Arsenal fights for a Champion's League spot, clawed back over West Ham United 3-1

BBC Sport

By Pete Oliver

BBC Sport

Lukas Podolski struck twice as Arsenal came from behind to beat West Ham and move back above Everton in the race for a Champions League place. Matt Jarvis headed the Hammers in front as they threatened to extend Arsenal's winless league run to five games.

But Podolski levelled with a shot on the turn two minutes later for the impressive FA Cup finalists. Olivier Giroud's classy finish and Podolski's driven second sealed the win as Arsenal moved up to fourth.

Fresh from sealing a place in the Cup final courtesy of their penalty shoot-out win over Wigan, the result was just what Arsene Wenger's side needed to enhance their chance of qualifying for the Champions League for a 17th successive season. With Everton playing against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, the Gunners could ill afford another slip-up following their recent poor league run.

And they showed all the resilience - and quality - needed to stay the pace and hold off the determined challenge of Roberto Martinez's in-form side.

Podolski took his goal tally for the season into double figures, while Giroud's crucial strike, early in the second half, was his 20th of the campaign. After their efforts expended in ending Wigan's reign as Cup holders, Arsenal, despite making five changes to their starting line-up, actually made a sluggish start to offer West Ham early encouragement.

The Hammers, still seeking points to guarantee their Premier League safety, could have taken advantage with Mohamed Diame lifting their best chance over the top from Andy Carroll's low cross.

Giroud could not claim tiredness as an excuse after starting on the bench at Wembley but Arsenal's leading scorer was guilty of a terrible miss with almost half an hour gone as Wenger's side improved. 

The Frenchman was sent clear by Santi Cazorla's fine pass but elected to try to flick the ball past Adrian with the outside of his left foot and failed to generate the power to trouble the West Ham keeper. And the visitors made Giroud and Arsenal pay five minutes before half-time when they went in front through Jarvis.

Antonio Nocerino's persistence bursting in from the right-hand side created the chance and when the ball popped up in the six-yard box, Jarvis nodded in only his second league goal of the season.

Arsenal would have felt the pressure had they gone in behind at the break but they were quickly level as they found a way through a West Ham defence that had previously kept 13 clean sheets this season.

Again Cazorla was the creator following a poor clearance from Stewart Downing and this time his pass was not wasted as Podolski swivelled to drill a left-foot shot across Adrian and into the bottom corner. 

The goal lifted the mood around the Emirates Stadium and 10 minutes into the second half Arsenal went ahead thanks to a touch of class from Giroud.

The striker displayed a brilliant first touch from Thomas Vermaelen's long ball back into the box following a corner and with his second drove the ball through the legs of Adrian from just inside the corner of the six-yard box.

The goal sent further confidence soaring through the home side and rather than sit on their lead they went for a third goal to completely kill the game off.

Podolski saw a fierce free-kick beaten away by Adrian and the outstanding Cazorla was only inches wide with a swerving left-foot shot.

But Arsenal's pressure finally paid off 12 minutes from the end when substitute Aaron Ramsey headed down for Podolski to fire past Adrian and keep the Gunners firing on two fronts.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger:

"When the team went through a bad patch with a lack of confidence because of goals going against us, you need to repair that with results and resilience.

"It was a gamble to rest players but I said before the game that it was the oldest team I had played at Arsenal, so I trusted the experience of the players.

"That experience always helps when your backs are against the wall."

"I liked that Giroud used his upper body and got a great first touch to score the goal. He is a great guy and he has gone through a difficult period, but tonight you could see that he is refreshed and he is up for it."

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce:

"After doing so much to get ahead, not going in 1-0 up at half-time was a big disappointment. The second goal sickened me because the performance meant nothing after that. We didn't create enough.

"We've fallen behind in pre-season planning - contracts to new players, along with players in and players out. As soon as you're safe, the planning has to start. That way I don't get shouted at by the wife when I'm on the phone for six hours a day on my holidays."

Liverpool pulled a crucial win over Manchester City 3-2, zero on Premiere League title

"We're gonna  win the league." - Steven Gerrard 

Skysports

Liverpool took a giant stride towards the Premier League title with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester City on an emotionally-charged afternoon at Anfield.

Philippe Coutinho scored the winning goal after City had fought back from 2-0 down with a superb first-time finish from the edge of the box 12 minutes from time after a blunder from Vincent Kompany as the Reds secured their 10th win in succession.

The Merseyside club, who paid tribute to the 96 supporters who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster 25 years ago prior to kick-off, now have a seven-point cushion on Manuel Pellegrini's men, although the Etihad side still have two games in hand. Liverpool roared out of the blocks and took the lead with just six minutes on the clock as Raheem Sterling was picked out by Luis Suarez's excellent pass and the youngster showed incredible composure to bamboozle both Kompany and Joe Hart before rolling home.

Hart produced a superb save to deny Steven Gerrard's free header from Coutinho's corner, but the lead was doubled from the captain's resulting kick as Martin Skrtel got away from Kompany at the near post to glance home. City hit back in style in the second half with David Silva (57) converting James Milner's low cross, before Glen Johnson could only divert the Spain international's shot beyond Simon Mignolet at his near post, but Liverpool were not to be denied, although Jordan Henderson saw red deep into added time.

After an impeccably observed minute's silence, the volume inside Anfield was soon cranked up and a clearly fired-up Suarez was booked early for a late challenge on Martin Demichelis. The Uruguayan's next intervention was out of the top drawer as his brilliant through-ball put Sterling through to open the scoring.

After Sterling's teasing ball had been guided wide of the far post by Daniel Sturridge, there were more good omens for the hosts when Yaya Toure was forced off with an injury apparently sustained ballooning a shot into the Anfield Road end.  City were all over the place before he departed they were almost clueless afterwards, allowing Gerrard a free header from a Coutinho corner which Hart superbly tipped over.

It only delayed the inevitable as from the resulting Gerrard corner Skrtel easily lost Kompany, nipped in front of Gael Clichy and flicked a header over Hart and inside the far post. 

The speed of Liverpool's attacks had City chasing shadows - unfamiliar territory for them - and Coutinho, Suarez and Sturridge combined to almost make it three. Gerrard, excellent in nullifying the first-half threat of Silva, produced the perfect tackle to deny Edin Dzeko inside the area, before Mamadou Sakho managed to get away with a less precise challenge on the Bosnian. After Sterling and Johnson both cleared from under their own crossbar and Mignolet saved Fernandinho's volley, City hit back in the second half.

James Milner's introduction for Jesus Navas five minutes after half-time produced a positive response with the England international combining to allow Silva to expertly round off an incisive passing move. Silva, finding greater freedom, created the equaliser when he drifted left and drilled in a low cross which Johnson diverted past Mignolet.

City were now in the ascendancy and Silva should have put them in front when substitute Sergio Aguero skipped past Skrtel and crossed to him but the Spaniard guided his shot wide. It was to prove costly as a misjudgement by Kompany presented Coutinho with a chance which he drilled past Hart.

Liverpool were reduced to 10 men as Henderson lunged in on Nasri and was shown a straight red card by referee Mark Clattenburg. 

They held on and the team huddle at the end, with an emotional Gerrard offering his words of wisdom accompanied by chants of 'We're gonna win the league', certainly put a smile on the face of watching owner John W Henry.

Mkhitaryan set up Borussia Dortmund mastery over Bayern Munich 3-0

Rafinha was sent off for putting his hand
on Mkhitaryan's face

BBC Sport

Bayern Munich suffered back-to-back Bundesliga defeats for the first time since November 2011 as Borussia Dortmund cruised to victory.

Pep Guardiola's champions fell behind after Henrikh Mkhitaryan coolly stroked home a fine left-foot finish.

Bayern were 2-0 down at the Allianz Arena when Marco Reus scored after Franck Ribery lost possession.

Dortmund wrapped up the points when Jonas Hofmann found the net before Bayern's Rafinha was sent off.

The Brazilian defender was shown a straight red card in stoppage time after putting a hand in Mkhitaryan's face.

It completed a frustrating game for Bayern, who started with Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Jerome Boateng on the bench ahead of Wednesday's German Cup semi-final with Kaiserslautern.

The hosts, who have now failed to win all three league games since being crowned German champions last month, were a shadow of the team who has dominated on the domestic and European stage this season.

While Bayern lost at home in the league for the first time since October 2012, this result will at least soften the blow for second-placed Dortmund after a one-sided title race. Despite victory, Jurgen Klopp's side are 17 points behind the champions with four games of the league season remaining.

They never looked back after Armenia midfielder Mkhitaryan's composed 20th-minute finish following an incisive run and inch-perfect pass from Reus.

Mario Mandzukic wasted a chance to level shortly before the interval, the Croatian hooking his shot wide after Rafinha's floated ball, and it was a costly miss as Reus doubled Dortmund's advantage soon after Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had gone off injured.

Neuer's replacement, Lukas Raeder, was beaten after Ribery gifted possession to Dortmund, which allowed the visitors to pour forward and score.

More poor defending from Bayern was punished by Hofmann's clinical 56th-minute finish.

Mandzukic had a goal ruled out for offside before Rafinha was sent off for putting his hand in Mkhitaryan's face, in what was a sorry end to a sorry night for Bayern.

Champion's League: Demba Ba's late heroics sends Chelsea to the semis past Paris Saint Germain 2-0 (3-3 aggregate)

SB Nation 

Chelsea scraped past a surprisingly awful Paris Saint-Germain thanks to a late winner from Demba Ba, successfully completing their comeback from a first leg defeat. Chelsea pulled off their comeback thanks to a late goal from Demba Ba to get past a lacklustre Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge.

André Schurrle, only on the pitch due to an injury toEden Hazard, fired Chelsea into a first-half lead before Ba scored the decisive goal just a few minutes after Edinson Cavani missed a golden chance for the visitors.

Chelsea enjoyed a couple of half-chances, notably through Samuel Eto'o who saw an effort deflected wide. PSG showed the danger of their pacy front three on the counter. Ezequiel Lavezzi broke away from his markers to go on a fine run to set Lucas Moura free, but the Brazilian could not quite find Cavani in the area.

Chelsea suffered a huge blow to their chances in the tie -- and perhaps the Premier League -- when Hazard limped off after just 17 minutes with a mysterious injury. The incident proved significant because his replacement, Schurrle, went on to have a big influence in the rest of the game.

Chelsea came close to taking the lead, despite not looking particularly threatening, when Frank Lampard's free-kick was almost deflected in. The midfielder could only thump his set-piece into the wall, but Stephane Sirigu had to react with lightning speed as the ball arrowed towards the opposite corner.

Chelsea soon did have their goal, however, courtesy of a Branislav Ivanovic long throw and some appalling marking from the visitors. David Luiz flicked on the Serbian's launched ball and Schurrle was in an ocean of space to turn and fire past Sirigu from close range.

PSG then seemed to suffer another setback when Thiago Silva went down after a collision with Eto'o,  but the Brazilian soldiered on for the rest of the half despite a stretcher being brought on. The Parisians were perhaps slightly fortunate to avoid further calamity when Verratti, already on a yellow card, escaped with a questionable penalty claim after he collided with Schurrle in the area.

PSG made it to halftime, but still looked distinctly second-best and a shadow of their usual selves in the second half. They remained ahead afterwards only by the finest of margins after a counterattack led to a ferocious Schurrle effort striking the bar. Oscar did the same from a free-kick just a minute later.

Laurent Blanc reacted by withdrawing the disappointing and increasingly erratic Verratti for Yohan Cabaye, which seemed to momentarily improve PSG's control of the game. José Mourinho, with time ticking away for Chelsea, opted for an attacking substitution by replacing Lampard with Ba, and Blanc followed suit, sending on Javier Pastore for Lavezzi.

As the end of the game approached, Chelsea narrowly avoided a knockout blow when the substitute Cabaye picked out Cavani's run, but the Uruguayan, again having a poor match after a dire showing in the first leg, blazed over with plenty at which to aim.

Chelsea were looking increasingly unlikely to get anything out of the game, yet with just a few minutes of normal time remaining, Ba -- one of three strikers Mourinho had sent on -- found a way through, turning in a deflected effort during a scrappy attack on the visitors' goal and sending Stamford Bridge wild with delight. PSG had little time to find a goal, and Marquinhos had the only real chance from a corner, but Petr Cech made a fine save to keep Chelsea's lead until the final whistle.

It was not pretty, and PSG were surprisingly awful, but Mourinho's team nonetheless overcame a difficult first-leg scoreline to book their place in the semifinals. Over to you,David Moyes.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Lampard (Ba 66'), Willian, Oscar (Torres 81'), Hazard (Schurrle 18'), Eto'o.

Goals: Schurrle 32', Ba 87'.

Paris Saint-Germain: Sirigu, Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell, Verratti (Cabaye 55'), Thiago Motta, Matuidi, Lucas Moura (Marquinhos 84'), Cavani, Lavezzi (Pastore 73').

Champion's League: Atletico Madrid shows Barcelona the door 1-0 (2-1 aggregate)

FC Barcelona site

An early Koke goal denied Barça the chance of a seventh successive semi final appearance

Barça’s dream of a Lisbon final came to an end at the Vicente Calderon tonight, when a combative Atletico Madrid beat them 1-0. The hosts’ early goal and their whirlwind start really set Barça back, but Martino’s side fought their way back into the game and had their chances to draw level. However, Simeone’s side stood firm and Barça bowed out of the Champions League.

With Diego Costa not even on the bench, Barça’s hopes were pinned on an early goal, but Atletico came out of the traps the faster and for the first 18 minutes they ran Barça ragged with a Koke goal and three shots against the woodwork. Barça had no answer to Atletico’s attacking energy, their intensity or their aggression, though in the midst of their hosts’ avalanche of attacks, Messi came close with a near past header that flashed just wide.

By the 20th minute mark though, Barça had grappled back control and recorded 74% of possession leading up to the break, though they were finding it hard to translate that domination into clear cut chances. Messi saw a shot go wide on 23 minutes after some great work on the left by Neymar and Cesc had a decent shout for a penalty two minutes before half time, but in truth, Barça were lacking pace and clarity in their game.

After the break, Barça strengthened their grip, dominating possession whilst the well organised Atletico sat ever deeper. Martino’s side had three great chances to draw level: first a double chance for Netmat and Xavi (min 59) and then another effort from the Brazilian that went agonisingly close with Courtois beaten.

Just when Atletico seemed as if they might be running out of steam, Simeone sent on Diego and the sub nearly finished off the tie, only for Pinto to come to Barça’s rescue with a brave stop. Barça were finding it tough to get the ball to Messi amongst the packed Atletico defence and the Argentinean was forced deep to get on the ball. With the middle of the pitch being crowded out, the wings were also proving fruitless for Barça and Atletico sat tight to earn themselves a place in the semis and deny Barça their seventh successive appearance in the last four of Europe’s top competition.

Real Madrid demolish Real Sociedad 4-0

Bleacher Report

Real Madrid shrugged off the absence of superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo, keeping pace in the La Liga title race with a 4-0 victory at Real Sociedad on Saturday evening. 

Asier Illarramendi opened the scoring for Madrid, tapping in a rebound just before half-time. Gareth Bale doubled the lead midway through the second half, taking advantage of a miscue by Real Sociedad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Real then killed off the game with late goals from Pepe and substitute Alvaro Morata. The victory took Madrid onto 76 points, three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid and two behind second-placed Barcelona.

 "It was very difficult for us," Illarramendi said, per Inside Spanish Football. "After the second goal the game was over and we took advantage of the spaces." onaldo did not play for Real Madrid, missing out with a knee injury. In his absence, manager Carlo Ancelotti started Isco on the left side of Real Madrid's attack, with Bale on the right and Karim Benzema in the middle. The result will give Madrid momentum heading into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. Madrid won the first leg 3-0 at home. In addition, the victory over Real Sociedad—who beat Barcelona 3-1 at home last month—should give Carlo Ancelotti's side confidence heading into the stretch run. 

 "It was a good contest. I am very happy. I have a team who likes to fight and I’m proud to coach this team," Ancelotti said, per Inside Spanish Football. "The victory strengthens the team’s resolve. We are on a good run of form. We are behind in the standings, but we will fight until the end." 

The visitors struggled to generate chances in the opening stages as Sociedad created the better openings. Madrid goalkeeper Diego Lopez made a fine save from close range on Carlos Vela, keeping out the Mexican international's volley from a Real Sociedad corner. The save did not count, though, as Vela was ruled offside. Sociedad came close again six minutes later as Antoine Griezmann sent a looping header over the bar from Vela's cross. The hosts appealed for a handball on Illarramendi in the 43rd minute after the Madrid midfielder blocked a shot, but replays showed Illarra had trapped the ball with his abdomen. Real Madrid then went ahead on the stroke-of-half-time goal. Bravo saved Benzema's initial shot from the left, but the rebound fell to Illarra, who tapped in with a first-touch volley from close range. Illarramendi, who came through Sociedad's youth system before joining Madrid in 2013, did not celebrate against his former club.

Madrid had a big chance to double their lead in the 48th minute. Xabi Alonso curled in a free kick from the right and Sergio Ramos met it with a powerful header, but the ball cannoned off the crossbar and the score remained 1-0. Alonso tested Bravo with a curling free kick from outside the box in the 57th minute but Bravo moved across his line to punch the ball away. After Bale received treatment for a gashed knee in the 60th minute, Alonso tried again four minutes later but this time curled his free kick over the bar. Benzema rattled the crossbar again in the 65th minute, blasting a powerful left-footed strike off the woodwork from outside the box. 

One minute later, Madrid finally found their second goal after a gaffe by Bravo. Holding the ball near the edge of his own box, Bravo scuffed poor clearance straight at Bale, who had just returned to the pitch after receiving treatment for his knee. Controlling with his first touch, Bale scored with a swerving drive into the bottom corner as Bravo scrambled in vain to get back into position. Benzema rolled a shot just wide of the post in the 69th minute as Madrid looked to kill off the match. At the other end, Griezmann forced a save from Lopez with a low shot in the 83rd minute. But that was as close as Sociedad came to pulling back a goal in the second half. Instead Real Madrid killed off the game with two more late goals. Pepe grabbed Madrid's third in the 85th minute, sweeping in after Ramos rose highest to head back a corner across the box. Morata then made it 4-0, slotting past Bravo on the break after being freed by Angel Di Maria's incisive through pass.

Champion's League: PSG upsets Chelsea 3-1

PSG players celebrate after Pastore goal

UK Yahoo Sports

Javier Pastore struck in stoppage time to give Paris Saint-Germain a 3-1 win over Chelsea at the Parc de Princes in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

Jose Mourinho's side made a sluggish start to the evening, and found themselves a goal down on three minutes when captain John Terry's headed clearance went straight to Ezequiel Lavezzi, who controlled the loose ball before hammering a volley high into the net from 12 yards with Petr Cech well beaten.

Chelsea restored parity on 27 minutes when Oscar was bundled to the deck clumsily by Thiago Silva. Eden Hazard stepped up to slide the ball into the net as Salvatore Sirigu heading in the opposite direction.

Chelsea's lack of a recognised striker - Mourinho started with Andre Schuerrle rather then Fernando Torres up front - caught up with the 2012 winners in the second half as David Luiz felled Blaise Matuidi out wide. That led to a wicked Lavezzi free-kick that eluded Cech and ricocheted into the net off the shins of the helpless Luiz.

PSG lost Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a hamstring strain midway through the second period, but they were not finished for the night as £37 million signing from Palermo Pastore - on for Lavezzi with five minutes remaining - somehow ghosted into the visiting box from out wide, evading three players before sending a shot spinning under Cech, who was slow to go down at his near post.

It was an awful piece of defending, later described as "ridiculous" by Mourinho, and leaves Chelsea with a vast amount of work to be done in the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.

Champion's League: Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund in first leg 3-0

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Real Madrid built a strong and probably insurmountable lead in their Champions League quarter-final first leg against Borussia Dortmund with a comfortable 3-0 win at the Bernabeu.  Dortmund, finalists in this competition last year, have had that their side decimated by injury and looked a shadow of their former selves.

Real wasted little time in exploiting this fact, with revenge for last year’s semi-final defeat in their minds, when Gareth Bale showed good feet to poke them ahead from close range in only the third minute. The visitors looked stunned and a period of Real dominance followed before they broke from a Dortmund corner to add a second throughIsco after 27 minutes. The young Spaniard, deputising for Angel Di Maria who was taken ill prior to kick-off, shoot low from the edge of the box to make it 2-0.

Real took their foot off the gas at the start of the second-half and allowed Dortmund a lot more time and space in which to attack them. But just as the visitors looked like they could build up a head of steam, Cristiano Ronaldo - on his 100th Champions League appearance - received a precise through ball from Luka Modric to finish tidily in the area.

Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang worked hard in attack for Dortmund and created plenty of opportunities to grab a vital away goal but couldn’t add the killer touch needed to beat Iker Casillas. The closest call came on the hour mark when Casillas spilt a Reus cross at the feet of Mkhitaryan, but Pepe was able to get a block in.

The tie seems all but over, but with Robert Lewandowski returning for the second leg Dortmund will still retain hope of turning things around.

Champion's League: Diego scored an away goal against Barcelona 1-1

Skysports

Diego

Neymar equalised a wonder-strike from Diego Ribas to leave Barcelona and Atletico Madrid's UEFA Champions League quarter-final finely balanced.

David Villa spurned an early chance in the first leg at Camp Nou and Andres Iniesta's shot at the other end was blocked by Diego Godin before Villa drew a good save from Jose Pinto in first-half stoppage time.

Brazilian forward Diego, who had come on to replace Atletico's injured talisman Diego Costa after half an hour, unleashed an unstoppable drive to put the visitors ahead on 57 minutes.

But compatriot Neymar drew Barcelona level 14 minutes later after a fine pass from Iniesta.The visitors were clinging on by the end, relying on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to make outstanding saves, denying first Iniesta and then Lionel Messi.

Diego Simeone's side's desperation was underlined by the fact six of their players picked up yellow cards, while just two Barca players received cautions.

But the visitors' resolute defending paid off and meant a fourth successive draw in the meetings between the two teams this season to leave both with all to play for in next week's second leg at the Vicente Calderon.

Costa was named in the starting line-up despite retiring prematurely from his side's training session the previous evening, but succumbed to a hamstring injury which is almost certain to rule him out of the return leg in Madrid.

Villa came in for the suspended Raul Garcia and had the first attempt of the night, trying his luck from 30 yards but firing well wide.

The former Barca striker had a clearer opportunity just moments later, receiving the ball after Arda Turan had intercepted Pinto's poor kick, but shot wide of the far post.

Barca had to make their first substitution of the night after just 12 minutes, Gerard Pique struggling after an aerial challenge and forced to come off for 23-year-old Marc Bartra, who shone in a rare moment in the spotlight.

Despite the early openings, the game soon took the same shape of the three cagey encounters between the two sides this season, with Barca taking until 23 minutes to test Courtois, Neymar heading softly into the Belgian's hands. Their next attempt was by the majestic Iniesta, played in after Messi had danced around Miranda, but Godin threw out a leg to block the shot before it could get to Courtois. Then Davi Alves crossed to Messi, but the Argentinian could not get enough power on his header, and ended the night failing to get on the score-sheet for the first time in six games.

Neymar had a final go for Barca before half-time, his ambitious long-ranger flying just a little high of the crossbar, while Villa tested Pinto at the other end.

Stunning opener

The second half began like the first with little space opening up, so it required a goal out of nothing to break the deadlock. That is what Diego produced when he picked the ball up on the right hand side following a free-kick, beat Xavi then drove the ball from an improbable angle and range into the top corner.

At the other end, Sergio Busquets saw his effort pushed away by Courtois. Messi then tried to head a cross from Alves towards goal but it hit his chest on its way over the bar.

But Barca got their equaliser with 19 minutes remaining when Iniesta split the visitors' defence with an exquisite pass to Neymar inside the area, the Brazilian shooting into the far corner of Courtois' net with one touch.

The goal galvanised the Camp Nou side and rattled the visitors. Just a few minutes later Iniesta went looking for goal, only denied by an inspired leap by Courtois, who finger-tipped the ball out for a corner.

Barca had a near monopoly on possession after the equaliser, but Courtois made one final save of the night to keep out Messi's late free-kick.

Atletico will feel relieved to return to Madrid with the tie evenly balanced, having scored a crucial away goal to boot.