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Many Everton fans have been slamming the performance of Fabian Delph in their game against his former club Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The midfielder did not enjoy his return to the Etihad Stadium as he was hauled off after just 63 minutes for Salomon Rondon, with the score at 2-0 to the hosts thanks to a cool finish from Raheem Sterling after a sublime pass from Joao Cancelo in the first half, and a rocket from Rodri after the interval.

Bernardo Silva added a third goal late on when Delph was no longer on the pitch, but some Everton fans thought that he should have done better to try and block the shot from the Spaniard for the second goal as it rifled into the back of Jordan Pickford’s net.

Delph failed to block any of City’s shots in the match and also failed to record a single interception or tackle, while losing out on all three of his duels (SofaScore).

Everton fans hammer Delph

These Everton supporters slammed Delph’s performance on Twitter, with one Toffee fans claiming that the 32-year-old was ‘pathetic’ against the Premier League champions:

“#delph not good enough, sorry”

Credit: @Cstyles1878

“Allan is so sloppy and Delph do me a favour, go as far as you can from Goodison”

Credit: @abbot551

“Delph just stopped then, pathetic.”

Credit: @GOT_Micknick

“Allan air shot. Delph air shot. Bunch of clowns.”

Credit: @rulitos14

“Is Delph playing for City???”

Credit: @g4j4s4

“Delph is playing against us”

Credit: @Evertxn

In other news, find out what stadium news has left these Evertonians gushing

Tottenham Hotspur were forced to cope without Son Heung-min for a short time in January when he joined up with the South Korea squad at the Asian Cup, but he made his return to Premier League football last night and got himself on the score sheet in the process. 

With Spurs edging towards another morale-sapping defeat on Wednesday night, Son added his 9th Premier League strike of the season to draw his side level in the 80th minute, setting the stage for Fernando Llorente to redeem himself for a glaring miss by scoring a late winner.

Son was back in action after missing key fixtures against Fulham and cup defeats against Chelsea and Crystal Palace, a set of results which left him in a world of pain while on international duty.

Indeed, Son has opened up about his brief stint on international duty and revealed his heartache after watching Spurs crash out of two cup competitions (via Sky Sports).

“Of course, when I saw the Fulham game, we scored last minute and of course I was happy but also Dele was injured and it hurt,” he said. “When you go away, your team go out of a semi-final the cup game, and the FA Cup, it just hurt. It hurt like you can’t even imagine.

“Football is about… in three days or one week you can make it better. That was the main thing.

“I followed it when I was in the Asian Games in Indonesia and I followed it this time as well. I must follow, if I don’t follow then I can’t sleep!”

Son has established himself as an incredibly popular figure at Spurs since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, and his latest admission is only likely to cement his status amongst the supporters.

It’s rare to see a player speak with such transparency and emotion about their despair when things aren’t going well. The fact Son was forced to watch Spurs’ mini demise from afar and was unable to aid the team effort clearly hurt the electric attacker, but his passion and commitment to the cause seems symptomatic of the ethos Pochettino has installed at the club.

Son wasted no time in finding his feet after his second international hiatus of the season and his emotional investment to Spurs’ ambitions will ensure he has a pivotal role to play in any future success.

Tottenham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Bangalore may have made it through to the semi-finals, thanks to a healthy net run-rate, but have every reason to go all out against Mumbai Indians

The Preview by Sidharth Monga16-Apr-2010 Match factsRoyal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians, Bangalore
Saturday, April 17
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Jacques Kallis is competing with Sachin Tendulkar for the orange cap•Indian Premier League Big PictureRoyal Challengers Bangalore may have – for all practical purposes – made it through to the semi-finals, thanks to a healthy net run-rate, but have every reason to go all out against Mumbai Indians in their last league match. They are one of the few teams to have beaten Mumbai this season, and they will want to convert it into some sort of a hold, for another meeting between the two teams in immediate future cannot be ruled out. Moreover, if they lose, Bangalore leave themselves open to being No. 4 in the table, which would mean a semi-final against Mumbai, and back-to-back matches against a team who have just beaten them. Mumbai will want to forget all the permutations and maintain a winning run.Form guide (most recent first)Bangalore WLWLL
Mumbai Indians WWLLW Team talkIt’s time for both teams to iron out final creases in their combinations before they get into knock-out territory. Bangalore have to decide between Ross Taylor and Cameron White, Praveen Kumar and Pankaj Singh, and Manish Pandey and any other opener. They are likely to continue trusting Taylor and Pandey, and Pankaj – after taking 2 for 27 in his only match of the season – could get another chance to present his case.Mumbai need to decide on which two overseas players to pick out of Dwayne Bravo, JP Duminy and Ryan McLaren. They have also broken up a successful opening combination, and might go back to Shikhar Dhawan after Sanath Jayasuriya and Chandan Madan didn’t perform. Ali Murtaza is giving R Sathish a run for the bowling allrounder’s slot, and the absence of a proper wicketkeeper could be a problem, with Ambati Rayudu, Aditya Tare and Madan being lotteries behind the stumps. Previously…Bangalore 3 Mumbai 2
Their earlier encounter was one-way traffic, with R Vinay Kumar and Dale Steyn slicing open Mumbai’s batting, and Jacques Kallis and Pandey leading the chase.In the spotlightJacques Kallis followed up his captain’s criticism with 4-0-19-1 (Shane Watson’s wicket) and a duck in a simple chase against Rajasthan. Good enough on the day, but not the Kallis that set the first half of the tournament alight. It also meant that he didn’t follow the time-honoured tradition, one he and Sachin Tendulkar have been following, of taking the orange cap off each other’s head every time they bat.Dale Steyn has been terrorising batsmen with his pace, bounce and movement. In the first match against Mumbai, he went for only 26 in four overs and took three wickets. But even during that spell, Tendulkar clipped three boundaries off the three balls he faced from Steyn. In fact, Steyn’s previous tête-à-tête with Tendulkar was disastrous too, figures of 0 for 89 during the double-century in the Gwalior ODI. Add the century in the Kolkata Test, and Steyn’s beauty to get Tendulkar in Nagpur seems like an age ago. Can Steyn pull one back in Bangalore?Prime numbers and trivia Kallis has scored ten fifty-plus scores in the IPL (all seasons), Tendulkar is joint-second with eight. At 15 half-centuries, Kallis is five behind the overall Twenty20 record held by Brad Hodge.Across all three IPLs, Harbhajan Singh has been the stingiest bowler, conceding an average of 6.41 an over. Anil Kumble is a close third, with 6.52.Bangalore has been the most boundary-happy venue this year, with 57.66% of the runs scored there coming in boundaries. Only Cuttack has a higher ratio – 59.76%.Mumbai have been the best batting side in the last six overs, scoring at 11.04 an over, and the best bowling side too, conceding 8.12 an over. Not surprisingly that difference of 2.79 is the highest, with Bangalore’s 1.19 being a distant second.The chatter”Our goal this time is to go one step further than what we did last season.”

“I was never in doubt [that others apart from me are performing too]. People questioned me, but I was never in doubt.”

Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, has accused his side of ‘complacency’ after they slumped to defeat against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 warm-up game

Cricinfo staff29-Apr-2010Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, has accused his side of ‘complacency’ after they slumped to defeat against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 warm-up game on Wednesday.Ireland lost 3-0 to West Indies XI earlier this month and were also defeated by New Zealand on Tuesday. It’s a sequence of results that does not bode well for a side that has a proud record in global tournaments recently and Simmons could not hide his disappointment after a lacklustre performance that saw Ireland slip to 32 for 5 at one point.”I can’t express my thoughts,” he said. “We didn’t start the game well. We can’t have five wickets down for 30 runs in eight or nine overs and expect to be competitive in a game. It’s a case of complacency and bad batting as a whole. We’ve just got to make sure that we get rid of that complacency.”Ireland’s batting woes have hampered the side since arriving in the Caribbean. They have passed 150 only once in the five Twenty20 matches they have played but Simmons insists his team can bounce back.”We lost four going into the World Twenty20 in England last year and we lost two coming into the [50-over] World Cup here three years ago so that does nothing for us,” he said.”The thing about it is that before yesterday and today we had done everything that we wanted to do leading up to the competition. Two days doesn’t change anything. I think it’s a case of us making sure that between Thursday and Friday morning that mentally we get prepared for what it the biggest game since we’ve been on this tour.”Ireland play their opening match on Friday against Simmons’ native West Indies at Guyana. “We’ve had two bad days but two bad days don’t make a summer, as they say. I think we still have the desire to come on Friday and perform.”

Newcastle United's home St. James' Park is the favourite to host the inaugural Over-35s World Cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

St. James' could host Over-35s World CupEight teams to take part in the inaugural editionCould be held in the first week of JuneWHAT HAPPENED?

The first-ever edition of the Over-35s World Cup is all set to be held in England in June with Newcastle United's home ground St. James' Park likely to host the matches, according to the Daily Mail. The Elite Player Group, who are organising the tournament, recently met representatives of the Magpies and the local council of Newcastle city.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The tournament is all set to feature eight teams – England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay – all past champions of the FIFA World Cup. Players who are aged 35 or above capped by their country or with 100 top-flight appearances are eligible to participate in the competition.

DID YOU KNOW?

All eight teams have already revealed their respective captains for the tournament. The leaders will be Steve McManaman (England), Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Emerson (Brazil), Christian Karembeu (France), Kevin Kuranyi (Germany), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Michel Salgado (Spain) and Diego Lugano (Uruguay). Full 18-man final squads will be announced soon.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

While the dates of the competition are yet to be finalised, the tournament could be tentatively hosted in the first week of June with the final taking place on June 11 or June 12.

Stuart Broad found himself in a familiar position for England captains – trying to explain a calamitous display against spin bowling

David Hopps in Colombo23-Sep-2012Stuart Broad found himself in a familiar position for England captains – trying to explain a calamitous display against spin bowling – as his side, dismissed against India for 80 in 14.4 overs, registered England’s lowest total in Twenty20 internationals.”It doesn’t change our destiny a huge amount – we still hop on a bus to Kandy in the morning,” Broad said. “It is not like tomorrow is going to be a different day. It is not as if we have to go home or anything.”It was understandable, indeed it was necessary, that Broad found consolation in the fact that both sides had already qualified for Super Eights and that, for the sake of their travelling supporters, England and India were already locked into matches in Pallekele (near to Kandy) or Colombo respectively, irrespective of whether they finished first or second in the group.But that underplayed the psychological effect that a defeat of such magnitude will have on a relatively untried England batting line-up that had grown in confidence during the warm-up matches but which collapsed spectacularly when faced by the first real test against significant opposition.As Broad had mentioned destiny, he did bring to mind Freud’s theory of repetition compulsion – a psychological phenomenon in which a person (or in this case the England cricket team) repeats a traumatic event, or its circumstances, over and over again.Freud’s theory says the patient does not remember anything about what he has forgotten or repressed, but just acts it out until the end of time, which is a depressing thought for when England next face spin bowling in Asia as well as an intriguing challenge for the team psychologist. The alternative, of course, would be to listen instead to Mushtaq Ahmed, the spin bowling coach, and start hitting the ball down the ground.”Our error today is we lost early wickets,” Broad said. “Spinners always enjoy bowling to new batsmen. We talked the other day about how we need to hit straight and hard and today to lose the first couple of wickets across the line was a bit disappointing. Hitting straight was a much better option than going across the ball.”England’s display was so woeful that when they lost their ninth wicket at 60 they were in danger of recording the lowest score in T20 internationals, undercutting Kenya’s 67 against Ireland. Somehow, they avoided that. But this was their heaviest defeat, by runs, in T20 internationals.There was no alibi for the batsmen and Broad was not about to give them one. There was no sharp turn – there may be as the tournament progresses so if England do reach the semi-finals and face India once more at Premadasa it could be worse – and India’s 170 for 4 was, at most, 10 over par so the target did not demand the impossible.”I don’t think the wicket turned massively to be honest,” Broad said. “The guys getting out said it was just skidding on a little bit. There was a little bit of turn, Harbhajan bowled very nicely with his top-spinner going well but no, I don’t think it was a raging turner or anything.”We made it easy for India in the end. We will have to learn from our mistakes and there were some pretty clear ones in the batting line-up. Young guys seem to learn pretty quickly.”He did not entirely exonerate the bowling, where England suffered in this match by giving Tim Bresnan a run out as a fourth seamer, in defiance of a dry pitch, because of their conviction that the ball will seam and swing in Pallakele and he will play in their opening Super Eight tie against West Indies or Ireland on Thursday as a result. The fielding was also scrappy by England standards, but these were details compared to the car crash of a batting performance.”I think we were a little bit sloppy in places: we had a few soft twos in the outfield,” Broad conceded. “We didn’t hit our lengths as well as we could up front. But I think it was the lowest first-innings score on this ground so far in the tournament. We thought it was very chaseable. The wicket was pretty flat, although it didn’t have the pace in it that it had the other night.”It will be interesting to see what the Pallakele wickets offer. There has been talk that in the Sri Lankan Premier League it seamed around a bit. We knew it was a bit dryer at the start but we wanted to try a different balance of side with the four seamers in a game that we could afford to lose. It was a risk that we took and it didn’t help us.”Sunil Gavaskar, the former India captain, was quick to point out England’s deficiencies. “This is a sorry display from England,” he said. “There’s been a lack of footwork, application and the will to stick around and fight it out.” It was accurate enough but England regard Gavaskar as a serial critic; perhaps this is a comment that will be heading for the dressing room wall.

The possibility of a Pakistan domestic side participating in the Champions League Twenty20 this year – though bleak – has not been entirely written off yet

Osman Samiuddin13-Feb-2010The possibility of a Pakistan domestic side participating in the Champions League Twenty20 this year – though bleak – has not been entirely written off yet, either by the league or the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).Pakistan did not have a representative in the inaugural tournament last year, the only Test-playing nation other than Bangladesh to not have a representative in the 12-team league. Sialkot Staliions – then Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions – had been invited to participate in the very first Champions League, but that was postponed because of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.Since then, as ties between the governments and cricket boards of India and Pakistan have become frostier not only have the two countries not had a bilateral series, Pakistan’s players have not participated in the IPL and not been invited to the Champions League.Relations have worsened further following the decision of the IPL franchises this year to not pick any Pakistani players, despite Pakistan being the World Twenty20 champions and having as many as 12 players up for auction. The PCB eventually decided to revoke all NOCs it had given to players hoping to participate in the IPL, but the door may remain open for participation in this year’s Champions League, which is a multi-board venture and may not be played in India.Discussion on a Pakistan representative was expected to take place in the last meeting of the league’s governing council between officials from the Indian board, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. But a senior league official said the number of teams in this year’s tournament – to be held in September – has not been finalised.”No final decision on participating countries/teams has been made for this year’s event,” Dean Kino, the league’s director of business and legal affairs and key member of the core management, told Cricinfo when asked specifically about the possibility of a Pakistan side being invited.No contact has yet been made with the PCB and though the IPL remains off-limits, the Champions League is a possibility. “Nothing has been discussed with us by any of the boards involved in the tournament as yet,” Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, told Cricinfo. “The IPL remains persona non grata for us, but if there is some contact about the Champions League we will consider the situation, where it is played and when. We would be amenable to sending a team should we get an invite and the situation is feasible.”Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has not yet been held this season; it is scheduled to be played between late February and early March. Pakistan’s ODI series with England in September also clashes with the dates of the Champions League, which makes it unlikely that any domestic champion will be able to call on its best players should there even be an invite.

The United States were in control as Sophia Smith and Lindsay Horan also found the net in a comfortable 3-0 victory at the home of Inter Miami

Despite all of the issues that plagued this group throughout 2023, there’s no doubt that the U.S. women’s national team’s attacking unit is absolutely stacked – Emma Hayes, the team’s incoming manager, really is spoiled for choice.

No player can be considered a lock, not at this level, but, after another superstar performance on Saturday, it feels like Trinity Rodman is the closest thing to it. Rodman is unstoppable and, at this point, undroppable as the USWNT star continues to be a matchwinner at the highest level.

Rodman assisted two goals before scoring one of her own, leading the way in a 3-0 win over China. Her first assist saw her tee up Sophia Smith, who should have had a few more goals to her name by the end of this one. Her wayward finishing prevented that but, even so, the USWNT attack showed a viciousness we hadn’t seen in quite some time.

Rodman’s second assist, admittedly, wasn’t as intentional, as her throw-in to Lindsey Horan led to a fortunate goal after the ball was floated in, intended as a pass. Rodman, though, knew all about the USWNT’s third, as she scored a goal of her own on the back post late in the second half to put the game away.

The goal was her fifth of the year in what was her 17th USWNT appearance of 2023. There will be plenty more in her future as Rodman continues to grow and grow into the role of a true superstar.

GOAL rates USWNT players from DRV PNK Stadium…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defense

Casey Murphy (6/10):

That can be the life of a USWNT goalkeeper: sometimes, you don't have to do much! Rarely challenged she'll no doubt be happy with a clean sheet.

Emily Fox (6/10):

A different sort of game for Fox, who tucked in more than usual. Her versatility is such an asset as she can do so many different things on either side of the field.

Abby Dahlkemper (7/10):

Welcome back! Didn't have to do much defending, but she was solid at the back and showed off the passing range that makes her such a fun part of this player pool.

Naomi Girma (8/10):

What can't she do?!? Played the pass to earn a hockey assist on the opener and kept another clean sheet.

Casey Krueger (8/10):

An absolute menace throughout the first half. Was given freedom to roam and she took it, causing chaos all over the right-hand side.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Emily Sonnett (6/10):

Continued to thrive in midfield. Some good interceptions and recoveries, even if the passing could have been a bit better.

Lindsey Horan (7/10):

Wasn't expecting to get a goal from her long ball into the box but who cares? It's what happens when a midfielder makes things happen, and that's what Horan continues to do for the USWNT.

Savannah DeMelo (6/10):

Got beat up a bit, but did make things happen when on the field. Looks like a veteran despite having so few caps to her name.

Rose Lavelle (6/10):

The quality was there, but the execution was just a bit off. Looked a little rusty, but still had moments that made you go 'Wow!'

GettyAttack

Sophia Smith (7/10):

Got her goal, but probably should have had three or four more. She'll be disappointed with that, but it's nice to see the USWNT generating chances again.

Trinity Rodman (8/10):

Technically, a multi-assist game, but we'll only talk about the first one. A fantastic ball into Smith as Rodman continues to create real danger in a USWNT shirt. Got her goal, too, to put the cap on a true superstar performance.

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GettySubs & Manager

Mia Fishel (7/10):

Surely made her presence felt, and was unlucky not to get a goal.

Jaedyn Shaw (7/10):

Just an inch or two away from getting a goal, but then got her assist late on. She continues to prove she belongs at this level.

Sam Coffey (6/10):

Replaced Sonnett as a deep-lying midfielder and the USWNT didn't see any drop-off in that spot.

Jenna Nighswonger (6/10):

A good taste of the action for the NWSL Rookie of the Year, who had some decent moments in her first cap.

Olivia Moultrie (6/10):

The second debutant, the 18-year-old midfielder replaced Rose Lavelle, which felt symbolic. Got a little excited on a late shot, but you can excuse that.

Midge Purce (7/10):

Helped create the third goal. The NWSL champion has brought her form to the USWNT and is really playing her way into the mix.

Twila Kilgore (8/10):

Got everything right. Shook things up tactically, giving some life to the attack. And then, with the game done and dusted, was able to get some young players some big minutes. A perfect day for the U.S.

Marcus Rashford scored his 28th goal of the season to give Man Utd a nervy 1-0 win over Brentford on another worrying night for David de Gea.

Marcus Rashford fired Manchester United to a 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday and sent Erik ten Hag's side back into the Premier League top four. The forward is now approaching the 30-goal milestone in all competitions – a tremendous potential accomplishment for a man who has completely changed the narrative of his career in a matter of months.

But this was not exactly an emphatic response to Sunday's 2-0 surrender to Newcastle and United still have plenty of problems to surmount to ensure they are in the Champions League places by the end of May.

Number one is David de Gea's kicking, after the Spaniard had another torrid time with the ball at his feet.

GOAL rates the United players from a rain-soaked and uncomfortable evening at Old Trafford.

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

David de Gea (4/10):

His kicking was very sloppy again while he was inches away from gifting a goal to Ivan Toney. Made amends by blocking a close-range shot from Kevin Schade, though it may have been more a product of poor finishing than standout goalkeeping.

Diogo Dalot (6/10):

An improvement on his shoddy display at St James' Park.

Raphael Varane (6/10):

Won every header he went for and barely allowed Toney a sniff although was beaten for pace by Schade.

Lisandro Martinez (8/10):

Another flawless performance, keeping things ticking over from the back with his precision passing.

Luke Shaw (6/10):

Heavily involved in attacking moves but was bizarrely taken off in the 37th minute, perhaps as he was on a booking or experiencing a minor injury.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Scott McTominay (7/10):

Put his body on the line with several crucial blocks and tackles and came close to scoring in the first half. Would have been United's new No.9 if his fizzing shot had stayed on target!

Marcel Sabitzer (7/10):

Set up Rashford's goal with a lovely cushioned header and was very active in attacking play.

Bruno Fernandes (5/10):

Offered little in attack and picked up a booking.

Getty ImagesAttack

Antony (8/10):

Was one of United's more dangerous players, helping set up the goal and coming close a couple of times to scoring himself.

Marcus Rashford (7/10):

It was not his most fluid display but once more he made the difference with a composed finish. Where would United be without his goals?

Jadon Sancho (5/10):

Another opportunity missed. He was slow and indecisive on the ball in the first half although improved a bit in the second before going off.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Tyrell Malacia (7/10):

Really confident on the ball and quick to snuff out any danger on his side, keeping Bryan Mbeumo quiet.

Fred (6/10):

Came close to doubling the lead but was not as good as Sabitzer.

Anthony Martial (5/10):

Could not create many openings despite the game being stretched. Doesn't look back to full sharpness.

Victor Lindelof (N/A)

Only introduced for the final few minutes.

Erik ten Hag (7/10):

Finally benched Wout Weghorst and was very active with his substitutions to ensure the lead did not slip.

After a dramatic last 16, who of the remaining eight sides is most likely to go on and lift the European Cup in Paris?

After just over two months away, the Champions League returned in style, with the last 16 throwing up plenty of talking points and surprises as Europe's elite continue to battle for the greatest prize the continent has to offer.

Defending champions Chelsea remain alive and are joined in the quarter-finals by some of the best teams European football has ever seen, though Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Ajax all fell in the first knockout round.

So, who are the favourites to lift the trophy following the draws for the latter stages, and which teams are set for continental disappointment?

GOAL'sChampions League Power Rankings are here to lay it all out…

Getty Images8Benfica | Last time: 8th

Regardless of who Benfica drew, they were always going to be considered as outsiders for the competition, but they could barely have asked for a more difficult tie than facing Liverpool.

In Darwin Nunez, the Portuguese side possess one of Europe's most in-form attackers, but the Uruguay international will have to produce something special if his team are to make it into the final four.

AdvertisementGetty Images7Villarreal | Last time: 7th

After knocking out Juventus in emphatic fashion in the last 16, Villarreal will fear no one going forward, but a quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich will be far from straightforward.

The Europa League champions have shown they have what it takes to win knockout ties in continental competition, but it feels like taking down the Bundesliga giants might be a step too far for Unai Emery's men.

Getty Images6Atletico Madrid | Last time: 6th

Undoubtedly the weakest side in their half of the draw, Atletico Madrid will have to be at their very best to go all the way to the final, knowing they will have to beat Manchester City and either Chelsea or Real Madrid to do so.

That said, if any team can cause an upset in the competition, it is the one managed by Diego Simeone, and they will not make life easy for City in the quarter-finals as they look to complete a Manchester double in this season's competition.

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Getty Images5Chelsea | Last time: 5th

Chelsea will take confidence from the fact that they beat Real Madrid in the semi-finals of last season's tournament when they face off again in this year's quarters, but there is no doubt that the circumstances are different.

Not only are Madrid a much better side now than they were then, they could yet have the advantage of getting to play their home leg in front of fans while Chelsea are forced to play behind closed doors at Stamford Bridge amid their ongoing ownership issues.

Between two closely-matched sides, that could make all the difference.