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Bring on Manchester United or Chelsea, declares Wenger

• Arsenal manager would welcome all-Premier League semi-final
• 'It would be a good chance to show we can do it against them'

Arsène Wenger said he would welcome the chance to face Manchester United or Chelsea in the Champions League quarter‑finals, after he watched his Arsenal team book their place in the last eight with a dismantling of Porto. They won 5-0 on the night for a 6-2 aggregate victory, thanks to a hat-trick from Nicklas Bendtner and outstanding contributions from Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin.

Arsenal have suffered at the hands of United and Chelsea in the Premier League this season, losing home and away to both. The home defeats were particularly demoralising and led to them seeing their title chances widely written off. Wenger has even suggested that his team have had a mental block against their principal rivals this season, which might have started when United knocked them out of the Champions League semi‑finals at the end of the last campaign. Yet he was keen to show that he would have no fear of either club were Arsenal to draw them in Europe's elite competition.

"I have a funny feeling that maybe it's good for us to play an English team," he said. "We have not done well against Chelsea and Man United this year and it would be a good chance to show we can do it against them."

When pressed on the issue, Wenger softened his stance, as though to guard against the "Bring on United and Chelsea" headlines. The Frenchman said: "What I want to say is that we do not choose Manchester United or Chelsea and maybe if I say, for example, we absolutely do not want to play an English team, I put ourselves already in an inferior position. I believe that maybe it's a good opportunity, if we do get them, to show that we can do well.

"First of all, I don't have the choice about who we draw. If I have the choice, I would say 'Yes' but I don't have the choice. If we do get them, we cannot do worse than we did in the championship. We can only do better.

"We will take the draw that we get. We do not have to make an obsession … for example, what I do not want is that we make a negative obsession of not playing against Chelsea or not playing against Manchester United. That's all."

Wenger could enjoy himself here at Emirates, after Bendtner proved his worth just three days after his horror show against Burnley in the Premier League, and his other attacking players turned on the style. "If I don't smile tonight, I will never smile," he said. "We controlled the game, we played our fluent football and our positive start with the early goals gave us the needed belief.

"Over the 90 minutes, we controlled 80. For the 10 that we didn't control, we suffered. They had a few chances at the start of the second half. But overall, we controlled the game, scored some great goals and we were good to watch. We did what we like to do. We won with style and we always went forward in a convincing way.

"At the start of the season, no one expected us to be where we are at the moment. We have mental strength, good desire and good quality but it's important that we continue to improve. There were still some weak moments that we can deal with better during the game. Before we speak about beating United or Barcelona, we have to improve. But we have a chance."

Although Bendtner took the plaudits, Wenger also praised Nasri and Arshavin. "Nasri is developing very well," the Frenchman said. "He has talent and he is starting to be efficient now. He made a great pass to Arshavin for the first goal [which Bendtner scored] and he scored a great goal himself.

"He can play in central midfield but when Cesc Fábregas is back, he will play wide. I like Arshavin, too. When he is one versus one with a player, you know that he will pass him. You need to be special to do that."

Ferguson: Beckham is unlikely to start

• United manager warns 3-2 first-leg lead is precarious
• Wayne Rooney will be fit to play despite knee injury

There are some nights in the Champions League when it is more than just a football match; it is an occasion. Manchester United versus Milan, under the Old Trafford floodlights, is one of them – even if Sir Alex Ferguson is right and David Beckham is left out by the Rossoneri tonight. Milan will have to be bold and adventurous if they are to recover a 3-2 deficit from the first leg and Ferguson's hunch is that the most recognisable player on the planet will be sacrificed in a game that reads like a Who's Who of the Champions League elite.

Beckham being Beckham, he needed a police escort when he arrived at Manchester airport yesterday, the latest instalment of what his former manager witheringly described as "the David Beckham media circus" a few weeks ago. He was also due for a charm offensive at Milan's press conference until it was pointed out that Uefa rules do not allow the same player to face the microphones before the home and away legs and that Beckham had told us enough times how thrilled he would be to run out at Old Trafford again.

Ferguson, however, does not envisage his former player starting the tie. "He has not started a game since the last time he played us," the United manager pointed out. "I don't know if Beckham will play. I haven't got him down in my conclusions."

Whether it was deliberate or not, the impression from United's manager was that there were other players who concerned him more anyway. Pato is expected to have recovered from a thigh strain while Ferguson has already pinpointed the fit‑again striker Marco Borriello, absent from the first leg, as a serious threat – and that is all before considering the way Ronaldinho tormented Rafael da Silva in the first leg.

Older, leaner, wiser maybe, Ronaldinho has played a part in 24 of Milan's 46 league goals this season, scoring nine and setting up 15. Ferguson could ask Gary Neville to replace Rafael but, at 35, the former England defender now counts as a veteran in football terms and his lack of mobility threatens an even more harrowing ordeal should Ronaldinho be in the same mood. Wes Brown was lined up to play at right‑back but suffered a broken metatarsal in Saturday's win at Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been ruled out for up to six weeks.

The better news for United is that Wayne Rooney is fit after missing the weekend game because of a knee injury. "I looked at him on Friday and didn't think he had any chance," Ferguson reported. "But he has progressed and he plays and, on this form, he would be a threat to anyone. That is what he will provide for us: a real threat up front."

Rooney, in all likelihood, will operate as the lone striker in the 4-3-2-1 system that Ferguson prefers on European nights, which would mean no place again for Dimitar Berbatov, increasingly a fact of life for a player who has started only six of 19 Champions League ties since becoming the club's most expensive player in a £30.75m transfer from Tottenham Hotspur 19 months ago.

Michael Carrick is suspended, while Ryan Giggs, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves are injured, which reduces the options in the midfield, but there should be no undue concern even if Ferguson was determined not to say anything that could be considered presumptuous.United's is a formidable position of strength considering that, in 54 years of European football at Old Trafford, no side has ever beaten them by the two clear goals that Milan will need if they are to turn this tie upside down.

Ferguson, though, senses a renaissance in Serie A. "European football is an ever-changing process. The challenge last year was to get past Barcelona to win the trophy and the Italians were not as good as the Spaniards. But there has been a little shift and the Italian teams are better this year. That's why winning in Milan was a big step forward for Manchester United. It was the first time in four attempts that we had done it. I was delighted with it because, historically, we were playing against one of the best European teams of all time. So it was a landmark victory for us. I can't help but think it was a really, really important win for us – a psychological thing."

A different manager would try to suffocate the game and wind down the clock, but that is not the United way. "I don't think we are very good at defending leads, to be honest," Ferguson said. "The nature of our club is that we have to have a positive attitude. When we went 3-1 ahead in Milan, for instance, it would have been easy to shut up shop but we kept looking for that fourth goal and sometimes it makes games more exciting than they need be.

"We maybe should have killed off the game but then [Clarence] Seedorf's goal near the end keeps the match on a tightrope. Sometimes you get the benefits, sometimes you don't, but the most important thing is that the philosophy is the right one. So we will try to do it our normal way and it will be an open game. I don't think we should be confused by the score of 3-2 – it does not represent a bye into the quarter-finals."

Today in Sport – live!

Discuss the day's big issues, send us your favourite links, follow us on Twitter and take a look at our 2010 sport calendar

11.47am: A little bit more on Chester City. The Chester Chronicle is reporting that no one from club's parent company was present at the high court today, meaning that the club's 125-year existence was ended in less than 30 seconds. If you needed an illustration of the contempt with which the owners have treated the club's fans look no further. JA

11.17am: Chester City have been wound up at the high court, according to reports. We can but hope that the final crumbling of the shoddy edifice created by the owners will allow the club's long-suffering supporters to move on. Chester Phoenix anyone? The ever-excellent Twohundredpercent.net have followed the sorry saga from the start, and the full list of articles can be found here, via the Chester Mad site. It's well worth the time, if you can spare it. One of those football stories that has you shaking your head in sad disbelief. JA

11.06am: The BBC has turned down a request from Downing Street for the Prime Minister to appear on the Match of the Day 2 sofa as a guest. JA

10.21am: Vitali Klitschko has revealed how Lennox Lewis's mother stopped him getting a rematch with the former world heavyweight champion:

"Lennox promised me but his mum decided he wasn't going to fight. He invited me to London, without managers. He said he wanted to talk just together. I came to the room and his mum is there. We talked for two hours and his mum was looking at me and scanning me. After that I went away and he called me a couple of hours later and said, 'Sorry, but no'. I felt it wasn't his decision, his mum decided"

9.53am: We've just had the morning meeting and here's what to expect through the day.

• There's a Liverpool press conference at 9.30am ahead of the Europa League match against Lille tomorrow
• We'll have more on the Pakistan cricketers who have been banned from the squad due to the usual internal squabbling
• The latest on Ricky Hatton and whether he is about to hang up his gloves
• Paul Wilson is blogging on the trouble with trying to use technology in football
• Tonight we'll have live coverage of Manchester United v Milan and a Tom Jenkins gallery of all the best images from Old Trafford GR

9.08am: Good morning and welcome to our daily sports news blog. Throughout the day we'll update this page with news, links and what's expected to happen in the hours ahead. Time permitting, we'll try to wade in below the line, answering your questions and comments.

We'll let you know what's coming up today after our morning meeting shortly, but in meantime what do Milan need to do to win at Old Trafford tonight? Richard Williams suggests stylish, extravagant, attacking football is at the heart of both Leonardo and his side. GSR

Has Google Earth captured matches?

Plus: Team-mates and sworn enemies (2); who's going to fill Rochdale's boots?; and England's Toulon team of 1990. Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk

"Have any football matches been captured on Google Earth?" wondered Roderick Stewart last week. "Who won?"

Google's roving helicopter/spy satellite/gigantic flaming all-seeing eye must have been hovering over Bristol on a Saturday afternoon in April 2007. Zooming in over Ashton Gate reveals Gary Johnson's side taking on a side decked out in green. "City seem to be mid-game and apparently on the attack down the left wing," writes Graham Sutton. "According to Google Earth, this was on 14 April 2007, which makes it a 2-0 home win over Yeovil in their promotion-winning season."

Up the road at Durdham Down a dozen or so games – quite possibly from the Bristol Downs league of previous Knowledge fame – can be seen being played concurrently, points out Rob Little:

Unfortunately we're unable to ascertain those playing and the scores, though from the wear-and-tear in the central areas of the pitch, it's fair to suggest things get a bit messy in the winter, a fact that might have contributed to this slightly wonkily redrawn centre-circle:

"This match which is more than likely Hallam FC of the Northern Counties East (the world's second oldest club) playing at Sandygate (the world's oldest football ground)," writes Tom Carter:

And David Ellis has spotted a game going on by the banks of the Thames:

"This shows the mighty Ibis FC of the Southern Amateur League way back in May 2007," writes David. "The game finished 2-2 as I recall. If you zoom out you can also take in the games of Old Meadonians, and north and across the train tracks there are several Civil Service games going ahead."

Meanwhile in the shadow of Alexandra Palace:

"Alexandra Palace are in the tangerine shirts," writes David Lea. "Possibly the 3rd or 4th XI. Not much of a crowd, I'll grant you."

TEAM-MATES AND SWORN ENEMIES (2)

Last week we had a first look at team-mates who didn't see eye-to-eye off the field. The Knowledge inbox has swelled with further tales of dressing-room disharmony.

Dean Johnson suggests Kenny Burns and Trevor Francis at Birmingham. The pair had squared up after Burns had caught Francis with a training-ground tackle – "Trevor didn't like it, and he stood up to me. So I just gave him a little tap ... you know, a butt ... Trevor went off in a hump" – though Burns has since played down their feud in his autobiography. "We moved in different circles," he wrote. "We just didn't drink in the same places. I'd go down the social club, play a couple of frames of snooker and have a couple of bets, whatever, he would possibly drink in a wine bar. He had his own friends at Forest as well [Later in his career Francis had followed Burns to the City Ground]. Obviously a lot was made out of things between us, but it wasn't as bad as everyone said."

In 1982 Jean-François Larios was kicked out of France's World Cup squad amid rumours he had been having an affair with Michel Platini's wife. The pair, though, were never sworn enemies as team-mates – they had played together for St Etienne but Platini left that summer for Juventus and Larios never played for France again.

Dave Langlois writes to suggest that Santiago Cañizares and defender Miroslav Djukic "hated each other" while at Valencia. Hate might be a bit strong, though they apparently refused to speak to one another for five years. "We do not talk," said Djukic in November 2000. El País, via a slightly unhelpful online translation, reveals: "Until now it was an open secret that the two Valencia players had not just treatment, that the estrangement was due to fights on the pitch."

When the colossal egos of Edmundo and Romário met at Vasco de Gama in 1999 fireworks were always likely – though they had previously been friends the latter had depicted the former on the men's toilet door at his Café do Gol bar a year earlier much to Edmundo's chagrin.

Troubled brewed in 2000 when prior to a game Romário was handed the captaincy. The deposed captain – guess who – went home in a serious huff, and the pair sniped at each other thereafter, with one incident, Romário taking a penalty and missing when Edmundo had expected to take it, causing the affair to flare up. Edmundo called his striker partner the "Prince" to the club president's "King". Romário, with fairly sharp wit, tagged his team-mate as "the court jester". The turbulent relationship ended when Edmundo left for Santos in 2000.

And one of the more famous on-field bust-ups came between Charlton's Mike Flanaghan and Derek Hales in an FA Cup tie against Maidstone United, then of the Southern League, in January 1979. With five minutes to go the scores were level. Hales made a run towards goal, Flanagan, the ball at his feet, delayed the pass and by the time Hales had received the ball he had been caught offside.

"Words were exchanged between Hales and Flanagan about the fact that he hadn't passed earlier and the two moved towards each other," writes Keith Peacock, a team-mate of Hales and Flanagan, in his autobiography. "They went head to head and Hales threw the first punch. He wasn't the kind of guy to see what the other fellow would do. Blows were exchanged." But the incident had merely brought to a head something that had been bubbling under the surface beforehand. "It was a bit more than that," said Hales, without elaborating, in 2005. "The manager should have sorted it out beforehand."

Hales was sacked and then reinstated. Flanaghan was fined then handed in a transfer request. "I was seen as the nasty one," admitted Hales. "But it takes two to tango."

Plenty more of this next week, but keep them coming to the usual address.

ROCHDALE'S SUCCESSORS?

"With Rochdale on the verge of promotion, their record of being in the same division for 35 years looks like ending," writes Phil Rhodes, poking fate with a big pointy stick. "We all need to know who outside the Premier League will have been in the same division the longest if Dale get promoted. A list of the five teams who follow Rochdale in the current list may make for interesting reading and also show how fluid the Football League is."

Indeed Rochdale have been neither promoted nor relegated since 1973-74 and with their League Two rivals currently indistinct dots in the Spotland rear-view mirror, their 36-year drought may be about to come to an end. But who will replace them as the Football League's most entrenched club?

Darlington, who have been bobbling along in the basement since 1992, are on an 18-season stretch in the same division. The Quakers could well drop into the Blue Square Premier at the end of this season, at which point their title would be taken by Oldham, who have been in the third tier for 13 seasons. The top five, we reckon, looks something like this:

Darlington 18-season run (relegated 1991-92)

Oldham 13-season run (relegated 1996-97)

Lincoln 11-season run (relegated 1998-99)

Macclesfield Town 11-season run (relegated 1998-99)

Preston 10-season run (promoted 1999-2000)

KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE

This month the Knowledge celebrates its 10th birthday and in honour of that fact we'll be delving into the column's very earliest days for our archive slot this month. Here's a question from the second ever Knowledge, as penned by Sean Ingle and Paul MacInnes back in April 2000:

"Please could you name the England U-21 team that played in the Toulon tournament in 1990?" asks Richard Glover

In 1990 England's U-21 squad won the eight-nation tournament in Toulon for the first time with the following squad:

Crossley, Muggleton, Lee, Sharpe, Le Saux, Barrett, Tiler, Sherwood, James, Ebbrell (capt), Blake, Matthew, Thomas, Stuart, Slater, Olney, Robins.

Shortly afterwards the full England side reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, and many thought this U-21 team would make up the nucleus of England's 1994 World Cup side.

Things didn't quite turn out as forecast, although some players did go on to become full England internationals (notably Le Saux, Sharpe and Sherwood), and one (Crossley) bizarrely played for Wales. Sadly, most of the exalted class of 1990 have become journeyman club players, plying their trade in the lower leagues.

Can you help?

"In light of the imminent cinematic release of the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats (imminent in Australia anyway) and its depiction of the US military attempting to harness psychic abilities, I was wondering if there has there ever been a football manager (or players) that has attempted to do the same; and if so were there any reports of this being a success?" writes Tim Grey.

"Noel Bailie, of Linfield in Northern Ireland, had recently played his 990th game (all for one club) and looks set to achieve 1,000 by the end of the season," writes Keith Minnis. "I think I'm right in saying both Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence have achieved this. However, Noel Bailie is a centre-half, what other professional outfield players, if any, have achieved 1,000 appearances?"

"Plenty of teams have a City or Town suffix, but is a there a Village? And if so, what's the highest level they've played at?" ponders Philip Genochio.

Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk

FA may charge Chelsea over £21m deal

• Claims that unlicensed go-between helped set up 2005 deal
• FA investigating, with fines or even points deduction possible

The Football Association is considering whether Shaun Wright-Phillips and Chelsea could face charges for dealing with an unlicensed agent, Mitchell Thomas, when Wright-Phillips moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in July 2005. The investigation by the FA follows the outcome of a case brought by the Law Society against a solicitor, Timothy Drukker, who signed off the paperwork in the Wright‑Phillips deal but paid Thomas part of the £1.2m fee which Chelsea paid him.

If the FA does find that Thomas, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town defender, was involved in negotiating the deal, they could bring charges against Wright-Phillips and Chelsea. Penalties range from warnings to fines and even points deductions.

The Wright-Phillips transfer is the 17th deal, previously unidentified, handed over to the FA by Quest, the investigators the Premier League hired to conduct the so-called "bungs inquiry" into transfers by its clubs between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2006. Quest cleared all the other deals, but said more inquiries should be made into No17. At the time, the Wright-Phillips deal was not identified because the Law Society had begun proceedings.

They only reached their conclusion in January, with a finding by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal that Drukker was guilty of "conduct unbecoming a solicitor" during the transfer and in "misleading" Quest when they made inquiries. He was fined £15,000, the tribunal having decided there was no dishonesty on his part but that Drukker's actions "had resulted in the undermining of the Fifa regulations".

Drukker himself told the tribunal he had been asked by "parties close to Shaun Wright-Phillips" to act as his agent when the details of the move to Chelsea had been agreed. Drukker was paid a fee understood to be £1.2m, did not keep any of it and paid it to others including Thomas.

The FA has been taking a strong stance against unlicensed agents in recent years, because it sees licensing as crucial to its ability to regulate the multimillion-pound flows of money in transfers. Chelsea paid City £21m for Wright-Phillips, a huge sum that summer and vital for City who were struggling financially.

Any FA charges would be brought against Wright-Phillips and Chelsea, not Thomas, since the FA cannot take action against unlicensed agents because they are operating outside football's rules. An FA spokesman said: "We are aware of the outcome of these proceedings and are considering what action, if any, may be appropriate in relation to football rules."

Chelsea and Wright-Phillips both denied that Thomas had been involved in the transfer and said that Drukker himself had conducted the negotiations. "We believe we acted appropriately at all times," a Chelsea spokesman said.

Championship: West Brom 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday

If West Bromwich Albion go on to win automatic promotion, it is entirely possible that this win, only their second in their last seven matches, will prove to have been the most important of the season.

Heavy-legged and lacking in ideasfor the best part of an hour, Roberto Di Matteo's team summoned up a burst of energy and inspiration that culminated in Robert Koren's beautifully struck 25-yard winner, and revitalised their flagging campaign.

"We made a number of chances after the break, but we probably needed a strike like that to win the game," said Di Matteo, who defended his decision to start with Koren, the Slovenia captain, on the bench. "We were a little bit nervous and edgy in the first half, but we stayed patient. The table still looks very tight, though – everybody's fighting for something."

The chances in an appalling first half could be numbered on the fingers of one hand, and neither goalkeeper had to make a save. The best efforts came from Albion's Chris Brunt, who scissor-kicked a volley a couple of feet wide against his former club, and Wednesday's Jermaine Johnson, who robbed Marek Cech but saw his ambitious attempt to chip the Albion goalkeeper Scott Carson drift over the bar.

Albion finally put Lee Grant to the test when Jonas Olsson met Graham Dorrans's cross with a downward header that the Wednesday goalkeeper reacted sharply to block. The substitute Ishmael Miller, whose introduction had given the Baggies some much-needed physical presence up front, and James Morrison, also saw headers well saved, and Dorrans a thumping 30-yard drive tipped over the bar. Just when it seemed the Owls might hang on, however, a move begun by Albion deep in their own half ended in Koren driving a diagonal shot beyond Grant.

"I felt we were coping with the pressure, but there was a moment of brilliance from a top-quality player in this division," said the Wednesday manager, Alan Irvine, whose side have won once in five attempts in the league. "I'm not too concerned about being in the bottom three at this stage. If we can win five more games, we'll be fine."

Premier League: Sunderland 4-0 Bolton

After almost four months and 14 Premier League games without a win Sunderland's bleak midwinter finally ended last night. As the thermometer dropped to freezing point it did not exactly seem like spring but Steve Bruce's suddenly relaxed body language was that of a man who has just felt the sun's warmth on his back for the first time in a very long while.

Like Bolton, who began brightly enough but faded badly, Sunderland have not yet banished relegation fears but, thanks to Darren Bent's hat-trick and Fraizer Campbell's opener, their manager now has no reason to feel trepidation when he attends a scheduled formal meeting with his boss this morning.

More than an hour before kick-off Bruce stood in the centre circle deep in conversation with Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner. Given Fabio Capello's recent experience with bugging, perhaps it was the one place the pair felt confident of not being overheard as they presumably discussed the reasons behind the team's lack of victories since beating Arsenal in November.

Small wonder then that relief was writ large across Bruce's and Short's face as Campbell's first Premier League goal gave Sunderland a 44th-second lead. When Bolton only semi-cleared Anton Ferdinand's deep cross, Lorik Cana sent another ball back into the area for Campbell to latch on to before beating Jussi Jaaskelainen courtesy of a controlled, close-range volley.

It proved the cue for the recently underwhelming Cana, Campbell and Steed Malbranque in particular to recapture their early-season spike and sparkle.

"It's been a long time, a long winter," said Bruce. "The early goal gave everyone the confidence we needed. It's been tough and I'm not just talking about the north-east weather. I just feel relieved." And his tête-à-tête with Short? "I went outside to get some fresh air and who did I bump into but the owner," added Sunderland's manager before extolling the Texan's "supportive" stance.

Fears that Bruce would require post-match consolation receded when Malbranque, excellent on the left, helped create the second goal, playing in the hitherto disappointing Cattermole who slipped a lovely ball to Bent. Surging forward, he held off a clutch of markers to shoot powerfully, right-footed, past Jaaskelainen from just inside the penalty area. It was the sort of defender-confounding finish to make you think Bent should be on England's summer flight to South Africa after all. "Darren must be in Fabio Capello's thoughts," said Bruce. "He's a natural goalscorer."

It got worse for Bolton and even better for Bent. First Sam Ricketts was sent off for a second yellow-card offence, namely the gentle shove which sent Bent tumbling, thereby conceding a slightly controversialpenalty. Next the victim dusted himself down and converted that kick before subsequently completing a first Sunderland treble by shooting his 19th goal of the season through a crowded area after playing a lovely one-two with Campbell.

Despite enjoying a fair amount of possession and forcing several set pieces, Bolton rarely threatened Craig Gordon – even if Lee Chung-yong might have done better than shoot wildly over the bar when he might have equalised.

"With conceding so early and then going down to 10 men everything conspired against us," said Owen Coyle, Bolton's manager, who thought the already booked Cana should have been sent off for a heavy, knee-high, tackle on Vladimir Weiss and disputed both the penalty award and Ricketts's red card. "I thought we were very unfortunate."

If only his team had been as feisty.

Premier League: Portsmouth 1-2 Birmingham City

After giddy success comes Portsmouth's agonising reality check. The optimism whipped up by Saturday's unlikely progress into the FA Cup semi-finals was sucked from the club by a defeat here which leaves them adrift and despairing at the foot of the table. The locals departed with a defiant chorus proclaiming their imminent return to Wembley, but this team had come back down to earth with a juddering bump.

The Premier League's nine-point deduction will condemn them to the Championship regardless once the validity of their administration is confirmed, but there had still been hope while the table had them in touching distance of the other stragglers. A win would, albeit deceptively, have hauled them to within two points of safety. As it is, the 17-month wait for back-to-back league victories goes on.

There was eagerness to Pompey here, but the guile and incision were all Birmingham City's. Nwankwo Kanu's headed consolation, plucked from Jamie O'Hara's cross deep into stoppage time, had Roger Johnson "raging" and "throwing a tantrum" in the visitors' dressing room post-match according to Alex McLeish, largely because Joe Hart had been so redundant in the City goal. Birmingham, with amends to make after Saturday's FA Cup elimination here, always felt in control once Portsmouth were in arrears.

This squad appears resigned to its fate. "The players go on to the pitch wanting to win but, when you're always hearing about the nine-point deduction, it's difficult," said Avram Grant. "We cannot really do anything. The situation isn't easy, and this was a disappointing performance given what we've managed in our last two games, but even if we tell them that the Premier League hasn't taken the points off yet, it's affected them. They know. In these circumstances, Saturday was more important."

The visitors' revenge was instigated before the break, though the contest should have been settled more convincingly even by then. Cameron Jerome's neatly taken brace felt inadequate given how easily Pompey had been cut to shreds by a side refreshed by a quartet of changes. Michel, the £3m full debutant in midfield, orchestrated their attacks impressively. Both goals were supplied by Christian Benítez - the first messily through a muddle of players, the second with a cheeky back-heal beyond a ragged back-line - though the Ecuadorian was guilty of one particularly horrible miss of his own, dawdling when in front of goal with his markers aghast, amid Birmingham's dominance. Jerome was more decisive. His first finish, slipped low beyond the exposed David James, was not that of a man previously without a goal since November and whose own display here on Saturday had been rather more sub-standard. The former England under-21 international led the line superbly, unnerving Hermann Hreidarsson and Tal Ben Haim with his strength and movement when City countered. His second goal was slid through James' legs with home defenders anchored and resigned to concession.

McLeish's side have risen to eighth, two points behind Aston Villa, but the manager is not anticipating a Europa League campaign ahead. "I don't think seventh is realistic," he said. "To get places in Europe, you need a striker who's got 15 goals. We'll always be under pressure because our strikers won't do that unless they go on an unbelievable scoring burst now." Jerome is the club's leading scorer at present with seven in all competitions. The summer's recruitment strategy is mapped out.

Pompey can only dream of such ambition, even with a celebratory occasion at Wembley to come. Aruna Dindane's attempt, turned over the bar by Hart, was their first of any potency on target and came seconds before Kanu's riposte at the end. They are effectively 14 points adrift with 10 games to play, their predicament increasingly hopeless. The administrator is due to speak publicly today with redundancies to come. These clubs are moving in very different directions.

Portsmouth paying £4m a month in wages

• Next year's season ticket money 'ring-fenced and safe'
• Uefa likely to prevent any Europa League appearance

The administrators running Portsmouth have revealed that the club is still paying out £4m a month in wages but promised fans that any revenue collected for next year's season tickets will be placed in a ring-fenced account.

The joint administrator Michael Kiely, of UHY Hacker Young, said money will not be used to meet ongoing costs and will be returned in the event that the club goes to the wall.

It also emerged yesterday that Portsmouth are unlikely to be able to enter the Europa League next season if they win the FA Cup because they have not applied for a Uefa club licence. Given Pompey's financial situation, it is unlikely they would qualify for one in any case.

Portsmouth have debts estimated at £70m-£80m and still owe £8m to other clubs in transfer instalments, Kiely told a meeting of fans on Saturday. According to the minutes of the meeting, he reiterated to the representatives of the various groups present that the administrators are "completely independent" of the club's owner, Balram Chainrai, and his company Portpin. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has queried the links between the administrator and Chainrai, after it emerged that they shared a solicitor in Balsara & Co.

According to the minutes, the administrators had "no previous dealings with Balram Chainrai until two weeks ago, when [Kiely] received a call while on a skiing holiday about this matter".

In response to questions from supporters, Kiely said the administrators were confident that they could satisfy the queries of the Revenue when the case returns to the high court next week.

Redundancies among the club's workforce will not be announced until the case is settled. The Premier League has also ruled that all arguments about whether the club should be allowed to sell players outside the transfer window, or whether they should be docked the requisite nine points for going to administration, will not be dealt with until after the case.

Kiely also revealed that Mark Jacob, the former executive director employed to run the club under the former owner Ali al-Faraj and Chainrai, was continuing to work for the club despite no longer being paid. He previously worked as a solicitor for Fuglers, where the club's client account was held, but the company said last month he had "ceased to be employed" by it.

"Mark Jacob is not on the payroll of Portsmouth FC. However, it is believed his experience can add value to the administration process, although he is effectively doing that for free and not with Portsmouth FC's money," said the minutes.

Kiely admitted the administrators had yet to fully go over the accounts but promised a "forensic examination" of Portsmouth's tortuous ownership saga, even if a quick sale was agreed.

Bullish Ronaldo confident Real can bite Lyon back

• Forward says Real Madrid can overturn Lyon deficit
• 'At the Bernabéu, Madrid are the boss' says Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo believes that the task ahead of his team tomorrow night is simple: to show Lyon that they are Real Madrid. That, though, could be precisely the problem and they need to be careful how they approach the game. Madrid are synonymous with the European Cup but their recent record has been disastrous, eliminated at the first knockout phase for five consecutive years. Tomorrow they must overcome a 1-0 deficit to prevent it being six and then reach the final in their own stadium. The pressure is intense.

Or at least it should be. For Madrid, this season is defined by the Champions League, even more than ever before. And yet there are few signs of nerves. Instead there is bullishness. Madrid may be without the suspended Xabi Alonso and Marcelo, they may have underestimated their opponents in the first leg and they may have been fortunate to depart the Stade Gerland having only been beaten 1-0 but there is strikingly little fear. The prevailing mood is that Lyon are just not that good. And Madrid are.

Once bitten twice shy is not the prevalent mood in the Spanish capital. Madrid are ready to bite Lyon back. Only the coach, Manuel Pellegrini, appears to be counselling caution. "We now know Lyon are a good side but we're at home and I am confident that we will go through," Ronaldo said. "At the Bernabéu, Madrid are the boss. It would be a huge disappointment to go out but I'm sure we will progress. We have to go out there with the intention of scoring lots of goals and be as offensive as possible – but that depends on Pellegrini."

The defender Sergio Ramos was predicting a 3-0 scoreline. "We're going to live another magical night at the Bernabéu," he said. His reference points were clear. At the weekend, Madrid came back from two down to defeat Sevilla 3-2 and move to the top of La Liga. And comebacks – remontadas – form part of their history. In 1984, Madrid defeated Anderlecht 6-1 having lost the first leg 3-0. The following year, they turned round a 5-1 defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach then knocked out Inter despite losing 3-1 away, the winger Juanito adopting cod-Italian to warn his opponents that 90 minutes in the Bernabéu is a long time.

Tomorrow night's match has been billed as a continuation of that tradition, another chapter in the legend. Lyon will face "an inferno", ran one headline. "The spirit of Juanito has returned," declared another. Madrid will tear into them. The stage appears to be set for drama and goals – and lots of them. If Lyon were to score, there would need to be: Madrid would find themselves obliged to score three.

But if there is a bullishness about the players, the coach is different. Pellegrini, whose Villarreal side reached the semi-final in 2006 almost by stealth, tonight hinted that he was more convinced of the need to prevent Lyon from getting the away goal that would complicate the tie than to blitz them into submission. "We're not going to find an easy opponent in the Champions league and we need to play well to go through" he said. "But nor do we need to embark upon an epic comeback."

Rooney returns to lead United's attack

• In-form striker back after knee injury
• Wes Brown ruled out for four to six weeks

Sir Alex Ferguson promised a fully-committed, attacking performance from his side in tomorrow's Champions League first knock-out round second-leg against Milan, where they will be protecting a 3-2 advantage from the first meeting at San Siro.

They will be aided by the return of Wayne Rooney, who missed Saturday's 1-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers with a knee problem. But Ferguson confirmed that Wes Brown, who was injured in that game, will be out for four to six weeks.

"He is fit," Ferguson said of Rooney. "There is a rapid improvement from Saturday morning because on Friday evening I didn't think he had any chance. It's good news. He is a threat to anyone at the moment."

Ferguson insisted that his side would not simply seek to defend the advantage gained in the first leg. "We're going to play our normal game and that includes attacking and always has," he said. "I don't think we should be confused by the 3-2. It's a very difficult game for us, and we'll treat it as such. We're hoping to kill the tie by our own attacking abilities but Milan have to score, which should make it a more open match."

Ferguson also suggested he was disappointed to win the first leg by just a single goal, after Clarence Seedorf scored for Milan with five minutes remaining. "The first 15 minutes was the good spell for them and the bad spell for us," he said. "Once we recovered we played very well and should maybe have killed the match in the second half."

Ferguson did not specify the nature of Brown's injury, but the full-back was known to have hurt his foot after a challenge with the Wolves midfielder Matt Jarvis, and left Molineux wearing a protective boot. There have been rumours that the England international had suffered a broken metatarsal.

The four-to-six-week timescale is at least good news for England, with Brown widely expected to be part of Fabio Capello's squad for the World Cup after playing at right-back against Egypt last week.

"Unfortunately, his career has been blighted with injury," said Ferguson. "He has got another one and will be out for four to six weeks but I hope I can get him back for some of the season."

In addition to Brown, Anderson (knee), Ryan Giggs (arm) and John O'Shea (leg) are also out of tomorrow's game.

England on alert after meetings bugged

• Capello conversations secretly recorded before Egypt game
• Football Association warns media not to make them public

The Football Association has moved to stop the contents of bugged conversations between players and coaching staff becoming public after a recording was offered to media outlets.

Conversations between the England coach, Fabio Capello, and the squad are understood to have been secretly recorded ahead of last week's friendly against Egypt. The FA has launched an investigation into how they were made and warned newspapers and broadcasters not to make them public.

The incident is the latest blow to hit Capello's World Cup build up, in the wake of the media frenzy that surrounded John Terry's alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of his international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The recording, believed to be several hours long, is alleged to contain conversations between coaching staff and players at the Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire ahead of the 3-1 victory over Egypt at Wembley last Wednesday.

Although they have not officially commented, the FA's lawyers have contacted media organisations warning that publication of the contents of the recording would be illegal and a breach of the Data Protection Act and Press Complaints Commission rules.

Section 10 of the PCC code states: "The press must not seek to obtain or publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine listening devices; or by intercepting private or mobile telephone calls, messages or emails; or by the unauthorised removal of documents or photographs; or by accessing digitally held private information without consent."

It is understood that the FA's lawyers have also been in touch with the Daily Star, which hinted at the content of the conversations but did not reproduce them, in order to try to ascertain who was offering the recordings for sale and how they were made.

It has been suggested that the content of the tapes could give away Capello's tactical secrets but it is likely that whoever is responsible was hoping for more blockbuster revelations about the England players' private lives or evidence of the effect of the Terry story on the mood within the camp.

It is understood that the recordings were offered to several Sunday newspapers, which turned them down. Capello is believed to be concerned about the breach but the FA is confident that tight security around the England team at their remote Rustenburg training camp at this summer's World Cup will prevent a repeat.

Kilmarnock 0-2 Rangers

Make that six to go for Walter Smith and Rangers. Smith's players have gone a full calendar year and 38 games while suffering just one defeat in the Scottish Premier League. It would be folly, therefore, to put much faith in them not collecting the six wins from 10 games that are now required to retain the championship. Even that total of victories will not be needed if Celtic continue dropping league points.

It took an improved second-half showing to win in Ayrshire, Steven Whittaker and Kenny Miller scoring the goals which saw off Kilmarnock's challenge.

"Kilmarnock were the better team in the first half," said Smith. "The first 25 minutes of the second half really won it for us because we had been poor before that."

The manager acknowledged the SPL record of his players, with a defeat at Aberdeen last November the only one in 12 months. "It is a fair achievement for a team that doesn't get a lot of credit for many things," Smith added. "To show that sort of consistency is fantastic."

Monday's confirmation that David Murray is in talks with the London-based property developer Andrew Ellis about selling his controlling stake in Rangers finally shed some light on what has been a protracted takeover saga. It remains to be seen whether Ellis's overtures will result in a formal bid, let alone a takeover, but the mere existence of interest offers solace for supporters during an uncertain period for the club.

Rangers enjoyed the better of the early play here, without forcing the Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell into serious action. Kris Boyd volleyed narrowly over from 20 yards for the visitors before Kilmarnock almost snatched an unlikely lead.

Allan McGregor prevented that with a fine, point-blank save from Mehdi Taouil. Yet the attack roused Kilmarnock, who had ruined Robbie Keane's debut with a victory over Celtic here last month.

Boyd watched a shot kicked off the hosts' line by Jamie Hamill five minutes into the second period, but Rangers were struggling to impose themselves before shoddy defending allowed Whittaker his opportunity. The full-back scored his 11th goal of the season after stealing in at the back post, Kilmarnock having failed to deal with a Sasa Papac cross.

That intervention proved crucial in settling the flow of this game. Miller then slammed home from close range after Bell had spilled a Steve Davis shot, prompting premature claims of a title triumph from the Rangers following. Only a minor miracle would prevent better-justified jubilation in the not-too-distant future.

Liverpool lack confidence, admits Babel

• Dutch winger admits morale is low at Anfield
• 'We can't create a kind of confidence with winning games'

Ryan Babel has admitted Liverpool's confidence is at such a low ebb that they were lacking in self-belief prior to their defeat at Wigan Athletic.

Liverpool had hauled themselves back into contention for the fourth Champions League qualifying place with a run of only one defeat in 10 league games before the trip to the DW Stadium yesterday. Their subsequent performance and first ever league defeat against Wigan prompted rare public criticism from the manager Rafael Benítez towards his players, who he accused of having the wrong attitude and showing a lack of character in the first half of the game.

Babel suggests Liverpool's problems are more deep-rooted, however, with the frank admission their hard-fought recovery in the Premier League could not remedy fragile confidence in a season of frequent set-backs. "It is disappointing that we can't create a kind of confidence with winning games. One defeat seems to spoil all the confidence that we have and then we have to start again," said the Dutch international.

Liverpool remain in sixth following yesterday's defeat and only one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, although Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa all have games in hand in the congested race for Champions League qualification.

Babel added: "We still have hope and faith that we can get fourth place. It will be harder in every game. It was going to be difficult even before this game. We needed to get three points and that's why the disappointment is so big that we failed.

"We will analyse everything. We have made it a little difficult for ourselves. We had space in the first half to play football but then they scored and it upset things. They stayed behind the ball and it was hard for us."

Roberto Martínez, the Wigan manager, admitted his tactics had succeeded in producing a frustrated reaction from Liverpool at the DW Stadium, where they collected five bookings. The Spaniard said: "You have to give us credit. We caused them to be frustrated. They couldn't find a way through and there was a frustrated reaction from Liverpool, but that was down to the work ethic and understanding between the Wigan Athletic players."

Liverpool travel to France on Thursday ahead of the Europa League last-16 first-leg tie against Lille, who are fifth in Ligue 1, and Babel admits Benítez's team must produce an immediate reaction to the Wigan defeat. "We have got an important game on Thursday and we have to be ready for that. We can't be disappointed too long."

Pienaar receives 12-month driving ban

• South Africa midfielder also fined £1,000 for offence
• Pienaar found to be nearly twice legal limit after breath test

The Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar was today banned from driving for 12 months after pleading guilty to drink-driving, a court official confirmed.

Pienaar was also fined £1,000 for the offence and ordered to pay a further £100 fine for failing to comply with a traffic signal.

The South Africa international was found to be nearly twice the legal limit after he was breath-tested by police in Liverpool. He was originally listed to appear at Liverpool magistrates court today but his decision to plead guilty meant he was dealt with yesterday.

The 27-year-old was pulled over by police in the early hours of Sunday 21 February, the day after Everton's 3-1 win over Manchester United at Goodison Park. Merseyside police found the player had 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

His year-long driving disqualification could be reduced by three months if he completes a course before 7 October.

A collection order for payment was made and Pienaar was ordered to pay a total of £100 in costs to cover both the charges brought against him, the court official said.

He arrived at the Merseyside club on loan in the summer of 2007, and his move from Borussia Dortmund was later made permanent when Everton paid £2m for him.

Everton Football Club declined to comment.

Manchester United fans v The Glazers

Delia Smith, Hannibal Lecter and Monty Python's Black Knight star this week. Next: Neil Warnock

Ginola's genius and a great own goal

This week's round-up features an FA Cup classic, Kriss Akabusi in the shower and the most ludicrous own goal you will ever see

1) With the FA Cup back on the agenda this weekend we got to thinking of classic quarter-final moments and Tottenham fans will remember few more fondly than David Ginola's silky weave in from the touchline to score against Barnsley in 1999. And now that we're reminiscing about Ginola, here he is letting Leeds have it with a magnificent volley (he almost scored an even better goal in the same game) and making mugs of Ferencvaros. Oh, and here he is getting naked.

2) After Australia had batted superbly to match New Zealand's score of 214 in their Twenty20 international last week, fast bowler Shaun Tait fell apart in the super over tie-breaker.

3) Frank Warren has secured Kevin Mitchell a WBO lightweight title-fight against Michael Katsidis on 8 May. Let's hope the fight can live up to the standards set the last time the Australian visited London.

4) At the NFL's annual Scouting Combine, TV anchor Rich Eisen takes on the nation's best college graduates in the 40-yard dash.

5) Combat-Ki expert Kirby Roy takes a world record kick to the testicles from MMA fighter Justice Smith - in the name of scientific inquiry. Other notable studies by Fox's Sports Science series include getting Padraig Harrington to try a 'Happy Gilmore' swing (more successful than you might think) and finding out whether men or women punch harder.

Our favourites from last week's blog

1) Brett Lee: fast bowler, lower-order batsman, pop star. The former Sweden manager Lars Lagerbäck, on the other hand, may not have the voice, but he does have the music video

2) Feyenoord's Georginio Wijnaldum didn't score at the end of his mazy run against ADO Den Haag, but he did manage to injure three opponents without fouling any of them - or even touching two of them.

3) Gaël Monfils dispels the popular myth that it's easier to play tennis shots with at least one of your feet touching the ground.

4) The most ludicrous own goal you will ever see.

5) Ever wonder how long Kriss Akabusi takes in the shower? Well, now you know.

Spotters' badges: Dappertutto, hemeantthatalright, Yassassin, BestNotMiss, siimon

You are the Ref

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. Keith Hackett's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.

Keith Hackett's answers

1) Yes, allow the goal and then return to the incident involving the scuffle afterwards. There's no reason to penalise the striker for scoring fairly and honestly while you are playing advantage. Issue any appropriate sanctions to the other players after you've discussed the incident with your colleagues. Thanks to Beth Mathias for the question.
2) His intentions may have been honest, but he has denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity. You cannot make decisions based on intent when the law is so clear and the impact of his action so decisive. Award a penalty and show the defender a red card for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Thanks to Tom Vincent for the question.
3) A goal. It's an impressive feat, and the law is clear on this: goalkeepers are allowed to score with a throw from inside their own penalty area. Telor Gwyn wins the shirt for this question.

Competition: win an official club shirt of your choice

For a chance to win a club shirt from the range at Kitbag.com send us your questions for You are the Ref to you.are.the.ref@observer.co.uk. The best scenario used in the new Observer YATR strip each Sunday wins a shirt of your choice from Kitbag. Terms & conditions apply.

For more on the fifty year history of You Are The Ref, click here.

Arsenal are serious title contenders

The flaws in Arsène Wenger's side are still apparent yet that has helped keep expectations in check

The Emirates suffered from a surfeit of excitement. Any Arsenal fan could have done without the jolt of witnessing Burnley get a chance in the 86th minute to level the score at 2-2, only for the substitute Steven Thompson to fire over the bar. Arsène Wenger's side, with a goal in stoppage time, won 3-1 in what ought to have been a humdrum rout. Arsenal continue to be the enigmatic challengers for the Premier League title.

The bookmakers are not enthralled. The club is quoted at 5-2, with Chelsea and Manchester United joint favourites at 11-8, despite Arsenal apparently having the easiest run-in. The assumption may be that Wenger's group is less hardened. His side were beaten with ease by United and Chelsea in this campaign.

Then again, Arsenal must have done better than their rivals in the remainder of the programme. They might be belittled if they take the title, but the jeers would be drowned out by the club's celebrations. Others would be left to debate whether this was proof of a league in decline.

This has already been a determined effort. Wenger has had no convincing alternative to Robin van Persie, who was injured in early November, but the erratic finishing of Nicklas Bendtner has not yet been the undoing of Arsenal. If the side is being taken lightly perhaps that will help keep them buoyant. After the distress of Aaron Ramsey's leg being broken at the Britannia Stadium they mustered enough concentration to get two late goals and seize a 3-1 win.

This is a team that does not strike you as the descendant of great forebears. No one makes comparisons with the Invincibles of 2003-04 or even the persistent squad six years earlier that won their games in hand to overtake United. The present side even cause dismay now and again. Arsenal should not have lost the away leg of the last-16 Champions League tie with Porto that resumes this evening. The visitors are liable to come third in their domestic competition and so tumble into the Europa League next season.

Wenger was angered by Porto's winner and had cause to query the right to a "quick" free-kick when the episode had lasted long enough for the referee Martin Hansson to get the ball back from Arsenal hands. Neutrals concentrated more on the brittleness of the visitors. Lukasz Fabianski, despite his caps for Poland, had been gauche to pick the ball up in the first place.

It was absurd to assume that the official would interpret the touch from Sol Campbell as bad control rather than a deliberate pass-back, particularly when Hansson, directly behind a defender moving towards his own area, had an imperfect view. That affair encapsulated Arsenal at their worst in its self-destructiveness born of a misplaced sense of entitlement.

Wenger's teams, overall, have done more than enough to be treasured for the verve, imagination and athleticism of their style. The current side is a project yet to be completed and limitations will be accentuated tonight by the loss to injury of core figures such as Cesc Fábregas and William Gallas, with the latter set to be absent for a few weeks. That potential vulnerability encourages the bandying of statistics. Arsenal have not won a tie in a Uefa tournament after losing the away leg since eliminating Hajduk Split from the Uefa Cup in the autumn of 1978. Then again, Porto were beaten 4-0 at the Emirates in 2008.

The flaws in Arsenal are still apparent, yet that brings a healthy degree of seclusion because they are not taken as seriously as the other contenders for the Premier League. There is justice to that when the four matches with United and Chelsea have been lost 10-2 on aggregate. In addition, Wenger himself points out there need not be anything easy about a run-in that pits his side against clubs trying to claw their way to survival in the Premier League. On Saturday Arsenal are at the KC Stadium, where Hull held Chelsea and defeated Manchester City last month.

Wenger might still think his position enviable. Arsenal are in the thick of the battle, yet they often enjoy the tranquillity of being ignored.

All hail the Championship's Mr Smooth

QPR's gain in signing one of the division's best managers is very much Crystal Palace's loss

Thought for the week

The Championship is lucky to have Neil Warnock

A few years ago I interviewed Neil Warnock at Sheffield United and, when the photographer complimented him on his near perfect skin, Warnock happily regaled us with details of a thorough moisturising routine. After experimenting with his wife's face creams he had become a fan of, if memory serves me right, Elizabeth Arden and was reaping the benefits.

It was an illuminating little chat that not only highlighted the importance of moisturising for anyone frequently working outdoors but revealed a wonderful lack of inhibition or self consciousness on Warnock's part. It is hard to imagine discussing male grooming and face creams of choice with too many leading managers but such types often lack the sort of left-field imagination the one-time chiropodist who led Scarborough into the Football League possesses in spades.

Make no mistake, Warnock, for all his ability to rub people up the wrong way, is a top manager. Crystal Palace's loss will surely be QPR's gain – although it will be interesting to see how the Loftus Road team's style evolves in the coming months. Under Jim Magilton at the start of the season QPR were playing some gloriously purist stuff but increased pragmatism is likely to now be on the agenda.

Whatever the tactics QPR's win percentage will surely increase – providing, of course, Warnock is given time to do his thing. Alarmingly he is the 12th manager, although some have been caretakers, to take charge in this corner of west London since John Gregory's dismissal in October 2007.

For the moment, at least, Warnock is very much on his honeymoon – which got off to the perfect start courtesy of Saturday's 3-1 home win against promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion – and could not be happier if he were driving his beloved tractor down a Cornish country lane.

At 61 he is unlikely to devote the next decade to QPR but that did not stop the team's defender Kaspars Gorkss declaring: "I'd love to see Neil Warnock stay here for the next 20 years. He's very enthusiastic and a good motivator That helped us, that's what we've been lacking, along with consistency. The Gaffer has a long-term contract and it means we can adapt to his ideas and work with him. Hopefully he will bring us some stability."

And honesty too. After Saturday's win Warnock had the candour to confess he had been close to making a major gaffe before the first whistle blew. Indeed he was forced to alter his starting XI at the last minute after striker Marcus Bent, borrowed from Birmingham City, spotted that QPR's squad contained more than the permitted five loanees. "Poor old Marcus said to me 'you've already got five in there, so you can't have me on the bench,'" said Warnock.

His return, on Saturday, to Bramall Lane should be a cracker…

Goal of the weekend

Jonás Gutiérrez for Newcastle United in the 6-1 win against Barnsley. The Argentina winger – and, yes, for once, he really did live up to that billing – sashayed down the left, cut inside and crashed in a 25 yard shot off the underside of the bar. "Gutiérrez is playing out of his skin," said Mark Robins, Barnsley's manager. "He was going past some of my players, who are usually pretty good, as if they weren't there." After scoring a rare goal for Newcastle the once prolific winger pulled a red Spiderman mask out of his shorts and over his head before cavorting around the pitch in a manner seemingly familiar to fans of his former club, Real Mallorca.

One to watch: Cardiff City

Anger is mounting against the chairman Peter Ridsdale's running of the club and on Saturday – when Cardiff beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at home – supporters carried a coffin to the ground adorned with anti-Ridsdale banners. Just the week before, Ridsdale and his manager, Dave Jones, became involved in an animated altercation following the former's visit to the away dressing room after a defeat at Preston North End but Jones and his players have, publicly at least, now united behind the former Leeds United chairman. Jay Bothroyd, scorer of the winning goal against Boro, proved typical. "Obviously the fans are disappointed and I think rightly so in some aspects, but the chairman has apologised and we want to move forward now," said the striker.

Games to look forward to

Championship

Ipswich v Cardiff (tonight) The heat is really on Roy Keane, can he survive as Ipswich manager? And how much longer is Ridsdale likely to be presiding over the Cardiff boardroom?

West Bromwich v Sheffield Wednesday (tonight) Can Roberto Di Matteo's promotion chasers return to winning ways after Saturday's slip at QPR?

Middlesbrough v Newcastle (Saturday) A Tees-Tyne derby which could revive or write off Boro's play-off hopes under Gordon Strachan.

Sheffield United v QPR Neil Warnock, still in love with Sheffield United, returns to Bramall Lane with his latest team.

League One

Huddersfield v Norwich and Southampton v Leeds (Saturday) How will the top of League One look after these two intriguing fixtures? Do not bet against both Huddersfield and Southampton upsetting the promotion applecart a little.

Belief in Puel is reaping rewards for Lyon

Having learned his trade under Arsène Wenger, Claude Puel is now plotting to dump Real Madrid out of the Champions League

It is not only players that Arsène Wenger develops. He also cultivates coaches. And, on Wednesday, his most prized protege could eliminate Real Madrid from the Champions League, as Claude Puel takes Lyon to the Bernabéu with a 1-0 first-leg lead.

Puel and Wenger have been close since 1988, when the former was a key player in Monaco's French title triumph, Wenger's first trophy as a manager. That they would share in success was not obvious at first: Puel was a ball-winning midfielder whose limited skill did not immediately endear him to Wenger, but, gradually, his experience and ferocious will to win did.

"I remember Claude saying, early in the season, 'you may not be picking me now, but I'm going to force you to put me in that team'," recalls Jean Petit, Wenger's former assistant at Monaco. Not only did Puel become a fixture in the side, he evolved into Wenger's proxy on the pitch, where he ensured constant compliance with the manager's instructions.

Recognising his qualities as a leader and teacher, Wenger encouraged Puel to combine his playing duties with coaching the club's youth players. He continued to do that even after Wenger left, in 1994. When he stopped playing, two years later, he graduated to reserve team manager, where his charges included Thierry Henry, who acclaims Puel as one of the most important influences on his career. Eventually, he acceded to the post for which he had always seemed destined and, in 2000, emulated his mentor by guiding Monaco to the title.

The following season, results dipped and Puel was unceremoniously sacked. During the ensuing year out of work – and at various other stages over the past decade – he was welcomed to Arsenal's training ground to pursue his education with Wenger.

In 2002, he was appointed manager of Lille and, much like David Moyes at Everton, turned a club with modest resources into regular botherers of the big boys. In 2008, he was headhunted by Lyon. At his unveiling, his new club's chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas, inevitably presented him as "a future Arsène Wenger". Until the first-leg win over Real, however, the accuracy of the description had begun to look doubtful.

Last season, Puel became the first Lyon manager since 2001 not to win the French title. For much of the campaign, it even looked like they would miss out on the Champions League places, which would have been catastrophic for a club that makes appearing in the continent's most lucrative competition one of the cornerstones of its budget.

They eventually crept into third place, but many fans still expected him to be dismissed last summer, given that his predecessor, Alain Perrin, had been ditched despite doing the League and Cup double.

Worse than the results, as far as many fans were concerned, was Puel's brand of football, which – despite all the comparison with Wenger – was considered boring. He inherited a team with an attacking tradition and immediately made it clear that his priority, as at Lille, was hard work and defensive discipline, an unpopular method made to look foolish by regular blunders by his defenders.

Lyon kept faith in their man and, though their wobbles continued domestically – due, partly, to multiple injuries – their performances in Europe have been sensational.

The 2-1 victory over Liverpool at Anfield in October came in the middle of a wretched run in the league, but the victory over Real seems to have triggered a revival on the home front. For that win, the intensive pressing that has always been a feature of Puel's team was allied to imaginative attacking and Lyon could have won by more than 1-0.

In their next league game, they tonked Sochaux 4-0 away, with Michel Bastos, the Brazilian winger – who has generally failed to fulfil expectations this season – hitting the first hat-trick of his career.

"The win over Real has set a benchmark for us," says Bastos. "It has probably kickstarted this team because we went to Sochaux and played exactly as we had done against Real, winning the ball aggressively and then being inventive with it. We have to confirm that we can do that on a regular basis, but we go to the Bernabeu with a lot of confidence."

Confidence is not exactly rampant in French football at the moment, what with the ever less-popular national team being booed off the pitch following Wednesday's 2-0 friendly defeat by Spain, and Paris Saint-Germain fans taking hooliganism to new levels by fighting among themselves during last week's 3-0 defeat by Marseille, leaving one supporter in a coma.

Debt is not as draining as it is on English clubs, thanks, in part, to the fact that all French clubs are given their stadiums for free by local governments – but most of them are still reliant on the generosity of sugar daddies rather than on sustainable policies.

The Champions League, though, is providing cheer because Lyon, if they beat Real Madrid, are likely to be joined in the next round by Bordeaux, meaning France would have two clubs in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2004.

That mainly reflects the virtues of those two clubs, both of whom are among the country's few exceptions in that they have produced fluent teams while operating within their natural means. But it is also evidence of a boon from which all of Ligue 1 has benefited; namely the declining purchasing power of English clubs.

The weakened pound and increased tax in Britain has enabled French clubs to compete on salaries, meaning players such as Bastos or goalkeeper Hugo Lloris at Lyon, or Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh and Yoann Gourcuff – who would previously have been plundered by Premier League clubs – are choosing to stay longer in France.

Russia's top clubs struggle to stay afloat

The perception may be that English football is unsustainable, but compared to Russia it seems comfortingly robust

Fourteen, 15 and, for now, 16: the Russian top flight looks as though it will kick off this weekend with the full complement of teams, but it's as well to keep checking as the financial winter bites. The battle at the top is likely to be between the usual suspects of Rubin Kazan, CSKA Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg, but the real battle may be simply one of survival.

The Russian football boom was largely financed by the boom in Russian natural resources, and that is in retreat. GDP fell in 2009 after years of stellar growth, and the impact is already being felt in football, with FK Moskva folding last month after NorNikel withdrew their sponsorship. That completed the shameful collapse of Torpedo Moscow of which FK Moskva was once a splinter. Even as the conspiracy theorists suggested it was all part of a plot to get Alania Vladikavkaz back into the top flight (and so appease one of Russia's more troubled regions, runs the logic, even though the Caucasus already had three representatives in the top flight), it also served as a warning to others.

The general perception may be that English football is unsustainable, but compared to Russia it seems comfortingly robust. The Russian top flight as a whole generates only $24m (£16m) a year in television rights, while with attendances averaging only around 12,000, income from gate receipts – and thus merchandising and advertising – is tiny.

Almost every club is dependent on a patron, usually a commodities company backed by an oligarch (FK Moskva's future was first cast in doubt in February 2007 when Mikhail Prokhorov, a keen football fan and now Russia's richest man, left NorNikel, intent on separating his assets from those of his long-time partner Vladimir Potanin), the local government or some combination of the two.

The regional government of Tatarstan continues to back Rubin, Zenit are sponsored by Gazprom, Spartak by Lukoil, and CSKA have just struck a deal with the mid-sized oil company Bashneft for an undisclosed fee, but Shafir Galeyev of Deloitte said he believes that every Russian club posted an operational loss last season, although there is no possibility of performing a full audit.

After FK Moskva, there was a serious possibility that Krylya Sovetov might have gone out of business before the season began. They reportedly owe $80m to various creditors, including Roman Abramovich, who loaned the club $5.4m several years ago, although it is not thought that he is making urgent demands to recover the money.

As late as a fortnight ago, players had not been paid their bonuses since August, part of $15m believed to be owed to the squad, while the coach Yuri Gazzaev – the cousin of the Dynamo Kyiv coach Valeri – had not been paid at all. The squad are now threatening to boycott their opening game this weekend unless the bonuses are paid.

With creditors pressing, the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin ordered Igor Sechin, his deputy with responsibility for the oil and gas industries, and Sergei Chemezov, head of Russian Technologies, who sponsor Krylya, to find a way of ensuring the club survived. Putin similarly used what is euphemistically known as his "administrative resource" to save Tom Tomsk last season. Sechin has said that Krylya require a yearly budget of up to $30m. It is not yet clear which companies will be asked to contribute, but last year Tom were saved by a combination of Rosneft, the largest oil company in Russia, Gazprom Neft, which used to be Sibneft, and others.

Last year's champions Rubin Kazan, who begin against Yuri Semin's Lokomotiv on Sunday, have lost arguably their best player of last season, the Argentinian forward Alejandro Domínguez, who returned to Zenit after the completion of his loan spell and was sold to Valencia.

They have a coherent method, though, and will hope that Fatih Tekke, brought in from Zenit, can replicate his sparkle. The Turkish forward is one of six winter signings, including the Spanish defender Jordi Figueras, from Celta Vigo, and the Israel international midfielder Bebars Natcho, who played in both legs of the Europa League last-32 game for Hapoel Tel Aviv against Rubin last month.

Rubin, who were more expansive last season than they had been in securing their first title success a year before, were back to their cagey best on Sunday, beating CSKA 1-0 with a fine defensive display an Alexander Bukharov goal to lift the Super Cup. Repeated changes of management undermined CSKA last season, and it was only when Leonid Slutsky replaced Juande Ramos, who had himself replaced Zico, that they achieved any measure of stability.

That was enough to carry them into the last 16 of the Champions League, and their chances in the league are to an extent conditioned by how much of a distraction that proves. The arrival of the Japanese forward Keisuke Honda is intriguing, but it is hard to believe they will not miss the explosive striking talents of Vagner Love. The attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev remains one of the most exciting prospects in world football, but there are major problems at the back where, at 30, Sergei Ignashevich is showing signs of age and the constant strain of playing alongside the increasingly hapless Vasili Berezutsky. They get the season under way on Friday at home to Amkar Perm.

Spartak, after a difficult start to last season, improved dramatically as Valeri Karpin trusted in youth, although it remains to be seen whether they are sufficiently battle-hardened to mount a real challenge. Alex is a creator of genuine quality, while Welliton was the league's top scorer last season. and they will be complemented in the forward line by a third Brazilian, Ari, signed from AZ Alkmaar.

The Montenegrin centre-back Nikola Drincic, hailed as the new Nemanja Vidic, has also arrived from Amkar, but a broken leg sustained in pre-season is likely to keep him out until August.

Zenit, meanwhile, must be hoping that their long and uneasy transition after winning the Uefa Cup in 2008 is over. They have continued their policy of foreign coaches with the appointment of Luciano Spalletti, who pioneered strikerlessness at Roma, and have made four winter signings, all of them of sufficiently proven quality to suggest the transfer gambling that so enraged Dick Advocaat is over.

Four years after he left for Sevilla, the forward Alexander Kerzhakov has returned from Dinamo, with the international midfielder Igor Semshov moving in the opposite direction, and he is joined by the Serbian forward Danko Lazovic from PSV, the Belarusian goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov from FK Moskva and the 22-year-old Denmark full-back Michael Lumb from AGF.

Whatever happens in the title race, though, the greatest success for Russian football might be reaching November with 16 top-flight clubs.

Real's dramatic winner lights up summit

Another late comeback recalls the Capello days as Real take a giant step forward in the title battle with Barcelona

The phoney war was over. Xerez, Tenerife and Valladolid had departed broken and battered, so too Zaragoza, Málaga and Racing, 21 goals conceded, two scored, and barely an eyebrow raised. Now, at last, 12 straight victories and a 41‑8 aggregate score later, a half-decent team arrived at the Bernabéu, someone who might actually give Real Madrid a game. A match big enough for the TV to send their commentators. Saturday night 10pm, Madrid against Sevilla; a clash boasting more goals than any other this century – 70 in 17 games. The game Cristiano Ronaldo reckoned would decide "half the title race" and which, two hours later, many reckoned had decided all of it, crowning Madrid the new La Liga champions with 13 games still to go.

And yet as the two sides emerged from the tunnel carrying a Chile flag, a smattering of seats high in the west stand lay empty. As the game kicked off, still they remained unoccupied. They were supposed to be sending news of Madrid to the rest of the world; instead, their eyes were drawn elsewhere. Barely 10 metres away, up those stairs and through those doors, the biggest home game of the season was under way but in the passageway under the stand a crowd had gathered around a silent television set suspended from the ceiling. The pictures came from the Mediterranean but Madrid provided the soundtrack. On the screen, Barcelona were playing in Almería; from beyond the glass doors came the strains of Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and the Ultras Sur.

Down in the south-east, land of spaghetti westerns, 10-man Barcelona were laying siege to Almería's goal. It was 2-2, Almería had taken the lead twice, Leo Messi had equalised twice, the first from a free-kick so soft, so subtle, you suspected he was wearing slippers, and, as the PA at the Bernabéu ran through the teams there were still 15 minutes left at the Juegos Mediteráneos; still time for Barcelona to win it. They'd kicked off 12 minutes late after Almería insisted on wearing shirts bearing a message of support for earthquake-stricken Chile, leaving the referee Clos Gómez unsure what to do, scratching his head while the teams waited in the tunnel. Then Barça's delegate Carles Naval had the brilliant idea of phoning someone and asking if it was OK.

The delay added to the drama. Spanish football's normal back-to-back had become an overlap, that feeling of shared destiny made starker, more intense. Outside, there was a ¡Huuuuy!, inside there was a ¡Huuuuy!. Ronaldo had drawn a save from Andrés Palop. It would be the first of many. Messi had drawn a save from Diego Alves. He'd made almost as many. The Madrid fans paced back and forth, their heads spinning. Madrid were playing for the league title out there. But they were playing for the league title in here too. Barcelona poured forward. Three minutes added on. Yet another ball in from Dani Alves. They started screaming at the screen. Foul! Miss it! Offside! Die! Blow up, you bastard!

Eventually, the bastard did blow up. The dash to their seats began, sitting just in time to hear the Bernabéu's traditional seventh-minute chant in honour of Juanito, the winger who died in a car crash in 1992. A minute later the scoreboard flashed, confirming the result to the rest of the stadium: Almería 2 Barcelona 2. A roar went up: win and Madrid would go top for the first time in almost three months. Only a minute after that Xabi Alonso bundled the ball into his own net; Alvaro Arbeloa turned to a team-mate and started bawling: "How bad are you?" – and Madrid were trailing at home for just the second time this season. Seven minutes into the second half, Ivica Dragutinovic swung in a free-kick, Alonso ducked and Iker Casillas dived late: 2-0 to Sevilla. The opportunity had gone. Barcelona had dropped two points, but Madrid were about to drop three.

Except it hadn't and they didn't. Manuel Pellegrini sent on Guti and Rafael van der Vaart. Gonzalo Higuaín won the ball off Alvaro Negredo, Marcelo's deflected pass reached Ronaldo and Ronaldo scored. 59 minutes gone. 2-1. Belief flooded back. Guti's shot crashed against the bar. From the resulting corner – although quite why it was a corner is a mystery – Sergio Ramos headed home and tweaked his nipples in celebration. 2-2. Higuaín hit a post. Higuaín hit the bar. Raúl blocked Ronaldo's shot virtually on the goal-line. Ramos skidded into the six-yard box, just missing the cross. Ronaldo's header went wide. Palop saved again. The ball went wide. And over. And into the goalkeeper's arms. And all the while time ticked away.

The board went up, three more minutes; the cross went up, one more chance. Higuaín headed. Palop saved. Again. This time, though, the ball squirmed free. This time Van der Vaart was there to poke it in. 92 minutes, 3-2! The Bernabéu went bonkers. Pellegrini punched his fists, a huddle formed. Madrid had done it again. Images of Zaragoza and, especially, Espanyol flooded everyone's minds – the late comebacks that allowed Madrid to win the title under Fabio Capello. Somewhere after midnight and Madrid fans were in their wildest fantasy.

Perhaps not so wild. It was typical Madrid. This is the club that boasts of its balls, that made a legend of remontadas (fightbacks) in the 80s, Juanito switching to Italian to tell Internazionale not to get cocky after a first-leg win because 90 minutes at the Bernabéu are "molto longo".

One match reporter, forced to file 15 minutes before the end, had already sent his copy through: Real Madrid last night completed a dramatic comeback with a late goal from [insert name] that sent them top. Somehow, you knew they'd do it – and not just because they deserved it, reeling off 34 shots to Sevilla's two and leaving Manolo Jiménez admitting defeat with a simple: "Madrid are electric, the best Madrid I've ever seen." It had been breathless and brilliant, but the twist was so familiar it was almost formulaic. Sylvester Stallone saves the penalty. Michael J Fox sinks his shot. Sean Bean scores from the spot. And Real Madrid win the match. And the league.

Yes, the league. On Sunday morning, every paper led on Madrid going top, El Mundo describing them as "Champions of Faith". Every newspaper, that is, except the Catalan daily El Mundo Deportivo, who decided that Messi still being Pichichi (leading scorer award) was the top story. This morning, there was more of the same. "Madrid favourites for the league", ran AS's front cover, while the back saw the return of its favourite invention: the patented FC Barcelona shittingyourselfometer.

If Madrid had just won, if they had tied the game up early as they probably should have, perhaps the sensations would be different. But the way they won was so reminiscent, so psychologically significant, so emotionally powerful, that the reaction was inevitable. "When Madrid win like that, Madrid win the league," wrote Juanma Trueba. "We've all got déjà vu." If the phoney war was over, so was the actual war. Saturday was the night Real Madrid won the league, the night the footballing axis tilted, one columnist asking this morning: "Where were you on 6 March?" As the fans spilled into the streets, a chant of "campeones, campeones, oé, oé, oé" went up.

All of which is a bit odd with 13 weeks left and considering that Barcelona didn't even lose. But the difference between the big two and the rest is so colossal – third-placed Valencia are 16 points behind, sixth-placed Mallorca are as close to the relegation zone as the top – that it's hard to see where either side will slip. Any points dropped at all seem huge; in this league dominated by statistically the best Barcelona and the best Madrid in history, draws seem catastrophic. It almost feels as if 12 of the remaining 13 games are irrelevant, as if only Madrid-Barça on 11 April matters.

And that's the other reason why title talk seems a bit premature. In a way, nothing actually changed on Saturday night. Madrid have gone top on goal difference but at the end of the season it will be the head-to-head record that counts if the teams remain level on points. Coming into this weekend, Madrid were two points behind and had the title in their own hands. So too did Barcelona. Assuming all other results go their way – and that's an assumption everyone is happy to make – Madrid, who lost 1-0 at the Camp Nou, would go top by beating Barcelona. Coming out of this weekend, the situation is the same. Madrid still need to beat Barcelona to make good their lead.

But if nothing changed on Saturday night, everything changed on Saturday night. If the facts are the same, the feelings are different. Because while Madrid are growing, Barcelona appear to be shrinking; while Ibrahimovic isn't scoring, Higuaín is; while Barcelona dominated, racking up 72% of the possession and 23 shots to eight, they didn't find a way through whereas Madrid eventually did; while Madrid have won six from six, scoring 23 goals, Barcelona have scored 10, twice dropping points; while Madrid look fast, powerful and aggressive, Barcelona are starting to look tired; and while Barcelona have an impressive side, Madrid have an impressive squad – seven Barça players have played more minutes than any outfield Madridista this season. Because while Almería's manager Juanma Lillo insisted that only bad luck would see Barcelona fail to win the league, bad luck appears to be on the way.

But it's not about luck. Not this time. Playing one after the other has done Madrid few favours this season. As David Gistau puts it in El Mundo, playing after Barcelona has been like "being Benny Hill in a tutu and having to follow the Bolshoi ballet on to the stage". Not this time; this time it was Barça puffing and panting, outperformed and outshone. On Saturday night, something shifted: Madrid were better than Barcelona. On Saturday night nothing changed but everything changed. And as the fans departed the Bernabéu, they were convinced that one thing had changed above all. The destiny of the league title.

Talking points

• Pennant Watch: Er, next.

• Hurrah for Xerez! They are not now going to be the worst side in history after beating Málaga this weekend and scoring four goals! Yes, four. Cuatro. That takes them to 18 for the season and means that they have overtaken Logroñés – officially the most rubbish side ever. And they have done so with 13 weeks still to go, too. Their shock 4-2 win over Málaga (for whom Duda scored a beauty) included one of the best penalty miss-and-score-from-the-rebounds ever, a kind of caught and bowled from Momo. They're still going down, though.

• Valladolid are going down, too. The change of coach has done nothing to change their fortunes. They were beaten by two goals from Athletic Bilbao's favourite mascot Gaizka Toquero and now haven't won in their last 10. That'll be 11 pretty soon too – next weekend they face Real Madrid.

• In fact, it's not just at the top where it's all looking a bit flat; at the bottom it looks increasingly like the relegated teams have already assumed the position. Almería are flying under Juanma Lillo (one defeat in 10 since he took over), Zaragoza haven't got Pennant but do have just about enough, Espanyol should win enough at home and Racing, well, they might just be dragged into it … But there's now a five-point gap separating Xerez, Tenerife and Valladolid from the rest.

• Deportivo sixth, Mallorca fifth. They're doing a great job and you have to admire them in a way (that way preferably being from a distance and with the telly on another channel), but dear, oh dear …

Results Deportivo 3–1 Tenerife, Almería 2–2 Barcelona, Real Madrid 3–2 Sevilla, Málaga 2–4 Xerez, Espanyol 0–0 Villarreal, Mallorca 3–0 Sporting, Osasuna 0–0 Getafe, Athletic 2–0 Valladolid, Zaragoza 1–1 Atlético. Tonight's forgotten, doesn't-really-count Monday game: Valencia versus Racing.

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Roma, Milan fall flat in race to catch Inter

It was the game all Italy had been waiting for but after Silvio Berlusconi's lunch with Leonardo, Milan's tactics were tweaked

Even in the changing rooms there was no escaping the din. "Well, you brought these people here," sighed Claudio Ranieri to his players as the walls reverberated to the sound of more than 60,000 voices belting out Antonello Venditti's Roma Roma. "Now you better make it worth their while."

Not since beating Parma to claim the Scudetto on the final day of the 2000-01 season had Roma sold out the Stadio Olimpico for a league fixture, but on Saturday they could have doubled prices and refused to let in anyone whose name ended in a vowel and still sold out a stadium twice the size. This was the game that not just Rome but all of Italy had been waiting for. Roma v Milan, third v second, the opportunity for one team to finally stand up and announce themselves as the undisputed challengers, the official "anti-Inter".

Instead, it turned out to be an anti-climax. The crowd had done their part – backing the home side raucously from start to finish but the teams, sadly, had not. Ninety-three minutes yielded six shots on target (three apiece) and no goals. The match had not been without incident, but for those who still hope to see Internazionale overhauled at the top of Serie A – a sizeable majority these days, it seems – it had not provided a satisfactory conclusion.

"We lost two points," lamented Andrea Pirlo at full-time, and Milan had certainly looked the likelier winners. Roma started more brightly, pressing Milan high up the pitch, but gradually the visitors settled, dominating possession and creating three or four gilt-edged chances. Marco Borriello, Ronaldinho and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar were responsible, though the latter's failure to convert a free header in the final minute will be the enduring image due to both its timing and the fact he is yet to prove that he is capable of taking such chances more often than not.

Huntelaar was a surprise inclusion for this game and the suspicion is that Silvio Berlusconi may have had a hand in it. With Alexandre Pato out with a strained thigh, most had expected David Beckham to start on the right of a three-man attack, as he has in the past. Berlusconi, however, happened to drop by training last week and over lunch with the manager, Leonardo, mentioned one or two of his own ideas for how the team might best use their attacking personnel.

Whoever made the decision, on this occasion Huntelaar did not have the desired impact. The striker did, through his simple presence, force John Arne Riise to hang back in defence and thus deprived Roma of much-needed attacking impetus. But he did little to excite in possession and ultimately did not take his one clear-cut opportunity (though he might have had an even better one had Borriello opted to pass, rather than shoot himself from an acute angle, midway through the second half).

Not that looking for ways to incorporate Huntelaar is an unreasonable thing to do, of course, and Leonardo may also have been thinking ahead to Wednesday's return leg against Manchester United in the Champions League. Knowing that his team have to score at least twice to have any chance of going through, the manager may field an even more attacking line-up at Old Trafford than when the teams met at San Siro.

Today's reports suggest Leonardo is now thinking of a 4-2-2-2, with a forward pairing of Borriello and Huntelaar supported by Ronaldinho and David Beckham on the wings. That could change should Pato be declared fit – the club are hopeful that he will be able to take a place on the bench if not play – or it could just turn out to have been a load of bunkum in the first place.

Either way, Milan's players and coaches have been adamant over the past week that they have not given up hope of overturning their first-leg deficit. The draw with Roma may have been disappointing for the failure to gain ground on Inter, themselves held to a goalless draw by Genoa the following day, but a point gained at the Stadio Olimpico remains an achievement worth celebrating. Before Saturday Roma had won 14 of their last 15 at home in all competitions.

On Wednesday, though, Milan require an even more impressive result. "I will be cheering for them," said Ranieri. As we saw on Saturday, though, even the very best support isn't always aways enough.

Talking points

• Since we always note the performances of referees when they do badly, it is only fair to mention that Paolo Tagliavento (whose mostly correct decisions prompted José Mourinho's now infamous handcuff gesture during Inter's draw with Samp two weeks ago handled what is one of the biggest games in the Serie A calendar very well. So well, in fact, that Gazzetta dello Sport's Ruggiero Palombo declared him the man of the match. Though that may also have been a comment on some of the players' performances …

• Fiorentina were rather less happy about the refereeing in their 2-1 defeat at home to Juventus. Cesare Prandelli felt his team should have had a penalty following a clumsy challenge by Giorgio Chiellini on Keirrison right on the edge of the area, but no foul was awarded. La Viola have now won just one of their last 10 games in all competitions and – whatever your feeling on the Chiellini incident – they have certainly had a string of miserable decisions go against them in that time. As Palombo also notes: "The only hope is that all these credits can be paid back, all at once, against Bayern Munich on Tuesday."

• On a more positive note, Vincenzo Iaquinta returned for Juventus against Fiorentina, coming off the bench for the last 20 minutes or so – his first competitive run-out in more than four months following knee surgery. Juve have missed him.

• Antonio Cassano is back after his hernia problem, and made a cameo of similar length in Sampdoria's 2-1 win over Lazio. It will be interesting to see how the manager Gigi Del Neri, whose decision to drop Cassano in the first place – before he was injured – has been vindicated by improved results, handles the striker now he is fit again.

• Fabrizio Miccoli got his 10th goal of the season as Palermo beat Livorno 1-0 to stay fourth and promptly demanded to know how Marcello Lippi can keep ignoring him for the national side. It's a reasonable enough question – Italy have an abundance of options up front and many are more technically gifted than Miccoli, but few of them have been living up to expectations in international games lately, so there's not a lot to lose.

• Vittorio Cecchi Gori, under whose charge Fiorentina went bankrupt in 2002, is reportedly now considering a move to take over Livorno. Worrying.

Results Atalanta 0-0 Udinese, Bari 1-0 Chievo, Bologna 2-1 Napoli, Cagliari 2-2 Catania, Fiorentina 1-2 Juventus, Inter 0-0 Genoa, Palermo 1-0 Livorno, Roma 0-0 Milan, Sampdoria 2-1, Lazio Siena 1-1 Parma.

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Franck Ribéry praises Bayern Munich after Champions League progression

• Bayern reach quarter-finals despite 3-2 defeat to Fiorentina
• 'We showed a great team performance,' said Ribéry

Franck Ribéry believes Bayern Munich's dramatic progression to the Champions League quarter-finals underlines the unity in the side. Bayern lost 3-2 in their last-16 second-leg tie with Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi last night but went through on away goals after the first leg in Germany ended 2-1 to the home side.

"It was very important for us to go through," said Ribéry. "We knew that it was not going to be an easy game and the weather didn't help us either, particularly in the first half when it was very tough.

"We showed a great team performance with a lot of solidarity. As a team, together we can achieve a lot."

Matching last season's achievement in reaching the quarter-finals was a minimum requirement for Bayern, and now the bar is set to be raised even higher with hopes running high of a favourable draw in the next round.

"We are happy to have gone through – that was the aim," the midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger told Bayern's website. "Now we have got to see if we get the luck of the draw. Maybe we will get another not-so-big opponent."

Ferguson expresses concern over Capello team-talk bugging

• Preparation involves 'discretion and secrecy'
• Manager has personal experience after incident in 2005

Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his concerns about the news that one of Fabio Capello's team-talks was bugged during England's preparations for their friendly against Egypt last week.

Ferguson was speaking from personal knowledge after a device was planted in the home dressing room at Old Trafford before a game against Chelsea in 2005 and the tape was offered to newspapers.

'It happened to us once before,' Ferguson said. 'I would be concerned about it. Preparation involves discretion and secrecy. I haven't revealed one bit of my tactics ahead of the match [against Milan] tomorrow. I haven't been asked [by reporters] and do you know why? Because I wouldn't tell anyone. Why should I tell anyone? Capello may have been discussing some important issues about his team and all of a sudden someone else has got it. So it is a concern.'

Football transfer rumours: Wilson Palacios to Real Madrid?

Today's rumours have a few of their own, mind

The Mill has spent the best part of this morning, as it always does, idly flicking through the pages of a glamour magazine. Don't leap to judge: copying down all these stories gets so goddamn lonely after a while. And anyway, you'll be glad this is the sort of thing the Mill gets up to, because otherwise how would we have known about the latest Brentian bon mot from Phil Brown? Upon being asked by Zoo whether he has any regrets – the pep talks, the karaoke sessions, the tan – the increasingly likeable Hull manager responded with this pithy maxim:

"I don't drink pints of hindsight. I drink pints of Guinness."

Short of going out on to the pitch and belting out selections from the Great French Songbook, Brown couldn't make it any clearer that he doesn't give a single trill what any of us think about him. To this end, the piece is illustrated by a flagrantly rheumy-eyed portrait suggesting a couple of Pints O'Piaf might have been contemplated at some point in the none-too-distant past. You have to hope Hull stay up, because you'll miss him when he's gone.

He'll Be Missed When He's Gone #2: Wilson Palacios has told Harry Redknapp that he wants to continue wearing the pristine white colours of Tottenham Hotspur, but only if there's a different badge stitched over the cock on his left nip. "I would like to play for Real Madrid," says the only Spurs midfielder to put a proper tackle in since the days of Graham Roberts.

Plymouth Argyle plan to sell Home Park to their holding company for £7.5m in a bid to reduce debts. Hmm, anybody seen David Conn around?

Wolverhampton Wanderers have no chance of keeping hold of their striker Kevin Doyle, insists Mick McCarthy, whose eyes have long been trained to snap immediately into focus when surveying the sorry wreckage of relegation, despite all the tears refracting the light. Aston Villa, Fulham, Sunderland and Everton all plan to run off with Doyle as though he was a bag of sweeties in a DC Thomson cartoon. "Yoinks, now for a feast," one of them will titter as they scarper down the road. "Bah! Ma bon-bons!" McCarthy will cry.

The Wigan striker Victor Moses wants to play for Nigeria in the World Cup. He's "considering switching to Nigerian nationality", according to the Mirror. As he was born in Lagos, and both his parents were from Lagos, it could be argued that there's not actually much switching to do. Ah the panoramic England perspective, eh.

Manchester United fans will be unhappy to hear that their cherished central defensive partnership is about to be broken up: Sporting Lisbon's Daniel Carrico is to be drafted in to replace either Kolo Touré or Joleon Lescott. Meanwhile Milan are interested in Touré and Lescott's Manchester City team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor. In line with club policy, they'll put a bid in for him in 2027.

Martin Atkinson is favourite to referee the FA Cup final. The Mill can't remember which one he is, and certainly isn't going to waste any time finding out.

Now, where's that glamour magazine? The Mill is off for a long bath.

Due to comments under the Rumour Mill increasingly veering off topic, we'd appreciate it if you could keep your posts football-related. Please also remember that we ask users to find ways of sharing their views that do not feel divisive or toxic to others.

Video: Arsène Wenger: 'Arsenal can still improve'

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger sees room for improvement after their Champions League victory over Porto, and says his team don't fear Chelsea or Manchester United

The Business podcast: Lord Myners, a European IMF, and the Red Knights

On the latest edition of The Business, Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to Lord Myners about the City minister's attack on the 'lazy and complacent' bankers who, he says, still haven't learned the lessons of the credit crunch.

Also in the podcast, Tom Clark and Larry Elliott analyse the pros and cons of Germany's plan to introduce an International Monetary Fund for the eurozone. Is the idea for an EMF simply unbelievable (ho ho)?

Finally Nils Pratley, details the viability of the Red Knights as they prepare for battle for control of Manchester United.

Have a listen and post your comments on the blog below, and click here for more details about our live Politics Weekly show in Manchester.

Leonardo, a leader after Berlusconi's heart, will urge Milan to attack | Richard Williams

The intelligent Brazilian will give his owner exactly what he wants – stylish football to the point of extravagance

It was the first Milan manager to conquer Manchester United, Giuliano "Gipo" Viani, who established his club's reputation for putting the emphasis on skilful, attacking football half a century ago. Viani was a man of considerable experience, as would be those among his successors – Nereo Rocco and Carlo Ancelotti – destined to continue the habit of inflicting disappointment on the Old Trafford club. Leonardo, by contrast, is still an unknown quantity.

Many remember him as a dashing left‑back in Brazil's 1994 World Cup‑winning squad – although after fracturing Tab Ramos's skull with his elbow in a second‑round match against the USA, he was banned from the rest of the tournament. British television viewers, admiring his charm and good looks in his occasional appearances as a pundit, would find it hard to credit him with such an act of violence, which he claimed was inadvertent and for which he apologised to the victim. Tonight, however, will show what the 40-year-old is made of as an embryonic coach thrust into the very top level of European club football.

His playing career, which took him to six different clubs on three continents, demonstrated his intelligence and adaptability. It was in Japan that he was converted into an attacking midfield player, a transition so successful that he wore Brazil's sacred No10 jersey during the final phase of his 60-cap international career. He retained the role while scoring 22 goals in 97 Serie A appearances during four seasons as a Milan player.

Hanging up his boots in 2002, he switched easily into the role of the club's international ambassador, playing an important role in the signings of his compatriots Kaká and Pato. Given his complete lack of coaching background, however, there was great surprise when he was chosen to replace the departing Ancelotti last summer.

Milan's lavishly resourced backroom operation functions so efficiently that the new man was not required to undertake internal reforms. But Silvio Berlusconi likes his teams to attack, even to the point of extravagance, and the way Milan were sent out to play against Sir Alex Ferguson's United in the first leg three weeks ago, with a formation in which no fewer than three players – Ronaldinho, Pato and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – had neither the inclination nor the instruction to undertake defensive duties, suggests that Leonardo is more of a man after the owner's heart.

Once United's players had twigged what was going on, they did their best to respond in kind and as a result the match became a ceaselessly entertaining spectacle as the action swung from one end to the other. With slightly less of the possession – 48% to 52 – but an emphasis on counter-attack, Milan made the majority of the evening's chances. As representatives of both sides noted afterwards, they could reasonably have been at least three goals up at the interval, had all three forwards and the full-back Luca Antonini made better use of their opportunities. A Pato header from an unmarked position should have restored their lead just after the interval, Edwin van der Sar produced marvellous saves to deny Ronaldinho on two occasions, and even after Wayne Rooney had given United a 3-1 lead there were late opportunities for Ronaldinho, Pippo Inzaghi and Massimo Ambrosini before Clarence Seedorf, with a moment of quick-witted skill, produced what the next morning's Gazzetta dello Sport described as "the goal of hope".

Milan's best chance of eliminating United tonight would be with a 2-0 win, since a goal at Old Trafford for the home side would require the Italians to win while scoring at least four times. "A 2-0 win would be a normal result," Leonardo said after the match at San Siro, a claim not quite as presumptuous as it looks in print. He simply meant that, in football's scheme of things, it would not be an outlandish outcome. Given the position in which his side found itself after the first match, the return leg will inevitably represent a great test of his coaching acumen. Like Ferguson, defence appears to be his greatest problem, given the marked lack of co-ordination in the central area as Rooney helped himself to two headed goals, but he seems likely to continue his attempt to mask the team's deficiencies by concentrating on their strengths in attack, with a pronounced emphasis on the bewitching trickery of a remotivated Ronaldinho. "His magic can make the difference," Berlusconi announced this week.

Whether Leonardo will persist with a 4-3-3 formation remains to be seen. Pato, returning from injury, may be kept on the bench while Huntelaar, the scorer of 44 goals in 47 matches in Holland in 2005-06 and beginning to seem less of a misfit with Milan than he was during his half-season with Real Madrid, could form a twin spearhead with Marco Borriello, ahead of the four-man midfield of David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo, Ambrosini and Ronaldinho. Also among the substitutes will be Inzaghi, now 36 but, along with Raúl González, the most prolific scorer in the history of European club competition. Had the predatory Inzaghi – once affectionately described by Ferguson as having been "born offside" – been given more than 13 minutes on the pitch in the first leg, he might have put away the one excellent chance that came his way.

As good as the prospects look for United, no one will be more aware than Ferguson that, for all his managerial advantage of three and a half decades and almost 1,800 matches over the man in the black trenchcoat, Milan's players have more than enough big-match experience and high-grade football intellect to make tonight's match a real challenge for last year's beaten finalists.

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