Tottenham Hotspur

Fernandes made an instant impact at Old Trafford after joining from Sporting CP in January and his effort from the penalty spot in Friday's 1-1 draw at Tottenham was his third goal in six Premier League appearances.

Pogba won the penalty and his introduction from the bench after the hour mark injected United with fresh impetus.

It was the France international's first outing since Boxing Day in a season ruined by foot injuries, but Fernandes is hopeful their understanding will grow in tandem under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"When we were training in groups I was in the group with Paul, so to find the connection is easier," he told Sky Sports.

"But I found a good connection with everyone and the most important thing is the team. 

"I think Paul thinks the same [as me] and we are happy. Paul won the penalty, I kicked it. The most important thing is the team. It doesn't matter who scores, or the assist, or anything. 

"As a team we need to look for the Champions League. We need to try to be close to try to catch the guys who are in front.

"Unfortunately we are [only] one point closer, but they need to play. We'll see."

United are fifth in the table but will fall five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with nine matches remaining if Frank Lampard's side are able to beat relegation-threatened Aston Villa on Sunday.

Bayern remain intent on prising Kane away from Spurs and are expected to imminently lodge a new bid for the 30-year-old England captain, who is now into the final 12 months of his contract with the Premier League club.

Levy is reported to have met with Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen and technical director Marco Neppe in London, while Kane trained with the rest of the Spurs squad to continue preparations ahead of Sunday’s pre-season friendly at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.

The scrutiny surrounding Kane’s future does not show any signs of going away, with the German club public about their interest all summer.

Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness claimed last month personal terms had been agreed between Kane and the Bundesliga champions, while two bids for the forward were reportedly turned down in July.

Spurs have offered Kane a new contract, which is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, but no decision will be made on the new deal while speculation over his future continues, the PA news agency understands.

Kane is not the only experienced Tottenham player with uncertainty hanging over them, with captain Hugo Lloris so far unable to secure a move away.

The former France goalkeeper was allowed to remain at the club’s training ground in Enfield to “explore prospective transfer opportunities” while Ange Postecoglou’s team toured Perth, Bangkok and Singapore last month.

However, 36-year-old Lloris is no closer to a departure from Spurs and one potential avenue has closed after Paris St Germain signed young Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas on Sunday.

Lloris was one of several members of Tottenham’s bloated squad expected to leave, but Giovani Lo Celso looks set to be thrown a chance to turnaround his career with the club.

Lo Celso signed for Spurs in summer 2019 for £55million but, after playing under a string of managers, had spent the past 18 months away from north London on loan at Villarreal.

Argentina international Lo Celso has caught the eye of new boss Postecoglou this summer, though, and after scoring in friendlies against West Ham and Lion City Sailors, the midfielder is likely to remain part of the squad moving into the Premier League season.

Offers will be listened to for various other senior players and young duo Alfie Devine and Dane Scarlett are being lined up for loan moves away.

Devine and Scarlett were part of a large Tottenham contingent for the Asia-Pacific pre-season tour, but it is felt the best next step for their development would be to secure a loan away from Spurs for the 2023-24 campaign.

Sunday’s clash pitted fourth against fifth, with the hosts knowing victory would move them eight points clear in the last Premier League spot guaranteed a place at Europe’s top table.

But Villa collapsed in the second half against Spurs, who celebrated James Maddison and Brennan Johnson goals before home captain John McGinn saw red for a reckless challenge on Destiny Udogie.

Son Heung-min and substitute Timo Werner wrapped up a 4-0 rout in stoppage time, meaning Spurs are now just two points behind fourth-placed Villa with a game in hand.

“The whole game I was really pleased with,” boss Postecoglou said. “The way we handled the whole day, to be honest.

“Obviously we knew it was a significant game and a tough venue, good opponent, the atmosphere here behind their team.

“The first half we did well to make them work hard more than anything else. They had to try and contain us and the threats they had we snuffed out.

“I got a sense towards the back end of the first half that they were beginning to already tire a little bit. That was the message at half-time – just persevere, stay calm, play our football, maintain our intensity, which was going to be important.

“And we did, we got off to a flier and then the quality of our football was excellent to see out the game.”

Put to Postecoglou that it was quite the swing avoiding an eight-point gap and instead cutting Villa’s advantage to two, he said: “I guess so.

“I said before the game that I still think there’s a significant part of the season to go. There’s still 11 games for us anyway.

“There’s so many challenging games and every game will have meaning between now and the end of the year. Not just for us, for every team.

“There’s a fight at the top, there’s a fight down the bottom, there’s a fight in the middle somewhere, so we’re all fighting for something.

“If we had lost today, I don’t think that would have discounted us from whatever other people put on as targets for us.

“I’ve been consistent saying what’s important for me is our growth as a team and I thought we saw that today. It was another positive step forward.”

Postecoglou did not seem overly concerned about the injury that forced off Micky van de Ven just before Spurs’ opener as the impressive centre-back “does not think it is too significant”.

Villa have a Europa Conference League last-16 second leg at home to Ajax to contend with before returning to Premier League action at Fulham next weekend.

Unai Emery wants to refocus on Thursday’s match and move on from a second half he called a “very bad day in the office”.

On McGinn’s red card, the Villa boss said: “John McGinn has played here and been strong, comfortable, very passionate and he’s a not a player doing things with bad intentions.

“I think the red card maybe could be a red card but not bad intentions.

“I didn’t speak a lot with the players, only I told them ‘keep going, move on, think of Thursday and West Ham on Sunday’ – and with John the same.”

Manchester United, Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are among the major European outfits who are due to farewell high-profile players when free agency comes into force on June 30.

Domestic leagues across the world appear increasingly likely to run beyond that deadline, meaning sides up and down the divisions could be forced to renegotiate deals beyond the typical expiry date.

It remains to be seen how governing bodies will approach the unfamiliar territory but Edinson Cavani, Mario Gotze and Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be watching closely like dozens more across Europe's top five leagues.

These are the stars and solid supporting cast members whose contract situations are worth monitoring in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

LaLiga

Athletic Bilbao: Aritz Aduriz (retiring), Benat, Mikel San Jose
Atletico Madrid: Antonio Adan
Espanyol: Ander Iturraspe
Granada: Roberto Soldado
Real Valladolid: Hatem Ben Arfa
Sevilla: Ever Banega (joining Al Shabab at end of contract), Nolito
Valencia: Ezequiel Garay
Villarreal: Santi Cazorla 

Premier League

Bournemouth: Ryan Fraser
Burnley: Joe Hart
Chelsea: Olivier Giroud, Pedro, Willian
Liverpool: Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne
Manchester City: David Silva (confirmed he will leave at end of contract)
Manchester United: Nemanja Matic, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Odion Ighalo (loan ends)
Newcastle United: Matty Longstaff
Tottenham: Jan Vertonghen, Japhet Tanganga

Serie A

Atalanta: Jose Luis Palomino
Hellas Verona: Fabio Borini
Inter: Ashley Young
Juventus: Gianluigi Buffon
Milan: Lucas Biglia, Giacomo Bonaventura, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Napoli: Jose Callejon, Dries Mertens

Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen: Charles Aranguiz
Borussia Dortmund: Mario Gotze, Lukasz Piszczek
Hertha Berlin: Salomon Kalou
Schalke: Benjamin Stambouli
Wolfsburg: Robin Knoche

Ligue 1

Lille: Loic Remy
Monaco: Jemerson
Nice: Walter Benitez, Arnaud Lusamba
Paris Saint-Germain: Edinson Cavani, Thomas Meunier, Tanguy Kouassi, Layvin Kurzawa, Thiago Silva

Fresh from his move to Camp Nou in the transfer window, Lewandowski will return to familiar surroundings with Barcelona and Bayern Munich – who boast 11 Champions League titles between them – drawn in a tough Group C along with Inter.

And another reunion will see Haaland come up against Borussia Dortmund, whom he left to join Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. They find themselves in Group G alongside Sevilla and Copenhagen.

Another heavyweight clash will take place in Group H, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus set to lock horns.

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.

The PA news agency understands Tottenham will play Premier League rivals Newcastle at Melbourne Cricket Ground on May 22.

Newcastle’s FA Cup exit last weekend opened the door for the Magpies to face Spurs in a post-season friendly, which will see the two clubs jet off for Australia immediately after their final league game of the season on May 19.

A decision on the squads taken Down Under will be made nearer to the time, but Southgate could see three players potentially in his Euro 2024 squad fly halfway across the world days before they link up on international duty.

Tottenham’s James Maddison and Newcastle attacker Anthony Gordon were named in the England squad for the March friendlies with Brazil and Belgium, while Kieran Trippier is a strong candidate to feature in this summer’s European Championships in Germany.

It is possible all three could jet off to Australia for the post-season friendly and days after they return to England they will be required to join Southgate’s squad for a training camp ahead of Euro 2024.

The Football Association has been approached for comment.

Kane scored Spurs' winning goal in Monday's 1-0 victory at Fulham, with his strike seeing him equal Jimmy Greaves' goals record for the club.

The England striker now has 266 for Spurs, with just one more enough to write his name in the club's history books.

But, Kane, 29, is yet to win a trophy with Tottenham, who last enjoyed success in the EFL Cup 15 years ago.

The atmosphere around Spurs has been poor lately following chastening defeats to Manchester City and rivals Arsenal, but Conte is trying to focus on the positives.

"For sure, I would like to help him and me, also his team-mates, to try to do something important, to win something with Tottenham because he loves Tottenham," Conte told reporters.

"Tottenham is in his heart and it should be good if together we were able to win something, because then it is important to have this record, but I think it could be more important if you win a trophy."

Conte also revealed Kane's match-winning display came despite him not being 100 per cent.

"Today he was amazing," Conte added. "I think he scored a fantastic goal, the execution, to control the ball, then to kick it in that way, only a world-class striker can score this goal.

"About the spirit that I spoke before, I want to underline Harry played with a fever and he was not so good [in terms of condition], but he wanted to play because he understood the moment.

"He understood he is a point of reference for us, for me, for the other players and, with Hugo [Lloris], they are the two players who are a point of reference for the dressing room. Today I am really happy because I think he was rewarded with a goal."

Conte's hope of winning a trophy with Kane remains a fair way off, however.

While they are into the last 16 of the Champions League, success in Europe would be a massive shock.

Domestically they are 14 points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, whom they have also played two games more than, and they were knocked out of the EFL Cup in November.

The FA Cup – which pits them against Preston North End on Saturday – represents their only realistic hope of a trophy this season, and Conte is urging his players to have belief.

"I think that we have to be dreamers," he said. "I spoke to the players and said today has to be a starting point for us.

"Often in the defeats you can learn more than in a win. After the games against City and especially Arsenal, it was important to make good reflections with my players and know that we lost something from last season, not offensively but we lost something defensively.

"When I pick defensively, I want to involve the whole team, so for this reason I spoke to all the players to show me the resilience, the desire to defend the result. I have intelligent players, smart players and good men and I think today that they gave me a good answer. It has to be a starting point.

"On Saturday we want to go to the next round [of the FA Cup]. To go away to a Championship team is not easy, but to be a dreamer we have to know this is an important game for us.

"The FA Cup can be important for us, and the Champions League and 17 games to go in the Premier League. If I see this unity, we have time to have another good season."

The spread of the coronavirus has led to tight restrictions in many countries, with social distancing measures effectively confining many to their homes.

With sport across the globe on hold and daily life so severely disrupted, Alli is trying to do his bit to help his more youthful team-mates.

"As a more experienced player, I've been speaking to the younger lads and just making sure they are alright," he told Sky Sports.

"Even for myself, speaking to other people and trying to make sure I'm not in my little bubble here and that I reach out and communicate with other people.

"No one has been in this situation before, it's tough for everyone to deal with, everyone is in the same boat.

"I think it is great that people are using social media and different platforms to find ways to try and help anyway they can."

The restrictions were in place over Alli's 24th birthday earlier this month and he shared a social media post showing some rather subdued celebrations in isolation.

But the England international has been able to stay in touch with the Spurs squad via regular videoconference training sessions involving the whole team.

"Being stuck at home on your birthday isn't the most ideal thing, but I made as much fun of it as I could. It was a little bit of fun, I tried to keep it light-hearted," he said.

"We've been doing a Zoom session every morning at 11 o'clock, which is good because it keeps us in a routine.

"You have to get up early, eat well and do those sessions, which have been tough but also good as you get to see the boys every day."

Captain Tom walked 100 laps of his garden in an effort to bring in money for the NHS Charities Together group, and a public rally behind his efforts saw the challenge raise over £30million.

He was made an honorary colonel to mark his birthday, which was marked with a Royal Air Force flypast and messages from the Queen and prime minister Boris Johnson.

Kane showed his support for the centenarian on Twitter, writing: "Happy birthday @captaintommoore! An incredible inspiration. Have a great day."

The England cricket team also declared Captain Tom an honorary member of their side, with former captain Michael Vaughan saying on BBC Breakfast: "We all want to welcome you, Captain Tom, to our team.

"As you celebrate a maiden century in the company of your family, enjoying the adulation and the affection of a nation, this is our way and our time, to say thank you."

Vaughan's fellow ex-England skipper Andrew Strauss spoke of the "incredible impact" made by the West Yorkshire-born former British Army man.

Responding to a message from an array of cricketers, Captain Tom said via Twitter: "What a privilege. Truly amazing to be made an Honorary Member of the England cricket team. Thank you @MichaelVaughan and @englandcricket for this very special honour."

Decisions made by UEFA and CONMEBOL to push back Euro 2020 and the Copa America until 2021 opened the door for domestic competition to continue longer than initially planned.

Upon announcing a four-week extension to the initially planned hiatus on Thursday, the Football Association (FA) revealed it would allow its leagues to continue beyond the June 1 deadline set out in its regulations.

The eventual run-in could prove to be heavily congested. Some Premier League teams are still competing on three fronts, others possess a game in hand, while UEFA is still hoping for a round of international matches in June.

If no games are cut out, we look at how the calendar for English teams could hypothetically shape up if competitions across Europe were able to resume following April 30.

May 2/3 - Matchday 30

May 7 - Postponed Europa League last-16 first legs and unplayed matchday 29 games

May 9/10 - Matchday 31

May 12/13/14 - FA Cup quarter-finals

May 16/17 - Matchday 32

May 19/20/21 - Champions League and Europa League last-16 second legs

May 23/24 - Matchday 33

May 26/27/28 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final first legs

May 30/31 - Matchday 34

June 2/3/4 - Champions League and Europa League quarter-final second legs

June 6/7 - Matchday 35

June 13/14 - International week

June 20/21 - Matchday 36

June 23/24/25 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final first legs

June 27/28 - Matchday 37

June 30/July 1/2 - FA Cup semi-finals

July 4 - Matchday 38

July 7/8/9 - Champions League and Europa League semi-final second legs

July 11 - FA Cup final

July 15 - Europa League final

July 18 - Champions League final

The Tottenham head coach believes stadiums would not feel empty even if supporters were not allowed to attend games amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Spurs have nine top-flight matches still to play and have not played since a Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig on March 10.

"If we play the remaining nine matches this season it will be good for every one of us," Mourinho said to Sky Sports.

"It will be good for football, for the Premier League.

"If we play football behind closed doors I'd like to think that football is never behind closed doors. 

"With cameras, it means that millions and millions are watching. So if one day we walk into this empty stadium, it will not be empty, not at all."

The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was also asked about Thursday marking 15 years since he won his first Premier League title.

Mourinho added: "I prefer to think that I'm going to have a fourth Premier League trophy. I have three, I prefer to think I'll have four."

To assist in the fight against COVID-19, Mourinho has also been volunteering to help deliver fresh produce from the club's training ground to Spurs' stadium, where it is sent out to the local community.

The 57-year-old been living with three of his coaching staff during the lockdown and while they spend most of the day working, he has had the opportunity to watch some old matches.

"I miss football, but I prefer to say I miss our world, like I think we all do," he said.

"Football is just part of my world. But we have to be patient, this is a fight that we all have to fight.

"Time flies [during lockdown]… I’m watching matches I never did in my life."

Asked about the cooking arrangements during lockdown, Mourinho replied: "The other guys are a bit better than I am! I'm the fried egg specialist."

A number of Liverpool's non-playing staff were suspended on furlough, it was announced on Saturday, leaving them free to claim 80 per cent of their wages from the United Kingdom government while the club tops up any shortfall in their pay.

Tottenham, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Bournemouth took similar action by utilising the government's furlough scheme, prompting widespread criticism of wealthy clubs opting to put further strain on public funds.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was among those to slam the quintet, describing their actions as "grotesque".

City took a divergent move on Sunday, with a club spokesperson saying in a statement: "We can confirm, following a decision by the chairman and board last week, that Manchester City will not be utilising the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (government funded furloughing).

"We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business, whilst at the same time doing what we can to support our wider community at this most challenging time for everybody."

City are second in the Premier League table, 25 points behind Liverpool, and the league announced on Friday that play will not resume in early May as had been planned.

Premier League clubs met on Friday to discuss the prospects for completing the season, and the possibility of players taking a 30 per cent wage reduction was also discussed.

Over recent days, reports have emerged detailing aspects of 'Project Restart' – the fledgling plans to restart England's top flight at neutral venues without fans present, ideally by mid-June as the game aims to return despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

But England international Winks feels any games would be significantly diminished without the presence of supporters.

"It's a possibility of course and that could happen. It's probably something that not every Premier League player wants to do," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's a strange situation not having the fans there. That's what makes football, that's what makes the atmosphere.

"It's what everybody plays for and lives for, it's for the fans. When you can't hear chanting, when you can't hear the crowd it's going to be a strange situation."

Winks experienced something similar when Croatia were forced to play their Nations League home game against England behind closed doors in 2018 and he was not a fan.

He said: "We had it last season with Croatia away and it was a very strange situation to be involved in.

"It's not something that I like and I know a lot of players feel the same way. It's not something that anybody really wants to do but if it's the necessary action that's got to be done, it has to be done."

Spurs captain Hugo Lloris concurs with Winks but also feels a compromise will have to be reached due to the economic pressures that the lockdown is placing upon clubs.

"It will be weird wherever it happens. Football is not a closed-door sport," he told L'Equipe.

"Without spectators, it is not the same sport. This is not how I see football. We are here together, to share our emotions. We all want full stadiums, with atmosphere, fans, colour and songs.

"But we must take the context into consideration. There are major economic issues that need to be understood at the level of clubs and federations. Everyone has to find the right compromise between health above all else and the need to finish this season."

The Premier League, along with the majority of sporting tournaments and events across the globe, is currently suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many nations are in total or near-total lockdown, with people only allowed to leave their homes for essential trips and exercise.

Though there is no sport to keep people entertained, some of the biggest names – both players and managers – from the Premier League came together on Saturday at 1500 GMT to spread the message: "stay at home, save lives."

Using his official Twitter and Instagram accounts, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling shared a video.

"We need to stay at home, let's help our NHS by staying home, only leave if you need food, medicine or exercise," Sterling said. "The NHS have been doing a fantastic job so let's help them continue doing their wonderful work."

He was also joined by his City team-mates Aymeric Laporteand Benjamin Mendy, as well as the club's ladies captain Steph Houghton.

Across the city, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaeralso offered his support to the campaign.

"Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives," the Norwegian said in a video posted to United's Twitter feed.

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta tested positive for coronavirus on March 12 and, having now recovered, he also shared the message.

"I encourage everybody, please be responsible and stay at home as much as possible," the Spaniard said.

Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard said: "To help save lives, you must stay home. Only leave home to buy essential food, medicine or for individual exercise and always stay two metres apart. This is an urgent message. Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives."

Premier League leaders Liverpool shared a graphic which read: "Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives."

Tottenham striker and England captain Harry Kane did not share a video, but wrote in a post on Twitter: "Saturday 3pm normally means football. But at the moment it's far more important everyone stays home. Do your bit. Protect the NHS, save lives."

The Premier League announced the results after 748 tests were administered across Sunday and Monday.

Those who were positive have been ordered to self-isolate for a week.

A statement read: "The Premier League can today confirm that, on Sunday May 17 and Monday May 18, 748 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19.

"Of these, six have tested positive from three clubs.

"Players or club staff who have tested positive will now self-isolate for a period of seven days. 

"The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and oversight.

"No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the Premier League due to legal and operational requirements."

The Premier League, like most major sporting competitions across the globe, has been on hiatus since March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A decision to suspend the competition was taken after Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi were both found to have contracted COVID-19.

The Bundesliga became the first major European league to resume action at the weekend, while Premier League clubs have voted to return to training in small groups without contact work from Tuesday, despite reports over conflicts of interest among the 20 teams on aspects to do with 'Project Restart'. 

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said on Monday there was flexibility on the June 12 target for fixtures to be played. 

Son is in quarantine in South Korea having returned to his home country at the end of March after football in England was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 27-year-old, who has not played since February after fracturing his arm, will return to Spurs in May.

Son was exempted from the mandatory 21-month military service after leading South Korea to a gold medal at the Asian Games in September 2018, but he was still due to complete a four-week programme ahead of the 2020-21 season.

However, with the Premier League acknowledging it will not resume in early May as previously planned, Son will use the period to undertake his duty.

"Our medical staff are in regular contact as he concludes his recovery after fracturing his arm in our 3-2 win against Aston Villa on 16 February and continues to train," a Tottenham statement read.

"Sonny had surgery on his arm in South Korea before returning to the UK at the end of February to continue his rehabilitation, prior to the initial announcement of the professional game in England being suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Premier League has since announced that the 2019- 20 season will only return when it is 'safe and appropriate to do so' and is under constant review.

"Son will return to London following the conclusion of his military service in May."

Spurs became the second Premier League team after Newcastle United to make use of the United Kingdom government's furlough scheme, which allows employees to claim 80 per cent of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

Levy hoped players would follow suit, though Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor this week said he planned to block a blanket reduction on their salaries.

"The club's operations have effectively ceased, some of our fans will have lost their jobs and most will be worried about their future," Levy said in a letter published on Spurs' website.

"Our sponsors will be concerned about their businesses and our media partners have no certainty when we may play games again or whether we will be allowed to play in front of our fans. In the meantime, the club has an annual cost base running into hundreds of millions of pounds.

"We have seen some of the biggest clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus take steps to reduce their costs. Yesterday [Monday], having already taken steps to reduce costs, we ourselves made the difficult decision – in order to protect jobs – to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20 per cent utilising, where appropriate, the government's furlough scheme. We shall continue to review this position.

"We hope the current discussions between the Premier League, PFA and LMA [League Managers Association] will result in players and coaches doing their bit for the football eco system.

"I have no doubt we will get through this crisis but life will take some time to get back to normal. I hope we will never take for granted so many basic things such as getting off the train at Seven Sisters, walking along Tottenham High Road, entering our stadium with our family and friends, and buying a beer and pie ahead of watching Spurs play at home.

"Many families will have lost loved ones, many businesses will have been destroyed, millions of jobs lost and many clubs whether big or small may struggle to exist. It is incumbent on me as chairman to ensure we do everything we can to protect our employees, our fans, our partners, our club for future generations – and equally important – our wider community where we have such an immense sense of responsibility.

"I wish everyone good health, a speedy return to normal life and watching Spurs at home in front of our fans. Stay safe."

Star striker Harry Kane at the weekend refused to rule out the possibility of leaving Tottenham if the team does not show signs of matching his ambition to win trophies.

The England captain has consequently been linked with a move to Premier League rivals Manchester City and Manchester United, as well as Real Madrid.

Levy believes people discussing such stories need to "wake up" to the enormity of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on clubs.

He said: "As recently as 18 March I said: 'We shall all need to work together to ensure the impact of this crisis does not undermine the future stability of the club.'

"The decision by governments around the world to effectively close down economies with unheard of peacetime impacts on civil liberties in order to minimise the terrible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the right one to protect human lives.

"The crushing devastation on industries in many countries, the inter-dependence of international trade and travel in every aspect of our daily life is only now beginning to be felt. Every person on this planet will be affected and in my lifetime I cannot think of something so impactful.

"When I read or hear stories about player transfers this summer like nothing has happened, people need to wake up to the enormity of what is happening around us. With over 786,000 infected, nearly 38,000 deaths and large segments of the world in lockdown we need to realise that football cannot operate in a bubble.

"We may be the eighth largest club in the world by revenue according to the Deloitte survey but all that historical data is totally irrelevant as this virus has no boundaries."

It would be easy to assume this is almost customary when teams are as dominant as City and Liverpool have been domestically of late, but it is not strictly the case.

Their Wembley showdown will be just the third FA Cup semi-final clash of the Premier League era between teams who have begun the day in the top two of the latter competition.

Considering this is the 30th season of the Premier League, it goes to show such showdowns cannot be taken for granted.

It has been even more rare for the eventual top two in the Premier League to contest an FA Cup final, with Chelsea denying Manchester United a double in 2006-07 in the only example of that game coming to fruition.

Here, Stats Perform looks back at the two previous FA Cup semi-finals to feature the then current Premier League top two. Could City and Liverpool, packed with attacking talent, produce drama to match these thrillers?

1999: Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal (replay, after 0-0 in first game), Villa Park

Memorable moment: David Beckham scored from 30 yards, and Peter Schmeichel saved a Dennis Bergkamp penalty, but the replay in front of a smattering over 30,000 fans at Villa Park will be remembered almost exclusively for Ryan Giggs' chest hair. Sorry... goal. Yes, definitely for his goal.

Injury limited Giggs to just 24 league appearances that season, and he managed just five goal involvements across those games (3 goals, 2 assists), the fewest he would have in a Premier League campaign until 2012-13 and 2013-14, his twilight final years as a player.

After Beckham's fine first-half opener, Arsenal drew level in the 69th minute when Bergkamp scored from similarly long range with the help of a deflection, and United were in trouble when Roy Keane was sent off five minutes later. Schmeichel came to the rescue with a spot-kick save after Phil Neville tripped Ray Parlour at the death in normal time, and then it was over to Giggs. Vintage Giggs.

Early in the second half of extra time, a stray pass from Patrick Vieira was intercepted 15 yards inside United's half by Giggs in left midfield. From there he snaked through a weary Arsenal rearguard, showing remarkable close control of a bobbling ball on a pitch that was cutting up, before smashing a shot past David Seaman at his near post. Off came his shirt, Giggs celebrating wildly, United on their way to the final.

What came next: United had been a point ahead of Arsenal and third-placed Chelsea in the Premier League title race, and it remained close all the way, with victory over Tottenham on the final day making sure Alex Ferguson's side won that title. They carried off the FA Cup too, goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes earning a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, and the most special moment came at Camp Nou, where Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck late to give the Red Devils a famous 2-1 success over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, and the first and only such treble by an English club. City might match that this season, while Liverpool could even top it, having already won the EFL Cup, with the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League still in their sights.

2017: Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham, Wembley

Memorable moment: Nemanja Matic sealed the spoils for Chelsea with a remarkable 30-yard drive into the top corner, as the Premier League's then London elite met at Wembley.

Chelsea were four points ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham at the top of the table, with Antonio Conte looking good to mark his first season in England with silverware. They had a double in their sights too, and although Tottenham twice came from behind to cancel out two goals from Willian in this semi-final, thanks to Harry Kane and Dele Alli, it was Chelsea who prevailed thanks to substitute Eden Hazard's sizzling low strike and a remarkable finish from Matic 10 minutes from time.

Fed a short pass by Hazard, Matic lashed an unstoppable left-footed drive into the top-right corner, thudding in off the underside of the crossbar.

What came next: Chelsea duly wrapped up the league title with two games to spare as Tottenham reluctantly settled for second, seven points off the pace in the final reckoning. But for all their domestic dominance up to that point, a savage twist arrived in the FA Cup final, where Arsenal awaited them. Arsene Wenger's Gunners finished only fifth in the Premier League, but they had kept something in reserve for Wembley as goals from Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey gave the Gunners the trophy.

Conte got his hands on the FA Cup a year later but was sacked before the new season began; after returning to football with Inter, and landing a Scudetto in Milan, Conte could not resist a return to London when Tottenham came calling last November.

Tottenham endured a miserable festive period and Ange Postecoglou is under mounting pressure ahead of their EFL Cup semi-final tie.