Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann admits his side deserved to lose their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Villarreal on Wednesday.

Arnaut Danjuma scored the only goal of the game in the eighth minute, and only wasteful finishing prevented the hosts from taking a greater lead to Germany for next week's second leg.

The result marked the first time Bayern have failed to score in a Champions League game since February 2019 (0-0 v Liverpool), ending a run of 30 consecutive games in which they had scored at least once.

While Nagelsmann accepted Villarreal were deserving winners, he still believes his side have what it takes to turn it around in the reverse fixture.

"We deserved to lose. We weren't good today. In the first half, we lacked power in defence and had too few chances," he told DAZN.

"The second half was a completely wild game. We gave up control because we were desperate to score.

"I think they could have scored a few more goals against us, but it was 1-0. We have not played a good game today in all aspects. 

"But it's only 1-0 and we have to show another side of us in the second leg; we know how to do it and I think we will."

Asked where it went wrong for his side tactically, Nagelsmann pointed to a lack of intensity down the flanks.

"It's a typical match against a Spanish team, who have good players and make few mistakes," he added. "They have quality with the ball. 

"On the wings we were not intense and we lacked penetration; we did not do the diagonals well either. Nothing worked for us and we had few chances. We deserved to lose."

Bayern have failed to progress from each of their last five ties in the Champions League knockout stages when they have lost the first leg, with four of those five eliminations coming against Spanish teams (Barcelona in 2014-15, Atletico Madrid in 2015-16 and Real Madrid in 2016-17 and 2017-18).

Thomas Muller, who failed to have a single shot in his 62 minutes on the pitch, knows Bayern have to improve dramatically if they are to end that run and book a spot in the last four.

"We failed to deliver the match we wanted," he said. "Offensively, we didn't have the energy; we didn't create many chances and we lacked the explosiveness. 

"We accept this 1-0. If it had gone wrong, the score could have been higher. 

"We have seen that Villarreal is not an opponent we can walk against, contrary to what some media said. We have to prepare for the second leg and take our revenge."

Thomas Tuchel slammed Chelsea’s first-half performance in their defeat by Real Madrid, describing it as "one of the worst” he has seen at Stamford Bridge.

The reigning Champions League holders have work to do in the second leg of their quarter-final tie after going down 3-1 against a Karim Benzema-inspired Madrid.

Benzema’s hat-trick proved crucial as former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, who only travelled to London on Wednesday after returning a negative COVID-19 test, enjoyed a victorious return to the Bridge.

The France international put Los Blancos in control with a brace of headers the first half – in which the Blues won just 14 of their 36 duels – while capitalising on Edouard Mendy's mistake to complete his treble just after the restart.

That made it back-to-back home defeats for Tuchel’s side, who were also thumped 4-1 by Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Next up for the Blues is a trip to Southampton next weekend before the return leg at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The German did not hold back in his assessment of the performance, and fears the consequences should his players not raise their levels.

He told BT Sport: "It is a heavy loss. It was one of the worst first halves that I saw from us here at Stamford Bridge. Individually and as a team, it was by far not enough.

"[The] first half was so from any standards that we set ourselves that we cannot complain when we lose.

"We had 12 shots in the second half. You can always come back and win it but when you kill the game by yourself after 45 minutes, it is harder and harder.

"If we keep playing like this, we will lose at Southampton, and then we will get hammered at [Santiago] Bernabeu."

Real Madrid's plans for the transfer window before the start of next season are far from a secret. Their sole aim will be to ensure they do what many expect, and lure Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after his contract expires.

If anybody was in any doubt of their ambitions, Karim Benzema reaffirmed them this week.

"Kylian Mbappe could be the third star with Vinicius and me? Yes, I say this a lot of times," Benzema told L'Equipe of his France team-mate.

"With Mbappe we get on well because we know what the other is going to do on the pitch. It's perfect."

But on Wednesday's evidence, Los Blancos may not even need to add Mbappe to their ranks to regain the Champions League.

Indeed, the argument for Madrid as a team ready to reclaim what they see as their rightful place atop European football is an increasingly compelling one after Carlo Ancelotti's men took a commanding 3-1 lead in their quarter-final tie with holders Chelsea.

It was the ruthlessness of Benzema that put the Blues to the sword at Stamford Bridge, Madrid clinically taking advantage of the passivity of opponents whose exertions in going seven games unbeaten in normal time in all competitions amid a club crisis appear to be rapidly catching up with them.

Madrid followed Brentford, 4-1 winners at the same ground last Saturday, in slicing through a Blues defence who had conceded just two goals in their last five games prior to being stung by the Bees.

Chelsea could take some solace in suffering at the hands or, in this case, the head of Benzema in the first half. His pair of deft headers to put Madrid 2-0 up inside 24 minutes were of the highest quality, coming from Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric crosses that were themselves worthy of great admiration.

And, with Kai Havertz halving the deficit, making this fixture the first Champions League knockout game to see three headers scored in the first half since Bayern Munich versus Porto in the 2014-15 quarter-final, Thomas Tuchel's men could afford reason for hope.

Chelsea's confidence may have been boosted further when Benzema skewed a gilt-edged chance for a hat-trick wide late in the opening period but, soon after the restart, he had his treble, courtesy of a huge inadvertent assist.

Edouard Mendy came way out of his goal to collect an innocuous punt forward and sent his attempted pass to Antonio Rudiger short. A grateful Benzema intervened and rolled a simple finish into an empty net.

It marked a second successive Champions League hat-trick from Benzema, following on from his remarkable second-half barrage against Paris Saint-Germain that knocked out Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi at the last-16 stage.

He became the fourth player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back Champions Leagues appearances after Cristiano Ronaldo (2017), Messi (2016) and Luiz Adriano (2014).

This latest prolific display, which took Benzema to 37 goals and 50 goal involvements for the season, was in part a product of his enduring brilliance and partly a mess of Chelsea's own making.

But it means he is now on a run of scoring at least two goals in each of his last four goals for Madrid. The only other player to score a brace in four consecutive appearances in the 'big five' European leagues this season? Yes, Kylian Mbappe.

There is no striker at this level in a richer vein of form than Benzema and, should he continue his incredible run, the mission for Mbappe if he does make the anticipated move to Madrid may not be to re-establish their European superiority, but to maintain it.

Karim Benzema scored a second successive Champions League hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Chelsea 3-1 in their quarter-final first leg.

Benzema's treble – just four weeks after doing the same against Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 – helped Carlo Ancelotti's side take command of the tie at Stamford Bridge.

The France international put the 13-time European champions in control with a brace of first-half headers, before capitalising on Edouard Mendy's mistake to complete his hat-trick 46 seconds after the restart.

Kai Havertz grabbed what proved to be a consolation for the reigning champions, who have work to do in the second leg next week after suffering their first ever defeat against Madrid.  

Madrid took the lead in the 21st minute when Benzema released Vinicius down the left flank before brilliantly powering a 14-yard header into the top corner.

The visitors were in dreamland just three minutes later as Benzema wonderfully guided Luka Modric’s fizzed cross beyond Edouard Mendy to take his tally in this season's Champions League into double figures.

Chelsea responded five minutes before the break with Havertz ghosting into the box to head home an inviting centre by Jorginho.

But the hosts were architects of their own downfall within a minute of the restart. An alert Benzema intercepted Mendy's poor square ball to Antonio Rudiger, before sliding into the empty net for his 10th goal in four matches across all competitions.

Thomas Tuchel's side looked to respond and Cesar Azpilicueta's long-range thunderbolt drew a magnificent save out of Courtois, while Romelu Lukaku headed wide from eight yards out.

Mason Mount was then whiskers away from seeing his curling 25-yard effort nestle in the top corner, but the Blues suffered their first loss in nine European games against Spanish opposition.

What does it mean? Madrid in command

Madrid arrived at Stamford Bridge targeting a first win on English soil since a 3-0 victory over Liverpool during the 2014-15 season.

But Los Blancos ended their drought in style and have now lost just once in their last nine Champions League matches against the reigning champions.

Brilliant Benzema

It was another memorable outing for Benzema, who became the first player to score a hat-trick against Chelsea in European competition.

The France international, who is the first player from his country to net 10 or more goals during a single Champions League campaign, is also only the fourth different player to bag successive trebles in the competition.

Mendy mistake

Chelsea came into the first leg boasting 10 clean sheets from their 15 Champions League clean sheets under Tuchel, but recording an 11th was always going to be a challenge here.

Although he was blameless for both of Benzema's headers, Mendy gifted the striker with his hat-trick goal when he miscued his attempted pass to Rudiger and he will hope that error does not prove costly in the context of the tie.

Key Opta Facts

- Real Madrid have now beaten the holders of the Champions League in each of their last four such encounters, and for the sixth time in total – now the outright most of any side in the history of the competition (Juventus 5).

- Chelsea have suffered back-to-back home defeats for only the second time under Thomas Tuchel, also doing so in April last year. The Blues have also shipped three or more goals in consecutive matches at Stamford Bridge for the first time since October 2012.

- Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema (11) has now scored more goals than any other Frenchman in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign, moving one clear of Just Fontaine's 10-goal tally back in 1958-59.

- Since the formation of the Champions League in 1992-93, only one of the previous 43 sides has overturned a first-leg deficit of two or more goals going into the second leg away from home, with Manchester United beating Paris Saint-Germain at the last-16 stage in 2018-19.

What's next?

The two sides renew their rivalry in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu next Tuesday. Before that, Madrid host Getafe in LaLiga on Saturday, while Chelsea travel to Southampton in the Premier League.

Arnaut Danjuma scored the only goal of the game as Villarreal edged past an out-of-sorts Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

The Yellow Submarine, playing in their first last-eight tie since the 2008-09 season, started superbly and opened the scoring inside 10 minutes courtesy of Danjuma's sixth Champions League goal of the season.

Francis Coquelin had an effort ruled out for offside and Gerard Moreno struck the post as Unai Emery's side dominated at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Julian Nagelsmann's side scarcely looked like finding a leveller and they will have to improve dramatically in next week's return fixture if they are to progress to the last four.

Villarreal's electric start was rewarded in the eighth minute when Danjuma steered home Daniel Parejo's mis-hit shot from six yards.

Coquelin found the back of the net with a looping cross that caught Manuel Neuer out shortly before half-time, yet the Bayern goalkeeper's blushes were spared thanks to a VAR review that showed the Villarreal midfielder had been marginally offside.

The Bundesliga leaders were well off the pace in the first half and went in at the break having failed to register a single shot on target.

Serge Gnabry flashed wide shortly after the interval, while at the other end Moreno struck the base of the post with a dipping strike from 25 yards. 

Moreno went agonisingly close to a breathtaking goal on the hour mark, the Spain international whipping just wide from inside his own half after a sloppy pass from Neuer – the closest either side came to a goal in the final 30 minutes.

What does it mean? Dismal Bayern punished

Bayern were red-hot favourites to secure a first-leg advantage in Spain, yet a combination of slapstick defending and toothless attacking left them with work to do back in Germany next week.

Emery's men were outstanding and will be disappointed not to have given themselves a healthier lead to take to Bavaria, given the quality of the chances they created.

Danjuma maintains hot streak

Danjuma's sensational season in the Champions League continued with another goal here. The Netherlands international now has six goals to his name – more than any other player for the club in a single campaign in the competition.

Subdued Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski cut a frustrated figure up front for Bayern, taking just 29 touches – the joint-lowest of any Bayern starter – and managing just two shots.

What's next?

Both sides are in domestic action on Saturday before next week's second leg, with Bayern hosting Augsburg and Villarreal at home to Athletic Bilbao.

Burnley came from behind to keep their Premier League survival hopes alive on Wednesday, with a piece of Premier League history not enough for fellow strugglers Everton to avoid a 3-2 defeat at Turf Moor.

Maxwell Cornet's 85th-minute winner proved the difference, making this the first defeat for Everton from a winning position at half-time since December 2019.

Following Nathan Collins' opening goal, Richarlison's two penalties in the first 45 minutes also made for the first time in Premier League history an away team had scored two penalties in the opening period.

Burnley only took 12 minutes to equalise in the second half, however, after Charlie Taylor skipped past Jonjoe Kenny to provide the assist for Jay Rodriguez.

Cornet was on hand to score the late winner after Everton failed to clear their lines, bringing 18th-placed Burnley within a point of the Toffees and Premier League safety.

The win is only the fourth in the league for Sean Dyche's side this season, breaking a four-game losing streak.

Pedri is among the best players in world football, so says his Barcelona club-mate Ferran Torres.

Barca midfielder Pedri is enjoying another fine season after his breakout campaign at Camp Nou in 2020-21.

Though the early part of his season was hindered by injury, Pedri has emerged as a crucial figure as Xavi has rejuvenated Barca since taking over from Ronald Koeman.

Having missed the final three months of 2021, Pedri's 2022 has been brilliant so far, and he scored an exquisite goal against Sevilla in a 1-0 LaLiga win on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Spain international also netted against Galatasaray to help Barca progress to the Europa League quarter-finals, with Eintracht Frankfurt next up.

Speaking ahead of Thursday's clash in Germany, Torres said that is a "luxury" to play alongside such a talent.

"It doesn't surprise us," Torres told a news conference when asked about Pedri's form.

"Seeing him every day is a luxury, he has great quality and how he's handling it, with humility."

Torres also spoke glowingly of coach Xavi, whose team are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions and are now up to second in LaLiga.

"Xavi has transmitted his confidence to me from the first day. I'm in good shape and helping the team," the former Manchester City forward added.

Barca are facing Frankurt for the first time in their history. The Bundesliga club have never lost at home in major European competition in the quarter-finals and beyond (P16 W12 D4 L0) – this is the most such games any side has ever played in major European competition without being defeated.

And Torres insisted overconfidence will be no issue.

"The coach makes it clear to us that we have to go game by game because if you lose tomorrow, nobody remembers the dynamic. Humility, work and desire to achieve victory," he said.

"It is the first step to fight for that Europa League and we will do everything on our part to achieve it."

There could be plenty of spice at St George's Park as South Africa eye a Test series whitewash of Bangladesh.

Keshav Maharaj claimed outstanding figures of 7-32 as the Proteas bowled the tourists out for an embarrassing 53 on the final day to win the first Test by 220 runs.

That was the Tigers' second-lowest total in the longest format, Simon Harmer taking 3-21 in an innings that lasted just 19 overs.

Wounded Bangladesh revealed they would lodge a complaint with the ICC over the standard of umpiring from Adrian Holdstock and Marais Erasmus and alleged "deplorable" sledging from South Africa in Durban.

They will be without injured duo Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam in a second Test that starts on Thursday when they attempt to salvage a 1-1 draw in Port Elizabeth.

Although the batters failed miserably on the last day, Tigers fast bowling coach Allan Donald, the legendary former South Africa quick, felt the Bangladesh bowlers gave an excellent account of themselves.

He said: "I think the Bangladesh seamers can be very proud of the way they conducted themselves in the first Test.

"I think we were feeling our way into it a little bit. Once we settled down, it was very good. We spoke about bowling in partnerships. It was a fantastic performance from all the seamers. The way Khaled [Ahmed] got into the team, the way Ebadot [Hossain] bowled.

"It was even better in the second innings. I felt we bowled like a Test unit. The run rate went down from 3.7 to 2.5. The way we took wickets at crucial times in that second innings to restrict South Africa to 273.

"I am very proud of the seamers. They kept coming all day long to keep the pressure up. If you are looking for a recipe for success, it doesn't change here in St George's Park."

Proteas due St George's Park win

South Africa had been unbeaten in six Tests at St George’s Park, but have suffered back-to-back defeats since that run.

Bangladesh will have to make history in order to extend that losing run to three Tests, as they have not beaten the Proteas in 13 attempts in the longest format.

Resurgent South Africa have won four of their past five Tests, including each of their last two. The last time they won more than two consecutive matches in the format was a three-game span from December 2018 to January 2019.

Tigers must show their teeth with the bat

The tourists were humiliated on the last day of the opening Test, miserably failing a trial by spin.

Najmul Hossain Shanto (26) and Taskin (14) were the only batters to make double figures, with four departing without scoring.

Mominul Haque's side have not had much time to regroup, but they must show more resilience in order to avoid another emphatic defeat.

Stefon Diggs has become the latest elite wide receiver to agree lucrative new terms, after he signed a contract extension to keep him with the Buffalo Bills.

A dramatic offseason so far has seen big names in Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill leave Super Bowl contenders to earn big contracts elsewhere.

But in a significant boost to the Bills' own title hopes, Diggs is staying in Buffalo, where he is now under contract for another six years.

With two seasons remaining on his existing deal, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Diggs has agreed to a four-year, $104million extension – including $70m guaranteed.

Schefter added there is "intent from both sides to have him retire in Buffalo". Diggs will be 34 at the end of his contract.

Diggs was acquired from the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2020 season in a trade that saw picks including the first-round selection that became Justin Jefferson going the other way.

Jefferson has excelled in Minnesota, but the Bills also got good value in Diggs, who hit the ground running with 127 catches for 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season on the team. He added 20 catches for 311 yards and two TDs in the playoffs.

In 2021, Diggs enjoyed a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard regular season (1,225) and had a career-high 10 TDs.

As quarterback Josh Allen's primary offensive weapon last year, Diggs registered a burn – where a receiver wins his matchup against a defender – on 68.8 per cent of his targets, seventh-best among wide receivers with 50 or more targets.

Across two seasons with the Bills, no player in the NFL has been targeted more often than Diggs (330), who ranks third in that time for catches (230), fourth for receiving yards (2,760) – Jefferson (3,016) is first – and tied eighth for receiving scores (18).

A victory in a major "catapults you into another realm", so says Tiger Woods ahead of his remarkable comeback at the Masters.

Woods, who has not featured in a competition since he played at Augusta National in November 2020, is making an unexpected return to top-level golf just over a year after suffering serious leg and foot injuries in a car crash in California.

The 46-year-old completed an incredible comeback tale in 2019 when he won a fifth green jacket at the Masters, taking his number of major victories to 15, after returning from spinal surgery.

Woods is returning to Augusta 25 years after winning his first major at the famous Georgia course. Since then, no other player has won more of the big four tournaments than the American.

And Woods explained how a victory in a major sends a golfer into a "different league".

Woods told Sky Sports: "They're the four biggest events that we have in our sport. To win one, it catapults you into another realm and into a different league of respect from your peers.

"The players that have won major championships and especially those who have won multiple understand how difficult it is.

"All of us can have hot weeks, right, so if you time it up right and win a major championship, that's great. But the guys who have won multiples, it takes you into a different realm and different respect from your peers."

Only the great Jack Nicklaus (six) has won the Masters more times than Woods (five), who is also the youngest player to don the green jacket, at the age of 21 years and 104 days.

If he wins the tournament for a record-equalling sixth time, he will overtake Nicklaus as the oldest player to win it.

Asked what state of mind it takes to win a major when it comes to the final round, Woods said: "If you've got a chance to be there with a chance to win, that means you’re playing well, you're not slapping it all over the place.

"To be in that position, a lot of things have had to go right, you should have an understanding of what you're capable of doing, then it's just getting a feel for what is going to be needed, what that score is going to be.

"It's about getting a feel for what is needed. The hard part is going out and executing it and getting it done."

The Masters is the only major in which Woods has always made the cut as a professional (21 out of 21). He has secured a top-five finish in 12 of those appearances.

Woods is also the last player to win the Masters in successive seasons, doing so in 2001 and 2002. The only other golfers to have achieved the feat are Nicklaus (1965-1966) and Nick Faldo (1989-1990). 

Peaking too soon is a problem for every golf season, for the Masters at Augusta – the first major of the year – is what the sport is all about.

The greatest names have embarked on Georgia in pursuit of a prized green jacket.

But to enjoy a successful Sunday this week, players must get to grips with perhaps the biggest star of them all: the iconic course itself.

Augusta is what makes the Masters the Masters, so Stats Perform breaks down where one of the most prestigious tournaments sport might be won and lost.

LONGEST HOLE

At 575 yards, the par-five second hole – Pink Dogwood – is the longest on the course, but that does not mean it is the toughest, instead offering some respite following the tricky first.

Historically, number two has been played in 4.78 strokes on average, making it the third-easiest hole at Augusta in relation to par. In fact, the lowest average on record came in 2020 (4.467) – and that was not a mere quirk of the strange conditions around the course in recent years without the usual crowds, given the highest average, in 1957, was 4.996. Yep, the second has never played at even par or worse.

SHORTEST HOLE

Skill rather than strength is required to negotiate Redbud, the 170-yard, par-three 16th. Considered too easy in the tournament's early days, the installation of a pond added some peril – and plenty of drama. With three bunkers around the green, too, the tee shot has to be pretty perfect or something spectacular will be required to come up with a birdie, as Tiger Woods will attest. "In your life, have you seen anything like that?"

Unsurprisingly, though, given its length, the 16th is also the setting for the vast majority of the Masters' holes-in-one. Of the 33 in tournament history, 23 have come at Redbud, including the first from amateur Ross Somerville at the inaugural tournament in 1934 but also 16 since the turn of the century. The last came courtesy of Tommy Fleetwood in 2021.

HARDEST HOLE

Think of Augusta and you will likely quickly focus on Amen Corner, but the most daunting challenge of all lies at the hole immediately prior: the par-four number 10 Camellia. Statistically, with a stroke average of 4.3 (0.3 over par), this is as tough as it gets – albeit only fractionally ahead of the 11th.

With its lowest stroke average 4.082 in 2018, the 10th has never played at even par or better... unless your name is Jordan Spieth. The 2015 Masters champion has a real knack around Camellia, with four birdies in four rounds last year. Few others have been able to follow Spieth's example at what was originally the first hole.

EASIEST HOLE

With the hardest hole followed by the second-ranked 11th and fourth-ranked 12th, there might be a sense of relief at Azalea, the par-five number 13 with a 4.77 stroke average. But there is very much a risk-reward approach to this 510-yard hole, at which the player can go for the green in two but must beware the water to the left and the trees to the right.

This is another set-up that suits Spieth well, as it does the absent Phil Mickelson, even if his most memorable shot at Azalea was not exactly an exhibition in playing the hole. An error created the opportunity for Mickelson's six-iron from the pine straw on Sunday in 2010.

THE RECORDS

The course record belongs to Nick Price and Greg Norman, who both shot 63s, but perhaps it should come as no surprise Spieth has the best career average of all players to play 25 or more rounds at Augusta, with his 70.46 leading Woods' 70.87.

That mark will come under threat should Dustin Johnson (71.03) produce anything like his sensational record-breaking 2020 performance again, however. Helped by carding only four bogeys – a low among Masters champions – Johnson's 20-under total of 268 trimmed two off the previous week-long benchmark owned jointly by Woods and Spieth.

Still, with Cameron Smith and Im Sung-jae 'only' five back, Woods' record winning margin of 12 strokes to Tom Kite in 1997 remained.

Andrew Robertson laughed off having lighters thrown at him during Liverpool's win over Benfica, quipping "maybe it will help them stop smoking".

Liverpool won 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Lisbon on Wednesday, thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz.

However, late in the match, Robertson had objects, including lighters, directed his way from the stands while he lined up to take a corner.

Robertson took the incident in his stride, though insisted such examples of abuse must not be tolerated.

"I had quite a few lighters thrown at me – maybe it will help them stop smoking," the Scotland international joked in an interview with BT Sport.

"You've got to take the positives. We've seen it a lot, people getting hit, luckily they were all quite close to me but they didn't hit me.

"It's tough when it's late in the game and the fans are frustrated but you should not throw stuff onto the pitch. It could hurt people.

"I was just trying to take the corner and get out of there as quick as possible."

Robertson certainly had the last laugh, with Liverpool able to take a comfortable lead back to Anfield for the second leg.

The left-back was typically crucial to the Reds' attacking play, creating a joint game-high three chances, along with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, including an assist for Konate's opener.

His nine crosses also led the way in the match, with six of those coming from open play.

Liverpool have now won each of their last eight away games in all competitions, their longest ever such winning run in the club's history.

Given Liverpool have also progressed from 12 of their previous 13 Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg, Jurgen Klopp's team look good to go on and reach the final four.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will be missing from the NBA playoffs.

Defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday combined with a win elsewhere for the San Antonio Spurs meant the Lakers can no longer reach even the play-in tournament.

It is less than two years since the Lakers won the title in the 'bubble', but that championship was followed by one mishap after another, leading to this painful season.

Stats Perform seeks to break down where it all went wrong.

Ageing LeBron limited

This could and perhaps should have been remembered as a great year for James, who has scored 30.3 points per game. At 37, he is on course to become the oldest player ever to win the scoring title – a mantle he will take from the great Michael Jordan.

However, for a second straight year, injuries have limited James' involvement.

Already with more than 63,000 minutes in his legs across the regular season and playoffs, James has continued to push himself to try to save the Lakers' season. He has played 37.2 minutes per game – his most in five years, the most of any Laker and the third-most in the entire league. Again, he is 37. Ultimately, unsurprisingly, this has meant more wear and tear, with James playing in just 56 games.

Although James has scored more than 35 points in each of his past five games – a streak bettered only by DeMar DeRozan (eight) this season – he has also missed five games in that span. The Lakers have lost all five.

AD also absent again

Given James' age, it was to be expected his body might start to let him down. That he needed to play so many minutes when he was available, though, was due to injury issues for Anthony Davis – eight years his junior.

Davis was outstanding in helping James to win a title in their first season together in 2019-20 but has played only 76 games since across two regular seasons. After an Achilles strain hampered his 2020-21 campaign, Davis has missed time this year with knee and foot injuries. He played on Tuesday but revealed his foot was "a little more sore than normal" and had "swollen up a bit".

Whether Davis can ever get back to playing a full 82-game season remains to be seen, for he has appeared more cumbersome than in years past even when he has been available, having bulked up coming into this year. That is evident in the numbers, too, with Davis shooting a career-high 73.5 per cent at the rim but just 18.6 per cent from three-point range.

Derailed by Russ trade

Of course, even with James and Davis kept on the sideline for periods of the 2020-21 season, the Lakers still made the play-in tournament and then the playoffs. However, the Lakers then allowed almost their entire supporting cast to leave.

Their four most-used players in terms of minutes in 2020-21 departed, including three of them in an ill-fated trade for Russell Westbrook. On his fourth team in four years, there was hope Westbrook could form a 'big three' with James and Davis – "our goal was to win a championship," Davis said on Tuesday – yet the trio have played just 21 games together.

And Westbrook has been far less effective than the men he replaced in carrying the team in the absence of the Lakers' superstar duo. LA are 6-17 when Westbrook plays but James does not.

Having averaged a triple-double in four of his prior five seasons, Westbrook is down to 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists. One of 10 triples this year came in perhaps the worst individual performance of the campaign, in which Westbrook also had a league-high 10 turnovers and was ejected against former team the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What next?

"Who knows?" That was Davis' response after the Suns loss. The Lakers have very little room to manoeuvre in this coming offseason, even if James, Davis and Westbrook can each rediscover form and fitness – highly unlikely in itself.

As part of the deal with the New Orleans Pelicans for Davis, the Lakers traded away an unprotected first-round pick in 2022, a potential first-round pick swap in 2023 and either their 2024 or 2025 first-round pick. The 2022 pick is sure to be a big loss following this season, while the Lakers would have to turn their fortunes around dramatically for the subsequent picks not to also represent significant assets.

And yet the Lakers' cap situation is arguably even worse, headlined by Westbrook's player option for a staggering $47.1million in 2022-23. Only a league-low seven players are signed for next year, yet the team are already above the luxury tax threshold.

It is no secret James and Davis were hugely influential in constructing this roster, but whether the extortionate cost was worth it for a single title is up for debate. Another championship surely will not follow for some time.

Real Madrid will be boosted by the presence of head coach Carlo Ancelotti against Chelsea on Wednesday following his recovery from coronavirus.

Ancelotti contracted COVID-19 last week and was absent for Madrid's 2-1 win at Celta Vigo at the weekend.

The former Chelsea boss was also expected to miss a return to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of Madrid's Champions League quarter-final.

But a Madrid statement on the morning of the game announced Ancelotti was travelling to London to join his squad following a negative test result.

"Real Madrid C.F. is pleased to announce that our coach Carlo Ancelotti has returned a negative result for COVID-19," the statement read, "and will therefore travel to London this morning to join up with the first team."

Madrid, knocked out of last season's competition by Chelsea, will be looking for a first win against the Blues in six attempts.

This fixture sees the Spanish giants' worst winless record against any opposition in European competition.

However, no English team have previously eliminated Madrid from the knockout stages of the Champions League on multiple occasions.

Anthony Davis still believes the Los Angeles Lakers could have won the NBA title this season if not for injury.

Defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday combined with a win elsewhere for the San Antonio Spurs meant the Lakers can no longer reach even the play-in tournament.

It is a remarkable fall from grace for a team who were champions less than two years ago, although both Davis and LeBron James have struggled with injuries.

Davis has played only 40 games following knee and foot injuries, while James has been limited to 56 as he has attempted to overcome an ankle sprain.

James was absent as the Lakers' playoff hopes were ended against the Suns, with Davis on the floor but acknowledging his foot was "a little more sore than normal" and had "swollen up a bit".

"We haven't had the chance to have our full team, with myself out, LB out, other guys," Davis said. "It's the most disappointing thing. I'm not sure how good we could have been.

"For myself personally, it's two unfortunate injuries that kept me out for a while, a significant part of the season.

"I was one of the leaders on the team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. When guys needed me most, I wasn't able to be out there.

"For me, for our team, for our organisation, we've got to recap now and see what's next."

Considering what that might mean for next season, Davis said: "Who knows?"

He added: "We've got to recap the season, what worked, what didn't work and go from there. I truly think we could have done something special if Bron and myself, mainly me, were healthy for the entire season.

"I think you would love to see, the world would love to see, we would love to see what this team could be if we were healthy for the full 82."

The Lakers' trade for Russell Westbrook has been widely criticised, with the point guard's return of 18.5 points per game his lowest since 2009-10.

Even when the Lakers had Davis, James and Westbrook all in the lineup, their record was a relatively mediocre 11-10.

However, Davis believes they would have improved with time, explaining: "Our goal was to win a championship. We had the pieces, but injuries got in the way of that. That was the difference in our season.

"Even though we lost games where all of us were on the floor – me, Bron, Russ – I think we're three great players and we would have figured it out if we logged more minutes together.

"We weren't able to do that, which makes it tough to be able to compete for a championship."

However, team-mate Carmelo Anthony, while agreeing with Davis' assessment of the team's potential, refused to point to injuries as an excuse.

"We just didn't get it done," he said. "We had the tools. Some things were out of our control – some things we could control, some things we couldn't.

"It's nothing else more than we didn't get it done. You can't make excuses about it. We just didn't get it done."