Inter Milan Seal Champions League Semi-Final Spot After Thrilling Draw With Bayern

Inter Milan secured their place in the Champions League semi-finals after an exhilarating 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich at the San Siro, completing a hard-fought victory on aggregate to set up a mouth-watering clash with Barcelona in the final four.

The Italian champions came into the second leg with a narrow 2-1 advantage from their trip to Munich, but that cushion was erased early in the second half when Harry Kane fired home a precise, low-driven shot from the edge of the box, giving Bayern a vital away goal and leveling the tie.

That goal served as a wake-up call for Simone Inzaghi’s men, who responded with urgency and intensity. Just nine minutes after conceding, Inter reclaimed the lead on the night and seized control of the tie. Lautaro Martínez was quickest to react when the ball fell kindly to him in the six-yard box after a corner, smashing a fierce strike past Manuel Neuer to put Inter back in command.

The home side struck again almost immediately. This time, it was defender Benjamin Pavard—ironically on loan from Bayern—who rose highest to meet Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s whipped corner and powered a header into the net, extending Inter’s aggregate lead to two goals and sending the San Siro into raptures.

Bayern, under the guidance of Vincent Kompany, refused to back down. They clawed their way back into the contest in the 76th minute when Eric Dier found space at the back post and sent a looping header from a difficult angle over Yann Sommer and into the far corner.

Desperate to push the match into extra time, Bayern threw everything forward in the closing moments. Their golden opportunity arrived deep into stoppage time, but veteran forward Thomas Müller couldn’t beat Sommer with his close-range header in the 95th minute.

Despite the late pressure and tense finish, Inter held on and celebrated a dramatic aggregate victory that keeps their European dream alive. With Barcelona awaiting in the semi-finals, the stage is now set for a heavyweight showdown between two of the continent’s most storied clubs.

Newcastle delivered a scintillating performance as they smashed Crystal Palace 5-0 at St James’ Park, scoring four times in a blistering first half to climb to third place in the Premier League table. The dominant win marked their fifth consecutive league victory, narrowing the gap to second-placed Arsenal to just four points.

With head coach Eddie Howe still sidelined as he recovers from pneumonia, assistant manager Jason Tindall and first-team coach Graeme Jones once again took charge—and continued their impressive stewardship. Under their guidance, Newcastle have now netted nine goals in just two matches.

The Magpies flew out of the blocks, immediately putting Palace under pressure. Alexander Isak squandered two early opportunities before Jacob Murphy broke the deadlock in stunning fashion. Cutting in from the right, Murphy unleashed a thunderous strike from a tight angle that soared past Dean Henderson at his near post in the 14th minute.

Newcastle remained firmly in control, though a moment of uncertainty threatened to turn the tide. Goalkeeper Nick Pope came charging off his line to punch a cross but missed the ball entirely and collided with Palace defender Chris Richards. After a VAR review, a penalty was awarded, but Pope redeemed himself by diving low to keep out Eberechi Eze’s tame effort.

That miss proved costly almost instantly. Less than two minutes later, Palace skipper Marc Guehi turned Harvey Barnes’ cross into his own net, compounding the visitors’ woes. Things went from bad to worse for Roy Hodgson’s side as Barnes added a third with a composed left-footed finish on the break in first-half stoppage time, before Fabian Schär rose highest to nod in a fourth from Murphy’s pinpoint delivery.

Isak, who had been lively all evening, continued to threaten after the break and was unfortunate not to have scored earlier, denied repeatedly by Henderson. However, the Swedish striker finally got his goal with a beautifully placed curling effort into the bottom corner, rounding off a flawless evening for Newcastle and their raucous home crowd.

Barça’s Unbeaten Run Ends, but Semi-Final Spot Secured Despite Dortmund Scare

Barcelona’s 24-game unbeaten streak in 2025 came to a crashing halt with a 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park, but the Blaugrana still advanced to the Champions League semi-finals on aggregate. Despite being completely outplayed and overwhelmed by Dortmund’s intensity, Barça clung to their first-leg advantage and reached the final four for the first time in six years.

Dortmund came out flying, pressing high and creating constant danger. Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Wojciech Szczesny fouled Pascal Gross, and Barça struggled to cope with the pace and pressure, missing the calming presence of Pedri, who started on the bench.

Barça’s defense continued to creak after the break, with Guirassy adding a second from a corner to cut the aggregate lead in half. But a moment of fortune soon followed—Fermín López’s cross was deflected into the net by Ramy Bensebaini, easing the pressure. Pedri’s introduction helped calm the chaos, but another defensive error from Ronald Araujo gifted Guirassy a hat-trick and brought renewed tension.

Dortmund thought they had a fourth shortly after, but Julian Brandt’s strike was ruled out for offside. Barça were forced into some desperate defending late on but managed to hold on.

It was a rough night and a disappointing end to their unbeaten run, but in the end, Barça survived the storm and are back among Europe’s elite with a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.

Aston Villa delivered a valiant and dramatic fightback at Villa Park against Paris Saint-Germain, but ultimately saw their Champions League journey come to an end after a breathtaking 5-4 aggregate loss.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg in Paris, Villa’s hopes appeared all but extinguished when PSG extended their lead through early strikes from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. The French giants seemed to have put the tie beyond doubt—until Villa, roared on by a raucous home crowd, launched an inspired response.

Goals from Youri Tielemans, John McGinn, and Ezri Konsa turned the game on its head and had the competition favourites reeling. Villa pushed relentlessly for a decisive fourth, and the best chance fell to Marco Asensio, who nearly scored against his parent club, only to be denied in a tense one-on-one.

Though they pushed PSG to the brink and gave their fans an unforgettable night, it is the Parisians who advance to a semi-final showdown with either Arsenal or Real Madrid.

For Unai Emery’s side, attention now shifts back to domestic challenges, with a packed fixture list featuring crucial Premier League clashes against Newcastle and Manchester City, followed by an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace. There’s still much to play for—but this European dream has come to a close.

Atletico Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive with a 4-2 comeback win over bottom-of-the-table Real Valladolid on a rainy Monday night at the Metropolitano, with Julian Alvarez scoring twice from the penalty spot in a dramatic encounter.

Diego Simeone’s men, currently third in the table, moved to 63 points—just three behind arch-rivals Real Madrid and seven off leaders Barcelona—keeping them firmly in the title chase. Meanwhile, Valladolid’s woes deepened as they suffered their fifth straight defeat, leaving them stranded on 16 points, 14 away from safety with only seven matches remaining.

The visitors took a surprise lead in the 21st minute when Mamadou Sylla coolly slotted home a penalty, awarded after a VAR review spotted a handball by Clement Lenglet. However, the advantage didn’t last long. Just four minutes later, another VAR decision awarded Atletico a spot-kick after Javi Sanchez fouled Giuliano Simeone in the box. Alvarez stepped up to level the score.

Atletico quickly turned the game around, with Giuliano Simeone getting on the scoresheet himself in the 27th minute, finishing off a well-worked move to give the hosts a 2-1 lead. But Valladolid refused to go quietly and stunned the home side again early in the second half. A deflected free-kick from Javi Sanchez wrong-footed Jan Oblak and made it 2-2 in the 56th minute.

Atletico pushed forward with renewed urgency and were rewarded in the 71st minute when Alvarez converted his second penalty of the night, this time after Henrique brought down Marcos Llorente in the area. Alvarez came close to a hat-trick shortly afterward, forcing a save from Andre Ferreira, but the rebound fell kindly to substitute Alexander Sorloth, who tapped in from close range to seal the victory for the hosts.

Bournemouth brought an end to their six-match winless streak in the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham at the Vitality Stadium, a result that breathed new life into their aspirations of qualifying for European competition.

The decisive moment came less than a minute into the contest, as Antoine Semenyo took full advantage of a costly error by Antonee Robinson. The Bournemouth forward pounced on the loose ball and drove a clinical low shot into the bottom corner after just 53 seconds, giving the hosts a dream start.

That early strike ultimately proved to be the winner in a tightly contested clash between two sides aiming for a top-eight finish. With the victory, Bournemouth climbed above Fulham into eighth place on goal difference—a potentially crucial position, with European spots likely extending to eighth unless Crystal Palace secure the FA Cup.

Kylian Mbappe was sent off for the first time in his Real Madrid career, but his teammates held firm to secure a hard-fought 1-0 win over Alaves, keeping them within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

Mbappe received a straight red card after a high challenge on Antonio Blanco, initially punished with a yellow before VAR prompted referee Cesar Soto Grado to review the incident and upgrade the decision. The dismissal came just minutes after Eduardo Camavinga had given Real the lead with a superb curling strike from outside the box.

Despite being down to ten men, Real Madrid dug deep, with Thibaut Courtois producing a string of fine saves to deny Alaves, who were also reduced to ten men in the 70th minute when Manu Sanchez caught Vinicius Jr high on the leg.

Vinicius and Jude Bellingham started on the bench, likely rested ahead of Wednesday’s crucial Champions League second-leg clash against Arsenal, where Madrid will attempt to overturn a 3-0 deficit. Both were brought on in the second half, but Madrid struggled to assert control, managing just one shot on target after the break compared to five from the hosts.

The win ensures Carlo Ancelotti’s side stay in contention as the title race intensifies. However, Mbappe will now miss next Sunday’s home game against Athletic Bilbao due to suspension. All eyes will be on the potential title-decider when Real travel to face Barcelona on May 11.

Newcastle’s Champions League ambitions took a big step forward with a 3-1 win over Manchester United, pushing them into fourth place in the Premier League.

Fresh off their Carabao Cup triumph — their first trophy in 70 years — Newcastle seized the chance to climb the table after Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich. Harvey Barnes’ second-half brace sealed a fourth straight league win and handed Manchester United their 14th defeat of the season.

With Eddie Howe absent due to illness, Newcastle went ahead in the 24th minute through Sandro Tonali, who volleyed home after clever play from Alexander Isak. United equalized via Alejandro Garnacho, but fell apart after the break.

Barnes tapped in Jacob Murphy’s cross early in the second half, then capitalized on a defensive slip to score again. Bruno Guimaraes added a fourth after a poor pass from debutant keeper Altay Bayindir, securing Newcastle’s first league double over United in 94 years.

The win moves Newcastle within a point of third-place Nottingham Forest, with a game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Meanwhile, United shift focus to their Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon, hoping to keep their own Champions League hopes alive.

Wolves secured their fourth consecutive win, capitalizing on a series of Tottenham mistakes in a 4-2 victory at Molineux.

Wolves took a 2-0 lead with goals from Rayan Ait-Nouri and a Djed Spence own goal, and despite Spurs pulling one back twice through Mathys Tel and Richarlison, Wolves restored their advantage each time, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha finding the net.

Ange Postecoglou made six changes from Thursday’s draw with Eintracht Frankfurt, but it was his goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, who came under fire after a shaky first half. He parried an early free-kick straight to Ait-Nouri for the opening goal, and a subsequent error led to Spence’s own goal.

Despite Spurs briefly narrowing the gap, Wolves struck back quickly each time. Semedo’s poor clearance allowed Tel to score, but another mistake from Cristian Romero set up Strand Larsen for Wolves’ third. Richarlison’s late goal was quickly followed by Cunha’s strike, after another Spurs blunder.

Wolves move up to 16th, easing any relegation concerns, while Spurs remain only two points ahead in 15th. Postecoglou’s focus now shifts to securing European qualification.

**Liverpool Edge Past West Ham as Van Dijk Redeems Himself Late**

Liverpool are just six points away from clinching a 20th Premier League title after a dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham, sealed by a late Virgil van Dijk header.

The Reds took the lead in the first half through Luis Diaz, who finished off a brilliant outside-of-the-boot assist from Mohamed Salah — a pass that saw the Egyptian break the record for most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season.

But Liverpool were far from convincing, with West Ham growing into the game and creating multiple chances. Mohammed Kudus struck the bar, and Alisson had to be at his best to deny both Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.

The visitors finally drew level in the 86th minute after a mix-up between Van Dijk and Andy Robertson led to an own goal. But just moments later, Van Dijk made amends by heading home from a corner to restore Liverpool’s lead and send Anfield into a frenzy.

Despite the win, Jamie Carragher called Liverpool’s performance “lethargic” and “average.” Still, with a 13-point lead at the top, Liverpool could secure the title as early as next weekend — if Arsenal lose to Ipswich and the Reds beat Leicester.

West Ham, meanwhile, drop to 17th and will feel unlucky not to leave with at least a point.