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Liverpool are safely through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after a comfortable 5-0 aggregate win over Porto in the last 16 of the competition.

Drawing 0-0 with the Portuguese side on Tuesday night, Jurgen Klopp’s side produced a professional performance to ensure there was no second leg drama at Anfield.

Given the first leg lead, it was an opportunity for the Liverpool boss to hand a start to a number of players on the fringes of his starting eleven with the likes of Joel Matip, Adam Lallana and Alberto Moreno getting chances to shine.

For fans though, the tried and trusted team that has found winning success recently is the way to go and they weren’t too impressed with some of the players that came into the side against Porto.

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That was particularly true of Moreno, who fans feel is far below the standard currently offered by Andy Robertson.

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The Scotland international has burst onto the scene at Anfield this season and made the position his own, something supporters want to see continue after Moreno’s performance on Tuesday night.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

Celtic are drawing 2-2 with arch-rivals Rangers at half-time in the latest edition of the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Sunday, and Bhoys fans have been quick to destroy defender Dedryck Boyata, rated at €2m (£1.8m) by Transfermarkt, for his display in the opening 45 minutes.

Brendan Rodgers’ men fell behind in the third minute when Josh Windass found the net for the hosts after Boyata’s poor flick pass was intercepted by the Rangers man, before Tom Rogic hit back with a stunning equaliser.

However, the 27-year-old Belgian, who returned to the starting line-up at Ibrox, was then outmuscled by Alfredo Morelos when trying to clear a cross from Declan John, with Daniel Candeias eventually finding the net at the back post, before Moussa Dembele equalised on the stroke of half-time.

Celtic supporters were quick to have their say on Boyata’s performance via social media, and while one said “Boyata is a walking disaster”, another said “get Boyata off he is out of his depth here”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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With the World Cup kicking off in under three months, one of the key questions Gareth Southgate has to answer is about the make-up of his defence.

Southgate has preferred a back three during his short tenure so far, especially against the elite nations. While that tactical trend appears to have been largely left in the 2016/17 season, the former Middlesbrough manager is reportedly keen to pursue it for Friday night’s fixture against the Netherlands.

With experienced duo Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill left out of the squad and Phil Jones injured, Southgate has assembled an array of new central defensive talent ahead of games against the Dutch and the Italians.

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But which combination should he deploy? We asked you which of the options he should utilise and we included Eric Dier. The Tottenham man has played as a defensive midfielder throughout his England career but there have been reports that Southgate wants him to play further back.

It was just as well Dier was included, because he came out on top of the poll. Alongside him, Three Lions fans want to see Leicester’s Harry Maguire and Manchester City’s John Stones, despite the fact the latter has recently struggled for gametime.

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That would be a brand-new defensive trio that has never been tried before by England, but the fans feel it is a gamble worth taking. Check out the full results of the poll below…

Leeds fans are absolutely crucifying Eunan O’Kane after Paul Heckingbottom announced the midfielder would miss this weekend’s clash with Sunderland.

It takes a pretty bad run of form for fans to celebrate an injury to one of their own players, and that’s exactly what’s happening as Eunan O’Kane will be out this weekend.

The 27 year-old joined from Bournemouth in 2016, and despite making over 50 league appearances since the move to Elland Road has not exactly endeared himself to the home support.

Fans have often been annoyed by the manner in which the game just passes O’Kane by, and his performances during Leeds’ bad run have just gotten progressively worse.

Ronaldo Vieira has impressed in midfield recently, but an injury to Adam Forshaw has seen O’Kane keep his place despite his bad form.

The Irishman picked up an injury in the 2-0 defeat at Fulham though, and will not return in time for the visit of Sunderland on Saturday.

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Fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…

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Sunderland manager Chris Coleman is preparing for life in League One by planning a major clearout, as per the Sun, with high earning players such as Didier Ndong, Lamine Kone and Aiden McGeady the primary targets.

High-earners have long since been a problem at the Stadium of Light and there has been an intense need for a purge for quite some time now.

What’s the story, then?

Coleman’s Black Cats managed a draw against Leeds United on Saturday but their tally of 32 points leaves them 23rd in the Championship and seven points away from safety.

That means that the former Wales manager has reportedly got one eye on preparing for life in the third tier and there is a burning need to cut costs.

The report states that Sunderland’s wage bill would be betweeen £50m and £60m in League One if they didn’t take drastic action and that would be the highest total the division has ever seen.

Sunderland needed to be this decisive years ago

Sunderland have a squad of players assembled under a variety of managers, designed for multiple styles of play and of course littered with players who signed up for a Premier League contract but don’t care for life at the club or in their current division.

That deadwood has needed cutting for years and years and maybe if such serious action had been taken when the side were still in the top flight, it might have been enough to save them from their current desperate plight.

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It is tough when players are on such lucrative contracts but a cull was needed earlier. It is to Coleman’s credit that he is doing it now and not looking to jump ship with the prospect of starting next season in the third tier becoming all the more real.

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It’s easy to think Mohamed Elneny is a limited player. Arsene Wenger has a curious knack of pushing expedient options into Arsenal’s most defensive midfield role, even if they aren’t initially purchased or naturally equipped for it, and after Francis Coquelin’s exit in January that is where the Egyptian international has found his game-time for the Gunners.

It’s not a position that particularly showcases Elneny’s talents, especially when remembering his Arsenal career began with a stunning goal versus Barcelona in the Champions League. While some have commended his work-rate and discipline, his performances thus far have been divisive – those unimpressed finding him a passive presence in the engine room. His primary role has been simply to sit behind Arsenal’s more cavalier central midfielders while getting the ball to them as frequently as possible, and it has inevitably lead to questions over his impact on this side.

But the late stages of Arsenal’s Europa League clash with CSKA Moscow on Thursday night showed that Elneny can bring much more to the team. The Russian outfit scored twice to leave Arsenal facing the same exit scenario as Barcelona against Roma two evenings previous, eliminated on away goals at 4-4, which inspired a crucial change in formation from Arsene Wenger. Jack Wilshere came off for Calum Chambers, and the 3-4-3 pushed Elneny further forward – modifying his role from Arsenal’s anonymous anchorman to a box-to-box that would have to burst into more offensive spaces in the middle of the park.

Shortly after, the substitution proved a masterstroke as Elneny stepped forward to the edge of the box and set up Danny Welbeck for the goal that essentially secured Arsenal’s place in the semi-finals. The England international tricked his way past a defender before laying off to the 25-year-old, who returned the favour with a splicing pass that took three CSKA Moscow players out of the game and left Welbeck the relatively simple task of curling beyond the goalkeeper from close range.

That goal came on the 75th minute, and in stoppage time Elneny completed his brace of setups. As CSKA pushed for an unlikely two goals to flip the tie on its head, the 5 foot 11 ace drove forward from midfield, sucked one defender towards him and passed beyond another, Aaron Ramsey latching onto the through ball with a perfectly-timed run to leave the Russian outfit’s backline trailing in his path. The Welshman dispatched, putting the second leg scoreline to 2-2.

It was a reminder how roles and positions can sometimes define our opinions of players, despite them actually being capable of giving much more to the team. Thursday’s performance showed Elneny can be more than a mere baby sitter for Arsenal’s ill-disciplined midfield options; the problem though, is that nobody else in Wenger’s squad can really be depended on to fulfil those duties – with Granit Xhaka struggling in that regard, Elneny finds himself at the engine room’s base as much by default as design.

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According to reports in the Liverpool Echo, Everton manager Sam Allardyce has refused to rule out the possibility of the club selling winger Ademola Lookman this summer, and Toffees fans have been quick to have their say on his comments.

Speaking about the future of the highly-rated attacker, who is rated at £6.3m by Transfermarkt and was struggling for first-team minutes prior to a January loan move to RB Leipzig, the 63-year-old said: “Everybody has a price so if the price goes to where we think we should accept it then I would recommend it.”

The quotes come after the German club expressed an interest in bringing the 20-year-old to the Bundesliga on a permanent basis following a successful loan spell in the second-half of the current campaign, in which he has scored two goals in seven appearances.

Everton supporters, who have expressed their annoyance on Twitter at Lookman’s impressive form, took to social media to give their thoughts on the news, and while one said “get Allardyce out now”, another described it as the “final straw”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Arsene Wenger’s impending departure attracted much of the pre-match headlines before Arsenal’s visit to Manchester United – the Frenchman’s final trip to Old Trafford as Gunners manager – which eased the glare on Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan after their January swap deal.

Mkhitaryan was left alone by the home faithful and even refused to celebrate when he scored but Sanchez – valued at £63m by Transfermarkt – was booed throughout by the travelling fans during an afternoon when the emphasis was on him to show why United went through the protracted negotiations to sign him.

The Chilean didn’t quite manage that as despite his usual energy, he was unable to create a great deal in open play, although he did play a hand in Paul Pogba’s opening goal; his close range header was somehow deflected onto the post by Hector Bellerin before the France midfielder cushioned it home.

Seven crosses and three key passes show a man who tried his utmost to get United’s attack firing but on an afternoon where they lacked width and cohesion, the forward was unable to make that telling contribution with a dose of clinical cutting edge.

His energy actually helped United in a defensive sense too as they were often pushed back against a weakened Gunners side, with two tackles and interceptions apiece.

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Sofiane Boufal will not have to play Championship football next season as Southampton managed to save their skin from relegation in the final weeks of the campaign.However, it seems that the 24-year-old may not even be playing in the Premier League for much longer.The attack-minded player has admitted in an interview withÂSFR SportÂthat he would be “very interested” in returning to his homeland.Boufal revealed that his desired move would be to a French club that are competing in European competitions.[ad_pod ]The midfielder only moved to the coastal club from Lille in 2016, but after a difficult campaign, in which Southampton finished just three points above the relegation zone, it seems clear that he wants to move on.Boufal, who was recently forced by manager Mark Hughes to train with the Under-23s following a bust-up, came under fire from supporters during the season.Some fans have been left disappointed by the news that the midfielder wants out, while others have no issue in waving goodbye.

According to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, Ajax centre back Matthijs de Ligt will ask to leave the club this summer, and Tottenham must secure the superstar defender.

What’s the story?

Reports in the Netherlands this week suggest long time Tottenham target Matthijs de Ligt will leave Ajax this summer, after signing the infamous Mino Raiola as his agent.

De Ligt was recently linked with a move to champions Manchester City, where Pep Guardiola is said to be a massive fan of the young Dutch defender.

De Ligt has been superb in his 33 league starts for Ajax this season, and would be the ideal long-term replacement for Toby Alderweireld.

Alderweireld’s replacement?

It’s never fun for fans to lose a top player, but the only way to soften the blow of Toby Alderweireld’s impending exit is to sign a truly world class replacement.

De Ligt is already one of the best options Spurs could pursue, and he’s only 18 years old.

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The young centre back has had a wonderful season in the Eredivisie, averaging 1.7 interceptions and 4.4 clearances per game.

Mauricio Pochettino is of course well known for his ability to get the best out of young players, and de Ligt is already a superstar despite his age.

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Ajax would likely command a big fee for the youngster, who is excellent with the ball at his feet, but Tottenham should absolutely break the bank to make sure they beat the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool to his signature.

Jan Vertonghen has just turned 31, but the future of the Spurs defence will be in good hands with de Ligt and Davinson Sanchez.

So, Tottenham fans, do you think you can beat Manchester City to de Ligt? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…