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Goals from Ousmane Dembele and Gerard Pique before an extra time strike from Martin Braithwaite overturned a 2-0 first leg deficit to put Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, with a 3-2 aggregate win over Sevilla.

La Blaugrana dominated the first half and, as they needed to, shot out of the blocks. It took Ronald Koeman’s side just 12 minutes to open the scoring when Dembele fired a stunner from around 20 yards out into the top corner after the ball broke his way.

The hosts continued to press for the all important second after the interval, but things looked bleak after 72 minutes as the referee awarded a very soft penalty when Oscar Mingueza was adjudged to have fouled Lucas Ocampos in the area. The Argentine stepped up and had his spot kick brilliantly saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, though.

La Blaugrana threw the kitchen sink (and any other other fitting you can think of) for the remainder of the game and, after Sevilla’s Fernando saw red in the last minutes of the game, Pique levelled the tie with a deft header from an Antoine Griezmann cross in the 94th minute to take the game to extra time.

Koeman’s side wasted no time and, after just five minutes of extra time, made it 3-0. Jordi Alba’s cross was met by the head of substitute Braithwaite, who found the back of the net through the legs of Tomas Vaclik. Barca held on for their second win over Sevilla in the space of five days to secure their place in the Cope del Rey final.

Phew, now let’s get to the Barcelona player ratings…

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GK) – 9/10 – Was the hero of the hour as he saved and held onto Ocampos’ penalty to keep the score 1-0. Did everything he was tasked with to perfection – no mucking around.

Oscar Mingueza (CB) – 7/10 – Had a good game on the right of the back three. Very composed, making several brilliant interceptions as Sevilla broke out while also playing a couple of forward balls that found their way through the visitors’ defensive lines. Conceded a penalty, but it was a poor decision from the referee more than anything.

Gerard Pique (CB) – 9/10 – A classic performance from the veteran. Always on hand to cover for either of his centre back colleagues and commanded the back line with his usual assurance. Dramatically grabbed Barca’s second in the 94th minute.

Clement Lenglet (CB) – 6/10 – Had a tough job against the pace and trickery down Sevilla’s right, but did well to nullify the threat when Jordi Alba was caught upfield.

Sergino Dest (RWB) – 5/10 – Absolutely tireless but struggled to get the better of Marcos Acuna down the right and often relied on teammates covering him on the defensive. Hooked off after an hour.

Frenkie de Jong (CM) – 7/10 – Made some effortlessly lovely touches in midfield to get his side up the pitch, as well as driving and surging into the final third to support attacks.

Sergio Busquets (CM) – 6/10 – Played a couple of excellent through balls in the first 45, before bizarrely seeming to avoid any sort of searching pass after the break. Did well as the screen to the defence, however, crucially breaking down a couple of counters.

Pedri (CM) – 6/10 – Was dogged in midfield, constantly making a nuisance of himself. Despite some good phases and attacking touches on the ball, the youngster couldn’t find a cutting edge to impact the game.

Jordi Alba (LWB) – 8/10 – Fantastic energy down the left. Constantly pressed and won the ball high up the field, as well as contributing well to Barcelona’s attack – including a ferocious volley that cannoned off the bar at 1-0 and the assist for the winner.

Ousmane Dembele (ST) – 8/10 – Showed fantastic work rate with his pressing and tracking back, while also looking sharp and dangerous on the ball. Deservedly got on the scoresheet.

Lionel Messi (ST) – 7/10 – Started to pull the strings with quick fire passing and picking out pockets of space in the final third. Was unlucky to see a chipped effort cleared off the line but was a key creator for his side as they got desperate in the second half.

Antoine Griezmann (ST) – 8/10 – Added quality to Barcelona’s forward line with his link up play and movement, and crossed brilliantly for Pique’s late goal.

Junior Firpo (RB) – 6/10

Ilaix Moriba (CM) – 6/10

Martin Braithwaite (ST) – 7/10 – Headed well from Alba’s cross to secure his side’s passage to the final.

Francisco Trincao (RW) – 6/10

It was not quite as comfortable as the scoreline suggested, but Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Wolves on Tuesday evening still added fuel to the argument that Pep Guardiola’s are good enough to win a quadruple this season.

For the first hour of the contest, City were as dominant as they have ever been. It was not just the sheer amount of possession – they finished the first half on 75% – nor their 93% passing accuracy that was so impressive.

From front to back, the Cityzens played like a squad that had, well, won 20 games on the spin prior to Nuno Espirito Santo’s low block enthusiasts coming to town. This was perhaps best demonstrated on the half hour mark.

By that time, City were already 1-0 up, courtesy on a Riyad Mahrez cross which was put into the Wolves net by Leander Dendoncker. The visitors, meanwhile, had not even managed to muster a shot, nor a touch, inside the opposition box.

Despite their almost comical dominance, there was not the vaguest whiff of complacency in the City ranks, and when Pedro Neto received an out ball on the half turn, no less than three sky blue shirts swarmed around him, pushing him all the way back into his own back three.

This sort of merciless, borderline psychopathic pressing was exhibited by the home side throughout the first half, with Wolves reduced to spectators in a match in which they were taking part in.

After this one sided first half, the contest was briefly turned on its head when Conor Coady managed to force home Joao Moutinho’s precisely weighted free kick on the hour mark. Incredibly, it was Wolves’ first shot of the entire game.

City responded in typically rampant fashion. Not becoming disheartened after some miscued efforts, they eventually scored three second half goals. Their movement was fluid and creativity was abundant, meaning even though their finishing was wayward, the sheer volume of chances created got them over line.

Aside from the quite obviously gutsy display, a quick look at the City bench against Wolves further strengthens their quadruple credentials. The fact is they managed to put four goals past a solid Premier League defence, yet still managed to leave the likes of Phil Foden, John Stones, Ferran Torres, Ilkay Gundogan and Sergio Aguero watching on from the sidelines.

While their rivals deal with a seemingly never ending list of injuries, City have the luxury of leaving millions of pounds of worth of talent saved up for a rainy day.

What this says about the state of footballing financial disparity is a whole separate argument. However, there can be no denying that in a season as congested as this one, City’s crazy depth, combined with the sort of ruthlessness they displayed against Wolves, means that right now they are better placed than any team in recent history to scoop four trophies in a single season.

An 89th-minute Vinicius Jr equaliser earned Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad on Monday night, leaving them five points behind La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid ahead of the weekend’s derby.

Los Blancos had more of the ball and dominated the goalscoring opportunities in the first period, racking up 12 attempts before half-time. The closest they got to breaking the deadlock was after 22 minutes, when a clipped Lucas Vazquez cross could only be headed onto the bar by Mariano, before Marco Asensio’s effort on the rebound was blocked on the line by Robin Le Normand.

An attacking tweak in Real Madrid’s formation at the interval afforded their visitor’s much more space and time on the ball and, on 55 minutes, they made the most of it. A breakaway move led to Nacho Monreal crossing fantastically for Portu to head into the top corner via the underside of the bar.

Zidane’s men controlled the game from then and pressed for an equaliser throughout the second half, eventually getting their reward in the 89th minute when substitute Vinicius Jr lashed home from another quality cross from Vazquez. That last-gasp effort earned Los Blancos a draw which keeps them in third place, level on points with Barcelona.

Now, let’s get to the Real Madrid player ratings…

Thibaut Courtois (GK) – 6/10 – Looked a little shaky with his handling at times, but made a couple of saves and couldn’t do anything about Portu’s header for the La Reales’ goal.

Lucas Vazquez (RB) – 8/10 – Got up the right flank brilliantly and delivered real quality into the box, racking up four key passes, including the assist for the late equaliser.

Raphael Varane (CB) – 7/10 – Used his pace to mark La Liga’s in-form striker Aleksander Isak out of the game, not giving him a sniff of goal throughout as he made three ball recoveries and four clearances.

Nacho (CB) – 7/10 – Covered well for Ferland Mendy when he was caught upfield and managed the pace of Portu well, making three tackles and some key clearances in his own penalty area.

Ferland Mendy (LB) – 6/10 – As usual found himself in advanced positions and was his side’s main threat from the left but couldn’t quite manage an end product. Let his side down as he was beaten at the back post by Portu for the goal.

Casemiro (DM) – 6/10 – Provided a good screen in front of the back four with three ball recoveries, but strangely couldn’t replicate his usual form in front of goal, not achieving a single attempt on target from seven efforts.

Luka Modric (CM) – 6/10 – Found little pockets of space to good effect and had a couple of decent efforts on goal, but generally couldn’t quite stamp his authority on the match, and was hooked off as he looked leggy.

Toni Kroos (CM) – 7/10 – Found himself on the ball constantly and was able to dictate play for Los Blancos, maintaining an 89% pass accuracy and playing two key balls.

Marco Asensio (RW) – 6/10 – Showed absolute class with some excellent touches and was very unlucky not to have scored in the first half as Le Normand cleared his effort. Looked capable of changing the course of the game but was taken off on the hour.

Mariano (ST) – 4/10 – Had one real opportunity with which he hit the bar but was left isolated throughout, making just 12 touches before coming off.

Isco (LW) – 7/10 – Drifted inside throughout and was able to produce some lovely touches to create opportunities for teammates, making four key passes.

Rodrygo (RW) – 6/10 – Looked a threat after coming on, getting on the ball regularly and driving at his opposition while making one key pass.

Vinicius Jr (LW) – 8/10 – Finished excellently late on to grab the equaliser and rescue the point for his side on his 100th appearance for Los Blancos.

Hugo Duro (ST) – 5/10

Federico Valverde (CM) – 6/10

It may have only been against Sheffield United – lowly, goalshy, soon to be relegated Sheffield United – but Liverpool will still have been extremely relieved to have picked up a routine 2-0 win on Sunday evening.

Going into their trip to Bramall Lane, the Reds were at the lowest point of the Jurgen Klopp era. With their squad ravaged by injuries, they had lost each of their last four Premier League games. This run of form left them a gut-wrenching 22 points off leaders Manchester City and some way off West Ham in fourth.

During this same period, they had conceded ten goals and prior to the game were also without a clean sheet since they drew 0-0 with Manchester United well over a month ago. Even against a side as hopelessly toothless going forward as Sheffield United – the Premier League’s lowest scorers by some margin – the chances of Liverpool ending this run without a shutout seemed slim before kick off.

Due to the tragic death of his father, Alisson was replaced in goal by the error-prone Adrian, while inexperienced pair Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak started at centre back. Despite these mitigating factors, Roy Keane was not in a sympathetic mood while previewing the game for Sky Sports.

Addressing claims that the Reds’ makeshift backline might be cut some slack, he said: “We’ve spent the last six months talking about Liverpool’s problems. They’re signed with Liverpool Football Club, if they can’t deal with playing Sheffield United away, they should retire.”

Harsh, but fair.

Fortunately, Phillips and Kabak showed they don’t want to hang up their boots just yet, steering their side to just their seventh Premier League clean sheet of the season.

The pair certainly did not possess a telepathic understanding throughout – the Turkey international even inadvertently put one into his own net in the first half, only for the offside flag to save his ignominy – but there were plenty of bright signs in the duo’s performance.

Phillips may have limitations on the ball but even against the physical Oli McBurnie he competed superbly, winning seven aerial duels and also throwing himself in front of several shots.

He is a proper old school English centre back and while he may not be good enough to start for the Reds at full strength, he continues to show that he has more than enough to contribute beyond this strange campaign.

The same could be said for Kabak. In contrast to his partner, there are glimpses that his ceiling is high but he is far from the finished product. At Bramall Lane he was occasionally clumsy on the ball but at other times he looked like the real deal, completing an impressive amount of long switches.

He was also assertive when he needed to be. While Kabak continues to adjust to both the shell-shock he suffered playing in that Schalke team, and Liverpool’s new system with minimal preparation time, he still managed to complete a game high three tackles, as well as a team high four clearances.

Together, Kabak and Phillips provided their side with an impressively stubborn last line of defence. The clean sheet, much like the win, was much needed, and could potentially provide the momentum Liverpool require to get their truly mad season back under control.

Newcastle United and Wolves played out a surprisingly entertaining 1-1 draw at St James’ Park, though both sides will be disappointed to have only claimed a point.

The hosts started the brighter of the two, and thought they had taken the lead when Allan Saint-Maximin danced through the visitors’ backline to tap home after Joe Willock’s initial shot had been blocked.

But the Frenchman was stood in an offside position when Willock touched the ball, chalking his effort off. That setback didn’t rock Newcastle and they did end up taking the lead seven minutes into the second half, Jamaal Lascelles meeting Ryan Fraser’s cross to head the ball beyond Rui Patricio in Wolves’ goal.

The Magpies’ hopes of picking up all three points effectively disappeared down the tunnel with Saint-Maximin, after the winger was forced to limp from the field – leaving Newcastle devoid of the star quality needed to see out the game.

Wolves smelt blood at this point, and they restored parity on 73 minutes thanks to a wonderful team move, capped by Ruben Neves heading in Pedro Neto’s cross.

Neither team was content to settle for a point, and both went for the jugular in an entertaining finish to the game. Joelinton, low on confidence and seemingly unable to buy a goal, had a great opportunity to end his drought late on, and when his effort flew past Patricio’s left hand, it looked for all the world that his effort would ripple the net.

Cue Moroccan defender Romain Saiss stepping into the path of the ball, ricocheting the ball away off his back.

Wolves came within millimetres of snatching the win at the death, as the dangerous Neto picked out young striker Fabio Silva in the box. The Portuguese couldn’t beat Martin Dubravka though, recalled in place of Karl Darlow, as the Slovak stopper palmed his point-blank header round the post.

A point is a decent result for both sides, and supporters of each club can perhaps take comfort from the more expansive brand of football played on the night.

You’d be hard pushed to describe the majority of Manchester United’s transfer business in recent years as anything other than underwhelming.

Granted there’s been the odd gem – calm down Bruno Fernandes fan boys, we know – but some of the other acquisitions have failed to live up to their (usually) astronomical price tags.

One player who up until the last year or so would certainly have been mentioned in such a conversation is Fred.

The Brazilian struggled in his first season at Old Trafford following his £47m arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk, but having been given time to settle he’s beginning to prove himself to be a real asset in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and their bid to re-emerge as one of the powerhouses of English football.

While Fred’s partnership with Scott McTominay at the base of the United midfield has flourished this season in particular, the Red Devils’ clash with Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Europa League last 32 tie showed a whole different side to the midfielder.

With Solskjaer’s men 4-0 up from the opening leg, the second half of the tie at Old Trafford was essentially a kick about.

Once the first 20 minutes had been safely navigated and there was evidently no chance of a sensational turnaround, United began to play with a little more freedom, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka even taking the opportunity to hone his forward play – with differing results.

With no need for defensive cover, Fred opened up the taps and took it upon himself to make a pretty drab affair interesting – and he didn’t do a bad job of it at all.

The Brazilian carried the threat to Real Sociedad in the first half, picking up the ball from deep and driving at the visitors with intent and purpose. With Nemanja Matic sitting in the midfield, Fred was given the chance to roam – and roam he did.

The midfield man was everywhere throughout the first half – even popping up in the Sociedad box as the most advanced United player on the pitch at one point – and he remained positive whenever he had the ball at his feet too, looking to play through the lines and launch attacks.

Not to be denied his customary cynical challenge of the game, the 27-year-old was booked midway through the first half for what we’ll call a ‘professional foul’ for the purpose of wanting to be nice to him, but it didn’t take the shine off what was a very positive first-half performance before he was withdrawn at half time with the huge clash with Chelsea at the weekend in mind.

Solskjaer has been criticised at times for his negative approach to crunch clashes, with 0-0 draws picked up in the Premier League against Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool already this season.

Fred’s performance in the clash with Sociedad was a reminder of just how effective he can be when afforded the chance to play in a more advanced role, and it could be something Solskjaer looks to utilise in big games in the future without deviating from his preferred midfield base of McTominay and the Brazilian.

Real Madrid will take a slender 1-0 advantage into the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie following victory over 10-man Atalanta in Bergamo on Wednesday evening.

The complexion of the game was dramatically altered just 17 minutes in when Remo Freuler was sent off for bringing down Ferland Mendy on the edge of the Atalanta box, as the Real man burst towards goal.

Despite playing over 70 minutes with ten men, the Italian side turned in a resolute defensive performance and largely restricted the Spanish champions to half-chances. However, La Dea’s resistance was finally broken four minutes from time, with Mendy again the protagonist as he curled a fabulous effort from the edge of the box into the corner of the net.

Let’s get into some player ratings…

Pierluigi Gollini (GK) – 6/10 – Made a big reaction save on the stroke of half-time to deny Varane.

Rafael Toloi (CB) – 8/10 – Made an important block to send a goal-bound Isco effort wide in the first half. Still charged forward adventurously on occasions despite Atalanta’s one-man deficit.

Cristian Romero (CB) – 7/10 – Question marks over the entire Atalanta back three for Freuler’s sending off, with Mendy and Isco both afforded acres of space to play through them with ease. Otherwise an unreal defensive shift from the hosts.

Berat Djimsiti (CB) – 7/10 – Threw himself in front of anything as Atalanta put in a huge defensive performance to keep the tie alive.

Joakim Maehle (RWB) – 7/10 – Turned in a resolute defensive performance as Real endured a frustrating evening.

Marten de Roon (CM) – 6/10 – A big defensive shift, but struggled to get on the ball following the sending off.

Remo Freuler (CM) – 3/10 – Sent off after 17 minutes when, as the last man, he brought down Mendy on the edge of the box – slightly harsh on Freuler.

Matteo Pessina (AM) – 5/10 – Dropped into a deeper central midfield role following Freuler’s sending off. Tireless and dogged but struggled to create anything.

Robin Gosens (LWB) – 7/10 – Restricted in his ability to get forward but put in a big defensive shift as Real struggled to break Atalanta down.

Luis Muriel (FW) – 5/10 – Dragged Atalanta’s most promising first-half opening wide from the edge of the box. Largely forced to lead the line on his own, replaced after 55 minutes.

Duvan Zapata (FW) – 5/10 – Forced off with injury after half an hour having not had a sniff of goal.

Mario Pasalic – 6/10

Josip Ilicic – 5/10

Jose Luis Palomino – 5/10

Ruslan Malinovskyi – 5/10

Thibaut Courtois (GK) – 6/10 – Largely a spectator as Atalanta rarely threatened the Real goal.

Lucas Vazquez (RB) – 6/10 – Got forward at any given opportunity. Rarely tested defensively, such was Real’s dominance in possession.

Raphael Varane (CB) – 6/10 – Saw a headed opportunity well saved on the stroke of half-time. Largely untroubled defensively.

Nacho (CB) – 7/10 – Had an adventurous charge through the Atalanta back line in the first half and saw his effort flash across the face of goal, and made an important interception to prevent Muriel being played clean through on goal.

Ferland Mendy (LB) – 8/10 – Fouled on the edge of the box as he attempted to burst through, resulting in Atalanta being reduced to ten men. Bent home a fabulous strike from the edge of the area to finally open the scoring.

Casemiro (CM) – 6/10 – Passed and passed all evening as Real dominated possession. Perhaps fortunate to not be shown a second yellow for a dive in the second half.

Luka Modric (CM) – 7/10 – Saw one effort fly over in the first half, and another trickle just wide in the second.

Toni Kroos (CM) – 6/10 – Almost unlocked the Atalanta back line with a dangerous free-kick delivery on the stroke of half-time. Effortlessly sprayed the ball about all evening, but struggled to unpick the Atalanta defence.

Isco (AM) – 6/10 – Saw a first-half effort deflect wide, before slipping Vinicius Junior through with a delightful nut-megged pass.

Marco Asensio (FW) – 6/10 – Produced a teasing cross begging to be turned home in the latter stages of the first half. Otherwise largely frustrated by the Atalanta back line.

Vinicius Junior (FW) – 6/10 – Instrumental in Freuler’s sending off, finding Mendy with a probing through-ball. Replaced just before the hour mark.

Mariano – 6/10

Sergio Arribas – 6/10

Hugo Duro – 6/10

How do you break down a team that shapes up in a 6-3-1 formation out of possession?

It’s a question Chelsea were forced to try and find an answer to when they travelled to Bucharest to take on Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.

Even by Diego Simeone’s obsessively high standards of defensive solidity, his team were in a particularly stingy mood in Romania. That opening gambit is not a misprint. Each time Atletico lost the ball, a flurry of Rojiblancos shirt retreated to their own 18-yard line.

Centre backs Mario Hermosa, Stefan Savic and Felipe, wing backs Thomas Lemar and Marcos Llorente, and right forward Angel Correa would respond to El Cholo’s raspy screams, teaming up to create one of the most imposing low blocks in world football.

Collectively, the system would pose problems to any set of attackers. However, the remarkable talent of each of its composite parts – even with the absences of Kieran Trippier and Jose Gimenez – made Chelsea’s task even harder. Each member of this seemingly impregnable defensive wall has contributed significantly to an Atleti team that has conceded just 16 goals in La Liga this season and shipped just eight in a Champions League group containing the irrepressible Bayern Munich.

Despite all of this, the Blues still managed to escape from the contest with a win and, perhaps more importantly, a crucial away goal. They had Olivier Giroud to thank for this, a player who has seemingly been on the cusp of being shipped out of Stamford Bridge for the past two years.

The once unwanted Frenchman netted one of Chelsea’s great European goals. Latching onto Marcos Alonso’s diverted cross, he produced an overhead kick that was almost as beautiful as his chiseled jawline.

Looking at things more widely, Thomas Tuchel can take plenty of positives from his side’s performance as a whole.

Before Giroud’s freakishly brilliant strike settled the game in the second half, there were plenty of signs that Chelsea were slowly piecing together the right combinations to break down their joy-sapping opponents.

Many sides have registered monstrous amounts of possession when facing Atletico in a European knockout tie, but Chelsea were part of a select few that actually managed to threaten their opponents.

Key to this were the displays of supporting forwards Timo Werner and Mason Mount. Their approaches to breaking down the home side’s defence varied, but both were effective at points. Werner opted for lightning quick exchanges on the edge of the box with Giroud. This tactic paid off on several occasions as well, with the German looking the sharpest player on the pitch by some distance.

Mount, meanwhile, drifted around in the half spaces, looking to switch the play quickly with a deep cross or set free his teammates with an incisive pass. These pair of young upstarts were supported by Chelsea’s wing backs whose runs helped to force overloads in wide areas. Jorginho’s long, crossfield passes were important as well.

This contest was billed as a litmus test for Tuchel’s new look side and the results were extremely positive. Breaking down Atletico is one of the toughest tasks any European side can be posed but the Blues rose to the challenge, showcasing invention in the final third to establish themselves as favourites to progress when the pair meet for the second leg on 17 March.

In a transfer window as dull as January 2021, you could be forgiven for quickly scrolling past the news of Jean-Philippe Mateta signing for Crystal Palace on loan from Mainz.

The 23-year-old had managed seven goals in 15 Bundesliga appearances for the German side during the first half of the season. A decent haul, but as names go throughout Europe’s top five leagues, his is not instantly recognisable for the average football fan.

But if you weren’t aware of him before Monday night, you will be now. Unless you didn’t fancy Crystal Palace vs Brighton and used the evening to take a break from the constant football. Then you obviously won’t be… Anyway, you get the idea.

Palace have had quite a massive striker problem for a while now. Christian Benteke’s form has nosedived over the past couple of seasons and while Jordan Ayew is as hard a grafter as you’re likely to see, he was never going to be the long term answer to that goalscoring problem. Great to have in a squad like Palace’s, yes, but a permanent fixture as a striker? No.

It was only Mateta’s second Premier League start on Monday, his first coming against Leeds in the 2-0 defeat earlier in February. He lasted just over an hour then and was a substitute for their next game against Burnley.

He made little impression in either, but made the most emphatic contribution during a first half which Brighton dominated.

Ayew was the provider on the wing, doing Dan Burn on the outside and crossing low into Mateta’s feet. The Frenchman swivelled perfectly to meet the ball, placing it perfectly with a backheel past Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for the game’s opener.

Perhaps what was most impressive about his creative finish was just how little of the ball he had received. Mateta was a lone figure as Brighton pressed and probed around the Palace box.

As has often been the case for the south coast side under manager Graham Potter, their pretty football came to little, and instead it was Mateta who applied the finishing touch in the 28th minute with just his eighth touch of the ball.

Whereas opposite number Neal Maupay seemed to get in the way with his touches in Palace’s box during that first half, Mateta produced a moment of instinctive brilliance.

Palace in general have been quite mixed over the past few weeks, with wins against Wolves and Newcastle helping to allay any potential relegation fears. But with Wilfried Zaha sidelined since that victory over the Magpies, there have been worries over their attacking potency.

On Monday night though, just two moments of quality that exploited weaknesses in Brighton’s backline proved enough for Palace to take all three points back to Selhurst Park.

Christian Benteke’s effort was arguably the better of the two, a brilliantly controlled volley that flew low into the bottom corner. It was a great result for manager Roy Hodgson, both in seeing his two strike options net important goals as well as picking up all three points in general.

The gap between Palace and Brighton now stands at six points. If the two strikers can find a bit of form, it may only widen between now and the end of the season.

If Daniel James was wondering what he had to do to work his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans, he now has his answer.

After a long spell out of the starting lineup, the Welsh winger delivered a performance during the week that Solskjaer conceded made him impossible to drop.

It was evident in his celebration that the goal against Real Sociedad was a weight off his shoulders, and he went into Manchester United’s clash with Newcastle looking to build on his newfound momentum.

What’s the best way to do that? Well, another goal would do, wouldn’t it?.

After months of seeming as though he would fade into the background at Old Trafford, James is once again showing the short of goalscoring form that made him an immediate favourite after his move from Swansea.

His goal against Newcastle, peeling off at the back post, anticipating the mistake from Jamal Lewis, and absolutely hammering the ball into the bottom corner, was his sixth goal this season for club and country.

It was his sixth goal in his last nine matches, and his sixth in 505 minutes of football. He has netted a goal for every 84 minutes he has played since November.

Critics of James’ game have labelled him something of a one-trick pony, and a player who only scores one type of goal: the type that utilises his pace to get away from a defender down the flank.

Solskjaer has hinted that he has been working hard to add more dimensions to his play, though, and if his impressive goalscoring numbers aren’t enough to convince you of that, then his overall performance against Newcastle should have.

Even before his goal he was seen getting into the right positions to score. You can see it in his movement off the ball ahead of Marcus Rashford’s opening goal: rather than following the shot in, he pulls off into space in anticipation of a rebound, displaying an awareness that he didn’t appear to have in his locker just a few months ago.

When his goal did arrive it came from a similar situation. Lewis gets drawn in, James senses that Bruno Fernandes is about to nudge it past him, and there is no note of surprise in his body language when he takes a touch and calmly hammers the ball into the corner.

His recent improvement has perhaps flown under the radar at a time when United seem to be scoring goals for fun, but as the season ticks on, this is an aspect of James’ game that looks set to win them points.

They may have Rashford and Fernandes in the form of their respective lives, but another attacker with a nose for the back of the net could go a long way as they look to finish this season as strongly as possible.

James’ cheesy grin has been the prevailing image from United’s wins over Sociedad and Newcastle, and with no sign that the goals are about to dry up for the free-scoring Welshman, it’s a picture we may become very familiar with in the second half of the season.