Football/Soccer 24-Hour Briefing
×Premier League & FA Cup
Arsenal espn.com boss Mikel Arteta is facing mounting pressure as Wayne Rooney urged him to ignore "very unfair" criticism of the Premier League leaders' playing style. Meanwhile, Leeds skysports.com powered past Norwich to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003 with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Elland Road. Port Vale bbc.com are creating FA Cup magic despite being bottom of League One, reaching the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history.
Champions League & European Action
Liverpool espn.com goalkeeper Alisson Becker will miss the crucial Champions League last-16 first leg against Galatasaray after sustaining a training injury. Milan espn.com opened up the Italian title race with a derby win over Inter, while Barcelona's Lamine Yamal starred again as the Catalans progressed. Rodri skysports.com escaped a ban after his furious outburst at officials following Manchester City's 2-2 draw at Tottenham.
Scottish Football
Police Scotland skysports.com have stated they would not currently support another big away allocation for the next Old Firm fixture following the trouble at Ibrox on Sunday. St Mirren skysports.com booked their place in the Scottish Cup semi-finals with a 2-1 victory over Partick Thistle, joining Celtic who will face St Mirren in a repeat of this season's League Cup final. The Old Firm clash saw disgraceful scenes as toxicity spilled over, with Rangers and Celtic fans invading the pitch at full-time.
Transfer News & Rumors
Fulham and USMNT left back Antonee Robinson espn.com reportedly favors a move to Liverpool over Manchester United. Meanwhile, Xavi Hernández espn.com revealed that Barcelona president Joan Laporta blocked Lionel Messi's potential return to the club due to fears of a power struggle.
MLS & North American Soccer
Vancouver Whitecaps espn.com are absolutely purring after three games, establishing themselves as the early-season team to beat in MLS. LAFC espn.com maintained their perfect start with David Martínez scoring and Hugo Lloris recording his fourth clean sheet in a 1-0 win over FC Dallas. In Montreal, Wiki Carmona espn.com scored twice against his former team as CF Montreal thumped Red Bull New York 3-0.
International & Women's Football
Michael McArdle bbc.com, former interim head coach of Scotland, has been appointed Northern Ireland manager. In Germany, Sabrina Wittmann skysports.com made history as the first woman to take charge of a men's team in Germany's top three divisions when appointed head coach of Ingolstadt. Concern has grown for Iran's women's national team players, with FIFPRO espn.com calling on FIFA to ensure their safety after five players reportedly sought refuge in an Australian safe house following their Asian Cup protest.
South American Football
The Brazilian Mineiro Championship final between Cruzeiro and Atlético-MG was overshadowed by a mass brawl that erupted seconds before the final whistle, resulting in 23 red cards espn.com. Former Brazil forward Hulk described the scenes as "regrettable" after becoming one of the players sent off in the ugly confrontation.
Managerial News
Jose Mourinho espn.com accused FC Porto assistant manager Luis 'Lucho' Gonzalez of calling him "a traitor" 50 times during Sunday's 2-2 draw. The Benfica coach's comments came after he was sent off during the heated encounter.
Player Updates
Chelsea's João Pedro espn.com hailed his "special" first season at the club after firing himself into contention to lead the line for Brazil at this summer's World Cup. Pep Guardiola espn.com revealed he gave Erling Haaland the night off against Newcastle to allow the striker to rediscover his "pace" before the Champions League trip to Real Madrid.