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Christopher Antwi-Adjei received the first red card of his career in Paderborn's 2-2 draw against Eintracht Braunschweiger in a 2. Bundesliga fixture.

The Ghana international was sent off in the 74th minute after receiving two yellow cards in Wednesday's encounter.

Goals from Dennis Srbeny and Chris Fuhrich in the opening 20 minutes were not enough to secure maximum points for Paderborn but it ended their run of three straight losses in the German second division.

Antwi-Adjei has played 10 league games for Steffen Baumgart's side this campaign following their relegation from the Bundesliga last season.

He will be expected to serve a one-game ban as punishment for his expulsion and will miss Paderborn's league visit to Osnabruck on Saturday.

The Germany-born midfielder earned his maiden invitation to the Ghana national team in November 2019, and he made his debut appearance in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against Sao Tome and Principe which ended in a 1-0 win on November 18.

Nigeria defender Jamiliu Collins was also involved at the Benteler-Arena on Wednesday - he came on to replace Germany-born Chima Okoroji in the 82nd minute.

Collins was a key fixture in Baumgart’s squad last season and he has featured in eight league matches so far in the 2020-21 season.

Paderborn, who are fighting for an immediate return to the German top-flight, are 13th on the second division table with 15 points from 12 games.

They will be aiming to end the year on a high on Saturday with their fifth league win of the season before the winter break which will last until January 4.

Pierre Kalulu's late effort saw Milan rescue a 2-2 draw for the second Serie A match running as Mattia Destro's double ultimately proved in vain for lowly Genoa.

The hosts, the last side to defeat the Rossoneri in Italy's top flight back in March, led twice as ex-Milan loanee Destro scored either side of Davide Calabria's excellent equaliser at the Luigi Ferraris.

But Kalulu tapped in from Alessio Romagnoli's downward header seven minutes from time to complete a breathless second half completely at odds with an insipid opening 45.

Leaders Milan fought back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at Parma last time out and are now 24 unbeaten in the league but only a point ahead of city rivals Inter. Genoa remain in the bottom three.

Samu Castillejo curled wide of the far post and Hakan Calhanoglu's low free-kick tested Mattia Perin in an otherwise lacklustre opening.

Destro dragged just past the left upright after 37 minutes, prior to Ante Rebic showing a great piece of skill to beat Paolo Ghiglione only to shoot straight at Perin.

Kalulu put a point-blank header over from the resulting corner and Milan were punished two minutes after the break.

Gianluigi Donnarumma made a superb stop from Eldor Shomurodov's shot on the turn but Destro reacted quickest to tap in the rebound.

The lead last only five minutes as Calabria executed a superb daisy-cutter across goal from 25 yards to find the bottom-left corner.

Destro again proved Milan's scourge on the hour, though, when his downward header from Ghiglione's right-wing centre bounced off the ground and into the left side of the goal.

Substitute Jens Petter Hauge narrowly failed to pick out the bottom corner but shortly after Kalulu pounced on Romagnoli's knockdown to level proceedings again.

There was still time for Donnarumma to expertly parry away Gianluca Scamacca's audacious acrobatic effort as Stefano Pioli's table-toppers fought to another point.

What does it mean? Milan need Ibra boost

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has not featured for Milan since injuring his hamstring in the 3-1 win over Napoli on November 22. A couple of 2-2 draws have seen the Rossoneri's title tilt stall and Pioli will want his veteran Swedish striker, who returned to training this week, back in the fold as soon as possible.

Mattia the Best-ro for unlucky Genoa

The disappointing thing for Milan is Genoa had lost their past five home league matches – a club worst run. Destro, who had an unsuccessful temporary spell with Milan in 2015, scored with both his efforts on target, Genoa had four on target in total.

Kalulu keeps his cool… eventually

Kalulu will feel he may have scored on the stroke half-time but he stepped up when it mattered. The centre-back also made a tackle, had a game-high five interceptions and regained possession seven times for his team.

Key Opta Facts: Destro's first double for three years

- Milan have scored at least two goals in 14 consecutive games: a record in Serie A history, overtaking Torino 1948 (13).
- The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last 24 league games: their longest run since 1993.
- Since the last May, among the teams in the top-five European leagues with at least 20 games during the period, only Milan (24) and Bayern Munich (21) have always scored.
- Destro scored twice in a Serie A game for the first time since December 2017, with Bologna.

What's next?

Milan will not have an easy task as they look to get back to winning ways when they visit high-flying Sassuolo on Sunday, the same day Genoa go to fellow strugglers Benevento.

Barcelona recovered from 1-0 down to defeat Real Sociedad 2-1 on Wednesday and close to within six points of the LaLiga summit.

Willian Jose put the visitors in front at Camp Nou against the run of play to give them hope of ending an eight-match run without a league win over the Catalans.

A fine strike from Jordi Alba restored parity before Frenkie De Jong prodded in what proved to be the winner before half-time as Barca secured a result that will go some way towards easing pressure on head coach Ronald Koeman.

The loss was only Sociedad's second in the league this season and ensured they missed out on leapfrogging Atletico Madrid at the top of the table.

Barca were in control of the opening 25 minutes but failed to test Alex Remiro in the visiting goal from any of their first six shots.

They found themselves behind when Sociedad scored with their first effort on target of the match, Willian Jose converting Portu's cut-back following a corner.

Barca levelled in fine style just four minutes later, Alba pouncing on a loose ball and firing high past Remiro with his right foot.

Antoine Griezmann danced his way past the defence and the goalkeeper only to see the ball cannon back off the bar, and Martin Braithwaite fired over from Pedri's pass.

The pressure told before the break, Alba's low cross deflecting kindly for De Jong to finish, with VAR overturning the offside decision.

La Real started the second half much stronger but were lucky not to fall 3-1 down, Griezmann somehow turning the ball away from goal after sliding in to meet Alba's cross.

Alexander Isak had a great chance to level when bearing down on goal but the covering Pedri made a crucial tackle before colliding with the goal post for good measure, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen did brilliantly to deny the striker after palming a shot into his path late on.

What does it mean? Barca breathe life into title hopes

Barca have now equalled their longest winning run at home to Sociedad in LaLiga, this being their 23rd consecutive victory at Camp Nou.

The result also lifts them to within six points of leaders Atletico, La Real and Real Madrid, as this title race continues to look an enthralling one.

Koeman will likely be most pleased with the manner of his side's victory, though, given this was one of their best performances of the season.

Alba outstanding

This was a throwback to Jordi Alba at his best, the left-back scoring a brilliant goal, setting up De Jong for his and giving Griezmann what looked to be the easiest of finishes.

Only Messi (86 and 59) had more touches and completed passes than Alba (85 and 52), who created three opportunities from crosses and regained possession eight times.

Best-braid plans go to waste for Griezmann

Griezmann had some good moments in attack and was valuable covering at the back for Barca, clearing one promising free-kick from danger.

Fortune deserted him in front of goal, though. He hit the bar after a fine run and then implausibly failed to score with the goal gaping, his new hairdo apparently not bringing him any better luck.

Key Opta Facts

- Barcelona have won their last four home LaLiga games, their best run under Ronald Koeman, after winning only two of their previous six at Camp Nou in the competition (D2 L2).
- Messi has claimed his 300th victory at Camp Nou in all competitions: 211 in LaLiga, 53 in Champions League, 30 in Copa del Rey and 6 in UEFA Super Cup.
- Barca are the first team to have scored twice in the same game against Real Sociedad this season in LaLiga.
- De Jong has been involved in two goals in his last two LaLiga appearances (1 goal and 1 assist), the same as in his previous 35 matches in the competition (1 goal and 1 assist).

What's next?

Barca host Valencia on Saturday, with Sociedad heading to Levante.

Kylian Mbappe and Moise Kean were on target for Paris Saint-Germain as they profited from Andreaw Gravillon's costly red card to beat Lorient 2-0 in Wednesday's Ligue 1 clash.

PSG entered the game four points adrift of Lille following the league leaders' earlier 2-0 win at Dijon and took time to get going, even if Ander Herrera did come closest to a first-half breakthrough when striking the crossbar.

However, Gravillon was dismissed for bringing down Mbappe early in the second half at the Parc des Princes and the PSG forward brushed himself down to convert the subsequent penalty.

Kean fired in a second goal nine minutes later and PSG were under little threat from that point on as they climbed to second, ahead of Lyon, going into Sunday's huge top-of-the-table showdown with Lille.

Yoane Wissa got in behind Danilo Pereira early on but the makeshift PSG defender blocked the shot - sustaining an injury in the process that forced him off - and Sergio Rico had a simple save to make.

Lorient put three goals past Nimes last weekend to end a four-game goalless losing run and they wasted another good chance to open the scoring in Paris, Terem Moffi racing clear but pulling his shot wide of the far post.

PSG hit the crossbar late in the first half through Herrera's curler, though they only had to wait until six minutes into the second period to open the scoring thanks to Mbappe's 11th league goal of the campaign.

Mbappe burst past Gravillon and was brought down by the visiting defender, who was issued a straight red card and further punished by his opponent drilling the penalty underneath Paul Nardi.

A big chance went begging for Mbappe almost instantly but PSG again carved their opponents open with an hour played, a fine team move culminating in Rafinha releasing Kean to convert past the onrushing Nardi.

Layvin Kurzawa joined Herrera in hitting the crossbar at the end of a counter 10 minutes from time but it mattered little as Lorient could not muster a response, Adrian Grbic coming closest to beating Rico when hitting the post late on.
 

What does it mean? PSG back on track

Following Sunday's surprise 1-0 loss to Lyon, this was the first time PSG had entered a game outside of the top two this far into a season since matchday 23 in 2016-17 when also third.

Thomas Tuchel's men quite simply could not afford to drop more points and, while not always at their best, did what was required to pick up a 10th straight league win over Lorient.

Lille may remain a point better off but this was a positive day on the whole for the reigning champions as fellow title contenders Marseille and Montpellier lost, while Lyon were held 2-2 at home to Brest.

Rafinha pulls the strings

With Marco Verratti named among the subs, Rafinha was selected in a midfield three alongside Herrera and Idrissa Gueye.

The former Barcelona man played a great ball to Mbappe in the build-up to the penalty and slotted in Kean for the second. He played four key passes in all, a joint-high alongside Herrera.

Gravillon error costly

Lorient more than held their own in the first half and would have fancied their chances of becoming the latest side to take points off PSG.

Gravillon effectively put paid to those hopes when bringing down Mbappe for the penalty, which proved the turning point. The centre-back may only have been on the field for 51 minutes, yet no visiting player conceded more fouls than his two, level with Jerome Hergault.

What's next?

PSG travel to Lille on Sunday in a huge clash at the top of Ligue 1, while Lorient host Rennes on the same day.

Roberto Firmino scored a late header to put Liverpool top of the Premier League table as Tottenham were beaten 2-1 at Anfield.

Son Heung-min's contentious first-half equaliser looked to have kept Spurs at the summit on goal difference after Mohamed Salah's 14th goal of the season put the champions in front.

Firmino rose to head home Andy Robertson's corner in the 90th minute to dramatically win it, though, and put the Reds three points clear of Jose Mourinho's side.

Spurs felt Firmino's goal should have been ruled out for a foul by Jordan Henderson on Eric Dier when Robertson's delivery came in, but Spurs' 11-match unbeaten run in the top flight came to a halt.

Both teams struck the woodwork through Steven Bergwijn and Sadio Mane in the second half before Firmino won it.

Liverpool started with great intensity after an emotional minute's applause for late former boss Gerard Houllier and an unmarked Firmino's downward header was saved by Hugo Lloris.

Salah shot straight at Lloris after the ball struck Dier on the arm in the penalty area but no spot-kick was awarded before the Egypt forward opened the scoring with a shot that deflected in off Toby Alderweireld after 26 minutes.

The Reds were dominant but Spurs levelled against the run of play seven minutes later, Son taking Giovani Lo Celso's pass and finishing clinically, then breathing a sigh of relief after the goal was awarded following a VAR check.

Bergwijn missed a great chance to put Spurs in front just after the break, shooting wide of the far post following a lapse from teenage defender Rhys Williams - making his Premier League debut.

Alisson spared his own blushes when he tipped away Harry Kane's attempted lob after the Spurs captain intercepted his sloppy pass in a bright start to the second half from the London club.

Bergwijn's measured shot struck the post after Son nodded on to put the Netherlands international clear and Kane headed over the crossbar when he ought to have scored from close range.

Liverpool almost responded when Mane turned sharply and saw his deflected left-foot strike hit the top of the bar, but Firmino secured all three points with a bullet header and Spurs’ protests were waved away as they lost top spot.

What does it mean? Spurs pay the price at fortress Anfield

Liverpool have now won seven out of seven in the Premier League at Anfield, where they are unbeaten in 66 top-flight matches.

Despite being without a host of key players, the Reds are looking ominous and were much more like the team that stormed to the title last season after not being at their best in a draw at Fulham last weekend.

Spurs felt aggrieved by Firmino's winner, but if they had taken at least one of the great chances they created in the second half their long unbeaten run in the Premier League would not have come to an end.

Jones masterful in midfield

Teenage midfielder Curtis Jones was outstanding for the Reds in the middle of the park.

The 19-year-old was intelligent with his movement off the ball, drifting into space and brimming with confidence on the ball, finding his man with all but seven of his 113 passes.

He made a game-high 87 of those passes in the Spurs half, also having three shots and winning 80 per cent of his aerial duals.

What might have been for wasteful Bergwijn

Bergwijn came agonisingly close to putting Tottenham in front when he hit the outside of the post and also missed a glorious opportunity right at the start of the second half

It was not the Netherlands international's night, as he did not provide a single key pass and also and his only cross did not find the intended target.

Key Opta Stats:

- Tottenham have won just one of their last 27 Premier League away games against Liverpool (D8 L18), last winning there in May 2011 under Harry Redknapp.
- Only versus Chelsea (102) have Spurs conceded more Premier League goals than they have against Liverpool (97).
- Mourinho has never won away against Klopp in six attempts in all competitions (D2 L4), with Klopp being the manager he has faced the most away from home without ever tasting victory.
- Son has scored 11 goals in 13 Premier League appearances this season, equalling his goal tally from the entire 2019-20 campaign (11 in 30).
- Salah now has eight goals against Tottenham in all competitions - against no other side has he scored more in his club career in European football (level with Bournemouth and Watford).

What's next?

The champions will have a spring in their step when they head to the capital to face Crystal Palace on Saturday, while Spurs are home to Leicester City the following day.

Chuba Akpom scored the only goal in Middlesbrough’s 1-0 victory over Luton Town while Sam Morsy was sent off in Wednesday’s Championship game.

The Nigerian forward has continued to turn heads since his arrival at Riverside Stadium in the summer from Greek Super League club PAOK Salonika.

The 25-year-old was afforded his 11th start of the season and made the most of the opportunity, helping his side to clinch their second consecutive victory.

Egypt international Morsy could not complete his 13thh game of the season for the Boro after he was punished for his indiscipline.

The former Wigan Athletic captain teamed up with Middlesbrough in the summer after ending his four-year stay with the club.

 The game started with both sides aiming to outwit each other but missed several scoring chances in the first half to keep the scoreline remain at 0-0.

After the restart, Akpom then broke the deadlock with a fine effort in the 52nd minute after receiving a sumptuous assist from Marvin Johnson.

The Boro were then reduced to 10 men after Morsy was shown a straight red card for deliberately handling the ball in the penalty area.

Luton Town were awarded a penalty kick by referee Andy Davies but James Collins failed to covert his effort.

Akpom’s goal was, however, enough to ensure Neil Warnock’s men secured their eighth win of the season at Riverside Stadium.

The Nigerian forward featured for 77 minutes before he was replaced by the Democratic Republic of the Congo international Britt Assombalonga.

Akpom has now made 15 appearances for Middlesbrough this season, scoring two goals amid other dazzling displays.

The victory moved the Boro to the seventh spot on the Championship table after gathering 30 points from 19 games.

The attacker will be expected to continue his impressive performances when Middlesbrough take on Birmingham City in their next league game on December 19.

Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his Premier League goal drought at Emirates Stadium with his equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Southampton on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old striker ended a run of 648 minutes without a league goal at home, by completing a fine team move to cancel out Theo Walcott's opener in the 52nd minute.

Aubameyang’s last league goal at Emirates Stadium was in July against Watford where he scored a brace in their final fixture for the 2019-20 Premier League season.

Wednesday's strike was the Gabonese’s third goal of the season after 13 league appearances and his first goal from open play since their league opener against Fulham on September 12.

Although the result stretched the Gunners' unbeaten streak to six matches, Arteta remains positive on Aubameyang's goalscoring form.

“Hopefully it's going to change everything dramatically and he's going to start to score every game because this is what we need at the moment,” Arteta said after the match.

Aubameyang, meanwhile, dismissed the attention on him as Arsenal continue their struggle in the Premier League.

They remain 15th in the league table with 14 points from 13 matches while enduring their worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1974-75 season.

He said; "At the moment, I'm a guy when things are going wrong I just work a lot, I try to do my job, to give everything, and I give my advice inside [the club], and it's true I've not spoken a lot in the last few weeks, but I'm here and I want to talk on the pitch, that's it.

"I think tonight is not about my goal and me, it's about the team. As I say, we need points, it doesn't matter if I score, the most important thing is to get points."

Arsenal will be targeting their first Premier League win since November 1 (1-0 win over Manchester United) when they visit Everton at the Goodison Park on Saturday.

Robert Lewandowski scored his 250th Bundesliga goal in Bayern Munich's 2-1 win against Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

Bayern striker Lewandowski reached the landmark with a header on the stroke of half-time to cancel out Maximilian Philipp's early opener. He then struck early in the second half to earn the Bundesliga champions three points.

The 32-year-old is only the third player in Bundesliga history to reach the landmark after Gerd Muller (365) and Klaus Fischer (268), but he is the first non-German to achieve the feat.

Lewandowski required 332 games to hit the total, making him quicker than Fischer (460) but not as rapid as Bayern great Muller (284).

The Poland international scored his first 74 Bundesliga goals across 131 appearances for Borussia Dortmund, with his 176 for Bayern taking just 201 matches.

Lewandowski appears to prefer the comforts of home, with 150 of his efforts coming on his own patch compared to 100 in away games.

It is not often Lewandowski finds himself on the bench, but in the 37 appearances he has made as a substitute, he has scored 16 goals.

Of his 250 goals, 43 were left-footed, 164 right-footed and 41 headed, with two more scored with other parts of his body. There were 16 scored from outside the box and 234 inside, including 29 penalties.

Lewandowski's landmark effort was his 22nd in 20 Bundesliga games versus Wolfsburg, the most he has netted against any one opponent.

The centre forward started his senior career in his native Poland with Znicz Pruszkow in 2006 before progressing to Lech Pozman two years later.

Lewandowski was snapped up by Borussia Dortmund in 2010 and immediately helping the club to wn back-to-back Bundesliga titles in his debut campaign and the following season.

He also spearheaded the Black and Yellows to the 2011-12 DFB Pokal Cup and to the 2012-13 Champions League final - which they lost 2-1 to Bayern.

After helping Dortmund to compete against Bayern for four seasons, Lewandowski made the move to Germany's biggest club in 2014, where he has remained for the past seven seasons.

He has won the Bundesliga in every season he has played for Bayern, and finally lifted the Champions League last campaign when the Bavarians defeated PSG.

Andrea Pirlo admitted Alvaro Morata's glaring miss in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Atalanta made him "very angry" but the Juventus boss praised the forward for an otherwise "great game".

Juve were denied a fifth consecutive win in all competitions when Remo Freuler cancelled out Federico Chiesa's opener at the Allianz Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo squandered a golden opportunity to seal all three points for the champions, though, missing from the spot after Chiesa had been tripped in the area – his fourth failure from 30 penalties in all competitions for Juve. 

While Pirlo was relaxed about the Portuguese superstar's miss, he could not hide his frustration at Morata's indiscretion early in the first half. 

The Spain international, who has scored nine goals in all competitions this season, inexplicably scuffed a backheeled effort wide with the goal at his mercy after initially playing a poor pass to Ronaldo when he had been clean through.

On Ronaldo's miss, he told a media conference: "It's a pity because it would have helped us to go ahead, but these things can happen.

"Morata's miss made me very angry, it's something we cannot afford. These opportunities can channel the game in a certain way. One must have the lucidity to make the right choice and he didn't. Aside from that he played a great game. It happens that goals are not scored sometimes."

Juve came up against a goalkeeper in inspired form, Pierluigi Gollini saving Ronaldo's spot-kick and making excellent stops to deny Morata and Weston McKennie.

The result means they have drawn six of their first 12 league games of the season for the first time since 1984-85, when they finished in sixth.

Pirlo was pleased with his side's attitude, but said they need to show more conviction if they are to start turning draws into wins.

"We played an excellent match against a strong team, with great pace," he added.

"However, we would have won if we had shown more conviction. We created a lot, but we have not been able to close it out and when we leave the game in the balance, anything can happen - but we took the field with the right attitude. It was an important game in terms of intensity. Atalanta is difficult to face and we did it well."

The Bianconeri will hope to return to winning ways when they visit Parma on Saturday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called on his players to show their title credentials over a busy run of games during the Christmas period.

Manchester United travel to Bramall Lane on Thursday evening to kickstart a hectic fortnight which sees them play six games in 15 days.

Five of those are Premier League clashes and with United sitting eight points off the top with two games in hand, Solskjaer believes it will be a period that determines his side’s ability to win the top domestic prize.

“This is a big run of games for us. After the Villa game on New Year's Day, we have a little bit of a break in the league. This period is going to be vital and it'll be easier for me to answer around that time,” Solskjaer said.

“I'd be disappointed if the players didn't think we can put a challenge up. At the moment, anything goes in the league. There are different reasons for different results. I feel we're getting better but we have to improve quite a bit to take that next step as well.”

With no pre-season and coming into the campaign straight off the back of a postponed 2019-20 campaign, it has been an interesting start to the season with all teams dropping points that many would not expect.

The unpredictably of this campaign could give United their best chance of mounting a real title charge for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

“Whoever finds the consistency and the energy will have a better chance than in the last few seasons, because there's been a few runaway teams,” Solskjaer said.

“For us, the quicker we can get the game in hand against Burnley played the better so that the league table looks as it should be. Then again, I'm as boring as you alluded to there, you have to take one game at a time.

“Even though we've got six games in less than 16 days, we've still got to look at one, then one and then one because if you take your eye off the ball you'll quickly lose points in games where you expect to take more.”

Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has suggested he is treated differently than other Premier League managers, claiming he would be sent off if he behaved the same way as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. 

Mourinho's side fell 2-1 to the Reds in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, as Roberto Firmino's 90th-minute header settled the top-of-the-table clash at Anfield. 

Tottenham had just 24 per cent possession and two shots on target compared to Liverpool's 11, but they could have easily escaped with a point or even all three had Steven Bergwijn or Harry Kane have put away good chances in the second half. 

At the conclusion of the match, Mourinho and Klopp exchanged words on the touchline. When asked by Amazon what was said, Mourinho said he told Klopp that Spurs deserved to win the match and that there is a double standard when it comes to coaching behaviour.

"I told him the best team lost and he disagreed, but that's his opinion," Mourinho said of Klopp. "If I behave the same way he does on the touchline, I do not stay there. That's animated? For some reason I am different."

Speaking to the BBC, Mourinho added that he felt Klopp and the Liverpool bench were putting undue pressure on the officials to show Giovani Lo Celso a second yellow, forcing him to remove the Argentine after 58 minutes.

"The game was always under control. I feel it was a very undeserved result, but that's football," Mourinho added. "At half-time we move a little bit the pieces, but overall the game was always under control and I am very pleased with the performance.

"The changes were to find counterattack situations which we did immediately, but with Gio's yellow card and the incredible pressure these guys on the touchline put on the officials, I was afraid of the yellow card and I had to take him off. I am not the one to speak to my colleagues about their behaviour on the touchline."

Spurs dropped to second place with the defeat to the defending champions, who went three points clear at the top of the table. Still, Mourinho felt his opponents on the night didn't demonstrate their title credentials. 

"Very good performance, of course some mistakes, some things to improve, a very unfair result. My team told me I am right when I say from the beginning of the season we go to every match to win. We played against the champions in their stadium and we had the best chances to win," Mourinho added to Amazon.

"The team was brilliant. Today Liverpool didn't look a team that is champion, European champion, world champion - that difference was not on the pitch."

Son Heung-min's Tottenham equaliser should not have stood despite a VAR review ruling it was a good goal, according to Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp.

Despite controversy surrounding the Spurs goal which cancelled out Mohamed Salah's opener, the Reds secured all three points with a 2-1 victory via a late Roberto Firmino header to move three points clear of their opponent at the top of the Premier League.

Son looked to be offside to the naked eye just before he received the ball and strode through to finish clinically past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.

However, a VAR check deemed the South Korean international was marginally onside to get Spurs back into the match only seven minutes after Salah had given Liverpool the lead at Anfield.

Despite the referees ruling the goal would stand, Klopp insisted that Son was offside and the goal should have been ruled out.

"For me, it is offside [the Spurs goal]," Klopp said post match. "They watch it 20 times, but when I saw it, it is offside.

"There is nobody to blame, the best way to defend Tottenham is to keep the ball all the time."

Liverpool dominated the 90 minutes with 76 per cent of the possession, and had 17 shots on goal to Tottenham's eight.

Klopp was delighted to contain Spurs' threat on the break by maintaining the ball and hailed Firmino's match-winning contribution in the 90th minute, with the Brazilian often maligned for his lack of goals.

"A good game against a counterattacking monster, the possession we had we did incredibly well," Klopp said.

"Yes they have scored a goal, had two chances, apart from that we controlled the game and it is a massively deserved three points and I am happy.

"I am so happy we scored that goal because it felt like 70% of the ball against a top side. Bobby, what a header, I am over the moon for him. What a game he played, those movements, he opens up all the other gaps."

Liverpool will look to consolidate their lead at the top of the Premier League table with matches against Crystal Palace (away), West Brom (home) and Newcastle (away) over the Christmas-New Year period.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty as Juventus were held to a 1-1 Serie A draw by Atalanta in Turin on Wednesday. 

Andrea Pirlo's side had looked well on their way to a fifth consecutive win in all competitions when Federico Chiesa scored his first league goal for the club since joining on loan from Fiorentina after 29 minutes. 

Remo Freuler pulled the visitors level with a sumptuous strike in the 57th minute, though, before Ronaldo's dismal spot-kick was kept out by the impressive Pierluigi Gollini four minutes later.

A point lifted the champions up to third, but they could finish the day six points behind leaders Milan should Stefano Pioli's men overcome Genoa. Atalanta, meanwhile, moved up to eighth ahead of Wednesday's late fixtures.

Juve started brightly and should have scored twice inside the opening 15 minutes, but Ronaldo blazed over from close range and Alvaro Morata inexplicably scuffed a backheeled attempt wide with the goal at his mercy. 

Chiesa made up for his team-mates' profligacy shortly before the half-hour mark, collecting Rodrigo Bentancur's pass and whipping a sublime strike into Gollini's top-left corner from 22 yards. 

Wojciech Szczesny denied Duvan Zapata and Ruslan Malinovskiy soon after as an improved Atalanta ultimately fell short of restoring parity before the interval.

Morata fired straight at Gollini immediately after the restart when clean through before Freuler thundered home a spectacular equaliser after 57 minutes, the Switzerland international firing in from 25 yards for his first goal of the season. 

Ronaldo then squandered a golden opportunity to restore Juve's lead, clipping a tame penalty into the arms of Gollini after Chiesa had been fouled in the area, while the Atalanta goalkeeper did wonderfully to deny Morata shortly after.

Benni McCarthy's first match in charge of ambitious Durban club AmaZulu ended in a 2-0 defeat to Golden Arrows at the Kings Park Stadium on Wednesday evening.

AmaZulu 0-2 Golden Arrows

After a quiet start to the match, proceedings livened up midway through the first half and there were chances for both sides, but Seth Parusnath for Arrows and Luvuyo Memela for AmaZulu were unable to capitalise.

Then after a sustained period of pressure from the visitors, they earned a penalty after a hand-ball in the Usuthu box. Nduduzo Sibiya made no mistake as he stepped up to beat Veli Mothwa from the spot in the 45th minute.

Five minutes after the restart, Sibiya turned provider as he combined nicely with Velemseni Ndwandwe before the latter slotted home Abafana bes'Thende's second goal.

The game became increasingly physical in the final 30 minutes as AmaZulu upped their efforts to try and get back into the game.

Arrows, though, were resolute in defence and held on relatively comfortably for the three points to make it two wins and five draws from their seven league matches this season.

Black Leopards 1-1 Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila

In an afternoon game at the Thohoyandou Stadium, Black Leopards and Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) played out a 1-1 draw.

Tshakhuma's Washington Arubi was the busier of the two goalkeepers early on as he made a few saves, while Leopards stopper King Ndlovu had to be replaced by Jonas Mendes after picking up an injury in the 27th minute.

Then after Rhulani Manzini missed a good chance for TTM, Lidoda Duvha took the lead in the 45th minute through a penalty by Rodrick Kabwe.

TTM came out and played with intent after the break and after Manzini had missed a couple of further chances, he had his team back on level terms with a well-struck free kick in the 69th minute.

Manzini also came close with a late free-kick, while Edwin Gyimah failed to win it for Leopards when he missed with a header.  

The Free State side left it late at the Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium as they scored twice in the final 10 minutes to snatch victory.

Both goals were scored by substitutes - Tumelo Mangweni netted in the 81st minute, just two minutes after coming on - before Tumelo Ntjoti wrapped up the game in the 91st minute.

The CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores  has reached its quarter-final stage, as the delayed 2020 competition nears its end.

And Wednesday promises to be a memorable evening as Santos and Gremio, two sides with enviable track records in South America's biggest club tournament, go head to head.

Santos hold a slight advantage going into the second leg after taking a 1-1 draw away from home in last week's opener. 

But it could have been much better for the visitors, who led until the 101st minute when Diego Souza equalised from the penalty spot, leaving the tie wide open.

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How to watch Santos vs Gremio on US TV

What has happened to Santos and Gremio so far in the 2020 Copa Libertadores?

With five Libertadores titles between them, Brazilian pair Santos and Gremio are invariably considered among South America's elite teams.

Indeed, neither the Peixe nor Gremio, who lifted the crown in 2017, encountered too much trouble on their way to the quarter finals. 

Santos finished top of Group G with a near-perfect 16 points from 18, although they then faced a potential banana skin in the last 16 in the shape of Ecuador Liga de Quito.

The Brazilians pulled off a major coup in prevailing 2-1 in the altitude of Quito, a result that meant they could afford to lose a bad-tempered return and still progress on away goals.  

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Gremio also clinched first place in their group, beating out arch-rivals Internacional after two typically fierce Porto Alegre derbies - the first, which finished 0-0, included no less than eight red cards 

The last 16 saw Renato Gaucho's troops meet Guarani of Paraguay, who proved no match for the Tricolor. 

Both ties ended 2-0 in Gremio's favour, setting up a tantalising tie with their compatriots as the club seeks a fourth consecutive appearance in the Copa semi-finals.

Santos and Gremio team news and preview

Santos will be without Diego Pituca at Vila Belmiro after the midfielder received a 90th-minute red card in the first leg for a second bookable offence.

Venezuela international Yeferson Soteldo and young midfielder Vinicius Baliero are also unavailable for the hosts due to positive Covid-19 tests.

The Peixe will be able to call on Arthur Gomes, who has been cleared to rejoin the squad following his own positive.

Having played the first leg with veteran Diego Souza as his sole forward, Renato Gaucho is likely to take a more attacking approach to the second leg. 

The Gremio coach will push Cesar Pinares and Pepe up alongside Souza, while Argentine Diego Churin remains on the bench. 

Midfielder Maicon is unavailable for the Tricolor but Jean Pyerre is back in action and likely to take his place in the engine room.

Probable Santos XI: John; Para, Lucas Veríssimo, Luan Peres, Felipe Jonatan; Alison, Sandry, Jobson; Marinho, Kaio Jorge, Lucas Braga.

Probable Gremio XI:  Vanderlei; Victor Ferraz, Pedro Geromel, Kannemann, Diogo Barbosa; Darlan, Matheus Henrique, Jean Pyerre; Pinares, Diego Souza, Pepe.

When does the 2020 Copa Libertadores finish?

The 2020 Copa Libertadores was originally scheduled to conclude with a single final in a neutral ground, the system which replaced the old format of home and away legs last year, at the end of November. 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the tournament suffered almost six months of interruption, meaning that the final phases had to be pushed back into the South American summer months of late December and January. 

Boca Juniors and Racing Club additionally suffered a further week's delay when the former's last-16 first leg match against Internacional was suspended due to the death of Diego Maradona. The Argentine pair play the opener of their quarter final shortly after Santos-Gremio comes to an end, with the return taking place at the Bombonera on December 23. 

The rest of the quarter-final ties conclude this week, with the last four taking place between January 5 and 13 following a short break for the festive period. 

The final proper is scheduled to be held at Rio de Janeiro's landmark Maracana Stadium on January 30.  

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