Barcelona boss Xavi was "angry and upset" after his side conceded a late equaliser at Granada on Saturday.

The Blaugrana were on the verge of a crucial victory that would have seen them leap up to third in the LaLiga table, only for an 89th minute Antonio Puertas goal to cancel out Luuk de Jong's opener.

Speaking after the game, Xavi was frustrated with dropping two points as well as having to play the final 10 minutes a man down following Gavi's dismissal for a second yellow card.

"We cannot leave happy. We are angry and upset," he told reporters. "We also lack experience, it's clear.

"I'm not talking about the referees, I'm talking about the consequence of the expulsion. We are with one less, we have to go back [be defensive] and it costs us because we are not used to it.

"Experience and craft are gained with matches. [Gavi] is a player who gives us a lot."

Xavi insisted that his team had to look at themselves following the draw, adding: "We lost very silly balls. We must be self-critical.

"You have to do more things: get higher, create opportunities. If we want to grow we have to do more things and grow from now.

"[The result] is not the merit of [Granada], it is our demerit."

De Jong's header just before the hour was his second in two LaLiga games, having scored the winner at Real Mallorca last week, and Xavi suggested that the Dutchman might still have a role to play despite strong rumours that he had been on the verge of having his loan from Sevilla cut short to lessen the wage bill.

"I have already told you that he is part of the squad, like everyone else," he added. "If offers come and we have to square the salary cap, it is the situation that exists. But Luuk is a professional and he has helped us a lot. I am happy for him."

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema scored his 300th goal in all competitions for the club in Saturday's 4-1 LaLiga win over Valencia.

A penalty just before half-time at the Santiago Bernabeu saw the France international bring up the landmark, before he added a second late on to take his tally to 22 goals in 25 games this season.

Benzema reached the impressive figure in just 584 appearances for Los Merengues, becoming the fourth player to reach that milestone in club's history after Cristiano Ronaldo (450), Raul (323) and Alfredo Di Stefano (308).

The 34-year-old joined Real Madrid from Lyon in 2009, and has won four Champions League titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, three LaLiga titles and two Copas del Rey.

Benzema had a fine 2021, getting 30 goals for his club as well as winning the Nations League with France, scoring the opener as Les Bleus beat Spain 2-1 in the final in October.

Karim Benzema scored his 300th Real Madrid goal and Vinicius Junior hit a brace as Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Valencia 4-1 to open an eight-point lead at the summit of LaLiga.

Los Blancos suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Getafe last weekend, but a second consecutive loss never looked likely after Benzema's landmark goal from the penalty spot shortly before the interval.

Vinicius scored twice in the second half and Benzema rounded things off late on as the hosts secured a third consecutive win over Jose Bordalas' men with minimum fuss, despite Goncalo Guedes's goal.

The win increased Madrid's lead over second-placed Sevilla, although Julen Lopetegui's side have two games in hand, while Valencia remained ninth.

Eder Militao, Marco Asensio and Benzema went close before Luka Modric crashed a left-footed effort against the crossbar from 15 yards as Madrid dominated.

Their pressure eventually told two minutes before the interval when Benzema rifled into the top corner from 12 yards after Casemiro had been brought down inside the area by Omar Alderete.

Madrid picked up where they left off after the restart, Vinicius doubling their advantage from close range in the 52nd minute after fortuitously bundling through a crowd of defenders.

The Brazil international grabbed a third after 61 minutes, nodding in from almost on the line after Jasper Cillessen had parried Asensio's powerful strike.

Valencia scored a consolation 15 minutes later, Guedes heading home after Thibaut Courtois had saved his initial penalty, which was given for a foul on Marcos Andre by Ferland Mendy.

Benzema rounded off his memorable game late on, spinning and firing in off the post from 12 yards as Madrid got their title charge back on track in style.

Capacity at Serie A stadiums between January 16 and 23 will be reduced to 5,000 amid rising COVID-19 cases in Italy, according to reports.

Italy's spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases has reached unprecedented levels in the country, with 219,430 new cases confirmed on Friday, surpassing records set on both Wednesday and Thursday, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Italian prime minister Mario Draghi has reportedly expressed his concerns to Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina, with the government worried about a lack of adhering to safety and social distancing measures within stadiums.

Capacity at open-air sports events was reduced from 75 per cent to 50 per cent in December by the Italian government, while four of 10 scheduled games on Thursday were called off after restrictions imposed by local health authorities.

According to reports in Italy, Serie A clubs have now voted to only permit 5,000 spectators into stadiums for a period covering two rounds of fixtures. 

The Supercoppa Italiana between Inter and Juventus at San Siro on January 12 is not affected.

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has heaped praise on Lewis Hall following the youngster's impressive debut in the FA Cup win over Chesterfield.

FA Cup finalists in four of the last five seasons, the Blues cruised through to the fourth round following a commanding 5-1 victory over their National League opponents.

Hall, who has been with Chelsea since the age of six, produced an assured display as he played the full 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge.

The 17-year-old demonstrated wonderful persistence before crossing for Romelu Lukaku to score the Blues' third goal, while his shot was parried straight to Andreas Christensen, who headed in the hosts' fourth.

And Tuchel insists the teenager proved he was deserving of his opportunity.

When asked why he selected Hall, the head coach said: "It was his performance and attitude in training; the attitude he showed in our possession games and small-sided games. 

"He deserved to play; he is a nice guy and very calm. [It was] a huge opportunity at Stamford Bridge. He took his chance and was hugely involved in some of the goals. [I am] happy for him.

"It's clear what we demand from the players in this position. We have a very supportive dressing room and this is very good for the young boys. They have to step up and show what they are capable of, and they did again.

"I am happy with the attitude with how we started. We started strong and well. We decided the match very early and this is what we wanted."

Having appeared on the bench several times this season, Hall revelled in his chance to shine in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

"Ever since I was a kid being at Chelsea, this is what I worked towards," the youngster told BBC Sport.

"I saw my name on the teamsheet and I was shaking. It took a few hours to process it.

"To finally get the opportunity – and in front of my family and the amazing fans – it is an incredible feeling."

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that teams will be allowed to make up to five substitutions in games during the Africa Cup of Nations to help combat the impact of COVID-19 related absences.

Rules also state that teams must play if they have at least 11 players available, even if that does not include a recognised goalkeeper, or else will forfeit the game.

The tournament gets underway on Sunday when hosts Cameroon take on Burkina Faso.

A statement on the CAF website outlined the measures, confirming that: "Each team will be permitted to use a maximum of five substitutes.

"To reduce disruption to the match, each team will have a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions during the game; substitutions may also be made at half-time.

"If both teams make a substitution at the same time, this will count as one of the three opportunities for each team.

"Unused substitutions and opportunities are carried forward into extra time.

"Where extra time is played, teams will each be allowed one additional substitution, and will have one additional substitution opportunity; substitutions may also be made before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time."

On rules regarding the minimum number of players required, CAF confirmed that any team unable to field 11 players will forfeit the game with a 2-0 defeat.

"If the result of the COVID-19 PCR test of any player is positive, such player will not be authorised to go to the stadium or participate in the applicable match," the statement continued.

"A team will be required to play a match if they have a minimum of 11 players available who have tested negative. In the event of the absence of a goalkeeper, another player from the team must replace the goalkeeper, provided the total number of available players is at least 11.

"A team that does not have a minimum of 11 players available will be considered to have lost the match 0-2.

"In exceptional cases, the Organizing Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations will take the appropriate decision."

Barcelona missed the chance to go third in LaLiga as Antonio Puertas' last-gasp strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Granada on Saturday.

After Barca had struggled to create first-half chances, Sevilla loanee Luuk de Jong rose to head a Dani Alves cross past a helpless Luis Maximiano to put Barca in front in the second half.

Gavi's late sending off put Xavi's side under pressure and with time running out, Puertas volleyed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen to deny Barca all three points.

While the Catalan giants have lost just once in 10 La Liga games, they sit only sixth in the table in the battle to secure a Champions League spot.

Chelsea eased through to the FA Cup fourth round after a commanding 5-1 victory over National League side Chesterfield.

Goals inside the opening 20 minutes from Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Romelu Lukaku put Thomas Tuchel's side well in control at Stamford Bridge.

Andreas Christensen and Hakim Ziyech were also on target as the Blues scored five or more goals in a single game for the second time this season.

However, Chesterfield did grab a consolation in their first third-round appearance for seven years, as Akwasi Asante struck 10 minutes from time.

FA Cup finalists in four of the previous five seasons, Chelsea took the lead after just six minutes. Ziyech's shot ricocheted into the path of Werner, who found the empty net from close range.

Hudson-Odoi doubled the lead spectacularly. Receiving the ball on the left, the winger cut inside before bending a wonderful 25-yard effort into the far corner.

Lukaku made it 3-0 inside 20 minutes, the unmarked Belgium international turning home Lewis Hall's low cross after brilliant persistence by the youngster.

Hall was involved again just before half-time. His shot was parried to Christensen, who headed past Scott Loach for only the second goal of his Chelsea career.

Ziyech added a fifth from the penalty spot nine minutes after the break; smashing home after Calvin Miller brought down Christian Pulisic.

But the visitors did grab a consolation in their first FA Cup tie against Premier League opposition since facing Middlesbrough in the 1996-97 semi-finals, as Asante tapped into an open goal.

Milan director Paolo Maldini is eager to learn from past mistakes by tying down Theo Hernandez, Rafael Leao and Ismael Bennacer to new deals.

The trio, who have been regulars for Stefano Pioli's Scudetto-chasing side this term, are under contract at San Siro until the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

However, Milan have learned the hard way about the risks associated with allowing players to run down their contracts in recent times.

Gianluigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu departed on free transfers ahead of this season, with the latter joining Milan's fierce rivals Inter.

The Rossoneri also risk losing Franck Kessie without receiving a fee at the end of the campaign, but Maldini is hopeful that will soon be a thing of the past.

"It's not always easy to reach an agreement with players, as we have seen with Donnarumma, Kessie and Calhanoglu " Maldini told reporters on Saturday. 

"But talks are well underway with Theo, as they are with Ismael, and we are talking to Rafa. The intention is to renew with all three soon."

Bennacer has featured in 24 of Milan's 26 matches this season, while Hernandez and Leao have been used 21 and 20 times respectively in all competitions.

Leao has five goals and one assist in Serie A this term and ranks third in the division for both dribbles attempted (69) and dribbles completed (37).

Hernandez leads the way for assists among defenders in the Italian top flight this season with five, meanwhile, and Bennacer ranks fifth for successful passes per 90 minutes (66.41) among players to have started at least seven times.

Maldini, speaking at the Associazione Italiana Milan Clubs event, added: "These are all young players and we naturally believe they can continue to offer Milan a great deal."

After delays, postponements and date changes aplenty, the Africa Cup of Nations will finally start on Sunday, as hosts Cameroon take on Burkina Faso.

Group A will also pit Ethiopia and Cape Verde against each other on the opening day, with both eyeing up the possibility of staking their claim for a qualification spot behind favourites Cameroon.

But, as may have been expected of a tournament that has had more than its fair share of issues in the build-up, another problem has reared its head on the eve of the big kick-off.

Cameroon v Burkina Faso (16:00 GMT)

Burkina Faso are questioning the validity of the COVID-19 testing that was done on their squad, with "four or five" players and head coach Kamou Malo returning positive results.

They claim an unknown medical team turned up at their hotel to test the team and staff, but they refused to take them after the African Football Confederation (CAF) confirmed the people who had showed up were not sent by tournament organisers.

When the CAF delegation did show up, four positive tests came back and one was inconclusive, with Burkina Faso now demanding new swabs be taken.

Captain Bertrand Traore told reporters: "It's a scandal, we cannot be deprived of first-team players 24 hours before the match.

"The authorities must review the organisation. We cannot accept this decision. We can redo tests of our positive players."

Either way, Cameroon know the pressure is on for them to claim a sixth AFCON title, with this their first tournament as hosts in 50 years.

One to watch: Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon)

AFCON has never been short of flair players, and in Zambo Anguissa Cameroon have a player really capable of getting fans off their feet. The Napoli man is a fascinating midfielder to watch due to his ability running with the ball. In Serie A this season, his 65.9 per cent dribble success is bettered by only seven midfielders (min. 25 dribble attempts, 500 minutes played), playing an important role in getting the Partenopei out of tight situations and onto the front foot.

Ethiopia v Cape Verde (19:00 GMT)

Four of the six teams to finish third in their group will go through to the next stage, so while that takes away some of the jeopardy for the best teams, it also provides more of a chance for those nations who would not otherwise expect to get far.

With Ethiopia and Cape Verde avoiding Cameroon on matchday one, both will fancy their chances of getting off to a positive start – and three points could be all they need to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.

Cape Verde have been impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak, though, with coach Roberto Lopes among those infected.

Ethiopia are seemingly in better shape, with coach Wubetu Abate keen to show off their gifted young players.

"We respect our opponents, but we are confident in our talent," he said. "Our goal is not to just participate, but to show the world that Ethiopia has young talented players who can surprise."

One to watch: Amanuel Gebremichael (Ethiopia)

Ethiopia lost talisman – and one of just two foreign-based players – Shimelis Bekele to injury, meaning they will need others to step up. Most of the goalscoring burden is on the shoulders of Getaneh Kebede, but Gebremichael has a skillset that should make him a threat, boasting plenty of speed and the ability to get in behind defences.

The rocky start to Newcastle United's new era continued on Saturday as the Premier League strugglers were dumped out of the FA Cup by third-tier Cambridge United.

Newcastle harbour huge ambitions after they were taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in October and were eyeing a long-awaited cup run under recently-appointed boss Eddie Howe.

But the Magpies were embarrassingly beaten 1-0 in the third round by Cambridge, who were on a three-game winless run and are 16th in League One, through Joe Ironside's 56th-minute strike from close range at St James' Park.

The victory was Cambridge's first ever away to a top-flight side in the FA Cup and means the U's have now won as many games against Premier League opposition this season as Newcastle have in 19 matches.

While Newcastle have yet to truly flex their financial muscles, they brought in Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid for £12million this week and the full-back played a full part in front of United's hugely wealthy owners.

Cambridge goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov made nine saves in total, including a sensation stop to deny Joelinton late on, as Mark Bonner's side made it through to the fourth round for just the second time in 21 seasons.

Second-bottom Newcastle must now turn their attention back to the battle to stay in the Premier League, with a huge clash against fellow-strugglers Watford to come next Saturday.

Marcus Rashford has insisted that he has "endless respect" for Manchester United's coaching staff, including interim manager Ralf Rangnick, and reaffirmed his dedication to the club.

Recent reports have suggested that several United players have expressed their displeasure with Rangnick and his coaches and are considering their futures at Old Trafford.

An underwhelming start to the season saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked in November and replaced by the German coach until the end of the current campaign.

Despite a promising start, an insipid 1-1 draw at Newcastle just before the turn of the year and a 1-0 home defeat by Wolves last time out have sparked talk of a crisis at the club.

However, Rashford took to Twitter on Saturday to reassure United fans that he backs the former RB Leipzig boss and is determined to help the team turn things around.

"We've all been disappointed with recent performances," the England international posted. "We've been as disappointed with the news coverage questioning our commitment to not only the manager and the coaching staff, but the club.

"I have endless respect for both and I'm looking forward to bettering my game under the staff at Manchester United.

"I'm not sulking, I'm not unhappy. Am I disappointed in some of my recent performances? Of course I am. I'm my own biggest critic. It's been a tough start but I'm determined to prove my worth.

"My dedication and my desire to be here should never be in question. I love this club."

Rashford has managed just four goal involvements - three goals, one assist - in 14 appearances for United in all competitions this season.

The Red Devils host Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Monday. 

Antoine Griezmann is hoping to see out the remainder of his career with Atletico Madrid after conceding that his spell with Barcelona did not pan out as he had hoped.

The France international re-joined Atletico in August on an initial loan with an obligation to buy after spending just two years at Camp Nou.

Barcelona spent €120million to sign Griezmann from LaLiga rivals Atleti in 2019, but the 30-year-old never managed to recapture his best form in Catalonia. 

He made 102 appearances for Barca in all competitions – six more than any other player during his time at the club – and was directly involved in 51 goals.

Only Lionel Messi (106), who himself departed for Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window, scored and assisted more goals for Barca over that period.

However, it was at Atletico where Griezmann had the most prolific spell of his career when scoring 133 goals in 257 games between 2014 and 2019.

The Real Sociedad academy product has scored eight goals and assisted two more in 19 games since returning to the Wanda Metropolitano – no Atleti player has been involved in more goals.

Back playing where he feels most comfortable, Griezmann sees no reason to move away from the Spanish capital for a second time.

"The truth is that I performed well at Real Sociedad, then I grew athletically and also privately at Atleti, with my wife, with my children... That helps you be more relaxed and enjoy everything," he told Transfermarkt. 

"Then I went to Barcelona. Because of the circumstances, things didn't go as well as I had hoped. That's why I wanted to come back, to play for Cholo [Diego Simeone] and Atleti again. 

"That's what I wanted the most, and the truth is that I'm really enjoying it here and I hope I can continue like this.

"I hope Atleti want me as long as I can keep up with the pace of the games and the demanded level, and that we can write another beautiful story."

Griezmann has been linked with an array of European heavyweights in the past, including Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, but he has not considered a move to Germany.

"I've never thought about it, because since my time at Real Sociedad I've always felt comfortable where I was, and in the end, I feel most comfortable and happy here at Atleti now," he said. "I don't want to move again."

This week marks 10 years since Simeone took charge of his first Atletico match and no player has scored more goals under the Argentinian coach.

Indeed, Griezmann's 141 goals is the fourth-most in Atleti history and the forward credits Simeone with getting the most out of him.

Asked which of the coaches he has worked under has impressed him most, Griezmann said: "I would say it's Cholo. I think he's the coach who knows me best. 

"I have an incredible relationship with him, and also on a sporting level he has always fought with the best, in the Spanish league or in Europe. He has taken the club to the highest level possible."