Sunderland stun United

Sunderland took another giant stride towards Premier League safety with a 1-0 victory over beleaguered champions
Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Black Cats' success - United's seventh home league loss this term - saw Cardiff and Fulham relegated and moves Gus Poyet's men three points clear of Norwich
with a superior goal difference.

The only goal came after 30 minutes when Connor Wickham was allowed to cross from near the corner flag by Darren Fletcher and Seb Larsson ran unchecked beyond Michael Carrick to fire beyond David de Gea from 12 yards.

Robin van Persie was thrown on in the second period to make his first appearance since the March 19 win over Olympiakos, but it was Sunderland who went close to
making it 2-0 when fellow sub Emanuele Giaccherini hit the post from Jozy Altidore's low cross, with Jack Colback firing the follow-up into the side-netting.

With time running out and United's regular attacks held up by the Sunderland defence, the visitors were again inches away from doubling their lead when Fabio Borini beat De Gea with a curling shot only to see it come back off the face of the crossbar.

This was the afternoon that the feel-good bubble surrounding Ryan Giggs well and truly burst as the high-tempo, counter- attacking football he demanded from his
players was absent all day.

United were flat in midfield, Javier
Hernandez went missing up front and even the return of Van Persie from the bench could not inspire the Red Devils to victory.

United's defeat also highlighted the need for reinforcements this summer, particularly in midfield, where Nani, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick failed to impress.

Just as they did in like last week's win over Norwich, Giggs' men started very slowly.

Ashley Young, one of five changes to a starting XI that did not contain the injured Wayne Rooney, dazzled Marcos Alonso with his skill, but his final ball was poor.

The only time United came close to scoring in the opening 15 minutes was when John O'Shea nearly turned the ball into his own net from Carrick's cross.

Another United old boy - Wes Brown - then put a crucial block in to deny Nani, who then picked himself up before curling over
from 20 yards.

Patrice Evra bundled his way through the crowd, but his weak header was easily collected by Vito Mannone.

Hernandez, making his fifth league start of the year, dropped too deep, leaving United without a focal point up front.

Giggs had seen enough. With 26 minutes on the clock he came to the touchline for the first time to stand over his players.

Four minutes later his mood worsened as Sunderland took the lead.

Fletcher inexplicably allowed Wickham to send over a cross which Larsson expertly finished after giving Carrick the slip.

United were just as flat and unimaginative until the break, with Juan Mata the only man to test Mannone courtesy of a low drive.

Soon after the restart the United fans started voicing their frustration as the home team passed the ball across midfield
without, seemingly devoid of any idea how to pierce the Sunderland back four.

United upped the tempo briefly near the halfway point of the second period. Evra crossed for Hernandez, but Brown intervened just as the Mexican was about
to shoot.

Nemanja Vidic appealed for a penalty when his header struck Lee Cattermole in the box, but Howard Webb waved play on.

Giggs replaced Nani with Adnan Januzaj, who scored two goals in the reverse fixture. Then Van Persie entered, along with Danny Welbeck, for his first game in
more than six weeks.

Sunderland should have put the result beyond doubt with 17 minutes to go, but Giaccherini's weak shot from a cross by fellow substitute Altidore hit a post and
bounced out to safety.

Borini almost made it 2-0 when he struck the bar, but one goal proved enough for Poyet, who jumped for joy when the final whistle went.

Cardiff relegated

Cardiff City's relegation from the Premier League has been confirmed after they lost 3-0 at Newcastle United.

The result, coupled with Sunderland's success at Manchester United, meant the
Welsh side were sent back to the
Championship less than 12 months after they celebrated promotion to the top flight.

The opening goal arrived just 18 minutes in when Shola Ameobi scored only his second of the season.

Despite the home win, the St James' Park faithful spent much of the match calling for Alan Pardew to be sacked and the much-
anticipated fan walk-out on 69 minutes - marking the last year they won a trophy in 1969 - saw a number of supporters leave the ground.

Whilst the protests continued, Cardiff pressed and the should have levelled, but brilliant goalkeeping from Tim Krul and last-
ditch defending from captain Fabio
Coloccini kept them at bay.

Newcastle then sealed victory with two goals in the last three minutes as Cardiff pushed forward in numbers.

The second arrived with just three minutes left as Loic Remy converted from close range and then Steven Taylor - on as
substitute and making his 200th league appearance - hooked the ball home to seal the win and end Cardiff's stay in the Premier League as they find themselves
back in the Championship.

It never looked like being a comfortable afternoon for Pardew whatever happened on the pitch and his side were fortunate not to be behind with just six minutes
gone when Krul's weak punch fell to striker Fraizer Campbell on the edge of the box, and he steered his effort wastefully wide.

But it was opposite number David Marshall who kept his side in the game as the hosts hit back.

He produced two fine saves within seconds to keep out full-back Mathieu Debuchy's well-struck 16th-minute shot and then his
bullet header from the resulting corner.

However, he was left helpless with 18 minutes gone when Moussa Sissoko crossed from the right for Ameobi, who had pulled away from marker Steven Caulker, to head firmly home.

Newcastle looked as if they might run riot, with Sissoko seeing a shot and then a cross deflected against the woodwork, while Cheick Tiote drilled an effort wide after a
flowing move.

But in the meantime, the visitors might have got themselves back into the game as Wilfried Zaha made his mark.

The winger, who had started on the right, decided to try his luck on the opposite flank and tricked his way past Debuchy before firing in a 29th-minute shot which Krul blocked instinctively with his trailing leg.

Zaha got in behind Debuchy once again two minutes later, but this time the defender recovered to make a vital interception.

Pardew's men restored a measure of order as the first half approached its conclusion, but the game was far from over as they
reassembled in the dressing room with Newcastle old boy Craig Bellamy replacing Kim Bo-kyung at the break.

Bellamy made an impact as he gave the visitors greater impetus going forward, and his pass to Campbell allowed him to send
in a right-wing cross which floated across goal and just wide of the far post.

Central defender Mike Williamson saw a 57th-minute shot deflected wide as Newcastle responded, but the flow of play was largely towards his goal, although with
the Bluebirds unable to find any kind of cutting edge.

But they might have been back in the game with 14 minutes remaining when Jordon Mutch headed down for substitute
Kenwyne Jones to poke the ball towards goal, only for Krul to block. And when the Dutchman spilled Bellamy's cross seconds later, Aron Gunnarsson's effort was cleared
off the line by Coloccini.

But Cardiff's fate was sealed at the death as Remy tapped home after Tiote's 87th- minute shot had been blocked into his path, and Taylor completed the scoring in injury time when he stabbed home from
Remy's knock-down.

Gerrard gets new deal

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Steven Gerrard will be handed a contract extension at Anfield this summer.

The Liverpool skipper, who turns 34 later this month, has 12-months left on his.current deal but the Anfield outfit are set to extend that by another season.

Gerrard has had an outstanding campaign for Rodgers and Liverpool, operating in a more defensive role.

And Rodgers is under no illusions that Gerrard deserves to have a new deal.

"Steven will be one we look to get a
contract to in the summer," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.

"With a year to go, it's something we will address.

"I believe Steven will play beyond 2015. He is a player who has really shown his qualities this season.

"Come the summer, he will still only be 34. Looking towards the future, I still think he's going to be a key part of our squad.

"He has dropped into a new position and played it seamlessly. His intelligence in the game is second to none. He is improving all
the time.

"It's one where he has been brilliant for me as a captain and as a player this season and I would like that to continue.

"Most clubs, especially bigger clubs,
recognise now that once a player gets over a certain age you have to look at a contract's duration.

"But for me Steven still has so much to offer and I really want him beside me here working on the field."

Empathy

Rodgers says Gerrard will get over the slip in last week's clash with Chelsea, which enabled Demba Ba to open the scoring in their 2-0 win at Anfield - a result which put the destination of the title back into the
hands of Manchester City.

"Everyone had empathy for Steven," Rodgers said.

"The mistake obviously changed the course of the game and he was just unfortunate.

"Steven was hurting like we all were. Steven's quest is not for himself, it's more about the team and doing it for the supporters.

"This is a player who has picked himself up after disappointments many times over his career here at Liverpool and he will do it again. He has carried this club throughout
his career.

"He's a real good man and I have just reinforced to Steven this week what an influential player he is for our team.

"There is no blame attached to him
because he has been instrumental in where we are to this day and he will continue to be in the coming years.

"Steven has been brilliant on the training field this week. He has narrowed his focus like the team has and now we're looking to
playing Crystal Palace."

Mourinho lashes out on Hazard

Jose Mourinho has questioned Eden Hazard's team ethic in the wake of Chelsea's midweek Champions League exit.

Chelsea let slip a 1-0 lead as Atletic Madrid won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to reach the final, and the visitors' first goal came as a direct result of Hazard's failure to track a Juanfran run.

The midfielder appeared to criticise his manager's tactics after the semi-final exit, claiming Chelsea were set up solely to
counter-attack.

And, while Mourinho has praised Hazard's willingness to work at times this season, there was little support for the Belgian at Chelsea's pre-Norwich press conference.

"I listened to the interview," said
Mourinho. "There was nothing critical in what he said. When the comments come from a player like Eden it's normal because he's not the kind of player to sacrifice
himself for the team.

"Normally you get these kind of comments from players like him, from players that can't resolve a problem like we had in the first goal.

"Eden is the kind of player that is not so mentally ready to look back to his left-back and to leave his life for him.

"If you see the first goal of Atletico you completely understand where the mistake was and why we conceded that goal.

"The perfect team at the top level cannot make these kinds of mistakes."

Mourinho showed his ruthlessness in January, selling fans' favourite Juan Mata because of a perceived inability to adapt to his tactics, and Hazard has been linked with Paris St Germain in recent weeks.

"I'm not happy," Mourinho said. "I speak all season and I try to improve him all season."

Attention now turns to the Premier League and the club's outside chance of snatching the title from under the noses of Manchester City and Liverpool.

Chelsea - two points behind leaders
Liverpool and one ahead of City, who have a game in hand - host Norwich on Sunday before travelling to Cardiff seven days
later.

Mourinho said: "The only thing we can do is win both our matches. We play against two teams who desperately need the three points.

"At this moment City have three matches to win to be champions but you never know.

"It's because of matches like Villa and Sunderland that we're not in a better position. It's not been a bad season, it's been a transitional season, and to arrive where we have is very good."

"To fight for the title until the end is very good and to reach the Champions League semi-final is a good step."

Rooney a doubt for United

Wayne Rooney is a major doubt for
Manchester United's match against
Sunderland on Saturday due to the
combination of illness and a minor groin injury.

Interim manager Ryan Giggs said a number of United players have been struck down by illness, and are therefore unlikely to play in the Premier League clash at Old
Trafford.

Giggs said: "A few of the lads have had a bug. Anders Lindegaard has, and so has Wayne.

"Wayne has a tight groin also so obviously with the bug you have to be careful with that because his immune system is down.

"Wayne being Wayne, he wants to be involved so we will just monitor it over the next 24 hours."

Since United beat Norwich 4-0 in Giggs' first game in charge last Saturday, Juan Mata, Rooney and Lindegaard have backed the Welshman to be the club's long-term replacement for David Moyes, who was sacked last week just 10 months into a six- year contract.

United are believed to want a more
experienced man at the helm though and have held discussions with Holland coach Louis van Gaal.

The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach could be appointed early next week. Giggs is yet to decide whether he would like to be part of van Gaal's staff.

"Nothing has changed. (This job) is just until the end of the season," Giggs said.

"We will chat when the season is over.

"The main concentration I have is on the Sunderland game and then after that the remaining two games. I have a lot to think about - whether to continue playing...

"But my concentration is just on now. We will see what happens at the end of the season."

Giggs has been handed a boost ahead of the Sunderland game with the news that Robin van Persie is back in training.

The Dutch striker has been out with a knee unjury since scoring a match-winning hat- trick in United's victory over Olympiacos
on March 19.

"Robin has looked good in training this week," Giggs said. We will see (after training) today whether he is ready."

Five things to know about French Ligue 1

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain gets another chance to clinch the French league title on Wednesday. The Parisian club has an eight-point lead over Monaco with just three rounds left. Monaco plays two hours before PSG and needs a victory over struggling Guingamp to keep the title race alive until the match between PSG and Rennes kicks off.

Here are five things to know about this weekend's games:
___
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
It became pretty obvious that PSG would keep its crown after building a 13-point lead over Monaco with six rounds left.

Yet, PSG failed to seal the title last
weekend by drawing 1-1 with relegation- threatened Sochaux.
"There was more desire in the team that wanted to be safe than in the team that wanted to win the title," PSG midfielder Yohan Cabaye said.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic could return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since April 2. The Sweden striker is the top scorer in the league with 25 goals.

A victory over Rennes would give PSG the record for most points in a season.

PSG is one point shy of Lyon's record of 84 points set in 2005-06.
___
ITALIAN HUMOR
Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri was not upset when the news media suggested that Zinedine Zidane or Roberto Mancini could take his job this summer.
"I'm 62, I've been dealing with rumors for 30 years," Ranieri told a news conference. "You know, the coach is like cuckolded husbands, he's the last one to know about it."
Ranieri has a year left on his contract. He helped Monaco gain promotion a year ago and secure a Champions League spot this season.

"If Monaco wants to keep winning, I
must stay here, otherwise Monaco will no longer win," Ranieri said with a grin.

Monaco has won its last four league
games to keep PSG under pressure.

___
A CHANGE OF FORTUNE
A Europa League spot will be at stake when Marseille hosts Lyon on Sunday.

The French club finishing fifth qualifies for the preliminary round of Europe's second-tier competition.
Marseille seemed to have better chances when it was sixth at the halfway stage and Lyon sat in 11th place. But Lyon has made up ground since January to climb to fifth, five points clear of Marseille.
"It was a long shot," Lyon midfielder Maxime Gonalons said. "We were trailing by a lot of points. At one stage, people even mentioned relegation. I can tell you that really hurt us."
___
TWO-FRONT BATTLE
Rennes and Guingamp haven't secured safety yet. Their league matches have been rescheduled to Wednesday as they will face each other in the French Cup final on Saturday.

Rennes will seek revenge after losing 2-1 to Guingamp in the 2009 French Cup final.

"We will try to use the failure from 2009 to prepare for this upcoming final,"

Rennes defender Romain Danze said.
"We must learn from our losses."
The winner will hope to avoid the fate of Strasbourg in 2001 and Lorient in 2002, which were relegated the same year they lifted the French Cup.
___
FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL
Sochaux is the club that has spent the most seasons (66) in the French league.

But it could be relegated on Sunday
when it hosts Nice. "We know it will be very complicated, but we keep believing," Sochaux striker Jordan Ayew said. "If we keep playing like
we do and don't secure safety, at least we will give a good image of Sochaux and we will exit the league with our heads held high."
Sochaux trails 17th-place Evian by four points. It last played in the second division in 2001.

Five things to know about Seria A

ROME (AP) — With the Italian Cup final, the Milan derby and Juventus likely clinching Serie A, it's going to be a hectic extended weekend of football in Italy.

It starts with Napoli facing Fiorentina in the Cup final Saturday in Rome. The Milan derby is Sunday and Juve can clinch either Sunday if Roma fails to win at Catania, or Monday with a victory over Atalanta.

Here are five things to know about this weekend's matches:
___
CUP FINAL: It's going to be an emotional match for Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella, who was born and raised in the Naples area.

But there's no time for distractions with Fiorentina chasing its first Cup title since 2001.
Napoli last won in 2012 when it beat Juventus in the final.
Both sides have significant injury worries.
Napoli is hoping standout forward
Gonzalo Higuain can play despite a right leg problem that saw him stretchered off last week and Fiorentina forward Giuseppe Rossi could be available from the bench for his first action since his latest knee injury in January.

Fiorentina is without key attacking
midfielder Juan Cuadrado, who is
suspended. On Friday, both squads have an audience scheduled with Pope Francis.
___
MILAN DERBY: With both Inter and AC Milan still attempting to secure Europa League spots, it should be a tense derby.
Milan coach Clarence Seedorf remains surrounded by speculation over his future, even though Milan has won five of its last six matches.
While Seedorf signed a 2 1/2-year
contract when he replaced Massimiliano Allegri in January, Milan youth coach Filippo Inzaghi is being touted as a replacement option for next season.

Attention on Inter has focused on the club's balance sheets amid speculation that it has run afoul of UEFA's financial fair play rules.
___
WAR OF WORDS: Juventus holds an
eight-point lead over Roma with three matches to play and the two remaining title contenders face each other in the penultimate round.

But odds are Juventus will wrap things up Monday. Still, Roma coach Rudi Garcia has kept things interesting by accusing Juventus' opponents of not playing hard enough in recent weeks.
Juventus manager Antonio Conte
responded by saying that Garcia's
comments were better suited for a bar and were "provincial."
___
18 TEAMS? Italian Players Association president Damiano Tommasi is pushing to reduce Serie A from 20 to 18 clubs.
"It has support from our side if
accompanied by solidarity from the
clubs," Tommasi said. "It would provide more economic guarantees and also reduce the number of matches."
Serie A president Maurizio Beretta said Tommasi's statement was a positive development and that discussions will be held.

Serie A expanded from 18 to 20 clubs in 2003-04.
___
CIRO'S DESTINY: With 21 goals in 31
matches — and none from the penalty spot — Torino forward Ciro Immobile leads the Serie A scoring charts and is being mentioned for both Italy's World Cup squad and other clubs.
"I think the best thing for Torino and for the lad is that Immobile stays another year with us, so he can establish himself definitively," Torino president Urbano Cairo said.
Cairo also promoted Immobile's World Cup chances.
"Scoring 21 goals all in action is
incredible," Cairo said.
The contract for the 24-year-old
Immobile is co-owned by Juventus.
Immobile's strike partner Alessio Cerci is also being touted for the World Cup squad.

Athletico mob Chelsea

Atletico Madrid recovered to beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to set up an all- Madrid Champions League final.

After a goalless first leg, Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead against his former side in the 36th minute, when he swept in Cesar Azpilicueta's low cross after fine
work from Willian.

Atletico levelled, though, a minute before half-time. Eden Hazard switched off at the far post to allow Juanfran to volley Tiago's floated delivery back across goal towards
Adrian Lopez, whose shot was hit into the ground and bounced into the roof of the net.

Diego Costa put the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot on the hour mark after he was fouled by Chelsea substitute Samuel Eto'o, before Arda Turan netted a third for Atletico when he tapped home the rebound after seeing his initial header strike the crossbar.

Atletico will meet city rivals Real Madrid in the final in Lisbon on May 24.

Athletico mob Chelsea

Atletico Madrid recovered to beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to set up an all- Madrid Champions League final.

After a goalless first leg, Fernando Torres gave Chelsea the lead against his former side in the 36th minute, when he swept in Cesar Azpilicueta's low cross after fine
work from Willian.

Atletico levelled, though, a minute before half-time. Eden Hazard switched off at the far post to allow Juanfran to volley Tiago's floated delivery back across goal towards
Adrian Lopez, whose shot was hit into the ground and bounced into the roof of the net.

Diego Costa put the Spaniards ahead from the penalty spot on the hour mark after he was fouled by Chelsea substitute Samuel Eto'o, before Arda Turan netted a third for Atletico when he tapped home the rebound after seeing his initial header strike the crossbar.

Atletico will meet city rivals Real Madrid in the final in Lisbon on May 24.

Townsend out of world cup

Tottenham winger Andros Townsend has been ruled out of the World Cup following an ankle injury sustained in the Saturday's 1-0 win at Stoke .

The 22-year-old has collected five caps for the England national team having broken into the setup in 2013, scoring one goal against Montenegro at Wembley.

However, Townsend will undergo surgery to his left ankle after sustaining ligament damage in the Premier League clash against Mark Hughes's side, with the club
confirming he will be out for up to 10 weeks.

A statement on the club's official website read: "Following further examination and consultation, Andros Townsend is to undergo surgery on his left ankle on Thursday after damaging ligaments during our fixture against Stoke City last Saturday.

"The injury is likely to sideline the young winger for up to 10 weeks."

The winger had struggled to break into Tim Sherwood's team after a hamstring injury kept him on the sidelines for the opening fixtures of the current Spurs manager's
reign, but his form for England saw him touted for a place in the final squad of 23.

Hodgson is set to name his Three Lions squad on May 12.

Robben : I wont watch Chelsea, they are dull

Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben says he will not watch how former club Chelsea fare in tonight's UEFA Champions League
semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid.

Robben's European Cup holders went out to Atletico's city rivals Real in Bavaria last night, 5-0 on aggregate, but the Dutchman
had little words of encouragement for his former team-mates.

He told Sky Sports: "I don't really care. I watched the first game, it was 90 minutes.

I couldn't watch it because I don't think it had anything to do with football.

"It's okay, the two managers, everybody does it in their own way. (But) I think RealMadrid are going to win the final and I
wish them all the best."

Bayern retained the Bundesliga with ease in Pep Guardiola's first season in charge and still have a German Cup final against
Borussia Dortmund to contest.

Robben said they could not afford to underestimate Dortmund, their domestic rivals who they beat at Wembley last season to win the Champions League.

He said: "We have been punished tonight, but we have to lift our heads, because we have a cup final coming up.

"We took a beating, we have to accept it, cry about it, go home and then move on."

Culled from Sky

Mourinho : champions league owes Terry

Jose Mourinho believes Chelsea captain John Terry deserves to play in the UEFA Champions League final after suffering numerous disappointments in the latter
stages of the competition. The centre- back is fit to play in Wednesday's semi- final, second-leg against Atletico Madrid despite hobbling off in last Tuesday's
goalless first-leg with an ankle injury.

The 33-year-old missed the decisive
penalty in the 2008 final loss to
Manchester United in Moscow and was absent for the 2012 win in Munich through suspension, although he took to his full playing kit to lift the trophy.

"I think the Champions League owes him something," Mourinho said. "I think he deserves more than the Champions League has given to him till now. He lost a few semi-finals in special circumstances; he lost the final also in special circumstances. "He won a final, also in special circumstances, because he couldn't play the final.

"My captain is playing at the same level as when I left Chelsea in 2007/08. Six or seven years later he is playing at his best level. It's fair to say that. "It's also fair to say that the people that surround him are playing also fantastic. I think his partnership with [Gary] Cahill is
fantastic and people that work together in the same areas they are doing a fantastic job. I'm really happy to see a player like him, six or seven years later, to be back to the same level."

Terry rules out Brazil trip, keen on
Chelsea renewal

Terry, who was also injured for last
season's UEFA Europa League final win over Benfica in Amsterdam, insisted the door was closed on his England career and revealed he is in discussions to extend his Chelsea contract. He retired from international football in September
2012 and he is adamant he will not be going to Brazil.

"For me, 100 per cent, I'm going to be on my holidays in the summer, I'm going to be nowhere else," Terry said.
"I've made that very clear. My thoughts are very strong on that - maybe people don't realise how strong.

"I certainly wish the England side and Roy [Hodgson] the very best. When you look at people like Gaz [Cahill] in great form, serving his country very well, we'll be okay in all departments, I'm sure. I'll be there watching every game and
supporting the lads with a nice bit of sun."

Terry's current contract expires at the end of the season and he hopes to stay at Stamford Bridge for some time to come.
"It's the club I've been at since the age of 14; there's been nowhere else," Terry said. "Clearly I want to stay for the rest of my footballing days. After that I certainly hope so as well.

"At the minute we're in talks and
ongoing. We've had big games around us, so we haven't spoken for a few weeks. I'm hoping it gets done. It's down to the club. They know I want to stay, I've made that very clear to them.

And hopefully things can be wrapped up before the end of the season.
"A lot of people within football ruled me out last year. That's enough to spur you on and fight for the club. That's what I aim to do for the rest of my playing days, whether that's a year, two years,
three years."

Ronaldo relegates Messi's record

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken Lionel Messi 's goals record for a
single Champions League season
following his double in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old's two goals in his side's superb second-leg victory at the Allianz Arena took his tally for the 2013-14 season to 16.

Ronaldo has now netted one more than Messi's previous record, with the Argentine registering 14 times in 11 games during the 2011-12 tournament.

Remarkably, the Portuguese has bettered the Barcelona forward's tally in just 10 outings this term, having missed the group game at home to Galatasaray.

No player has ever scored at such a rate in Europe's premier club cup competition.
Messi's average during his record-breaking 2011-12 season was a goal every 70.71 minutes, while Ruud van Nistelrooy was even more prolific during Manchester
United's run to the quarter-finals in 2003.

The Dutchman netted 12 times in total, giving him an average of a goal every 57 minutes.
Ronaldo, 29, has hit double figures in the Champions League in three consecutive seasons after netting 12 and 10 strikes in 2012-13 and 2011-12 respectively.

The former Manchester United man will now get the chance to add to his total in the final in Lisbon next month, with Madrid
to meet either Chelsea or Atletico in the competition's showpiece in Portugal.

Real maul Bayern as they eye la decima

Real Madrid blew Bayern Munich away to reach the UEFA Champions League final with a 4-0 second leg victory which secured a 5-0 aggregate success.

Sergio Ramos took advantage of some woeful marking to head home twice from set pieces in the opening 20 minutes before Cristiano Ronaldo put the finishing
touch to a devastating counter-attack in the 34th minute in a blistering opening half from the Spanish giants.

Ronaldo added a fourth with a late free-kick and the only downside for Carlo Ancelotti's side, who will face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or Chelsea and former boss Jose Mourinho in the Lisbon final next month, was the needless booking
for midfielder Xabi Alonso which rules him out of the showpiece.

Pep Guardiola's reigning European
champions had dominated possession in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu last week, only to leave Spain with a 1-0 deficit
after Karim Benzema struck.

Any hopes they had of working their way back into the tie were obliterated by a ruthless display from Real, who are targeting a record 10th European crown,
although the Bundesliga champions were complicit in their own downfall.

Only 50 seconds were on the clock when Ronaldo fed Angel Di Maria, but his low shot was comfortably saved by Manuel Neuer. With eight minutes gone, the Bayern keeper had a lucky escape when he raced from his area to head clear only to
find Gareth Bale, but the Welshman fired his long-range effort well over the bar.

The Allianz Arena was stunned in the 16th minute when Luka Modric's corner saw Ramos arrive unchallenged between David Alaba and Dante to power a header home from eight yards out.

Dante was booked soon after for a
crunching challenge on Ronaldo, before Bayern's testing task became mission impossible when Di Maria's free-kick into the box was flicked on by and Ramos again
arrived to head home, having got the wrong side of Mario Mandzukic.
Guardiola's stunned side looked to respond and a swift turn and shot by Franck Ribery after a pass from Philipp Lahm flew across the face of the under-employed Iker Casillas' goal and wide, while at the other end, Ronaldo went one-on-one with Dante but dragged his effort from outside the box past the post.

With Bayern pressing forward they left themselves exposed at the back and Real were ruthless on the counter. Benzema sent Bale racing through and he squared for Ronaldo who rolled first time beyond Neuer for his 15th Champions League goal of the season.

Ronaldo almost made Neuer pay for another poor clearance only to see his shot bounce over the par, before a distraught Alonso was cautioned for sliding in on Bastian Schweinsteiger, moments after
Ramos - who was walking the same
disciplinary tightrope - had escaped
unpunished following a heavy tackle on Lahm.

Guardiola withdrew striker Mandzukic and brought on midfielder Javi Martinez at the
interval and Bayern managed to test Casillas on several occasions in the second period, although the tie was already beyond them.

Ramos had to stoop to deflect Alaba's shot from inside the box over the bar and then Arjen Robben beat Casillas' full-length dive with a curling effort from range which flew inches wide of the upright.

Ribery drove into the area and tested the veteran goalkeeper again on the hour mark and then the Spain international was well
placed to deal with a routine effort from distance by Toni Kroos.

In the 72nd minute, Ribery was replaced by Mario Gotze and Claudio Pizarro joined the fray for Thomas Muller, while match-
winner Ramos made way soon after to guarantee his place in the final as Ancelotti sent on Raphael Varane.

Kroos lashed another long range effort over the top, while Di Maria came close to picking out Bale after Bayern's defence switched off again, before Ronaldo set the seal on a stunning success as his low free- kick in the closing moments beat both the wall and Neuer.

Chelsea stands in Atletico's way to final in 40 years

LONDON (AP) — It's not only illness that has exhausted Joe Mourinho. Defending the virtues of employing defensive tactics once again is wearing out the Chelsea manager.

However much Liverpool and Atletico Madrid were frustrated by Mourinho's well-disciplined methods to stifle them in the last week, they kept Chelsea on track
to trophies in the Champions League and English Premier League.
"You can play perfect football, have lots of one-touch stuff, and you lose," Chelsea winger Andre Schuerrle said.

"But that's not what you want — you want to win. There's no point in playing well and losing."
Chelsea will contest a third consecutive European final, the first under Mourinho, if the team can build on a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid in the
second leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.

Spanish leader Atletico could be even more desperate. It has never won the Champions League, and made its only final appearance 40 years ago.

Here are five things to know about
Wednesday's match at Stamford Bridge:
___
STINGY DEFENSES

The second leg might not be the most entertaining again to watch for neutrals, unless they want to catch Mourinho's touchline flamboyance and flashpoints.

Atletico has conceded just five goals in 11 Champions League games this season to remain the only unbeaten side and,
like Chelsea, has the stingiest defense domestically. Atletico striker Diego Costa is hoping the Stamford Bridge game is more open than the first leg. "They will
have to come out a little bit more," he said.

EUROPEAN PEDIGREE

While Chelsea, the 2012 Champions League winner, is making its seventh semifinal appearance in the last decade,
Atletico is in the last four in the
European Cup for the first time in 40 years. Atletico did win the Europa League in 2012 before relinquishing the trophy to Chelsea last May. By also breaking up the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly in Spain this season, Atletico has
shown itself not to be burdened by past shortcomings. Unlike Chelsea, which is second in the Premier League title race, Atletico leads the way in Spain after winning nine consecutive matches to close in on the trophy for the first time since 1996. "It's clear our team is
prepared for the biggest contests and is very confident," captain Gabi Fernandez said. "This team's conviction is so resolute, it's something you rarely see.
We're players that haven't won much. We're all pretty much rookies when it comes to winning trophies. The hunger is what characterizes us."

SEARCH FOR GOALS

How Mourinho could do with Diego
Costa in the blue of Chelsea rather than the red and white of Atletico on Wednesday. The striker has 35 goals this season, and Mourinho has hardly concealed his frustrations with the attacking players he inherited on returning last year to Chelsea after six years. Demba Ba might not be rated by
Mourinho, with the Senegal forward not making the starting lineup in Madrid last Tuesday. But he has scored on his last two Premier League starts, including in
Sunday's 2-0 win at leader Liverpool, and netted Chelsea's last Champions League goal, in the second leg of their quarterfinal against Paris Saint-Germain.

CECH RECOVERY

Chelsea left Madrid without conceding despite Petr Cech dislocating a shoulder early in the game. Even at 41, Mark Schwarzer has proved to be a capable
understudy, also keeping a clean sheet at Anfield, but Cech surprisingly made an appearance in training on Tuesday, raising the prospect of a rapid recovery.

YELLOW PERIL

Chelsea midfielders Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel, and Atletico's Gabi are suspended and won't play on Wednesday. Chelsea defenders David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic are one booking away from missing out on a potential trip to the final in Lisbon next month. Atletico defenders Emiliano Insua and Juanfran, and midfielder Koke are similarly at risk of being suspended for the final.

Chelsea gets injury relief as injured stars return ahead of Atletico showdown tomorrow

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has told Sky Sports he is fit to play against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Cech missed Sunday's 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield after he was replaced in the first-leg of the Champions League semi-final with a dislocated shoulder following a collision with Atletico's Raul Garcia.

Chelsea skipper John Terry, who injured an ankle in the match at the Vicente Calderon Stadium, joined Cech in training.
Cech strode out to the training field at Cobham while bouncing a ball with each hand. He warmed up with the full squad before breaking off with the goalkeepers,
as usual.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho claimed both players were likely to miss the remainder of the campaign prior to the Liverpool
match.

Striker Samuel Eto'o and influential
midfielder Eden Hazard were also back in training at Cobham after recent layoffs.

Hazard last played in the 2-0 victory over Paris Saint Germain on 8 April, while Eto'o was last involved in the defeat by Sunderland 11 days later.

Belgium hands Januzaj chance

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj will feature in a preliminary Belgium squad for World Cup warm-ups against
Luxembourg and Sweden.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots was made aware of the 19-year-old's decision to commit for the country last week, but insisted he had given no guarantees that the player would be included in his final 23-man squad for Brazil.

Wilmots admitted he had been impressed with the teenager's versatility, hinting he could be an option at centre forward, which could prove useful given the
unavailability of Aston Villa forward
Christian Benteke due to injury.

Belgium face Luxembourg at home in Genk on May 26 and Sweden in Stockholm on June 1.
"I first want to see how he is in training. I'll pick 26 or 27 players and say there's only one thing that counts - the pitch. Come on guys, show me what you can do,"
Wilmots said.

"That I'll take him on the camp is certain. I think that's normal given his performances in the last year."
Each country must submit a list of up to 30 players of potential squad members by May 13, with the final 23 names sent to FIFA by June 2.

Born in Belgium to ethnic Albanian parents from Kosovo, Januzaj was eligible to play for a number of countries including Belgium, England, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia
and Turkey.

He announced his potential with two fine goals in his first Premier League start at Sunderland and will be hoping to make the plane to Brazil with Belgium, who are
playing in their first World Cup in 12 years.

Wilmots' highly-fancied team face Algeria, Russia and South Korea in the World Cup group phase.

Schurle: we can win title

Andre Schurrle insists that Chelsea are still in the title race but is adamant they have nothing to apologise for after their win at
Liverpool.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers suggested Chelsea parked 'two buses' at Anfield as they hit Liverpool twice on the counter-
attack to claim a 2-0 win - a which result which saw the Merseyside club lose control of the title race.

Manchester City now have the destiny of the title in their hands, if they win all their remaining games they will be champions -
but whilst Jose Mourinho thinks differently,

Schurrle insists Chelsea are still in the hunt.
"Of course it will be hard for us from here.
We have to do everything in our power to win the two games we've got left and hope Liverpool and City both give us something. But we're still in it," Schurrle said.

"We know it will be tough but everybody thinks we can win it, win the League and the Champions League. We have to
believe - and we do."
Schurrle also believes that Chelsea should not apologise for their performance at Liverpool.

"The first thing we needed to do was make sure we didn't concede and we did that very well," he said.

"Winning is what matters. It's the most important thing.

"You can have perfect football, lots of one- touch stuff, and lose. But that's not what you want - you want to win.
"There's no point in playing well and losing. If our plan is to win playing this way, and we win, then it is perfect.
"If people look at us and say, 'Chelsea can't play' even when we win, it's just because they're jealous.

"We knew it would be a very passionate game, we stood up to that, did what we had to do defensively and scored twice.

"We felt it was brilliant, a perfect game.

"We did exactly what we needed to do and what we were told to do."
Style Chelsea take on Atletico Madrid in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, and the German
expects to change their style of play again - but he is confident they can do that.

"We can play both types of game," he said.
"We showed against Arsenal that, when we need to, we can force the game and score goals.
"We know we can do that and we hope to give Atletico those sort of problems if they come and just try to defend.

"The group knows how important it is for us to beat them and that we had to win against Liverpool too.
"But to do it just as we wanted was the perfect way to give us confidence. We need to have a balance in our play, especially because we are at home.

"If it's 0-0, it's extra-time and penalties, but if it's 1-1 or any other draw we're out - so we need to win."

Cole wants to be in Brazil

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole is
desperate to prove his doubters
wrong and make England's FIFA World Cup squad.

Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw are
favourites to get the nod from Roy
Hodgson for the upcoming
tournament in Brazil with Cole having spent most of the season playing decond-fiddle to Chelsea teammate Cesar Azpilicueta.

The 107-cap veteran offered a
reminder as to why he is England's
fifth-most represented player in
history with assured performances
against Atletico Madrid and Liverpool last week.
Cole is aware England fans may have grown tired of him after 13 years on the international stage but the 33- year-old insists he is not done with just yet in an interview with beIN Sports.

"There was probably a lot of pressure on me to fight for my England spot," Cole said.
"Maybe not just my starting spot even - just to get on the plane. I think everyone wanted me to fail, to be honest.

"I think real football fans understand what I bring to a team and what I give to a team and if I do make it on the plane hopefully people can see that.
"But ultimately most people wanted
me to fail in Madrid last week, for
sure.
"Maybe people have seen me play for 13 years for my country and have probably had enough of it.
"You look at the players and you have Baines who is playing brilliant and young Luke Shaw who has done amazing this season so I don't blame them, they've got reasons to, but like I said in my Nike ad - I'm not done yet."

England have been placed against
Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D at the World Cup in Brazil.
Hodgson's team kick-off their
campaign against Italy in Manaus on June 14.

Morning Gist

DAILY MAIL
Real Madrid will listen to offers for Karim Benzema in the summer with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris St- Germain all showing an interest. Carlo
Ancelotti would like to bring either Sergio Aguero or Luis Suarez to the Bernabeu as the France forward's replacement.
Crystal Palace will table a formal contract offer to Argentine goalkeeper Julian Speroni, whose current deal expires in the
summer, next month.
Olympiakos are showing interest in
England U21 winger Tom Ince. The 22- year-old is out of contract at Blackpool in the summer and has been on loan at Crystal Palace. Tom's father Paul was reportedly in Athens at the weekend for discussions.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was in Belgium on Sunday to check out Anderlecht's Cheikhou Kouyate, 24, who has also been linked with Arsenal.

DAILY MIRROR
Adam Lallana wants Liverpool move despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.
Tony Pulis has asked Crystal Palace bosses for a £30million transfer fund to establish the Eagles in the Premier League. Stoke midfielder Steven N'Zonzi and Sunderland
forward Connor Wickham are top of his summer shopping list.

THE SUN
Roy Keane has ruled himself out of a return to Old Trafford as a coach.
John Terry is winning his fight to be fit to face Atletico Madrid tomorrow after returning to training following the ankle injury he picked up in Spain.
West Ham could hijack Everton's proposed move for Belgium U21 striker Michy Batshuayi, 20, from Standard Liege.

DAILY EXPRESS
Everton manager Roberto Martinez claims he will need to sign at least six signings in the summer if they are to compete in Europe next season.

Bale back for action tonight

Gareth Bale is set to return for Real Madrid when they face holders Bayern Munich in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final,
second leg.

Bale is hoping to make the starting line-up having sat out last Saturday's 4-0 La Liga win at home to Osasuna with flu.
"I feel good. I've had a few days' training. I'm hoping to play tomorrow and looking forward to it," said the Real star, who only
came off the bench late in the first leg.

"We haven't spoken too much about the game, but we know it's a massive one with a lot at stake.
"We are ready to give it 100 per cent our best shot.
"I don't feel like we've qualified for the final yet and we have a very hard game to come against Bayern.

"We like to attack, but tomorrow we need to know how to defend too."
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is set to field his full-strength attack with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema set to line up alongside Bale.

Madrid hold a slender 1-0 lead after beating Bayern at the Santiago Bernabeu last Wednesday and the Spanish giants have never beaten the Bavarian club in Munich in nine previous attempts.
Having bowed out of the Champions League's semi-finals for the last three years running, Real are desperate to claim their tenth European title - having last
lifted the trophy in 2002.

Bayern, who will welcome back Philipp Lahm and Arjen Robben, would need to score three goals to progress to their third straight Champions League final if Madrid
score first on Tuesday and Ancelotti has called for a strong start.
"We started too timidly in the first leg, if we do the same tomorrow, it will be very dangerous," warned Ancelotti.
"We need to start stronger and must make a big effort.
"We will need maximum effort from
everyone in order to reach the final.

"The system we will play is not important, but the work aspect will be.
"We will see two teams with different philosophies because of the players available to them."
Given Real's poor record in Germany with just two wins in 27 European matches against Bundesliga opposition, Ancelotti
said nothing is decided despite his side's slender lead.

"We know it's going to be very difficult. We are playing against a great team with a small advantage, so we are not that stupid as to think we have already qualified,"
added the Italian.
"It is true that we have athletes of the highest calibre, we are physically very strong.

"I actually think the mental side of things will be more important."

Arsenal get close to sealing fourth position

Arsenal closed in on another shot at Champions League qualification with a 3-0 victory over Newcastle to inflict a sixth straight defeat on Alan Pardew.

The Gunners are now four points ahead of Everton in the race to secure a top-four finish, with just two matches remaining, as club-record signing Mesut Ozil delivered an inspired display, scoring one and creating another.
Newcastle, though, continue their slide down the Premier League following another lacklustre display - which left the 2,000-strong travelling support venting
their anger on Pardew, whose long-term future is in doubt, despite returning to the touchline after his seven-game ban for headbutting Hull's David Meyler.

Arsenal showed the greater intent during the opening stages, with an angled drive from Ozil bouncing just wide before Laurent Koscielny stabbed in a deep free- kick from Santi Cazorla on 26 minutes.
Newcastle briefly rallied, with Moussa Sissoko bursting clear on 20 minutes only to send a poor chipped effort horribly wide.

But the visitors were soon chasing the game again and fell further behind three minutes before half-time when Giroud timed his run to beat a high Newcastle offside trap to race into the penalty area.
Tim Krul was out quickly and twice made a good save, before the ball bobbled out to Ozil at the far post, who gratefully tapped it in.
The visitors had a great chance to reduce the arrears just before the hour when Yoan Gouffran sprinted clear, but Wojciech Szczesny was out quickly to save.

Arsenal moved 3-0 ahead on 66 minutes. Again Ozil was the architect, collecting a pass from Ramsey to ghost down the left
side and chip over the perfect cross for Giroud to head home his 15th league goal of the season.
The Newcastle fans again turned their anger on Pardew, whose relationship with the Toon Army may well have now reached
tipping point - many holding banners against the man who not so long ago had taken the club into a fifth place finish and Europa League.
Arsenal, though, look all set to finish in the Champions League places again as they chase a place at Europe's top table for a remarkable 17 straight campaigns ahead of their FA Cup final date with Hull at Wembley.

City and PSG break financial rules

Manchester City and Paris St Germain have been offered settlements for breaching
financial fair play (FFP) rules.
It was revealed on Monday afternoon that UEFA's club financial control board had
made offers to the English and French club, along with several others, deemed to have breached the rules ahead of its meeting on
Thursday.

There are fewer than 20 clubs involved in total, according to some reports, and they can either accept the offer of the sanctions, which could range from a reprimand to a fine up to restrictions on the squad for European competition next season, or try to negotiate a lesser punishment.

If no agreement is reached, then the outstanding cases will go to an
adjudicatory panel for a final decision.
Europe's football governing body (UEFA) fears spiralling costs could be the death of some clubs who are spending beyond their means and it is desperate to give the sport
more stability.

UEFA president Michel Platini also wants to stamp out "financial doping", suggesting the extortionate expenditure conducted by the bigger clubs is ruining football.
City, supported by the personal fortune of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, have been busy in the transfer market in recent
seasons, as have French club PSG.
UEFA is making its first FFP ruling based on club accounts from the past two seasons - 2011-12 and 2012-13.

It is not known what settlements each individual club has been offered but UEFA could reveal the outcomes on Friday.
The most powerful sanction, that of being excluded from European competition, is not expected to be used against any of the clubs.
UEFA and Manchester City would not comment, but City boss Manuel Pellegrini said last week there had never been any concern that the club would be excluded
from the Champions League for breaking FFP rules.

City have been working closely with UEFA to try to ensure they comply with spending rules, which limit losses to 45million euros over the last two years.
Pellegrini said: "I felt here inside the club nobody feared we could be suspended for next year."
Platini said in a French newspaper last week he did not think any of the clubs who breached rules will be banned from European competition next season.

Qatar-owned PSG have been the club under most scrutiny after they wiped out their losses with a huge and back-dated sponsorship deal with the Qatar Tourist Authority.
Platini said he was unsure if that
"innovative" sponsorship deal with a related party played by the rules.
He said: "I will say simply that Paris St Germain's financial model is distinctive and atypical. That image contract with the QTA, the tourism office of Qatar, is innovative, that's all I can say.
"But is it viable? Is the value of the
contract correct? These are questions that the experts must decide."

Photos of Tito Vilanova's memorial

Here are some pics from Tito's memorial in Barcelona cathedral.

The Memorial Ceremony for Tito
Vilanova, who died on March 25th
2014 at  the age of 45 from Barcelona Cathedral.
The Archbishop of Barcelona,Lluís Martínez Sistach, will officiate at the ceremony.

Tito Vilanova was the manager in FC Barcelona’s record-breaking season of 2012/13, when the team got 100 points in the league, and contributed to the greatest Barça team of all time as assistant coach to Pep Guardiola. He won everybody’s admiration for his
achievements in the football world,
and later for his immense courage in the final years of his life.

Barça in his heart Vilanova was brave, honest, hard- working, perfectionist, methodical, pragmatic and intuitive on both a
personal and a professional level, and always remained loyal to the club and to himself, as defined by two of his companions from his youth right through to his managerial days, Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira.

Tito Vilanova came to the club at the age of 15, when he came on trial from UE Figueres in the 1984/85 season.
He had just turned 16 when he
stepped into La Masia for the first
time, and remained there as a
resident until June 30, 1989. It was
there that he forged a close friendship with Guardiola, Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira, with whom he would later share so much success on the Barça
coaching staff.

‘The Marquis’, as he was known at the time, was a tall, lanky midfielder, with exceptional skill, especially renowned for his free kicks and how he read the game. As a Barça player, Tito featured
in two friendlies for the first team in 1989 and later played for Figueres, Celta, Badajoz, Mallorca, Lleida, Elche and finally Gramenet, where he retired from active duty.

As a coach, Vilanova was analytical,
cerebral and observant and was famed for the amount of gestures he used make as he directed his teams. Those that worked alongside him considered him a tactical genius in a job for which
his nature could not have been better suited.
He first started coaching at FC
Barcelona in charge of the U14 team that included future stars like Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas and Leo Messi.

After that, he coached at Palafrugell, Figueres and Terrassa.
He returned to FCB in 2007/08, this
time as assistant manager to Pep
Guardiola with Barça B, who he helped guide to promotion up to Division 2B.
The year after, the Guardiola-Tito
tandem took over the first team, and led it to fourteen major titles in four years. The team rewrote the record books in 2009 by winning all six trophies at stake: the Champions league, La Liga, the Spanish Cup, the Spanish Supercup, the European Supercup and the Clubs World Cup.

First team manager
On April 27, 2012 Tito Vilanova was
the natural choice to take over from
the departing Pep Guardiola as FC
Barcelona first team manager.
Director of Sport Andoni Zubizarreta considered it the natural progression and the best way to continue Pep’s legacy, and his choice was fully supported by then president Sandro Rosell and the rest of the Board.

The results showed that this had been a wise decision, for Barça won the league. They dominated the championship, leading the table from the very first day and getting 100 points out of a possible 114 to equal Real Madrid’s record from 2011/12.

The team also set a new goalscoring
record with its 115 goals in 38 games, an average of three goals a game.
The total of 32 wins, four draws and
just two defeats, eventually beating
Madrid by 15 clear points, are
testimony of the outstanding job that Tito Vilanova did as manager of FC Barcelona that 2012/13 season.

Barça’s 22th Liga, that of Tito and
Abidal, will never be forgotten. What’s more, the team reached the semi- finals of the Champions League and the Spanish Cup, narrowly missing out on a place in both finals.
His achievement won him plenty of
individual accolades. In 2013 the
‘Marca’ and ‘Mundo Deportivo’
newspapers both named him manager of the year.

Bayern Munich manager
Jupp Heynckes was invited to present the Catalan paper’s award, which was collected on his behalf by Zubizarreta.
In his speech, Heynckes spoke
emotionally about Vilanova, saying
that “under Tito the team has played! fantastic football, like in other years.
Tito is a great football strategist. He’s hard-working, reserved and valiant, and has a direct, fluid relation with his players. He has a positive sense of human values. He has not only set an example for the sporting world, but for the world in general with his outstanding elegance. I wish him all
the luck he deserves. He’s a champion of sport and of life.”
Unfortunately, the illness announced on November 22, 2011 brought an early end to the dream of managing the team he held so close to his heart. He was unable to dedicate his full effort to the task in the 2012/13 season, and at the start of the following campaign, it was announced on July 19, 2013, that he was not well enough to continue in the position.

On April 25 2014, at the age of 45,
Tito passed away after a long struggle against the illness which was first diagnosed two and a half years earlier.

In attendance are Eric Abidal, barcelona team players and coaches, past and present club presidents, close friends and family.

R.I.P Tito

Villareal ban banana throwing fan for life

Villarreal have issued a permanent ban to the supporter who threw a
banana at Dani Alves in Sunday's La Liga clash with Barcelona at El Madrigal.

The Brazilian picked up and ate the fruit thrown at him from the stands as he prepared to take a corner, before later issuing ironic thanks to the offender after Barca came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

Villarreal have since confirmed they have revoked the fan in question's season ticket and underlined their commitment to
combatting racism and discrimination.
"Villarreal CF wants to communicate that the club deeply regrets and condemns the incident that happened yesterday [Sunday]
during the match against FC Barcelona in which a fan threw an object onto the field of El Madrigal," a statement on their official website read.

"Thanks to the security forces and the invaluable assistance of the Yellow crowd, the club has already identified the author and has decided to withdraw his season
tickets, permanently banning his access to El Madrigal stadium.

"Once again our club would like to express its firm commitment to promoting respect, equality, sportsmanship and fair play both
on and off the field and our absolute rejection of any act that is contrary to these principles, such as violence, discrimination, racism and xenophobia."
Sunday's incident prompted Alves'
Barcelona and Brazil team-mate Neymar to begin a 'We're all monkeys' social media campaign to show his support for the 30- year-old , posting a picture of himself eating a banana alongside the caption.

Two own goals and a Lionel Messi strike secured a valuable comeback for Barca on Sunday, with the victory keeping their slim
title hopes alive at the end of a difficult week for the club in which former coach Tito Vilanova lost his battle with cancer.

Walcott: No rush

Theo Walcott insists he will not cut any corners regarding his fitness as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury suffered during a third round FA Cup match in January.

The Arsenal forward says he will not be making any late bid to try and gain a place in the England squad for this summer's World Cup finals and admits he may even
miss the start of next season.
The 25-year-old, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the latter stages of the victory over Tottenham, says he will only consider playing again when fully fit.

Speaking to the official Arsenal Match Day magazine ahead of Monday's Sky Live Premier League game against Newcastle, Walcott said: "I am not pushing myself to
be fit for the World Cup or anything like that.
"I want to be back quickly, of course, but safely too. I want to try and be back for the early part of next season, that is the goal, so there will be a lot of hard work
throughout the summer and during the World Cup."

As for his rehabilitation, he added: "It has nearly been four months now and my recovery has gone on track so far. At the moment, I'm working on muscle strength and building muscle in my quad.

"I don't see any point in being down in the dumps about the injury because it has already happened and there are a lot of
people with worse problems in the world.
"I will just get on with my work. I am first in and last out on most days. I see the consultant soon, too, and hopefully he will give me the thumbs up to push on. I would love to be running in a few weeks."

Roy Keane plays down Utd

Roy Keane has played down speculation he could return to Manchester United, but revealed he wants to return to management in the future.

Louis van Gaal is the bookmakers'
favourite to succeed the departed David Moyes at Old Trafford, and former United skipper Keane has been linked with a key role on his staff.

However, the 42-year-old, who is currently working as assistant to Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill, has moved to
dampen the rumours.
"People keep asking me, ironically, about other jobs. I have got a job and I am very happy in my job," Keane told Irish radio station Today FM.

Keane left United in 2005 after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson and admits he is unlikely to speak to his former manager again.
"No, I am not sure. Probably not. But look, I have said that about other people," added Keane.
"Football is a funny old game and you get clashes of personality sometimes, but it's something that's not on my mind at the
moment, to be honest with you, whether it be good or bad."

Keane admitted he harbours hopes of a return to management one day, although he insisted that is not currently his main focus.
"In my quiet moments, I obviously want to go back into being a manager myself."
Asked if his dream was for that to be at Old Trafford, he said: "No, I don't think that way.

"I was at a match on Friday night, I was at a match on Saturday and I am up in the stand thinking, 'I would love to have a team'.
"And then I'll get back in my car and I spoke to Martin, I think it was on Saturday night, and then I am thinking obviously I am delighted to be working with Martin
and [goalkeeping coach] Seamus
[McDonagh] and the other staff, so you have to be careful what you wish for.

"I am just really appreciating the
opportunity I have at the moment. What happens further down the road..."

Mourinho to fight FA charge

Jose Mourinho has denied an FA charge and requested a non-personal hearing in relation to his post-match comments after Chelsea's game against Sunderland.

Assistant manager Rui Faria has admitted two misconduct charges and requested a non-personal hearing.
Sunderland, who were at the time bottom of the table, ended Mourinho's 77-match unbeaten home league run with a 2-1 win
on April 19.

Mourinho could not hide his anger
afterwards behind a sarcastic appraisal of the officials.
He has requested a non-personal hearing in the case, the FA has announced.

His assistant Faria, who was dismissed for angrily confronting the match officials, has admitted two charges of misconduct and
requested a non-personal hearing.
Midfielder Ramires received a
retrospective four-match ban, ending his domestic season, for striking Sebastian Larsson during the loss.

Speaking after the Black Cats match, Mourinho said: "Mike Dean's performance was unbelievable and when referees have unbelievable performances it's fair to congratulate them.

"He came here with one objective, the objective to make a fantastic performance and he did that.
"Congratulations to Mike Riley, because he's the referees' boss, and what they are doing during the whole season is fantastic,
especially in the last couple of months, especially in matches involving the teams that were in the title race - it's absolutely
fantastic."

An FA statement read: "Jose Mourinho has denied an FA charge and requested a non-.personal hearing in relation to comments
he made following Chelsea's game against Sunderland on April 19, 2014.
"It is alleged that Mourinho's post-match comments constitute improper conduct, in that they call into question the integrity of
the referee appointed to the above fixture (Mike Dean) and/or the integrity of Mr Mike Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, and/or the comments bring the game into
disrepute.

"In relation to the same fixture, Chelsea assistant manager Rui Faria has admitted two misconduct breaches and requested a non-personal hearing.
"The first breach was that Faria used abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official (Phil Dowd). The second breach was that Faria's behaviour following
the match referee's request that he leave the technical area amounted to improper conduct.

"A date for both hearings will be set in due course."

Morning Gist

THE SUN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce's future is in doubt and he and may need to get something from Saturday's game at home to Spurs to save his job.
Lyon's £10m-rated forward Alexandre Lacazaette is now attracting the interest of Arsenal and Spurs, as well as Liverpool.

DAILY MIRROR
Louis Van Gaal is expected to be named the new manager of Manchester United as early as this week. He is set to sign a three-year deal worth £25m and will offer
current interim boss Ryan Giggs a place on his coaching staff.
West Brom and Leicester are set for a summer battle over the signature of midfielder Craig Gardner, whose Sunderland deal expires at the end of the season.
Ricardo Vaz Te has been told he can leave Upton Park in the summer and Sporting Lisbon and Maritimo are interested in the
Portuguese native.

DAILY STAR
Louis Van Gaal has approved United's plans to try and sign Luke Shaw from Southampton, Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund and Paris St-Germain forward Edinson Cavani.

DAILY MAIL
Fernerbahce may be willing to offer
defender Bacary Sagna £100,000-a-week to leave Arsenal and he is also attracting interest from Galatasaray, Inter, Monaco, PSG and Manchester City.
West Ham midfielder Joe Cole is likely to leave the club when his contract expires in the summer.

DAILY EXPRESS
Schalke's 20-year-old left-back Sead
Kolasina has emerged as a potential target for Manchester United.

THE GUARDIAN
Rio Ferdinand is mulling over offers from Turkish clubs Galatasaray and Besiktas, MLS outfit LA Galaxy, and Al Gharafa of
Qatar, but would prefer to stay at
Manchester United.

Suarez named PFA player of the year

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was voted the Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year on Sunday night.

It completes an incredible turnaround for the controversial Uruguayan who was beaten to the award last season by former
Tottenham winger Gareth Bale and was booed by some of his fellow professionals as his name was read out at the event.

After missing the first four games of this season following his 10-match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic, the 27-year-old
Suarez has gone on to score 30 Premier League goals in 31 appearances, including two trebles and four goals in a devastating
show at Norwich in December, to help steer his team to the top of the table.

Suarez was one of three Liverpool players up for the award, alongside strike-partner Daniel Sturridge and club-captain Steven
Gerrard.

It provided some consolation for the forward and his team on a day when they handed control of the Premier League title race to Manchester City after their 2-0
defeat by Chelsea.

Suarez, who travelled down to the
ceremony at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday evening, said: "The Premier League is full of really great players and so it is a great honour when these players
recognise your work on the pitch.

"I always try my best for the team and it is nice to get awards but really this is for my team-mates and the staff at Liverpool because without their help I wouldn't have this prize."

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard, absent for the game at Anfield due to injury, was second behind Suarez but was named winner of the Young Player of the Year
award ahead of Sturridge and
Southampton's Luke Shaw.

Manchester City's Yaya Toure and
Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana were also on the shortlist for the main award.

Suarez has put behind him a troublesome year which saw him agitating for a move in the summer, even at one stage claiming manager Brendan Rodgers had reneged on a deal to allow him to leave for a Champions League club Rodgers' handling of the situation has been impressive but the Reds boss insisted all of
the credit should be with the player.

"He is a brilliant talent. I think the
supporters have seen him mature over the course of the last season," Rodgers said of his striker on Friday.

"I think he was in a real low moment after that game (against Chelsea last year) but he has gone away and probably looked in the mirror and reflected on himself
because he is not that type of guy and it probably just spilled over.

"He is a really intelligent man who fits the values of this club, which is all about humility, class and he has all of that. He is a sheer winner and that probably overspilled last year but his development over the last year has been remarkable both on and off the field and Liverpool have benefited from that.

"For me he is the consistently outstanding player over the course of the last year."

There was more success for Liverpool FC with ladies defender Lucy Bronze namedPFA women's Player of the Year and team-
mate Martha Harris voted young player of the year.

Hazard wins PFA Young player of the year

Chelsea's Eden Hazard has been named the PFA Young Player of
the Year.

The Belgium international finished ahead of Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge, who was named as runner-up, while Southampton left-back Luke Shaw secured third place.

Hazard has been pivotal in Chelsea's Premier League title challenge this season having scored 14 goals and registered
seven assists in 33 appearances.

The 23-year-old was also named in the PFA Team of the Year, which also featured his Chelsea team-mates Petr Cech and Gary Cahill.

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey, Everton's Ross Barkley and Liverpool's Raheem Sterling were also on the initial list of nominees.

Fenerbahce win 19th title with draw

Fenerbahce picked up the point they needed to secure their 19th league title with a 0-0 draw against Rizespor on Sunday.

Ersun Yanal's side started the day 12 points ahead of the then-second- placed Besiktas and knew that a draw would be enough regardless of what their rivals did.

And their goalless stalemate in
Istanbul was enough to give them
their first title since the 2010-11
season.
Their triumph was witnessed by only women and children inside the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, as men were banned for previous crowd trouble.
But it did not dampen the mood as
the title was wrestled back after
finishing second to arch-rivals
Galatasaray for the last two seasons.
As it turned out, the point was not
necessary as Besiktas lost 3-0 at
Sivasspor, who remain level on points with Trabzonspor in the race for fourth.

Slaven Bilic's side needed to win to
have any chance of keeping the title race alive, but were blown away by second-half goals from John Utaka and Aatif Chahechouhe, either side of a
Tolga Zengin own goal, giving
Sivasspor - managed by Brazilian
legend Roberto Carlos - their third win in succession.
That defeat allowed Galatasaray to
move back into second with a 1-0 win at Elazigspor courtesy of Burak Yilmaz's 14th of the season.
Austrian defender Tanju Kayhan was sent off for a second booking with 20 minutes to go as the home side dropped into the bottom three.

Kayseri Erciyesspor made the most of that slip by winning 1-0 at
Eskisehirspor to climb two points clear of the drop zone. Edinho's 32nd- minute strike proved to be the difference.

A brace from Paulo Henrique ensured Trabzonspor remained in fourth after their 2-1 win over Gaziantepspor, while Kasimpasa are lurking two points further back following a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Antalyaspor thanks to goals from Ryan Babel and
Ezequiel Scarione.

Kayserispor are all but down - seven points from safety with nine left to play for - after a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Karabukspor, but Konyaspor eased their own relegation worries as Theofanis Gekas scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 rout of Akhisar
Belediyespor, who had defender
Cagdas Atan sent off midway through the first half for a second booking in the space of three minutes.

In the round's other game, 10-man
Bursaspor went down 1-0 at
Genclerbirligi, having Samil Cinaz sent off in injury-time.