Ralf Rangnick was left frustrated with his side's first-half display against Atletico Madrid, as he called on Manchester United's players to follow the example set by Anthony Elanga.
The teenager scored five minutes after coming on from the bench at Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday, and netted with United's first shot on target to snatch a 1-1 draw against last season's LaLiga champions.
United had lived a charmed life in the first half, though Atleti only managed one attempt on target throughout the match – Joao Felix's seventh-minute opener. Marcos Llorente hit the bar shortly before the interval when it seemed easier to score at the back post.
Elanga's equaliser in the 80th minute marked United's 500th goal in the European Cup/Champions League and, at 19 years and 302 days, he became the club's youngest goalscorer in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
It came with his first touch of the ball – Elanga capitalising on Reinildo's mistake to latch onto Bruno Fernandes' pass and slot a finish beyond the poorly positioned Jan Oblak, who had to save from Jesse Lingard late on.
"He's playing as if a dream has come true, it's joy and fun to watch him play. I wish a few other players would take him as an example, almost a role model," Rangnick told BT Sport when asked about Elanga.
"Not because he's doing everything right, but he's enjoying himself on the pitch, and we know that's what it's all about. Football is a ball game, you have to enjoy yourself on the pitch. This is what I envision in the future and when we play [Atleti] again in a couple of weeks."
Although, Elanga's display was one of the only bright spots for a disappointed Rangnick, who can nevertheless prepare for the second leg with the tie all square.
He said: "After the performance in the first half, it could only get better.
"I still cannot believe what we did. We played without conviction, all the necessary aggression without the ball. In the second half, we had more possession in areas that mattered; had we played another 10 minutes, we might have won the game.
"Against the ball and with the ball, we were far too apprehensive. We didn't take any risks with the ball; just played the ball in our own half, without any deep runs, verticality.
"It's difficult against a team like Atletico. [It was] a difficult goal to prevent I must say, but we have to be more aggressive, play with more conviction and do what we did in the last couple of weeks.
"The way that we scored the goal was a deep run, a fantastic pass, [we] won the ball in the centre of the pitch; this is how we have to play."
Fernandes' assist means the Portugal international became the first player in Champions League history to set up at least one goal in six successive appearances while playing for an English club, breaking the record held by United great David Beckham in 1998.
Elanga, who netted against Leeds United on Sunday, took the pass in his stride and dispatched a cool finish across Oblak following Reinildo's slip.
"[I] think it was my first touch as well," a beaming Elanga remarked in his BT Sport interview.
"I have dreamt of moments like this, scoring in the Champions League against top European teams like Atletico Madrid, [it is] a dream come true. It is only [the] first half; we have to be ready for the second half at Old Trafford.
"I told you how calm and cool I am and whenever I am given an opportunity, I want to repay the manager and give 150 per cent every time I step onto the pitch.
"I just do what I can do, I want to be the best player on the pitch and I appreciate the boss."
Antonio Conte has questioned his future at Tottenham, admitting discussions will have to take place following Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to Burnley.
Spurs missed the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four as Ben Mee headed the only goal at Turf Moor.
Defeat was a fourth in five league matches for Conte's side, who are seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United.
The Italian, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of November, went unbeaten in his first nine league games in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But the former Chelsea and Inter boss has cast doubt over whether he should remain in charge following Spurs' recent slump.
And the 57-year-old acknowledged that an assessment of the club's situation must be made.
"In the last five games, we are playing like we are in [the] relegation [zone]; this is the reality," he said.
"I came in to improve the situation but at this moment, I'm not so good to improve this situation. We are working hard; we are trying to get the best out of every single player.
"It means there will be an assessment about the club, about me. The club changes coaches, the players remain the same, but the result doesn't change.
"For me, it's very frustrating to lose four games in the last five games.
"We are doing everything to change situation, but it's not enough.
"Maybe, I'm not so good. Tottenham called me to change things, but I'm too honest. This is unacceptable.
"For sure, we'll make an assessment with the club. It’s not right; it's not good for everybody to continue to lose. I can't accept this; it's not good for no-one."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted his side will have to win virtually all of their Premier League games to stand a chance of winning the title after a 6-0 hammering of Leeds United.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane both hit doubles against Marcelo Bielsa's strugglers, while central defenders Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk joined them on the scoreboard as the Reds moved to within three points of leaders Manchester City.
The gap between the Premier League's top two is now at its shortest since Christmas Day, when it also stood at three points, while Liverpool are unbeaten in 26 home matches in all competitions.
However, speaking to the BBC after the win, Klopp was keen to stress that the Reds will have to be near-perfect in order to push City close, and shifted his attention to Sunday's EFL Cup final against Chelsea.
"We have 10 days until we play the next league game, and we have two games in between, in completely different competitions," the head coach said.
"One is a final [against Chelsea] and the other a last 16 [the FA Cup fifth-round clash with Norwich City]. They will be different games, and we have to be ready for them.
"It [the gap] is three points until the weekend, and then City will probably win, and it will be six points.
"If we win all our games, pretty much, there will be a chance for us.
"For people outside [of the club], it is better to have a three or six-point gap than to have a 20 or 30-point gap, so it is more exciting, but we have to win a lot of games against difficult opponents, and that will be a tricky task.
"We will give it a try."
Novak Djokovic condemned the actions of Alexander Zverev, but expressed his support for the world number three after he was "withdrawn" from the Mexico Open for hitting the umpire's chair with his racquet.
Zverev was enraged during a doubles clash with partner Marcelo Melo against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara, after the umpire over-ruled a decision from the line judge.
That subsequently handed Glasspool and Heliovaara match point in the super tie-break, which was decided by an ace on the next serve.
Zverev quickly walked off and smashed his racquet against the umpire's chair three times, before shouting at the umpire that he had "destroyed the whole f****** match" and striking the chair again.
The German was then withdrawn by the ATP due to "unsportsmanlike conduct" ahead of a second-round singles meeting with Peter Gojowczyk.
The Olympic champion has apologised for his actions, explaining his regret at letting his fans, the tournament, and the sport that he loves down, and Djokovic believes Zverev will learn from his mistake.
"I saw the video, I saw Sascha's [Zverev] statement," Djokovic told reporters at a news conference after cruising into the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
"I think he said it all in that statement. He realises that it was a mistake. I understand the frustration. Sometimes on the court, you feel in the heat of the battle lots of different emotions, different things happening in your head.
"I've made mistakes in the past where I've had tantrums on the court, so I understand what the player is going through. Of course, I do not justify his actions, but that statement has handled it in the right way.
"He said he made a mistake and his actions were not appropriate. I think that the disqualification decision was not too harsh, I think it was correct under the circumstances.
"Of course, it can be harsh for a player to get disqualified from a tournament. I know a year-and-a-half ago, I had something - I can't say similar - but I was disqualified from a grand slam after unintentionally hitting the line umpire.
"I realised that it was a mistake and I had to take it. Hopefully, he can reflect on that and not let something like that happen again in his life. I'm sure that he's going to approach it maturely."
Djokovic enjoyed a much calmer outing in Dubai, where he overcame Karen Khachanov in just 98 minutes 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to tee up a quarter-final tie against qualifier Jiri Vesely.
He was then keen to stress that Zverev is not the first player to produce a raging response when on the court, and insisted that the 24-year-old will recover from the outburst.
"I'm sure that the ATP management and officials will look at the video, will probably interview the chair umpire, will take some time to decide what they want to do," he added.
"I'm never going to encourage the ATP disqualifying or fining a player because I'm not in a position to do that, why would I do that?
"Everyone is a human being, everyone is flawed and can make mistakes, but I wouldn't say that he was the only one that ever has done something like that.
"There were many examples of players hitting their racquet in the umpire's chair. It happens. Bottles, bags were thrown, a lot of things, a lot of bad words. It's not the only case."
Anthony Elanga came off the bench to earn Manchester United a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid.
Joao Felix's early header seemed set to prove decisive at Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday, with United's attack having looked largely blunt throughout.
Indeed, United failed to have a touch in the opposition box in first half of a Champions League game for the first time since at least 2005-06, but Elanga took his chance when it came.
The youngster made Atleti pay for Marcos Llorente's poor miss before half-time, and United will feel they have the edge heading into the second leg on March 15.
Joao Felix opened the scoring after three minutes in Atleti's much-needed win over Osasuna on Saturday and it took the youngster just seven minutes this time around.
Renan Lodi dropped an inviting cross between Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, with Joao Felix directing a wonderful header in off David de Gea's right-hand post.
Testament to Atleti's dominance, it took until the 37th minute for Cristiano Ronaldo to get a sight of goal, and he dragged well wide from outside the area.
Atleti should have been 2-0 up at half-time, only for Llorente to head against the crossbar from close range after United had been caught out by a well-worked free-kick.
Llorente sliced wide as Atleti picked up where they left off, before Atleti tried an audacious bicycle kick prior to making way for Antoine Griezmann.
A woeful Ronaldo free-kick seemed to have capped a frustrating night for United, but Elanga had other ideas.
Just five minutes after replacing Marcus Rashford, Elanga pounced on Reinildo's mistake to finish coolly beyond the poorly placed Jan Oblak, with United holding on despite Griezmann hitting the bar late on.
Ajax twice went ahead but were held to a 2-2 draw by Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.
Erik ten Hag's team rifled in 20 goals in the group stages and picked up where they left off at the Estadio da Luz as Dusan Tadic struck first, before Sebastian Haller's own goal levelled things up.
Haller made amends by restoring Ajax's lead just four minutes later, becoming just the fifth player to score in seven straight games in the competition, yet Roman Yaremchuk equalised with 18 minutes remaining.
A hot-tempered finale did not produce a winner, with the draw leaving it all to play for in the return leg on March 15 at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
Tadic showed composure to nudge his side ahead after 18 minutes with an expert right-footed finish into the top-right corner following Noussair Mazraoui's bouncing cross.
Benfica responded quickly when Jan Vertonghen's fizzing delivery cannoned off Haller into his own net, but the Ajax man atoned for his mistake shortly after.
The striker poked in a rebound from his own shot after smart work by Steven Berghuis, although Haller then turned wide with the goal gaping after Edson Alvarez had hit the post at the end of a frenetic first half.
A deflected Everton strike squirmed just past the upright after the interval, while Rafa's low drive evaded Darwin Nunez, who would have had a tap-in had his despairing dive made contact.
Substitute Yaremchuk restored parity, though, as he bundled a header in following Remko Pasveer's unconvincing save from Goncalo Ramos' vicious long-range strike.
Antony was then perhaps fortunate to escape a red card for an apparent headbutt on Nunez, punished only with a booking that keeps him involved in a tie that hangs in the balance heading into the second leg.
Mohamed Salah scored two penalties as Liverpool closed to within three points of Premier League leaders Manchester City with a 6-0 hammering of Leeds United at Anfield.
Salah netted either side of Joel Matip's superb strike to give Jurgen Klopp's team a comfortable advantage, before Sadio Mane added a late double of his own and Virgil van Dijk completed the scoring.
The stunning victory gives Liverpool renewed hope of catching Pep Guardiola's league leaders, who lost at home to Tottenham on Saturday and must still welcome the Reds to the Etihad Stadium.
City could have expected few favours from Leeds, however, with Marcelo Bielsa's men firmly in a relegation scrap with the league's most porous defence.
After a high-octane opening, Liverpool were awarded a 13th-minute spot-kick when Stuart Dallas handled a cross, allowing Salah to fire into the bottom corner.
Raphinha saw a tap-in ruled out for offside as Leeds looked to respond, but they found themselves two down after half an hour when Matip surged forward from the back, playing a one-two with Salah before thumping home his first goal of the campaign.
Rampant Liverpool earned a second penalty moments later, when Luke Ayling brought down Mane. Salah elected to smash the ball into the top corner this time, scoring two penalties in a single game at home to Leeds for a second season running.
Tottenham missed the chance to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four after they were beaten 1-0 by relegation-threatened Burnley.
Ben Mee headed the only goal 19 minutes from time at Turf Moor to boost the hosts' survival hopes, moving them to within two points of safety.
For Spurs, it was a case of being brought back down to earth with a bump following Saturday's thrilling 3-2 win over champions Manchester City.
Antonio Conte's side remain eighth and seven points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, but still with two games in hand on the Red Devils.
Burnley had only won one of their 12 previous Premier League meetings with Tottenham; a 2-1 success here in February 2019.
Sean Dyche's side went close to breaking the deadlock when Josh Brownhill tested Hugo Lloris from the edge of the penalty area after 14 minutes.
Despite enjoying the greater share of possession, Spurs could only register two off-target shots during the first half, while having another blocked. Cristian Romero dragged an effort wide from inside the box, while Emerson wildly blazed over from distance.
The visitors cranked up the pressure after the break. Harry Kane's header rattled the crossbar from an inviting Son Heung-Min cross, while Nick Pope reacted quickly to deny Ben Davies from close range.
Dejan Kulusevski then curled just wide after Lloris did brilliantly to keep out Jay Rodriguez's header at the other end.
But the France international was helpless as Burnley snatched all three points in the 71st minute, with Mee ghosting in at the far post to nod home Brownhill's free-kick.
Rodriguez somehow shot over from inside the six-yard box later on, while Pope held the onto Steven Bergwijn’s effort as the hosts saw out a vital win.
Two of the top three seeds crashed out of the WTA Qatar Open in the round of 16 as Barbora Krejcikova and Paula Badosa both lost, though top seed Aryna Sabalenka is through to the quarter-finals, along with Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka eased past Jil Teichmann 6-2 6-1 in Doha, winning an impressive 70 per cent of her second serves as she rarely gave her Swiss opponent any hope in a match that lasted just over an hour.
The Belarusian will now play Iga Swiatek in the last eight after the seventh seed beat Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-0.
Number two seed Krejcikova was eliminated by the winner in Dubai last week, Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3 6-2. The Czech struggled to get going and ended the match with seven double faults to her name.
World number four Badosa fared no better as she also lost in straight sets to Gauff 6-2 6-3, with the 17-year-old winning a dominant 77.1 per cent of points on her first serve.
Badosa is the joint-highest ranked player that Gauff has defeated, along with Naomi Osaka, who was also ranked fourth in the world when she lost to the teenager at the 2020 Australian Open.
Gauff will now face Maria Sakkari after the Greek defeated another American, Jessica Pegula.
Ostapenko will go up against reigning WTA Finals champion Garbine Muguruza who convincingly defeated Madison Brengle 6-0 6-2.
Number four seed and St Petersburg champion Anett Kontaveit is through after a topsy-turvy clash with Elise Mertens 6-3 0-6 6-2 and will come up against Tunisia's Ons Jabeur.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have promoted Mike Gansey to the role of general manager, with the 39-year-old stepping up from his previous role as assistant.
The change comes after previous GM Koby Altman was elevated to the president of basketball operations last month, allowing Gansey, who has occupied a number of roles at the organisation since 2011, to make the step up.
The Cavaliers have emerged as a surprise contender in the NBA's Eastern Conference this season, emerging from the All-Star break fourth in the East with a 35-23 record, just 2.5 games back of joint-leaders Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.
Gansey has had a key role in the team's improvement, weighing in on the draft picks of Darius Garland and Evan Mobley and the trades for Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.
In a statement announcing the move, Altman praised Gansey's previous work in Cleveland and looked forward to the pair continuing their front office partnership.
"Mike has been an incredible resource to me and this organisation, and his work behind the scenes gives me great confidence that he is ready to take on more of a leadership role," he said.
"His community roots provides a unique perspective when evaluating players and the type of commitment needed to make a positive impact in Cleveland.
"I could not think of a better person to work alongside as we continue building this team toward sustainable success."
Despite suffering back-to-back defeats to the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavaliers remain in contention for their first playoff appearance since LeBron James' 2018 departure.
Recent speculation has focused on whether the four-time NBA MVP could return to the organisation after enjoying another fine individual season in a struggling Los Angeles Lakers team.
Erling Haaland will not play for Borussia Dortmund against Rangers at Ibrox, but the visitors still believe they can turn their Europa League tie around – and with good reason.
Superstar striker Haaland has been out with a muscle injury for the past month, having scored four goals in four games in all competitions to start 2022.
But Dortmund have continued in that vein without their talisman, netting 25 times in eight matches this calendar year – trailing only Real Betis (29) across Europe's top five leagues heading into the midweek matches.
That rate of 3.2 goals scored per game is also bettered by just one team, meanwhile, in Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen (3.3).
Keeping opponents out at the other end has been the issue for Dortmund, with five of Leverkusen's 20 goals coming away at BVB. A similarly lacklustre defensive showing in the first leg of their knockout round play-off saw Rangers 4-2 winners away from home.
Again only Betis (42) have had more goals for and against combined in 2022 than Dortmund (41).
And Betis provide the inspiration for Dortmund, as the only team to have thrown away a two-goal away-leg lead to exit the Europa League, doing so against rivals Sevilla in 2013-14.
Rather than worrying about Haaland's absence then, head coach Marco Rose is focused on ensuring his back line are up to the task in Glasgow, giving BVB the platform to fire themselves through.
"Erling has been out for almost half of the season. Nevertheless, we scored a lot of goals," Rose told his pre-match news conference.
"Tomorrow we have to attack, go for goals. Of course, one can always slip in [at the other end]. That is why we have to be careful.
"We have to work out better solutions going forward than in the first leg. Against Gladbach [a 6-0 Bundesliga win], that was a good first step."
On the recovering Haaland, Rose added: "There is always a lot of reporting on Erling. He needs a little more time. He is still a bit away from 100 per cent.
"We are in contact, he keeps trying and keeps working. He still needs some time. He must be painless – and we're not there yet."
Barcelona head coach Xavi wants his side to prove they can compete in Europe by defeating "Champion League rival" Napoli.
Barca were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off tie last Thursday after spurning numerous chances at Camp Nou.
Indeed, Ferran Torres had nine shots against Luciano Spalletti's side, a tally surpassed only once by a player in a European game for the club in the last 10 seasons (Lionel Messi when he had 11 against Juventus in December 2020).
History favours Napoli heading into the second leg as they have only ever lost one home game against Spanish sides in European competition (W6 D3), and Xavi is expecting another difficult challenge.
He told reporters at Wednesday's pre-match media conference: "Barca has been great with a specific model. They've been losing it a bit and we're on the way to recovering it.
"Tomorrow [Thursday] is a litmus test to know where we are. We are in the Europa League, but Napoli are a Champions League rival.
"It will be a battle of who has the ball and possession. It's Europe and it's difficult, but it's a good test to prove that Barca can compete in Europe."
Xavi also suggested that the homegrown talent from La Masia will be key for the Blaugrana's success, both now and in future.
"We count on the academy a lot," he added. The players give a lot of commitment. We have won titles when we have had people from [our academy].
"That's why the talents of Gavi, Nico or [Ronald] Araujo or the older players like [Sergio] Busquets or [Gerard] Pique are important.
"We are seeing that players who are 17 or 18 years old can make a difference."
Barca are battling it out with Atletico Madrid for the final spot in Spain's top four and a place in next season's Champions League, currently sat on 42 points while boasting a game in hand.
But Xavi believes the results for his side have not matched some of their performances this campaign.
"If you let me choose, I want to play well and win," he continued. Playing well and getting good results.
"There have been games, with me as coach, where we played well and didn't win.
"We are growing and this is about results. The results are matching our performances around 50 per cent of the time."
The FIA has expressed pride at the standard of stewarding in Formula One, in response to Lewis Hamilton's earlier comments on the need for "non-biased stewards" in the upcoming season.
Hamilton, who missed out on a record-breaking eighth title in a controversial finale to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December, made the comments at 2022's first testing session in Barcelona.
The 37-year-old lost his title to Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the final seconds of the season, after since-removed race director Michael Masi unlapped a series of cars to permit one final lap of racing, with the Dutchman on new tyres.
Hamilton criticised the officiating of F1 in a news conference, insisting that some drivers "are very good friends with certain individuals" and claiming a requirement for "non-biased stewards".
In response, a spokesman for the sport's governing body said: "The FIA is proud of its global stewarding pathway that connects and develops the most talented stewards from across motorsport."
"This has resulted in a strong, independent and experienced group of officials who carry out their work with impartiality and the utmost professionalism."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had earlier disagreed with Hamilton's comments, saying he did not think there was a "conscious bias" towards any teams.
Hamilton completed 50 laps in Mercedes' new W13 car in Barcelona, and will kick-start his attempt to regain the title at the Bahrain Grand Prix next month. Meanwhile, his team are looking to extend their record-breaking run of eight successive constructors' titles, which began in 2014.
Novak Djokovic is delighted to be back in competitive action after he booked his spot in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Djokovic, whose decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19 caused him to be deported from Australia on the eve of the year's first grand slam, eased to a 6-3 6-3 win over Lorenzo Musetti in his first match and made similarly light work of Karen Khachanov on Wednesday.
The world number one has won in Dubai on five occasions, last doing so in 2020, having elected against defending his title last year.
However, the Serbian is looking good to regain the crown in what is his first tournament on the ATP Tour in 2022, after he was unable to feature in Melbourne.
Djokovic needed 98 minutes to see off Khachanov 6-3 7-6 (7-2) and tee up a quarter-final tie against qualifier Jiri Vesely.
"I missed it [playing competitively]. This is my life," Djokovic said, with his previous competitive appearances coming in the Davis Cup Finals in November and December.
"This is what I have known for the past 20 years. Tennis is my love. I enjoy bringing positive energy and memories for people who watch."
It was not all plain sailing for Djokovic, who offered up four break points, but the 34-year-old clawed back three of them.
"I was feeling excited and motivated," added Djokovic, who has progressed to the quarters in Dubai every time he has featured at the tournament.
"But also at the same time I was feeling stressed. Particularly at the moments when I was facing break points. I thought the atmosphere in the stadium was terrific."
Djokovic, who will lose his place at the top of the ATP rankings if Daniil Medvedev triumphs in Acapulco, should have little trouble in sealing a semi-final spot, though Vesely does come into that tie on the back of a surprise 6-2 6-4 win over world number 15 Roberto Bautista Agut, who had triumphed in Doha last week.
Murray falls short of landmark win
Second seed Andrey Rublev came from a set down to defeat Kwon Soon-woo 4-6 6-0 6-3, and will go up against American Mackenzie McDonald for a place in the last four.
There was no such joy for former world number one Andy Murray, however, who fell to Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-2.
"It is a special feeling [to share the court with Murray]," said Sinner, who will next face Hubert Hurkacz, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Alex Molcan.
"He is a legend. Winning three grand slams, many, many tournaments and he has had some unfortunate moments with surgeries. His fighting spirit is incredible.
Murray was chasing a 700th tour-level win of his career but failed to muster a single break opportunity against the Italian, who made it to the quarter-finals in Melbourne last month.
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