Tottenham Hotspur will be without five key players for at least two weeks due to injury, but manager Mauricio Pochettino was in upbeat mood ahead of the Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday.
Dele Alli (hamstring), Serge Aurier (thigh), Mousa Dembele (thigh), Christian Eriksen (abdomen) and Jan Vertonghen (hamstring) will all be out until after this month’s international break.
Spurs conceded two late goals to lose 2-1 to Inter Milan in their first group B match, but Pochettino demanded a positive approach against the La Liga champions.
“It is a period when we are not in good luck with injuries… We are not victims, though. We must feel strong,” Pochettino told a news conference yesterday.
“Every player must feel they can win and achieve what we want.
It’s about enjoying the game tomorrow and the best player in the world in (Lionel) Messi. Football is not a drama but always it’s about being focused, competitive and enjoying playing against the best player in the world.”
With memories of beating European champions Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley Stadium in the group stage last season, Pochettino was urging his side to enjoy the glamour of Wednesday’s showdown.
Spurs captain Hugo Lloris, who has not played since August due to a thigh injury, resumed full training on Tuesday and will start against Barca.
Pochettino’s famous demands on his players will be put to the test again at Wembley with the Argentine expecting maximum effort to stop his compatriot Messi, who scored a hat-trick in Barca’s 4-0 win over PSV last month.
Man United vs Valencia : Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho shrugged off more criticism of his style after another insipid attacking display in a 0-0 draw at home to Valencia in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The home fans chanted for Mourinho’s men to attack more in the second-half and former United midfielder Paul Scholes claimed the Portuguese coach is embarrassing the club with repeated outbursts at his players in the media.
“I’m not interested. Freedom of speech, free country, you can say what you like,” said Mourinho of Scholes’s comments.
“Freedom of speech, especially for Man Utd fans that I respect 100 percent.”
Already nine points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City and Liverpool after three defeats in seven league games, Mourinho was hoping for a reaction from Saturday’s dreadful display in losing 3-1 to West Ham United.
“I’m actually slightly surprised that he survived after Saturday, the performance was that bad,” Scholes told BT Sport.
“He’s coming out in press conferences and he’s constantly having a go at players, he’s having a go at people above him because he’s not getting what he wants.
“I think his mouth is probably out of control and I think he’s embarrassing the club.”
United again looked devoid of ideas and invention to draw a blank and fall two points behind Group H leaders Juventus with two games against the Italian champions to come.
A point does at least consolidate United’s position three points ahead of Valencia in second place.
United’s night got off to a bad start before the game even began as kick-off was delayed by five minutes after the hosts were held up by traffic. Mourinho blamed a refusal by the police to offer an escort to the team bus rather than the club’s organisation for the problem.
“We left the hotel at six o’clock hoping that 30 minutes would be enough, which normally it is. But this time the police refused to do a escort so we come by ourselves and we took 75 minutes,” he added.
– Sanchez subbed –
Mourinho recalled Alexis Sanchez, who had not even made the bench for Saturday’s defeat, among four changes from the weekend.
But the Chilean again disappointed before being replaced 15 minutes from time.
In a recurring theme of United’s decline over the past few months there seemed little cohesive attacking plan other than a series of long balls hurled towards Romelu Lukaku.
But Mourinho claimed he does not have the players to play more intricate attacking football.
“We don’t have the technical quality to build from the back,” added Mourinho.
“We knew we wouldn’t create 20 chances. Our attacking players aren’t in their best moments of confidence and individual level.
“We thought with three or four chances we would score and win the game.”
Valencia registered their first win of the Spanish season at the seventh attempt at Real Sociedad on Saturday, but the Spaniards’ struggles to score goals were also obvious despite enjoying plenty of possession.
“We created chances, but we lacked the final pass and finish to earn a victory against a very powerful team,” said Valencia coach Marcelino.
Goncalo Guedes enjoyed most of Valencia’s openings, but fired off target when well-placed on the edge of the area and miscontrolled when clean through on goal in the second-half.
The home faithful tried to rouse their side after the break with chants of “attack, attack, attack”.
However, United were most dangerous from set-pieces as Marcus Rashford clipped the crossbar from a free-kick and Lukaku headed a corner over when unmarked.
Nikola Vlasic failed to score in 12 Premier League matches for Everton after a £10m move from Hajduk Split
European champions Real Madrid fell to a surprise Champions League defeat by CSKA Moscow in Russia.
Nikola Vlasic scores only goal before Akinfeev’s late red
Toni Kroos gifted the hosts their goal in the second minute with a terrible backpass that was picked up by Nikola Vlasic, on loan from Everton, and he fired past Keylor Navas from just inside the penalty area.
Karim Benzema, Casemiro and Mariano hit the woodwork for Real, as the Spanish side, without the injured Gareth Bale, pushed for an equaliser.
CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was sent off four minutes into injury time for two yellow cards in quick succession for dissent.
Nevertheless, the hosts held on to move to the top of Group G above Real, who dropped down to second.
Roma beat Viktoria Plzen 5-0 in the other group game, but Real stay above them on head-to-head record courtesy of their 3-0 win over the Italian side two weeks ago.
Rapid Vlasic scores again - the stats
Nikola Vlasic's goal after 65 seconds is the fastest Real Madrid have conceded in the Champions League since March 2007 when Roy Makaay scored 10 seconds in for Bayern Munich, who won 2-1 in a last-16 second-leg match.
The reigning European champions have failed to score in three consecutive matches - following La Liga games against Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. This is the first time Real have not scored in three games since January 2007 under Fabio Capello.
This was CSKA Moscow's first win over Real Madrid in their third Champions League meeting. They also met in the last 16 of the 2011-12 tournament with Real winning 4-1 in the second leg after a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Moscow.
CSKA Moscow have avoided defeat in both of their opening two Champions League matches in a season for the first time since 2006-07.
Real Madrid have had 56 attempts on goal in their two Champions League games after 30 shots during the 3-0 win over Roma.
Real's 26 shots against CSKA Moscow was their most without scoring in a Champions League game since the start of 2003-04.
Nikola Vlasic followed up his 94th-minute goal against Viktoria Plzen in matchday one, with a goal inside two minutes against Real.
Real Madrid have become the first team to win the European Cup/Champions League in three successive seasons since Bayern Munich between 1974 and 1976.
Gareth Bale scored one of European football's great goals to help Real Madrid overcome Liverpool and win their third successive Champions League title as goalkeeper Loris Karius suffered a personal nightmare.
Bale made his mark on another Champions League final with a magnificent overhead kick to put Real 2-1 up after 64 minutes.
Liverpool had already suffered the devastating blow of losing top scorer Mohamed Salah midway through the first half - with a shoulder injury sustained in a challenge with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos - when calamity struck for Karius.
Six minutes after half-time, the German inexplicably threw the ball against Karim Benzema, who was not even challenging with urgency, and watched in horror as the ball rolled behind him into the net.
Liverpool recovered from the shock to equalise through Sadio Mane before Bale stepped off the bench to score his wonder goal.
There was to be no comeback from Liverpool this time and Karius's misery was complete when he fumbled Bale's hopeful 30-yard shot behind him to seal Real's win.
It sealed Real's record 13th win in this competition, and their fourth in five seasons to give coach Zinedine Zidane this third triumph in three years.
For Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, it was disappointment again - he lost his third successive final since arriving at Anfield, having suffered defeats in the League Cup and Europa League finals of 2016.
Calamity for hapless Karius
When the story of this Champions League final is told from a Liverpool perspective, it will be the tale of Karius' nightmare alongside that of Salah's injury.
The 24-year-old German has been shown huge faith by Klopp, who brought him in from Mainz and made him first choice ahead of Simon Mignolet.
He has never fully convinced and on this, the biggest night in Liverpool's recent history, he had the sort of night to leave you wondering how he will rebuild his Anfield career.
Loris Karius made more errors leading to goals in the final against Real Madrid (two) than he had in his previous 32 competitive appearances for Liverpool
Karius inexplicably threw a clearance against Benzema for Real Madrid's opener before fumbling Bale's speculative, long-range effort into the net to snuff out any hopes of a comeback.
The keeper lay flat on the turf at the final whistle, being consoled by Real Madrid's players before apologising tearfully in front of Liverpool's fans.
Klopp clearly rates Karius but there are too many holes in his technique. That, along with his temperament, must be questioned after a complete horror show here in Kiev.
Salah setback shifted the balance of power
Bale's Real Madrid future has been under constant scrutiny this season - a quirk at a club that lives by its own rules.
The Welshman did not even make the starting line-up here and only emerged just after the hour - but within two minutes he scored one of the great Champions League goals, an overhead kick that was a triumph of athleticism and technique, and begged the question as to how Real could even contemplate life without him.
As for Bale's second goal, make no mistake - when he took on that long-range shot, he would have been street-smart enough to know Karius was living on his nerves after his earlier error.
Bale delivered a reminder, if it were needed that he remains a world-class player.
It may just have been an expensive night for suitors such as Manchester United as his display here will have added millions to any potential transfer fee.
When asked about his future after the game, Bale told BT Sport: "I need to be playing week in, week out and that has not happened this season.
"I had an injury five, six weeks in but have been fit ever since. I have to sit down with my agent in the summer and discuss it."
Man of the match - Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
Bale is also only the second British player to score twice in a European Cup/Champions League final, after Bobby Charlton for Manchester United in 1968
Gareth Bale is the first player ever to come on as a substitute and score twice in a European Cup/Champions League final
Zidane the history man
Zinedine Zidane has joined Liverpool's Bob Paisley and his Real Madrid predecessor Carlo Ancelotti in the elite ranks of managers to win this tournament three times - but added extra gloss by becoming the first to win it in three successive seasons.
Zidane has often been damned with faint praise about his abilities and record, despite his Champions League invincibility, by those who claim he simply keeps an outstanding team on track but he makes a nonsense of that with his tactical approach, handling of world-class players (and world-class egos) and a very happy knack of making decisive substitutions.
Three Champions League wins in three seasons ends all argument about his greatness as a coach. He is in charge of a team who know how to get the job done.
A first in 42 years - the stats
English teams have suffered a defeat in their past seven UEFA club competition finals against Spanish opposition (four Champions League finals and three UEFA Cup/Europa League finals).
Jurgen Klopp has lost six of his seven major finals as manager, only winning the DFB-Pokal with Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
Real Madrid started with the same XI as in the 2016-17 Champions League final; the first time a team has started with the same 11 players in different European Cup/Champions League finals (excluding replays).
Karim Benzema has scored four goals against Liverpool in the Champions League; no player has managed more (also four for Didier Drogba).
Liverpool became the first team in history to see three players score 10-plus goals in a single Champions League season (Salah 10, Firmino 10, Mane 10).
Sadio Mane is only the fourth African player to score in a European Cup/Champions League final and the first since Didier Drogba for Chelsea v Bayern Munich in 2012. The other two were by Samuel Eto'o for Barcelona in both 2009 and 2006, and Rabah Madjer for Porto in 1987.
Mane became the third Liverpool player to score 20-plus goals in all competitions this season (Salah 44 goals and Firmino 27 goals); the last time that three players hit the 20-goal mark for the club in a single campagn was 1981-82 (Dalglish, McDermott and Rush).
Liverpool will travel to Kiev to face Real Madrid in the Champions League finalafter edging past Roma in a thrilling semi-final.
The home side ran out of time at the end of a tie that yielded 13 goals and will survive in the memory as a scalding, high-octane clash in which Liverpool were lucky to avoid conceding a pair of penalties.
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Roma were relentless after the break, but the three-goal deficit from the first leg and woozy defending in the opening half meant that passage to the final was always slightly beyond them. Liverpool held them at arms length, but those arm muscles were wobbling at the end as Radja Nainggolan thumped an injury-time penalty in to the roof of the net. Roma were one goal from taking the tie to extra-time when the referee blew his whistle and prompted a relieved Jürgen Klopp to gallop on to the pitch.
Liverpool thought it would have been more straightforward when Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the tenth minute.That was the crucial away goal that was supposed to tranquilise Roma. The home side drew level through a slapstick own-goal from James Milner, who watched with a sore cheek as Dejan Lovrens clearance cannoned off his face and in to the net. There was a hint of Benny Hill to the goal, and the same vibe surrounded Liverpools second. Georginio Wijnaldum nodded past Alisson after the Roma keeper had lolloped out of his goal and in to no-mans land.
Roma had not registered a shot on target at half-time. But the excellent Eden Dzeko found the bottom corner seven minutes after the break. That goal reinvigorated the crowd and a period of sustained pressure ensued. The officials denied Roma two clear penalties. First, Karius upended Dzeko in the box but escaped unpunished as the linesman raised his flag. Replays revealed the striker was onside. Trent Alexander-Arnold escaped a red card and a penalty soon after when he deflected Stephan El Shaarawys close-range shot over the bar with his hand.
When Radja Nainggolan eventually made the breakthrough for Roma with a lethal shot from the edge of the box, only four minutes remained. The final whistle blew immediately after the same player scored a penalty deep in to added time. Roma had the beating of Liverpool but they could not beat the clock, and it is the Reds who progress to the final.
Salah stars as superb Liverpool take control against Roma
Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's second-highest scorer in a season - only four goals behind Ian Rush
Another Mohamed Salah masterclass helped Liverpool take control of their Champions League semi-final - but two late Roma away goals gave the Italian side a glimmer of hope for the second leg.
Liverpool, who last reached the final in 2007, repeatedly breached the visitors' naively high defensive line and scored five times in the opening 68 minutes at a raucous Anfield.
Salah, who has now scored 43 goals since his summer move from Roma, scored twice and assisted two other goals.
He curled his first into the top corner from the edge of the box - then clipped the ball over Alisson for a second.
Salah then ran down the right and squared for Sadio Mane to make it 3-0 - before doing the same to set up Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool then became only the second team to score five goals in a Champions League semi-final match when Firmino headed in James Milner's corner.
With his side leading 5-0, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp took off Salah - and Roma gave themselves a chance for next week's return leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
First Edin Dzeko lashed home from Radja Nainggolan's pass, then Diego Perotti put a penalty into the top right corner after Milner handled Nainggolan's shot.
And Roma need only look to the last round for inspiration - they lost the first leg in Barcelona 4-1 before winning 3-0 in Italy to progress on away goals.
A repeat of the latter scoreline this time would take them into the final against Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.
Prior to Roma's late goals, the one sour note for Liverpool was the sight of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving the field on a stretcher. Klopp said later the England midfielder "probably had a really bad injury".
Salah's greatest moment yet?
Mohamed Salah did not celebrate his goals - but Roberto Firmino did
When Salah moved to Anfield last summer for £34m after two good seasons for Roma, nobody could have predicted what would follow.
The Egypt winger has scored 43 goals in 48 games for Liverpool - an average of one every 87 minutes - and is the Premier League's top scorer.
He has netted in his past seven games - including four goals against Watford, and one in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final win over Manchester City. On Sunday, he was named Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year.
But it has all been leading up to this night at Anfield.
Roma had no answer to their former player, who opened the scoring off the underside of the bar after Jordan Henderson won the ball from Dzeko, and Mane and Firmino combined to find Salah.
His second came when he found Firmino from the halfway line, then ran forward to latch onto his team-mate's pass before lifting the ball over Roma keeper Alisson, considered one of the best in the world. He did not celebrate either goal.
Salah then took advantage of Roma's high defending to get in down the right, perhaps from an offside position, before finding the previously wasteful Mane as Liverpool started to cruise.
He then rolled a ball across the six-yard box for Firmino to score.
With the tie seemingly won, Salah came off to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Danny Ings with 15 minutes left.
But he might need to score again in Rome after the visitors' late rally.
Barcelona were far from their best in beating Roma 4-1 at the Nou Camp
Barcelona were far from their best but managed to secure a 4-1 first-leg victory at the Nou Camp to take full control of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Roma.
Ernesto Valverde's side struggled for rhythm for much of the game against the Italian side, but built a three-goal advantage thanks to own goals either side of half-time from Daniele De Rossi (40) and Kostas Manolas (55) and a tap in from Gerard Pique (59).
Edin Dzeko gave Roma a late glimmer of hope heading into next week's second leg at the Stadio Olimpico by scoring an away goal, but Luis Suarez (87) landed a late blow as Barca put one foot in the last four.
Barcelona enjoyed a 6-1 win over Roma in their last Champions League meeting in November 2015 and they might have thought they were on their way to another comprehensive win when Suarez had the ball in the back of the net in only the seventh minute, but the strike was correctly ruled out for offside.
It was the tale of the two former Premier League strikers in the early stages as, minutes later, Dzeko tumbled in the Barca box under a challenge from Nelson Semedo, but Dutch referee Danny Makkelie waved away the appeals.
The chances continued to fall for the hosts as Ivan Rakitic's strike rebounded off the post before Alisson diverted Suarez's goalbound strike beyond the far post.
However, they eventually took the lead just before the break and the goal came in fortunate circumstances. De Rossi slid in ahead Lionel Messi - who would have been in on goal - with an excellent challenge just inside the penalty area but unfortunately for the Italian, the ball ended up beating Alisson and nestling in the bottom corner.
After the break, Roma missed a glorious chance to pull one back when Diego Perotti headed wide from close range and they were punished when Pique tapped home the rebound from close range after Alisson palmed away Suarez's shot.
Barcelona needed Marc-Andre ter Stegen to make superb saves to deny Gregoire Defrel and Perotti, but the visitors eventually got their away goal 10 minutes from time.
Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool ahead from close range in the 12th minute after a mistake from Manchester City's Kyle Walker
LIVERPOOL ripped apart Manchester City, scoring three goals inside the opening 31 minutes, as they won their Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie at Anfield.
Liverpool scored three first-half goals to power past Manchester City in quarter-final first-leg at Anfield
Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool in front with a close range finish after Roberto Firmino's shot was blocked
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain doubled the hosts' advantage with a stunning long-range strike after 20 minutes
Sadio Mane made it three inside the opening half-an-hour, heading home a pinpoint cross from Salah
Jurgen Klopp's side grabbed the lead in the 12th minute when Mohamed Salah played the ball inside to Roberto Firmino whose shot was blocked by City keeper Ederson. Firmino pounced on the loose ball and slipped it to Salah who fired home.
Salah slides to his knees as Roberto Firmino and Andy Robertson join him in celebrating his opening strike in the tie
Liverpool were rampant and harrying City off the ball in midfield when James Milner won back possession and moved it straight to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who unleashed an unstoppable drive from 25 metres to make it 2-0 in the 20th minute.
City were reeling and looked nothing like the team that has marched so convincingly to a 16-point lead in the Premier League and it was not long before the five times European champions made it 3-0.
Salah floated a teasing cross from the right towards Sadio Mane, who rose above the City defence to power a header past Ederson and send the Anfield crowd into delirium.
Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany and David Silva troop back to the halfway line after Manchester City fell 3-0 behind
City regained their composure after the break, helped by Salah going off injured in the 52nd minute, but they now have a mammoth task to the turn the tie round in next Tuesday's second leg at the Etihad.
We expected goals, and got them, but we expected them shared between two teams standing toe to toe, and instead all went one way. Liverpool were magnificent, delivering arguably the performance of the season, by any English club.
Clinical on occasions, but mighty in their defensive resilience, too. Loris Karius did not have a shot to save against a group of players that have been relentless in their attacking ambition this season.
Liverpool’s midfield were the stars. James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — as names on a team-sheet they appeared dwarfed by City’s stellar equivalent, yet this was their night. They protected the defensive line, they hassled City’s creators to the point of madness. Guardiola’s side looked lost in a way they have not all season — even here in January, losing 4-3.
This was, as the scoreline suggests, an improvement. A complete, emphatic triumph of will and spirit, backed by ferocious noise that only Anfield on European nights conjures. This was a marker thrown down for this season, and the next, too – a result that says Liverpool are the real deal.
They have the beating of the best team in the land, so next year might be interesting, and if they can do this to City now, might they also be able to do it to Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, this season too?
Liverpool might not be the champions of Spain, as Barcelona surely will be, or of Germany like Bayern Munich, or champions of Europe like Madrid; but they have heart and an appetite for European occasions that is close to unmatched in English football.
