Tottenham have condemned a section of their fanbase that chanted homophobic abuse during their EFL Cup tie at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea beat Antonio Conte's team 2-0 in the first leg of the semi-final on Wednesday.

It has emerged there was homophobic chanting from a section of the travelling support during the derby encounter.

Spurs released a statement on Thursday making it clear there is no place for such conduct.

"The club is extremely disappointed by homophobic chanting from sections of our support at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night," the statement read.

"We work closely with our LGBTQ+ fan group Proud Lilywhites to create a welcoming and inclusive environment at our club and are proud to display the Progress Flag in our stadium on matchdays.

"No one should suffer discrimination because of their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity, and we urge supporters not to use this chant.

"There is no place for discrimination at Tottenham Hotspur."

Kylian Mbappe has received the glowing praise of France's president Emmanuel Macron, who hopes the star continues to "enchant the public".

Mbappe has enjoyed a sensational rise and, at just 23, is already considered one of the world's best players.

Having burst onto the scene at Monaco in 2016-17, Mbappe has gone on to win four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de France crowns, the Coupe de la Ligue twice and the 2018 World Cup.

Since joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, Mbappe has scored 150 goals in 196 appearances, ranking him third out of players across Europe's top five leagues within that timeframe, behind Robert Lewandowski (208 goals) and new PSG team-mate Lionel Messi (162).

This week, Mbappe was placed at number one on French sports newspaper L'Equipe's list of "30 who make French football".

President Macron, who last year expressed his desire to see Mbappe remain at PSG amid interest from Real Madrid, provided a glowing appraisal of the Parisian forward.

"Kylian Mbappe may be so young, but he espoused the excellence of his sport for [his] club and national team, he lived the most extreme experiences and he demonstrated the qualities of the greatest: lucidity, courage, resistance. I am sure of one thing: he will continue to amaze us," Macron wrote.

"Everyone obviously wishes him to make this promise come true by building the best track record in European football and above all to continue to enchant the public with his jubilant gestures, his brilliant passes and his magical goals. We know that he can.

"But if Kylian Mbappe has taken a special place in the hearts of the French, it is also through his attitude on and off the field."

Mbappe may not be in Ligue 1 for much longer. He does not seem to intend to sign a new deal with PSG and, from this month, he is eligible to sign pre-contract agreements with teams from other countries.

Madrid, who had multiple bids rejected by PSG in August 2021, are the frontrunners for his signature.

Kingston College will tackle Clarendon College, while Jamaica College play Dinthill Technical as the final four of the ISSA Champions Cup was drawn on Wednesday.

In quarterfinal action, Kingston College booked their spot in the semi-final after dominating the majority of the play but had Ronardo Burgher to thank after he secured the only goal of the match in the 10^th minute.  

Clarendon College, in the meantime, headed into their encounter against Charlie Smith as heavy favourites but had to fight their way back after going a goal behind.  Andre Gibbs put Charlie Smith ahead in the 35^th minute, only for Kemar Dunn to bring things level two minutes later with a smashing volley.  Clarendon College finally took the lead in the 90^th minute, in truth through a rather kindly awarded penalty, which was nonetheless dispatched with certainty by Jahiem Rose.

Jamaica College, in the meantime, also recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over a plucky Garvey Maceo, getting the all-important goal in the 12^th minute, courtesy of Delando Wint.

In the day’s other encounter, goals flowed freely.  Leon Brown gave St Andrew Technical a surprise 9th-minute lead against Dinthill, but the daCosta Cup representatives came roaring back.  Jaheem Thomas equalised in the 16^th minute, before goals from Richard Matthews (27^th), Shamair Hutchinson (39^th), turned the game completely on its head.  Thomas returned to score a second and third in the 60^th minute and fourth four minutes from full time.

Thomas Tuchel praised the performance of the returning Romelu Lukaku after Chelsea's EFL Cup win over Tottenham.

The Blues took a huge step towards reaching the final after claiming a 2-0 victory in the first leg of the last-four tie at Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku was restored to the starting line-up after he was left out of the squad for Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool due to comments made in the Italian media.

The former Inter striker was quoted as saying he was "not very happy with the situation" he finds himself in, while expressing a desire to return to the Nerazzurri one day.

However, the Belgium international subsequently apologised to Tuchel, as well as the fans on the club's official website.

He played the full 90 minutes against Spurs – recording game-high tallies of three shots on goal and two on target – and the head coach was pleased with his contribution under difficult circumstances.

Asked what he made of Lukaku's performance, he told Sky Sports: "Good, absolutely happy. I was pretty sure he was not affected. 

"I see him on a daily basis. Even the last days, he seemed relaxed, fine with the situation and mentally moved on. 

"Romelu can handle pressure and adversity. It was a good performance; he contributed a lot to our defensive setup and had chances."

Tuchel also praised the focus and commitment of his players, although he believes they could have increased their margin of victory.

"It seems like a deserved win, an excellent result because it reflects the game," he added. "We could have scored more, but it is hard to score against Tottenham.

"We did create a lot – some huge chances – it could have been possible to score more.

"We never lost the focus; [we] never lost the commitment."

Carlo Ancelotti believes Eden Hazard will recover his best form soon after Real Madrid battled past Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey.

Hazard started just his ninth game of 2021-22 in Wednesday's 3-1 victory against the third-tier outfit, who famously beat Madrid in this competition a year ago.

Dani Vega's excellent run and finish cancelled out Eder Militao's opener for Madrid, who were without several first-team regulars including Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.

Substitutes Marco Asensio and Isco eventually secured a hard-fought win, the former scoring via a deflected effort following Hazard's lay-off before Isco diverted the ball in off goalkeeper Jose Juan.

Hazard, Rodrygo and Mariano Diaz struggled to combine effectively in the Madrid attack, although the Belgium international ended the match with four chances created, at least twice as many as any other player.

Ancelotti felt the game was ill-suited to creative players but remains convinced Hazard can become a key player for Los Blancos despite an underwhelming two and a half years in Spain.

"Players of quality suffered more than the others," Ancelotti said. "He tried, then as a number nine, like Isco, who scored when he came on, and I'm happy for him.

"Hazard, Rodrygo and these players with more quality suffered more than others.

"He needs to have more confidence in one-v-ones, dribbling, shooting, because he has the quality to do that.

"His physical condition is better than a few months ago, and hopefully we'll see him back at his best level soon."

Ancelotti praised his players for surviving a battle at El Collao against a side who eliminated LaLiga strugglers Levante on penalties in the last round after a 3-3 draw.

"We played the game we had to," he said.

"Of course, we suffered [at 1-1]. They levelled the game through a really good individual action, one of quality.

"Afterwards, we didn't lose our heads and we kept playing the game. We couldn't play another game – this is the one we'd prepared.

"We finished them today. It's not our type of game because delivering quality in these types of games isn't possible.

"We stood up to a team who usually play with quality and today they put that aside and they fought. It's what they had to do. I repeat: if you don't fight here, you lose, like we did last year."

Lionel Messi is set to return to Paris Saint-Germain after testing negative for COVID-19.

The Ligue 1 leaders announced on Sunday that the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner had returned a positive test while back home in Argentina.

Messi subsequently missed the commanding 4-0 win over Vannes in the Coupe de France on Monday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick at Stade de la Rabine.

But the club has revealed the Argentina international tested negative on Wednesday and could be available for this weekend’s trip to Lyon.

Mauricio Pochettino will be without Layvin Kurzawa, who returned a positive test and has been placed in isolation.

Messi has struggled to find his feet in Ligue 1 since making his sensational switch from Barcelona in August.

While he has been directly involved in 10 goals (six goals, four assists) from 16 appearances across all competitions, the 34-year-old has only found the net once in 11 games in the French top flight. 

Substitutes Marco Asensio and Isco ensured Real Madrid avoided more Copa del Rey embarrassment against Alcoyano as ​the LaLiga leaders battled to a 3-1 victory in the round-of-32 tie.

Madrid were on the end of one of the greatest shocks in Spanish football history 12 months ago when losing to the same third-tier opponents at Estadio El Collao.

Eder Militao gave Madrid the lead late in the first half of Wednesday's clash, just like he did in last year's meeting, only for Dani Vega to hit back in style for the hosts.

But Carlo Ancelotti's side, who were without Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior, regained the lead through Asensio's heavily deflected strike 14 minutes from time before Isco's poked effort went in off goalkeeper Jose Juan to seal progression.

Alcoyano eliminated LaLiga's bottom side Levante in the last round and started strongly against Madrid, with Dani Vega testing stand-in keeper Andriy Lunin early on.

Eduardo Camavinga blocked a goal-bound shot soon after and the lively Vega had a penalty appeal turned down after being sent to the ground by Militao.

The game soon settled down and Madrid edged in front from their first attempt on target, Militao getting in front of Jose Juan to head in Rodrygo's corner.

Madrid never looked truly settled and Vega levelled up the game after driving into the box, cutting back inside past the chasing Casemiro and curling a shot away from Lunin.

But the visitors, whose 15-match unbeaten run was ended by Getafe last weekend, soon woke up and were back in front when Asensio's shot from the edge of the area, set up by Eden Hazard, took a big deflection and left Jose Juan wrong-footed.

Fellow substitute Isco thought he had himself got on the scoresheet two minutes later, but it went down as an own goal as the last touch from his prodded effort came off the veteran keeper.

Dani Alves described playing for Barcelona again as "too special a gift" after making his second debut in the Copa del Rey win over Linares Deportivo.

The veteran defender played the full 90 minutes as Xavi's side came from behind at Linarejos, with goals from Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Jutgla sealing a 2-1 win over the third-tier club.

The 38-year-old was officially registered on Monday after re-joining the club on a free transfer in November following his departure from Sao Paulo.

Alves was making his 248th appearance – and first since May 2016 – for the Blaugrana, with whom he won 23 trophies during his first spell.

And he praised the mental strength of his team-mates to recover after Hugo Diaz's header put them on the back foot.

In quotes reported by AS, Alves said: "For me, it is a special day to wear the Barca shirt again.

"To play again in official competition with Barca is too special a gift. 

"I just want to play with my team-mates, help them, and improve them. 

"It is a competition with many surprises. We knew it was difficult, but we were mentally strong.

"You have to learn to compete and fight to the end. Only those who know how to suffer, raise trophies. Today, we have succeeded."

Meanwhile, head coach Xavi was pleased with the response of his players after half-time but acknowledged that they can perform a lot better.

"It was a matter of faith. It was a matter of calm and breathing and choosing the last pass," he said. "The triumph has been important. 

"We had a hard time understanding the superiority and the last pass. We were better in the second half because they were more tired. 

"There are phases in which we have played well, but it was logical."

Chelsea put one foot in the EFL Cup final thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Wednesday's semi-final first leg on a chastening return to Stamford Bridge for Antonio Conte.

Thomas Tuchel, seemingly eager to put recent indiscretions to one side after an apology, reinstated Romelu Lukaku to his starting XI, though Chelsea's victory arguably said more about Spurs' defence than the hosts' attack.

The Blues were ahead inside five minutes as Kai Havertz punished a Japhet Tanganga error at the back, and a comical Ben Davies own goal had Chelsea cruising at the interval.

Spurs improved somewhat in the second 45 minutes but were fortunate not to concede more goals, with Timo Werner spurning a couple of excellent opportunities, perhaps giving Conte's men a lifeline for the return leg.

Lukaku should have made a swift impact when released into the box in the first minute, only to bizarrely opt for a cut-back that went to no one.

Spurs gifted them another chance soon after, though, and Chelsea took it – Marcos Alonso cut out Tanganga's dreadful pass and fed Havertz, who found the net despite Davinson Sanchez's best efforts.

The dominant home side made it 2-0 just past the half-hour mark, Tanganga's unchallenged headed clearance bouncing back off Davies and going in.

Spurs, who introduced Tanguy Ndombele at half-time, were brighter early in the second period, with Harry Kane testing Kepa Arrizabalaga via a 20-yard free-kick.

Still, the best chances went the way of Chelsea and Werner, who first shot agonisingly wide and then saw Hugo Lloris just about reach his lobbed effort after an exquisite pass from Hakim Ziyech.

A late Ndombele effort from Bryan Gil's pull-back was then well saved by Kepa as the Blues kept their clean sheet intact.

What does it mean? Chelsea in control of the tie

The last trophy Spurs won was via this competition in 2008 – on the evidence of this first leg, they will not be ending that drought in next month's final.

Sure, there was undoubtedly an improvement from Spurs in the second half here, but they could not really have gotten any worse – they failed to register a single shot in the first 45 minutes. Even then, Chelsea were still on another level after the break.

Conte has received a lot of praise for the impact he has had on Spurs in just a couple of months at the helm, but this was a reminder of how far they still have to go.

Fruitful from the flanks

Alonso and Ziyech were both impressive out wide for the Blues. The Spaniard was deployed as a left-back rather than wing-back but still got forward to great effect, making the interception and playing the pass for the first goal – that was one of three key passes. The only player to register more (four) was Ziyech on the right, whose use of the ball was often excellent in the final third.

You've been Tangangoed!

This was a day to forget for Tanganga. It was his poor pass to Emerson Royal that was intercepted in the build-up to the first goal, and then his header went in off Davies for the second when he was under virtually no pressure.

What's next?

These two will resume hostilities next Wednesday in the second leg at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but before that, both teams are in FA Cup action. Chelsea host Chesterfield on Saturday, while Spurs welcome Morecambe to north London the following day.

Barcelona survived a scare as they came from behind to beat Linares Deportivo 2-1 in the Copa del Rey.

The third-tier side took a shock first-half lead at Linarejos through Hugo Diaz's header.

However, the gulf in quality eventually told after the break as Xavi's side turned the contest around with two goals in the space of five minutes.

Ousmane Dembele equalised when a long-range effort squeezed past Brimah Razak, before Ferran Jutgla's wonderful individual goal booked the visitors' place in the round of 16.

Dani Alves was handed his second Barcelona debut after finally being officially registered by the club.

The 38-year-old was immediately involved as his fifth-minute corner was headed narrowly wide by Ronald Araujo, while Ilias Chakkour was also off target from Nicolas Gonzalez's throughball.

Despite their early pressure, Barca fell behind in the 19th minute as Fran Carnicer's superb deep cross was headed in by the well-placed Diaz.

The visitors enjoyed over 80 per cent of possession during the first half, but could only register one shot on target from eight attempts courtesy of Gonzalez's ambitious long-range drive that Razak held.

Nevertheless, they got their equaliser in the 63rd minute as Dembele's long-range strike found a way past the Linares goalkeeper.

And moments after Lolo Guerrero's header was ruled out for offside at the other end, Jutgla completed the turnaround following a jinking run from the left flank.

Dembele then rattled the crossbar after a solo surge of his own, but the single-goal margin was enough to keep Barca on course for a sixth Copa del Rey triumph in eight years.

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has revealed that N'Golo Kante and Thiago Silva have tested positive for COVID-19.

The pair were left out of Chelsea's starting line-up for Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Tottenham and will now serve a period of self-isolation.

Kante has featured in 17 of the Blues' 31 matches this season, while Silva – who signed a one-year contract extension on Monday – has been used 22 times.

It is the second time in a little over three months that France international Kante has tested positive for coronavirus.

Asked about the duo's absence from the side to face Tottenham, Tuchel told Sky Sports: "Unfortunately, Thiago and N'Golo have tested positive.

"It's huge for us because they are two huge players. We had the last information today in the morning, so it is quite challenging, but we will push.

"The guys who are here have our trust and our belief.

"We will push things to the maximum. The situation hasn't changed since some weeks ago, it's not the moment to repeat it, from here we are looking for solutions. 

"I have trust in the guys who play and hopefully we put in a strong performance."

As well as facing Tottenham over two legs, Chelsea also take on Chesterfield in the FA Cup and face Manchester City in the Premier League over the next 10 days.

Romelu Lukaku started the tie at Stamford Bridge, three days on from being left out of Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool after giving a controversial interview.

The striker made a public apology on Tuesday and was back involved against Spurs, with the Blues eyeing a first-leg advantage to take into next week's reverse fixture.

Chelsea have progressed from five of their last seven EFL Cup semi-final ties, failing only in 2012-13 (v Swansea City) and 2017-18 (v Arsenal) in that run.

Since winning three games in a row against Chelsea between 2018 and 2019, Tottenham were winless in their last eight against the Blues in all competitions prior to Wednesday's game.

Dani Alves was handed his second debut for Barcelona's Copa del Rey clash with Linares Deportivo after being officially registered by the LaLiga club.

The 38-year-old re-joined Barca on a free transfer in November following his departure from Sao Paulo over a contractual dispute.

He featured in a friendly draw with Boca Juniors in Saudi Arabia last month but could not play competitively until the LaLiga registration window opened on Monday.

Barcelona announced on Wednesday that Alves' registration had been sanctioned and he was part of their squad for the round-of-32 contest.

Alves slotted straight into the starting line-up at Estadio de Linarejos in a side that also included fellow experienced players Neto, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

Brazil international Alves made 247 appearances for Barca during his first eight-season spell at Camp Nou, the most recent of those games coming in May 2016.

He played his part in 95 clean sheets, had 78 goal involvements (64 assists, 14 goals) and created 377 chances en route to winning 23 trophies, including six LaLiga titles and three Champions League crowns.

Copa del Rey holders Barca named Ousmane Dembele among their substitutes against lower-league opposition Linares after the forward returned a negative coronavirus test.

Sergino Dest, Sergi Roberto, Luuk de Jong, Philippe Coutinho, Pedri, Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite, Ferran Torres, Gavi, Ez Abde and Alejandro Balde were all ruled out of the cup clash.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli has his sights set on signing a "complete defender" during the January transfer window.

The Rossoneri were rocked when Denmark captain Simon Kjaer was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury at the start of December.

Pioli declared following that major setback that he wanted to sign a replacement for centre-back Kjaer went the transfer market opened this month.

The 56-year-old on Wednesday stated that he will only bring in a player who ticks all the right boxes.

He said during a press conference: "We have clear and shared ideas. Kjaer's injury forces us to have an eye on defence. I have not made any other requests.

"We are looking for a complete defender, it's too important a role.

"We want one who can accept defensive one-v-ones with great timing and to have courage in the defensive phase.

"The defenders have to be the playmakers. They must have the ability to play, make the right choice even in possession of the ball.

"It will not be a roaring market for anyone, but I'm sure we'll find the right player."

Second-placed Milan return to action following the mid-season break with a Serie A clash against Roma at San Siro on Thursday.

They trail Inter by four points but Pioli believes they can mount a strong bid to win the title.

He said: "I don't care much about what they say outside Milanello. I see players who are aware, winning would be an extraordinary feat. But we have to believe in it and I expect a lot from everyone.

"We can do it if we keep the balance. We have pressure because we have been good at creating it with the results, then we'll do the math in the end."

Alphonso Davies has become the latest Bayern Munich player to test positive for coronavirus.

Bayern revealed on Wednesday that Canada left-back Davies had contracted COVID-19

It comes a day after Leroy Sane and Dayot Upamecano tested positive as the Bundesliga leaders prepare to face Borussia Monchengladbach in their first game after the winter break on Friday.

Lucas Hernandez and Tanguy Nianzou also returned positive tests this week.

Manuel Neuer, Kingsley Coman, Corentin Tolisso and Omar Richards were also unable to report for training after they tested positive. 

Bayern's assistant coach Dino Toppmoller is another absent due to coronavirus.

The Bavarian giants won seven consecutive games prior to the break and hold a nine-point lead over Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.

Diego Simeone is "grateful" for what Kieran Trippier has given to Atletico Madrid as the full-back closes in on a move to Newcastle United.

Trippier is reportedly undergoing a medical with Newcastle on Wednesday after an initial £12million (€14.36m) fee was agreed between the clubs.

The England international joined Atleti from Tottenham in July 2019 and has made 86 appearances for the Spanish side in all competitions.

Across his two and a half seasons in LaLiga, Trippier ranks joint-fourth for assists (10) and fourth for chances created (81) among defenders.

He played a key part in Atletico's title triumph last term and Simeone has wished the 31-year-old well at his next club.

"I always look at the positives," Simeone said at a news conference on Wednesday previewing Atletico's Copa del Rey round-of-32 tie with Rayo Majadahonda.

"I'm absolutely grateful for the time Kieran has been here with us. The club gave him 48 hours to resolve the situation. He's behaved very well and been very important for us."

Trippier started Sunday's 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano, though Marcos Llorente has also been regularly used at right-back this campaign.

However, Simeone confirmed Atletico will look to bring in a replacement for Trippier.

"We look ahead to what is next, and seek out alternatives," he said. "The club knows exactly what we need and are after. 

"We are always in common agreement, but if not then we will continue with the players we have."