What the papers say

Kylian Mbappe‘s entourage met with figures at Manchester City last week before the news broke of his impending exit from Paris St Germain this summer, according to Sky Sports.

Former Bayer Leverkusen manager Rudi Voller has pushed for coach Xabi Alonso to stay at the club, with Sky Sports reporting the Spanish coach is scoping out options at Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Manchester United’s shake-up continues as they try to bring in Newcastle director Dan Ashworth, but the Daily Mail has revealed the Magpies will not allow him to join before 2026 unless they get significant compensation.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Marcus Rashford: The Sunday Times reports PSG are eyeing the Manchester United star as a potential replacement for Mbappe.

Kevin Long: The 33-year-old Irishman is on the verge of moving across the pond to join Major League Soccer club Toronto.

Jack Clarke: Southampton are looking to edge out other clubs with a £15million bid to lure the 23-year-old forward to the south coast, according to the Sun.

Bayern Munich slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Bochum to remain eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen, increasing the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel.

The German giants – beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night – had taken the lead in the 15th minute through Jamal Musiala.

After Harry Kane blasted over when clear, the match was halted in the 22nd minute as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in another protest by supporters against a controversial plan to sell a stake in Bundesliga media rights.

Once the game resumed, Bochum equalised in the 38th minute through Japan forward Takuma Asano before Keven Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner just before the break.

The players were taken off again early in the second half following another fan protest, before Bayern were reduced to 10 men when defender Dayot Upamecano – having also been sent off in midweek – was shown a red card for raising his arm into the face of Schlotterbeck in the area. Kevin Stoger made no mistake from the resulting penalty to make it 3-1.

Kane reduced the deficit in the 87th minute when he tapped in his 25th Bundesliga goal but the England captain was unable to convert a stoppage-time header from close range as Bayern slumped to a third successive defeat.

Earlier on Sunday, Michael Gregoritsch’s late equaliser saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Play was halted midway through the second half because of more protests from fans – which saw remote-controlled planes flown around the stadium while sweets were thrown onto the pitch behind one of the goals.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly city neighbours Rayo Vallecano.

Los Blancos, without Jude Bellingham through injury, had taken an early lead through Joselu and looked set to go eight points clear of Girona, who play at Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.

However, a 27th-minute penalty from Raul de Tomas proved enough for Rayo to earn a derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez, with Real having Dani Carvajal sent off late on.

Real Betis dropped out of the top six after being held to a goalless draw at home by Alaves.

Real Sociedad secured a first victory in six matches after coming from behind to win 2-1 at 10-man Mallorca thanks to a stoppage-time header from Mikel Merino, the hosts having seen captain Antonio Raillo sent off just before the break.

At the other end of the table, the bottom two sides Granada and Almeria cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw.

AC Milan missed the chance to go second in Serie A as they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Monza, finishing with 10 men after Luka Jovic was sent off.

After Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio had to be substituted following a clash of heads with team-mate Andrea Carboni, the hosts took the lead through Matteo Pessina’s penalty and Dany Mota added a second just before half-time.

Jovic was sent off six minutes into the second half, his yellow card upgraded to a red on VAR review, for lashing out at Armando Izzo.

Substitutes Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic then hauled the Rossoneri level – only for Warren Bondo to swiftly put Monza ahead again before on-loan forward Lorenzo Colombo added a fourth against his parent club.

Bologna had earlier kept up their challenge for the Champions League places after Joshua Zirkzee’s late goal gave them a 2-1 win at Lazio.

Roma won 3-0 at Frosinone to maintain their ambitions of a top-six finish.

Relegation-battlers Cagliari drew 1-1 at Udinese and it also finished 1-1 between Empoli and Fiorentina.

In Ligue 1, Brest beat Marseille 1-0 with an 89th-minute goal from Pierre Lees-Melou after forward Steve Mounie had been sent off to move above Nice into second place.

Mohamed Bamba scored a first-half double as Lorient won 3-1 at Strasbourg to move out of the drop zone.

Monaco saw their top-four ambitions dented with a 2-1 home defeat by Toulouse, while a brace from Martin Terrier saw in-form Rennes beat 10-man Clermont 3-1.

Africa Cup of Nations winner Oumar Diakite marked his return to club action with a goal as Reims drew 1-1 with Lens while Montpellier beat Metz 3-0.

Pep Guardiola believes Rodri is “by far” the best midfielder in the world but is pleased his performances do not always grab the headlines.

The Spain international was title-chasing Manchester City’s saviour on Saturday as his late equaliser rescued what could prove a vital point in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

It is now over 12 months – against Tottenham on February 5 last year – since City lost a match in which the 27-year-old played.

Yet his Champions League final-winning goal or this weekend’s dramatic leveller aside, he rarely steals the limelight from the likes of Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne.

Guardiola admits that is just the way he likes it.

The City manager said: “I would say if the holding midfielder doesn’t get the same appreciation as the strikers or the number 10 then that is good. When a holding midfielder has a lot of appreciation, it is not good.

“The holding midfielder has to play positive, for him and for the team, and make the team play. This is the role for the holding midfielders. All the highlights have to be for the guys up front who score goals and make assists and so on.

“But Rodri always has the ability in important moments to score goals so he’s an unbelievable player. He’s the best midfield player in the world currently by far because he is able to do everything.

“What a signing. It’s difficult to understand how we could have done what we have done in recent years without him.”

Saturday’s result extended City’s unbeaten run in the Premier League to nine games but the loss of two points left the champions third behind Liverpool and Arsenal, four points off the top.

They are back in action when they play their game in hand, a rearranged contest against Brentford, on Tuesday.

Defender Kyle Walker is relishing what is shaping up to be a three-way battle for the title.

The England right-back said: “I feel that we’re up against two very, very good teams in Liverpool and Arsenal.

“Liverpool have got the momentum, and obviously with the manager leaving maybe it’s a little bit of enthusiasm that they’ve got now, to let him go out on a high.

“But we want to do something that no-one’s ever been able to do and that’s win four in a row, so we’ve got our own motivation.

“Now it’s the best team wins at the end of a tough, tough 38 games come the end of the season but I’m sure we’ll be fighting on all fronts as we always are.”

Martin Odegaard says Arsenal must harness their growing momentum as they target a Premier League and Champions League double.

Saturday’s 5-0 win at Burnley meant the Gunners have kicked off a calendar year with five straight league wins for the first time in their history.

Arteta’s second-placed side are two points behind leaders Liverpool and now turn their attention to European action.

Arsenal face Porto in Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg and skipper Odegaard believes they are capable of going for the double.

Asked if they have the squad to compete on two fronts, the Norway international said: “That’s what we want to do, we want to compete in every competition we play in.

“Of course Champions League is a massive one, so we are excited for it.

“We just want to focus on ourselves each game, keep improving every game and we will see how it goes.

“We are in a good moment now. We have to use that momentum, keep building on it and we will see.”

Arsenal have won five on the trot and scored 21 in the process, having followed up last weekend’s 6-0 win at West Ham with a five-star performance at Burnley.

“I think that’s what we were missing a little bit in the last few weeks before the break – we created so much but we didn’t score the goals,” Odegaard said.

“But within the last few games, we’ve been brilliant in front of goal.

“We get so many people in the box and so many situations around the box. So yeah, it’s been brilliant.”

Odegaard’s opener set the tone at Turf Moor, where Bukayo Saka then scored a brace before Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz rounded things off.

That freescoring form has quietened those that had called for Arsenal to buy an out-and-out striker in January.

Summer signing Havertz, who scored his sixth goal for Arsenal on Saturday, said: “I think we all trust ourselves and we know what quality we all have.

“You know, we have to give trust to each other and that’s what we’ve done.

“It’s not only because of the strikers that you don’t score goals, defenders can score goals for us and stuff like that. That’s so important.

“You know it’s not the end now. We keep being focused because I know you guys after one game without five goals you’re going to write we need a striker!

“So, we just work hard, enjoy ourselves on the pitch and that’s what we did today.”

Jurgen Klopp emphasised Caoimhin Kelleher’s importance to Liverpool’s trophy hunt in the ongoing absence of first-choice goalkeeper Alisson.

The Republic of Ireland international impressed in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Brentford that ensured the Reds stayed top of the Premier League.

It was his second conservative start, with Alisson having missed the last two games – first with illness and then a muscle injury.

With 14 appearances so far in all competitions this has been by far the 25-year-old’s busiest season at Anfield, surpassing his previous best of eight games in 2021/22.

Kelleher is set to play in next weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley having being selected in each of the team’s five matches in the competition.

He previously kept goal when Liverpool beat Sunday’s opponents on penalties in the final of the 2021/22 edition.

“He was outstanding (against Brentford),” said Klopp. “I don’t know exactly who is the number one for Ireland but if they have a better goalkeeper, respect. He’s outstanding. This year we gave him more games than he had previously. It’s well deserved.

“We need him. We need him with rhythm. Now the situation around Alisson shows that makes absolute sense. We will see how long Alisson is out, but Caoimhin is exceptional. (On Saturday) he had an A+ performance.”

Klopp said he had not previously planned to play Kelleher at the Gtech Stadium despite Sunday’s approaching showpiece at Wembley.

With the extent of Alisson’s injury currently unknown it is possible that the understudy will play when Liverpool welcome Luton to Anfield on Wednesday.

The Brazilian did not travel to Brentford, instead remaining at the club’s Melwood training complex to receive treatment.

“Alisson was ill last week and is injured this week,” said Klopp. “There’s absolutely no other ideas behind it. If Alisson would not have been ill and would not have been injured now, he would have played.

“We’ve had enough games to have a rhythm. Goalkeepers are a different breed to other people. It was not in my plan to play (Kelleher) at Luton.

“We play the game with all focus and attention. I don’t think about other things. It’s the only way I know.”

Klopp is currently dealing with an extensive injury list, made worse after Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones both left the stadium on Saturday on crutches.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai are also amongst those unavailable in the coming weeks, while Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip are longer-term absentees.

Erik ten Hag praised the character of Rasmus Hojlund after the 21-year-old scored twice in the first seven minutes to help Manchester United to a 2-1 Premier League win over Luton at Kenilworth Road.

After a slow beginning to his career at Old Trafford, the striker – signed from Atalanta for £72million – has now scored in six consecutive games to make it 13 goals in his first 30 outings for United, including seven in 20 in the league.

United made the perfect start against Rob Edwards’ side, taking the lead inside a minute when Amari’i Bell’s misjudged pass was latched onto by Hojlund, the Dane racing through and carrying the ball around goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski before rolling it into the empty goal.

And in no time the advantage was doubled, Hojlund again on target as he deflected Alejandro Garnacho’s effort from outside the box inside the near post with his chest.

Luton hit back and halved the arrears in the 14th minute. Former United player Tahith Chong collected the ball from Alfie Doughty and hit a shot that deflected up and into the path of skipper Carlton Morris, who got his head to the ball ahead of Andre Onana to make it 2-1.

Ten Hag’s side had chances to stretch their lead again after the break, most glaringly when Bruno Fernandes took the ball around Kaminski as the goalkeeper committed himself but saw his effort deflected away by a superb recovering block from Albert Sambi Lokonga.

On a day when United stretched their winning run in the league to four games to keep the pressure on Aston Villa and Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League, Ten Hag picked out Hojlund for praise as he continues his adjustment to life in England.

“We are very happy with our recruitment, that we recruited the right character because he can perform under stress,” said Ten Hag.

“And when things go against him like in the first half of the season, he has the abilities to have a strong character, to be resilient, to be determined and score goals and that is what we saw when we scouted him.

“Of course, he needed some support because it’s not so easy when you’re so young but, in general, he kept calm and you see his abilities.”

It took Hojlund until Boxing Day to net his first league goal for United, scoring the late winner in a 3-2 comeback victory against Villa at Old Trafford.

Previously his only goals had come in the Champions League as the team crashed out of Europe before Christmas in last place in a tame group.

“In the start he didn’t have so much luck,” said Ten Hag. “He scored some goals, for instance, the one against Brighton, his first game, and they disallowed it and no one still knows why.

“There are moments that are very important in a new club and a new league, especially for a striker to build some confidence. That was not given but you see he is a fighter, he keeps going and he has great abilities in front of the goal.

“There are many ranges, areas, where he can improve but he has scoring abilities, that is clear. But what we have seen since September is he is improving in many other areas like holding up the ball.”

Luton boss Edwards reflected on a game in which his side were shellshocked by conceding a goal after only 37 seconds.

“It wobbled us and rocked us a little bit,” he said. “1-0 turned to 2-0 after about six minutes and you’re a little bit fearing the worst thinking ‘OK, how are we going to respond to this?’

“But I’ve got to give the players a lot of credit. They showed an air of calmness and belief, commitment to the game plan, and dragged themselves on to a really good performance.”

Bayern Munich slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Bochum to remain eight points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Thomas Tuchel’s side – who were beaten 1-0 at Lazio in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday night – had taken the lead in the 15th minute through winger Jamal Musiala.

After Harry Kane blasted over when sent clear in the penalty area, the match was halted in the 22nd minute as tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch in another protest by supporters against a controversial plan to sell a stake in Bundesliga media rights.

Once the game resumed, Bochum equalised in the 38th minute through Japan forward Takuma Asano before Keven Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner just before the break.

The players were taken off again early in the second half following another protest of throwing tennis balls from the stands.

Bayern found themselves down to 10 men for the closing stages after defender Dayot Upamecano was shown a red card for raising his arm into the face of Schlotterbeck in the area. Kevin Stoger made no mistake from the resulting penalty.

Kane reduced the deficit in the 87th minute after being presented with a tap-in by substitute Mathys Tel for his 25th Bundesliga goal.

The England striker sent a header straight at the Bochum goalkeeper during eight minutes of stoppage time as Bayern slumped to a third straight defeat.

Earlier on Sunday, Michael Gregoritsch’s late equaliser saw Freiburg fight back to draw 3-3 against Eintracht Frankfurt at the Europa-Park Stadion.

Play was halted midway through the second half because of protests from fans – which saw remote-controlled planes flown around the stadium while sweets were thrown onto the pitch behind one of the goals.

When the action resumed, Ansgar Knauff’s second goal of the game had Frankfurt back in front at 3-2 with 20 minutes left, only for Gregoritsch to head in a last-minute equaliser.

LaLiga leaders Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by lowly city neighbours Rayo Vallecano.

Los Blancos, without Jude Bellingham through injury, had taken an early lead through Joselu and looked all set to go eight points clear of Girona, who play at Athletic Bilbao on Monday night.

However, a 27th-minute penalty from Raul de Tomas proved enough for Rayo to earn a derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez.

At the other end of the table, the bottom two sides Granada and Almeria cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw at Los Carmenes.

Marc Pubill had given visitors Almeria a ninth-minute lead, but Myrto Uzuni equalised with 15 minutes left.

In Ligue 1, Mohamed Bamba scored a first-half brace as relegation-battlers Lorient won 3-1 at Strasbourg to move out of the drop zone.

Monaco saw their top-four ambitions dented with a 2-1 home defeat by Toulouse, with Logan Costa’s late goal securing the points for the visitors, who edged further clear of trouble.

A brace from Martin Terrier saw in-form Rennes beat 10-man Clermont 3-1 and continue their climb up the table.

Africa Cup of Nations winner Oumar Diakite marked his return to club action with a goal as Reims drew 1-1 at home against Lens while Montpellier beat Metz 3-0 at Stade de la Mosson.

Dayot Upamecano was sent off for the second time in five days as Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title challenge suffered a massive blow with a 3-2 defeat at lowly Bochum.

In a game twice disrupted by fan protests, Jamal Musiala gave the visitors an early lead, but Bochum hit back through Takuma Asano and Keven Schlotterbeck before Bayern defender Upamecano was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Kevin Stoger converted the resulting penalty and although Harry Kane pulled one back with his 25th goal of the season, Bochum held on for a famous win which eased their relegation fears and lifted them to 11th in the table.

Bayern’s third straight defeat in all competitions leaves them eight points adrift of leaders Bayer Leverkusen and increases the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel, who had urged his players to “turn around the mood” against opponents they thrashed 7-0 in the reverse fixture in September.

The visitors duly dominated the early stages and deservedly opened the scoring in the 14th minute as Musiala rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner after seeing his initial effort saved by Manuel Riemann.

Musiala then turned provider with a delightful pass with the outside of his right foot to set Kane racing clear, only for the England captain to blaze his shot high over the bar.

Kane felt the ball had bobbled just before he hit it and looked down in disgust at the Ruhrstadion turf, but that cut little ice with a furious Thomas Muller, who had been unmarked in acres of space to Kane’s right.

Play was then halted for around 15 minutes after fans threw tennis balls on to the pitch in the latest protests against a proposed deal to sell a stake in Bundesliga rights to a private equity investor.

Both sets of players were moved to the sidelines but it was Bayern who were caught cold when play eventually resumed, a swift counter-attack seeing Anthony Losilla set up Asano to fire a low shot across Manuel Neuer and into the bottom corner.

The home side suddenly had all the momentum and it was no surprise when they took the lead six minutes later, Schlotterbeck heading home from close range from Stoger’s corner.

Another protest delayed play by around eight minutes in the second half, Losilla going over to speak to some of the home fans before the players briefly headed to the dressing rooms.

Bayern reacted better to the second stoppage than they did the first, substitute Leroy Sane seeing his goalbound volley bravely blocked and Bryan Zaragoza’s effort saved by Riemann, but it was the home side who found the all-important next goal.

Upamecano, who was also sent off in the Champions League defeat at Lazio on Wednesday, picked up his second yellow card of the game for an elbow on Schlotterbeck as they jumped for the ball and Stoger made no mistake with the penalty, despite Neuer getting his left hand to the ball.

Kane pulled one back with a simple tap-in after being set up by Mathys Tel but could only direct a far-post header straight at Riemann in the second minute of stoppage time and Bochum clung on for the win.

In-form Rasmus Hojlund’s early brace proved enough for Manchester United to edge past battling Luton after their electric start threatened to turn into a chastening Kenilworth Road collapse.

Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils have enjoyed an unbeaten start to 2024 and are hoping for a brighter future under Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the Ineos chairman prepares to officially become minority owner next week.

United racked up a fifth straight win in all competitions on Sunday but made hard work of their 2-1 victory against Luton after Hojlund had struck twice in the opening seven minutes.

The opener came just 37 seconds after kick-off and saw the 21-year-old replace Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock as the youngest player to score in six straight Premier League matches.

United had never gone ahead away in the Premier League quicker than that, nor had they moved 2-0 up on the road as early as they did when Hojlund then chested in Alejandro Garnacho’s volley.

But Luton have made life hard for the biggest clubs at Kenilworth Road and this was no different, with Carlton Morris pulling one back in the 14th minute.

Rob Edwards’ side were reinvigorated by that goal and constantly unsettled United, who were fortunate not to see Casemiro sent off for two bookings before his half-time substitution.

A breathless second period followed but somehow there was no more goals, with Ross Barkley seeing a stoppage-time header hit the bar for the hosts.

Leah Williamson has withdrawn from her first England squad since last April due to injury, with Millie Turner called up in place of the Euro 2022-winning captain.

Arsenal described the 26-year-old’s problem as a “minor hamstring injury” ahead of Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Manchester United, less than a month after Williamson returned to action for the Gunners following a nine-month recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament rupture.

World Cup runners-up England travel to Spain on Monday ahead of two friendlies against Austria and Italy, with Manchester United defender Turner replacing Williamson in Sarina Wiegman’s squad.

A Football Association statement read: “Millie Turner has been called up to the England squad for this month’s fixtures with Austria and Italy being played in southern Spain.

“The Manchester United defender replaces Leah Williamson, who has withdrawn after missing out for Arsenal at the weekend with an injury.”

Leicester came from behind to heap more misery on Women’s Super League bottom side Bristol City with a 5-2 win at the King Power Stadium.

Ffion Morgan put the Robins in front in the 20th minute with a long-range effort after she capitalised on a mistake from Foxes goalkeeper Lize Kop.

Leicester were level through Japan international Nicole Momiki in the 33rd minute and then Saori Takarada bundled in a second during first-half stoppage time.

Bristol City equalised four minutes after the restart through Denmark forward Amalie Thestrup, her eighth WSL goal of the season.

Janice Cayman, though, had the hosts back in front after 55 minutes before Jutta Rantala drove in a fourth and 16-year-old Denny Draper, on as a substitute, stabbed home a fifth in stoppage time for her first senior goal.

Bristol City remain five points adrift at the bottom, while Leicester sit seventh.

Liverpool captain Ceri Holland scored and was later sent off as her side closed out a 1-0 win over strugglers Brighton at Broadfield Stadium.

Holland made the breakthrough eight minutes after the interval when she capitalised on a sloppy clearance by Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley.

The Reds skipper, though, was dismissed deep into stoppage time for a second yellow card after a poor foul on Julia Zigiotti, but Liverpool closed out a first win of 2024.

Liverpool remain fifth in the table, now within two points of Manchester United, while interim Brighton head coach Mikey Harris is still searching for his first WSL win.

Everton eased their own relegation worries after beating West Ham 2-0 for a first home win of the season.

Italy forward Martina Piemonte, on as a substitute, broke the deadlock when she glanced in a free-kick in the 83rd minute.

Aurora Galli wrapped up the points with a second for the Toffees just three minutes later with an angled effort into the top corner.

Jordan Nobbs’ fine second-half goal helped Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 at Brisbane Road.

Adriana Leon, filling in for the suspended Rachel Daly, put the visitors in front after 23 minutes, but Spurs defender Amy James-Turner headed in an equaliser just before the break.

Nobbs, though, settled matters when she drilled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area following a corner.

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder revealed Mason Holgate apologised to his team-mates after his red card in the 5-0 home defeat to Brighton.

Holgate was sent off in the 13th minute for a reckless thigh-high challenge on Kaoru Mitoma, with the VAR advising referee Stuart Attwell to upgrade an initial yellow card to red.

The Blades were put to the sword in the remaining 77 minutes as goals from Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck, Simon Adingra’s double and a Jack Robinson own goal gave the Seagulls their second victory at Bramall Lane in three weeks after a 5-2 fourth-round FA Cup romp last month.

Things might have been different had Holgate, who looks set to be fined by the club, kept his cool and Wilder says the defender knows he “got it wrong”.

“He has apologised to the boys, he understands it and he is an experienced pro,” Wilder, whose side conceded five goals at home for the third successive game, said.

“He has got it wrong, I want us to be competitive, I want us to win tackles, we can’t have a passive game.

“It is a competitive game, it is a not a non-contact game but we have to get that right, Mason has to get that right. It is huge setback for us in the approach to the overall game.

“I am torn, I am a competitor and I understand that it was a very, very strong challenge and the game has moved on.

“Some people won’t want the game to move and on and expect physical contact, excessive force or whatever you call it.

“Winning the ball and challenging in that way is deemed not acceptable. We have got no excuses, or nowhere to hide, the referee gave it a yellow card straight away but obviously when he went to the monitor and saw it slowed down and has somebody in his ear saying it’s a red card.

“Better managers than me, quite a lot of them around at the moment I should imagine – bigger, better clubs than Sheffield United would have found it difficult to go down to 10 because of they way they play.

“The game was decided on that, I could say 100 per cent we would not have gone done 5-0.”

The Seagulls made hay at Bramall Lane for the second time in three weeks and took advantage of Holgate’s indiscipline.

They kept the pressure on Manchester United in sixth place but boss Roberto De Zerbi would have preferred to have played 11 versus 11.

“We played very well, especially in the first half, it was very difficult to find the right moment to shoot, to score,” the Italian said.

“The first half was a very good performance, I am sorry for the red card, sincerely, because I would like to play the game 11 v 11 and it is not always an advantage to play with one player more.

“Especially if the characteristic of the opponent is like Sheffield United because you can find it more difficult to score.

“The second part of the first half they defended the last 25 metres with nine players behind the ball.”

Fans have a right to be concerned over the proposed introduction of blue cards in football, according to former FIFA referee Duarte Gomes.

Football lawmakers IFAB announced this month it would trial the implementation of blue cards, which would see players sin-binned for 10 minutes should they commit dissent or a cynical foul.

The announcement was met with concern, with the Premier League stating it would not be part of any trial, while FIFA also distanced itself from the proposals.

Gomes understands the concerns, although he also feels the introduction of blue cards could help to clamp down on dissent in the game.

"Yes, I understand fans' worries," Gomes told Stats Perform. "I understand that they are very emotional sometimes.

"They are very close to their teams, which kills the clarity in their minds. That's perfectly normal, and they have some right to be worried because this is something very strong.

"I think the idea is to prevent more things happening, not to be punished all the time. Maybe we pass the message in the first matches with a yellow, with a blue card, and then the players understand that when they go out for 10 minutes, they will be out of the match without participating.

"They will hurt their teams because they will be with one less player, and it will change a lot. So, this will be the good part, to make a statement to tell them 'don't do that'."

Gomes compared the proposals to VAR, which has undergone many teething problems since its introduction, saying: "I am sure that at this point, in what concerns for example, VAR, everybody with some distance and some clarity can say it was a very good measure because thousands and thousands of situations were corrected using VAR. So maybe this will happen with the blue card."

Gomes has reservations of his own, though, particularly in regards to how impacted teams will potentially look to shut the game down to get through their numerical disadvantage without their chances of victory being hurt.

"We need to balance that, because maybe one solution can create many problems for the referee and become the opposite of the spirit that is trying to be done," Gomes said.

Another worry is the impact of the blue cards on the tempo of the game, which is already under the spotlight with VAR. Gomes shares this view, too.

"I do have some worries about breaking time," Gomes continued. "Again, making the game less fluid and impacting on the emotions of people, because the match will depend on 10 and then 11 and then 10. And it stops and somebody will have to count the 10 minutes.

"There may be a small problem concerning the spectacle, so let's wait and see."

Gomes also highlighted football's uniqueness as a sport in relation to the intensity of emotion as another reason for fans' concerns, adding: "We cannot compare any other indoor sports that have the blue card with football, which is very different in the bigger atmosphere with lots of emotions involved, many, many people.

"Football is very peculiar, very sensitive, it's a world phenomenon, and when you want to change something, you have to do it very carefully, not to hurt the match, not to hurt the spectators, the emotions, but also the players and the teams, and the referees."

Brighton strengthened their top-six Premier League hopes as they inflicted a second successive 5-0 home defeat on 10-man Sheffield United.

Goals from Facundo Buonanotte and Danny Welbeck, Simon Adingra’s double and a Jack Robinson own goal gave the Seagulls their second victory at Bramall Lane in three weeks after a 5-2 fourth-round FA Cup romp last month.

Their task was made easier by Mason Holgate’s 13th-minute red card for the Blades, who also lost 5-0 to Aston Villa a fortnight ago and have now conceded five goals in three successive home games including that cup loss to the Seagulls.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side kept the pressure on sixth-placed Manchester United by putting the 10 men to the sword and they look in good shape as their European campaign soon resumes.

After winning at Luton last weekend, United briefly raised hopes of launching a great escape but they are dented and, sitting seven points adrift of safety, a return to the Championship looks almost certain.

They battled hard for much of the game but three goals in the last 15 minutes put a damaging slant on the scoreline.

Just 22 days ago the Seagulls came to South Yorkshire and made hay in the FA Cup and they enjoyed themselves again.

It had been an open start until the game changed in the 13th minute when Holgate saw red for a wild thigh-high challenge on Kaoru Mitoma. Referee Stuart Atwell initially gave a yellow card but quickly upgraded when he was told to watch it again by VAR.

The Seagulls went ahead seven minutes later as Buonanotte turned in from close range after Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham was bullied on the goalline.

Gus Hamer almost brought the hosts immediately level as his jinking run which saw him beat three players ended with a deflected shot.

But that was as good as it got for the Blades as Brighton seized control with a second goal.

Mitoma forced Foderingham into a good save at the far post but Welbeck was on hand to slam home the rebound from eight yards.

It could have been three but Mitoma and Pascal Gross had shots blocked by Robinson in quick succession.

United thought they had got themselves back into the game on the stroke of half-time when Ben Osborn flicked in from close range.

Atwell immediately ruled it out for a foul but Blades hopes were raised when Atwell was advised by VAR to go to the monitor.

However, during replays it was ruled Osborn was actually in an offside decision and the goal did not stand.

The Blades were spirited in the second half but could not test Brighton, who eventually finished strongly with three goals in the final 15 minutes.

They had to wait until the 75th minute for their third when Blades defender Robinson diverted Mitoma’s cross into his own net.

And three minutes later Adingra swept home Gross’ centre to make it four before adding a second with an effort which deflected off Andre Brooks.

Real Madrid’s title push faltered in the absence of injured top scorer Jude Bellingham as they surrendered a lead to draw 1-1 at struggling Rayo Vallecano.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked set to cruise to victory against their lowly city neighbours following a third-minute finish from Joselu.

But the LaLiga leaders missed the chance to move eight points clear after Raul de Tomas’ 27th-minute penalty earned Rayo a deserved derby point in their first match under new boss Inigo Perez.

Real’s advantage at the top could be cut to three points on Monday evening when nearest challengers Girona travel to fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao.

An underwhelming outing for the 14-time European champions was compounded in added time by the dismissal of substitute Dani Carvajal for two quickfire yellow cards.

Following a 1-0 Champions League win at RB Leipzig, Real were once again without 20-goal England star Bellingham due to an ankle issue as they made the short trip to out-of-form opposition who changed head coach in midweek.

Rayo appointed 36-year-old Perez on Wednesday after sacking Francisco Rodriguez the previous day on the back of just one win in 14 league games dating back to October.

The hosts endured a nightmare start to the new era as Real edged ahead inside three minutes thanks to a rapid counter-attack.

After visiting goalkeeper Andriy Lunin survived a nervy moment, Brahim Diaz released Federico Valverde down the right and his low cross was dispatched into the bottom right corner by a first-time finish from the unmarked Joselu.

Former Stoke and Newcastle forward Joselu, who was forced to wait for an incorrect offside call to be overturned for his opener to be awarded, had the ball in the net again in the 19th minute.

However, on this occasion, his close-range header was ruled out as the assistant referee was correct in adjudging the ball had gone out of play prior to Valverde crossing from the right.

Real at that stage appeared in complete control but Rayo took advantage of a VAR-awarded spot-kick to level.

Replays showed Oscar Trejo’s powerful effort was deflected over by the right fist of Eduardo Camavinga and former Real forward De Tomas confidently converted high down the centre of the goal to open his account for the season.

Real struggled to regain their rhythm, albeit the lively Valverde struck the outside of the left post with a long-range volley after Luka Modric’s corner was partially cleared.

Defensive dithering from Aurelien Tchouameni almost let in Alvaro Garcia immediately after the restart as Real’s unconvincing afternoon continued.

The away side enjoyed plenty of possession but lacked penetration as time ticked away.

Toni Kroos brought a superb save out of Rayo goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski with a direct free-kick from distance, while fellow Real substitute Rodrygo had penalty appeals waved away after going to ground easily.

Spain full-back Carvajal, who came on in the 75th minute, then departed prematurely after petulantly lashing out at Kike Perez.

And the lacklustre visitors could have few complaints about dropping points for only the sixth time this season as Rayo marked the start of Perez’s reign with a surprise result.