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Vinícius Júnior ran to the corner and danced again, just as he had done in Lisbon a week ago, but this time there was celebration all around him. There was also relief. With eleven minutes left on a sometimes nervous night at the Santiago Bernabéu, he had been set free to run through, putting the ball past Anatoliy Trubin and Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Champions League. A 3-1 aggregate lead secured, a place in the next round too, he set off and shook his hips in front of the flag, fans released from their fears and applauding him as he did so.

One-nil up from a first leg in Lisbon that had been overshadowed by allegations that the Brazilian had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, Madrid had trailed by an early goal here and although they equalised swiftly, an uneasy night ensued in which they had not felt safe until then. In the end though, with Prestianni and José Mourinho absent and nowhere to be seen, an impressive performance from Benfica was not enough.

• Serie A side win 4-3 on aggregate after 4-1 victory

• Atalanta face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in last 16

Lazar Samardzic slotted home a stoppage-time penalty to complete a dramatic 4-1 victory for Atalanta against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, sending the Italian side into the Champions League’s last 16 with a comeback 4-3 aggregate triumph.

Dortmund’s Ramy Bensebaini was sent off after his studs caught the head of Atalanta’s Nikola Krstovic in the penalty area and Samardzic converted the spot kick in the 98th minute to send the Italians through. Atalanta will now face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the round of 16, with the draw on Friday.

• Auston Trusty sent off against Hibernian

• O’Neill: ‘In time we won’t need a referee’

Celtic’s manager, Martin O’Neill, has delivered a withering assessment of VAR in Scottish football after what he called the “ridiculous” dismissal of Auston Trusty during Sunday’s loss by Hibernian.

Trusty’s red card and a failed Celtic appeal mean the centre-back will miss three crucial Scottish Premiership games, starting with Sunday’s Old Firm visit to Ibrox. O’Neill claimed VAR actions must be “debilitating” for on-field officials.

The leadership shown by four Premier League players in highlighting racism last weekend must be replicated, and addressing representation is part of that

Recent incidents involving Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Vinícius Júnior have offered a new layer to the question Kick It Out is often asked when discrimination occurs: is it getting worse or are more people reporting it?

The question has been posed again this week after four Premier League players highlighted racist abuse sent to them on social media after matches last weekend.

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When it comes to word association Football Daily immediately links West Bromwich Albion with Adrian Chiles, due in no small part to the avuncular broadcaster and star Big Website columnist being one of the Baggies’ more famous high priests of pessimism. Upon hearing that his struggling club had dispensed with the services of yet another head coach, we checked in to make sure the man we don’t know well enough to call “Chilesey” hadn’t taken it upon himself to sally forth to the Hawthorns and run amok with the new yellow power tool he recently bought in order to “address lifelong self-esteem issues” through the medium of DIY. We’re happy to report that, at the time of writing, the famous old ground’s Smethwick End is still standing and bears no resemblance to a colander.

I thought I should remind James Harvey (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) that English language (and other) pedantry has a proud, well long, tradition in Football Daily! To that end, I think he will see, if he looks, that David Livesey’s use of tautology was entirely intentional, and unusually subtle for Football Daily … neither clear nor obvious” – David Mutimer.

Regarding the recent James Milner quote, in which he puzzlingly pluralised the names of some of his former managers. Frankly I was surprised by this, coming from such a singular player” – Peter Oh.

Can I (and 1,056 Norwegians) offer a hearty ‘Giorgia Meloni, can you hear me Giorgia Meloni? Your boys took a hell of a beating …’ to Bodø/Glimt on their success in San Siro” – Declan Hackett (and no other Norwegians).

Re: the lead story on the stricken seagull (yesterday’s Football Daily). If one takes the folkloric Atatürk-seagull story as gospel, then perhaps Gani Caton’s reaction to recent suspensions were approached with the same seriousness one might show when interpreting prophetic messages from coastal wildlife. One imagines the seagulls of Istanbul have been placed on an unofficial watch list while the matter is reviewed with appropriate bureaucratic dignity” – Andrew Delaney (and no other wannabe Eric Cantonas).

Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. After a lifetime of study, I can confirm for Football Daily Ed that drinking pints does not gain aura. Area, yes – but aura, no” – David Ford.

This is an extract from our daily football email … Football Daily. To get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.

• Fifa to allow traditional Highland accessory into grounds

• Tournament rules only permit certain types of bags

Scotland fans have been given the all-clear to wear their sporrans at the team’s matches at the 2026 World Cup.

Tournament rules only permitted certain types of bags into stadiums, and the pouch traditionally worn by Scots at the front of their kilt was deemed too large to meet the strict criteria.

• Consortium included Dunfermline co-owner James Bord

• They say due diligence showed their offer was far too high

Sheffield Wednesday have been engulfed in fresh turmoil just days after enduring the earliest relegation in EFL history, with a consortium led by the poker player James Bord withdrawing their bid to buy the crisis club.

Bord’s group was granted preferred bidder status on Christmas Eve but, after receiving an additional due diligence report from the accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers this week, concluded they had offered too much for Wednesday and opted to withdraw their proposed purchase.

• Goalhanger’s Tony Pastor says Serie A has ‘disappeared’

• ‘You have to embrace this idea of fragmentation’

Football “has eaten almost every sport worldwide” thanks to its dominance of TV and digital markets, according to the head of the leading podcast production company Goalhanger.

Tony Pastor, CEO of the studio behind the Rest is Football among other podcasts, said that broadcasters were struggling to get value for money for sports rights and that competitions should “embrace fragmentation” to reach audiences where they are.

• Former England keeper has met with Sarina Wiegman

• She adds: ‘I’m human. I’m not perfect, I’m still learning’

Mary Earps said she has “learned some tough lessons” and understands why there was such strong condemnation of comments made in her autobiography last year.

The former England goalkeeper told the Guardian the “last thing she wanted to do” was hurt Sarina Wiegman and she is grateful to have had a chance to meet up with the Lionesses head coach and have a “really positive conversation” since the release of her book in November, which led to a huge backlash.

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Italian giants were well beaten by a side who dazzled despite Norway’s domestic season not starting until next month

There was a moment after the final whistle at San Siro on Tuesday night when the head coaches, Bodø/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen and Inter’s Cristian Chivu, stood chatting, seemingly discussing some tactical element of the game that had just finished.

Chivu appeared genuinely interested in what Knutsen had to say, smiling politely, but above all he looked utterly bemused. What the hell had just happened? His Inter team, top of Serie A by 10 points and undefeated in the league since 23 November, had not only lost the home leg of their Champions League playoff against the Norwegian side but been well beaten: 2-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.

Plus: top and bottom being first and last alphabetically, oldest players to outscore their age and cornerless matches

• Mail us with your questions and answers

“With Sheffield Wednesday on the brink of relegation in February [update: they’re now down], what is the earliest a team has been demoted to another division?” asks Kevin Bartholomew.

The earliest confirmed relegation in a season we can find is Peterborough United, in 1967-68, who were relegated from the third tier with a whopping 27 games remaining. After the club were found guilty of breaking league rules relating to match-fee incentives and signing-on bonuses, a Football League management committee confirmed in mid-November of 1968 that Posh would be relegated, whatever their final league placing or points tally. Despite finishing ninth with 50 points, Peterborough were docked 19 of them, rendering them bottom. The club were relegated having scored 79 goals that season, which made them more prolific than all but one of the other teams in Division Three, including champions Oxford United.

• Former official at Altach given suspended prison term

• Player says the sentence ‘leaves me speechless’

A man has been given a seven-month suspended prison sentence and fined €1,200 (£1,046) after being found guilty of taking secret videos and photographs from the changing room, gym and showers of the Altach women’s football team. He was also told to pay the victims €625 each in compensation.

The sentence was handed out in the regional court in Feldkirch, Austria, with the judge saying that it made a huge difference “if one looks at pictures or actually creates them oneself”. The defendant accepted the sentence but the prosecutor may appeal.

• Goalkeeper currently on loan at Trabzonspor

• United report £4.2m net profit in second quarter

André Onana wants to fight to re-establish himself as Manchester United’s No 1 when his season’s loan at Trabzonspor finishes in May and believes he will be given a chance to do so.

The 29-year-old signed for the Turkish club on 11 September after his erratic form moved United to sign Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp for £18m. He is due to report for pre-season training at United.

• Coach failed to win any of his nine games since MLS move

• James Morrison is put in interim charge of the strugglers

West Brom have sacked Eric Ramsay after just 44 days in charge at the Hawthorns. The 34-year-old was appointed head coach on a two-and-a-half-year deal on 11 January following the departure of Ryan Mason but has failed to win any of his nine matches.

West Brom decided to make the call after they drew 1-1 with Charlton at home on Tuesday, with the Baggies languishing in 21st place in the Championship, just a point above the drop zone. Ramsay’s side were booed off after the match, with the head coach and his assistant Dennis Lawrence then summoned to meet with the club owner and chairman, Shilen Patel, in the boardroom.

Which cities are hosting games? Where can you watch? Is Sam Kerr fit and back in form? Can the Matildas win? Our complete guide to the tournament

The 2026 Women’s Asian Cup is a major continental football tournament. For Australia, the Asian Cup is second only to the World Cup in terms of prestige. The three-week tournament kicks off on Sunday at 5pm AWST (8pm AEDT) with the group A clash between hosts Australia and the Philippines in Perth. The knockout stage starts on Friday 13 March and wraps up on Saturday 21 March with the final at 8pm AEDT.

• Courtois: ‘This a moment for football to end these things’

• Real Madrid meet Benfica in second leg on Wednesday

Álvaro Arbeloa and Thibaut Courtois have called on Uefa to take a genuine stand against racism and change football following the alleged racist abuse of Vinícius Júnior by Gianluca Prestianni during Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff first leg at Benfica last week, with Arbeloa imploring the governing body to go beyond “just slogans” as the two teams prepare to meet again.

Courtois also expressed his disappointment with José Mourinho for linking the incident to Vinícius’s celebration of the only goal of the game in Lisbon and insisted suggestions that Prestianni’s defence might be that he instead used a homophobic slur would be “just as bad”.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and John Brewin to discuss all of the weekend’s Premier League action

On today’s pod: Arsenal run riot in the north London derby, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres scoring twice in a comprehensive win over a Spurs side in disarray. With injuries mounting and confidence draining, the panel asks: are Tottenham Hotspur the worst team in the Premier League?

Elsewhere, Manchester City keep the pressure on with a 2-1 win over Newcastle as Nico O’Reilly shines. Is he on the plane? Liverpool snatched a dramatic late victory at Nottingham Forest in a game packed with VAR controversy and handball debate. Burnley grabbed a last-gasp point at Chelsea, Palace left it late again for Oliver Glasner, and Tammy Abraham rescues Aston Villa. There’s also a big result for Brighton, and the panel reminisce over James Milner’s breakthrough at Leeds as he sets the all-time Premier League appearance record.

Plus: racist abuse directed at multiple players prompts strong responses from Kick It Out and Meta, more twists in the Scottish title race as Hearts open up a lead, a hilarious own goal in the A-League Men’s New Zealand derby, and much more on today’s Guardian Football Weekly.

Quansah left Ghana for Ajax as a boy but injury ended his career before it started. He now earns £5 a day as a builder and strives to find a new purpose in life

By The Blizzard

John Quansah looks at a glass display case hanging on the wall of his living room in Obuasi, Ghana. Inside are three trophies from his days as a youth player at Ajax. For years, they lay tucked away in the back of a cupboard, but two years ago, that changed. “I’m an adult now,” John says. “It’s time to look at the past differently. When I look at the trophies now, I don’t just feel pain. I am grateful too – for those beautiful years.”

Of course, he didn’t fulfil his big dream. But not everyone can say they have played for Ajax. He has every reason to be proud, to look back at that time with satisfaction. During a move, he finds the trophies again and decides to mount a display case on the wall of his new living room. Inside, he places three trophies. One for the best player at a youth tournament in Belgium. Next to that, one from another competition, and one he received for sportsmanship, also awarded in Belgium.

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions. Today, Graham Ruthven endeavors to answer three of them

The soccer news agenda hasn’t exactly been a picnic recently. Concerns over the hosting of World Cup matches in Mexico. Gianni Infantino cozying up to Donald Trump whenever he can. The fleecing of supporters planning to visit the US this summer. Is all this really worth it? But then there’s Bodø/Glimt.

Former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas has played a big part in the club’s work towards gender equality in all sports

For a team that did not have a women’s side until a year ago, Porto have made a rapid rise. The first season ended with promotion from the third division and now they are on the verge of reaching the top flight, where they would finally compete with their rivals Benfica and Sporting.

Porto are top of the final phase of the second division championship, having won the first phase. The champions of the final phase are guaranteed promotion and the next two teams will take part in the playoffs. Porto are yet to concede a goal in a league game.

This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday.

The world’s No 9-ranked team, who have been largely absent from international competitions for over a decade, is reaping the benefits of state-sponsored investment

In 1986, when Norwegian delegate Ellen Wille stood on stage at Fifa’s annual congress in Mexico and demanded the creation of a World Cup for women, it sparked support from one of the room’s unlikeliest allies. Delegates from North Korea, so the story goes, were inspired by Wille’s speech and returned to Pyongyang with a plan: to use women’s football as a tool to reassert their collapsing power on the world stage.

The plan was simple: starting in the late 1980s, the government would invest heavily in the women’s game, inserting football programs into school curriculums, establishing women’s teams in the military where players trained full-time, creating youth talent identification pathways, and constructing brand-new facilities across the country.

Threat of relegation looms over former league champions who can still be accused of living off past glories

“We currently have zero self-confidence,” lamented Marco Friedl, “and it shows.” Werder Bremen had just come to the end of a 13th successive winless game and there was a sense that they didn’t realise that the bottom was quite this low – if indeed they are quite there. “I often have the right words, but today I’m pretty much speechless because I couldn’t have imagined the game ending like this.”

It is difficult to predict quite how this season will finish at the bottom of the Bundesliga but it feels like it has a big ending in store, with at least one big name set to tumble. This felt like a big moment for Bremen, the 2004 double winners, in freefall for months and unable to find the decisive moment away to St Pauli as Sunday evening drew in.

England forward was among Arsenal heroes in attendance at event commemorating fan who was stabbed to death

There is a poignant silence as Tashan Daniel’s parents emerge on to Ken Friar Bridge on a cold, wet February afternoon in north London. With heads bowed, the England forwards Noni Madueke and Alessia Russo and the former Arsenal international turned TV host Alex Scott greet them with a hug before beginning a slow walk that Daniel was not able to complete in September 2019. The talented 20-year-old aspiring athlete and photographer was stabbed to death at Hillingdon station in west London on his way to watch his beloved Arsenal face Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup.

“I’ve got no words; it’s horrible, something that shouldn’t be happening,” says Madueke, who spent much of the half hour it took to reach Daniel’s seat inside the Emirates speaking to Daniel’s father, Chandy. “We were just talking about Arsenal, just talking about life. He’s a real Arsenal fan and his son was as well. I told him that this season’s going to be a special year. It’s such a difficult situation that they have been having to go through for so long and we wanted to come out here and try to give them strength.”

Everything you need to know about every Australian squad member in the football tournament hosted by Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast

The club’s vision for a young team of players from the region has been put on hold due to concerns about going down

By Get French Football News

If anyone can empathise with Stéphane Gilli, it is probably Antoine Kombouaré, the man who now replaces him as Paris FC manager. Gilli had felt like a lame duck since the Arnault family took over the club midway through last season, but earning promotion to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking bought him a stay of execution. It didn’t last long. With fears of relegation growing, Kombouaré – a former lame duck turned firefighter – has taken his place.

Just like Gilli, Kombouaré too failed to fulfil the lofty ambitions of new owners; his face didn’t fit. QSI were merciless when they dispatched Kombouaré within just months of their purchase of Paris Saint-Germain in 2011; they were top of the league when he was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. The self-proclaimed “bling bling” era had begun at PSG and, despite its flaws, there was at least a direction – which is more than can be said for Paris FC now.

Three thoughts on the opening weekend of MLS in 2026, including a new Galaxy forward to fear and a pointed celebration in DC

You know a situation is dire when it casts Luis Suárez as its level-headed participant.

Such were the scenes after Inter Miami opened their MLS Cup defense with a pitiful 3-0 defeat at Los Angeles FC. Through 90 minutes, with LAFC coming off a midweek continental match, both team’s stars stuck it out to try starting the 2026 season on the right foot. Son Heung-min made it 89 minutes, subbed out when the result was beyond doubt. Lionel Messi played every minute but was held without a goal contribution, failing to place either of his shot attempts on target and seeing all three created chances go uncashed by his teammates.

Starting next year, MLS will align itself with big European leagues and become a summer-to-spring operation. Executives see the change as an opportunity

Few constants have endured from MLS’s 1996 debut to now. It’s still an operational soccer league, for one thing. There’s the name itself, although its initial logo was shelved in 2015 for its current shield-and-kickstand. Eight of the 10 teams that launched the league remain involved, though each one has changed their name, crest, or both over time.

Another rare constant will soon fade into the rearview: the league’s schedule. MLS has run spring-to-fall/winter since its launch, more specifically from late February to early December in recent years. Preseason kicks off at the start of each new year, three weeks or so after the previous season’s championship bout. It’s a pretty well-ironed routine, even as ancillary competitions like the Leagues Cup and Club World Cup shuffle the middle bits each year.

It was a close run thing for a time, but Tottenham’s haplessness prevailed over the idea that the league leaders might be inveterate bottlers

It was a derby but it was also a clash of emerging narratives, which is always a confusing, if thrilling, moment for the great soap opera of the Premier League. In the end, Tottenham’s haplessness prevailed over the idea that Arsenal might be inveterate bottlers, fated to let another title race get away from them. But there was a time in the first half when it seemed like it might be a close-run thing.

It shouldn’t have been. Arsenal are better than Spurs. They outplayed Tottenham for long periods. They had 20 chances to Spurs’ six. They won 4-1 and could easily have won by more. But bottling takes no account of that; indeed, the better the side play the more certain it is that they are bottling if they somehow fail to win. And frankly, the fact that Arsenal were level at half‑time was hard to explain as, for the third league game in a row, and fourth in the past six, they conceded within 10 minutes of scoring. Only the vague sense that this is the sort of thing Arsenal do made it seem like they might drop points, but football is rooted in such anxieties.

The Brazilian has seen this before, football has seen this before, and yet why does it feel like nothing ever changes?

José Mourinho: against provoking opposition fans. José Mourinho: in favour of restrained celebrations. José Mourinho, once of the poke‑in‑the‑eye, sprint‑down‑the‑touchline, accost‑the‑referee-in-the-car-park school of footballing expression: now apparently very big on showing respect to the game. Well, it seems like we’ve all been on a journey here.

“I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was Black,” Mourinho recounted when asked about his conversation with Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday night. “This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.”

Extending his England men’s team contract until 2028 means increased stability and a less relentless form of pressure

Thomas Tuchel was supposed to be here for a good time, not a long time. It was win or bust when he signed up to become England’s head coach in October 2024. The target was clear – lead the side to glory at the 2026 World Cup – and it came with an acceptance that the German was nothing more than a very expensive gun for hire.

An 18-month deal, which began on 1 January 2025, saw to that. Tuchel talked about it giving him focus. He said it streamlined the role. “It’s a little bit of a step into the unknown for me,” he said. Tuchel would have to adapt. He loves being out on the training pitch, working with his players, honing their understanding of his tactics. Wouldn’t he get bored during the long months without a game? Wouldn’t he get itchy feet as soon as he saw a job open up at a big club?

Tax exile has already proven himself a terrible club owner; now his ill-informed diatribe about immigration has poured fuel on wider flames

Well I, for one, am shocked. Shocked to learn that a tax-exiled English expat who made his billions squeezing chemical plants doesn’t have liberal, let alone accurate, views on immigration. Or at least, in public anyway.

It seems highly likely Sir Jim Ratcliffe knew what he was doing in the course of his now semi-recanted Sky News interview. And it is above all vital that at least one part of his empire of influence – football, sport, Manchester United – rejects it, as the club have done to some extent in their statement.

Our cartoonist on the north London derby and some uncomfortable truths for the interim Spurs manager

• Buy this cartoon | David’s favourite work of 2025

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The Winslow pub closed last month after serving pints to Everton players, managers and fans for 140 years

By When Saturday Comes

On Saturday January 24, Duncan Ferguson walked into the Winslow Hotel pub on Goodison Road and handed licensee Dave Bond £1,000 to put behind the bar. Ferguson, the former Everton centre-forward, was there because the Winslow, 140 years old and standing in the shadow of Goodison Park’s towering Main Stand, was closing. Eight months after Everton’s men left Goodison, this was another farewell party and Ferguson had turned up to say goodbye. “It was a brilliant gesture,” said Bond.

Ferguson was not the only ex-Evertonian present. Former captain Alan Stubbs, 1995 FA Cup winners Graham Stuart and Joe Parkinson, and 1987 League champion Ian Snodin each had a turn on the mic. Kevin Sheedy, one of the heroes of Howard Kendall’s great mid-1980s team, made an appearance too.

In tandem with Game Day Vision, the Premier League club are improving the matchday experience for supporters with a variety of conditions

Thomas Clements’ eyes begin dancing as he recalls in vivid detail his first trip to Highbury. It was 1995 and Ian Wright was among the scorers as QPR were defeated. Clements – named after Michael Thomas, scorer of Arsenal’s decisive second goal against Liverpool in their 1989 title decider – points to his dad, Kevin, standing a metre away. “I was sat on his shoulders in the North Bank,” he says.

That is, in itself, not unusual for a child of the 1980s. However, whereas most regular match-goers might take for granted the seemingly small things – travel arrangements, the journey to the stadium, grabbing food and drink, meeting friends and family, entering and exiting the ground – for disabled supporters such as Clements, careful thought and planning go into all arrangements.

Annual mass game in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, is centuries old and has minimal rules except competitors must come from one side or the other of a brook

• This gallery was amended on 19 February 2026 to remove images of a similar football match played in Alnwick

Lucy and Pippa Tallant have opened the Crossbar, in Brighton, to create a place for women to feel comfortable watching all sport

You can’t miss it, the giant “Crossbar” flanked by two stylised crosses in black on the whitewashed outside walls glares down the street, a stone’s throw from Brighton’s Churchill Square. Outside is the narrow shelf that the co-owner Lucy Tallant, the DIY enthusiast of the pair, attached to the wall for those wanting to hang around outside. As she worked on that shelf, two girls walked past and one proclaimed: “Yeah, they’re opening a lesbian club.” “A lesbian club?” replied the other, “Yeah, there’s one outside now.”

Lucy was in stitches, and so was social media when she posted about what she had overheard. The shelf has become a thing, with lesbians posing for photographs and then sharing online with versions of “there’s one outside now” as the caption.

The ever-increasing number of games, combined with financial regulation, has produced flat play on the field but a tighter table overall

• Sign up for Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

A constant feature of this season has been the background grumble of dissatisfaction. You don’t have to spend long on social media to see moans about the quality of play, the sense that everything has somehow gone backwards since the tactical focus began to shift away from the pure possession and positional football of the peak Pep Guardiola years to something more direct and focused on set plays.

And yet, as we enter the run-in, there appears to be a proper Premier League title race. There is an extremely competitive battle to finish in the top five and qualify for next season’s Champions League and, although Wolves and Burnley are probably doomed, there are four teams scrapping to avoid that last relegation slot with another three glancing a little nervously over their shoulders.

A man accused of having placed secret cameras in Altach’s changing room is appearing in court next week

A man who has been accused of having videos from secret cameras in the changing room and showers of the Altach women’s team is appearing in court next week in a case that has shaken football in Austria.

About 30 women have been identified on the recordings, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Feldkirch, and some are considering a civil lawsuit against the accused. The team play in the top division in Austria.

This is an extract from our free email about women’s football, Moving the Goalposts. To get the full edition, visit this page and follow the instructions. Moving the Goalposts is delivered to your inboxes every Tuesday and Thursday.

Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzy Wrack, Tom Garry and Jamie Spangher to review a dramatic FA Cup fifth round and look ahead to the upcoming Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers

On today’s pod: late drama and penalty shootout chaos in the FA Cup as Tottenham edge London City Lionesses in a 17-penalty epic to set up a quarter-final with holders Chelsea. The panel discusses Lize Kop’s heroics, Spurs’ resilience and what the result means for both clubs.

Elsewhere, Chelsea overcome Manchester United after extra time in a heavyweight rematch of last year’s final, Liverpool claim Merseyside derby bragging rights, and Birmingham and Charlton keep WSL 2 representation alive in the last eight. The panel also reflects on Chatham Town’s historic cup run and what the growing gap between the WSL and WSL 2 tells us about the current landscape.

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and John Brewin to discuss all of the weekend’s Premier League action

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On today’s pod: Arsenal run riot in the north London derby, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres scoring twice in a comprehensive win over a Spurs side in disarray. With injuries mounting and confidence draining, the panel asks: are Tottenham Hotspur the worst team in the Premier League?

Elsewhere, Manchester City keep the pressure on with a 2-1 win over Newcastle as Nico O’Reilly shines. Is he on the plane? Liverpool snatched a dramatic late victory at Nottingham Forest in a game packed with VAR controversy and handball debate. Burnley grabbed a last-gasp point at Chelsea, Palace left it late again for Oliver Glasner, and Tammy Abraham rescues Aston Villa. There’s also a big result for Brighton, and the panel reminisce over James Milner’s breakthrough at Leeds as he breaks the all-time Premier League appearance record.

Rio Ngumoha lifts Liverpool, the tussle to be Harry Kane’s England deputy and Chelsea self-destruct

Tottenham weren’t quite as dreadful as they were in losing 4-1 to Arsenal in November, but they were still extremely so, devoid of wit, energy, solidity, creativity, quality, and everything else one would hope to see in a football team. Make no mistake, they are in serious danger of going down and, assessing their fixtures, it is not easy to see where they might win enough points to stay up – all the more so given the form of West Ham and Nottingham Forest who are both playing well. Spurs, on the other hand, haven’t won a league game in 2026 and look like they’ve forgotten how – partly, it must be said, because of an awful injury list. So, where does Igor Tudor go from here? It may well be that his only option is to pick both Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, get balls into the box, and hope they can make enough of them to save him – which might not be The Tottenham Way^TM, but is a lot better than relegation. Daniel Harris

Sam Kerr is ready for business end of season, Chatham’s goalkeeper made to work and Kim Little continues to shine

It has not been the easiest season for Sam Kerr. After missing 20 months with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, she has had her time limited to just a handful of starts across all competition – mainly the cups. She may not have scored the winner that sent Chelsea through to the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals but her goal that gave the Blues the lead against Manchester United felt almost inevitable. Within six minutes of entering the pitch, the Australian produced an instinctive finish that will have gone some way to quieten questions about whether she could rediscover her top form. “It’s been a bit tough with many things, like not getting the minutes she wanted,” Sonia Bompastor said. “It was also a bit difficult emotionally with the decisions that have been made. [Today] will have been great for her confidence and I know she will be ready for the business end of the season.” Sophie Downey

Match report: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United

Match report: Birmingham 8-0 Chatham Town

Ousmane Dembélé becomes our seventh winner as he beats Lamine Yamal into second and Vitinha into third on our list of the best players on the planet

• Premier League dominates list | How every judge voted | Our methodology | The top 100 female players for 2025

• 2024 edition | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012

The Frenchman, who has been named the best male footballer in the world by the Guardian, has benefitted from PSG’s focus on the team rather than individuals

What makes a good player great, and a great player the best? This question has been occupying me since 2014, when the Guardian first asked me to contribute to its inaugural Next Generation feature. My job was to look for a France-based talent born in 1997 who could go on to have a stellar career.

After a great deal of research, I narrowed it down from my shortlist of five by asking questions not about the players’ football ability, but about other attributes: resilience, adaptability, decision-making, creativity, work ethic, response to feedback and willingness to learn. Qualities we cannot see, and are harder to measure.

Aitana Bonmatí has been voted the best female player on the planet by our panel of 127 experts ahead of Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

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The margin may have got smaller but the brilliant Spanish midfielder makes it a hat-trick of No 1 finishes

They say the best things come in threes, and Aitana Bonmatí has written herself into the Guardian’s top 100 history as the first player to finish at the top of the tree for a third consecutive year.

Last year the majestic midfielder emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running, but the 27-year-old has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game.

From PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye to Brazil’s next hope, we select some of the most talented players born in 2008. Check the progress of our classes of 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 … and go even further back. Here’s our Premier League class of 2025