Erling Haaland's five-goal masterclass fired Manchester City into the Champions League quarter-finals as they dismantled RB Leipzig in a 7-0 rout on Tuesday.

The striker nabbed a first-half hat-trick, including two goals in two minutes, before adding another two after the restart in a tour-de-force performance at the Etihad Stadium for a 8-1 aggregate victory.

Now with 39 goals for the season, Haaland's haul saw him take Tommy Johnson's single-season City record set in 1928-29 among a series of new high marks as Pep Guardiola's hosts tied their record margin of victory in European competition.

Also the youngest and fastest player to pass 30 Champions League goals, Haaland's historic numbers befitted a majestic display up front, with his latest turn destined to go down in European folklore no matter what happens next.

Haaland was handed a stroke of luck for his first, with City awarded a dubious penalty by referee Slavko Vincic for a handball strongly protested by Benjamin Henrichs.

He ruthlessly converted from the spot, however, and then doubled his tally just moments later when he nodded home a rebound after Kevin De Bruyne hit the crossbar.

A first-half hat-trick followed with an air of inevitability when Haaland pounced on a parried Ruben Dias header before the break to bundle in the third from close range.

Ilkay Gundogan ensured another name at least got on the scoresheet when he added City's fourth with a sweeping low finish four minutes after the restart.

Yet the game belonged to Haaland, who added another two with close-range strikes before the hour, both times pouncing after Manuel Akanji was denied.

Haaland's exit in the 63rd minute was greeted with a standing ovation, denying him an unprecedented double hat-trick but saving the City striker ahead of a quarter-final in which further records could fall.

The scoring was not quite over, though, as De Bruyne would not be denied and added a sublime seventh in stoppage time for a final touch of gloss.

Erling Haaland became the youngest player to pass 30 goals in the Champions League after the Manchester City forward's first-half hat-trick against RB Leipzig.

The Norway international scored twice in the space of two minutes at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday to reach 30 in the competition, before adding a third on the stroke of half-time.

At just 22 years and 236 days old, Haaland was the youngest man to that mark – 116 days younger than previous record holder Kylian Mbappe.

Other players he trumped included Lionel Messi (23 years and 131 days) and Raul (24 years and 91 days).

It was not the only record Haaland shattered either, with the forward's 30th Champions League goal coming in just his 25th game, setting a new benchmark for the fewest matches required to reach that milestone.

He blew away the previous record of 34 matches, held by Ruud van Nistelrooy, while also bettering the 46 games it took Robert Lewandowski to achieve the feat.

Haaland had not scored in the first leg against Leipzig in Germany, heading into Tuesday's match with 28 goals in Europe's top competition.

A harsh penalty awarded against Benjamin Henrichs allowed him to move one closer to the milestone in the 22nd minute, before he nodded home a rebound when Kevin De Bruyne hit the crossbar moments later.

Haaland then added a third – his 31st in the Champions League – when he poked in after a Ruben Dias header was stopped just shy of the goal line following a corner in first-half stoppage time.

Romelu Lukaku's future is shrouded in uncertainty after Inter director Beppe Marotta acknowledging the striker "is not yet the same" following a difficult second spell with the Nerazzurri.

The Belgium international enjoyed a prolific first stint with Inter between 2019 and 2021, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances and helping them win the Scudetto in the latter year.

However, he has scored just five goals for Simone Inzaghi's side since returning from Chelsea on a season-long loan last June.

Although, three of those have come in his last five appearances, including a late winner in the first leg of Inter's Champions League last-16 clash with Porto.

It remains to be seen whether the 29-year-old will extend his stay at San Siro or returns to Chelsea following the conclusion of his loan spell.

But Marotta appeared adamant, believing Inter are still yet to see the best of Lukaku, who he feels was also affected by his exertions during the mid-season World Cup in Qatar.

"I want to underline it was a one-season loan, so he will go back to Chelsea," the club director told Sky Sport Italia.

"This is an anomalous season, the problems we have are shared by other clubs, namely that their players took part in this unusual World Cup.

"Lukaku and [Marcelo] Brozovic have not fully recovered, and in Lukaku's case, his physicality and fitness are the key elements of his game.

"He is not at 100 per cent, he is not yet the same Lukaku that we saw in previous years."

Jurgen Klopp is under no illusion as to the scale of the task facing his Liverpool side as they look to overturn a 5-2 deficit in their Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

After going 2-0 up in the first leg at Anfield, the Reds were put to the sword by Madrid as Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema each scored twice and Eder Militao also found the net.

It leaves Liverpool needing to pull off another Champions League miracle to reach the quarter-finals of the competition and keep their hopes of winning a trophy this season alive.

Liverpool have relatively recent history of overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit. They are one of just four teams to have progressed from a Champions League tie having lost the first leg by three or more goals, doing so in 2019 when they beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield in the semi-finals after losing 3-0 at Camp Nou.

Repeating the feat against Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu is an even taller order.

Madrid have progressed from 26 of their previous 27 European Cup or Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg away from home, with the exception being a defeat to Ajax at this stage in 2018-19 (2-1 away, 1-4 at home).

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp was keen not to raise hopes of Liverpool, who will be without Jordan Henderson due to illness, doing the seemingly impossible 

"If there is only one per cent chance I would like to give it a try, we are here to play an extremely strong opponent and try to win the game," said Klopp. 

"As difficult as it is, that's probably possible. Not likely but possible. We respect the competition too much, we respect the opposition too much to not look forward to this game."

Liverpool have endured an erratic season, losing eight games in the Premier League, six more defeats than they suffered in the entirety of last season.

In addition to shipping five goals to Madrid, Liverpool were also beaten 4-1 by Napoli in the group stage.

But, with Liverpool having also hammered Manchester United 7-0 nine days ago, it was put to Klopp that this strange season could be the perfect one in which to pull off such a turnaround against Madrid.

"If we can surprise ourselves in a negative way, we should be able to surprise ourselves in a positive way too," he responded. 

"We are not here and telling Madrid 'be careful we are coming'. We're here to try to win the game. We have to play extremely good. If we play a normal game or a good game, it won’t be enough.

"I think in this room, 100 per cent of the people in this room think we have no chance. We are the complete outsiders. It's the situation, it's football and we try to give it a go."

Luciano Spalletti wants his Napoli side to "become folklore" by reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Following a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg in Germany, the runaway Serie A leaders are on the verge of a place in the last eight of Europe's premier club competition.

Sitting a huge 18 points clear at the Serie A summit and unbeaten in their last 11 home Champions League matches, the Partenopei will certainly fancy their chances of finishing the job at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

Although, they ended up being eliminated on the only previous occasion they won a knockout match in the competition, surrendering a 3-1 lead before eventually going down 5-4 on aggregate at this stage against Chelsea in the 2011-12 season.

Nevertheless, Spalletti knows what is at stake for the club, and issued a rallying cry to his players in his pre-match press conference.

"Great teams are made up of great players," he said. "There's history to be written in tomorrow's game. Our city is replete with big stories and big personalities. We're keen to become part of Naples' history and become folklore in this city. 

"You can compare it to the first final of the season. I don't think that can put pressure on the side, because I've seen them deal with many positive and negative situations already this term.

"Seeing as it is practically a final, I want to see the attitude of a team that is starved and wants a result. I've seen them in training all term, and they never let their heads drop.

"Now, the test is to forget what has happened in the past and focus on getting the job done now."

Despite their favourable position, Spalletti insists his side must not take anything for granted against last season's Europa League champions.

"It would be terribly presumptuous for us to assume we're already in the next round, that is not the way we do things," he added. "Tomorrow, we need the head, the heart, and a bit of luck.

"Don't forget Eintracht got through a group that had Tottenham, Marseille and Sporting CP. Last year, they won away to a Barcelona side that eliminated us, so we have total respect for the work Oliver Glasner is doing, we know it will be tough.

"We will not underestimate Eintracht, qualification is still only 50-50, and we must repeat the magical performance of the first leg. That was extraordinary, and it is no mean feat to replicate it.

"Eintracht will try something different because they have to, so we need to be humble and ready for anything."

Aaron Rodgers' future remains up in the air, but the New York Jets know what they can do to convince the star quarterback to join their team.

Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers has held talks with the Jets as he ponders an exit from the Green Bay Packers, his only professional team to date.

And reports on Tuesday revealed Rodgers had given the Jets a wish list in free agency as he hopes to see the team build a roster he can lift into contention.

Rodgers wants the Jets to sign Odell Beckham Jr., ESPN said, as the Super Bowl LVI champion looks to return in 2023 after missing the entirety of last season with the injury he suffered in the previous year's title game.

Veteran Rodgers does not stop there, though, the report added.

He wants two more wide receivers in the form of Packers team-mates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, players he knows extremely well from Green Bay.

Lazard has spent his entire career to date playing with Rodgers, while Cobb has also been on the Packers for 10 of his 12 seasons in the NFL.

The Jets could soon resemble the NFC North giants as the report added detail of Rodgers' interest in linking up again with tight end Marcedes Lewis, who joined the Packers in 2018.

The New York Giants are trading for star Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

The move was reported on Tuesday, with the Giants sending a third-round pick to Vegas in the deal.

That 100th overall pick was originally sent to the Giants by the Kansas City Chiefs when they traded for Kadarius Toney last year.

Waller, a Pro Bowler in 2020, had been on the Raiders since he was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad in 2018.

The tight end established himself as a starter in 2019, the first of two consecutive 1,100-yard seasons.

He had the most catches among all tight ends in 2020 (107), ranked second for receiving yards (1,196) and third for receiving touchdowns (nine).

But Waller was limited to 17 starts over the next two seasons, restricted by knee, back and hamstring injuries.

With two years remaining on the contract that made him the best-paid tight end in the league last year, Waller will take his talents to New York.

He gives Daniel Jones – the quarterback who just signed a four-year, $160million extension – an established receiving target.

Darius Slayton had the most receiving yards among the Giants' pass catchers last year, but the wide receiver could move on in free agency.

The Las Vegas Raiders have added to Jimmy Garoppolo's weapons by agreeing a deal to sign wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.

News emerged on Monday that Garoppolo was signing with the Raiders following the departure of long-time quarterback Derek Carr, reuniting the former San Francisco 49er with his offensive coordinator from his time with the New England Patriots, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, a former director of player personnel in New England, have brought another ex-Patriot into the fold in Meyers, who is signing on a three-year deal worth $33million with $21m guaranteed.

Meyers had the most prolific season of his career in 2022, scoring six receiving touchdowns, while his 804 receiving yards were only a little down on his tally of 866 from 2021.

According to Stats Perform data, Meyers ranked 15th in combined open percentage (46.2) across man and zone coverages among wide receivers with at least 100 matchups and got open on 59.0 per cent of his man matchups. Only four wideouts with a minimum of 25 man matchups won a higher percentage.

The low point of his season came in a Week 15 loss to the Raiders, costing the Patriots the game when he inexplicably threw the ball back across field in the final seconds on a needless lateral play with the score tied. Chandler Jones plucked the ball out of the air and returned it for the game-winning score for the Raiders.

Meyers will now look to create happier memories of Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders as they attempt to return to the postseason in McDaniels' second year.

Michael Thomas isn't going anywhere.

Thomas is returning to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, agreeing Tuesday to an incentive-laden one-year contract.

The 30-year-old Thomas was slated to be released by the Saints and become a free agent, but will stay with New Orleans after agreeing to a $10million deal that could be worth to up to $15million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The restructured deal helped give the Saints financial flexibility, resulting in last week's signing of Thomas' new quarterback, Derek Carr.

While Carr is a significant upgrade at quarterback for Thomas over the likes of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Trevor Siemian following the retirement of Drew Brees, the Saints also need Thomas to be healthy for their offense to be firing on all cylinders.

Thomas' 2022 season ended after three weeks because of a toe injury and injuries have limited him to a total of just 10 games since being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.

A second-round draft pick in 2016, Thomas was one of the top playmakers at his position over his first four professional seasons, catching 470 passes for 5,512 yards with 32 TDs over 63 games, but in the three seasons since, he has 56 receptions for 609 yards with three TDs in 10 games.

The Golden State Warriors' NBA title defence has so far been beset by problems – primarily the absences of key personnel.

Even now, there remains no return date for Andrew Wiggins, who has played only 37 of 69 games this season and missed the past 12 for personal reasons.

Stephen Curry is back now but has sat for 26 games this year.

Although the Warriors' most-used lineup in the 2022 playoffs – including both Wiggins and Curry – has again been their most-used lineup in this regular season, it has started just a third of their games.

Yet that does not explain a quite remarkable trend that has developed across this campaign and now causes the Warriors real concern as they go on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.

Golden State have won their past eight home games, the longest active streak in the NBA, yet they have lost their past eight road games, also the league's longest active streak.

This form extends beyond the past month, too.

Ahead of Tuesday's games, the Warriors possess the fourth-best home record at 29-7, actually improving on last year's winning percentage after a 31-10 performance at Chase Center en route to taking the title.

However, on the road, only tanking duo the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are worse off than the Warriors, who are an alarming 7-26.

Those contrasting records are still good enough to have the Warriors fifth in the Western Conference, but they are 1.5 games behind the fourth-placed Phoenix Suns, meaning Golden State are set to miss out on home advantage for every round of the playoffs. Clearly, that is an issue.

The Warriors' eight-game losing streak on the road has included each of their prior three games in Los Angeles this season, beaten by the Clippers on Valentine's Day ahead of defeats to the Lakers in consecutive road games. All of their eight straight losses have come against Western Conference rivals.

Now, this latest game at the Clippers – who are sixth in the West with an identical record to the Warriors – marks the start of a five-game road trip, with eight of Golden State's final 13 matchups away from San Francisco.

Their home record may have kept them competitive to this point, but hopes for success in the postseason will require vast improvement on the road moving forward.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard

As for several Warriors stars, this has been another stop-start season for Leonard, yet he has started seven of the Clippers' eight games since the All-Star break and is finally building momentum again.

Leonard had averaged 22.1 points prior to the All-Star break but has scored 31.0 points per game since then. That is tied for the sixth-best mark in that time, along with Curry.

Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson

Curry has actually averaged more points on the road this season (30.3) than at home (28.9), but he has lacked support in away games because the same has not been true of team-mate Thompson.

The 33-year-old has scored 24.8 points at home but just 19.0 on the road. However, he has still averaged 24.6 points in those rare road wins.

Golden State will need Curry and Thompson to turn up together to get their road form back on track.

KEY BATTLE – Fast start vital

As much as any Clipper, the Warriors will be battling themselves in the first quarter. Their slow starts in road games have been ever so costly.

Golden State have trailed through the first quarter of 17 games on the road this season. They are an incredible 0-17 in those games.

The Warriors must either make a rapid start or rediscover the sort of championship grit that would allow them to recover when they are up against it on their travels.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Warriors are 2-1 against the Clippers this season, although those two wins have of course come in San Francisco.

Since 2019, Golden State have won just one of five road games against the Clippers. They had won eight of nine such matchups prior to that in a series they have dominated 137-94 all-time.

The Houston Texans will likely have a new quarterback in the 2023 season, and he can be hopeful of better protection after they traded for guard Shaq Mason.

Houston, according to multiple reports, agreed a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will see the teams swap late-round picks.

The Buccaneers will receive a sixth-round pick from Houston, while the Texans will get a seventh-rounder in addition to Mason.

It is an extremely reasonable price for a guard who has been one of the best in the NFL in recent years but has now been traded in successive offseasons.

Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade with the New England Patriots in 2022, reuniting Mason with Tom Brady for what proved the legendary quarterback's final campaign.

Mason's sole year with the Bucs saw him post an aggregate win rate across pass and run blocking of 78.3 per cent, seventh among all guards.

The Texans will hope Mason can maintain that kind of form in 2023 as they build around a new face at the quarterback position.

Houston hold the second overall pick in the draft and the Texans are expected to select one of the top signal-callers in a class featuring four quarterbacks seen as top-10 picks.