Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the full extent of the off-field chaos engulfing Chelsea is yet to be realised, but he defiantly vowed they will keep competing so long as they have a kit and a bus.

Chelsea beat Norwich City at Carrow Road on Thursday, with their 3-1 win inspired by Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.

But earlier in the day it was confirmed by the UK government that club owner Roman Abramovich was among the latest high-profile Russian individuals and entities to be hit with sanctions in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, who has been photographed with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the past, was in the process of attempting to sell Chelsea, and the sanctions have put the sale in doubt despite the oligarch claiming the proceeds would have been donated to victims of the war.

While Chelsea were granted a special sporting licence to continue operating as a football club, measures have been imposed upon them including a ban on selling merchandise and tickets to non-season-ticket holders.

Additionally, the first team is not allowed to spend more than £20,000 on away travel, and any income from TV broadcast rights or competition prize money will be frozen.

Shirt sponsor Three has already suspended its agreement with the club while other partners are assessing contracts, and Tuchel realises things may get even worse for the club.

"I didn't see that coming yesterday and I don't know what is coming tomorrow," Tuchel told reporters after the defeat of Norwich.

"The level of impact it has, the news of today is big, in time we don't know how big. We cannot influence it."

Yet the German cut a largely relaxed figure, seemingly at peace with the fact there is nothing he nor his players can do to affect the situation.

For them, it is a case of business as usual, where possible, with Tuchel adamant he remains committed to leading the team.

"I am still happy to be here and still happy to be manager of a strong team," he continued.

"So far we can trust each other and this will not change. As long as we have enough shirts and a bus to drive to the games, we will be there and will compete hard.

"Everybody can be very sure that we focus on us, to keep the attitude and the mentality right on the training ground and within the team."

Chelsea are in action again on Sunday as they welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge.

Major League Baseball has announced an agreement with the MLB Players Association that will end baseball's lockout in time for the 2022 regular season to start on April 7.

A full 162-game schedule is to be played this year after a new collective bargaining agreement was belatedly secured.

MLB had previously cancelled Opening Day and then games up until April 14 as part of the lockout, vowing a shortened season would be the result, with players not compensated for lost games.

Finally, though, on Thursday, the two sides came to terms on a deal that was ratified by owners in a unanimous 30-0 vote and sets the new season in motion.

And the four series that had been removed from the calendar will now be rescheduled.

Detailed the new CBA, MLB said: "The new five-year CBA includes increased minimum salaries, a new pre-arbitration bonus pool to reward the top young players in the game, a raise in competitive balance tax thresholds, the introduction of a universal designated hitter, the widest-ranging Draft lottery in pro sports, a system to prevent alleged service-time manipulation and limits on the number of times a player can be optioned in a season to address concerns regarding 'roster churn'.

"The deal also includes an expanded 12-team postseason format, bringing playoff baseball to two additional markets each year."

Commissioner Rob Manfred said of the news: "I am genuinely thrilled to say Major League Baseball is back and we're going to play 162 games.

"I want to start by apologising to our fans. I know the last few months have been difficult."

Inaki Pena was the standout Barcelona player in Thursday's Europa League draw with Galatasaray – unfortunately for Xavi, he was playing in the opposition goal.

Goalkeeper Pena is on loan at Galatasaray from Barca, and so their unexpected meeting in European competition has provided the 23-year-old an opportunity to impress.

He did exactly that as Galatasaray returned from Camp Nou with a goalless draw, leaving the last-16 tie in the balance heading back to Turkey for the second leg.

Pena, who has never played for Barca's first team, made four saves and prevented 1.1 goals, according to expected goals on target data.

Memphis Depay was denied twice, while there were further stops from Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong on a frustrating evening for the Blaugrana.

"Inaki Pena has been spectacular," said Xavi, although he was not the only Galatasaray player worthy of praise.

The Barca coach added: "Their central defenders were phenomenal and they didn't allow us to finish our moves off. It's a shame because we dominated.

"Although we created fewer chances than normal, we created enough to score."

Pena was unsurprisingly asked how his performance might have helped his chances of a long-term Barca future, but he remains focused on the task at hand.

"I played a good game and I'm very happy with my performance," he said. "I needed minutes and here I am getting them.

"I am focused on Galatasaray. I am very clear that I have a contract with Barca and I have to return in June."

Mason Mount explained on Thursday how difficult it had been for Chelsea's players not to be distracted by the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich.

Abramovich was named as one of seven Russian oligarchs to have his assets frozen by the UK government due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a statement calling the Chelsea owner a "prominent Russian businessman and pro-Kremlin oligarch".

A government statement said: "Abramovich is associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, namely Vladimir Putin, with whom Abramovich has had a close relationship for decades."

The sanctions mean Chelsea's potential sale has been put on hold, with further restrictions banning merchandise sales and tickets to non-season-ticket holders.

This news came on the same day Chelsea travelled to Norwich City for a Premier League match.

Although the Blues won 3-1 to consolidate third place in the table, midfielder Mount – who both scored and assisted goals – acknowledged the precarious situation with Abramovich had been a factor.

"You can't really avoid it, as there's a lot going on," Mount told BBC Sport.

"We have to focus on what we do on the pitch. We had a game today and that was the only thing we could focus on. 

"We did that today, so now it's about Sunday. You try not to look too much into it."

Chelsea host Newcastle United on Sunday in their first game at Stamford Bridge since these developments.

West Ham manager David Moyes believes his side are still well-placed to progress from the Europa League round of 16, despite a 1-0 loss to Sevilla on Thursday.

Munir El Haddadi's 60th minute winner was enough to separate the two sides at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, having come into the Sevilla team in place of midfield talisman Ivan Rakitic, who sustained an injury in the pre-match warm-up.

West Ham grew into the match but, aside from an early Nikola Vlasic chance, lacked any tangible threat in the first leg. Nevertheless, Moyes was encouraged by the performance.

"We came up against a really good European team, an experienced team and I thought we came really close tonight to getting a draw," he said afterwards.

"We've just got to turn these games [into results] – on Saturday at Liverpool we could easily have turned that into a draw, tonight we could probably have had a draw.

"It's a lack of concentration a little bit for the goal, then there was a period for 15 or 20 minutes in the second half when they got their tails up and we had to weather it, which we did. I feel that we can be proud of the work we put in. We're right in the tie.”

West Ham were without Jarrod Bowen, who picked up an injury against Liverpool, meaning Vlasic was given a rare start. Said Benrahma was given the task of impacting the game off the bench, along with a late cameo from Arthur Masuaku, but the Hammers failed to achieve parity.

According to Moyes, though, there was enough in the first-leg performance to suggest his side will turn the tie around at London Stadium as long as they defensively disciplined.

"We'll get a goal next week, I've got no doubt about that, and what we need to do is make sure we don't concede any," he said.

"They [Sevilla] are a good team who keep the ball and they might make it difficult for us. We're going to have to probably chase the ball at different times, but ultimately we will go into the game feeling that we are right in the tie."

The Hammers will face Sevilla in the return leg next Thursday, but first host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.

Thomas Tuchel was grateful to have a match to focus on after Chelsea were plunged into uncertainty on Thursday with the freezing of club owner Roman Abramovich's assets.

Chelsea were in Norfolk to face Norwich City, emerging with a 3-1 win thanks to a professional display led by Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.

But earlier in the day it was confirmed by the British government that Abramovich was among the latest high-profile Russian individuals and entities to be hit with sanctions in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, who has been photographed with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the past, was in the process of attempting to sell Chelsea, and the sanctions have put the sale in doubt despite the oligarch claiming the proceeds would have been donated to victims of the war.

While Chelsea have been granted a special sporting licence to continue operating as a football club, measures were placed upon them including a ban on selling merchandise and tickets to non-season-ticket holders.

It cast a shroud over Chelsea heading into Thursday's game, but Tuchel feels the fact they were already preparing for a match helped the squad keep their focus away from off-field matters.

Tuchel told BeIN Sports: "It's big news, huge impact of course, that's why it's big news. It is the subject of all the talk [in the squad].

"Normally we'd talk maybe about the Champions League games from yesterday but nobody talked about that, just the impacts of the new facts around the club.

"In the end it's also nice to enter a fixed schedule approaching a match. So, there's three-hours before [the game] we eat, and then we have a tactical meeting, then a set-piece meeting, then we go to the stadium.

"So, it helps you to focus because we're used to it. In the end we cannot influence it, we did not cause the situation, so we allowed ourselves to enjoy the fact we're here and are privileged to play football in the Premier League, and we wanted to show the best things.

"Sometimes it's good to sweat it out, so we tried to work hard, tried to convince the team to work really hard together and that's sometimes the best thing to get the focus back."

Certain sections of the Chelsea support have criticised the media for asking Tuchel about off-field matters since Abramovich announced he had put the club up for sale.

There have been suggestions Tuchel should only be asked questions relating specifically to the football his team play, but the German appeared relaxed about having to answer about off-field topics.

"I would love to talk about sports but I understand [the media] have a lot of questions," he continued.

"Unfortunately, I don't know much more than you, maybe it's the opposite, but we're also an entertainment and that's why it's like this."

An exhilarating game at Ibrox saw Rangers beat Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie on Thursday.

A contest dominated by early VAR decisions saw goals from James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Leon Balogun secure a big win for Giovanni van Bronckhorst's men.

The visitors conceded twice, had two goals ruled out for offside, and saw a penalty saved by Allan McGregor in a frenetic opening 25 minutes in Glasgow.

Dejan Stankovic's side will still believe they can turn things around at the Rajko Mitic Stadium next week, where they have won three of their four Europa League home games this season (L1), but only once have they won by more than one goal (4-0 v CFR Cluj).

Red Star made a bright start and Aleksandar Katai had an early goal disallowed for offside, but it was Rangers who took the lead on 10 minutes when a VAR review judged that Ryan Kent had been tripped in the box by Slavoljub Srnic, with Tavernier dispatching the penalty into the top-right corner of the net, despite slipping over.

Everything was going wrong for the visitors as they had a second goal ruled out for offside, before a cross from Ryan Jack off a short corner dropped to Morelos, who fired past Milan Borjan to double the lead for the Scottish champions.

A remarkable opening period continued as Red Star were awarded a penalty on 23 minutes after Jack fouled Guelor Kanga in the box, but McGregor got a strong right hand to Katai's spot kick to keep it out.

Glen Kamara almost made it three before half-time after good work from Calvin Bassey and Kent down the left, but the Finland midfielder lifted his effort just over the bar, though it was three six minutes after the break as Balogun rose highest to plant a header past Borjan from an out-swinging Tavernier corner.

Kanga crashed a shot against the crossbar and substitute El Fardou Ben Nabouhane had a third goal ruled out for offside as Red Star looked for a way back in, while Connor Goldson missed a glorious chance at a fourth at the back post off a Tavernier free-kick, but Rangers will be happy with another impressive win in Europe. 

What does it mean? VAR to the rescue for Rangers

It was an electric start at Ibrox, but the busiest man involved in the game was the video assistant referee who was forced to make three huge calls in the first few minutes, all of which went to Rangers (correctly, it must be said).

Two disallowed goals for the visitors either side of a penalty award to Van Bronckhorst's men swung the tie in their favour early on.

Rangers rode their luck at times but also showed that their shock elimination of Borussia Dortmund in the last round was no fluke as they ensured a good first-leg lead as they look to progress to the quarter-finals for the first time since their run to the final in 2007-08.

Morelos makes history

The Colombian striker is somewhat of an enigma, but usually turns up when his team needs him, especially on big European nights.

Morelos has now scored seven goals in Europe for Rangers this season – surpassing James Forrest in 1964-65 as the player with the outright most goals in a single season in major European competition for the club (excluding qualifiers).

Serbians' struggle in Scotland

Former Inter midfielder Stankovic will have been pleased with the effort from his team and bemused as to how they were 2-0 down at half-time, but they have a lot to do next week in the return leg.

Red Star have now won just one of their previous seven matches away to Scottish opponents in European competition, with that victory coming in their first such match back in November 1961 against Hibernian in the Fairs Cup.

What’s next?

Before the return leg in Serbia next Thursday, Rangers travel to Dundee in the Scottish Cup quarter-final on Sunday while Red Star are away to Metalac GM in the Serbian SuperLiga on Monday.

Barcelona were frustrated by Galatasaray as Xavi's team could only manage a 0-0 draw at Camp Nou in the first leg of their Europa League tussle.

These teams will try again in Istanbul next week, with a quarter-final place at stake, and Barcelona could rue the opportunities they missed in this contest.

Xavi was an unused substitute when these teams last met, in the 2002-03 Champions League, but here he was orchestrating from the bench as head coach.

Barcelona almost snatched the lead with a freakish goal, when an overhead kick from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was going well wide before Frenkie de Jong instinctively flung out a leg and volleyed against the left post, but it was not to be their night.

The hosts wanted an early penalty when Adama Traore's cross hit the arm of Kerem Akturkoglu but had to settle for a corner. Memphis Depay then tested Galatasaray goalkeeper Inaki Pena – on loan from Barcelona – with a fiercely struck free-kick from 22 yards in the 27th minute, the first shot on target in the contest.

This incarnation of Galatasaray sit only 12th in the Turkish Super Lig, a pale shadow of their great teams, but they almost had a goal to rank among their finest in Europe.

A slaloming, bustling run down the left by Akturkoglu, starting deep inside his own half, ended with a dart into the penalty area and a shot from 15 yards being deflected inches over for a corner by Eric Garcia.

Barcelona made three changes for the start of the second half, Xavi looking to jolt his team as he withdrew Ronald Araujo, Nico and Ferran Torres, bringing on Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Ousmane Dembele.

Busquets had a header tipped over and home captain Jordi Alba cracked a powerful right-footed volley a foot wide of the left post, before De Jong almost put away Aubameyang's wayward effort.

Galatasaray thought they had snatched a winner against the run of play through Bafetimbi Gomis, as the striker smashed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but he had strayed offside.

Chelsea's off-field uncertainty was no barrier to victory over struggling Norwich City on Thursday as the Blues left Carrow Road with a 3-1 win.

The British government earlier confirmed Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had his assets frozen as part of its sanctions against high-profile Russian individuals and entities in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

These sanctions were imposed just as Abramovich was attempting to sell the club, meaning Chelsea's future is shrouded in uncertainty, but on the pitch at least it was business as usual to a degree.

Trevoh Chalobah and Mason Mount had Chelsea two up inside 14 minutes, though their second-half performance offered Norwich encouragement with Teemu Pukki pulling one back from the spot.

But a Norwich comeback never materialised as Kai Havertz put the game beyond them late on to keep the Canaries bottom, while Chelsea moved eight points clear of fourth-placed Arsenal. 

Considering Norwich's poor defensive record, Chelsea were always going to get chances – they just may not have expected an opener to come so soon.

Feeble Norwich defending saw Chalobah nudge home from close range after Mount's delivery in the third minute, and it was 2-0 not long after.

The excellent Havertz pulled the ball back to Mount on the edge of the box, and following a drop of the shoulder, he exquisitely found the top-right corner.

Chelsea's intensity dropped after the break, though it was not until the 69th minute that their lead looked under threat, as Pukki coolly slid home a penalty after Chalobah handled a cross from lively substitute Milot Rashica.

Norwich's hopes of a late turnaround were dashed in the 90th minute, Havertz picking out the top-left corner with aplomb.

What does it mean? On-pitch stability vital for Tuchel

There is nothing Tuchel and his players can do about the chaos that is encircling Chelsea. All of that will be played out in the boardroom.

But the last thing they need now would be a wobble on the pitch, as they could quickly begin to slide down the Premier League table.

While the next few weeks – at least – look set to be challenging for Chelsea in almost every sense, this was at least a victory that prevented questions of being asked of the players' mentalities.

Mount the instigator

Although he was slightly quieter in the second half, Mount deserves recognition for his all-round performance. The midfielder was a major attacking threat, having an involvement in two of Chelsea goals, while his four shots and five key passes were match highs – only twice before has he set up more chances in a single Premier League game.

Rachica brought hope for Norwich

Norwich were massively improved in the second half, with Havertz's late strike arguably flattering the visitors. Rashica was key to the hosts' showing after the break with a lively display on the left flank, his two key passes the most of any player in yellow – it was also his cross that led to the penalty.

What's next?

Chelsea welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, while Norwich head to out-of-form Leeds United the same day.

Sevilla will take a slim advantage into their Europa League last-16 second leg against West Ham after winning 1-0 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

A superb second-half strike from Munir El Haddadi was enough to give the LaLiga side the victory, though the visiting Hammers also had their chances.

Munir only came into the side after Ivan Rakitic picked up an injury in the warm-up, and the Moroccan was at the centre of most of his team's best moments.

West Ham manager David Moyes may well be satisfied with his team's performance and coming away from Spain with just a one-goal deficit, as they look to get back into the tie at the London Stadium next Thursday.

Sevilla threatened early with two headers in the first four minutes, first from Youssef En-Nesyri and then Munir, while Nikola Vlasic should have given the Premier League side the lead after 11 minutes but could only direct a free header from point-blank range straight at Yassine Bounou.

Munir went close again just before the half-hour mark as Marcos Acuna found him with a delightful throughball, but the former Barcelona man could only guide his shot wide of Alphonse Areola's right-hand post.

Vlasic also had another opportunity after receiving a knockdown from Michail Antonio, cutting inside and hitting a fierce effort at Bounou's near post, with the keeper turning it behind.

Tomas Soucek forced Bounou into another strong save early in the second half, but it was the home side who took the lead just before the hour when a free-kick from Acuna was crossed to the far post where Munir, in acres of space, coolly side-footed a half-volley into the far corner of the net.

Lucas Ocampos threatened a second as he bent an effort just wide, before Manuel Lanzini was denied an equaliser when Jesus Navas blocked his shot following good work by Said Benrahma, and so it is advantage Sevilla at the half-way point of the tie.

Ilkay Gundogan believes Manchester City must step on the accelerator at the top of the Premier League if they are to deny Liverpool the title.

Another remarkable race for silverware is unfolding in England between the north-west giants, with Pep Guardiola's City currently six points ahead of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Liverpool's trip to City on April 10 could be pivotal in determining the destiny of the trophy, and by the time City are in action next, at Crystal Palace on Monday, their lead could be down to three points.

That is because Liverpool play ahead of them, taking on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.

Gundogan said: "There is no potential to do mistakes for both sides. We have a showdown at the Etihad in a few weeks.

"Both teams are capable to win all of the remaining games as we both have shown a few years ago. It's going to be a tight race until the end, this is what we believe."

Gundogan is referring to the 2018-19 Premier League season when he reflects on the season when both City and Liverpool stalked each other to the finish line.

It was City who edged that battle with 98 points to the Reds' 97, before Liverpool streaked to glory by 18 points in the following campaign.

City reasserted their authority last term, with a third title in four seasons, and narrowly have the upper hand this time around, albeit with time for that to change. They have 10 games left; Liverpool have 11.

City's shock home defeat to Tottenham on February 19 is their only league loss in the last 18 games, but has highlighted a potential vulnerability at a crucial stage of the campaign.

Guardiola and Klopp have Champions League commitments that must be attended to over the coming weeks and months, having guided their teams to the quarter-finals. Liverpool edged past Inter 2-1 on aggregate, while City sealed an impressive last-16 win over Sporting CP as they consolidated a 5-0 win in Portugal with a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Gundogan said City's home display was "very mature" and safety-first. They are attempting to go one better than last season, when they were beaten 1-0 in the final by Chelsea.

"The confidence is very high," German midfielder Gundogan said. "The experience from the last years always helps. Going into the final last year, even though we lost, it is a great experience for all of our players, especially as it was the first time for a lot of us.

"We smelt last year how it was, the tension and the atmosphere to go into the final.

"Obviously we again have the highest hopes for this year, even though the competition is very big.

"I think there's a lot of quality and potential in our squad. There is no reason not to be confident and that's how we're going to approach also the quarter-finals."

Eddie Jones has told England to attack their clash with Ireland at Twickenham as though they are playing a tournament semi-final.

The hosts' Six Nations hopes rely on them beating Ireland, and both teams head into the game with two wins and a loss from their opening three games.

Head coach Jones has included Sam Simmonds at number eight for the big game in London, with Alex Dombrandt on the bench after recovering from COVID-19.

Courtney Lawes again skippers the team, with vice-captain Tom Curry fit to feature after recovering from a head injury sustained in the win against Wales last time out.

Joe Launchbury features in an England match squad for the first time since December 2020 after being named among the replacements.

Jones said: "We've been looking at this game as a semi-final. Ireland are the most cohesive side in the world right now and it will be a good test this weekend.

"We've prepared really well for this game. We did some good team togetherness work in Bristol and had a solid week of training on the pitch here.

"We are looking forward to going after them in front of a great home crowd at Twickenham."

England can look at the game in a semi-final sense because their last match in the championship will be a tussle with France, who have a 100 per cent record so far, in Paris.

That has the potential to be a title decider, although Andy Farrell's Ireland could undo England's hopes this weekend.

Ireland have made six changes to the side that beat Italy 57-6 last time out, with veteran fly-half Johnny Sexton restored to the starting XV as captain, taking the place of Joey Carbery.

England team: Steward, Malins, Marchant, Slade, Nowell, Smith, Randall; Genge, George, Sinckler, Itoje, Ewels, Lawes (captain), Curry, Simmonds.

Replacements: Blamire, Marler, Stuart, Launchbury, Dombrandt, Youngs, Ford, Daly.

Ireland team: Keenan, Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe, Sexton (captain), Gibson-Park; Healy, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Herring, Kilcoyne, Bealham, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Carbery, Henshaw.