Highlights

Tottenham Hotspur reached the League Cup final after goals from Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-min sank Championship (second-tier) Brentford 2-0 on Tuesday to set up a clash with Manchester United or Manchester City in April's showpiece.

Fellow London side Brentford, playing in their first semifinal in a major cup competition, started brightly but fell behind in the 12th minute when unmarked French midfielder Sissoko headed in a fine Sergio Reguilon cross from the left.

A superb second-minute lob by Danny Ings gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the Reds' attack looking rudderless as they were held scoreless for the second game in a row.

With the injury-hit champions fielding a makeshift center-back pairing of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, striker Ings, who joined Southampton on loan from Liverpool in 2018 before making the transfer permanent a year later,was able to exploit some confusion at a set piece to secure the win.

Brazilians Leandro and Adaílton fired FC Tokyo to a 2-1 victory over Kashiwa Reysol in the final of the Levain Cup on Monday in front of more than 24,000 fans at Tokyo's National Stadium.

In the year 2021, Lionel Messi will turn 34 while Cristiano Ronaldo turns 36 in just one month’s time. Playing in their first matches of the New Year on Sunday, the duo showed just how important they remain to their respective clubs by providing match-winning moments.

Over in Spain, Messi returned from his extended winter break to appear in his 500th LaLiga match for Barcelona. He’s the first non-Spanish player to reach the milestone, and among active players, only Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos (505) and Real Betis’ Joaquín (565) have more.  

There’s no substitute for experience. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who’ll turn 50 this month, spent the buildup to Sunday’s match against Chelsea explaining as much.

“No, of course I am better, definitely,” Guardiola said of his current skill set. “Experience helps you — especially the way I live my profession. Before I thought I would retire soon, now maybe I am thinking I might retire older. I don’t know. 50 already, it is a nice age!”

Lautaro Martínez's first hat-trick for Inter Milan helped his side crush Crotone 6-2, earning their eighth successive Serie A win on Sunday and sending Antonio Conte's team top of the standings above AC Milan.

Rangers took a huge step toward winning its first Scottish Premiership title in a decade with a 1-0 win over Celtic in the Old Firm Derby on Saturday at Ibrox — and much of the thanks must go to the Hoops. 

The win sent Steven Gerrard’s side 19 points clear of Celtic atop the league standings, although Celtic has three games in hand. The two clubs meet again at Celtic Park on March 20, the penultimate match day. But the Bhoys, who have won the last nine league titles, will struggle to catch Rangers with such a large gap, even if they win out.