" at Real Madrid, though did not confirm either midfielder will start against Barcelona.
Madrid head to Camp Nou on Wednesday for the second leg of a Copa del Rey semi-final tie that they trail 1-0 following Eder Militao's own goal in the reverse encounter last month.
Kroos, 33, and 37-year-old Modric both started that game, though the pair were substituted late in the second half.
While Kroos played the duration of Madrid's 6-0 win over Real Valladolid on Sunday, Modric was an unused substitute.
That would suggest Ancelotti was protecting the latter ahead of the third Clasico the space of a month, but Madrid's coach declared neither of his veteran campaigners in midfield are guaranteed starters.
"Kroos and Modric are untouchable but that doesn't mean they're going to play tomorrow," Ancelotti told reporters.
"There are many untouchables but then you have to choose an eleven. I have to think about the resources I have on the bench.
"Starting isn't the most important thing, the important thing is to be effective [the game]."
While Kroos and Modric approach the twilight of their careers, Madrid are looking to build for the future with Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, who has been a consistent starter since the season resumed following the World Cup.
Asked about the importance of the physicality and athleticism that the France duo can provide, Ancelotti said: "If we talk about energy, it's clear that in these games it's important.
"An effective start from above can also give you an advantage."
However, he acknowledged "there's a lot of pressure in these games", adding that "the experience of veterans can be important".
With Madrid one of the clubs reportedly pushing to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, Kroos and Modric could face uncertain futures.
They are both entering the final few months of their contracts, albeit renewals are said to be on the table.
"I see the players every day and they are very focused. It can be thought that when a contract ends it can affect them," Ancelotti said.
"It doesn't affect them and I don't have to tell them anything because they are very professional.
"Each one has to evaluate the role they have. It is the discussion that a player has to make and if they want to renew it is because they like the role they have."
Asked if he will discuss his team selection with any players left out of his starting XI, Ancelotti added: "Nothing special. I cannot talk to every single player who is not going to start.
"If they need to talk, my door is always open, but this group of players do not ask about explanations, they understand the situation, the moment.
"There are a lot of players who are very important, and the door will always be open to them."
Barcelona are not affected by off-field matters amid the ongoing Negreira scandal, head coach Xavi said.
The Catalan giants are subject to an investigation from UEFA with prosecutors in Spain pursuing charges for alleged corruption, having allegedly paid over €7million to the company owned by former vice-president of the refereeing committee in Spain, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira.
LaLiga cannot take action due to a statute of limitations in Spain but, speaking on Monday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin confirmed no such restrictions are in place for their investigation, while talking up the severity of the scandal.
Barcelona have denied any wrongdoing.
And Xavi insists the allegations are having no impact upon his squad.
"Extra-sporting issues don't go into the locker room. We talk about how to defend, how to attack. We are not talking about UEFA, nor Negreira," he told a press conference ahead of the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Madrid.
"We are focused on the Cup: there is a Clasico, they will come wanting revenge and we want to show that we can win again. The Camp Nou has to be a pressure cooker.
"I listen very little [to outside comments] and we value from within. The president values it very much. If the boss is not happy, it matters what is said from outside.
"Nothing should divert us, tomorrow we can have a double joy: to beat Madrid and reach a final. We are much better than last season."
On Monday, Barcelona issued a statement urging LaLiga president Javier Tebas to resign after alleged false claims in the Negreira case but Xavi refused to comment on the matter.
"I don't know him, we have greeted each other two three times, and I don't have a clear opinion," he added.
Barcelona hold a slender 1-0 advantage heading into Wednesday's game but Madrid are still the favourites, Xavi believes, saying: "When we have a two-legged game, I have the feeling that it is very difficult. How long has it been since they lost a two-legged tie?"
"That's why for me they are still the favourites despite the 0-1. They have more pressure than we do.
"Madrid can beat you perfectly. For me it is very even and they have a point that makes them favourites, they are used to coming back from matches."
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