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Napoli keep pressure on league leaders

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Napoli 2 - 1 AC Milan Napoli kept their Serie A title hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over AC Milan, staying within three points of league leaders Inter. Author - Jack L Stadium - Stadio Diego Armando Maradona Napoli took control early on against AC Milan, with first-half goals from Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku leaving the Rossoneri with too much to do. Milan had a golden chance to claw their way back when Santiago Gimenez won a penalty, but the substitute failed to convert, meaning Luka Jovicā€™s late strike was nothing more than a consolation. As the full-time whistle blew, you could sense the relief amongst the Napoli fans and players. This was an important win for them.  READ MORE: Can Napoli win the title? The defeat leaves Milan stuck in ninth place, now nine points adrift of fourth. Their hopes of Champions League football are all but over, with only a looming Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter offering a shot at redemption. A closer look at what happened ...

United boost Champions League hopes after comfortable WSL win

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Manchester United 2 - 0 Everton Manchester United took a step closer to securing Champions League football next season with a composed victory over Everton. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Leigh Sports Village Dominique Janssen capitalised on a costly error from Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan to open the scoring midway through the first half, before Grace Clinton produced a moment of brilliance shortly after the break to double Unitedā€™s lead. Despite never having beaten United in the Womenā€™s Super League, Everton made a bright start under Brian Sorensen. They thought they had an early breakthrough when Katja Snoeijs found the net inside two minutes, but referee Phoebe Cross ruled it out for handball following a goalmouth scramble. The gameā€™s momentum was disrupted by a lengthy injury stoppage for Unitedā€™s Jayde Riviere, though Everton still looked lively. Kelly Gago forced Phallon Tullis-Joyce into a sharp save from a tight angle, but their good work was undone in the 22nd min...

Aston Villa keep fans dreaming of FA Cup success

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Preston North End 0 - 3 Aston Villa Marcus Rashford broke his four-month scoring drought to send Aston Villa into the FA Cup semi-finals with victory over Preston at Deepdale. Author - Paul Woods Stadium - Deepdale After a few missed chances against the competition's last remaining Championship team, Rashford finally scored by tapping in Lucas Digne's cutback in the 58th minute. Five minutes later Rashford kept his nerve to send David Cornell the wrong way with his penalty after Morgan Rogers had been fouled by Andrew Hughes. These were Rashford's first goals since his double against Everton on December 1st   and they kept Villa's hopes alive of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 1957.  Preston battled hard but a clear gulf in class was only underlined by the absence through injury of first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and on-loan defender Kaine Kasler-Hayden, who was unable to play against his parent club. Once in front, Villa tightened their grip and...

Birmingham move closer to promotion

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Birmingham City 4 - 1 Shrewsbury Town Runaway leaders Birmingham City edged a step closer to automatic promotion with a comfortable win in Michael Appleton's first game in charge of Shrewsbury Town. Author - Craig H Stadium - St Andrew's Stadium With nine games left, Chris Davies's EFL Trophy finalists are now within four wins of promotion - nine points clear of second-placed Wrexham and 12 better off than third-placed Wycombe Wanderers. It was one-way traffic from start to finish as Keshi Anderson rifled an angled half-volley a foot over the bar before top scorer Jay Stansfield's rising shot was saved by goalkeeper Jamal Blackman in a one-on-one. Willum Willumsson curled off target before Kieran Dowell blazed over after Anderson found Willumsson, then cleverly dummied the return. Ben Davies finally gave Blues a deserved lead in the 27th minute, sliding home Dowell's curling free-kick unmarked from six yards for his first goal for the club. READ MORE:  EFL: 2024...

Maeda inspires Celtic again

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Celtic 3 - 0 Hearts Daizen Maeda struck twice in Celtic's commanding Scottish Premiership victory over Heart of Midlothian, bringing his season tally to an impressive thirty goals.  Author - Sean M Stadium - Celtic Park The Celtic boss had hinted before the match that both he and the club were eager to extend the Japan international's contract, which currently runs until the summer of 2027.  This latest performance served as yet another reminder of why that would be a wise move. Maeda has now scored in eight consecutive league games and shows no sign of slowing down. The forward was at the heart of all three goals and appears almost unstoppable in Scotland at present. A closer look at what happened at Celtic Park Hearts had arrived to this match with some confidence, having lost just twice in their previous fourteen matches. They were aiming to take another step towards securing a top-six place. All eyes were on Viljami Sinisalo, who stepped in for the injured Kasper Schme...

Forest reach first FA Cup semi since 1991

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Brighton & Hove Albion 0 - 0 Nottingham Forest.  Nottingham Forest won 4-3 on penalties. Forest held their nerve in yet another FA Cup penalty shootout, edging past Brighton to book a place in the semi-finals for the first time since 1991. Author - Kieran M Stadium - Amex Stadium Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero of the night, producing crucial saves to deny Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez as Forest triumphed 4-3 on spot-kicks after a goalless 120 minutes at the Amex Stadium. In a match desperately lacking in quality, neither side could break the deadlock in normal time, with Brighton looking the more likely to snatch a late winner. Sels, however, had other ideasā€”his superb reaction save to deny a bullet header from Gomez in extra time kept Forest in the contest. The hosts thought they had won it at the death when Joao Pedro bundled in Pervis EstupiƱƔnā€™s delivery, but the goal was ruled out for offside, ensuring the tie would be settled from the spot. After two pivotal sav...

Palace stun Fulham to keep FA Cup dream alive

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Fulham 0 - 3 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace continued their remarkable resurgence under Oliver Glasner, securing a fifth consecutive win with a clinical 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. Author - Craig H Stadium - Craven Cottage Fulham dominated the opening half-hour but failed to capitalise on their superiority, with Rodrigo Muniz going closest for the hosts. Palace, struggling to get out of their own half, took the lead against the run of play when Eberechi Eze produced a moment of brilliance in the 34th minute. Cutting in from the left, the England international bent a stunning low strike past Bernd Leno and in off the far post. Eze, fresh from scoring his first England goal during the international break, was instrumental again in Palaceā€™s second. His precise cross found Ismaila Sarr, who nodded in at the near post to double the visitorsā€™ lead. Fulham pushed for a response, with Willian drawing a fine save from Dean Henderson, but they ne...