Alisson Becker hails 'special guy' Adrian

The UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16 (first-leg) delivered dramatic results as FC Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid registered emphatic victories, while Liverpool FC suffered a shock defeat and FC Barcelona were held to a draw in their respective first-leg encounters.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Premier League table leaders Arsenal after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road. Liverpool, on the other hand, secured a 5-2 win over West Ham United at Anfield in their Premier League fixture, moving level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United, according to the Premier League website.

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres each bagged a brace as Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 north-London derby win, restoring their five-point cushion over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League points table.

Erling Haaland scored a dramatic late penalty as Manchester City claimed a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Liverpool at Anfield.

The results see Chelsea climb to fourth in the standings, just ahead of Liverpool in fifth, as Arsenal continue to lead the table with 53 points from 24 matches.

16 teams will battle it out in the knockout phase play-offs for the remaining eight places in the Round of 16. Those confirmed in the play-offs include Atalanta, Atletico de Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Bodø/Glimt, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco, Newcastle United, Olympiacos, Paris Saint-Germain, Qarabag and Real Madrid.

Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) played out a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at Parc des Princes in Paris. PSG currently stand at the 11th place with four wins and two draws in eight matches.

Harry Kane was the hero for Bayern as, after a goalless first half, he produced two magic strikes, the second being a brilliant penalty conversion, to hand his side important points to climb to number two, with six wins and a loss in seven games, with 18 points. They are just three short of table-toppers Arsenal, who are enjoying an unbeaten run with seven wins in seven games.

The top position on the SA20 log will be up for grabs when Sunrisers Eastern Cape meet Joburg Super Kings in Match 24 at St George's Park on Wednesday.

Arsenal missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League 2025-26 table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by the fourth-placed Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.