Uefa Europa League (Europe)

As in the first leg, Hacken took a two-goal lead thanks to a first-half double from Ibrahim Sadiq, who is tipped to move to AZ Alkmaar ahead of the transfer deadline.

The Dons eyed another comeback after Bojan Miovski’s VAR-assisted penalty saw him halve the deficit.

However, another VAR penalty decision saw Amor Layouni seal a 5-3 aggregate victory and his side’s spot in the Europa League.

The Dons showed three changes from the away leg, with Jamie McGrath, James McGarry and Richard Jensen all handed their first Aberdeen starts. The Swedes were without Johan Hammar, sent off late in the first leg, but were otherwise unchanged from the 2-2 first leg draw.

Similar to the first leg, the match began in wide open fashion with both sides looking dangerous going forward but vulnerable at the back.

Hacken were comfortable in possession and their 14th-minute opening goal typified that as they patiently worked the ball in front of the Aberdeen defence before Sadiq worked space to hit an unstoppable shot just inside the post from 22 yards.

Aberdeen’s more direct route saw Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes sent through one-on-one with Peter Abrahamsson only to hit straight at the goalkeeper, who raced off his line to narrow the angle

A Leighton Clarkson corner just after the half-hour found Jensen, whose flick reached NIcky Devlin at the back post, but the first-leg scorer could only turn wide of the back post.

Miovski thought he had levelled when he met another Clarkson cross, this time at the near post, but Abrahamsson this time tipped the ball on to the post to deny the North Macedonian.

Aberdeen’s profligacy would come back to bite in the 41st minute when Sadiq flicked the ball over the diving Roos as he raced onto Mikkel Rygaard’s sweet pass through the home defence.

The visitors started the second half looking to kill the game off, with Franklin Tebo heading over from a corner before Srdan Hrstic somehow contrived to blast over the bar with the goal gaping just four yards in front of him.

Aberdeen pulled a goal back almost immediately as Duk went down under Tebo’s challenge. Referee Daniel Siebert initially indicated a dive, but a VAR review saw him change his mind and award a spot-kick.

Miovski stepped up and coolly slotted home from the penalty spot in the 56th minute.

The same man could have levelled matters five minutes later as he raced on to Jensen’s ball over the top before curling agonisingly wide from 18 yards with just the keeper to beat.

Sadiq was denied a hat-trick by the upright but it was the Ghanaian who was brought down by Slobodan Rubezic for the spot-kick that saw Layouni find the bottom corner in the 81st minute, the only surprise being that it took a review to award what always looked a stonewall penalty.

The Dons pushed hard for a goal to set up a grandstand finish but ran out of time.

Aberdeen had reason to be confident going into the second leg of the Europa League play-offs after a stunning comeback from two goals down in Gothenburg, but they could not repeat the trick at Pittodrie as they fell to a 5-3 aggregate defeat.

The Dons were chasing the game after the impressive Ibrahim Sadiq’s first-half double and could not build on Bojan Miovski’s penalty with the same player missing a glorious chance.

Amor Layouni’s spot-kick at the other end sealed victory for the Swedish champions with 15 minutes left and consigned Aberdeen to the Europa Conference League.

Robson said: “It was a brilliant performance from my players. I was so pleased with them.

“That’s a top team, and you’ll all have seen that with the front players they have got who are about to move for millions of pounds.

“We were so brave against them, and I believe we should have gone through over the tie with the amount of chances we created against them. Obviously they created chances too.

“I felt the stadium was brilliant, and the team looked like it suited each other. I’m just frustrated because of the chances we missed.

“They had one counter-attack and a wonder goal in the first half. We don’t want to sit in here, we want to have a go – and we did that.

“We could sit here and talk about a multitude of chances and that was credit to the way the boys played. They were a real good watch.

“I think the defenders played well, but the players they were up against were excellent.

“When we come up against top teams, we’re not going to go gung-ho, and you could see towards the end of last season we were built on structure. Tonight is the first time a lot of the players have played together, and you have to get that cohesion and structure.”

Juve built on their 1-0 first-leg advantage as Dusan Vlahovic converted a first-half penalty after home defender Manuel Gulde was controversially sent off for handball inside his own area.

Federico Chiesa added a late second after entering the fray as a substitute, as Juventus maintained their bid for a first major continental title since they won the Champions League in 1996. 

However, Allegri was displeased with Juventus' performance after Freiburg went down to 10 men, saying the Bianconeri must improve if they are to progress further in the competition.  

"The team got a good result as we progressed. We made a lot of mistakes in the second half with our ball handling, and we need to improve," he said at his post-match press conference.

"We can't play a second half like this against a team of 10. We were made to defend our own box. The second half should have been better. We need to work; we made a lot of wrong decisions.

"Against 10 we lowered our attention and pace. The result is good – excellent even – but let's not get excited because we're in the quarter-finals. We have to think about what we did in the second half and improve."

Chiesa's stoppage-time goal – a driven strike which found the net via the foot of the post – was just his second since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament injury in November, and the Italy international is looking to find consistency in the coming weeks.

"My first thought is to be available to the coach. Unfortunately I haven't been there in the last few games," he said. "There's still a bit of discomfort, but I'm working even harder to be more ready.

"Unfortunately my father [former Italy striker Enrico Chiesa] had similar injuries. It's a path of great obstacles to come back, but even after that, the journey continues. I just have to stay calm."

Meanwhile, the decision to send Gulde off after his outstretched arm was struck by Federico Gatti's shot infuriated Freiburg boss Christian Streich, as did a failure to punish Wojciech Szczesny for seemingly picking up a Manuel Locatelli back-pass.

"We were brave, we went for it," the Freiburg boss said. "Then there was the situation with the red card and the penalty. That was of course a difficult situation for us.

"I'm speechless. In both games, after every foul, a Juve player plays the ball away. Always. It's a complete mystery to me. 

"Then there's the intentional back-pass that isn't blown. It's difficult to accept. Something that was crucial was let go."

The Gunners took the lead in the first half when William Saliba headed in from Vieira's corner, only for their hosts to level in similar circumstances just past the half-hour mark at the Jose Alvalade.

Paulinho put Sporting in front after the break with a tap-in, but Hidemasa Morita's own goal seven minutes later ultimately secured Arsenal a draw to take back to Emirates Stadium for the return leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

The draw puts Arsenal – who have only lost at home twice all season – in a decent position ahead of the second leg, but Arteta feels they can do better, even considering the somewhat unfamiliar look to his starting XI.

"We are conceding too many simple goals," he told reporters.

"We spoke about the importance of boxes, especially in a competition where you're in or out. [On Thursday], we didn't defend that well enough, and we have to be better at threatening the opponents as well.

"But of course, you have an opponent there. We've played some really emotional games recently.

"We made a lot of changes and sometimes that takes time to get that cohesion, and you could feel it in the first 15 minutes that it needed some time to adapt and click.

"If we don't expose them, though, that's never going to happen."

He added: "When you concede two poor goals like we did away from home in Europe, it's very difficult to get a positive result.

"The game had different phases because we gave too many simple balls away in our own half and gave them the capacity to [exploit] transition moments, which they are good at.

"In other moments we had total control of the game and we lost a little bit of threat, especially with the four players we are missing in our frontline.

"There were some positives because we showed a lot of resilience to get back into the game, but we need to defend our box much better and be better on Sunday."

Vieira's performance was a surely one of those positives.

The Portugal international was given only his 13th start of the season, but his delivery for Saliba's opener was his sixth assist already – only Bukayo Saka (nine) has more for the Gunners this term, and he has played almost 1,600 minutes more than Vieira.

Arteta clearly values the former Porto midfielder.

"I'm really happy with him," he added. "I think he deserves more minutes than he's had, especially in the last two months.

"Obviously he had a difficult start because he was injured for two months after a surgery, and wasn't at the level that we want.

"You saw tonight he was probably our most dangerous player. He was always making things happen. He's a player that I absolutely love."

Twenty-two years later, Xabi Alonso's Werkself have already gone some way to banishing those ghosts by making Bundesliga history, Saturday's 2-1 win over Augsburg completing their unbeaten title-winning campaign.

This week, they have a chance to make it an unbeaten treble, heading to Dublin for Wednesday's Europa League final before taking on Kaiserslautern in the DFB-Pokal on Saturday. 

Looking to deny Bayer one of the greatest achievements in recent memory are Atalanta, participating in their first European final following a memorable run that included a stunning quarter-final elimination of Liverpool.

Ahead of the first of 2023-24's European finals, here's the key storylines and Opta facts surrounding the two contenders.  

One down, two to go

Wednesday's game offers Bayer the chance to complete the second leg of an unbeaten treble. 

On Saturday, they became the first team in Bundesliga history to enjoy an unbeaten season, while only Arsenal (in 2003-04) and Juventus (2011-12) had previously achieved the feat in Europe's top five leagues this century. 

Leverkusen are still unbeaten in 51 games in all competitions this season (42 wins, nine draws), with 12 of those coming in the Europa League (nine wins, three draws). 

Three sides have previously won the competition without losing a game, with each of those triumphs coming within the last five editions – Chelsea in 2018-19, Villarreal in 2020-21 and Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021-22.  

Wednesday's match will be the third major European final in Leverkusen's history, with Bayer beating Espanyol in a two-legged UEFA Cup final in 1988 and losing 2-1 to a Zinedine Zidane-inspired Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League showpiece. 

Alonso has taken Germany and Europe by storm with his brand of progressive, possession-based football, and Bayer's total of 6,622 successful passes in the Europa League this season is the most by any team in a single edition since 2019-20 victors Sevilla recorded 6,971. 

Their passing accuracy of 89.5 per cent is the second highest on record (behind Nice in 2017-18, 90 per cent), while their 94.3 per cent success rate with short passes is the best ever recorded in a Europa League campaign.

But even when Leverkusen have been less than free-flowing, they have found ways to avoid defeat.

They squandered a 2-0 first-leg lead in the second leg of their semi-final tie against Roma, only to fight back for a 2-2 draw which saw them progress 4-2 on aggregate. Josip Stanisic scored a 97th-minute equaliser in that game, the sixth goal Bayer have scored in the 90th minute or later in the Europa League this term.

That is the most ever managed by a team in a single major European campaign, and they also rescued their unbeaten Bundesliga record with last-gasp strikes against Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart last month.

If Leverkusen find themselves with their backs against the wall on Wednesday, viewers would be wise not to rule them out.

Can the nearly men get over the line?  

Leverkusen's Bundesliga triumph has allowed them to shake off their "nearly men" tag, but Atalanta are hoping it's a case of fourth time lucky for them in major finals under Gian Piero Gasperini.

La Dea, whose only major trophy win came in the Coppa Italia in 1962-63, were beaten 1-0 by Juventus in the Coppa Italia final last week – their third loss in that competition's showpiece game under Gasperini.

However, they bounced back with a 2-0 Serie A win over Lecce on Saturday, Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere scoring as they secured a top-five finish and Champions League qualification for 2024-25.

A return to Europe's premier club competition is just reward for a fine campaign for the Bergamo club, who will finish a Serie A season with more than 65 points (currently 66) for the fifth time (with all seasons adjusted for three points per win).

The four previous instances – in 2016-17 (72), 2018-19 (69), 2019-20 (78) and 2020-21 (78) – also all came under Gasperini. 

While their free-flowing attacking play has returned this campaign, La Dea have also been excellent without the ball, facing just 2.8 shots on target per Europa League game on average. That is the lowest rate of any team in the 2023-24 competition, with opponents Bayer facing 4.1 per match.

Their backline can expect to be tested on Wednesday, though, with Bayer's total of 232 shots in the Europa League this season the most by any team in a single edition since Chelsea tallied 247 in 2018-19.

The coaches

Fans can expect an intriguing tactical battle between two progressive coaches at the Aviva Stadium.

Gasperini has overseen the most successful period in Atalanta's history since taking charge in 2016, though this will be his first European final as a manager. 

At the age of 66 years and 117 days, he will become the oldest coach to take charge of his first major European final, and the oldest overall since Jupp Heynckes led Bayern Munich to glory in the 2013 Champions League final (68 years, 16 days).

His counterpart Alonso – at the age of 42 years and 179 days – will be the youngest coach to manage a men's European final since Roberto Di Matteo oversaw Chelsea's memorable victory in the 2012 Champions League final at the age of 41 years and 356 days, beating Heynckes' Bayern.

Having played for Liverpool in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals, Alonso will also become just the fourth person to play in and manage in a major European final this century.

Zidane played for Madrid in the 2002 Champions League final then managed them in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions. Antonio Conte played for Juventus in the 2003 Champions League showpiece and coached Inter for the 2020 Europa League final, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst achieved the feat as a Barcelona player (2006 Champions League) and Rangers boss (2022 Europa League).

Players to watch

The likes of Alejandro Grimaldo, Victor Boniface, Granit Xhaka and Robert Andrich have played crucial roles for Bayer this season, but their key man is undoubtedly Florian Wirtz, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year on Monday.

Wirtz scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists throughout Bayer's triumphant Bundesliga campaign, also recording eight goal involvements (four goals, four assists) in the Europa League this term – the most of any Leverkusen player.

Meanwhile, his total of 28 open-play chances created in the 2023-24 competition has only previously been bettered by five players in a single edition, most recently Amin Younes for Ajax in 2016-17 (30).

For Atalanta, all eyes will be on Scamacca, who scored outstanding goals against Liverpool and Marseille in the last two rounds.

The former West Ham striker has six goals in the Europa League this season, a tally only previously bettered by two Italian players in a single edition. Giuseppe Rossi netted 10 times for Villarreal in the 2010-11 tournament, while Ciro Immobile scored eight for Lazio in 2017-18.

Prediction 

Leverkusen enter Wednesday's game as favourites, with the Opta supercomputer rating their chances of victory within 90 minutes at 50.2 per cent.

Atalanta, however, should not be ruled out, having won seven of their nine matches since losing 1-0 in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Liverpool (one draw, one defeat).

They are assigned a 24.4 per cent chance of victory, with 25.4 per cent of the supercomputer's match simulations finishing level, which would mean extra time and potentially penalties. 

The 25-year-old midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in the off-season but it never materialised despite the best efforts of United's Dutch manager Erik ten Hag to convince him.

The situation was complicated by De Jong's contractual situation with financially embattled Barcelona, turning it into a drawn-out saga, fuelling talk United could move for him again at the end of this season.

But De Jong has made clear that he has no intention to depart Camp Nou, where he is contracted until 2026.

"I was calm because I knew I wanted to stay at Barca and I haven't changed my mind," De Jong told RAC1.

"I had always dreamed of playing for Barcelona and I want to succeed at Barca. Right now I'm calm and I want to continue at Barca."

De Jong, who joined Barcelona from Ajax in 2019, added that he had plenty left to achieve with the Catalans.

"I've never won LaLiga," he said. "It's my fourth year here and it's the time I've been closer. But there is still a long way to go.

"It is our main goal and we will give everything to achieve it."

De Jong has made 18 starts with four appearances off the bench in Barcelona's 24 LaLiga games this term, ensuring he has been a key part of their success, sitting nine points clear with 14 games to play.

"The four-midfielder system benefits me, but beyond that, this year I'm playing more at the base of midfield, where I feel more comfortable," he said.

"And then, I have more freedom to move, to drive and overcome lines. Busquets helps me a lot because he transmits a lot of calmness. He's very confident with the ball and defensively he's much better than people think."

The Argentina international settled the opening leg at the Allianz Stadium when he powered home Filip Kostic's 53rd-minute cross for his fourth goal in this season's competition.

Di Maria, who also netted a hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round, has now been directly involved in seven goals in his last six European appearances.

The 35-year-old endured an injury-hit start to life in Turin after signing a 12-month deal last July, but has already registered 10 goal involvements in 2023 (seven goals, three assists).

Bruno Fernandes and Toulouse's Branco van den Boomen are the only other midfielders in Europe's top five leagues to hit double figures in the calendar year.

Di Maria's future is uncertain, but he said negotiations to extend his stint with Juve are ongoing.

"I'm happy to have helped the team, we are doing a good job and we must continue like this," he told Sky. "The important thing was to win, and we did it.

"We will do our best [to reach the final of this competition]. We will try to win both the Coppa Italia and the Europa League.

"We're talking, I'm happy here, and I'm finally feeling the affection of the people after a difficult start."

Allegri also hailed Di Maria's impact, while saluting his side's display ahead of the second leg in Germany next week.

"Tonight, [Di Maria] scored a wonderful goal but, above all, he gave an extraordinary performance.

"We played a very good match tonight, with great intensity and good technically. The only thing we missed too many times was the last pass. We could have chosen better and that made the difference.

"In Freiburg, it won't be easy, but the thing that makes me think positive is that they will give us spaces, and we will have to exploit them."

Mourinho was on track to become the most decorated European manager in history with six trophies when Paulo Dybala defied an ankle injury he has been carrying for the last month to put the Serie A side in front in a scrappy affair in Budapest.

Gianluca Mancini, who had provided the assist for Dybala, put into his own net as the game finished 1-1 after 120 minutes then missed from the spot, as did Roger Ibanez, before Montiel scored the decisive penalty to secure a 4-1 shootout win for the Spaniards.

The Argentinian, who scored the winning spot-kick in last year’s World Cup final, initially missed from 12 yards but Rui Patricio coming off his line before the ball was struck meant a retake, and Montiel this time made no mistake.

While Sevilla claimed a record-extending seventh Europa League crown and qualify for next season’s Champions League, they had to do it in ugly fashion, with regular stoppages in play and players and coaches on both sides spoken to or warned by referee Anthony Taylor and fourth official Michael Oliver.

There were few openings as both sides started tentatively while there were regular interruptions, with both benches tetchy from the off, aware of what was at stake, and keeping Taylor on his toes.

The English referee had his first major decision when checking VAR after his countryman Tammy Abraham took a blow to the head but Nemanja Gudelj winning the ball meant no penalty was given.

The game came to life when Ivan Rakitic was dispossessed in his own half and while Sevilla’s defence seemed to anticipate a foul being given, Mancini took advantage and his through ball allowed Dybala to slot across Bono in the 35th minute. Amid howls of protest from Sevilla, substitute Rafa Mir was booked.

Lorenzo Pellegrini was cautioned for diving in the area and the constant breaks in play meant seven minutes were tagged on at the end of the first half, when Rakitic’s thundering effort from 25 yards thudded low off Patricio’s left-hand post.

Erik Lamela and Suso were brought on after the interval as Sevilla flew out of the traps, penning back Roma in their own half. The pressure told in the 55th minute as Mancini turned into his own net as he sought to stop Lucas Ocampos from latching on to Jesus Navas’ devilish whipped cross.

Sevilla were shown plenty of the ball but Roma almost scored again as a free-kick from Dybala, in his last involvement of the night before he was substituted, saw Abraham stab at Bono and amid a goalmouth scramble, the ball fell to an off-balance Ibanez, who sliced the rebound wide.

Ibanez’s night might have gotten worse when, with a quarter of an hour left, Ocampos went over the Roma defender’s trailing leg and Taylor pointed to the spot. With Mourinho and his coaches incandescent on the touchline, Taylor rescinded the penalty after a VAR check highlighted minimal, if any, contact.

It was Roma’s turn to appeal for a penalty soon after when the ball hit Fernando’s arm by his side. Taylor was unconvinced and then, not for the first time, headed to the Roma bench brandishing his yellow card.

While the names piled up in the official’s notebook, Roma almost had the last laugh but Andrea Belotti, on for Abraham, miscued a volley after a cute free-kick over the wall.

Fernando flashed wide as the match went to an additional 30 minutes, where both teams seemed reluctant to gamble.

Mourinho was booked for one of several confrontations with fourth official Oliver but after little action, Chris Smalling almost won it at the death but his looping header in the 10th minute of time added on from a corner came back off the bar.

The shootout started with Ocampos and Lamela netting either side of Bryan Cristante doing so for Roma but it was first blood to Sevilla when Mancini’s thunderous effort came back off a diving Bono’s legs.

Ibanez then saw his effort come back off the post and while Patricio seemed to have given Roma a glimmer when tipping Montiel’s spot-kick on to the post, the Portuguese’s encroachment gave the LaLiga player another chance he did not spurn.

Juve registered a whopping 20 shots at the Allianz Stadium, where Di Maria's second-half header Bianconeri gave them a slender lead in the tie.

The Argentina international continued to shine in this competition, having netted a hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round.

Freiburg, who saw their five-match unbeaten streak halted, must come from behind when the teams recommence battle in Germany next week.

Massimiliano Allegri's decision to drop Paul Pogba from the squad for disciplinary reasons dominated the build-up to what was Juve's first Europa League showdown against German opposition since they faced Borussia Dortmund in the 1994-95 semi-finals.

Pogba's fellow France international Adrien Rabiot almost opened the scoring when he drew smart reflexes out of Mark Flekken, who also kept out Juan Cuadrado's free-kick.

Bremer then somehow failed to find an open goal in the 31st minute, the defender heading over Di Maria's deep corner from just two yards out, while Cuadrado stung Flekken's palms once more before the break.

Juve eventually made the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half, when Di Maria powered home a header from Filip Kostic's centre.

Freiburg thought they had responded in the 62nd minute but, following a consultation with the VAR, Lucas Holer's wonderful volley was ruled out as Matthias Ginter handled in the build-up.

Vincenzo Grifo was then marginally off target with a free-kick that represented the visitors' only recorded attempt on goal, as the Serie A side saw out a narrow victory.

Kanoute remains Sevilla's highest-scoring non-Spanish player in history after netting 136 goals in 290 matches, lifting two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and two Copa del Rey trophies during his time there.

The former striker has watched on as his old club struggled this term, dismissing coaches Julen Lopetegui – who is now at Wolves – in October and Jorge Sampaoli in March.

Sevilla have finally settled under the stewardship of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the LaLiga side reaching the Europa League semi-finals where they will face Juventus in a two-legged affair across this month.

Mendilibar's team also sit 11th in the Spanish top flight and Kanoute remains relieved to see an upturn in form for Sevilla, who overcame Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final last month.

Kanoute, speaking to Stats Perform at LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League event, said: "There are no other words, very bad at the beginning, they were struggling a lot, a couple of changes of coaches, which always unsettles the team.

"In the last few weeks, they've been improving, winning some important games and, at least they're not in the relegation battle anymore.

"I think they are ending the season quite well and it also reflects what they're doing in the Europa League, so hopefully they're going to have a great end of the season."

Kanoute played in the Premier League for West Ham and then Tottenham before his move in 2005 to Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The former Mali international scored 43 goals in 144 Premier League appearances but Kanoute believes there is little difference between two of Europe's top divisions now.

"My record says that I've scored more goals in LaLiga, it's not necessarily harder in the Premier League," he added. "I think it depends on your style. It depends on the kind of football you're playing.

"It depends on your understanding of the game, but I would say there are fewer and fewer differences between the style because football now is so global and you have so much influence from foreign coaches even here in the Premier League.

"I would say personally, where I enjoyed my football the most was in La Liga because that's where I could win some silverware, but apart from that, it depends on each individual."

Kanoute remains Sevilla's highest-scoring non-Spanish player in history after netting 136 goals in 290 matches, lifting two UEFA Cups, a UEFA Super Cup and two Copa del Rey trophies during his time there.

The former striker has watched on as his old club struggled this term, dismissing coaches Julen Lopetegui – who is now at Wolves – in October and Jorge Sampaoli in March.

Sevilla have finally settled under the stewardship of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the LaLiga side reaching the Europa League semi-finals where they will face Juventus in a two-legged affair across this month.

Mendilibar's team also sit 11th in the Spanish top flight and Kanoute remains relieved to see an upturn in form for Sevilla, who overcame Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final last month.

Kanoute, speaking to Stats Perform at LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League event, said: "There are no other words, very bad at the beginning, they were struggling a lot, a couple of changes of coaches, which always unsettles the team.

"In the last few weeks, they've been improving, winning some important games and, at least they're not in the relegation battle anymore.

"I think they are ending the season quite well and it also reflects what they're doing in the Europa League, so hopefully they're going to have a great end of the season."

Kanoute played in the Premier League for West Ham and then Tottenham before his move in 2005 to Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The former Mali international scored 43 goals in 144 Premier League appearances but Kanoute believes there is little difference between two of Europe's top divisions now.

"My record says that I've scored more goals in LaLiga, it's not necessarily harder in the Premier League," he added. "I think it depends on your style. It depends on the kind of football you're playing.

"It depends on your understanding of the game, but I would say there are fewer and fewer differences between the style because football now is so global and you have so much influence from foreign coaches even here in the Premier League.

"I would say personally, where I enjoyed my football the most was in La Liga because that's where I could win some silverware, but apart from that, it depends on each individual."

Substitute Ezequiel Ponce struck the winner on the counter attack six minutes from the end of normal time as Roberto De Zerbi’s side failed to heed the signs after falling behind twice previously in the first half.

Joao Pedro equalised from the penalty spot in the first period then again in the second, both times after VAR had intervened in Brighton’s favour.

The hosts had the better of the play but they lacked the clinical edge of AEK, who scored with two excellent finishes from set-pieces. The first goal was a superb header from Djibril Sidibe, followed by a sliding finish from Mijat Gacinovic as Brighton were undone by nerves and their own naivety.

The opening goal came after 11 minutes and was against the early run of the play.

AEK’s first attack saw them win a corner on the left after a low cross was turned behind. As the ball was whipped in, no one had picked up the lurking Sidibe who with a late dash into the box caught Brighton out with a superb 15-yard diving header that whistled past Jason Steele.

De Zerbi’s side had been badly caught out, and seconds later it could have been two. Levi Garcia, who would torment Brighton in the first period with pace and clever movement, raced beyond the defence and went through on goal, but the hosts were saved by Garcia’s tame finish that was too close to Steele.

Brighton were dominating the ball and largely camped in AEK’s half, but they could not plug the gaps that their opponents were finding on the counter attack.

Garcia wasted another glorious chance to double the visitors’ lead from an almost identical position when he again stole in behind the defence, this time slipping his effort just beyond the far post.

Yet Brighton’s play with the ball gave home fans reason for hope and soon they converted it into chances. Pedro nodded wide from a free header inside the six-yard box as Brighton finally put together an attack to concern the AEK defence, but within a minute he had made amends for his profligacy.

When defender Ehsan Hajsafi dangled a leg as Pedro looked to cut inside to shoot the referee initially booked the striker for diving. But after a pitchside VAR review the booking was rescinded, Pedro stepped up and coolly rolled his penalty beyond Cican Stankovic to score Brighton’s first European goal.

At that stage it appeared that they had had their reprieve for the way they had left themselves vulnerable to AEK’s threat, but five minutes before the break, another fine delivery from a set-piece, and another critical lapse in concentration.

Brighton held a high line on the edge of their own box as a free-kick was whipped in from 40 yards out, but as blue shirts charged back towards their own goal none of them could prevent Gacinovic from sliding to get a foot on the ball to turn it beyond Steele.

There was still time for Jan-Paul Van Hecke to deny Orbelin Pineda what would have been a deserved third for AEK on the stroke of half-time.

There was relief then around the Amex when the referee was directed pitch-side for another VAR review after Pedro’s tumble inside the box under Damian Szymanski’s challenge had at first been waved on. As in the first half, the decision was overturned, and Pedro got to his feet to replicate his earlier composed finish to draw Brighton level again.

De Zerbi was booked for remonstrating too forcefully on the touchline, before Pedro was handed the chance to seal his hat-trick and an opening night win when he spring the offside trap and went one-on-one with Stankovic. This time the goalkeeper got the better of their duel.

Then came AEK’s final sting. A raking ball from the back was nodded out wide by Ponce to Niclas Eliasson, who returned the ball to his fellow substitute. Although Steele blocked Ponce’s shot, the rebound ricocheted off the Argentinian and into the net for the winner.

Di Maria scored the only goal as the Bianconeri drew first blood in the opening leg of the Europa League last-16 tie, thumping home a header from Filip Kostic's 53rd-minute cross.

Following his hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round, the World Cup winner has now been directly involved in 10 goals in 2023 (scored seven, assisted three).

The 35-year-old revealed he is in talks with Juve over extending his 12-month contract, which expires at the end of the season, and Locatelli hailed his team-mate's influence on the side.

"Angel is a phenomenon, he's in another category, I think he's really a champion," the midfielder said. "For us, it's an honour to have him with us in training and in the game. We have to be thankful that he is here.

"We are only 1-0 up, today was only the first half, we must play a mature game there [in Freiburg next week]. The 1-0 may be enough, but we have to go there and play a great game.

Although they lead, Juventus will feel their advantage should be greater, having converted just one of their 20 shots on goal during the first leg.

Head coach Massimiliano Allegri has urged his players to demonstrate a greater clinical edge, though he also encouraged Dusan Vlahovic to stay patient with the striker now having gone five matches without finding the net.

"We have to improve in the number of goals scored," Allegri said. "We create enough, the [conversion] percentage is low. We need lucidity when we attack the area, we have to improve.

"I'm happy because physically Dusan is much better, he has to be calm. Maybe on Sunday [against Sampdoria], he will score."

Martial's career at Old Trafford since signing from Monaco in 2015 has been plagued by injuries, with the forward loaned out to Sevilla for the second half of last season where he scored just once in 12 appearances.

A strong pre-season meant this campaign started with optimism, though he has again been in and out of the line-up because of his fitness with Marcus Rashford's goals proving crucial in his absence.

With Rashford ruled out for several games with a muscle injury and January loan signing Wout Weghorst struggling in front of goal, Ten Hag needs Martial to start firing if United are to add more silverware to the EFL Cup they lifted in February, which ended a six-year trophy drought.

Ten Hag is confident the 27-year-old will be a big help over the rest of the season, though he will not rush the forward back to the team before he is ready despite him scoring off the bench in the 2-0 victory over Everton at the weekend.

"We don't have to force things," Ten Hag told reporters. "We are careful. The front line against Everton worked really well.

"When he [Martial] is in the team, we play our best football and we have our best results as a team. The time he needs for a goal is less. I defend him because I point to the stats and see how he contributes."

Martial's first start since January could come against his former side Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday as United meet the six-time winners in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag believes Martial is ready to play from the off for the first time since returning from a hip injury, saying: "I think he is ready to start.

"But the front line did very well against Brentford and we picked the same against Everton. The advantage was we could bring Martial back slowly, giving him minutes, but I think already against Everton he was ready to start the game."

United could also be boosted by Christian Eriksen being available for the starting XI for the first time in over three months, after his strong start with the Red Devils was hampered by an ankle injury suffered against Reading in the FA Cup fourth round back in January.

Ten Hag believes the Denmark international's return will improve United's midfield, explaining: "I think the balance in the midfield was good with Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno [Fernandes].

"Casemiro is the balance player, Eriksen can support him but also go to the final part of the game, can create chances with key passes.

"So yeah, a really important player and I think he had seven or eight assists in the league, which tells the story."

Rashford suffered a muscle injury in United's 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday.

It was revealed on Wednesday that not only will the in-form forward be out for the Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla on Thursday, but further games beyond that.

The 25-year-old has had a fine season for the Red Devils, scoring 28 goals in 47 outings, but will now miss the next "few games".

The club stated: "Marcus Rashford will be unavailable for Thursday’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final game against Sevilla because of a muscle injury.

"The forward was withdrawn in the 80th minute of Saturday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Everton at Old Trafford and immediately headed to the dressing room for treatment.

"Subsequent assessment of the injury suggested that Marcus will be unavailable for a few games, but is expected to be back for the season run-in."

United manager Erik ten Hag told the club's website he has confidence in other players stepping up to take on the goalscoring burden, with their next top scorers for the season after Rashford being Bruno Fernandes (10), Antony (7), Anthony Martial (7) and Fred (6).

"We have many more players across the squad who can score," he said. 

"I think we have players like Bruno, like Jadon Sancho, like Anthony Martial, like Scott McTominay, like Antony. We have enough players with the capabilities to score goals, definitely."

After they face Sevilla at Old Trafford, United visit Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, before the return leg in Seville next Thursday.

Just days after humiliation at the hands of Liverpool, an unchanged United side responded fiercely to put one foot in the quarter-finals.

It was not all plain sailing for Erik ten Hag's side though, with Ayoze Perez equalising in the first half after Marcus Rashford gave the hosts an early need.

A strong second half put United in control though, as Antony guided home a trademark curler and Bruno Fernandes headed home to ensure a firm lead.

United came out of the blocks flying and, having already seen a Weghorst goal disallowed for offside, took the lead in the sixth minute as Rashford capped off a fine counter-attack to smash into the top corner. 

Claudio Bravo was called into action to deny Weghorst and Rashford, before Betis equalised against the run of play when Juanmi clipped a pass to Leicester City loanee Perez, who drilled into the far corner and give David de Gea no chance. 

Two minutes before the break, the visitors almost took the lead. De Gea sloppily gave the ball away to Juanmi, who fed a pass through to Perez, but United got away with it as his pass across the face of goal was deflected onto the post by Lisandro Martinez.

United retook the lead seven minutes after the restart, Antony cutting inside onto his left foot and curling beyond the reach of Bravo from outside the box.

The hosts' advantage was doubled just six minutes later, Fernandes finding space at the near post to head Luke Shaw's corner home despite Bravo getting both hands to the ball.

Bravo kept the scoreline respectable with a number of crucial saves but could do nothing as Weghorst tucked home on the rebound after Scott McTominay's effort was saved, with United on course for the quarter-finals.

Goals from Stephan Al Shaarawy and substitute Marash Kumbulla secured the home victory which gives the Giallorossi a significant advantage ahead of the return leg in San Sebastian.

Despite that, Mourinho was not satisfied, urging caution with a quarter-final spot at stake.

"This 2-0 is only good if we don't lose by three in the second leg," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. "I will never say it's a good result after the first leg."

Mourinho acknowledged Roma have a complicated schedule around the second leg on Thursday 16 March, with a Derby della Capitale against Lazio three days later.

"Now we have a dangerous week," the Portuguese said. "After the return with Real Sociedad we play against Lazio, even if for me playing with them is like playing with Milan or Juve, but in this city it is not like that."

Roma actually had only 40 per cent possession against Sociedad, yet generated three shots on target compared to the Spanish side's one.

Despite not declaring it a good result, Mourinho said his side controlled the game and deserved the win.

"I liked the organisation, the effort and the empathy on the pitch," Mourinho said.

"We all helped each other. It’s hard to play against teams who field a midfield diamond. We faced it against Empoli and RB Salzburg, but it's difficult.

"We needed a strong mentality because when you don't have the ball for a long time, mentality is crucial. We controlled the match despite having less possession."

Goals from Stephan Al Shaarawy and substitute Marash Kumbulla secured the home victory which gives the Giallorossi a significant advantage ahead of the return leg in San Sebastian.

Despite that, Mourinho was not satisfied, urging caution with a quarter-final spot at stake.

"This 2-0 is only good if we don't lose by three in the second leg," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. "I will never say it's a good result after the first leg."

Mourinho acknowledged Roma have a complicated schedule around the second leg on Thursday 16 March, with a Derby della Capitale against Lazio three days later.

"Now we have a dangerous week," the Portuguese said. "After the return with Real Sociedad we play against Lazio, even if for me playing with them is like playing with Milan or Juve, but in this city it is not like that."

Roma actually had only 40 per cent possession against Sociedad, yet generated three shots on target compared to the Spanish side's one.

Despite not declaring it a good result, Mourinho said his side controlled the game and deserved the win.

"I liked the organisation, the effort and the empathy on the pitch," Mourinho said.

"We all helped each other. It’s hard to play against teams who field a midfield diamond. We faced it against Empoli and RB Salzburg, but it's difficult.

"We needed a strong mentality because when you don't have the ball for a long time, mentality is crucial. We controlled the match despite having less possession."

An unchanged United side bounced back from Sunday's Anfield rout with a 4-1 victory at Old Trafford to take command of the round of 16 tie.

Rashford opened the scoring with his 26th goal of an outstanding season, with Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst on target in the second half after Ayoze Perez had equalised for the visitors.

While the win will not wipe away the pain experienced on Merseyside, it put United back on track and Rashford says there must be more to come. 

"It's always important to win the next fixture, it's the only way for us to bounce back and try to continue the momentum we had before that game," he told BT Sport.

"So I'm pleased we managed to win the game and it has put us in a good way in the tie.

"We always try to start quick, a goal always helps that. I thought they defended the box quite well in the first half, the second half it opened up a bit more, as we expected with the game being 1-1, so we're pleased to win the game and start the tie in the right way.

"It's a step back in the right direction. We have to build on this now to gain momentum again, we can't put too much emphasis on something that has gone, we can't change it, but we have to look forward now."

Subsequent video footage of Taylor being accosted by angry fans at the airport has been condemned by the Premier League, which said it was “shocked and appalled” by the abuse suffered by the official.

Mourinho’s charge for using insulting/abusive language towards a match official is one of a number of charges levelled against both clubs after a stormy final that yielded 13 yellow cards.

Mourinho criticised Taylor in his post-match press conference, and in video footage which later emerged on social media, the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager is seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying “disgrace”.

In the incident at the airport, clips on Twitter show a chair and drinks being thrown in the direction of Taylor and his group as they make their way through a gathering of Roma fans.

A Premier League spokesperson said: “We are shocked and appalled by the unacceptable abuse directed at Anthony Taylor and his family as they travelled back from the UEFA Europa League Final.

“No one should have to suffer the inexcusable behaviour they had to endure yesterday.

“Anthony is one of our most experienced and accomplished match officials and we fully support him and his family.”

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said in a statement on Thursday evening: “PGMOL is aware of videos circulating on social media showing Anthony Taylor and his family being harassed and abused at Budapest Airport.

“We are appalled at the unjustified and abhorrent abuse directed at Anthony and his family as he tries to make his way home from refereeing the UEFA Europa League final.

“We will continue to provide our full support to Anthony and his family.”

Taylor booked Mourinho during the game, which finished 1-1 after extra time before Sevilla sealed their seventh Europa League triumph by winning 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out.

The game was littered with delays, with a total of 25 minutes’ stoppage time added to the 120 minutes of playing time.

UEFA has also charged both clubs with throwing of objects, lighting of fireworks, and the improper conduct of the team. In addition, Roma have been charged with crowd disturbances and acts of damage.

West Ham boss David Moyes condemned the treatment of Taylor as he prepares his side for Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in Prague.

“I didn’t see the game so I can’t comment on the game itself or the officiating,” Moyes said.

“All referees have a really difficult job and shouldn’t be put through any difficult situations, which I heard about this morning. That’s not correct.”