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Paul Pogba volleyed in the winning goal as Manchester United moved top of the Premier League by winning 1-0 at Burnley.

United only needed a point on Tuesday to move above champions Liverpool ahead of the two teams' crunch clash at Anfield this weekend.

But the resurgent Pogba converted Marcus Rashford's cross with 19 minutes left to ensure United moved three points clear of their great rivals.

Burnley defended well but did not manage a single shot on target, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had a first-half goal Harry Maguire goal disallowed.

The hosts went close early on when Eric Bailly made a key block to divert Chris Wood's effort away from David de Gea's goal.

Anthony Martial fired off target when a presentable chance was given to him by Nemanja Matic before VAR took centre stage.

After a long review, Robbie Brady's foul on Edinson Cavani just outside the area was rescinded and Luke Shaw was booked for a foul on Johann Gudmundsson earlier in the move, with Burnley calling for a red.

Maguire impressively headed in a Shaw cross only for a foul to be awarded for his duel with Erik Pieters. Nick Pope then impressively kept out a Martial curler to ensure the first half ended goalless.

A golden opportunity went begging after the break when Cavani scuffed a close-range effort straight at Burnley keeper Pope after Martial had squared into his path.

Rashford had been enduring a quiet evening out on the right until he picked out Pogba at the edge of the penalty area just as it began to look like United would have to settle for a draw.

Pogba latched on to it and superbly volleyed in, with a deflection off Matthew Lowton ensuring Pope was powerless to keep it out.

There were a couple of late scares for United, with James Tarkowski squandering an opportunity and Maguire not penalised amid claims of handball, but they held on with only late injuries to Martial – who had a last-gasp shot saved by Pope - and Nemanja Matic dampening the mood.

What does it mean? United rolling into Anfield

The Liverpool match will be a huge test for United, but they go into the game on top of the table with their superb away form – seven wins and one draw from eight top-flight games – continuing.

Their sixth straight win at Turf Moor was hard fought, but deserved. Maguire's first-half goal was harshly ruled out, while United, who were thwarted by the impressive Pope six times, had the chances to have put the game to bed before Burnley's late flurry.

The last time United were top at this point of a season was 2012 in Alex Ferguson's last season, which ended in title glory.

Pogba revival continues

United have had Pogba back closer to his best since his spectacular goal against West Ham in the comeback win on December 5.

His goal was excellent here, too, while his 104 touches, 70 completed passes and five clearances were all outright game highs. The World Cup winner also added two created chances and won 12 of his 14 duels.

Disappointing return for Cavani

Ahead of the match, Solskjaer insisted Cavani was raring to go as he returned from his three-match suspension.

But the veteran striker struggled to get involved (finishing with just 30 touches in 90 minutes) and missed a huge chance to open the scoring with what proved to be his only attempt on target.

If Martial is injured, Cavani could get an immediate opportunity to improve against Liverpool.

Key Opta Facts

- United have kept their first away clean sheet of the season in the Premier League, conceding 11 goals in their previous seven matches on the road in this campaign.
- Burnley have scored just one goal in their last 10 home league games against United, compared to 20 in their previous 10 games versus the Red Devils at Turf Moor.
- Burnley have won just one of their last 26 Premier League home games against the “big six” sides (D4 L21), a 2-1 victory over Tottenham in February 2019.
- Pogba's last seven Premier League goals have come away from home, including each of the last three in a row.
- Rashford has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 14 Premier League appearances (6 goals, 5 assists).

What's next?

United have that huge trip to Liverpool on Sunday, while Burnley are away to West Ham on Saturday as they sit five points clear of the bottom three.

France legend Jean-Pierre Papin has heavily criticised Mauro Icardi, saying he has “great doubts about his personality” and questions whether the Paris Saint-Germain forward likes competition.

The Argentine hit 20 goals for the French champions last season, with his form prompting PSG to turn his loan from Inter into a €50 million (£45m/$56m) permanent deal.

He even took the No 9 shirt in place of the departing Edinson Cavani, but has struggled to match the heights he reached last term, with injuries and loss of form limiting him to just three goals in six appearances so far.

In Icardi’s absence, summer signing Moise Kean has taken his opportunity, scoring 11 goals in 18 games since his loan move from Everton.

Icardi did manage to find the back of the net coming off the bench in Maurcio Pochettino’s first game in charge against Brest on Sunday, but Papin has not been impressed with what he has seen of the Argentine.

The former France international wonders whether the 27-year-old struggles playing alongside star players like Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, when previously he has been the star player himself.

Papin told France Football: “When I watched him play for a year, I didn’t get the impression that he wanted to bring the house down. How is it possible?

“In his body language, I didn’t see the urge. From what I have seen of him, I have great doubts about his personality.

“I feel he doesn't like competition. At Inter he was very impressive but he was the undisputed star and captain. In Paris, he is a ‘normal’ star and is behind Neymar, Mbappe and a few others.”

Papin did have some kind words to say about the striker, praising his predatory instincts in front of goal.

“He is a pure goal hunter,” added the former Ballon D’or winner.

“He knows how to position himself in front of goal. He senses where the ball will bounce, which is ideal when you are surrounded by team-mates who have such vision as Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria - though he does not care to defend.”

PSG are next in action on Wednesday night when they face rivals Marseille.

Atletico Madrid extended their lead at LaLiga's summit to four points as they saw off Sevilla 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday.

Sevilla could have become the first team to draw three successive away games at the Wanda, but Atletico produced a vintage display of clinical finishing and resolute defending as they improved their position at the top of the table.

Atletico edged an even first half and went ahead through Angel Correa's clinical finish with just over quarter of an hour played, though Sevilla did trouble Jan Oblak through Ivan Rakitic and Youssef En-Nesyri.

The visitors dominated proceedings in the second period but struggled to find a way through Atletico's famously shrewd defence, who ultimately claimed an 11th clean sheet in LaLiga this term as Saul Niguez put the game beyond Sevilla in the latter stages.

Sevilla looked bright in the opening exchanges as Rakitic tested Oblak early on, but they found themselves trailing in the 17th minute – Correa picking out the bottom-right corner with a snapshot on the swivel that caught Yassine Bounou unsighted in goal.

Atletico were fortunate at the other end soon after.

Oblak initially rushed out to thwart En-Nesyri and the ball fell kindly to Marcos Acuna, but the left-back shot wide of the empty net with the hosts' goalkeeper stranded.

Luis Suarez then threatened before the half-hour mark, but his close-range volley was well blocked by Bounou.

En-Nesyri tried his luck from a tight angle early in the second half, but Oblak had little issue making the save.

But while Sevilla saw much of the ball, that En-Nesyri effort was hardly the start of an onslaught and Atletico picked them off 14 minutes from time.

Marcos Llorente found space behind Acuna and Oscar Rodriguez failed to intercept his cutback, which came to Saul and he swept in from 20 yards to seal the points.

The Premier League has clarified an incident during Tuesday's match between Manchester United and Burnley which saw a possible red card for Robbie Brady ruled out, and Luke Shaw shown a yellow instead.

United forward Edinson Cavani was bearing down on goal the first half when Brady took him down in a challenge just outside the box. The foul could have been a red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity, which sent referee Kevin Friend to the video review monitor.

However, after reviewing the footage, Friend disregarded Brady's foul entirely and instead called back United defender Shaw for an earlier challenge, issuing the left-back a yellow card.

In a statement provided to Goal, the Premier League clarified the events that resulted in Shaw being shown a yellow card and Brady getting away without even conceding a foul.

"In the 27th minute of Burnley vs Manchester United, Robbie Brady was shown a yellow card for a foul on Edinson Cavani," the statement read.

"On the recommendation of the VAR, referee Kevin Friend went to the Referee Review Area (RRA) to check for a possible red card for Brady for a denial of a goalscoring opportunity offence and a possible foul by Luke Shaw that was in the same attacking phase of play.  

"When the referee was at the screen, he was first shown the challenge by Shaw on Johann Berg Gudmundsson. He determined that this was a foul and was part of the phase of play that led to the challenge by Brady.

"The restart was a Burnley free-kick, with Brady’s yellow card rescinded, and a yellow card issued to Shaw."

The decision is the latest controversial call involving VAR in the Premier League this season, with the use of the technology proving divisive among players, managers and spectators.

United would eventually win the match at Turf Moor, as Paul Pogba's second half winner gave his side a 1-0 victory – the third Premier League win in a row for the Red Devils.

With the win United go top of the Premier League table, taking a three-point lead over defending champions Liverpool. The two sides are now set for a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday, when United travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp's side.

Milan booked a place in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia with a penalty shoot-out victory over Torino at San Siro following a goalless draw after extra time.

The Serie A leaders eased to a 2-0 win when the sides met in the league on Saturday but found it a lot tougher to break down their opponents - 28 points worse off in the league - in Tuesday's cup tie.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic squandered the best early opening on his first start since November 22 and Milan then dominated the second half, twice hitting the post and having a penalty shout turned down.

Neither side could find a way through in the additional 30 minutes, but it was the hosts who prevailed on spot-kicks to set up a tie with Fiorentina or Inter - Hakan Calhanoglu scoring the decisive penalty after Ciprian Tatarusanu had denied Tomas Rincon.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli made five changes to his starting line-up from the league clash between the sides, and it was one of the returning faces who went closest to scoring in an uneventful first half.

Ibrahimovic took advantage of Torino's lopsided defensive line, controlled Davide Calabria's pass over the top and fired a dipping half-volley over the crossbar from 15 yards.

Tatarusanu was making just his fourth appearance for Milan since joining last year and made a good one-handed save to keep out Amer Gojak's curler seven minutes before half-time.

Ibrahimovic and Samu Castillejo were replaced by Jens Hauge and Calhanoglu after the interval and Milan looked a lot livelier in the early stages of the second period.

Rafael Leao, among the scorers on Saturday, failed to get the better of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic when played in by Brahim Diaz and then had a shot kept out by the Torino goalkeeper.

Milan's pressure looked to be telling as Diogo Dalot and Calabria hit the post in the space of two minutes.

But the home side's frustration soon started to show, with substitute Gianluigi Donnarumma issued a red card for dissent after a second penalty call went against Leao following a challenge from Milinkovic-Savic.

Diaz ballooned over the bar from 10 yards to signal extra time. These sides also needed extra time when they met at the quarter-final stage last season, Milan coming through 4-2 winners, but substitute Theo Hernandez's saved shot was the closest either side came to a breakthrough here in the additional 30 minutes.

Milan matched Torino in converting their first three penalties and visiting captain Rincon's saved effort towards the bottom-right corner proved decisive, allowing Calhanoglu to fire home and send his side through.

What does it mean? Milan still challenging on three fronts

Winning a first Scudetto in a decade will no doubt be the priority for Milan, who are three points clear at the Serie A summit after 17 matches, but they are also good value to go all the way in the Europa League and now the Coppa Italia after this slender win.

For a club of their pedigree, it seems remarkable that the most recent of the Rossoneri's five triumphs in this competition was back in 2003.

Pioli's men may have done things the hard way here, but the victory was ultimately deserved as they were the better side, getting nine shots on target to their opponents' three. They now wait to see who they will face in the last eight, with Fiorentina and bitter rivals Inter facing off on Wednesday.

Calhanoglu at his creative best

Not only did Calhanoglu score the winning penalty, he also proved to be Milan's most creative player despite only being brought on at half-time in normal time.

He created an unrivalled six big chances for team-mates, none of which the likes of Leao and Hauge could put away, and had four shots of his own.

Zlatan will need time

Ibrahimovic was brought on for the final five minutes on Saturday and was deemed ready to start this match on his latest injury return, but Pioli was only willing to use the veteran striker for 45 minutes. He had just one attempt during his time on the field - firing over from a promising opportunity - and created one big chance.

Milan looked a lot livelier when Leao shifted into a central position in the second half, suggesting Ibrahimovic has a battle on his hands to win back his place.

Key Opta facts

- Milan have reached the quarter-finals for a 12th consecutive season and have now won four of their last five Coppa Italia penalty shoot-outs.
- Tatarusanu has kept a clean sheet in three of his four games for Milan across all competitions.
- Milan have hit the woodwork 10 times in their last 10 games across all competitions.
- Centre-back Mateo Musacchio made his first Milan appearance for 325 days, having last featured against Fiorentina in February last year.
- Alessio Romagnoli is the only player to have started all of the five Coppa Italia games played by Milan during Pioli's reign.

What's next?

Milan resume their Scudetto challenge with a trip to Cagliari next Monday, while Torino are at home to Spezia on their return to Serie A action on Saturday.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he had to calm his players down at half-time against Burnley after two major VAR decisions went against them. 

After taking in their manager's words, the Red Devils would eventually prevail 1-0 at Turf Moor through Paul Pogba's strike, sending them to the top of the table. 

United could have been a man up in the first half after Robbie Brady appeared to deny Edinson Cavani a goalscoring opportunity with a foul outside the box, but after a video review, referee Kevin Friend disregarded Brady's foul entirely and instead called United defender Luke Shaw for an earlier challenge, issuing the left-back a yellow card.

United defender Harry Maguire then appeared to score the opener with a header, only for the goal to be called back due to a controversial foul by the defender during his leap.

Solskjaer admitted that his players were upset with the referee's decisions and needed to be calmed at the break. 

"You've got to calm them down at half-time because emotions are running high because they disagree with the things that happen out there," Solskjaer told Sky Sports.

"So we have to take back control and we played really well in the second half and we held out at the end."

On the two incidents, Solskajer added: "I've not watched any of the decisions so I can't really say. Might've been a foul by Luke apparently so that's probably the right decision, definitely not a foul for Harry for his goal. If you can't jump and head it in like this, I don't believe that's anywhere near a foul. Delighted with the response after a bit of a tough first half-hour."

Pogba eventually found a winner in the 71st minute, with Solskjaer saying the France star is finding his best form after a difficult spell earlier in the season.

"I've always said Paul is a big player for us, he's a good character in the dressing room, he's someone the lads look to, he's a world champion," Solskjaer said.

"We're seeing the best of Paul at the moment – he's been injured and he's had Covid so it's natural to need to get back to fitness after that."

Solskjaer also said he was looking forward to Sunday's table-topping clash with Liverpool, who are three points behind his side in second place. 

"Of course we know we're going to the champions. They've had an unbelievable three seasons so we're ready for it," Solskjaer said. "But we're ready and we're excited, we're hungry for it and it's a test of character and quality again. We're in a good position going into it."

Paul Pogba would not be drawn on the VAR controversy during Manchester United’s victory at Burnley, saying he has to keep calm about decisions because “he is not the boss” on the pitch.

The incident occurred during the first half when Burnley defender Robbie Brady appeared to have fouled Edinson Cavani when he was through on goal, which would have been red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

Referee Kevin Friend reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor, but wiped out Brady’s foul when he saw a late challenge by Luke Shaw in the build-up to the incident which resulted in the Manchester United man being booked instead.

Moments later Harry Maguire thought he had headed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side into the lead only for Friend to rule it out for a foul on Erik Pieters.

Despite that controversy, United still managed to battle their way to a 1-0 victory courtesy of Pogba’s 71st-minute strike, with the three points lifting the Red Devils above Liverpool to the top of the Premier League ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday.

When asked about the decisions Pogba said he disagreed with the officials but admitted he had little choice but to accept them.

"Obviously it's hard but you have to be professional and we knew it wasn't going to be easy with the decision of the referee which I didn't agree with,” he told Sky Sports. “But I'm not the boss on the pitch so we just have to keep calm and keep focused and of course we scored and won the game.”

On Maguire's disallowed goal, he added: "It was a goal for sure - I don't know what happened. It was a beautiful goal and the referee decided that it was not. It was a strange decision but we got the result we wanted so we're happy.”

United have now won five and drawn one of their last seven Premier League games to top the table at this stage of the season for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Pogba, however, is not getting carried away and simply wants to focus on the next game.

"We know that the game today was very hard, very difficult and obviously we wanted to win. We know it's not easy to play here. We got the three points and we're happy for that but there's still a long way and now we focus again until the end of the season," he said.

"I'm always happy when I win - today we won and I'm happy we play well. Still a long way to go and we have big games to go so we have to focus on that."

Every footballing great has their nickname - Cristiano Ronaldo is known as 'El Bicho', while Carles Puyol has been called 'El Tiburon'.

Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the pitch, also has his fair share of affectionate nicknames and monikers - and Goal has what you need to know about them.

One of Messi's most famous nicknames is that of 'La Pulga', which means 'the flea' in Spanish.

Messi has been known as 'La Pulga' ever since he was a child, having been diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 10.

His small stature and modest height earned him the nickname of 'the flea', but his reputation as a promising footballer even at his early age meant that he was known for his small size but huge talent.

Barcelona were able to provide Messi with the proper treatment which was completed by the time he turned 14 and the rest, as they say, is history. Messi is one of the most celebrated players in Barcelona history and considered a club talisman.

Spanish outlets went a step further and began calling him 'La Pulga Atomica' [the atomic flea] as a means to describe how, despite being physically unimposing, still manages to have significant upper-body strength that allows him to physically dominate his opponents in challenges - while his quick footwork allows him to excel at dribbling.

His short, strong legs - he is not traditionally long-limbed or legged as other successful footballers are - allow him to accelerate across the pitch in quick bursts.

Another nickname for Messi is 'Leo', a shortened form of his full first name that is informally used by football figures, team-mates and pundits alike.

Messi was supposedly named after the singer Lionel Richie, the musician behind the well-known tracks "Hello" and "Truly".

A less official nickname is, of course, the 'GOAT' (Greatest Of All Time), but that is a tag shared by former rival at Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo.

Football fans will also refer to Messi as 'the Messiah', a pun combining the words 'Messi' and 'Messiah' to truly illustrate his god-like prowess and skills on the pitch.

Lionel Messi has overcome a knock to be available for Barcelona's Supercopa de Espana semi-final against Real Sociedad, as Ronald Koeman looks to take a step closer to his first trophy as coach.

Messi had, according to Koeman, some "discomfort" after Barca's resounding 4-0 win at Granada on Saturday, the Argentinian scoring twice as both he and the team appeared to be finding their feet again.

That was the Blaugrana's third La Liga win in a row – all of which came away from home – and they are unbeaten in eight across all competitions since the 3-0 home defeat by Juventus on December 8.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Barca's improvement has coincided with Messi finding some joy in his game again – the club captain has scored seven times and set up another two in his past seven games, racking up more goal involvements than any other La Liga player over the same period.

In his 10 previous league games this term, Messi had only contributed to four goals in total – none of which were assists – suggesting his mind was elsewhere following an attempt to leave the club, but he and Barca are looking significantly improved as they head into the Supercopa, with their star man fit for Wednesday's semi-final.

"There are several players with discomfort, one of them is Messi, that is why we withdrew him in Granada," Koeman said on Tuesday.

"It seems that everyone is available for tomorrow, also [Ronald] Araujo, although a preparatory session is missing. It is a match against a strong team and we can take the next step."

Koeman recognises Barca have looked more like their old selves in recent weeks, particularly in attack. Since December 9, the four men with the most chances created in La Liga are Barca players.

"The team is better offensively, we have more players coming from the middle of the field," Koeman said. "We have players in attack who do damage, and defensively the team is working well. We have gained in confidence.

"Lately the team is focused on every game - we have improved in this regard. When we don't have the ball, the team is quite compact. We are improving our game.

"Midfield players give us a lot of threat, but at the beginning of the season we already played with Messi as a false nine. The difference is that the team is more confident and we find free men between the lines."

Wednesday's contest against La Real in Cordoba will be Koeman's first semi-final in charge, with the winners set to play Real Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in the final.

While the Dutchman sees it as a great opportunity for silverware, he does not think victory in this competition will instantly mean Barcelona are back to the levels expected of them.

"For us it is important, Barca is made to win. It is not the most important trophy, but we have to play the semi-final and we will give our best," he said. "We will play with our best team to be in the final. We want to take the first step to reach it.

"I don't think that winning the trophy means being better. Soccer is fickle and things can change quickly. It [winning the trophy] would give us confidence, of course, but we have to go step by step, the first thing is to win the semi-final against Real Sociedad."

Kenya striker Michael Olunga suffered a losing start to life in the Qatar Super League after his new club Al Duhail SC lost 3-1 against Al Saad on Tuesday.

The towering striker was handed a start after signing for the club on Monday and featured for the first 65 minutes before he was withdrawn with his team trailing 2-1 at that time.

Reports had emerged on Monday that Olunga had signed for the club and with no official unveiling, he was thrown straight into the starting line-up as they faced the Xavi-led side, who also had in their ranks Santi Carzola, formerly of Arsenal.

It was Olunga’s Duhail who took the lead in the 6th minute when captain Almoez Ali dusted himself after being fouled inside the box to convert from the penalty spot, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Saad responded almost immediately as Baghdad Bounedjah levelled matters with a fine finish in the 14th minute and added the second in the 50th minute before banging home the third and the winner in the 87th minute for his hat-trick of the night.

Olunga had a strong start in the first half as he missed a sitter in the 20th minute after his glancing header went wide. He was once again involved after he created space and beat three defenders ahead of him but his final shot was saved by the keeper.

Despite arriving in Qatar on Sunday, Olunga never looked tired or jetlagged as he was involved in all the team’s attacking moves and he was almost getting his first goal for the club after he raced to tap home a through ball from Almoez but Saad's defender reacted quickly to hit the ball out for a fruitless corner.

He was then withdrawn in the 65th minute and will be hoping to earn another start in their next league assignment.

The former Gor Mahia striker recently clinched the Golden Boot in the Japanese J-1 League after notching 28 goals from 32 matches while in the 2019 season, he finished with 27 league goals as Reysol ended the J2 season as champions, winning promotion to the first division.

National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) commissioner Lisa Baird announced on Tuesday that Sacramento will join the league in 2022 as an expansion franchise.

The league will grow from nine to 10 teams this year, with Racing Louisville joining and the Utah Royals moving back to Kansas City after a change in ownership.

It is now set to grow to 12 teams the following season, with Los Angeles-based Angel City FC already confirmed to be joining NWSL in 2022 and now joined by a second California franchise.

"Today we’re formally announcing two new clubs are joining the NWSL in 2022," Baird told reporters on Tuesday. "Angel City announced in July, and today I’m pleased to report that Sacramento will be joining as well and bringing the NWSL to 12 markets in the United States."

Baird would not confirm the ownership group of the new Sacramento franchise, with an official announcement from the league yet to be made.

Looking ahead, Baird said she didn't have a target in mind for further expansion but was wary of diluting the level of play by adding more teams too quickly.

"I don't think there’s a specific number [of teams we want to add] but there’s a principle, which is we want to continue to have the best standard of play in our league," Baird said.

"We want to have the best quality players, we want to have the best pipeline, the best resources, stadiums. The quality of the play has to remain the best in the world. That’s going to be our No 1 principle, and that will drive expansion more than anything else."

Baird also confirmed that the league will not share the results publicly of the league's investigation into the culture in Utah.

Reports have alleged the Royals facilitated a toxic work environment, and the team's previous head coach Craig Harrington was fired in November after the Salt Lake Tribune reported that players complained he was being “verbally abusive.”

The club's former owner Dell Loy Hansen found himself in trouble for comments made over players at MLS side Real Salt Lake, which he also owned, refusing to play a match this summer to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man, in Wisconsin.

Hansen was forced to sell the team, eventually resulting in its relocation back to Kansas City.

If anyone has been keeping count, it’s been roughly 54 weeks since right-back Tariq Lamptey made his Premier League debut.

The circumstances were, in a word, peculiar.

At the Emirates Stadium, a London derby was unfolding. In the red corner, Arsenal, who were a goal ahead courtesy of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 13th-minute opener from a corner. In the Blue, a Chelsea side that had been blown away for the opening half-hour, and who were in desperate need of some intervention from the bench.

The first act of staunching the bleeding came in the form of a change of shape, effected by the introduction of midfield metronome Jorginho. However, it was the second throw of the dice that effectively flipped the dynamic of the game: off came Fikayo Tomori, who had manfully filled in when shunted to right-back after the reshuffle, and in came a fresh-faced, debuting 19-year-old.

The effect was immediate and blinding, like an abrupt flash of lightning singing the retina.

Suddenly, from a position of uncertainty, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea began to overload their hosts on the right flank. Lamptey’s sheer athleticism and fearlessness asked very different questions of the Arsenal defence, forcing back Bukayo Saka and more or less negating his influence on the attack. At the other end of the pitch, the debutant would not be found wanting either: his brilliant interception as the Gunners broke stopped a dangerous foray dead in its tracks, signalling his maturity and reading of the game.

Ultimately, Chelsea would turn the result around with two goals in the final 10 minutes, and even though Lamptey directly contributed to neither, he now finds himself the subject of reported interest from Arsenal: clearly, the impression he did make was big enough, and has stuck ever since.

Sure, it has helped that, since then, Lamptey has reached out and seized his destiny at Brighton and Hove Albion.

His willingness to take that plunge, as opposed to waiting in line behind Reece James at Chelsea, not only speaks highly of his own self-assurance and boldness, but has raised his profile a thousandfold.

His speed and eagerness to get forward have found a natural home at Graham Potter’s Brighton, where the back three system enables Lamptey to dash forward with abandon. The glee with which he responds to this imperative, tearing into opposing left-backs time and again, has already seen him score once, lay on another, and win two penalties this season.

While there have been chastening moments, such as in the late November win over Aston Villa, when he was sent off, his current absence due to a minor hamstring strain has severely handicapped a struggling Brighton. The Seagulls have not won any of their last four games since Lamptey went off injured against Fulham on the 16th of December, and have yet to find a suitable replacement for him within the squad—an unprecedented degree of impact for a 20-year-old inside his first year at a new club.

With Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain long-term admirers of Hector Bellerin, Arsenal appear set to move for the Ghana-eligible defender.

He is a target that would significantly boost the Gunners’ attacking play under Mikel Arteta, especially as a number of serious injuries have notably robbed Bellerin of the searing acceleration he once possessed.

However, considering this, as well as the fact Arsenal would still have both Cedric Soares and Ainsley Maitland-Niles – both of whom are part of the rotation at right-back – under long-term contracts, one wonders whether both Barcelona and PSG might not be better served cutting out the middle man entirely and going for Lamptey himself.

He certainly offers the sort of gamechanger level ability (with room to grow even further still) that would make him an immediate hit at those clubs, and he has already displayed the singlemindedness to uproot himself at a young age and adapt in a new environment.

A potential link-up with Mauricio Pochettino in the French capital, considering the work the Argentine manager did burnishing and elevating the talents of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier, would be interesting in the utmost.

It really should come as no surprise that he is spoken of in these terms: his gifts are genuinely that significant.

It remains to be seen whether he will be ready for the trip to Manchester City on Wednesday, especially as Potter has been keen to avoid aggravating the hamstring issue, and rightly so. However, it is against the bigger sides in the league he has most appeared to flourish, with star turns against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham already this term.

As such, were he to be selected here, it would be only logical to forecast fireworks. If anyone can test the Citizens newfound defensive solidity, Lamptey can.

Mesut Ozil's agent says the Arsenal midfielder is a “Fenerbahce fanatic” and is hopeful a move to the Turkish club can be completed soon.

Ozil has no future at Emirates Stadium having been frozen out of the senior squad by head coach Mikel Arteta this season.

He has not featured for the north London club since March, despite maintaining he is fit and available for selection, and has been left out of the club’s squad lists for the Premier League and Europa League.

It is now a question of whether he departs during the January window or when his contract expires at the end of the season, with Arteta telling reporters last week that Ozil will remain at the club if they do not receive a good offer for him this month.

In a Twitter question and answer session on Monday, Ozil said that he had no plans to retire and wanted to move to Fenerbahce or Major League Soccer, revealing that he was a fan of the Turkish club as a child growing up in Germany.

The 32-year-old fuelled rumours of a move still further by posting an image of himself  on Instagram playing for Real Madrid against Fenerbahce’s fierce rivals Galatasaray in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2013.

Fenerbahce president Ali Koc has confirmed that talks have taken place with the Gunners over a possible transfer, with coach Erol Bulut saying last week that he expected a decision on Ozil’s future to be made within days.

The player’s agent, Erkut Sogut, is also hopeful a deal can be struck this month, reiterating Ozil’s passion for his boyhood club. However, he also urged caution and stressed that an agreement is not imminent.

"Ozil is not an ordinary Fenerbahce supporter. He's a fanatic. He would only come to Turkey to play for Fenerbahce. I hope it will happen,” Sogut told beIN Sports Turkey.

"This transfer needs a process. It would be wrong to say certain things before something happens, but I hope it will happen. I always say that. Everyone understands what Ozil wants to do after his latest tweets."

NorthEast United have sacked their Spanish head coach Gerard Nus after just 11 matches in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season. Khalid Jamil has been appointed as the interim coach and he is already in quarantine in Goa. 

The club made the announcement just hours after their 1-1 draw against Bengaluru on Tuesday, a result that extended the club's winless run to seven matches.

The statement from the club read, "NorthEast United Football Club announces with immediate effect the departure of head coach Gerard Nus. The club has decided to part ways with the Spanish National after taking into consideration a contrast in the team's current tactics and the club's philosophy and vision.

"The club would like to thank Mr Nus for his hard work and commitment during his time at NorthEast United and wish him the best for all his future endeavours.

"Khalid Jamil has been appointed as the new interim head coach for the remainder of the current season."

The Highlanders had started the campaign on a high under Nus as they had remained unbeaten in their first five matches with wins against Mumbai City and East Bengal. But after that their form took a dip. They have not won a single game in their last seven outings which prompted the club to make a decision. 

Khalid Jamil had started the season as Nus' assistant but was later replaced by Alison Kharsyntiew who took charge on December 6. 

Jamil had also served as NorthEast head coach last season for the last three matches after Robert Jarni had parted ways with the club 

The Highlanders are currently in the seventh position on the league table with 12 points from 11 matches. They next face Jamshedpur on January 17.

Ghana are out of the ongoing Wafu Zone B Cup of Nations in Togo following a 3-1 loss to Cote d'Ivoire on Tuesday.

John Batigi was on target for the Black Starlets but goals from Abdramane Konate, Charles Likpa Miezan and Cedric Franck Emmanuel Don settled the Group B matchday three fixture at Stade de Kegue in Lome. 

The result sees Ghana finish third and bottom in the three-team group, behind leaders Cote d'Ivoire and runners up Nigeria who qualify for the semi-finals. The Starlets and Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw in their opening game.

The tournament champions, first runners-up and second runners-up will in turn qualify for the Africa U17 Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco later this year.

Konate opened the scoring for Cote d'Ivoire in the ninth minute, the effort lasting as the only goal until the end of the first half.

Just two minutes after the break, Miezan guided the ball into the net to double the lead.

In the 51st minute, Ghana halved the deficit as Batigi beat Cote d'Ivoire goalkeeper Issa Fofana.

Emmanuel Don, however, restored the Ivorians' lead, converting to make it 3-1 after Togolese referee Vincentia Enyonam Amedome pointed to the spot.

Ghana tried to find a way back into the game but found the Ivorian defence hard to break as the referee whistled to bring the match to an end.

The Black Starlets are unable to make the final of the competition for a second straight tournament after reaching the stage at Niger 2019. At the last tournament, they finished as losing finalists.

With Ghana unable to go all the way to book qualification for the 2021 U17 Afcon in Morocco, they are set to miss out on the continental gathering for the second straight edition.

The four semi-finalists at the Afcon ought to be representing the continent at the U17 World Cup later this year but the latter tournament has been cancelled due to safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Ghana are two-time winners (1995 and 1999) of the U17 Afcon and two-time champions (1991 and 1995) of the U17 World Cup. 

Montreal Impact have announced the acquisition of Nigeria youth international Ibrahim Sunusi from 36 Lion FC.

The 18-year-old penned a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee with the Major League Soccer outfit – which will keep him at Saputo Stadium until 2023, with an optional year in 2024.

Also, the contract will be made formal upon reception of his international transfer certificate and medical examination.

"The club is very happy to have completed the transfer of this young player, who is already part of his country’s U23 squad despite his young age," sporting director Olivier Renard told the club website.

“It’s a great addition to the squad, especially considering several European clubs were very interested in him as well. Sunusi Ibrahim is a fast and powerful striker who can also play on the wings."

Sunusi - who was linked with a move to English Championship Watford - shot into the limelight with Nigeria Professional Football League side Nasarawa United. There, he finished as the joint-top scorer of the abridged Nigerian top-flight season having scored 10 times in 22 league outings in the 2018-19 campaign.

On the international scene, the teenager featured for Nigeria in their quest to qualify for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring his only goal against Zambia.

With this move, he becomes the fourth African in Thierry Henry’s squad after Kenya international Victor Wanyama, Uganda’s Mustafa Kizza and Senegal’s Clement Diop.

Reacting to this development, grassroots exponent Samuel Olatunji-Okuku claims the move is a testimony that several talents abound in Nigeria, while appealing to the league organisers to keep doing more towards making the league beautiful.

“Sunusi joining MLS ide Montreal Impact is a testimony that there are plenty of talents in our domestic league against what so many people feel,” the Tripple 44 boss told Goal.

“I congratulate the young man on his move and I strongly believe that he will grab this opportunity with both hands. This will also serve as a big motivation for many players in Nigeria that they can be snapped up by top clubs outside the country if they keep working hard.

“For the League Management Company, my appeal to them is to keep doing more to upgrade the standard of the league. I have a feeling that one day that clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea will comb the NPFL to sign many more talents.”

Arsenal have been boosted by the news that Gabriel Martinelli’s ankle injury is not as serious as first feared and the Brazilian could return to training in the next few days.

Martinelli went over on his ankle during the warm-up before Saturday’s FA Cup third round tie against Newcastle. The 19-year-old was due to start the game but had to be replaced in the XI by Reiss Nelson, with Martinelli watching the game from the stands wearing protective boot.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was downbeat about the injury when asked for an update after the game, saying the initial signs did "not look good" and revealing that the Brazilian was in tears as he was being assessed in the medical room.

Martinelli only made his first-team return last month after six months out with a knee injury and there were fears he faced yet another lengthy lay-off.

However, scans have revealed no serious damage and the club is hopeful he will be back in training within days, meaning he could feature against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Thursday.

“Gabi turned his right ankle during the warm-up against Newcastle United on Saturday and was subsequently taken out of the starting line-up,” Arsenal said on their club website. “Gabi has progressed very well and we’re hoping that he will return to full training with the squad in the next few days.”

There was further good news on the fitness front for Arsenal with confirmation that Thomas Partey fit again after a month out with a thigh injury.

The summer signing from Atletico Madrid has not featured since limping out of the north London derby defeat against Tottenham on December 6.

Injuries have limited the Ghana international to just six appearances for the Gunners this season, but he could make a return against the Eagles on Thursday.

Defender Gabriel is also available after completing his period of self-isolation following a positive test for coronavirus. The 23-year-old has not featured since the Carabao Cup defeat against Manchester City on December 22, missing wins against Chelsea, Brighton and West Brom over the festive period.