Real Madrid missed the chance to increase their lead at the top of LaLiga after they were held to a goalless draw by Villarreal on Saturday.

Carlo Ancelotti's side struggled to break down a disciplined Villarreal side at the Santiago Bernabeu in what was the Italian's 800th game as a coach in Europe's top five leagues.

Arnaut Danjuma went close for the Yellow Submarine in the first half as Madrid failed to register a shot on target before half-time for the first time in a game under Ancelotti.

Madrid's best chance fell to Isco late on but his header was blocked to leave Ancelotti's side three points above second-placed Sevilla, who have a game in hand.

Lando Norris will endeavour to make the most of his "amazing" maiden pole position at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The 21-year-old British driver finished quickest in his McLaren in Sochi on Saturday, edging out Carlos Sainz, while compatriot George Russell was third.

Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth on the grid, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, while Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll make up the rest of the front eight.

Championship leader Max Verstappen will start from the back of the grid after his Red Bull had a new engine installed.

Norris, who made his Formula One debut in 2019, hopes to capitalise on a shock opportunity after a thrilling rain-affected qualifying session.

"It’s my first in X number of races, and it could be my only pole for a while. It feels amazing, especially in these conditions," Norris told a media conference.

"Another race win for McLaren would be lovely. But I don’t expect so, I think Mercedes are a long way up the road from us and Red Bull probably similar.

"I think with either conditions I can look forward to it. We can score some good points, we can have a good race, because we are in the best position possible."

Norris joked the circuit in Sochi was not ideal for his first-ever pole but is hopeful he can make a good start to the race.

He added: "Probably the only place I wouldn’t want to be pole is here, especially with the straight down to turn one, but I’m still very happy.

"We saw that the cars are in a good position, in the wet now and also in the dry. It's a long run down to turn one or turn two, so I have to look forward to that and make sure I prepare for that well."

Ferrari driver Sainz acknowledged the front two can expect to be tested by their rivals, but the nature of the track may give them some assistance.

"It’s a strange circuit, this one, because obviously race pace is important and we need to see how easy it is to overtake," said the Spaniard.

"Normally in the past it has been quite tricky. Obviously, we have the two Mercs and the Red Bull that are going to be pushing us a lot.

"They are clearly, around here, half a second to a second quicker than us, so at some point they will put pressure on us and we will need to see if we can keep ourselves ahead.

"Obviously, the target is to finish ahead of them, try to get Lando at the start – although I am starting on the dirty side, he is at least starting on the clean side – and see from there if we can race hard and have some fun at the front."

Simone Inzaghi revealed it was his decision for Federico Dimarco to take a penalty after the full-back's late missed spot-kick prevented Inter from beating Atalanta in a thriller.

The champions were held to a 2-2 Serie A draw following high drama late on at San Siro on Saturday.

Lautaro Martinez put them in front and Edin Dzeko equalised 19 minutes from time after first-half goals from Ruslan Malinovskyi and Rafael Toloi put Atalanta in front.

Substitute Dimarco struck the crossbar from 12 yards out late on after Merih Demiral had been penalised for handball.

There was more drama when Roberto Piccoli found the back of the net at the other end, but the goal was ruled out as the ball had gone out for a corner in the build-up.

Dimarco had never taken a penalty in Serie A before, but Inzaghi revealed he had put his faith in the 23-year-old to step up.

The Inter boss told DAZN: "The decision was mine, our penalty takers are Lautaro and [Hakan] Calhanoglu, who were not on the pitch. I had Dimarco and [Ivan] Perisic, Federico seemed fresher and this morning he had kicked well in training.

"He would have deserved the winning goal at San Siro because he made a great start to the season, but this is football."

A point for Inter ended their run of 18 consecutive home wins in Serie A and left them in third place, two points behind leaders and city rivals Milan, who won at Spezia.

But Inzaghi felt the Nerazzurri deserved to win a pulsating contest.

He said: "People without doubt were entertained, but we feel a bitter taste from this draw, as we feel that we could've had more.

"We fell apart a little after the missed penalty, but saw an excellent Inter in much of the first half and the second too against a very strong Atalanta."

Daniel Maldini struggled to describe the feeling of scoring his first goal for Milan as he revealed the "demanding" but positive relationship he has with his father Paolo.

The youngster started his first Serie A game on Saturday against Spezia, 12 years and 117 days after his father, a legendary figure at San Siro, last appeared in a league game for the Rossoneri, and opened the scoring with a second-half header.

Brahim Diaz's late goal cancelled out Daniele Verdi's deflected equaliser to move Milan to 16 points from their first six games, just the third time they have achieved the feat in the three points for a win era.

However, much of the post-match focus was on Maldini, who became the third generation of his family to score for the club, 13 years and 179 days after Paolo's last league goal and 60 years and 22 days since his grandfather Cesare's final strike.

Paolo, who is also a director at Milan, was shown celebrating in the crowd by television cameras after his son's opener and the 19-year-old assured the pair share a good relationship.

"Dad is very demanding, he gives me advice and helps me," Maldini said before discussing the emotions that followed his 48th-minute finish.

"Those were good times," he continued. "I was excited even though I was calm. The teammates help me a lot and the coach too. We took home the three points and this is important."

Milan temporarily top Serie A, thanks in part to Maldini's strike and the fact Napoli play on Sunday, as they prepare to visit Atalanta next weekend.

Maldini will be hoping to star once more if he gets the nod from Stefano Pioli as he admitted he never imagined his first goal arriving in the fashion it did.

"Well, I tried to imagine how it would arrive but not the actual play itself," he told Milan's official website when asked if he had dreamed about the moment.

"It's indescribable, I still have to let it sink in.

"Fortunately, it ended up this way. It's true it felt weird to score with a header but the outcome was great."

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone absolved his misfiring attackers of any blame following Saturday's shock LaLiga defeat to Deportivo Alaves. 

Victor Laguardia scored the only goal four minutes in at Estadio de Mendizorroza to inflict a first defeat of the season on Atleti in all competitions. 

Atleti had just one shot on target – substitute Angel Correa forcing Fernando Pacheco into a fine save – as Simeone's side missed out on the chance to overtake leaders Real Madrid. 

The Spanish champions have now failed to find the net in three of their last four matches, during which time they have won only once in all competitions. 

Despite playing a full part against Alaves, who were previously without a point this term, Luis Suarez and recent signing Antoine Griezmann failed to complete a single pass between each other. 

Griezmann has yet to so much as register a shot on target in his last seven LaLiga outings for Atleti and Barcelona combined, his longest such run in the competition. 

Rather than criticise the likes of Suarez, Griezmann and Correa, Atleti boss Simeone instead insisted it was down to him to find a way to break down a solid Alaves team. 

"The responsibility is mine for not having found options to overcome their defence," he said at his post-match news conference. 

"When opposition teams defend well, it is difficult to find those solutions. 

"It's also difficult when a team like Alaves close you down. We didn't have the speed or ability to hurt them. They deserved the win because they scored and knew how to defend." 

Laguardia's early goal came from a set-piece situation, the centre-back getting away from Stefan Savic and heading in Ruben Duarte's corner. 

Half of the previous 10 goals conceded by Atletico in the league have now come via headers, excluding own goals, and Simeone accepted his side must improve in that area. 

"I don't think the defence is to blame for the defeat because the goal came from a set-piece," he said.  

"But if there's a weakness at the back, or when defending set-pieces, then it is clear we will have to study that, work on it and try to correct it. 

"We have to keep improving. We had several phases of patient play today and I believe in these players." 

Atleti's fixtures do not get any easier as they travel to Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, then host Barcelona in the league four days later. 

Reflecting on a bad run of form heading into that huge double-header, Simeone added: "We always say there are bad moments during a season and this may be one of them. 

"We have a good squad, a balanced squad, and we will analyse what is going wrong and try to find solutions." 

Stefano Pioli hailed Milan's improved mental strength as they edged past Spezia 2-1 on Saturday. 

Daniel Maldini opened the scoring on his first Serie A start, 12 years and 117 days after his father Paolo's last Rossoneri appearance, before Brahim Diaz's late winner came after Daniele Verde's deflected equaliser. 

The visitors lost the same fixture 2-0 last term and when Verde's left-footed strike made it beyond goalkeeper Mike Maignan, it looked like Milan would drop points in the early stages of the title race. 

However, Diaz proved the hero to propel Milan to 16 points in the competition after six games for just the third time in the three points for a win era, with Pioli delighted at his side's response in the face of adversity. 

"It’s a great victory, because we played well, but not very well, and getting the result anyway shows mental strength," Pioli told DAZN in his post-match interview. 

"This is a young squad, but they believe in themselves, in the team and in our approach to football. We must not lose our humility, but it’s only right they feel able to handle certain pressure and win any game. 

"The pressure and expectations have increased around us this season, but we are showing that we can handle that." 

Indeed, Maldini's winner made him the third generation of his family to score for the Rossoneri, 13 years and 179 days after Paolo's last league goal and 60 years and 22 days since his grandfather Cesare's final strike for the club.

And Pioli, who handed Maldini his first start as he was without a host of names, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tiemoue Bakayoko, was impressed with the youngster. 

"The important thing about Daniel [Maldini] is that he has talent," the Milan boss said. 

"He has technique, a good vision of the game, but needs to be quicker and more intensive in shaking off his marker. 

"[Mehdi] Bourabia was keeping tight to him and all he needed was another couple of metres to get away from his marker and open up those spaces." 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt inaction from the VAR cost Manchester United in their defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.

United lost 1-0 at Old Trafford to Kortney Hause's header in the 88th minute, although Bruno Fernandes missed a stoppage-time penalty that would have sent the home side top.

Solskjaer's side were poor, with only four of their 28 attempts hitting the target – their most shots without scoring in a league game for five years (38 against Burnley in October 2016).

But the manager was not happy with the nature of Hause's winner at the other end.

Solskjaer highlighted Ollie Watkins' position close to David de Gea in an offside position and revealed a discussion with officials indicated the VAR was to blame.

"We started the game well, aggressive, good on transition, going forward quickly," he told MUTV. "The decision-making, execution in the last third wasn't the best, and that cost us today.

"And decision-making on VAR again cost us again.

"Unfortunately, I've got to say it: it's offside. The goal, as Hause is heading it, Watkins is actually touching David, he's impeding him.

"I can't see the consistency anywhere in this VAR decision-making.

"They've come out in the corridor, and I've asked them for an explanation. The linesman flagged it up with VAR and definitely VAR has gone wrong again."

It would not have mattered had Fernandes taken his chance, having scored 21 of his previous 22 penalties in a United shirt.

Solskjaer felt pressure built on the midfielder as Villa players surrounded him in the 93rd minute for what was United's fourth-latest Premier League spot-kick miss.

"I didn't like the way they crowded Bruno, the penalty spot, the referee, all that malarkey," he said.

"Bruno's very strong mentally normally and unfortunately today it just didn't go in."

United had already endured a difficult day prior to the late drama, with both Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire substituted due to injuries.

Asked about their status ahead of a big week, with Villarreal visiting in the Champions League, Solskjaer said: "I can't tell you, I don't know. We'll have to wait a couple of days and see how they are."

Daniel Maldini was on target in his first Serie A start as Milan relied on Brahim Diaz's late winner to edge past Spezia 2-1 on Saturday.

Maldini, son of Italy and Rossoneri legend Paolo, enjoyed a dream maiden top-flight start as he headed Stefano Pioli's side into the lead after the interval at the Alberto Picco Stadium.

However, Daniele Verde's deflected effort levelled things up with just over 10 minutes to go before Diaz restored the visitors' lead in the closing stages.

Milan banished their demons from the shock 2-0 defeat in this fixture last term to move a point clear at the summit, though the chasing pack do have a game in hand.

M'Bala Nzola tested Mike Maignan twice early on, first from range and then from distance, but the Milan goalkeeper parried both away before Theo Hernandez whipped a free-kick narrowly wide.

Ante Rebic should have opened the scoring from Sandro Tonali's corner but his free header was wayward as Milan failed to make their 62 per cent first-half possession pay.

However, Maldini – appearing 12 years and 117 days after his father Paolo's last league appearance – powered a header home three minutes after the break from Pierre Kalulu's delivery to open the scoring.

Rafael Leao – one of Piolo's two-half time changes – looked to have added a second but he was denied by the right-hand post before Giulio Maggiore turned over from point-blank range following Simone Bastoni's teasing cross.

Leao again went close moments later as he dragged an effort wide to the right and Milan's failure to kill the game off came back to haunt them.

Verde twisted and turned before firing a low left-footed strike, which hit Tonali and left Maignan powerless to stop Spezia from drawing level in the closing stages.

Diaz proved the late hero as he ghosted into the area to turn home Alexis Saelemaker's low delivery and secure the win for Milan.

Lando Norris claimed a famous maiden pole position for McLaren at the Russian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton paid the price for a crash in the pits.

Norris went quickest in rain-soaked Sochi, edging out Carlos Sainz by six hundredths of a second, while Williams' George Russell was third.

With championship leader Max Verstappen ordered to start from the back of the grid after his Red Bull had a new engine installed, there was a chance for Hamilton to put pressure on his main rival.

However, the seven-time champion collided with the pit-lane wall and was forced to change his front wing before spinning on his final lap.

Hamilton will start from fourth on the grid, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, while Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll make up the rest of the front eight.

"Oh, boy. I don't know what to say," said a breathless Norris. "You never think you're going to get a pole until you get it, and now I've managed to do it.

"It was tricky. The lap before, I was, like, two seconds down and I wasn't confident we were going to improve on the previous lap, but I kept the tyres warm and risked quite a bit, I will admit, but it paid off. I'm a happy boy.

"I'm not really looking forward to [the race]! I'm not looking forward to being the first down to turn one. But you never know – it's going to set us up well. I'm just really happy."

After third practice was cancelled due to the torrential rain, Hamilton had set the fastest time heading into Q3, ahead of team-mate Bottas and Alonso.

Hamilton looked heavy favourite after clocking a new fastest time until his mishap as he came into the pits to change to soft tyres.

With time enough only for one more lap, the Briton spun and nudged the wall, leaving him unable to deny Norris a famous day in Russia as McLaren celebrated a first pole since 2012.

"Twice in the wall... that's very rare for me," said Hamilton. "I'm really sorry to all the team because that's not what you expect from a champion."

PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:41:993
2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +0.517
3. George Russell (Williams) +0.990
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +2.057
5. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) +2.163
6. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +2.211
7. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) +2.717
8. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +2.963
9. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +3.344
10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) +3.872

Atletico Madrid's unbeaten start to their LaLiga title defence came to an end as Victor Laguardia's early goal proved decisive in a 1-0 win for struggling Deportivo Alaves.

Alaves headed into Saturday's early game having lost all five LaLiga matches in 2021-22, yet they overcame the champions to claim a first top-flight win over Atleti since 2003.

Laguardia was the crucial figure. His fourth-minute header gave Alaves the lead, and the 31-year-old also made a vital clearance off the line in the second half.

Mamadou Loum and Tomas Pina squandered golden chances to make sure of the points for Alaves, but Diego Simeone's team could not make their fortune count as they tasted defeat in LaLiga for the first time since April.

Javier Calleja made five changes from the side that lost to Espanyol in midweek, but it was the ever-reliable Laguardia who headed Alaves in front when he escaped Stefan Savic to meet Ruben Duarte's corner.

Laguardia almost cost Alaves with a poor clearance before the half-hour mark, though Marcos Llorente was unable to direct his effort on target in Atleti's only first-half sighting of goal.

Rodrigo de Paul and Llorente tried their luck from range to no avail, before Laguardia came to Alaves' rescue with an exceptional piece of defending.

Alaves' goalscorer judged that De Paul's free-kick was curling in, and just got back in time to head the ball off the line.

Sloppy defending from Felipe allowed Loum in at the other end, only for the Alaves midfielder to blaze over from close range.

Simeone turned to Angel Correa to offer some inspiration, and the forward soon wriggled free in the area to get a shot off, but Fernando Pacheco made an excellent stop.

And despite Pina following Loum's example and lashing a brilliant chance over, Alaves held on to a deserved victory.

Massimiliano Allegri declared "I like criticism" as he embraces the challenge at Juventus ahead of his 400th Serie A game in charge against Sampdoria on Sunday.

Juve are in the bottom half of the table after picking up only five points from as many games at the start of the season.

The Bianconeri came from behind to secure their first Serie A victory of the campaign on Wednesday, beating Spezia 3-2.

Critics have rounded on the Turin giants early in Allegri's second reign as Juve boss, but the 54-year-old is embracing the opportunity to turn things around.

He said during a press conference on Saturday: "I came back here to help a club I am very attached to win again. I like criticism, our situation is a challenge and I love challenges. With calm, we will get there."

Allegri added: "When I hear the criticisms, and I read everything, they are interesting. Some are constructive and I think about it, some I need to understand that I have to do the opposite."

Juve have won four consecutive matches against Samp and have beaten them six times in row at home by an aggregate score of 19-2.

The Genoa club are level on points with the Bianconeri and were hammered 4-0 at Napoli last time out. 

Allegri hopes the victory over Spezia has given his side the confidence to claim back-to-back wins in his landmark game, with a Champions League showdown against holders Chelsea to come next Wednesday.

He said: "We're missing the results, because when you win, your self-esteem rises, you work better. So we have to think about beating Sampdoria tomorrow.

Allegri continued: "We will try to play well and win the game, the first at home. Then we will think about Chelsea. There will be changes and we need to recover energy. 

"There are many players who have played six or seven games in a row and tomorrow we will see [what team to select]."

Adrien Rabiot misses out due to an ankle injury, while Allegri revealed goalkeeper Mattia Perin will play.

Ronald Koeman called for caution over Ansu Fati's return to action after the youngster was included in Barcelona's squad for the first time in 10 months.

Fati has not played for Barca in 322 days, after he suffered a serious knee injury in November 2020.

The 18-year-old, who has taken the number 10 shirt vacated by Lionel Messi, has undergone three operations and only returned to training last month.

However, Fati has been called into Barca's 20-man squad for Sunday's home game against Levante, a team he has scored two goals against in two matches. He has only netted more times against Villarreal (three) in LaLiga.

Fati became the youngest goalscorer in Barcelona's history when he netted against Osasuna in August 2019 aged 16 years and 304 days and has since added a further 12 goals to his tally, but Koeman says the Spain international will need more time to recover full fitness.

"It's really important to have Fati back, for himself because he has been out injured for many months," Koeman told a news conference.

"We have a plan to recover him, to get him in his best shape, so he will have to get minutes little by little and the plan is that he will play around 15 minutes maximum [on Sunday].

"There is a long way to go before he is as sharp as he has been. He does not recover in two games or in two weeks. We have to help him. The most important thing is that he recovers.

"It depends on his state. We are talking about a young man who will give us a lot of quality, but little by little."

Koeman's future at Barcelona is far from certain. His position seems a precarious one, given president Joan Laporta is reportedly searching out replacements, with Belgium coach Roberto Martinez a rumoured target.

Barca have been held to draws by Granada and Cadiz in the last two games, with Koeman seeing red in the latter match.

"I have to learn from this. Be calmer. Think about the team and the game," Koeman said. "I am also human and there are moments in games where it is difficult to accept decisions."

As for his future, Koeman said: "I can't say much about this issue because I haven't been reading the press for a long time.

"I know the rumours out there, but all we have to do is win games. There are rumours, names. I'm not going to waste energy on things I can't control.

"The president can speak, he is the most important man at the club. I have no problem. I am involved in my job, I have to win games. The rest does not interest me."

Koeman also explained he believes he has the backing of the dressing room.

"Every player and every coach wants to win titles and games," he said.

"There are no differences on this issue because I have spoken with them. In general, the players agree. That is the important thing. In that sense, there are no differences of opinions between them and me."