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Virgil van Dijk admitted that the entire Liverpool defence must share the blame for Alisson’s red card on Saturday afternoon, after the goalkeeper was sent off for handling outside the box in the 2-1 victory over Brighton.

Alisson made a rare error in judgement, racing out to defend a long ball over the top of a flat-footed Liverpool defence, but the ex-Roma man used his hands to block a shot outside the penalty area, and he received his marching orders from the referee.

The Reds struggled in the final ten minutes, but held on to another vital victory, and Van Dijk insisted that their star shot-stopper was not to blame for the incident which allowed Brighton back into the game, as reported by ​Metro.

​”We should have done better. We put him in that situation but it is what it is. We have to deal with it. It is a disappointment but we go again,” Van Dijk confessed.

The Dutch international then discussed Brighton’s contentious consolation strike, which caught out replacement goalkeeper Adrián, having just entered the field of play.

“The referee gave it and we had to deal with it. It’s a pity but we got the three points.”

Van Dijk was the hero for ​the Reds on Saturday afternoon, as the 28-year-old powered home two wonderful deliveries from set-piece specialist Trent Alexander-Arnold, which proved to be the decisive strikes in this hard-fought victory.

“Obviously I am one of the main targets for attacking set-pieces. It is not easy because I get marked normally by the best defensive header of the ball.

“They [​Brighton] are a good side. They play football and take risks. It’s not easy.

“We should have gone better than we did in the second half but you have to give them credit as well. Unfortunately we got that red card with Alisson then we just had to defend.

“We played a few days ago so energy is always a little bit less than usual if you have a full week to prepare but we have to deal with it and manage the game a little bit better. We could have done that better today but we won and that’s the most important thing.”

Liverpool’s victory means they have now opened up an 11-point gap over reigning champions ​Manchester City, who were only able to draw against ​Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds will have to face rivals ​Everton without Alisson however, as the Brazilian will now be suspended for the Merseyside derby on Wednesday evening.

Boos rang out around a near-empty Emirates Stadium as Arsenal slumped to a dismal 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The Gunners started the game fairly brightly, with Gabriel Martinelli having a header cleared off the line by former Manchester City man Gelson Fernandes.

Joe Willock and Bakary Saka also had good chances in the first-half with both of their efforts drawing fine saves out of stand-in keeper Frederik Ronnow.

Frankfurt in contrast looked toothless in the first period, mustering just one attempt on goal in the opening 45 minutes. It was no surprise when Arsenal took the lead in stoppage time through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who just managed to squeeze his shot past Ronnow.

After the break the away side managed to equalise completely against the run of play with Daichi Kamada rifling a shot past Emiliano Martinez to level up the scores.

The goal inspired confidence in the visitors and Kamada doubled his tally for the evening with an excellent finish after the ball fell to him from a corner.

Arsenal offered very little in the way of a response to Frankfurt’s brace despite bringing on Mesut Ozil. The game finished 2-1 as the sparsely populated Emirates made their feelings known, with thousands more having already voted with their feet.

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Arsenal

Talking Point

It was a rather eerie affair in north London this evening. With Frankfurt fans banned from attending and ​tens of thousands of ​Arsenal fans choosing to stay away, only a very sparsely populated Emirates Stadium witnessed Arsenal’s poor defeat.

And what did the fans who stayed at home miss? Another drab performance from Unai Emery’s side, void of creativity, invention and most worryingly of all, effort.

After starting the game fairly well, the Gunners were left shellshocked by Frankfurt’s quick-fire brace in the second half and their failure to muster up any kind of a response in indicative of a side lacking in determination and character.

It was a performance as apathetic as fans feeling towards the clubs at the moment, and unfortunately for Emery the buck will eventually stop with the manager. It is surely now an issue of when not if the Spaniard will be given his marching orders by the Gunners.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Martinez (4), Chambers (5), Mustafi (5), Sokratis (5), Tierney (5); Xhaka (6), Luiz (6) Willock (8*); Martinelli (7), Aubameyang (7), Saka (6)

Substitutes: Guendouzi (5), Ozil (5), Torreira (5)

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Star Man

In what was a mostly dismal display from Arsenal this evening, one bright spark was the performance of Joe Willock.

Operating as a roaming playmaker in the Gunners’ midfield three, Willock’s dynamism and drive were at the heart of everything his side created.

The 20-year-old has been conspicuously absent from the starting XI in recent weeks and if he continues to play like this it won’t be long until his forces his way back into his manager’s plans. Whether that manager will be Unai Emery however, remains to be seen.

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Frankfurt

Player Ratings

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Starting XI: Ronnow (7), da Costa (7), Abraham (6), Hasebe (6), Hinteregger (6), Kostic (7); Kamada (8), Fernandes (6), Sow (7); Silva (5), Paciencia (6)

Substitutes: Gacinovic (5), Kohr (6)

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 Looking Ahead

Arsenal turn their attentions back to their domestics commitments this weekend as they look to close the gap on the top four.

The Gunners travel to Carrow Road to face Norwich City on Sunday, in what they will surely be targeting as an easy three points.

Frankfurt will also reset their focus on the league. They take on Mainz on Monday night in the Bundesliga.  ​

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A bizarre late equaliser from Daniel Wass prevented Chelsea from securing a place in the Champions League knockout stages in an enthralling clash with Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium on Wednesday night.

Valencia looked like they found the pivotal early goal, only for Maxi Gomez to completely miss the ball when presented with a glorious chance from Rodrigo’s low cross. The striker then wasted another superb opportunity, only this time to be halted by a fine Kepa save.

It was Jasper Cillessen’s turn to save his side shortly after, as Tammy Abraham’s side-footed effort looked destined for the top corner before the Dutch goalkeeper intervened. That had a significant impact just seconds later, as Carlos Soler turned home from close range to hand Valencia the lead. It didn’t last long, however, when Mateo Kovacic fired home from range to level matters less than two minutes later.

​Chelsea then took the lead shortly after the restart, as Christian Pulisic tapped home from close range, after a lengthy VAR review deemed the American to be onside. With the game being played at blistering pace, the home side then had the opportunity to draw level after Jorginho felled Jose Gaya in the box. Kepa stood up to the challenge, however; making a fine right handed save to deny Dani Parejo.

Los Ches continued to throw men forward as the game wore on, with their second goal of the night coming in bizarre fashion as Wass’ right wing cross was poorly hit – but beautifully aimed – as it stunned everyone and flew into the Chelsea net off the far post.

Both sides went hammer and tong as the minutes wore on, with seven minutes of stoppage time seeing chances aplenty for both outfits. Valencia will be baffled as to how they didn’t snatch it in injury time, spurning two gilt-edged chances to secure all three points. Nevertheless, neither side could find the breakthrough and the draw leaves both clubs’ chances of reaching the knockout stages hinging on the final group stage matches.

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​VALENCIA

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Cillessen (7); Costa (5), Garay (7), Gabriel (6), Gaya (7); Torres (8), Parejo (7), Wass (7), Soler (8); Rodrigo (5), Gomez (5)

Substitutes: Gameiro (6), Coquelin (7)

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CHELSEA

Key Talking Point

Well, how do we unpack all of that?

This was a hugely entertaining encounter, the kind of one you’d rather just kept going on all night. Probably not what Frank Lampard thought, mind you, with his Chelsea defence looking rather shaky in a first half that Valencia deserved at least a goal from.

Some astonishing Gomez misses prevented that from happening, but the idea of dropping Fikayo Tomori and playing Cesar Azpilicueta seemed to confuse the backline, who conceded far too many chances.

Netting early in the second half looked like it would settle nerves, but the home side were happy to throw men forward in search of an equaliser that would be crucial to their own hopes of qualification. It was end-to-end stuff, with Chelsea’s efforts to cling on ending in failure through the unfortunate manner in which they conceded.

It was a truly barnstorming encounter that could have ended 5-5 let alone 2-2, but in the end it does neither sides any favours heading into the final group matches. Luckily for Chelsea, however, they take on bottom side Lille at home, knowing that Valencia will need to travel to Ajax, which poses a far more daunting proposition.

You couldn’t take your eyes off proceedings, but the manner in which Chelsea were carved open on numerous occasions will be the key issue for Lampard to unpick when the squad head back to London.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Kepa (8); James (8), Christensen (6), Zouma (7), Azpilicueta (6); Kovacic (9*), Jorginho (6), Kante (7); Pulisic (7), Abraham (5), Willian (6)

Substitutes: Emerson (6), Batshuayi (6), Mount (6)

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Star Man

It was a long time coming, but Mateo Kovacic finally netted his first Chelsea goal at the 71st time of asking. Do not scratch your eyes, it actually happened. And it was a top drawer strike, mind you.

Scoring aside, he was the engine in the Blues midfield who was driving forward with the ball in the absence of Mason Mount, offering a threat going forward while equally keeping hold of the ball in situations that called for calm.

He’s a player who has truly blossomed under Lampard, and his immense form is keeping the club’s star of the season on the bench. That says enough. Another excellent night from the Croatian.

A resurgent Spurs fought back from two goals down to beat Olympiacos 4-2 under the lights of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, securing their place in the knockout stages.

The visitors started the game brilliantly and silenced the home fans early on as Youssef El-Arabi smashed the ball into the back of the net after some brilliant individual play on the edge of the penalty area.

The Greek side continued to dominate the game, and they managed to make it 2-0 just 20 minutes in thanks to Ruben Semedo, who poked home after some shocking Spurs defending from a corner.

Spurs were looking short of ideas, forcing Jose Mourinho to haul Eric Dier off before the half hour mark, replacing him with the more attack-minded Christian Eriksen. The gamble paid off

on the stroke of half time as ​Dele Alli pounced on a terrible error from Yassine Meriah to tap home, making the Special One’s half-time team talk that little but easier.

The hosts came out the traps quickly in the second half, and ​Harry Kane was the man to draw the sides level after good work from Lucas Moura. Spurs continued to pile on the pressure in what was an end-to-end game, and finally took the lead when Serge Aurier smashed home superbly on the half-volley. 

They soon made it four when Kane headed home a delicious cross from Eriksen, sending the home fans into delirium.

Victory for Spurs sees them qualify alongside table toppers Bayern, ahead of their clash in the final group game in two weeks time.

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TOTTENHAM​

Key Talking Point

The Lilywhites started the game poorly, but they were a completely different team in the second half. They played with drive and energy and Olympiacos simply couldn’t cope.

​Premier League golden boot winners Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are among the 30 nominees for the prestigious 2019 African Player of the Year award.

The trio headline the shortlist after they each netted 22 goals in the 2018/19 season, ensuring the top-scorer award would be split for the first time since the 2010-11 season – and the first time since 1999 it would be split three ways.

​Aubameyang has started the 2019/20 campaign with eight goals in 13 appearances for the Gunners, while 21 goals between the ​Liverpool duo put each in with a strong chance of lifting the award, currently held by Salah.

The Anfield pair join teammate Naby Keita, who makes the cut despite a difficult start to life in England, while Aubameyang has an ​Arsenal teammate in Nicolas Pepe, whose goalscoring heroics with Lille earned him a £72m move to the Premier League.

Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Leicester’s Wilfried Ndidi, Aston Villa’s Trezeguet and Crystal Palace duo Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew round out the Premier League representation, while French champions PSG have two nominees in Idrissa Gueye and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

Ajax keeper Andre Onana continues his steady rise to the top with a place on the shortlist, as does domestic teammate Hakim Ziyech, while Atletico’s Thomas Partey is the sole representative from La Liga.

Below is the entire list of nominees for the award, which will be handed on on 7th January 2020, at the CAF’s award ceremony in Hurghada, Egypt.

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​Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund)	Andre Onana (Ajax)
​Baghdad Bounedjah (Al-Sadd)	Carlous Andriamatsinoro (Al-Adalah​)
​Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (PSG)	​Denis Onyango (Mamelodi Sundowns)
​Ferjani Sassi (Zamalek)	​Kodjo Fo Doh Laba (Al Ain)
​Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)	​Idrissa Gueye (PSG)
​Ismail Bennacer (AC Milan)	Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace​)
​Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)	Trezeguet (Aston Villa​)
​Mbwana Samatta (Genk)	Mohamed Salah (Liverpool​)
​Moussa Marega (Porto)	Naby Keita (Liverpool​)
​Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal)	Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua​)
​Percy Tau (Club Brugge)	Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal​)
​Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)	Sadio Mane (Liverpool​)
​Taha Yassine Khenissi (ES de Tunis)	​Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid)
​Victor Osmihen (Lille)	Wilfried Ndidi (Leicester​)
​Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)	Youcef Belaili (Al-Ahli​)

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Flamengo won a stunning Copa Libertadores final at the death by two goals to one, having been a goal down with one minute of normal time remaining. An incredible brace from Gabriel Barbosa turned the game on its head in the final seconds, and prevented River Plate from retaining the coveted trophy.

River took the lead inside the opening quarter of an hour after the ball broke free in the heart of the Flamengo penalty area, and Rafael Santos Borré lashed home to send the Argentine supporters into pandemonium.

Flamengo grew into the game as they looked to level proceedings, but they struggled to break down a stubborn and organised River side. Gabriel Barbosa had the best chance for the Rubro-Negro, but his close-range strike was blocked on the line, and the rebound was saved smartly.

With River Plate only a couple of minutes away from another Copa Libertadores success, Barbosa sent the Brazilian supporters into raptures with a far-post tap-in to level the score in the 90th minute.

River were reeling at the prospect of extra time, but the additional 30 minutes were ripped away from them at the death when Gabriel latched onto a long ball over the top and rifled beyond Franco Armani, completing an unthinkable comeback for Flamengo, and leaving the defeated River to wonder what might have been.

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Flamengo

Key Talking Point

Well, it had to be this didn’t it? You’re a goal down in the 89th minute, and your hopes of continental success are slipping through your fingers. Then, the ultimate one-two. All thanks to the predatory instinct of Inter flop Gabriel Barbosa.

Having missed a wonderful chance early in the second half, it seemed that ‘Gabigol’ was having one of those nights, and Flamengo’s reliance on the young striker was becoming increasingly apparent. Then, from nowhere, Gabigol sparked one of the greatest comebacks since the Sheringham and Solskjaer sucker punch in Barcelona.

Gabriel was in the right place at the right time to drag his side back into the tie, tapping him from inside the six-yard box to spark incredible scenes in the Flamengo stands. But the best was yet to come. Wreaking havoc and fear throughout the backline, Gabigol hustled and bustled his way through some weak challenges before lashing home only a matter of seconds later to bring the Copa Libertadores back to Brazil, and produce some of the most dramatic and jaw-dropping scenes in football history.

God bless South American football.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: ​Alves (8); Rafinha (8), Caio (8), Marí (8), Filipe Luis (7); Ribeiro (7), Arao (7), Gerson (8), Arrascaeta (8); Henrique (6), Gabriel (9*)

Substitutes: Diego (7), Vitinho (7) Piris (7)

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STAR MAN – And our ‘star man’ is Gerson…

Nah, sorry Gerson, you were upstaged in the very final minute, and although he was absolutely dreadful for 89 minutes, Gabriel Barbosa is the hero and match-winner. Gabigol has written himself into Flamengo’s history books tonight, and parents, grandparents and great-grand parents will pretend they were all in Peru on the night when Gabigol brought the Copa back to Brazil.

A stunning 120 seconds of football, which outshone everything that went before it. Gabriel Barbosa, the deadliest striker in South America, the man, the myth, the legend. And the only man to touch the trophy before kickoff and not to be cursed for all of eternity.

Bravo, Gabigol. Bravo.

And we’ll forgive you for getting a late red card, I don’t think anyone really noticed or cared.

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River Plate

Key Talking Point

How do you recover from a moment like this? With the trophy almost in his grasp, Marcelo Gallardo must have been planning the open-top bus parade in his mind as the clock ticked 89 minutes.

On 91 minutes, Gallardo was probably wondering where the open-all-hours bar was, ready to drown his sorrows after what will go down as one of the most dramatic finals in football history. River gave their all, and seemed to have done enough, but it simply wasn’t to be on a night when the Angel Gabriel came down and stole everyone’s thunder.

Heartbreak of the highest order for River.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Armani (7); Montiel (6), Quarta (6), Pinola (6), Casco (7); Fernández (8), Pérez (8), Palacios (9), De La Cruz (8); Borré (8), Suárez (8)

Substitutes: Alvarez (7), Pratto (6), Diaz (7)

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STAR MAN – Exequiel Palacios epitomised his team’s excellent display (for 89 minutes) on Saturday evening, buzzing around the pitch with great industry and causing endless problems for a frightened Flamengo backline. Palacios attacked the opposition players at every given opportunity, and he reduced the Brazilian side to retreating back to their own goalkeeper, and also forcing plenty of errors for his teammates to capitalise upon.

The attacking midfielder wasn’t afraid to have a try from distance either, and went incredibly close with two fierce long-range efforts. The 21-year-old’s overall play was excellent throughout the match, and despite the crushing last-gasp heartbreak, he will have still impressed plenty of potential suitors with his mature and exciting performance on Saturday.

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Looking Ahead

Flamengo return to domestic action on Wednesday evening when they entertain Ceará, and the Rubro-Negros will be in party mood following this stunning victory over River.

The big games keep on coming for River Plate, who compete in the Copa Argentina final against Central Còrdoba on Wednesday, and then face a trip to Newell’s on Saturday evening.

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Borussia Dortmund fought back from three goals down to rescue a point against bottom of the table Paderborn in a thrilling encounter on Friday night.

It was a stunning start for visiting Paderborn, who took the lead within five minutes – Streli Mamba sweeping home a beautifully crafted counter-attack and silencing Signal Iduna Park.

Things went from bad to worse for Lucien Favre’s side who conceded a second after 37 minutes, and it was Mamba again, running in behind the Dortmund defence and finishing with aplomb in front of a sea of yellow and black in the stands. It was soon three for the visitors, Gerrit Holtmann breaking through the Dortmund back line and slotting through the legs of Roman Burki to compile the hosts’ misery.

Things looked irreparable for Dortmund, but they made an electric start to the second half. Jadon Sancho slotted home only two minutes after the restart, converting half-time substitute Achraf Hakimi’s incisive pass and offering Dortmund hope.

Chances continued to come and go for the hosts but finally Dortmund grabbed a vital second goal through Axel Witsel’s near-range header, and bringing them back in to contention.

And finally, the comeback was complete in stoppage time. Sancho’s beautiful cross was calmly headed home by Marco Reus and rescued a much-needed point for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga’s best game of the season so far.

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Borussia Dortmund

​Key Talking Point

​Dortmund knew that they could rise to second in the ​Bundesliga with a victory over bottom of the table Paderborn, and they were in desperate need of a win following their humiliating 4-0 defeat to ​Bayern Munich before the international break.

The first half was the stuff of nightmares for the home crowd, who couldn’t quite believe what they were witnessing. Three devastating Paderborn counter-attacks left Dortmund bereft, licking their wounds going in to half time after some shambolic defending throughout the opening 45 minutes.

 

Dortmund struggled to cope with the pace and intensity of the visitors – who have only won one game in the Bundesliga this season – and looked incredibly vulnerable at the back with amateurish defending, and very little in the way of attacking creativity.

Favre needed a drastic reaction in the second half with his job firmly on the line, and possibly only 45 minutes to save himself from the sack. It was a fine start too, Sancho netting shortly after the break and seeking to inspire another Signal Iduna Park comeback.

Dortmund continued to chip away at Paderborn, with the visitors growing increasingly weary as time passed. They grabbed a second and third to produce a stunning comeback, finished off by Marco Reus in added time and sparing some of Favre’s blushes.

Despite an admirable fight from Dortmund in the second half, the performance and result were still a far cry from what the home fans have come to expect, and Favre’s head may still be on the chopping block after an ultimately disappointing evening.

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Player Ratings

Starting XI: Burki (5); Piszczek (4), Weigl (3), Hummels (4), Schulz (4); Witsel (6), Dahoud (4), Guerreiro (4), Sancho (7*), Reus (6); Alcacer (4)

Substitutes: Brandt (5), Hazard (5), Hakimi (6)

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Star Player

It was a dismal evening for Dortmund with very few players leaving the field with any pride. However, Sancho was the hosts’ most creative outlet and grabbed a goal and an assist to inspire an incredible comeback.

The English winger produced some fabulous stuff in the second half and has once again proved why he is an essential for Borussia Dortmund.

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Paderborn

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Zingerle (8); Jans (7), Kilian (7), Schonlau (8), Collins (7); Gjasula (8), Vasiliadis (5), Proger (7), Holtmann (7), Zolinski (7); Mamba (9*)

Substitutes: Sabiri (6), Antwi-Adjej (6), Michel (5)

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Looking Ahead

Borussia Dortmund’s next outing sees them travel to Camp Nou on Tuesday to take on ​Barcelona in ​Champions League Group F, before venturing to the German capital to face Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga this Saturday.

Meanwhile, Paderborn host RB Leipzig in their next domestic encounter