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From hell to purgatory. Manchester United are left in limbo about their European future this season, after a game at Galatasaray where both sides left everything on the pitch. Andre Onana, however, let two free-kicks in. There was still more to an utterly thrilling 3-3 draw than that, as United lost a lead for the fifth time in five Champions League group games. This was also the second by two goals. That should torment Erik ten Hag, even as it would have delighted anyone else watching on. This was so much more entertaining than the divinely perfect football we’ve come to expect from the competition’s best level and there is, of course, a lesson in that. This might have been the way to put on a show. It isn’t the way to go about an away game in the Champions League. There should be an even greater aggravation to that for Ten Hag, though. So much of United’s attacking play looked like what you would consider his ideal. It was a long-awaited reminder of last season’s best form, particularly Scott McTominay’s counter-attacking finish that should have won it. It was all there. There was connection combined with emphatic force, as was seen with Alejandro Garnacho’s glorious strike for the first after that exquisite little through ball. There was pure individual inspiration, as seen with Bruno Fernandes’ blockbuster. There was then incision at pace, as they cut through Galatasaray for McTominay to slide in. This is the way United should be playing. The great question for Ten Hag, that is directly connected to the quandary of how they keep losing leads, is whether they can only play that way by going so open? It is some way removed from Pep Guardiola’s suffocation through possession. It is even further away from so many of United’s drab league games. There, there’s been a more dour resilience, where performance has actually obscured relatively acceptable form. This still shouldn’t be acceptable, though. United just shouldn’t be in this position. That could have been said before this game, but this made it much worse. It’s like there’s no in-between. It’s either “control” to the point of boredom or abandon to the point of this chaos. Galatasaray of course contributed. They were often as good in attack, and just as porous at the back. The number of chances they were willing to just offer up late on. It’s incredible they still came out with a draw. For that, they can look to United’s goalkeeper. One Hakim Ziyech free-kick like that would have been bad enough. Two might well be a season destroyer. It will be all the worse given he had recovered. There hadn’t really been a major error since the supposed turning point of the penalty save against Copenhagen. It was just another twist in this group stage. The one excuse that might be made for Onana is that the conditions made it especially difficult, particularly in situations like those free-kicks. It was also like a player as clever as Ziyech knew that. He went for it. Again, there was more to it than that. Like Galatasaray at the other end, United gave up so many chances that any two or three of a number of efforts could have ended up as goals. Kerem Akturkoglu's brilliant sweeping strike was one. That could have happened many times over. The chaos reduced the match to an element of blind luck – especially late on. That last proper move United had, where the ball ricocheted around Fernando Muslera’s goal, summed it up. It could have gone anywhere. As it is, United are going out. It should never have come to that. There are questions for Ten Hag there, beyond his choice of goalkeeper. How are they this erratic after a year and a half? How is it they have found a relatively forgiving group so punishing? How can translate some of this attacking to the league, without bringing that mayhem at the back? This is what United need to look to, other than a miracle. Hell, as Galatasaray still attempted to style their new Rams Park, wasn’t the place for that. Read More Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Erik ten Hag says Manchester United ‘have to learn’ from Galatasaray draw Man United suffer heavy Champions League blow in Galatasaray thriller Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Man United’s teen sensation who could offer salvation - and it’s not Garnacho Why Bruno Fernandes is the only choice as Man Utd captain

Aston Villa take on Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League Group E on Thursday. Villa sit second in the group, behind Legia only on goal difference, with both teams having nine points from their opening four matches. That is in addition to an impressive domestic campaign that has seen them rise up to fourth in the table and only two points behind top-placed Arsenal. But Legia got the better of Villa in the first match of the campaign, winning 3-2 in Poland. Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture and get the latest odds and tips here. When is Aston Villa vs Legia Warsaw? The Europa League Conference match takes place on Thursday 30 November at Villa Park, Birmingham with a kick off time of 8 pm GMT. How can I watch it? Aston Villa vs Legia Warsaw will be shown live on TNT Sports 2 which can be streamed via the Discovery + app, with coverage starting at 7.45pm GMT. Team news Unai Emery said in the build up to the match that they were training with everyone, but might have to be careful ahead of the congested fixture schedule. Emiliano Buendia, and Tyrone Mings remain on the long-term injured list. Predicted line-up Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Konsa, Carlos, P Torres, Digne, Bailey, Kamara, Douglas Luiz, J Ramsey, Tielemans, Watkins Odds Aston Villa 1/4 Draw 7/2 Legia Warsaw 8/1 Prediction Villa to win at home. Aston Villa 2-1 Legia Warsaw Read More Son Heung-min hurt by defeats but ‘very pleased’ with way Tottenham are playing Julen Lopetegui reveals what he’s waiting for before return to management Arsenal show how Champions League should be done – Man Utd and Newcastle take note... Julen Lopetegui reveals what he’s waiting for before return to management Arsenal show how Champions League should be done – Man Utd and Newcastle take note... A genuine dream – Mikel Arteta loved Arsenal’s rout of Lens in Champions League

It probably wasn’t Mikel Arteta’s pre-match team talk, but it could have been. “Forget brinksmanship. Group stage drama is for amateurs and also-rans. Just go out, do the job and wait until the Champions League’s proper action starts in February.” Perhaps it would have been emphasised with lots of hand gesticulations, had he taken that approach. After the week’s earlier drama involving fellow Premier League teams, Arsenal fans might have been feeling a little left out in that regard, but they shouldn’t be. Their side is far more complete, far further along the team-building process and far more prepared to go far in a major European competition. It’s probably also fair to note they have a far more routine group, certainly than Newcastle at least. This 6-0 drubbing of a distinctly second-rate RC Lens showed as much, as does the far more important fact of Arsenal qualifying for the last 16 with a game to spare. Sevilla collapsing to lose to PSV in the earlier kick-off felt as though it might give more of a contest at the Emirates, perhaps create more of a hint of jeopardy, but in truth it was never the case. A win still guaranteed top spot and in any case, there was more than a mere gulf between these sides. The early knockings told the truth of the expectation of a home win: Lens fans made the noise but Arsenal had all the control. Takehiro Tomiyasu roused the crowd with a blockbusting run down the flank to nowhere; Kai Havertz dropped a header wide after the Japanese international crossed deep. If he might have done better that time, Havertz did so only a minute later: following a cross into the area, the German got enough of a touch on Gabriel Jesus’s clever header into the six-yard box to prod past Brice Samba and over the line. And that was effectively that. A tempting line to pursue would be of the goal settling the nerves, but none had been on display. Arsenal were assured and competent throughout, clear by 25 minutes and able to bask in a quite literal glow as Lens fans lit a succession of bright red smoke flares at that point, with at least one hurled upwards into a home fans’ section above them. Gunners fans responded with a verbal volley of their own, informing the visitors they appeared to be rather similar in quality to some near north London neighbours, and suggesting they were not particularly good… in rather more rudimentary terms. If the former quip bore no semblance to reality this season, the latter was unfortunately accurate. Lens were a mile off the quality, intensity and even strength of their hosts in the first half, timid and reactive, absurdly out of their depth despite mathematics suggesting they still had a shot at a last-16 place. They don’t any more. The match, the points and Arsenal’s own qualification was settled in the space of six minutes. Bukayo Saka bundled through a couple of challenges, Jesus picked up the loose ball, dummied the last defender and buried a low finish for his fourth of the group stage. Injury and inconsistency may have made him a bystander in the early Golden Boot standings domestically, but he has a goal per game for the Gunners in Europe – the type of contribution they’ll need in the latter stages if Arteta believes they can go deep. Just two minutes later, two became three as Gabriel Martinelli darted infield, curled in a shot and Samba this time parried dreadfully into the hip of Saka, the ball bouncing straight in. The least-technically demanding goal of his career it might have been, but Saka was full of running infield and, not for the first time, made his own luck with his determination to continually be in dangerous areas. It was left to Martinelli, then, to complete the set of front-line goalscorers, perfecting his earlier trick to give Samba no chance and find the far corner for four. As for Lens, they carried no threat. They offered nothing: neither diligent, compact defensive structure to frustrate and bide their time, nor committing numbers and having a plan to counterattack with regularity. Elye Wahi, a talented young striker who surely has a much bigger team in his near future, made a handful of clever runs but the closest Lens came to scoring was his left-footed strike across goal, easily saved. Other than that, their best moments were Wahi skinning William Saliba multiple times down the left flank and Kevin Danso thinking about a long-range shot, before opting not to. It was genuinely that poor from them. Even Facundo Medina hitting the post just before the interval was an irrelevance, with the offside flag up. At the other end, Samba saved only one shot all half – and it still resulted in a goal as that was his palm-out into the onrushing Saka. Yet more torment for the Ligue 1 side was to come before the brief sanctuary of half time, with Martin Odegaard casually thumping in an injury-time volley: unmarked, unchallenged and unstopped. To their credit, or perhaps to keep warm on a freezing London night, Lens fans remained bouncing and noisy. With Arteta’s team stepping off the gas, job done well before Jorginho’s late penalty, their team also fared better in the second 45 but all they have to play for now is third and the Europa League. For Arsenal, every box has been ticked in the group stage: over-excitement, wake-up call, improvement and professionalism. And, they are through, which is really all that matters. Several seasons of progression has carried Arsenal into challenger territory, and with that comes an understanding that scorelines like this simply don’t matter, at this time of year. It is two and three months from now when everything will be on the line, when the world will be watching and when performances as well as results can truly drive expectations of success. What tonight’s result ensured was that they’ll be there – and that few will want to draw them in the knockouts. Read More A genuine dream – Mikel Arteta loved Arsenal’s rout of Lens in Champions League Arsenal through to last 16 as Manchester United squander lead again Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Arsenal vs Lens LIVE: Champions League result and reaction Football rumours: Juventus eyeing swoop for Thomas Partey

Arsenal host Lens in the Champions League tonight knowing that a victory would see they secure a place in the next round. Mikel Arteta’s men have nine points and sit top of Group B following consecutive wins over Sevilla. They are four points clear of PSV Eindhoven and Lens who both have five and could still reach the next round. Earlier in the campaign, Lens shocked the London side by beating them 2-1 at home though the Gunner’s performance was disjointed and sluggish that night. Expect them to be more clinical and focused at the Emirates where the French side will be looking to, at the very least, avoid defeat. The Gunners have won their last three fixtures across all competitions and are in good form following Kai Havertz’s late winner against Brentford last time out. Can they go on are reach the Champions League knockout rounds tonight? We’ll have coverage of the action below plus you can get the latest odds and tips for the game right here:

The Premier League have hit back at Andy Burnham’s claims that they are guilty of “regulatory malpractice” and “abuse of process” by deducting Everton 10 points, insisting that they “entirely refuted his allegations.” Burnham – the mayor of Greater Manchester and an Everton season-ticket holder – last week wrote an open letter to Premier League chair Alison Brittain in which he said there had not been a fair process when enforcing the deduction. Everton were deemed to have breached Profit and Sustainability Rules by an independent commission, which determined they had losses of £124.5m over three years – £19.5m over the permitted threshold. But Burnham, a former Secretary of State for Health, was critical of the Premier League for adopting a sanctions policy in August, after Everton had been charged and before their case was heard. “The fact that the Premier League sought to introduce a new sanctions policy in the middle of this process amounts, in my view, to an abuse of process,” he wrote. “It could be argued that the Premier League handing a new penalty regime to the commission in this way is akin to the Government handing new sentencing guidelines to a judge in the middle of a trial. Any right-minded person would see that as an inappropriate attempt to influence the process.” However, The Telegraph and The Daily Mirror are reporting that Brittain has written a three-page letter in response to Burnham that lays out the organisation’s process around the decision and refutes all allegations of impropriety. She explained that the Premier League do not have a set sanction in place because a fixed penalty would hinder the ability of the independent panel to display any discretion or take mitigating circumstances into consideration. And she claims that having no fixed sanction actually provided a greater threat. Brittain went on to say that a commission hearing a case independently invites submissions from both sides on appropriate sanctions and added that Premier League clubs were asked about the potential introduction of a fixed set of sanctions in 2020 but the consensus feedback among the 20 at the time – Everton included – was not to impose any. The two major offences for which the Premier League does have fixed sanctions are a nine-point deduction for clubs entering administration and a 30-point deduction for clubs seeking to join an unsanctioned competition – a la the European Super League plans in 2021. Brittain also detailed that the Premier League worked closely with Everton during the period of the club’s breach and that they ignored clear warnings over their spending, opting not to stop buying players that put them in breach of profit and sustainability rules. Burnham insisted that his open letter was in his capacity as an Everton season-ticket holder, rather than a politician, while he has also claimed that Sky Sports pulled an interview with him ahead of the Toffees’ clash with Manchester United on Sunday. Sky responded to that complaint by insisting they have presented a balanced view of the situation throughout and the Premier League confirmed they have not requested any interview to be pulled. Everton have announced plans to appeal against the 10-point deduction and wider verdict, which they have called “wholly unjust”. Read More Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Former Sheffield United and Everton defender Phil Jagielka announces retirement VAR costing ‘livelihoods and reputations’ fumes Wolves boss after latest problems What is VAR, how does it work and what are the biggest problems?

Manchester United’s crucial Champions League clash against Galatasaray will be subject to a pitch inspection after hours of torrential rain in Istanbul left the match in danger of being postponed. Uefa officials were forced to examine the surface RAMS Park after thunderous downpours on Wednesday afternoon, with the Group A clash set to kick off at 8:45pm local time (5:45pm GMT) this evening. The Uefa Youth League match between Galatasaray and United, held earlier in the day and at a different stadium, was played during the torrential rain, which left the pitch sodden and the ball holding up on the surface. There is still time for conditions to improve ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash but there is also the prospect of further rain and the pitch becoming completely waterlogged. For now, Uefa are insistent that the match will go ahead and preparations are continuing as usual, but the conditions could still play a part on what is an important night in United’s season. United cannot afford to lose in Turkey and will be out of the Champions League if they are beaten by Galatasaray, who won 3-2 at Old Trafford earlier this season. Erik ten Hag’s side come into the match having shown some improved form, however. United have won their last three games in the Premier League and last suffered defeat when they were beaten 4-3 by Copenhagen following Marcus Rashford’s red card. United conclude their Champions League group stage campaign against Bayern Munich on matchday six, with the German side currently top of Group A with four wins from four. Read More Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Man United’s teen sensation who could offer salvation - and it’s not Garnacho Why Bruno Fernandes is the only choice as Man Utd captain

Manchester United travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray in a vital Champions League group stage clash as they look to salvage their withering campaign in Europe’s top competition. Defeat to Copenhagen last time out has put Erik ten Hag’s men firmly on the back foot and it is likely that they will need to win both of their final group games in order to reach the knockout rounds. The first of those matches is against Galatasaray, who defeated United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture. The second match, and last of the group stages, is against Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga champions have already secured their spot in the next round and have won every one of their four games so far. Copenhagen, meanwhile, are in second place thanks to a better goal difference than Galatasaray with United only a point behind both. Defeat tonight though would eliminate Ten Hag’s men from the competition and the best they could hope for would be a spot in the Europa League. Follow the action below plus get all the latest odds and tips for the match right here:

Galatasaray welcome Manchester United to Turkey in a crucial Champions League group stage fixture. Bayern Munich are streaking clear in Group A and have secured their spot in the knockout rounds for with four consecutive wins, but the second representative in the latter stages of the competition looks set to be contested fiercely. Copenhagen currently possess second place on goal difference from the Turkish club, with Manchester United only a point behind the pair but out with defeat here. A win away from home could well be a must regardless for Erik ten Hag’s side, though, with a tough encounter at Old Trafford with Bayern to come in their final fixture. Here’s everything you need to know. Get the latest match odds and tips here. When is Galatasaray vs Manchester United? Galatasaray vs Manchester United is due to kick off at 5.45pm GMT on Wednesday 29 November at Rams Park in Istanbul. How can I watch it? Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 5pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via discovery+. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news Defensive pair Abdulkerim Bardakci and Davinson Sanchez were absent from Galatasaray training on Monday, but both could yet feature with Okan Buruk and both players keen on their involvement. Reports suggest Bardakci’s problem is more minor than that of Sanchez. Manchester United are certain to be without Marcus Rashford, who will serve a one-match ban after being sent off in the 4-3 defeat to Copenhagen. Rasmus Hojlund is a doubt after missing the win at Everton with a muscle strain sustained against Luton, while Antony could be back from a knock. Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro all remain sidelined, and Mason Mount has joined the injury list. Predicted line-ups Galatasaray XI: Muslera; Boey, Bardakci, Sanchez, Angelino; Torreira, Demirbay; Ziyech, Mertens, Zaha; Icardi. Manchester United XI: Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; McTominay, Amrabat, Fernandes; Antony, Hojlund, Garnacho. Odds Galatasaray win 13/8 Draw 11/4 Manchester United win 29/20 Full odds here. Prediction A draw. Galatasaray 2-2 Manchester United Read More Man Utd’s crucial Champions League game in doubt after torrential rain Galatasaray vs Man Utd LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Erik Ten Hag outlines how ‘calm’ Man Utd can negotiate Istanbul atmosphere Bruno Fernandes excited for ‘amazing’ atmosphere at Galatasaray Mike Phelan warns Man Utd not to get distracted by fierce Galatasaray atmosphere Bruno Fernandes talks up Alejandro Garnacho after stunning goal at Everton

Arsenal will be looking to get the better of Lens in the Champions League, having lost in the reverse fixture in France. The Gunners only need a point on Wednesday to qualify for the knockout stages of this season’s top-tier European competition. After beating Sevilla both home and away, Arsenal have nine points from a possible 12 already in the campaign. After a less-than-perfect performance against Brentford at the weekend, Mikel Arteta will want his side to find their feet and perform well on Wednesday. Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture and get the latest odds and tips here. When is Arsenal vs Lens? The Champions League match is at the Emirates Stadium in London with a kick off time of 8pm GMT. How can I watch it? Arsenal vs Lens will be shown live on TNT Sports 2 with coverage starting from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the actions via the Discovery+ app. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider. Team news David Raya will be available again after he missed the game against Brentford on Saturday due to being ineligible to face his parent club. Martin Odegaard was also fit enough to play, but Ben White could return for the Champions League clash. Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe and Thomas Partey remain on the long-term injury list. Predicted line-up Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Odegaard, Jorginho, Rice, Saka, Jesus, Martinelli Odds Arsenal 1/4 Draw 10/3 Lens 15/2 Full Arsenal vs Lens odds here. Prediction Arsenal will secure the victory in front of the home fans, despite losing against Lens earlier in the campaign. Arsenal 2-0 Lens. Read More Champions League: What do Man United, Arsenal and Newcastle need to reach last 16? Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he still has something to prove in Europe Football rumours: Juventus eyeing swoop for Thomas Partey On this day in 2015: Jamie Vardy scores in 11th game in a row Beth Mead scores first goal in over a year as WSL top three maintain momentum Kai Havertz gives Arsenal the perfect ‘example’ to follow in title race

Beth Mead says she is rediscovering the joy of football after a year shaped by loss and grief. The last time Mead played at Wembley, her mother, June, was still alive to see it. Wembley was the scene of Mead’s greatest triumph, when England won the Euros and she finished as the tournament’s top scorer and best player. What followed was the toughest year of her life, as she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament and then lost her mum after a long battle with ovarian cancer. But on Friday, Mead has the chance to return to Wembley and make her first appearance for the Lionesses in 385 days. It is another significant milestone, both in the resumption of her career as a footballer, and in her grieving process. While she has required emotional resilience, Mead is proud of her journey and believes her mum would be too. “Growing up I would say I was mentally quite weak,” Mead says. “I’d like to think the things I’ve dealt with have made me a stronger and better person.” Injury not only robbed the 28-year-old of a place at the World Cup, it also took away an outlet in which to process the loss of her mother. Instead of having that focus, Mead was limited to a repetitive cycle of rehabilitation, a routine she got through along with her Arsenal teammate and partner Vivianne Miedema, who was sidelined along with Mead after rupturing her ACL a month after she did. There were dark moments during rehab but Mead says those bad days feel in the past now she is back on the pitch and doing what she loves. On Sunday, Mead scored her first goals since returning to the pitch, in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over West Ham. She dedicated both to her mum, and it was a moment she had waited 11 months for. If that finally provided some closure, returning to Wembley is set to as well, even though it is the place where they shared some of their happiest memories. As with scoring her first goals, it can be a reminder that her mum is not there to see them and that can make it difficult as well. But Mead is back and the Lionesses have been lifted by her presence ahead of a pair of must-win fixtures against the Netherlands and Scotland. England manager Sarina Wiegman didn’t want to rush her return and said the forward needed more time when she named her squad for last month’s double-header against Belgium. But as Mead got minutes off the bench, and then got starts, the confidence returned. “I’ve been feeling more like myself again,” she says. Instead of being in Australia with the Lionesses this summer, she was at home watching the World Cup on TV with captain Leah Williamson, who suffered the same injury four months after Mead. If missing the World Cup was cruel, having to watch as England narrowly lost the final to Spain was just as hard. The match was a tough watch for them both. “We struggled,” Mead admits. “We just want to help the team do the best that they can do. We got that taken away from us.” How England are in need of the return of the Euros golden boot winner. Defeat last month to Belgium left the Lionesses in third place in their Nations League group, with top spot required to secure a place for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics next summer. (England are the country nominated to qualify for the Olympics on behalf of Team GB). But England, who have lacked a spark in games since the World Cup, must now beat both the Netherlands at Wembley and Scotland at Hampden while hoping other results go their way. Mead, who missed out on the 2020 Olympics after she was controversially left out of Hege Riise’s Team GB squad, famously sparking the form that led into the Euros the following summer, is as motivated as anyone to get the job done. Now she returns to the Lionesses with a renewed perspective, taking to each training session with a sense of fresh enthusiasm. “I feel like a kid again,” she says with a smile. After all, the thought of returning to England was Mead’s motivation during rehab. Now Wembley also offers a meeting that perhaps Mead could not have dared to hope for during the dark days: the chance to face Miedema on the pitch when the Lionesses host the Netherlands, now both players have recovered from their ACL injuries. Even thinking about those moments with the people who lived and breathed what Mead went through during rehabilitation is enough to make her emotional. “I think it’s a nice moment for both of us,” Mead says. “It’s a hard journey – who does their ACLs at the same time? We’ve seen the good and bad days from each other. But I’m proud of my journey and I’m very proud and happy to have had the support around me that I’ve had during this time. I feel very lucky and blessed to have had that.” Read More WSL and Women’s Championship poised to break away from FA The sporting weekend in pictures Beth Mead scores first goal in over a year as WSL top three maintain momentum

Football you cruel, wicked thing. For so long, it looked as though, as sure as the rain, a frustrated Paris Saint-Germain were set for a seventh defeat in nine against English opponents to leave their hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stages in Newcastle’s hands. PSG threw everything at a bruised and battered Newcastle, but no matter how much they huffed and puffed they couldn’t break their curse. Their Champions League tale of woe was about to gain another chastening chapter. But sometimes battle-weary sides don’t always get what they deserve, as a Kylian Mbappe stoppage time penalty denied an injury-ravaged Newcastle a crucial victory in the cruellest fashion, with the help of the relentless villain of the piece: VAR. Newcastle fans around the city were in buoyant and rather philosophical mood ahead of the match, with no repeat of the clashes with PSG’s ultras on the eve of the encounter. They weren’t overly concerned about an impending defeat that would end their European adventure prematurely. Their depleted side surely did not have enough in the tank to best PSG on their own turf, not after they had put five past Monaco at the weekend. The Geordies, thousands of whom were ticketless, were in the French capital to have fun, regardless. Nothing gets the pulses racing like the modern-day phenomenon the traditionalists among us can really do without – the pre-match light show – and PSG’s was typically overextravagant. The home tifo game was strong, however, with Newcastle’s backline still thinking about the imagery as the match got under way and the hosts swarmed all over the startled group strugglers. Mbappe almost added a sublime finishing touch to an early slick move but was denied by Nick Pope in the away goal. PSG’s front three were breathing as one imposing beast. In the blink of an eye, however, Alexander Isak should have scored after being picked out by Miguel Almiron, only to quickly make amends by firing the visitors in front 24 minutes in, sending the away end into bewildered delirium. The opener owed much to the tenacity of Tino Livramento, who kept riding tackles, even as his feet seemed to be buckling with every step. Almiron shot for goal, Gianluigi Donnarumma made a mess of trying to palm the shot away and Isak was on hand to tap home – the Swede becoming the first Newcastle player since Alan Shearer against Inter Milan in 2003 to score an away Champions League goal. It was then a matter of settling in and doing what they could to get under the skin of their opponents – something that happens all too readily in these parts, especially against teams from across the Channel. Knowing there wasn’t cavalry of sufficient calibre on the bench to call upon to freshen things up, the visitors had to leave everything out there to complete their assassination of the Parisiens, and that is exactly what Eddie Howe got. Mbappe was the only one really looking like he had the ingenuity to unlock the resolute Geordie rearguard, missing an overhead kick early in the second half before sashaying his way into the penalty area to create an opening for Bradley Barcola, who had to score, only for Pope to fling out a hand to claw the ball away. Two big penalty appeals were waved away and the gesticulations turned into over-zealous protestations one too many times for the referee’s liking, earning several PSG players a caution. They were doing it again in Europe. A league double over the might of PSG – nobody saw this coming so soon into the Saudi regime. More pertinently, however, victory over AC Milan in their final group match in two week’s time and the knockout stages beckons. Mbappe flashed just wide right at the death, Ousmane Dembele, once the world’s second-most expensive player, was denied by another close-range Pope wondersave, while Barcola again fluffed his lines. It took a Livramento handball, spotted by VAR, to break Geordie hearts. Their knockout stage hopes are still alive, but it could, and should, have been so much more rosy. Read More Newcastle fans attacked in Paris before Champions League match On this day in 2015: Jamie Vardy scores in 11th game in a row Football rumours: Victor Osimhen keen on making Chelsea move The sporting weekend in pictures Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino reacts to 4-1 loss at Newcastle: ‘You blame yourself’ Erik ten Hag: Schedule has already crossed limits of what players can handle

Paris Saint-Germain take on Newcastle in a crucial Champions League tie that could determine which of the two teams makes it out of the group stages. With just two fixtures to play in this part of the competition, Group F is incredibly tight as just three points separate Borussia Dortmund in first and Eddie Howe’s men in fourth. A victory for Newcastle tonight would jump them above PSG in the table and keep them in the mix to qualify for the knockout rounds. PSG, meanwhile, are currently second and three points against Newcastle would ensure they remain in European competition though they would need Dortmund to also defeat AC Milan in order to qualify for the next stage of the tournament. Newcastle completed a comprehensive 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture last month but they’ve been rocked by losses of key personnel and will face a difficult task of salvaging their Champions League campaign in Paris tonight. Follow all the action below plus get the latest odds and tips for the match right here: