The Italian side crashed out of the competition after losing 3-1 at Olympiacos in their final Group F game on Thursday

AC Milan deserved their Europa League exit at the hands of Olympiacos, according to coach Gennaro Gattuso.

Milan needed just a point to secure their progression from Group F, but crashed out thanks to a 3-1 defeat in Piraeus, with Konstantinos Fortounis’ late penalty booking Olympiacos’ passage through to the knockout stage.

Cristian Zapata – whose own goal had put Milan 2-0 down following Pape Abou Cisse’s opener – had made it advantage Milan courtesy of the Rossoneri’s improved head-to-head record.

But Ignazio Abate’s clumsy foul on Vasilis Torosidis handed Fortounis the chance to seal the win, and although Gattuso acknowledged the penalty was soft, he made no excuses, blaming Milan’s profligacy in front of goal.

“We gifted the game,” Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am furious because we could’ve been stronger even than all the incidents and emerged with qualification.

“We had the game in hand, but when creating eight scoring opportunities in a stadium like this and then falling apart the moment things go wrong, you deserve to go out.

“We’ve shown we are still not good enough to get the game on track when we have the chance.

“It’s true, there were some debatable refereeing decisions, but if you create eight chances in this atmosphere and then after the first sign of difficulty you start making stupid mistakes, it’s only right we go home, because we don’t deserve to go further.”

Milan could have been behind inside the first 10 seconds had Miguel Angel Guerrero made better contact with a first-time effort, but missed a glut of chances before the interval.

Cisse’s header handed Olympiacos the initiative, although both Patrick Cutrone and Gonzalo Higuain wasted great opportunities before Zapata’s own goal set up a grandstand finish.

And Gattuso cited a lack of big-game experience as another reason for Milan’s failure.

“We mustn’t allow the opponents into the game and I think at the moment that lack of experience is the main problem for us,” he added.

“We’ve got to get out there with determination, with fire. 

“We gifted the game, there are no excuses and we have to take the responsibility. 

“It’s a difficult atmosphere, but that mustn’t be an excuse. We often look like we do things without much belief, as if we don’t want to hurt the opposition.”

The Argentina has never won a major tournament with Argentina and will be 35 by the time Qatar 2022 gets underway

Lionel Messi does not need to win the World Cup to be considered an all-time great, according to Zico.

Despite his enormous success with Barcelona, the biggest prize in international football has eluded Messi so far, with Argentina only reaching the final in one of the four World Cups the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has appeared at.

Argentina’s latest campaign ended in the knockout stages at Russia 2018, losing to eventual champions France, and – with Messi set to be 35 by the time Qatar 2022 takes place – his chances of clinching the prize look remote.

However, Zico, who did not win the World Cup during in his 10 years as a Brazil player, has claimed Messi should not need to secure that trophy to prove his quality.

“It is not a frustration,” Zico told Omnisport when asked about never winning a World Cup.

“People nowadays think only of achievements. I think that your career, your work is the most important. 

“Football is a collective sport and many times it doesn’t depend on you playing well. It depends if the team is playing well.

“Sometimes you decide games, but you can’t decide a competition.

“So, Messi’s merit is not undone because he hasn’t won a World Cup. 

“[Johan] Cruyff didn’t win any World Cup and was one of the great players of history and he will always be. And many others the same. 

“It is too much me, and not us. If you take a young man he doesn’t ask about your career, he asks: ‘Have you been the best in the world? Have you been the best of this, or that?’.

“Everything is based on being the best. Football is a collective game, not and individual game.”

And Zico added that what makes Messi – and Cristiano Ronaldo – stand out from the current generation of players is their ability to put their respective teams ahead of personal accolades.

“Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi never ever stop playing for the team,” said Zico. 

“If I were young today, they are players on which I would mirror myself. Players of this level, play for the team.

“Players that are the best because they prepared themselves to bet You don’t see these players going out, on social media, skipping training to be in parties.

“They take care of themselves in order to have a good individual performance, but they know that this benefits their clubs.”

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The star attacker scored and assisted in the same game yet again in the Premier League, some no player has done better the last two seasons

Mohamed Salah has proven he is one of the most dangerous scorers in the Premier League during his time at Liverpool, but he’s also not bad as a creator either.

Salah was at it again on Friday, as he turned home a Fabinho cross with a deft finish with the side of his boot to give Liverpool a 1-0 lead against Wolves in the 18th minute.

The goal proved the winner in a 2-0 victory for the Reds at the Molineux Stadium, as Liverpool remained undefeated in the Premier League and guaranteed they will sit top of the table on Christmas Day.

Salah, last year’s Premier League Golden Boot winner while setting a new record for Premier League goals in a 38-game season, moved to the top of the goal charts, one ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But Salah has proven more than just a goalscorer at Liverpool as he chipped in 10 assists last season in the English top-flight, as well as four more in the Champions League.

He would turn provider once more in the second half as he chipped in a cross that found the boot of Virgil Van Dijk, who redirected home for his first league goal for the Anfield outfit to double Liverpool’s advantage.

The assist was Salah’s fifth in the Premier League this season, and the second time this season he’s scored and assisted on a goal in the same match.

In fact, since arriving at Anfield last season, Salah has managed that accomplishment eight times in the Premier League – more than any other player in the English top flight over that same span.

The victory moves Liverpool onto 48 points after 18 games which only two teams have bettered – Chelsea in the 2005-06 season with 49 points and 52 points from Manchester City last season.

It also means the Reds are four points clear of City with the reigning champions yet to play against Crystal Palace on Saturday. However, regardless of result, Liverpool will be top of the league come Christmas.

The last four seasons have seen the leaders on Christmas win go on to take the Premier League title. In fact the last team to lead in the table on Christmas and not finish top was Liverpool in 2013-14.

The Reds have a history of that as well. Three times they have lead the league at Christmas in the Premier League era and did not manage to win the title in any of those seasons.

That statistic may provide hope to Manchester City, as the two clubs gear up for a crucial encounter.

After City face Crystal Palace, they face Leicester City and Southampton before hosting Liverpool in what well may be a top of the table clash on January 3. Meanwhile, the Reds will put their unbeaten run in the league on the line at home against Newcastle, then Arsenal before that trip to the Etihad to face the reigning champions.

The England defender posted a photograph to social media with a teasing caption aimed toward the midfielder

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has taken to Twitter to make a cheeky jibe hinting at the rift between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho.

The full-back featured in United’s 3-1 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon – a result that ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recorded a win in his first home match as Reds manager.

Pogba was instrumental in the victory, having scored what proved to be a vital brace.

After the match Shaw uploaded a photograph of the Frenchman celebrating with his teammates on Twitter with the caption: “When you post something by accident on insta”, referencing a controversial post from Pogba in the aftermath of Mourinho’s dismissal.

The World Cup winner posted a photo of himself smirking shortly after news of the Portuguese manager’s departure broke, with the caption “Caption this”.

The photograph was deleted shortly afterwards and the 25-year-old claimed that it had been a scheduled post, and not a jibe at his ex-manager.

Mourinho and Pogba endured a tumultuous and well-documented relationship during their time together at Old Trafford.

Earlier in the season the midfielder was told that he would not captain United again while Mourinho was in charge and the two were filmed in a tense and frosty exchange at Carrington during a training session.

Pogba failed to start any of the 55-year-old’s final three matches at the helm, and did not feature at all in the win over Fulham or the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool that heralded the end of Mourinho’s tenure.

Shaw had also endured a torrid time under the ex-Chelsea boss. After suffering a broken leg in a Europa League match under Louis van Gaal, the England international struggled to impress his new boss upon his return to fitness, and failed to make an impression in the earlier days of Mourinho’s tenure.

After a long battle to turn his United career around, the 23-year-old became a regular under the Portuguese manager and was offered a five-year contract extension in October of this year, but was still often criticised openly by Mourinho.

The strike was his 10th of the campaign and took him to within four of the Golden Boot leaders as Pep Guardiola’s side took a 1-0 lead

Sergio Aguero became the first player in Premier League history to score in seven out of seven home games against the same opposition on Thursday by netting for Manchester City against Liverpool.

The Argentine gave City the lead five minutes before half-time when he emphatically finished from a tight angle, leaving Reds goalkeeper Alison with no chance of saving.

Aguero had already held the record for his goalscoring antics against Liverpool at Etihad Stadium, but the strike extended his run.

It also furthered his lead as the top goalscorer in matches between the Premier League’s top six clubs since the start of the 2011-12 season. Aguero has now scored 37 times against England’s elite sides, 16 more than his closest rival Harry Kane.

Aguero also brought up his 250th career league goal with the strike, with 153 of those coming since he moved to the Premier League.

Aguero’s goal came after a tight opening to the game, with Liverpool enjoying slightly more possession. The visitors claimed 56 per cent of the ball in the first period but had the same number of shots as their opponents, with each side only managing two efforts on goal.

The game had been highlighted by many as a must-win affair for City, who trailed league-leaders Liverpool by seven points going into the match in Manchester. 

A win for the Reds would leave Pep Guardiola’s side 10 points behind them and a point off of Tottenham in second. 

That deficit has been created after a poor run of results for City in December, when they racked up three defeats in a row after losses to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

They did manage to get back to winning ways before the crunch encounter however, wrestling back some sort of momentum with a 3-1 win at Southampton where Aguero also got on the scoresheet.

The 30-year-old’s goal against Liverpool took him to 10 for the league campaign, although he still sits four behind Kane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after injury trouble earlier in the season.

The champions moved four points off the top of the table in a crucial encounter with the league-leaders, securing a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City’s performance against Liverpool on Thursday was beyond anything Vincent Komapny has ever witnessed, the defender has revealed.

City claimed a 2-1 victory over the league-leaders thanks to a first-half strike from Sergio Aguero and a Leroy Sane effort after the break after Liverpool had equalised through Roberto Firmino.

The win took them to within four points of the Reds on a crucial evening in the Premier League title race. Had Pep Guardiola’s side lost they would have fallen 10 points behind Liverpool, but Kompany was able to skipper the Citizens to victory and end a run of four games without a win against the Anfield club.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game at the Etihad Stadium, Kompany said: “We went toe-to-toe with a very aggressive, very physical team and I think we matched them for everything if not more.

“The result is the result – it’s still in their hands. But the performance was beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed today.”

Liverpool had the better of the opening encounters and nearly took the lead after John Stones’ clearance deflected off of Ederson and came 11 millimetres from crossing the line, but the defender was able to scramble the ball clear.

City rallied though and ended the game with nine shots to Liverpool’s seven, enjoying slightly more possession in the second half too.

When asked where the performance came from, Kompany replied: “It came from the guts, that’s it.

“We’ve said before we know the 12th man is more than just the fans. It’s something from within, it’s desire, it’s something you can’t describe and today it was there and it made us a better team. We’re a better team when we play with emotion.”

The Belgium international unnerved some supporters with a strong tackle on Mohamed Salah during the game. He saw yellow for the challenge but said he felt it was a good tackle. 

“On the pitch I felt I got the ball, maybe a bit of the man but it wasn’t naughty or I didn’t try to injure him that’s for sure,” the centre-back continued. “But it was that or let him go through on goal and the decision was made very quickly in my head.”

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The veteran ex-Portugal and Real Madrid defender will go back to the club where he became a star, almost 12 years after his first spell ended

Former Real Madrid star Pepe is set for an instant return to professional football as he prepares for a second spell with Portuguese giants Porto, Goal understands.

Pepe, 35, was made a free agent in December after rescinding his contract by mutual agreement with Besiktas.

But the Brazil-born ex-Portugal international will not spend long on the market, with a move back to Porto imminent.

Talks with the Dragao began at the end of December following his release from Turkey, with a deal expected to be signed this week.

Pepe is expected to put pen to paper on a contract that is set to run until June 2020, by which time the defender will have turned 38.

Porto were not the only side interested in the player’s services.

Wolves were reportedly following Pepe’s movements, as were Al Gharafa of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.

Ultimately, however, the centre-back opted to move back to Portugal due to his family’s wishes, which proved key in his negotiations with Porto.

Dragao fans remember Pepe fondly from his previous spell at the club, which ended in 2007 when he moved to Madrid.

Pepe spent a total of three seasons in Porto, making a total of 88 appearances in all competitions.

The centre-back helped his club to back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2005-6 and 2006-7, as well the 2004 Intercontinental Cup after defeating Once Caldas in Yokohama.

He then went on to star at the Bernabeu for a decade, lifting three Liga crowns and three Champions Leagues as he formed a formidable defensive partnership alongside Sergio Ramos.

It has been suggested that Manchester City wanted longer grass for their home game against the Reds, but their manager insists that is not the case

Pep Guardiola has issued a flat denial to suggestions Manchester City deliberately left the Etihad Stadium grass longer than usual for their Premier League game against Liverpool.

Leroy Sane’s second-half winner last Thursday ended Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season and saw defending champions City move four points behind Jurgen Klopp’s league leaders.

Some Liverpool supporters claimed the grass at the Etihad was not as short as usual and thus had a negative impact on the Reds’ attacking play.

But Guardiola said he has never been involved in discussions over pitch conditions for City’s home games.

“I am not a greenkeeper. I never did [request longer grass],” Guardiola told a news conference. “So Liverpool want to play quick, we want to play quicker. So never, never we manipulate it.

“Always we try to put water [on the pitch], here it is not necessary because of the weather conditions and it rains a lot. But I would not suspect that, never, never. We want to try to put the field, always in my career as a manager, in the best conditions for both teams.

“I never made a trick about that. Normally when this kind of thing happens, in the end, I don’t know if this is karma or something like that, it always punishes you. So you have to do the best for the opponent for the game, you have to respect our game and our rules.

“Win the game on the pitch, with the rules for everybody.”

Pressed again on the accusation, Guardiola added: “I never speak with the groundsman.

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“I have many issues in my head, to talk about, to think about the grass, I trust my greenkeepers with what they do.

“But we put the grass in the best condition for both teams. I never make a phone call to say, ‘Do these kinds of things to damage our opponents.’

“We always try to win in the same way against our opponents.”

City have been without Benjamin Mendy since mid-November due to a knee issue, but Guardiola expects the France international to soon be ready to return to action.

“He is much better, training already,” Guardiola said of the left-back ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at home to Burton Albion.

“Not with the team, alone, but on the pitch. In two or three weeks, maybe he will be with us. Everybody else is fit.”

The enigmatic striker is enduring a difficult third season in France, but bridges could be built which allow him to come back into his manager’s plans

Mario Balotelli may be enduring a tough time at Nice, but a January departure is not guaranteed as Patrick Vieira says “nothing is impossible” for the enigmatic Italian.

Having enjoyed a productive two years in French football following his arrival as a free agent in 2016, the 28-year-old has endured a testing third season.

He has taken in just 10 appearances during the 2018-19 campaign and is yet to open his goal account.

Those struggles, and questioning of his attitude from manager Vieira, have sparked talk of an impending exit.

Balotelli has been granted time to “think about his future”, having not figured in Nice’s last four games, with an extended break offered to him after the festive period.

Vieira is, however, leaving the door open for a player he has criticised at regular intervals, with the former Liverpool and Manchester City still under contract until the summer.

“Mario is still here,” said Vieira.

“He’s a player who is under contract, but Mario is still here. Mario is still part of the squad.

“He’s in a situation where he needs to think about his future in terms of what he wants to do and his options.

“We’re waiting for him to come back to know what he wants to do.

“Nothing is impossible, from the moment when a player is under contract nothing is impossible.”

Balotelli had previously netted 18 times in his debut campaign with Nice, before raising that goal tally to 26 across all competitions last season.

Those exploits sparked considerable interest in his services during the summer transfer window of 2018, while also earning him a recall to the Italy squad under Roberto Mancini.

He has, however, been unable to maintain those standards, with his career to date having been one of peaks and troughs as he struggles to truly fulfil his undoubted potential.

Red Devils icon Norman Whiteside has seen a feel-good factor returned to players and supporters at Old Trafford on the back of a managerial change

Manchester United were “unattractive” and had lost their fear factor under Jose Mourinho, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has cleaned up that mess to bring belief back to players and supporters, says Norman Whiteside.

The Red Devils took the decision to part with the Portuguese coach in December on the back of a humbling defeat to arch-rivals Liverpool which left them a long way adrift in the battle for top-four finishes.

A season which was in danger of collapsing has been salvaged by a familiar face, with Solskjaer having overseen five successive victories since being handed the reins on an interim basis.

Old Trafford legend Whiteside believes United have rediscovered their spark under the Norwegian, breaking the “shackles” that were holding them back under Mourinho.

He told The Independent: “People were leaving the ground early, they were so hard to watch. I’d never seen that at Old Trafford before. Even in the hospitality suites, where they pay top dollar, they’d just brush out past you.

“The results weren’t good, the football was unattractive, visiting teams no longer feared coming to Old Trafford. It couldn’t go on.”

Whiteside added on Solskjaer’s impact: “It’s the United style of play we know and love. It’s not just Ole’s results that have lifted the mood – it is the way he is getting them.

“United are a team going forward again with the crowd behind them. Players who looked inhibited and afraid under Jose have now thrown off whatever shackles were holding them back and are expressing themselves freely.

“Ole hasn’t exactly waved a magic wand. He’s simply reminded the players of their quality… that’s why you are in the team, go out and show it.

“I can’t pinpoint a single reason why it all went wrong under Jose. Just as good players don’t become bad players overnight, neither do managers.

“He won three trophies in his first season, including the Europa League, a hard one to achieve, and a year and a half later, it all turns to dust and he is gone. It is hard to fathom.

“What I would say is that even when he was successful and winning trophies, for United and elsewhere, his style of play and methods were never the United way.

“Communication, I feel, was a big problem. A gulf seemed to develop between him and his players, Paul Pogba in particular. A lot of fans won’t have been enamoured by Pogba and his social media persona but the problems between player and manager can’t have been all one way.   

“Something wasn’t right in the dressing room, whispers were starting to find their way into the media, it obviously wasn’t a happy camp and that translated into performances on the pitch.

“The whole player-manager relationship seemed to break down under Jose. Look at the way he habitually bawled out young players like Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford. That was bound to affect their confidence.

“I saw players reluctant to express themselves for fear of a rollicking from the touchline. In the end, there was a chasm between him and the players. Anyone who understands United knew he had to go.

“To be honest, he wasn’t my choice for the job in the first place. I would like to have seen Pep Guardiola given the job but that isn’t going to happen now.”

Having helped to turn the tide, Solskjaer is now staking a claim to being handed the United reins on a permanent basis.

Whiteside said of possible appointment calls: “If Ole keeps winning and adds a trophy or two, he will have presented a strong case the club will find hard to ignore.

“But I do believe he is keeping the seat warm for Mauricio Pochettino, who seems to have been identified as the long-term target – that is if he and his club Spurs can be persuaded. There are no guarantees on that score.”