Southampton's Premier League clash with Aston Villa was briefly suspended following the appearance of a drone at St Mary's.

The drone was spotted flying above the stadium in the 42nd minute of the match, which was goalless, with play subsequently halted by referee Michael Salisbury.

The players returned to their dressing rooms while several supporters left their seats as Southampton's safety officer surveyed the situation.

However, play resumed nine minutes later with the hosts looking for a victory that would lift them out of the relegation zone.

Graham Potter said it was a "positive day" despite being denied a win as struggling giants Liverpool and Chelsea played out a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

The Chelsea head coach has seen his team win just two of their last 10 games (D2 L6) but was happy enough with the result, despite it seeing them remain in 10th place in the Premier League.

Kai Havertz was denied a goal in just the third minute after a VAR check found him to be offside in an otherwise fairly eventless game on Saturday.

"I thought the performance was good," Potter told BT Sport after the stalemate. "I was happy with the team, the energy, what we tried to do. At Anfield, it is always tough. It's a clean sheet and a point [and] we move forward.

"First half, we were decent, unlucky not to get the goal. It is what it is. They started the second half well, and we adjusted a couple of things and gained control, had a couple of chances. Overall, a positive day, apart from the fact we wanted three points."

At his post-match press conference, Potter was asked about Mykhaylo Mudryk, who made his debut off the bench and went close to scoring a couple of times.

"He's not played since November. He hasn't had any game time. It would've been a risk. He'll get better the more he is with us," the former Brighton and Hove Albion head coach said as he explained why the big-money arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk did not start.

Potter added regarding Mudryk and another new arrival, on-loan Joao Felix, who was suspended following his debut red card at Fulham: "They're top players. Sometimes people think us coaches turn top players into top players. But Mudryk, Joao, they understand the game. It's just fine-turning it a bit."

Chelsea are now without a win in their last six Premier League away games on the road (D3 L3), their longest run in the competition since September to December 2015 (D3 L4).

Mason Mount – who has been linked with a move to Liverpool at the end of the season – was also of the opinion that it was a good point for Chelsea.

"You know this is going to be a tough place to come," he told BT Sport. "Overall, we controlled a lot of it. We could have taken our chances.

"It has been tough lately, we want to win games. I feel like it is getting better and we worked hard today.

"We'll definitely take this today. The final passes weren't there – if it was maybe we would have scored a few in the first half, but as I said, this is a tough place to come.

"They press you and force mistakes, like [they did in] the second half, and I think we came through that."

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool "have to be ready for little steps" as he declared himself pleased with a Premier League goalless draw against Chelsea on Saturday.

Struggling heavyweights Liverpool and Chelsea played out a dismal contest at Anfield to leave themselves nine points off fourth-placed Newcastle United, who had a game coming up later in the day.

Liverpool had 15 shots, but just three were on target, with their expected goals (xG) return of 1.40 lower than that of Chelsea (1.59), who had a Kai Havertz goal ruled out.

The Reds did at least snap a two-game losing run in the Premier League with their first clean sheet in nine, all of which Klopp believes points to a positive day on the whole.

"We had good spells but couldn't keep it up," Klopp, who was taking charge of his 1,000th game in management, told BT Sport.

"We have to be ready for little steps, and this is a little step. We didn’t concede against Chelsea, which is good. We didn't create an awful lot of chances, but we had them.

"We defended more with passion than clear organisation, so in the end I am okay with nil-nil. You have to accept it."

Liverpool and Chelsea have now played out five successive draws, albeit with the Reds winning two of those games on penalties in last season's EFL and FA Cup finals.

It is the first time ever the sides have drawn three successive league games.

Klopp's side now turn focus to an FA Cup fourth-round tie with Brighton and Hove Albion, while they have a Champions League last-16 clash with Real Madrid coming up.

Echoing the thoughts of his manager, utility man James Milner believes Liverpool are showing small signs of improvement.

"When you're in a tough period and a tough moment in the team, I think it's important that you stick together and fight for those clean sheets and that's where it starts," Milner said.

"It's not the best football matches that we are playing, but it's small steps to get where we know we can be.

"We would have liked to win it, it's pleasing that we had the chances. This is a small step in the right direction, but we have got a long way to go to where we want to be.

"We always want to win our home games, we know the situation we are in at the moment, things are not easy.

"We've got to stick together, keep working hard. We kept a clean sheet which was pleasing. We need to get that base. We had chances to win the game."

Milner, who lined up at right-back, had the joint-second most touches of any Liverpool player (73) despite playing just 72 minutes. He felt the condition of the playing surface worked against Liverpool.

"It was two teams that aren't playing their best at the moment. That's why you have to win that battle, and the pitch didn't make it as easy to play as we would like," he said.

"At times we could have made it easier for ourselves by taking an extra touch but also moving for each other. 

"We had really good spells in the game as well. There's things to work on, but a clean sheet is a step in the right direction."

Youssoufa Moukoko has signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal with Borussia Dortmund to end speculation regarding his future.

The 18-year-old Germany international was due to be available as a free agent at the end of the season with his previous deal set to expire, attracting reported interest from Premier League duo Chelsea and Newcastle United.

However, the saga has been brought to a close after Dortmund announced the teenager penned a new deal running to June 2026.

While Moukoko was flattered by interest shown by other clubs, he expressed delight with his new contract.

"It's no secret that I feel comfortable at BVB. I played in the youth teams, took my first steps in professional football here and now I'm ready to take the next step in my development together with the club," he said.

"I feel the trust of the coaching staff and have an environment here in which I can develop perfectly.

"Of course, I was honoured by the interest of other clubs, but ultimately it is a decision of the heart. The fans have always supported me, and I want to give something back to them and the club."

Moukoko was in Germany's squad for the 2022 World Cup and has been involved in nine Bundesliga goals (six scored, three assisted) for Dortmund this season, at least three more than any of his team-mates.

Jurgen Klopp's 1,000th match in management; the English top flight's 50,000th fixture – Chelsea's trip to Liverpool on Saturday wasn't short of milestones, intrigue or importance.

But there was certainly no surplus of quality at Anfield as two teams who've been feeling sorry for themselves for most of the season failed to produce the spark that could reignite their thoroughly underwhelming campaigns.

Graham Potter's men left with a 0-0 draw that Chelsea might ultimately be relatively happy with, but generally speaking it was a match devoid of brilliance, and by extension an indictment of two teams who should be faring far, far better.

It bears remembering that, in fairness, Liverpool and Chelsea played out draws in seven of their previous 17 Premier League meetings – but such tightness has also led to numerous classics down the years, helping stoke something of a competitive rivalry between the two.

Recent Premier League title winners, recent Champions League titlists – even with their respective injury woes and general struggles, surely this was still going to be a thriller?

There probably wasn't a more inappropriate description of the first half, a dour 45 minutes of football barely punctuated by any hints of ingenuity or quality.

Chelsea could argue they were the brighter of the teams. Kai Havertz had an early goal disallowed; Lewis Hall flashed a left-footed effort across the six-yard box; Benoit Badiashile headed at Alisson from close range.

But it was hardly sustained pressure, and you could make a case for all three incidents being caused more by poor Liverpool defending than attacking brilliance from Chelsea.

Of course, it cannot be overstated how many important players were absent for both teams – it's no fluke they began the weekend ninth and 10th in the league.

But even with the likes of Hall and Stefan Bajcetic starting, it wasn't as if either side resembled a creche. The starting XIs cost over £200million. Each.

Not even Mohamed Salah – a genuine superstar – could bring the desired quality, skying one attempt as he cut inside and onto his left foot. You know the one, the type of chance you'd almost expect him to finish last season... or any past campaign in Liverpool red.

A fairly tame Thiago Alcantara effort was Liverpool's first shot on target in the 39th minute.

There was undoubtedly a sense of Jurgen Klopp "getting into" – as Reds great Steven Gerrard put it during his punditry – Liverpool at half-time, as they began the second half on the front foot.

Within seconds of the restart, Ibrahima Konate surged forward and seemingly panicked with little else on. His toe-poke from about 50 yards almost crept into the top-left corner in an incident that seemed to sum up everything about the game until that point.

But Liverpool's intensity didn't last, their dip seemingly coinciding with the introduction of Mykhaylo Mudryk, who gave Chelsea a notable lift.

His first touch was heavy. Cue ironic cheers from the home fans.

But his next will have had the Kop staring wide-eyed in terror.

Conor Gallagher was tripped in the box and Mudryk pounced, remarkably dancing past three Liverpool defenders before drilling left-footed into the side-netting.

Relief was the expression written all over the Reds' defence – although only for a moment. Soon after he left James Milner for dead, luring the makeshift right-back into a lunge that brought a booking and his subsequent substitution for Trent Alexander-Arnold, deemed not fit enough to start.

Suddenly Chelsea were looking to Mudryk in virtually every attack. Two devilish Hakim Ziyech crosses sought him out at the back post – the first was met with a heavy touch, the second slightly too strong for him to divert goalwards.

The Ukrainian was also neat with his link-up play, delicately releasing Carney Chukwuemeka into the box twice with well-weighted passes, only for the youngster to stumble on the first occasion and then needlessly delay his shot for the second.

Mudryk wasn't enough to inspire a breakthrough, though. In fact, the game probably didn't deserve a goal, and you certainly couldn't say either team were particularly unfortunate not to win.

While Mudryk's cameo will have undoubtedly offered Chelsea some encouragement, the overriding conclusion from such an underwhelming contest was that both extremely expensively assembled teams still look like they could do with another £200m of investment.

Christophe Galtier insisted Paris Saint-Germain will play "our best team" against non-league Pays de Cassel in the Coupe de France, as he looks to restore their intensity and rhythm.

The runaway Ligue 1 leaders are heavy favourites to progress to the last 16 without too many difficulties at the neutral venue of Stade Bollaert-Delelis – home to Lens.

Galtier's side have lost each of their last two games away from Parc des Princes, but restored some momentum with an entertaining 5-4 victory over Riyadh All-Stars in a friendly on Thursday, when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were among the scorers.

And Galtier revealed he will field his strongest possible side in a bid to address the issues that have prevented his players from producing their optimum performance levels in recent weeks.

"It is a big match and a historic moment for an amateur club," he said during his pre-match press conference. "We are preparing seriously for it.

"We will play our best team. There won't be rotation. We need to get through this tie and the team needs to play at its best. I am working hard with the players to be focused on the mistakes that we need to correct.

"Especially in the style of play that we would like to have, we are looking for intensity and a direct approach. We have lost this in the last few weeks.

"In terms of wanting to press and win the ball as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible, there have been below-par performances in recent weeks, so we need to think about that.

"Both in terms of our setup and ability to press in the last few games, we haven't managed to do that for various reasons.

"The sooner we can get our intensity, rhythm, link-up play back, the better, particularly with only one game per week. It would be silly to rotate in certain positions."

Galtier said the club are working on bringing in a replacement for Pablo Sarabia, who departed the reigning Ligue 1 champions from Premier League side Wolves earlier this week.

The head coach also provided an update on Presnel Kimpembe, who continues his recovery from an Achilles injury.

"Of course, we hope to have Kimpembe in the coming weeks," he added. "He is scheduled to be in full training in eight or 10 days, and we will see how he feels.

"He is working very hard. Of course, he is a big loss for us. We know how important Kimpembe is in terms of his level of play, his ability to lead the defence."

Struggling Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and Chelsea played out a goalless draw at Anfield in Jurgen Klopp's 1,000th game in management.

The clubs find themselves level on points in mid-table and Saturday's 0-0 result does neither side's hopes of challenging for the top four any good.

Kai Havertz thought he had given Chelsea the lead inside three minutes, only for VAR to rule it out for a tight offside, while Benoit Badiashile wasted a good opportunity.

New signing Mykhailo Mudryk was handed his debut in the second half and also went close for Chelsea, but there was to be no breakthrough at either end.

Havertz turned the ball in from close range after Thiago Silva's shot had hit the post and cannoned into his path, but his left foot was adjudged to have been in an offside position.

Liverpool, who handed a full league debut to Stefan Bajcetic, survived another scare when Badiashile headed too close to Alisson from a few yards out.

The visitors turned to Mudryk before the hour mark after Cody Gakpo sent a number of attempts off target for Liverpool, and the big-money signing made a quick impact.

Some slick footwork allowed him to get a shot away, albeit into the side-netting, and an even better chance fell his way when failing to control a pass at the back post.

Shots on target proved hard to come by, though, with substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold also blazing over late on as the sides could not be separated in 90 minutes for a fifth successive meeting.

Magda Linette made it through to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time after she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-4 at the Australian Open.

The result, paired with Iga Swiatek's third-round win on Friday, also means that two Polish female players are through to a grand slam fourth round for the first time in the Open Era since 2008, when Marta Domachowska and Agnieszka Radwanska both reached the same stage of the same tournament.

Indeed, Linette also became just the fourth female Polish player to reach the last 16 at a grand slam in the Open Era after Domachowska, Radwanska and the current world number one Swiatek.

Linette – who had lost each of her previous six grand slam third-round matches – recovered from a break down in the first set against the number 19 seed, while the second went very differently.

The world number 45 raced out to a 4-0 lead and seemed on course to finish the job quickly, before Alexandrova fought back to 5-4.

Linette kept her nerve to serve out the win and set up a fourth-round clash against fourth seed Caroline Garcia, who came from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund.

Andy Murray is confident he can reach the latter stages of a grand slam before calling time on his career after being left "disappointed" by his third-round exit at the Australian Open.

The 35-year-old showed what he is capable of by defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis in a near-six-hour epic in the early hours of Friday, but he came unstuck against Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.

Murray, who was also on the court for almost four hours against Matteo Berrettini in the first round, fell just short of a place in the last 16 with a 6-1 6-7 (9-7) 6-3 6-4 loss on Margaret Court Arena.

Three-time grand slam winner Murray is already looking ahead to the Rotterdam Open in three weeks' time, though, and is hopeful of making his mark at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year. 

"I can have a deeper run than the third round of a slam, there's no question about that," he told reporters. "Obviously draws can open up for you.

"I need to also help myself with that. If I was playing at this level last year, I probably wouldn't be ranked 50, 60 in the world. It's up to me to try and change that."

Murray, who was on court for around 14 hours across his three matches in Melbourne, says the amount of hours put into practising is made worthwhile as he looks to prolong his career.

"Obviously you never know exactly when the end is going to be," he said. "I would like to go out playing tennis like this, where I'm competing with the best players in the world in the biggest events and doing myself justice.

"There were maybe times the last year or so where I didn't really feel like I was playing well, and I didn't enjoy the way that I was playing.

"Those sacrifices and that effort that I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching.

"I felt good about the way that I was playing. It's more enjoyable for me when I'm playing like that, when I'm coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage."

Perhaps showing signs of rustiness from his early-morning finish against Kokkinakis, Murray struggled in the first set against Bautista Agut as three double faults – as many as he had in the whole of his second-round match – handed the initiative to his opponent.

Murray recovered from a point down in the second set to level up via a tie-break, despite trailing 5-2 and 6-4, though Bautista Agut earned the only break of serve in the third set to edge back in front.

Never before had Murray played three successive five-set matches in the main draw of a grand slam, and that remains the case as Bautista Agut shut out the loud noise generated by the crowd to recover from an early break down and take the match.

"I have a lot of mixed emotions," said Murray, who has not reached a grand slam quarter-final in six years. "I feel like I gave everything that I had to this event. So I'm proud of that.

"That is all you can ever do. You can't always control the outcome. You can't control how well you're going to play or the result. You can control the effort that you put into it, and I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I'm very proud of that.

"But I'm also disappointed because I put loads of work into the beginning of this year and was playing well enough to have a really good run, have a deep run.

"I think even tonight I'm competing against a guy 20 in the world, and it's still very tight considering the circumstances. I feel disappointed because I feel like I could have gone quite a bit further."

Number 24 seed Bautista Agut, who has only once previously reached the last eight in Melbourne, will face Tommy Paul in the next round.

Harry Maguire believes the growing competition for places at Manchester United is a recipe for success, despite seeing his own game time limited this season.

The Red Devils captain has endured a frustrating campaign, having started only seven matches, and just two in the Premier League since August.

Despite playing the full 90 minutes of United's 3-0 win over Bournemouth, the England defender appeared only as a late substitute during the recent derby win over Manchester City, while he was unused in the midweek draw with Crystal Palace.

Erik ten Hag's side headed into this weekend sitting third in the Premier League and eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who they face in a blockbuster clash at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

United then play Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup semi-finals before taking on Reading in the FA Cup fourth round, while an eagerly anticipated Europa League showdown with Barcelona is also on the horizon.

Maguire insists squad rotation is and will continue to be crucial as the club bid to be successful, and potentially end their six-year wait for major silverware, having last triumphed in the 2016-17 Europa League under Jose Mourinho.

"I think subs throughout our season have been really important," Maguire told United Daily. "They've scored some crucial goals, players have come on and had a big impact in the game. So, we know it's a squad game.

"Obviously, everyone wants to start and everyone's disappointed when they don't start the games, but that's the way it should be because we're all footballers.

"We're all competitive, we want to play football, but we've also got to be ready when we're called upon.

"I think our fixture list from now until the end of the season is relentless, not much break, not much rest in between games. So, I'm sure fresh legs will be used.

"And I think if you're going to be a successful squad, it's so important to have competition for places in each position, and I think we've got that in this team now."

Xavi has challenged Ansu Fati to prove he can be a leader for Barcelona while suspended striker Robert Lewandowski waits to return.

Fati only played the closing moments of Barcelona's 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final win over Real Madrid last Sunday as the club landed their first trophy since Lionel Messi left in August 2021. It was Xavi's first trophy as Barcelona coach.

The 20-year-old Fati was a substitute again for the Copa del Rey win over Ceuta on Thursday, coming on to score the third goal in a 5-0 rout.

His bit-part role is something Fati may have to accept given Lewandowski is a seemingly guaranteed starter when available to head coach Xavi. This weekend sees Lewandowski serve the second part of a three-game ban.

Gavi, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele have featured off the Polish striker, with Raphinha and Ferran Torres also getting chances.

Now it seems Fati may get to start against Getafe in LaLiga on Sunday, with Xavi saying: "He plays a decisive role in the team. He makes a difference and has that great communion with the goal.

"He is decisive and is being important for the team, and more so in the games that Robert is not there due to suspension he has to be a reference."

Barcelona are on a high after the Supercopa success, with Xavi saying: "This victory against Madrid means a lot to us, it gives us confidence and morale and makes us believe more.

"Now is the time to maintain our level and compete and fight for the three remaining titles."

They have LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Europa League still to play for, having been knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage, with Xavi determined to wring everything out of his players.

"You have to keep demanding and even increase the demands," the coach said. "Now it's easy to relax, and you have to avoid that and make everyone feel important.

"You can play better. The game against Madrid was excellent and brilliant, but you have to keep up the level."

Xavi said there are fitness concerns over Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong ahead of Getafe's visit to Camp Nou.

"They're available, but they're having problems again," Xavi said. "We can't play with players who are at 80 per cent. Every game is a war, it's a final."

Barcelona headed into the weekend with a three-point lead over Madrid at the top of the table, also knowing they had not lost at home in their 17 previous games against Getafe (W13 D4).

The Catalan giants no longer have Memphis Depay in their ranks after he made a move to Atletico Madrid this week, with the Dutch forward having told Xavi he was "not comfortable" and needed to play more often.

Xavi is unsure whether he will be able to make signings before the January transfer window closes given financial fair play limitations, but he said it "wouldn't be a problem" if there is no further movement on that front.

Novak Djokovic recognised his ongoing hamstring troubles are "not ideal" but said in "high-level professional tennis you have got to find a way".

The Serbian beat number 27 seed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday, despite clearly feeling the hamstring injury that hampered him in his second-round match.

Djokovic was particularly struggling in the first set, though was able to win a tense tie-break 9-7, before going on to win the second and third sets 6-3 6-4 in a match that lasted over three hours.

"I went up and down with my leg, at times it was feeling good and at times not so good, so I had to handle that," Djokovic told Eurosport after the victory.

"Also Grigor is in form, played well for over three hours and three sets, I can't even imagine if I'd lost one of those sets what the length of the match [would have been].

"[I was] just fortunate to find the right shots in the right moments, I thought the double break in the third would be enough but from that moment he was locked in, he didn't miss much, he made me play, made me run all over the place, he read my serves very well, so it was just an incredible battle in the end."

Djokovic received a medical timeout at the end of the first set, which seemed to do the trick as he looked more comfortable in the second, and he broke twice early in the third before a brief Dimitrov fightback, which was ultimately in vain.

"It's movement," he clarified about the injury. "A specific movement that just triggers so I prayed that it doesn't happen, but it happened in the match so I had to deal with it, I had to call the physio and get the pills in my system and it helps so far.

"Not ideal but somehow finding a way. This is high-level professional tennis and you've got to find a way."

The fourth seed faces Australian Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.

Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged Juventus must "do something extraordinary" to qualify for the Champions League following their 15-point deduction.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) confirmed the punishment on Friday following an investigation into the Bianconeri's past transfer dealings, though the club confirmed their intention to appeal the sanction.

Former president Andrea Agnelli and former chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene also received two-year bans from Italian football, while former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is now at Tottenham, was given a 30-month ban.

Juve, who were third in the Serie A table, subsequently slipped to 10th and 12 points off the Champions League places with 20 matches remaining.

"When they told me that the request was nine points, I immediately made the calculation on the distance from the Champions League," Allegri said ahead of the Bianconeri's clash with Atalanta on Sunday.

"When the sentence of 15 points arrived, I made another one – points that would be needed to go to the Champions League. To get there, you have to do something extraordinary."

But Allegri has urged his players to demonstrate unity in the wake of the sanction and remain focused on the task in hand – starting with the visit of Atalanta.

"It's a special game after what happened yesterday," he added. "We must all unite even more, continue to work with a low profile. We, the staff and the players, just have to think about the pitch.

"Nothing [changes], we still have to score points. We have to try to win tomorrow. Atalanta are in great physical shape. We play at home, and it is to be faced in the best way. We have to try to do the best we can.

"We must not start again, these judicial events concern society. There will be an appeal, as the lawyers have communicated. We must think only of the field.

"Given the new standings, which is a fact for the moment, we have 22 points, and we must try to win tomorrow to get to 25."