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Fofana and Hannibal subjected to racist abuse after Chelsea against Burnley

Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana highlighted some of the racist abuse he received on Instagram after the Blues' draw with Burnley, with Clarets midfielder Hannibal also subject to racist abuse.

Fofana was sent off in the 72nd minute of the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and shared several racist messages he received following the match.

He also wrote: "2026, it's still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything."

Sky Sports News has contacted Instagram's parent company, Meta, asking what action is being taken against the offending account users.

We have also contacted Chelsea and Kick It Out for comment.

Burnley revealed earlier on Saturday that Hannibal had also received racist abuse following the match and have reported the offending accounts to Meta and Lancashire Constabulary.

A club statement read: "Everyone at Burnley FC is disgusted by the online racist abuse directed at Hannibal following today's Premier League fixture.

"There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.

"The club continues to be unequivocal in its stance - we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.

"The club has reported the post to Instagram's parent company, Meta, and expects strong support from them, together with the Premier League and the Police, and will work to ensure that the individual responsible is identified and investigated.

"Hannibal will receive the full backing from the Club and from the Burnley fans who we have already seen condemning the abuse.

"There is no room for racism."

The incident comes in the same week that Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr alleged a racist comment was made to him by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni.

Man City competes fiercely in title race, but Guardiola expecting to drop points

Pep Guardiola does not expect Man City to stay perfect in the Premier League title race - despite claiming what he described as a "massive" win over Newcastle that moves them two points behind leaders Arsenal.

City produced a gritty 2-1 win on Saturday to apply the pressure on Arsenal after they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at bottom-placed Wolves in midweek.

If Mikel Arteta's side drop points at Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, City can go top by winning their game in hand.

Nico O'Reilly's first Premier League brace was enough to seal the points against Newcastle but City had to dig in to hold on to their lead and the performance sparked big celebrations from Guardiola at full-time.

Asked about his reaction to the win, the City boss told TNT Sports: "Massive. Newcastle is an incredible team. Awesome team. Physicality in the midfield and the speed they have up front.

"Really tough but the team was unbelievable."

Arsenal still have to go to the Etihad in April and City have won 16 of their last 19 home games in the league.

Guardiola has form for overtaking Arsenal in the title race late in the season. City won their final nine games of the 2023/24 season to lift the Premier League for a record fourth consecutive year.

Asked if he feels equipped as ever for the run-in, Guardiola added: "Seventy per cent of the players never played in that situation and I don't play. We have to believe it.

"They know - we know - that until the end of the season every game will be like this.

"Today we had the best crowd of the year. It was unbelievable. I am really proud to be manager of these incredible fans."

Guardiola is expecting there to be blips along the way for his new-look City side, who are also still competing in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, despite winning their last five in a row.

"Many things are going to happen," Guardiola said of the title race in his press conference. "I have a feeling that we are not going to win all our games. Arsenal, I don't know.

"But I have this feeling, because FA Cup, Champions League games, then comes trouble. Many, many games. Injuries will come.

"The best way is to relax now and focus on Leeds, then we'll see. It will depend on our level, it needs to be better, better, better."

Brentford 0-2 Brighton: Visitors end 6-game winless run as Gómez and Welbeck net

Brighton & Hove Albion won just their second Premier League (PL) game since the start of December as they beat Brentford 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium, easing pressure on underfire boss Fabian Hürzeler.

Match Report
The first half conjured up plenty of chances at either end, with both goalkeepers called into action early on. Lewis Dunk reacted quickest to a corner, only for Caoimhín Kelleher to get behind his effort. Mathias Jensen then tested Bart Verbruggen from range, before Keane Lewis-Potter, who scored against Arsenal in Brentford’s last home game, saw his free-kick caught by the Dutchman. Those missed opportunities seemed to spur Brighton on, as they dominated the rest of the half. Kelleher did well to parry away shots from Jack Hinshelwood and Kaoru Mitoma, before James Milner, making his record 654th PL appearance, struck just wide with a half-volley.

The Seagulls eventually found the breakthrough on the half-hour mark, as Ferdi Kadıoğlu’s wonderful effort came off the crossbar and into Diego Gómez’s path, and the Paraguayan calmly volleyed the rebound into the net. Nathan Collins, who came on for the injured Aaron Hickey late in the half, then made a terrible error that allowed Danny Welbeck to double Brighton’s lead before HT. Brentford had chances to reduce the deficit, though Vitaly Janelt struck over twice and Sepp van den Berg also headed off target from a corner, but their best opportunity fell to top scorer Igor Thiago, who uncharacteristically shot off target when through on goal.

The Bees kept pushing in the second half, with Collins keen to atone for his mistake for Brighton’s second goal, but his header flew inches wide of the post. Pascal Groß then had a chance to put the game to bed shortly after, but Kelleher stopped his strike from range. As the minutes ticked by, Brentford got more desperate, and a set-piece almost got them back in it when Thiago headed a free-kick towards Dango Ouattara, but he could only direct his acrobatic effort over. In the end, Brentford slumped to a defeat that deals a blow to their’ European hopes, and they will now be slightly concerned about their home form having won just once in their last five outings there (D2, L2), while Brighton silence potential relegation fears with their first PL away win since November.

Union Berlin 1-0 Leverkusen: Khedira goal sees Hjulmand’s side miss top-4 chance

Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to break into the Bundesliga top four as they suffered a 1-0 loss to Union Berlin on Saturday.

Rani Khedira's first-half lob at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei was enough to snap Leverkusen's four-match winning streak, while it also helped Union pick up their first win of 2026.

The hosts started on the front foot as Derrick Kohn nearly slid Andrej Ilic through early on before they found their opener in the 28th minute, courtesy of some lovely interplay between Khedira and Aljoscha Kemlein.

Kemlein's chipped pass was converted by Khedira, who coolly lobbed Janis Blaswich to give the hosts a deserved lead.

Leverkusen pushed for an equaliser to no avail, with Alejandro Grimaldo lacking his usual threat from set-piece positions.

Substitute Patrik Schick saw a golden opportunity go begging as his stoppage-time header off Ibrahima Maza's pinpoint delivery skewed narrowly over the crossbar.

Data Debrief: Union finally turn the tide

Union have scored in their last four Bundesliga matches – their longest hot streak since a run of nine games between November 2025 to January 2026.

The hosts also picked up their first Bundesliga win over Leverkusen since January 2021, ending a run of 10 matches without a win.

Despite Leverkusen edging the expected goals (xG) battle 0.95 to 0.64, Steffen Baumgart’s side proved more clinical when it mattered, converting their limited chances to seal a valuable win.

Chelsea 1-1 Burnley: 10-men Blues drop points as Flemming nets late equalizer

Burnley punished 10-man Chelsea with a 93rd-minute equaliser, earning the Clarets a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, as the Blues dropped points at home from a winning position for a second consecutive PL game.

Match Report

Burnley’s primary objective in the opening stages of their trip to Stamford Bridge was to keep the back door shut for as long as possible.

Unfortunately for Scott Parker’s men, such has been their season; their resistance was broken after just four minutes as Pedro Neto broke in behind and squared for João Pedro to bundle the ball over the line from just a few yards out.

Chelsea’s pressure was relentless in the opening 15 minutes, and only a last-ditch Kyle Walker block to thwart Cole Palmer prevented them from doubling their advantage.

Complacency seemed to creep in midway through the first half for the Blues, but fortunately for them, Burnley were hardly in a position to fashion any clear-cut chances.

Indeed, their best chance came from a set piece which was wasted by Marcus Edwards, whose free-kick drifted yards wide of the target.

A huge chance presented itself for Palmer within seconds of the ball being back in play, as the England international strode clear on goal but could only hammer a wasteful effort straight into the hands of Martin Dúbravka.

As much as Burnley were struggling to get back into the game, Chelsea showed precious little that suggested they were going to place it beyond the Clarets’ reach.

A Neto shot that was blocked at the death by Bashir Humphreys was a warning sign that Liam Rosenior’s side still posed a danger, but they shot themselves in the foot 20 minutes from time.

Already on a yellow card, Wesley Fofana’s late lunge on James Ward-Prowse earned him a second booking and the Blues were forced to see the game out a man light.

A couple of attack-minded changes from Scott Parker gave Burnley a platform to find a late leveller, and they eventually made their numerical advantage pay in stoppage time.

It was little surprise that it was their go-to man Zian Flemming who grabbed it, ghosting into the area to head home Ward-Prowse’s delivery and send a 2000-strong travelling contingent back to Lancashire with a point.

Although a point will do little to boost Burnley’s PL survival hopes, it could prove costly to Chelsea’s top-four aspirations, as they stand to end the weekend outside of the UEFA Champions League spots.

Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds United: Abraham's late equalizer saves one point for hosts

A late equaliser from Tammy Abraham saw Aston Villa nick a 1-1 draw against a disciplined Leeds United at Villa Park, though the hosts lost their 100% EPL record against sides starting the day 14th or below.

Match Report
Sitting on 50+ points at this stage of a PL campaign for just the third time ever – and doing so despite winning just two of their last five PL games – Villa enjoyed much of the early possession as expected. However, it was Leeds who almost struck first, with the in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin uncharacteristically failing to test Emiliano Martínez on 15’, grossly miskicking despite finding himself in space inside the six-yard box. Villa duly rallied, and Emiliano Buendía fired wide from the edge of the box after a failed Leeds clearance.

A side transformed since the start of December, Leeds refused to retreat, and plundered an opener just past the half-hour mark. Not long after seeing an attempted shot blocked, Anton Stach unleashed his inner David Beckham, sending a direct free kick from more than 25 yards crashing into Martínez’s top-left corner. The Villa Park faithful were suitably stunned, though it should have been 1-1 going into HT, with Douglas Luiz’s lofted cross finding Amadou Onana with the goal at his mercy, only for Karl Darlow to produce a magnificent stop.

Alongside Villa’s pre-round league high 50% win rate after conceding first, that chance illustrated just how far Leeds’ job was from being done. But save for a Buendía shot wide immediately after the restart, Villa didn’t turn the screw too much, and Unai Emery deployed Ross Barkley and Jadon Sancho in an effort to inject some attacking purpose. However, it was a substitute from the opposite dugout who nearly sealed a Leeds victory, as Lukas Nmecha almost made it 2-0 with his first touch within a minute of coming onto the field, finding a promising header towards the bottom-left corner kept out brilliantly by Martínez.

Try as he might, not even Villa’s star man Morgan Rogers could turn the hosts’ afternoon around, with the England squad hopeful finding himself well-marshalled by a resolute Leeds midfield. Instead, it was compatriot Abraham who stole an equaliser a minute from the 90’, after a corner delivery saw Ezri Konsa head back to the striker, who fired in to send Villa Park into raptures – his second goal in two games for the Villans.

With this result, Unai Emery avoided a first league loss in 19 all-time matches against a promoted team while in charge of Villa. Meanwhile, Leeds’ second-ever PL double over Villa remains elusive, but despite them now winning on just one of their last 19 top-flight road trips, it’s still surely just a question of when the Whites will clinch safety.

Anthony Gordon makes Champions League history with 33-MINUTE hat-trick

Anthony Gordon lit up the Champions League on Wednesday night with a sensational four goals - including a hat-trick inside 33 minutes - in the first-half for Newcastle away to Qarabag.

Eddie Howe's men went into half-time with a commanding 5-0 lead in Baku - before conceding and scoring again after the restart - to ensure their return leg against the Azerbaijani champions will be a far less stressful one.

And Gordon, netting in the third, 32nd, 33rd and 45th-minute stoppage time of the knockout phase play-off, now holds the record for the fastest-ever hat-trick by an English player in the Champions League.

Mike Newell famously scored three in an astonishing nine minutes for Blackburn Rovers in the Champions League against Rosenborg in December 1995 but his last goal was scored in the 40th minute, making Gordon's faster in terms of when the strikes occurred in the tie.

Gordon's three goals are also the fastest to have been scored by a player for an English club in the Champions League, and his fourth makes him the only English player to have scored as many in one game in Europe's premier competition.

Despite the record-breaking evening, the winger found himself exchanging seemingly fierce words with Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier as Howe's side walked off the pitch at half-time.

It is unclear what caused the row but Tripper could be seen gesticulating towards his team-mate as Dan Burn and Anthony Elanga looked to defuse the situation.

Gordon was admittedly helped to his four goals by some calamitous defending by Qarabag, whose centre-back Kevin Medina completely misjudged the ball to leave the 24-year-old one-on-one with goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski for his third.

His first finish, however, was a masterclass in attacking. On the back of Burn's marauding run through the heart of the Qarabag midfield, Gordon ghosted in behind the defence and slotted home.

The England international later scored two penalties in the space of 12 minutes, taking his tally to 10 goals in the Champions League this season, ahead of the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland.

Gordon is now second in the Champions League top-scorers list, only behind Kylian Mbappe, who has 13 goals. Five of the Englishman's goals have been penalties, while only three of the Real Madrid star's have been from the spot.

Qarabag did pull a goal back in the second half through Elvin Cafarguliyev, in what was the Azerbaijani side's first shot on goal of the game, before Gordon's substitute replacement Jacob Murphy added a sixth for Newcastle.

The hat-trick was a career first for Gordon and his fourth strike made him just the second player in the Champions League to have bagged four in the first-half of a Champions League game.

Luiz Adriano, while playing for Shahktar Donetsk against BATE Borisov, was the first to achieve the feat in 2014.

The Englishman also becomes just the latest player in the competition's history to score four in one game, joining an illustrious list which includes the likes of Haaland, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mbappe.

Only Haaland, Messi and Adriano have scored five in one Champions League game, with the Barcelona legend's coming against Bayer Leverkusen in March 2012. Meanwhile, Adriano's came in the tie against BATE and Haaland's came against RB Leipzig in March 2023.

Gordon's goals also meant he surpassed Alan Shearer's Champions League record of seven during the legend's time at St James' Park.

Newcastle host Qarabag in the return leg of Wednesday's fixture on February 24.

Romano: De Zerbi is highly appreciated within TOT; He wants to return to EPL

According to the latest news from Romano, Tottenham's appointment of Tudor as coach is a transitional arrangement.

De Zerbi is highly appreciated within Tottenham, and he himself is willing to return to the Premier League to coach. However, he is still observing market opportunities. Previously, Manchester United was also linked with De Zerbi.

Romano:
"Roberto De Zerbi is highly appreciated within Tottenham, and he himself is willing to return to the Premier League to coach. However, De Zerbi is not the kind of coach who would rush to seize opportunities."

"He wants to have a very clear understanding of the plans and opportunities of any club that is interested in him. He has received many invitations in the past two or three years, and he also hopes to have a very clear judgment before making any decisions."

"Tottenham's interest in him is definite, but De Zerbi is also observing the entire market, as there may be more head coach positions available in Europe from now until the summer."