Barcelona played at a 0-0 draw at Huesca, as Ernesto Valverde made 10 changes to the side that beat Manchester United in midweek in the Champions League.

Only Marc Ter Stegen kept his place from the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, as La Blaugrana prepare for Tuesday’s second leg at the Nou Camp.

In a first half of few chances, Ousmane Dembele and Jeison Murillo both tested home goal keeper Roberto Santamaria, with Huesca forward Eric Gallego blasting the hosts effort wide just before the break.

Barcelona looked to find a breakthrough after the restart, with Dembele again threatening to score, but the home defence excelled in shutting down space for the Barcelona attack.

Valverde brought on Jordi Alba and Philippe Coutinho in the closing stages to try and steal a win, but bottom of the table Huesca held firm, as Barcelona’s lead at the top was reduced to nine points.

Photo Credit: fcbarcelona.com

Two Paul Pogba penalties helped Manchester United edge a 2-1 win against West Ham United and maintain their push for a top-four finish.

The Hammers had a Felipe Anderson effort ruled out for offside before Man Utd took the lead on 19 minutes.

Pogba converted from the spot after Robert Snodgrass brought down Juan Mata inside the penalty area.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side equalised four minutes into the second half, when Manuel Lanzini’s cross finding Anderson, whose low finish beat David De Gea.

West Ham threatened to win it themselves with Michail Antonio hitting the bar before forcing a superb save from De Gea.

But United restored their lead with 10 minutes left, after Ryan Fredericks brought down Anthony Martial to hand Pogba the chance to score his second penalty, which he duly took.

United move up to fifth place on 64 points, two behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who travel to Liverpool on Sunday, with both sides having played 33 matches.

Antonio Rudiger has revealed his best friend among his team-mates as Chelsea prepare Premier League cracker against Liverpool.

The German centre back has been a mainstay in the Blues defence this season, making 42 appearances in all competitions.

The 26-year-old has revealed that his best friend at the club is England international Callum Hudson-Odoi.

‘It’s obvious you can know that me and him are very good,’ Rudiger told Soccer AM. ‘We have the same type of jokes so we’re laughing a lot.

‘I really like him, he’s a really good guy because of course football everything nice, everything good but what matters to me is the human in there and he’s a top guy.’

Rudiger, who is strong in the heart of the Blues defence, also explained why midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the hard man at Stamford Bridge.

‘He’s a skinny guy but still he has a lot of power. He’s a tough guy, a tough guy to play against definitely.

‘If we talk about power wise I’d go Loftus-Cheek. He’s not in the gym lifting weights or something because of his back problem. He’s more doing stretching things and stuff for his back. I think that’s just natural power that he has. It’s amazing.’

Paul Pogba’s penalty gives United a 1-0 lead over West Ham at the break at in a Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.

West Ham made a bright start to the game and Felipe Anderson thought he had given his side the lead after 10 minutes when he slotted the ball past De Gea, but the linesman had his flag raised for offside.

It was slightly harsh on the away side though as it looked like Dalot was just playing him on, but it was disallowed.

Not long after, a clumsy challenge by Robert Snodgrass on Mata gave United a penalty which Pogba confidently converted to give United the lead.

Martial pulls the ball back to Juan Mata who is clattered by Robert Snodgrass, Graham Scott points straight to the spot.

Both teams created chances, but neither goalkeeper was really troubled.

United got into some good positions and looked dangerous in the first half, but apart from their goal, they didn’t manage an effort on target.

Solskjaer will be happy with how his side performed, but they need to be more clinical in front of goal if they want to double their advantage in the second half.

Pellegrini will feel a bit aggrieved after some decisions went against West Ham before the break, but the Hammers seemed to have found their rhythm towards the end of the half and if they continue to play that way then they could cause United some problems.

Photo Credit: premierleague.com

Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro has reacted to speculation about Los Blancos move for Manchester United star Paul Pogba.

Last month Pogba said that playing for Real under Zinedine Zidane would be a “dream for anyone”, sparking fresh speculation over his future.

The Brazil intenational says Pogba would be “very welcome” there if the Manchester United midfielder were to join the Spanish giants.

Casemiro believes the French World Cup winner is capable of playing in any team but insisted he would be happy to see him move to the Bernabeu.

“A player of his level is compatible with any player in the world. We know he is a great player, but we cannot talk about a player who is not here with the team,” Casemiro said.

“We know that if he comes to Madrid he will be very welcome because we know he is a great player.

“He has another very important match in the Champions [League] and he is thinking about that game. He is a great person and we have to respect him and respect Manchester [United].”

Photo Credit: UEFA.com

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri believes Napoli can still overturn a 2-0 first leg defeat to Arsenal and reach the Europa League semi-final.

The Partenopei lost 2-0 at the Emirates on Thursday thanks to Aaron Ramsey and a deflected Lucas Torreira strike.

Sarri spoke to Sky Sport Italia and was asked about his former club.

“Arsenal are a very strong team who rarely lose by three clear goals, but I also know the lads at Napoli and the atmosphere at the San Paolo.

“That’s why I say the tie is still open.”

Neymar’s father has disclosed his son’s decision to remain at Paris Saint-Germain despite ceseless speculations indicating his desire to leave the Lique 1 giants.

The Brazil international joined the Parisian club from Barcelona in a world record €222m back in the summer of 2017 and has been linked with a return to the Camp Nou since.

However, there have also been strong rumours that Real Madrid would like to sign the player in the future – although the club has officially denied any interest, reports Football Espana.

The PSG star’s father denies media reports that the player is considering leaving the French champions.

“His contract at PSG is a lengthy one and we are not even at the end of the season second yet,” Neymar’s father told RMC Sport, as cited by Spanish media.

“The original contract is not even 50% done yet so everybody must relax because rumours will always exist in football.

“Every club would dream of signing a player like him but PSG fans should not be worried because Neymar does not want to leave the club.

“Neymar wants to stay in Paris and keep winning titles.”

Photo Credit: Sky Sports