Jose Mourinho ranks as the best manager Willian has worked with and the former Brazil attacker hopes more European honours will be heading the Roma coach's way.

Willian was part of Mourinho's Chelsea squad as the Blues secured a Premier League and EFL Cup double in 2015.

The Fulham winger and Italian coach have since gone their separate ways but Willian still holds Mourinho in the highest of regards, hoping his former boss can lift yet another trophy this season.

Mourinho has guided Roma to the Europa League final, in which they face Sevilla, and Willian made it clear where his allegiances lie for that showpiece on Wednesday.

"For me, Mourinho is the best manager I've had, I always say that," he told Stats Perform. "In the way he works every day, in the way he talks, in the way he motivates.

"He is a different manager and, for me, the best I've had. As he says: 'The special one'. 

"I hope that he wins this trophy because he is a manager that sometimes gives a lot of people the impression that he is arrogant or something like that.

"But on a daily basis, we see that he is a great manager. He jokes when he has to, and he hits hard when he has to.

"He's real. When you don't play well, he says it in front of you, but when you play, he says it too. He's a great manager, an amazing manager.

"He is a winning manager, and he has a chance to win another title in his career."

Victory over Sevilla would secure Mourinho's sixth European title of his managerial career, having lifted various UEFA trophies with Porto (two), Roma, Inter and Manchester United.

The most recent of those successes came last season as Roma triumphed in the inaugural Europa Conference League with a final victory over Feyenoord.

Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has saluted "phenomenal" boss Roberto De Zerbi for leading the Seagulls to Europa League qualification.

Brighton will appear on the continent for the first time in their history next season after securing a hugely impressive sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.

De Zerbi has been a revelation since arriving at the Amex Stadium following Graham Potter's move to Chelsea, who subsequently sacked the coach after just under seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Barber has heaped praise upon the Italian, who also guided Brighton to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they were beaten by Manchester United on penalties at Wembley Stadium.

"He's been phenomenal," the Seagulls' chief executive told Stats Perform at the Football Business Awards. 

"It's his first time working in the Premier League. He's had to learn English, he's had to adapt to life in England, he's had to learn a new league, work with new players. So we're thrilled for him, and he's done a fantastic job.

"It's the first time in 122 years that we've reached European football. So it's a fantastic achievement for the coaches and the players, and we're delighted for them. And also, I think it's a great opportunity for the fans to celebrate their club in a new competition for the first time."

It was not all plain sailing for Brighton, who saw key forward Leandro Trossard depart for Arsenal during the January transfer window.

But Barber revealed the club were prepared for any possible setbacks, and while he acknowledges more players may leave, he insists that selling is not a necessity.

"The key thing has been succession planning, we have a plan for key positions within the club, should we lose people in those positions," he explained. "I think that's very important if you want to maintain momentum.

"We're fortunate that we've got a very good owner. We've got a fantastic infrastructure, we sell out all of our games, and we generate great revenues from our sponsors, and from our hospitality and non-matchday work. So no, it's not essential.

"But we also recognise that the best players want to play at the top level and it's possible we will lose players at some point."

Barber is also confident it is only a matter of time before former Seagulls boss Potter is given another opportunity following his poor spell at Chelsea. 

"Graham worked with us for three years," he added. "He did a fantastic job during his time and sometimes when you move to a different club, for whatever reason, it doesn't work out.

"But what we do know is Graham is an excellent coach and an excellent individual. And I'm sure very soon, he'll be back in top-level football."

Union Berlin secured Champions League qualification for the first time in their history as Schalke suffered relegation from Bundesliga on the final day of the season.

Rani Khedira's 81st-minute winner at home to Werder Bremen saw Union pip Freiburg to fourth place in the German top flight, with Urs Fischer's side booking their spot in UEFA's top club competition for next season.

There was no such good fortune for Schalke, though, as they dropped back down to 2. Bundesliga following a 4-2 defeat to third-placed RB Leipzig on Saturday.

As Bayern Munich celebrated edging out Borussia Dortmund for the title on goal difference, Stuttgart will be left to fight for their top-flight status in a play-off after a 1-1 draw at home to Hoffenheim.

Stuttgart will face either Hamburg or Heidenheim, with whoever finishes third in the German second division due to battle with Sebastian Hoeness' men for a place in Bundesliga next term.

Had Stuttgart won, Augsburg would have been in that play-off after a 2-0 final-day defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach, while Bochum pulled clear of danger with a 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

Sevilla great Freddie Kanoute fancies his former side's chances for Europa League glory as they aim to atone for their "very bad" start to the season.

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."

Sevilla great Freddie Kanoute fancies his former side's chances for Europa League glory to atone for their "very bad" start to the season.

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."

Jose Mourinho saluted Paulo Dybala after his late equaliser paved the way for Roma's dramatic extra-time victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League quarter-finals.

The Giallorossi set up a semi-final showdown with Bayer Leverkusen after coming from behind to defeat Feyenoord 4-2 on aggregate at Stadio Olimpico.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Roma were on the brink of elimination after Igor Paixao's header cancelled out Leonardo Spinazzola's earlier strike.

But Dybala, who was introduced as a substitute after missing Sunday's victory over Udinese through injury, levelled the tie with a sharp turn and finish forcing extra time, in which further strikes from Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini sealed the deal.

It was the former Juventus forward's 16th goal of the season and fourth in the Europa League – a tally only bettered by Marcus Rashford, Victor Boniface (both six) and Santiago Gimenez (five) – and his exploits drew praise from his head coach.

"My feeling is that he was seeking the joy, he had lost more than confidence," Mourinho told Sky Sport Italia. 

"He found it here. He has found a coach who understands him, a crowd that loves him and a space on the field in which to be a leader with his quality and personality.

"Dybala is a nice boy. He has the quality to play for the biggest clubs in the world, but he has found joy here.

"I gave him absolute freedom to come on tonight, and he could come off even two minutes later if he didn't feel up to it. But he played 30 minutes of extra time and 25 minutes regular, and he finished on a high."

Meanwhile, Dybala also paid tribute to Mourinho who, having guided Roma to the Europa Conference League title last season, is closing in on a sixth triumph in European competition. 

"I think everyone knows Mourinho, his history, what he's done in Europe and at every club he worked at, I think he won something," the forward added.

"His mentality fuels you. He knew the game could end up like this and pushed us to give something more. He changed the tactical system, we started playing better and dominated extra time for a deserved victory.

"I think we all want to win, which is the most important thing. We have a coach with an incredible mentality. He told us the game would be like that, and he was absolutely right.

"This squad won the Europa Conference League last season, so they know what it takes to win. Now, we hope to go all the way in the Europa League too."

Massimiliano Allegri called on Juventus to become more ruthless despite the Bianconeri reaching the Europa League last four with a 1-1 draw at Sporting CP.

Juve took a slender 1-0 lead into the second leg at the Estadio Jose Alvalade after Federico Gatti's goal gave them victory in last week's reverse fixture at Allianz Stadium.

After learning prior to Thursday's match that their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches had been suspended, an early Adrien Rabiot goal doubled Juve's lead in the tie, and though Marcus Edwards pulled a goal back for Sporting, the visitors held on to set up a semi-final clash with Sevilla.

Despite earning a last-four spot in Europe for the first time since 2017, Allegri warned his players they must be more clinical in future after spurning a number of chances to kill the tie off in the second half.

"It was a good day, as we headed to the semi-finals," the Juve coach told Sky Sport Italia. "We suffered, we did good things in the second half at the beginning.

"But we have to do better when it comes to our chances. We rushed the play in the box and more patience would have been needed. We shot little from outside the box and we must improve.

"We knew it would be difficult, but we are bringing home a good result."

Standing between Allegri's men and the final in Budapest on May 31 is Sevilla, whose six Europa League six titles are double any other team's trophy haul in the competition.

Sevilla beat Manchester United 5-2 on aggregate to seal their semi-final place but Allegri says he had predicted such a result.

"I expected Sevilla to be honest," he said of his next European opponents. "They are a tricky team, they play well and are good with the ball.

"They have won so many Europa Leagues, so they definitely have an advantage. The signs from the last game [in Manchester] were in their favour, I had that feeling."

Rabiot's close-range strike after nine minutes in Portugal gave Juve a crucial two-goal lead and capped a strong performance in midfield, one that saw him lead the Bianconeri in passes in the final third (15) and contribute defensively with three clearances and an interception.

Despite his impressive display, Allegri still believes Rabiot has parts of his game to work on, saying: "He has the qualities but he can still improve.

"Sometimes he gets close to the area and doesn't shoot. He has to improve but he has become important, extraordinary."

Erik ten Hag criticised Manchester United's "passion, desire and willingness" following their Europa League quarter-final exit at the hands of Sevilla.

United, who scored two late own goals in last week's first leg to leave the tie all square at 2-2, produced another desperate defensive display as they went down 5-2 on aggregate at Roman Sanchez Pizjuan.

Once again, Ten Hag's side gifted Sevilla two goals with Youssef En-Nesyri helping himself to a brace after errors from Harry Maguire and David de Gea.

United were without several key players, including the suspended Bruno Fernandes and the injured Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane, but Ten Hag insisted that was no excuse for the visitors' display.

"We have to do better, that's the demand. We were not composed, not calm," he told BT Sport. "We didn't beat the press; when you do, there are so many spaces behind, and it was obvious at the start how to do it.

"We lost the battles, they had more passion, more desire, more willingness. That's difficult to win games.

"It's about the players on the pitch. They have to perform, I believe in them and trust them, but they have to show it, and they were not good enough.

"We have shown on so many occasions good things, but tonight we weren't ready for the game. At this level, playing for Manchester United, you have to be ready for every game.

"This was a great opportunity, a great occasion, to win something, and we gave it away – we have to blame ourselves.

"It's gone, we can't change it. We have to look forward to Sunday [against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-finals], that's the next opportunity."

Christian Eriksen also accepted United were not at the races as they squandered the opportunity to return to the semi-finals for the third time in four seasons.

"A lot of things happened. We didn't really give them a game from the first minute, and we gave them a lot of opportunities to finish us off," the midfielder said.

"We lost a bit of our coolness, we made more mistakes than we usually do, and the whole team could not catch up with mistakes our team-mates made.

"If you give away goals like we did, you lose, it's nothing to do with the atmosphere. Our own game was not strong enough. It's football, sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days, and it was a bad day. 

"Every football player makes mistakes, they punished us straight away. It's how we bounce back, and today we were not strong enough to bounce back from the mistakes."

Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini scored in extra time as Roma battled into the Europa League last four after a 4-1 win over Feyenoord secured a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Leonardo Spinazzola's second-half goal on Thursday cancelled out Mats Wieffer's first-leg winner, only for Igor Paixao's header to put Feyenoord on the brink of the semi-finals with 10 minutes remaining.

Yet Paulo Dybala levelled the tie in the 89th minute with a sharp turn and finish to set the stage for an extra-time period Roma dominated to set up a two-legged meeting with Bayer Leverkusen in the semis.

El Shaarawy prodded Tammy Abraham's low cross past Justin Bijlow to edge the Giallorossi ahead, before Pellegrini – who hit the post when the game was still goalless – lashed home a clinching goal awarded after a VAR review overturned an original offside decision.

That was the end of the scoring, but the VAR was involved again before the final whistle.

Anthony Taylor was sent to the touchline monitor and subsequently dismissed Santiago Gimenez for a rash lunge on Gianluca Mancini, with Feyenoord exiting the competition in frustrating fashion.

Bayer Leverkusen waltzed into the Europa League semi-finals with a 4-1 defeat of Union Saint-Gilloise, sealing a 5-2 win on aggregate.

Xavi Alonso's Leverkusen went into Thursday's quarter-final second leg without a win in their past three visits to Belgium in European matches, but the Bundesliga side got the job done.

Moussa Diaby's coolly taken goal settled their nerves in the second minute, with Mitchel Bakker drilling in from close range to double the visitors' lead before half-time.

Bakker played a key role in Leverkusen's third, pressuring Union goalkeeper Anthony Moris into a dreadful clearance which was turned into an empty net by Jeremie Frimpong following what had been a bright start to the second half from the hosts.

Union got their reward for a spirited response when Casper Terho pulled one back with a deflected strike, but it proved to be only a consolation, with Adam Hlozek on hand to add further gloss to Leverkusen's win late on.

Leverkusen are into their first European semi-final since making the last four of the Champions League in 2002.

Manchester United again gifted Sevilla two goals as they crashed out of the Europa League following a 3-0 defeat in the away leg of their quarter-final.

Two late own goals at Old Trafford had seen Thursday's match at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan kick off with the tie all square at 2-2.

And another desperate defensive display saw United eliminated, with Youssef En-Nesyri helping himself to a brace after errors from Harry Maguire and David de Gea.

Loic Bade was also on target as Sevilla cruised through courtesy of a 5-2 aggregate success, with Juventus next in the semi-finals.

United had been quick out of the blocks at home last week, but they contributed to their own early downfall this time as Sevilla broke through in the eighth minute.

De Gea fed the ball into Maguire, who was quickly surrounded by three attackers on the edge of the penalty area and saw his attempted pass intercepted by Erik Lamela before En-Nesyri calmly slotted home.

Sevilla continued to pose the greater threat, and the VAR came to United's rescue five minutes before the break when Marcos Acuna strayed offside before Lucas Ocampos brilliantly fired past De Gea.

It was only a temporary reprieve as Ivan Rakitic's corner looped up off Bade's shoulder and over De Gea at the start of the second half.

Ocampos somehow failed to add a third in a goalmouth scramble, allowing United to attempt their own two-goal comeback as Casemiro and Christian Eriksen went close.

But any hopes of a United recovery were ended nine minutes from time when De Gea raced out of his box and failed to make clean contact with a clearance, giving En-Nesyri the opportunity to curl his shot around the stranded goalkeeper.

Juventus reached the Europa League semi-finals as a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP at Estadio Jose Alvalade sealed a 2-1 aggregate triumph.

Buoyed by learning prior to Thursday's second leg that their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches had been suspended, Adrien Rabiot struck early on to double Juve's lead in the tie after Federico Gatti had given them a slender advantage in last week's reverse fixture at Allianz Stadium.

Marcus Edwards quickly pulled one back for Sporting from the penalty spot after Rabiot's foul on Manuel Ugarte, but resilient defending saw the Bianconeri through.

Juve will feature in a European semi-final for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign and will do battle with Sevilla for a place in the final after they knocked Manchester United out.

Juve took the lead after only nine minutes as Rabiot was first to a loose ball in the box from a corner and lashed into the bottom left-corner.

Sporting were offered a way back into the tie when Rabiot brought down Ugarte in the area, with referee Francois Letexier pointing to the spot and Edwards firing the ball straight down the middle as Wojciech Szczesny dived to his left.

The hosts nearly drew level on aggregate when Ousmane Diomande nodded just wide before half-time, and they nearly fell further behind after the interval when Dusan Vlahovic failed to get his header on target.

Sporting pressed for a goal that would force the game into extra-time and nearly found one when Ricardo Esgaio blazed just over the crossbar, but Massimiliano Allegri's men held on to reach the last four.

Erik ten Hag has few concerns about Manchester United defensively and is instead focused on improving their attack as his side head to Sevilla on Thursday.

United have been without a number of key men at the back, including Lisandro Martinez, who will miss the remainder of the season.

Martinez sustained a broken metatarsal in last week's 2-2 draw at home to Sevilla in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

Own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire saw United improbably throw away a two-goal lead at Old Trafford, yet Ten Hag is not worried about a repeat.

He is looking to see United make progress in front of goal after a succession of wasteful performances. They have underperformed their xG in seven consecutive Premier League games, falling short by 1.5 in each of their past two outings.

"Our organisation all over the pitch is quite good. We need to do better attacking," Ten Hag explained, adding: "I am confident that we can score goals tomorrow."

The return of Marcus Rashford would aid Ten Hag's cause, with the forward "available" after travelling with the team but set to be the subject of a matchday decision on his fitness.

Impressing at the other end of the pitch, meanwhile, is David de Gea, despite a difficult start to life under Ten Hag.

The goalkeeper's limited ability playing out with his feet caused problems in the early weeks of the season and appeared to indicate he was ill-suited to the manager's tactics.

But De Gea has remained United's number one and leads the Golden Glove race with 14 Premier League clean sheets.

"Stopping goals, that is the main job for a goalkeeper," Ten Hag said.

"Everyone has their own particular style. Nowadays, in possession, it has become more and more important at top levels.

"But at the end of the day it is about stopping goals, shots, crosses, one-on-ones. I think David is a complete goalkeeper."

Massimiliano Allegri wants his Juventus team to show "personality" as they look to defend their first-leg lead away at Sporting CP in the Europa League.

The Bianconeri claimed a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium last week thanks to a Federico Gatti strike as they bid to lift the Europa League for a fourth time, a win that would move them up to second in the all-time rankings behind Sevilla's six.

However, they still have to get past a Sporting side who have already dumped out Premier League leaders Arsenal and are unbeaten in their last six at home in all competitions.

Allegri knows his side will have to show a strong mentality to preserve their slender advantage at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Thursday, telling Sky Sport Italia: "You need to have personality, speed and calmness.

"The match is long and will give us difficulties, they are an excellent team in terms of organisation.

"The goal is important and not simple, Sporting eliminated Arsenal. We don't think about the first leg but that is a challenge."

Juve will now find out just before their match in Portugal kicks off whether their 15-point deduction in Serie A for financial breaches will stand after the results of the finding were pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday,

Allegri, though, is keen for his players to focus on the big game ahead of them, saying: "We knew that today was an important day, both in terms of the ruling and his outcome, but above all to better prepare for tomorrow's match.

"Once we know about the ruling, we put it aside and we'll think about the match."

While Allegri revealed Federico Chiesa was a doubt for the game, he had positive news on Adrien Rabiot and Wojciech Szczesny, explaining: "Szczesny is fine, he's fine. Rabiot is available, he's done all the training."

Juve suffered a 1-0 league defeat at Sassuolo on Sunday with midfielder Nicolo Fagioli, who was at fault for the winning goal after his poor clearance, left in tears on the bench after being ruthlessly substituted off by Allegri following the mistake.

Full-back Alex Sandro showed solidarity for his 22-year-old team-mate ahead of the Sporting clash, telling reporters: "It's good to cry sometimes. We have to respect Fagioli's and everyone's reaction after victories and defeats.

"Fagioli is young, but he already has experience. He is not the future, but the present of Juve."

Manchester United have welcomed Marcus Rashford back into the fold for their trip to Sevilla in the Europa League.

Rashford, who has scored 28 goals this season, suffered a groin issue in United's 2-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford on April 8.

The England international subsequently missed last week's 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final tie, as well as United's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

However, Rashford has travelled to Spain for Thursday's second leg at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, with Luke Shaw also returning from injury after not featuring since April 2.

Bruno Fernandes is not available to Erik ten Hag due to suspension, though.

Scott McTominay is also out.