The Ivory Coast international was deployed in a more advanced attacking midfield position, and excelled in the role by striking twice before half-time, either side of Nedim Bajrami's goal for Empoli.
Who would be prepared to give Cristiano Ronaldo the hairdryer treatment? The two had unbelievable success together at Madrid.
The noise and passion among the 16,000 sell-out crowd was raucous, and in truth the visitors looked slightly shell-shocked. This Northern Ireland team was expected to lie down yet, backed by the Green and White Army, almost created the biggest of upsets.
My first heroes were Ian Bishop and Trevor Morley, and big Ludek Miklosko in goal, and I loved it when Harry Redknapp was in charge and we signed John Hartson and Paul Kitson and they saved us from the drop.
There have been challenging periods on the pitch but the underlying numbers are trending in the right direction and Arsenal's Premier League points totals have improved year on year under his watch.
You've only got to look at Chelsea since Thomas Tuchel has come in - they won the Champions League and now they are title favourites - see what an impact a new manager could have.
The hosts controlled much of the first half and came within inches of finding the back of the net just before the break as Noah Okafor guided a right-footed shot towards the back post only for the ball to strike the woodwork.
It is somewhat ironic that a team like Atletico, famed throughout El Cholo's reign for an unbreakable team spirit which often compensated for deficits in talent elsewhere on the field, are now lacking in this area at a time when, in terms of pure ability, this squad ranks among the very best they have had at their disposal over the past decade.
Key fixtures: Arsenal (A) - Sunday Jan 16; kick-off 4.30pm (live on Sky), Leicester (A) - Wednesday Jan 19; kick-off 7.30pm, Chelsea (A) - Sunday Jan 23; kick-off 4.30 (live on Sky), Wolves (H) - Sunday Feb 13; kick-off 2pm, Man City (A) - Saturday Feb 19; kick-off 5.30pm (live on Sky), Manchester United (A) - Saturday Mar 12; kick-off 3pm, West Ham (H) - Saturday Mar 19; kick-off 3pm, Brighton (H) - Saturday Apr 16; kick-off 3pm, Leicester (H) - Saturday Apr 30; kick-off 3pm, Liverpool (A) - Saturday May 7; kick-off 3pm.
Wolves 0-0 Chelsea- Match report and highlightsHow the teams lined up | Match statsThere was so much to admire defensively against Chelsea, the back five shuffling across expertly to prevent any space for the opposition.
Nigeria vs Ghana stream and TV listings Nigeria vs Ghana - March 29, 2022 - Live Streaming and TV Listings, Live Scores, News and Videos :: Live Soccer TV.
Alvarez, who scored 18 times to become the Primera Division's top scorer last season, idolises Aguero and has since followed him into the national team.
Their hopes for survival briefly flickered after eight points snaffled in November, but they haven't collected another one since.
Eight points off the play-offs and eight points above the bottom three. They have the play-offs in their sights.
And that all leaves Arsenal in a difficult position when it comes to Aubameyang. Of course, Arteta does have the option of making peace with his former captain.
For Rangnick it is a familiar challenge, but the circumstances are quite different to what has come before.
Antonio Conte's men appeared doomed to defeat at the King Power Stadium, trailing 2-1 with just minutes left to play.
Furlong, who had been booked minutes earlier for a foul on Philip Zinckernagel, was then sent off after a James Garner effort hit him on the arm in the box, before Johnson stepped up to role the bottom into the bottom corner.
Centre back: Saul Coco (Equatorial Guinea) - 8.30 ratingEquatorial Guinea pulled off one of the surprise results of the round of 16 by eliminating Mali on penalties, with centre-back Saul Coco picking up the WhoScored Man of the Match award.
Guardiola made it to three successive semi-finals during an otherwise productive stint at the Allianz Arena, while City reached three quarter-finals in a row before clawing their way to a final in 2021.
Mullen tried his luck from the centre circle after a loose pass from the visitors but the pressure was coming from the Hoops and they twice came close following corners by David Turnbull.
We'll see what our position will be. Conte was Chelsea's manager when a 5-0 win over Everton in November 2016 at Stamford Bridge acted as a springboard to his only actual Premier League title but this result could have significant psychological ramifications for both these teams.
Before leaving the club [Ronaldinho] was coming off a few months where he was thinking about things.
Throughout history, they loved flair players, especially Jay-Jay Okocha, who started his European adventure at Frankfurt and scored one of the most beautiful goals in Bundesliga history, making fun of Oliver Kahn in 1993.
We can play. If we have to go long we can play and fight for it. If we have to make the passes we make the passes.
Hannah Hampton has started two of England's last four games and Ellie Roebuck has gone from first to third choice for her country after injury ruled out half of her season.
Ex-Gunners and England goalkeeper David Seaman wrote on Twitter: I'm so saddened by the death of my great friend and team-mate @alanmillergk such a larger-than-life character and always great fun to be around, will really miss you mate. Ian Wright, another former Arsenal team-mate, also paid tribute: Gonna miss you Maxi.
They did - and at one stage they threatened to win the match. We looked really sharp and committed. It's a big win for us.
“I came across him when I was a coach with Montreal, and he killed us with Philadelphia Union. His activity, the way he sees the game. I've always been a big fan of him and I'm not surprised to see what he's doing right now with Salzburg.
And Craven Cottage was stunned as Coventry doubled their lead four minutes later. It was not tactical.
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Everton vs Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 12.30pm.
Man City also face a Champions League double-header against Atletico Madrid in the coming weeks, but Guardiola warned before the game his side could not afford to overlook the challenge presented by Burnley.
Nigeria vs Ghana: How can I watch World Cup play-off live Mar 29, 2022 — Where to watch Nigeria vs Ghana TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Mola TV. Live stream: The Mola TV app offers a live stream service.
In the performance, nothing went to plan, and it was nowhere near our best. 'I had a brief chat with Sir Alex at Carrington' Sir Alex Ferguson's presence at Carrington drew lots of attention this week, with reports claiming he was fighting for Solskjaer to keep his job in a crisis meeting, as stories emerged that Antonio Conte was being lined up to take over.
UEFA held discussions with coaches regarding the rule in September 2018 and it was under review since then, with German newspaper Kicker reporting at the time that the European governing body would soon scrap it.
But it's so interesting what happens in terms of what Dean sees and what De Gea does. I think De Gea, in some ways, becomes a victim of his own instinct.
Of the 20 Premier League games Wilson has missed since he joined the club in the summer of 2020, Newcastle have failed to win 18.