Pep Guardiola has thanked Everton for their pro-Ukraine gestures prior to Saturday's Premier League match at Goodison Park.

Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday and attacks have continued in the two days since, with fighting reaching the capital of Kyiv.

Both City and Everton named a Ukrainian player on the bench, with Vitaliy Mykolenko among the hosts' substitutes and Oleksandr Zinchenko present for the visitors.

Zinchenko was spotted at a rally in Manchester on Thursday as he protested Russia's attack on his home nation, and he received a touching reception from Everton fans during the warm-up.

He and Mykolenko also shared an embrace on the pitch before the match, while Everton fans unfurled pro-Ukraine banners in the stands.

Everton also opted to drop their use of an air-raid siren as the teams entered the field, with the sound used in recent seasons to boost the atmosphere in the stadium.

City players donned white T-shirts bearing the Ukraine flag and the slogan 'no war' written across it – the Everton starting XI took to the pitch draped in flags.

City won the game 1-0 thanks to a late Phil Foden goal, but much of the pre-match focus remained on the emotional scenes.

"I said on behalf of Manchester City thank you so much for the lovely gesture for Aleks and their player and the concern that happened," Guardiola told reporters.

"The concern is all around the world and I'm pretty sure the UK showed what a strange situation it is when people send innocent people that don't hate each other in Ukraine and Russia to kill each other because one guy at home decides to do it.

"Hopefully it can be resolved soon and there are no more victims in this conflict."

Robert Lewandowski hinted at friction with Bayern Munich over his future after the Bundesliga leaders beat Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Leroy Sane struck in the second half to seal a 1-0 victory at the Waldstadion and move the champions nine points clear of Borussia Dortmund, who play Augsburg on Sunday.

It was only the second time in his past nine league appearances that Lewandowski failed to get on the scoresheet, with goalkeeper Kevin Trapp making three saves to deny the striker.

Lewandowski's form in 2021-22 has nonetheless been exceptional, the Poland star having scored 28 times in just 24 league games along with nine in seven in the Champions League.

There is uncertainty around the 33-year-old's future, though, with his contract expiring at the end of 2022-23 and no clarity on whether he will extend that deal.

It was put to sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic that Bayern could be tempted to sell Lewandowski should an offer in the region of €50million be made in the next transfer window, but he told Sky: "No, Lewa is of course a very, very important part of our team.

"He is on his way to firing us to titles again, so that's out of the question."

He added Bayern would "of course do everything possible" to extend Lewandowski's contract, but the player himself was left puzzled by the comments.

"I'm hearing that for the first time," he said, as quoted by Spox.

"I'm calm. I know that, with my experience and at my age, I have to stay calm. It's important for me to focus on my game.

"I know what football looks like and how everything works. What's important to me is what happens in the game next week."

Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid's goalkeeper Andriy Lunin has an elbow injury after he withdrew from the matchday squad for their 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano, but revealed he has understandably been affected by Russia's invasion of his home country of Ukraine.

Lunin, who is second choice to Thibaut Courtois, dropped out of the squad on Friday.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, following weeks of rising political tensions in the region. The conflict escalated further on Friday, with the fighting reaching the capital city of Kyiv.

Several high-profile sports figures have publicly expressed their opposition to war, including Russia's Andrey Rublev who wrote "no war please" on a camera lens at the Dubai Tennis Championships, joining compatriot Daniil Medvedev in calling for peace.

In the Premier League, Manchester City and Everton showed solidarity with Ukraine ahead of their meeting at Goodison Park on Saturday.

City's Oleksandr Zinchenko and Everton's Vitaliy Mykolenko embraced during the warm-ups, the two Ukrainian players receiving a warm reception from fans inside the ground, with each appearing close to tears as more tributes were paid before kick-off.

Lunin was not present at Vallecas to receive any such support, with Ancelotti saying after the game: "He had a swelling in his elbow, he couldn't move it this morning. 

"It is a medical problem, but I cannot hide that the player is affected. He is thinking about what is happening there, he has people close to him in Kyiv."

Madrid left it late to secure all three points against their neighbours, Karim Benzema's 83rd-minute goal sealing victory.

Asked about the game, Ancelotti said in quotes reported by AS: "Satisfied with the work, with the commitment, we knew that it was going to be competitive in all facets. 

"We risked on the counter-attacks, we tried to combine up front and win the match. 

"We did, although I'm not very, very satisfied. It was a difficult field, because of the atmosphere, the rival, the grass that was not good... Nobody wins here by a large score."

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri hailed the quality that Dusan Vlahovic has brought to the Bianconeri squad after he netted two superb goals in a 3-2 win at Empoli.

Vlahovic netted twice after Moise Kean had opened the scoring for the Old Lady in a win which saw them consolidate fourth place in Serie A, although they had to survive a late onslaught from their lively hosts.

The Serbian striker now has 20 Serie A goals this season, while the victory has given Juventus a six-point cushion over fifth-placed Atalanta, ahead of Gian Piero Gasperini's team's clash with Sampdoria on Monday.

Vlahovic's neat finishes proved the difference in a hard-fought encounter in which Empoli managed 11 attempts to the visitors' 12.

Allegri was keen to praise the in-form striker for the qualities he displayed.

"Vlahovic is an important player, he has character as well as quality," Allegri said. "You could tell straight away this lad has character, wants to win and is eager to learn. 

"He has the kind of characteristics we didn't have in the squad.

"He moved a lot more in this game, didn't just stay central, and that was a big advantage for him and for us."

Allegri was also asked how his number seven compared to the man who wore that shirt during his last spell in charge in Turin, two-time Serie A player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I don't think you can compare them," he said. "The previous seven won the Ballon d'Or five times, whereas Vlahovic is at the beginning of his career. 

"A good game isn't enough, [for comparisons with Ronaldo] you need immense mental strength, and he is at the start of his journey."

Vlahovic has now scored two or more goals on nine occasions in Serie A since the beginning of the 2020-21 campaign, equalling Ronaldo's tally of multiple-goal hauls in Italy during the same period.

Allegri also professed himself pleased with the forward options at his disposal, as both Kean and Alvaro Morata recorded goal involvements, but the Bianconeri boss maintained that Juventus are not contenders for the Serie A title.

He added: "Kean struggles with his back to goal and coming back to connect with the midfield, but he does well when wide and attacking the box. Alvaro Morata is the same, he gave a great pass to Vlahovic for the third goal.

"Football is very simple, you just have to put players in roles where they can work to their characteristics.

"We couldn't do that for four or five months, so we had to adapt, but we stayed in range of the top four and now we'll see what happens.

"I remain fully convinced it will take 84 to 85 points minimum to win the Scudetto. Our objective is to finish in the top four and we need to be consistent, because there's Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio are coming up too.

"The title will be a battle between those three up there [Milan, Inter, and Napoli]."

Juventus are now unbeaten in their last 13 Serie A games, their longest such run since a 14-match run under Maurizio Sarri between August and December 2019.

Antoine Dupont lauded the France support for their role in a long-awaited away win against Scotland at Murrayfield.

In each of the previous two Six Nations campaigns, defeats to Scotland cost France their shot at the title, with a 2020 Grand Slam bid ending in Edinburgh.

That defeat had been the most recent of three in a row for Les Bleus at Murrayfield, where they were without a win since 2014.

But Fabien Galthie's side put that pain behind them in real style with a 36-17 triumph, their biggest against Scotland since 2008.

"There is a lot of satisfaction to be drawn from this game," said Dupont, finished with 64 metres carried after playing a key role in the opening try.

"We made a very good start, then we gave them some points. They came back but despite that, despite two or three errors in our camp, we did not panic.

"We stayed together, united collectively throughout the match, which paid off in the end.

"We didn't necessarily have very good memories here at Murrayfield. There were times when we almost thought we were at the Stade de France, the Marseillaise made a lot of noise.

"We felt supported and it felt good as soon as the bus arrived. The Scottish crowd is an incredible crowd, they kept supporting their team despite the score. It was a great feeling."

Bayern Munich put pressure back on Borussia Dortmund as they battled to a 1-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

The leaders were kept at bay by Oliver Glasner's side until Leroy Sane struck with 19 minutes of normal time remaining.

The victory, a first against Glasner for Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann in his Bundesliga coaching career at the sixth attempt, moved the champions nine points clear of Dortmund at the top of the table ahead of their clash with Augsburg on Sunday.

Frankfurt largely contained Bayern in a cagey first half, although Kevin Trapp had to make a strong double save to keep out Joshua Kimmich's volley and Kingsley Coman's follow-up.

Robert Lewandowski was denied following a good throughball from Serge Gnabry and Trapp sprung to keep out another effort from the striker two minutes later.

Just at it looked like Bayern were running out of ideas, Kimmich slid the ball through to Sane in the box, and the winger kept his composure to slot past Trapp.

Frankfurt mounted some late pressure, leading to a few scrambles in the Bayern box, but Sven Ulreich was mostly untroubled in goal.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting ignored a free Sane, shooting straight at Trapp when a cross seemed the better option, but Frankfurt could not punish the error.

Karim Benzema and Real Madrid left it late to go nine points clear at the top of LaLiga with a 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Madrid entered Saturday's contest with the chance to stretch their advantage over second-placed Sevilla but laboured for long periods against a side on a four-game losing streak.

Casemiro had the ball in the net late in the first half but saw his strike ruled out for offside.

Madrid struggled to exert dominance thereafter and were somewhat fortunate not to fall behind in the second half, but seven minutes from time Benzema tapped in to seal the points after an excellent one-two with Vinicius Junior.

Manchester City avoided giving Liverpool further encouragement in the Premier League title race as Phil Foden's late winner rescued a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

Pep Guardiola's were seemingly struggling to bounce back from their 3-2 home defeat by Tottenham last weekend, but Foden struck eight minutes from time to time to ensure the champions went six points clear again.

Everton were more dangerous in the first half but could not make the most of their opportunities.

City were initially having similar struggles until Foden pounced on Michael Keane's defensive error, and the visitors somehow escaped a late penalty concession when Rodri was not penalised for handball in the area.

Pre-match focus at Goodison Park centred on tributes to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion, with the public's reaction all the more poignant in the presence of Ukraine internationals Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko.

The contest itself took a little while to capture the imagination, but it was Everton who first went close, with Jonjoe Kenny slamming into the side-netting.

Richarlison should have done better with a close-range snapshot shortly after, hammering it straight at Ederson, who then watched Anthony Gordon's 25-yard free-kick fly agonisingly over on the stroke of half-time.

City livened up at the other end in the second half as Foden, Joao Cancelo, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva all tested Jordan Pickford in a short period.

But he was helpless as Foden capitalised on Keane's inability to cut out a deflected pass to break the deadlock.

Everton might have been given the chance to level from the spot, but neither referee Paul Tierney nor the VAR felt the need to punish Rodri for handling in City's box.

Ralf Rangnick criticised Manchester United's sharpness after they failed to capitalise on their dominance in a frustrating 0-0 draw with Watford.

After scoring four goals at Leeds United in their previous Premier League encounter, United drew a blank despite having 22 shots at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Just three hit the target, with United's Expected Goals of 2.43 against the Hornets the highest for any Premier League team not to score in a game this season.

The stalemate dealt a blow to United's hopes of a top-four finish, leaving them just two points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal, who have three games in hand.

"We did everything apart from score. It's hard to take that result," Rangnick told Match of the Day. 

"In the end, if you miss that many chances it is difficult to win the game. We were in full control for almost the whole game, we didn't allow them hardly any counter-attacks.

"We need to be sharper in front of goal, you can hardly create more chances than we did today. In the end it is a very frustrating afternoon.

"Had anyone told me that we would create that many clear chances I would have said 'yes, that is enough for us to score one of two goals at least'. But we didn't."

Cristiano Ronaldo went closest to scoring for United, hitting the post in the fifth minute, his misfortune setting the tone for a game in which Watford successfully rode their luck.

On Ronaldo's opportunity, Rangnick added: "That was not the only one [chance]. In the first half we had five massive chances then in the second half we had another three or four. Today we had enough chances to win that game.

"Sometimes we are unlucky, when we hit the post, but we also had a few opportunities one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

"This is not luck, it is a question of sharpness and efficiency in front of goal."

Dusan Vlahovic continued his fine form as Juventus boosted their Serie A top-four hopes with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Empoli.

Moise Kean's header and Vlahovic's neat finish came either side of Szymon Zurkowski's scrappy leveller, as Juve established a 2-1 half-time advantage on Saturday.

Vlahovic's sublime lob put Juve two ahead, though Andrea La Mantia's goal produced a nervous ending for the visitors.

Yet Massimiliano Allegri's team stood firm amid late pressure to move six points clear in fourth place.

Danilo and Denis Zakaria both passed up good opportunities in the early exchanges but the visitors broke the deadlock when Kean met Adrien Rabiot's cross, powering a header past Guglielmo Vicario.

Juve suffered an injury blow when the impressive Zakaria limped off, before Empoli levelled as Zurkowski evaded the visitors' statuesque defenders to prod home from a corner.

Juve were not to be denied their half-time lead, however, with the superb Vlahovic turning smartly on Juan Cuadrado's pass before drilling home.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich announced on Saturday he is handing over the "stewardship and care" of the club to the trustees of its charitable foundation.

England punished an error-strewn Wales performance to win 23-19 at Twickenham and remain France's nearest challengers in the 2022 Six Nations.

The Red Rose had responded to their opening defeat to Scotland with a routine victory over Italy but would have expected a greater test against the defending champions on Saturday.

Instead, England controlled much of the proceedings, with Wales initially impressing only in limiting their scoring.

Marcus Smith's penalty kicking ensured the home side were comfortable early on, though, and an Alex Dombrandt try early in the second period meant an attempted Wales comeback – led by scores from Josh Adams, Nick Tompkins and Kieran Hardy – fell just short.

There was precious little quality in a first half that England dominated, with their 12 points all coming from the boot of Smith.

England's best chance of a try saw them halted in front of the line before Charlie Ewels was penalised for a knock-on, although the TMO spotted Liam Williams had dislodged the ball, earning a yellow card.

Williams headed for the sin bin, yet England added only three points to their total through Smith's latest penalty in his time off the pitch.

The breakthrough try was suitably scruffy in the 43rd minute when Ryan Elias' lineout cleared all of his team-mates and allowed Dombrandt to steal in and score.

Wales' response was rather more impressive, with Adams found free on the left for one try before Tompkins exploited a gap for another, cutting the lead from 17 points to five.

England introduced Ben Youngs for a record-breaking 115th cap as they sought to stem the tide, although it was a further pair of fine Smith kicks that really eased the nerves.

A quick restart from Hardy to score with seconds remaining gave England one last attack to see out with the match on the line, but Eddie Jones' men held on.

Another slow Welsh start

A worrying trend of this Wales campaign has been their poor first-half showings. This was the second of three matches in which they have failed to score a point before the break.

Struggling prior to half-time is nothing new in this fixture, though. They have not led at the interval in any of their 12 Six Nations matches at Twickenham and are the only side with that miserable record.

Smith's boot the standout

Smith finished with 18 points, matching his previous Test best against Canada last July. On that occasion, however, his points came courtesy of nine conversions in a one-sided triumph; this time, with six penalties, his contribution was far more decisive.

The England fly-half also now leads the charts for points in this championship, 12 ahead of Melvyn Jaminet, with whom he had been tied heading into Saturday.

What's next?

Ireland will have the opportunity to nudge ahead of England when they host Italy on Sunday, but they are then the next visitors to Twickenham. Wales must attempt to halt France's Grand Slam charge in Cardiff.