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GENOA, Italy — Inter Milan ended a poor run by routing Sampdoria 4-0 away on Sunday after the hosts had Eder sent off and missed a penalty in the first 20 minutes. The goals flowed in other matches with Gonzalo Higuain scoring a hat-trick in Napoli's 4-2 win over Lazio, Fiorentina beating Verona 5-3 away and Chievo winning 4-2 at Livorno in a relegation crunch game helped by an Alberto Paloschi hat-trick. There was also a dramatic finale at Torino, with Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci both scoring in stoppage time to beat Genoa 2-1. Leaders Juventus (84 points) visit Udinese on Monday (1845) while second-placed Roma (79) beat Atalanta 3-1 on Saturday. They are followed by Napoli in third (67) in the Champions League play-off spot with Fiorentina (58) and Inter (53) in the Europa League places.

LONDON — Premier League leaders Liverpool took a huge step towards becoming English champions for the first time in 24 years when they defeated third-placed Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield on Sunday for a 10th successive win.

The Merseyside club have not finished top since 1990, two years before the Premier League began, Reuters reported.

Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel put them 2-0 up in 26 minutes before David Silva led a City revival. The Spaniard reduced the deficit and an own goal by Glen Johnson brought an equaliser only five minutes later.

But Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho drove in the winner after a mistake by City's captain Vincent Kompany.

Liverpool's Jordan Henderson was sent off in added time and will miss three of the four remaining games.

Liverpool are now seven points ahead of City, having played two games more, and five ahead of their next visitors Chelsea.

Their manager Brendan Rodgers hailed "a remarkable performance" and said the team were "incredible today".

It was an emotional day for the club, who commemorated 25 years since the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 of their supporters died at an FA Cup semifinal. 

There was a minute's silence before kick-off, after which the home fans roared their team into a sixth-minute lead.

Luis Suarez out-muscled his marker Gael Clichy and fed Sterling, the teenager cleverly dummying Kompany and England goalkeeper Joe Hart before scoring.

Twenty minutes later Hart saved well from a header by Liverpool's unmarked captain Steven Gerrard but from the resulting corner Slovak defender Skrtel headed in.

In between, City had lost their influential Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure and not until shortly before halftime did they threaten. Johnson and Sterling had to clear off the line in the same attack and Fernandinho's half-volley was saved by Simon Mignolet.

City, champions two years ago before losing their title to neighbours Manchester United last season, continued to improve after halftime with James Milner then Sergio Aguero coming on, according to Reuters

In the 56th minute Milner set up Silva to score from close range and five minutes afterwards Silva and Samir Nasri worked a neat passing move that ended with Johnson deflecting the ball past his own goalkeeper.

Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge, a former City player, and Suarez both wanted a penalty in separate incidents but television replays suggested the ever controversial Suarez had dived and, having already been given a yellow card, could have been sent off.

City were beginning to look the more likely winners despite their poor start and Mignolet had to save well from Edin Dzeko before Silva just failed to reach Aguero's inviting cross.

But Liverpool came again. Kompany miskicked a clearance and Coutinho beat Hart with fine low shot from 15 metres.

Henderson's red card came for a lunging tackle on Nasri and his suspension will rule him out of three vital games, including the visit of second-placed Chelsea in two weeks' time.

At the final whistle, Gerrard gathered his team in a huddle in the middle of the pitch as the home supporters celebrated wildly.

Liverpool may still need to beat Chelsea in order to take the title.

In a later match, Demba Ba scored in the 68th minute as Chelsea beat 10-man Swansea 1-0 to keep their Premier League title challenge in their own hands, The Associated Press reported.

Chelsea trail league leader Liverpool by two points with four games left but the two teams are still to meet at Anfield on April 27.

Ba struck firmly into the bottom left corner after a pass from Nemanja Matic at the Liberty Stadium.

Swansea played most of the match with 10 men as Chico Flores was dismissed after only 15 minutes of play for a second yellow card after bringing down Andre Schurrle, according to AP.

AMMAN – Lebanon's Roger Feghali on Friday was crowned champion of the first round of the National Rally Championship, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal, chairman of the Executive Motor Sports Council, and organised by Jordan Motorsport.

Feghali and co-driver Zaid Shehab clocked 59m37s. They were followed by Jordan's veteran driver Marouf Abu Samra and co-driver Nicola Fanous with 1h01m07s and Hussam Salem and co-driver Nanci Majali settled in the third spot with 1h05m54s.

Meanwhile, Ala' Rasheed and co-driver Joseph Matar finished fourth with 1h07m24s and Salameh Qamaz and co-driver Khaled Juma in the fifth place with
1h 15m 82s.

Feghali said the event was an opportunity to prepare for the Jordan Rally, the third round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which is scheduled to be held between May 1-3. 

“The challenge can tell you more about the level of competition we are going to face in May," he said.

Nine drivers from Jordan and Lebanon took part in the event which is considered the final rehearsal for the challenging Jordan Rally with a new tougher challenge that saw the removal of the service stop after the first two stages on each day, to cut down on the road sections and increase the competitive intensity of the rally.

The new challenge will force drivers to return to the service park for any level of maintenance after five stages, putting more pressure on the drivers and the cars too. 

Currently Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah is leading the MERC standings with 50 points after two rounds followed by UAE's Khalid Al Qassimi with 33 points and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi with 27 points.

NYON, Switzerland – Holders Bayern Munich and nine-times winners Real Madrid will face each other in a mouthwatering Champions League semifinal this month with Atletico Madrid up against Chelsea.

Friday's draw in Nyon not only paired powerhouses Bayern and Real together but also kept alive the intriguing possibility of an all-Madrid final in Lisbon next month.

The draw also puts Atletico's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois up against his parent club Chelsea after UEFA said in a statement on Friday that the on-loan Belgian is eligible to play against the Londoners.

Atletico and Real will be at home in the first legs taking place on April 22-23 with the second legs the week after.

Real have not won the competition since 2002 and will have to end Bayern's hopes of becoming the first back-to-back winners, if they are to stay on course.

They will also be wary of a poor record against Bayern Munich in the competition, losing to the Bavarian club in four of the five semifinals they have contested.

"What can I say? Bayern is an extraordinary organisation, one of the most prestigious teams in the world and the current champion," Real director Emilio Butragueno said.

"They have an extraordinary team both collectively and individually and without doubt they will be an extraordinary opponent for us.

"But it's the fourth semifinals in a row for us and we are hopeful of making the final."

They will be sweating on the fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugese forward's knee injury prevented him playing in the second leg of the quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund this week — a match Real lost 2-0.

"We have to wait and see how he develops," Butragueno said.

"Obviously he and the doctors will do everything to make sure he is back as soon as possible."

Bayern's Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said a meeting with Real would be "incredibly tough".

"All Bayern and Real fans can justifiably look forward to a fantastic clash," he told the club's website (www.fcbayern.de).

"We've been drawn to play one of the best clubs in the world and they're a fantastic team."

Surprise Spanish league leaders Atletico, who knocked out Barcelona this week, are the only one of the last four not to have won Europe's elite club competition but crushed then European champions Chelsea 4-1 in the Super Cup final in 2012.

Chelsea, for whom manager Jose Mourinho is seeking to win it with a third different club having triumphed with Porto and Inter Milan, are in the semis for the seventh time in 11 years.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay played down any controversy surrounding Courtois' availability for the tie, although did not comment on reports that a clause in the agreement between the clubs means Atletico will have to pay up to 5 million pounds if he plays in both legs.

"The loan was arranged back at the start of the season and it's quite simple, Thibaut can play against Chelsea. That was never in doubt," he told Sky Sports.

UEFA threat 

UEFA earlier published a statement that said if Chelsea enforced the penalty clause for the two-legged semifinal tie they would be sanctioned.

"Both the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations contain clear provisions which strictly forbid any club to exert, or attempt to exert, any influence whatsoever over the players that another club may [or may not] field in a match," the statement said.

"It follows that any provision in a private contract between clubs which might function in such a way as to influence who a club fields in a match is null, void and unenforceable so far as UEFA is concerned."

While Chelsea will possibly be relieved to have avoided Bayern and Real Madrid, Diego Simeone's Atletico side represent a formidable obstacle.

"We are very happy to be here together with three such magnificent teams," sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero said following the draw.

"I think it will be a balanced tie. [Chelsea] have a great team and great individual players.”

"We will try to be as effective as possible with our style of play and try to reach the final, a dream not only for the players and the club but for all the fans."

AMMAN –– The first round of the 2014 National Rally Championship kicks off Friday with the participation of nine drivers from Jordan and Lebanon.

The event organised by Jordan Motorsport and held under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal, chairman of the Executive Motor Sports Council, is considered as the final rehearsal for the challenging Jordan Rally –– the third round of the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC)  scheduled to be held between May 1-3. 

According to Jordan Motorsport CEO Othman Nassif, the first National Rally will have a tough mission this Friday with six-stage 80.04km challenge.

"Drivers will start at 9am from the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan [RACJ] and will have to cover a total distance of 319.39 kilometres [80.04km special stages] followed by the first stage at 10:21am overlooking the Dead Sea then heading towards the city of Madaba," he told The Jordan Times.

“The final podium presentations will be organised at the RACJ at around 5:15pm," he added.

Regarding the list of drivers, Nassif said: "We have a strong list of professional drivers from Jordan and Lebanon and we are expecting a heated competition among the nine drivers. This Friday's event will be a training camp for all those who will take part in the Jordan Rally whether a driver or a volunteer and we hope things will be just right."

Jordan is headed by national champion Maroof Abu Samra, a veteran rally driver, and his co-driver Nicola Fanous on their Skoda while the Lebanese squad is headed by Roger Feghali and co-driver Ziad Shehab on their Ford Fiesta.

Joining them are Ala' Khalifeh and co-driver Ata Hmoud (Jordan), Ala Rasheed and co-driver Joseph Matar (Jordan), Husam Salem and co-driver Nancy Majali (Jordan), Henry Masad and co-driver Roger Ghoson (Lebanon), Basheer Azar and co-driver Bilal Majdalawi (Jordan), Salameh Qamaz and co-driver Khaled Juma (Jordan) and Sahdi Yaeesh and co-driver Suhail Jariri (Jordan).

Lebanese drivers are taking part in the event after the FIA, the governing body of motor sports worldwide, decision to divide the Middle East Rally Championship into zones.

The first zone consists of Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Jordan while the second consists of Dubai, Qatar and Oman.

LONDON — Arsenal must continue their fine form in the FA Cup if they are to beat current holders Wigan Athletic in the semifinals at Wembley on Saturday, manager Arsene Wenger said on Thursday.

Arsenal have reached the last four for a record-equalling 27th time after impressive wins over Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Liverpool and Everton, and with Hull City, Sheffield United and Wigan remaining, they are favourites to win the competition for the 11th time.

Their FA Cup form is in contrast to their dismal league form which has seen them win two of their last nine games and slide down the table from top to fourth.

They now face a buoyant Championship side in Wigan, who stunned Manchester City in last year’s final and then beat them again in this season’s quarter-finals.

As well as ending City’s interest with a 2-1 win in the sixth round last month, they have also seen off Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Cardiff City in their bid to become only the sixth club in the last 123 years to retain the trophy.

“We play against an opponent that has done well in this competition,” Wenger told reporters at the club’s training ground at London Colney.

“They have beaten Man City at Man City so we want to focus on that and make sure we can go through.

“You win when you produce a quality performance. We have, in this competition, produced top quality performances so let’s continue with that.

“We have a team who has a lot of experience. For us what is very important is to win the semifinal and it’s important we focus on that.”

Arsenal have injury concerns over Kieran Gibbs, Tomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Mesut Ozil and Laurent Koscielny have both been ruled out.

Midfielder Aaron Ramsey will start his first game in four months after a substitute appearance against Everton last week following his recovery from a thigh problem and Wenger believes injuries to vital players have crippled his side throughout the campaign.

“This season we lost key players at big important moments of the season,” continued Wenger, who has suffered defeat in his last two visits to Wembley, losing to Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup semifinal and to Birmingham City in the 2011 League Cup final.

“But we have to just to focus on finishing as well as we can. We are in a position where we can still do very well until the end of the season, that is what we want.”

After a dismal 3-0 defeat by Everton in the Premier League on Sunday, Arsenal’s grip on a top four finish appears to be loosening, Everton now trail Wenger’s side by a single point and have a game in hand.

But the Frenchman refused to be drawn on whether he would take a top four finish over winning the FA Cup, claiming a first trophy since 2005 in the process.

“I will not choose, what is important after our performance against Everton is to respond well,” added Wenger who won the FA Cup four times in his first nine seasons at Arsenal to become the second most successful FA Cup manager in modern times after Alex Ferguson.

But Wenger is more concerned with what is coming rather than what has gone before.

“That’s where our future lies, it’s in our capacity to respond with a strong performance. That is the next game and the next game is the FA Cup.”

MADRID — While it may be too soon to call Barcelona’s Champions League exit the end of an era, the Spanish champion doesn’t seem to have recovered from former coach Pep Guardiola’s departure two seasons ago.

Barcelona lost 1-0 at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, failing to reach the semifinals of Europe’s top competition for the first time in seven seasons.

Even with Lionel Messi and Neymar in the starting line-up, Barcelona’s attack had no reply to Atletico’s well-organised defence. Barcelona’s defence was in disarray early on and could have trailed 3-0 by the 20th-minute if the woodwork had not saved it twice.

Andres Iniesta was left grumbling about coach Gerardo Martino, whose decision to play Messi on the right side left him looking disinterested. Statistics revealed only the two goalkeepers were less active than the Argentina forward in the match.

The figures showed he ran nearly 6.9 kilometres in the match — the least among all the starting outfield players and a long way off the game-high of 12.3 kilometres covered by Atletico midfielder Koke, who scored the lone goal.

Barcelona now must focus on trying to retain its league title — it trails Atletico by one point with six games to play — and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

“A disaster? At some level it is, because this was a team that could have advanced further,” Martino said.

Barcelona’s worst Champions League showing since 2007 came as Guardiola guided defending champion Bayern Munich into the semifinals with ease, as he did while leading Barcelona to a pair of European Cups during his 2008-12 spell in charge of his boyhood club.

Last season, Bayern dispatched Barcelona at the semifinal stage with a 7-0 aggregate victory.

Neither Neymar nor Messi responded to the pressures of the club’s most important match of the season, even though Messi did manage to create Barcelona’s two best scoring opportunities in the first half.

“We didn’t want Messi to participate in the game but to exploit space on the right side and create from the counter,” Martino explained.

Even Iniesta was left scratching his head over Barcelona’s tactics after being replaced by Pedro Martinez in the 72nd minute.

“I was surprised that I came off,” Iniesta said. “But that’s the coach’s decision.”

Guardiola left because he feared losing control of the dressing room as it became harder to motivate his players, who were being touted as leading perhaps the greatest team of all time due to the 14 trophies won in four seasons under his guidance.

Successor Tito Vilanova failed to maintain Guardiola’s momentum as he battled cancer, which ultimately led him to abandon the position, and the club scrambled for a replacement last summer when Martino was signed.

Neymar’s arrival last summer has meanwhile been accompanied by off-the-pitch headaches that include charges of tax fraud and a FIFA transfer ban over the club’s signing of youth players. The charges have marred the image of the club and are likely to make its offseason planning very difficult — with a new goalkeeper and centre back needed.

Still, Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano remained optimistic the Catalan club could finish the season with some silverware. They also hosts Atletico at the Camp Nou in the league finale.

“We have to learn from this. We have to lift our heads quickly,” the Argentina international said. “We can’t dwell on tonight. We are the responsible ones, but we still have the possibility of winning two titles this season.”

LONDON –– English Premier League club Hull City’s controversial bid to change their name to Hull Tigers has been rejected by the Football Association (FA), the governing body said in a statement on Wednesday. “The FA Council, which is made up of representatives from across football, fully considered the recommendation and the subsequent responses received from Hull City in reaching its decision,” the FA said on its website. The governing body said the decision had been carried with 63.5 per cent support of its members. Egyptian-born businessman Assem Allam bought Hull in December 2010 and announced plans late last year to change the club’s name in a bid to raise its profile overseas. A statement on Hull’s official website on Wednesday said the club would not be making any comment on the FA’s decision. It added: “Our focus is on supporting [manager] Steve Bruce and the team ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal [against Sheffield United], our first in over 80 years.” 

BELEK, Turkey — With sports federations demanding a “Plan B” because of the chronic delays in Rio de Janeiro, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday it was “premature” to speculate about taking the 2016 Games away from Brazil.

IOC President Thomas Bach and other Olympic officials said the construction hold-ups and political paralysis have reached a critical point, requiring the IOC to take special measures to save the games.

“It is about time for action,” Bach said following an unprecedented public outpouring of criticism and complaints from international sports leaders about the lack of progress in Rio.

Several sports federations asked about contingency plans for their venues and one — handball — asked if there was a backup for the games themselves if Rio won’t be ready on time.

Asked whether there had been discussion of moving the games out of Brazil, IOC spokesman Mark Adams stopped short of ruling it out.

“At this stage, that would be far too premature,” he said. “We’re not talking about Plan B. We’re still talking about delivery of the games.”

“The IOC has outlined its concerns for some time now — that time is running out,” Adams said after Rio organisers spoke to the executive board by video conference. “We believe that Rio 2016 can still deliver good games if appropriate action is taken immediately. The clock is ticking. Every day is crucial, but they can still deliver.”

With two years to go, relocating the games would be a last resort, and finding an alternate site on such short notice would be virtually impossible. However, raising alarms about Rio’s state of readiness serves to ramp up the pressure on the Brazilians.

Leaders of 18 different federations spoke out about Rio’s troubled preparations in a meeting with Bach and the IOC executive board. All but one — volleyball — raised serious concerns.

The greatest worries centred on Deodoro, a complex in north Rio that is to host venues for eight sports. Work has not even begun on the site.

“The general feeling is that we are in the most critical situation in the preparation for the games that has happened in the last 20 years at least,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, head of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.

IOC Vice President Craig Reedie said the problems in Rio appeared greater than those for the 2004 Athens Olympics, where serious concerns lingered up to the last minute.

“There was pressure on Athens to finish construction and to deliver, but they did and there was a feeling that, although it was tight, it would always be done,” Reedie said. “Some of the federations are now saying, ‘Look they [Rio] haven’t started building, so can they actually finish this one on time?”

Ricci Bitti said the sports raising the issue of a “Plan B” were referring to venue plans, not moving the games.

“We are not at this stage,” he said, adding that basketball, for example, could consider playing some games in Sao Paulo if the Deodoro venue won’t be ready.

The Italian urged Bach to make another trip to Brazil soon to meet with government leaders and organisers. Bach travelled to Brazil in January for talks with President Dilma Rousseff.

The IOC said there were no immediate plans for Bach to make another trip.

Bach said he was waiting for more details of Tuesday’s meeting in Brasilia between Rio organisers and Rousseff’s chief of staff. Brazil’s sports ministry said the deadlines would be met “and the games themselves would take place without disorder”.

Bach gave no details on specific action the IOC might take, but noted that the IOC will be sending several task forces — made up of groups of experts in construction and other fields — to Rio to monitor the situation. Gilbert Felli will be assigned to work with Rio when he steps down as the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games later this year.

Ricci Bitti said the Olympic project is in danger of falling further behind because of the upcoming World Cup in Brazil and presidential election in October.

“We require you to take action immediately,” the Italian told Bach. “ We cannot waste these next six months.”

BARCELONA –– Atletico Madrid hope to have talismanic striker Diego Costa back fit against Barcelona on Wednesday when the La Liga leaders bid to pull off another Spanish surprise by reaching the Champions League semifinals.

Spain’s Costa has hit 33 goals for Diego Simeone’s side in a remarkable season for Atletico, where they have come out of the shadows of their more affluent neighbours Real Madrid and La Liga champions Barca.

They picked up a 1-1 draw in a typically hard-fought battle at the Camp Nou in the Champions League first leg last week, where Costa limped off with a hamstring strain in the first half.

His replacement Diego hit a stunning shot from distance to give Atletico a valuable away goal before Neymar grabbed a draw.

Costa has been receiving intensive treatment with the aim of being ready for the home leg and is progressing well. However, with further crucial games ahead, Atletico’s medical staff are wary of him coming back too soon and aggravating the injury.

Arda Turan is also a doubt with a groin strain and if he does not recover then his place on the right wing would likely go to Diego with Adrian Lopez possibly replacing Costa.

Adrian came on as a substitute and looked lively during an otherwise tired Atletico display in a 1-0 home win over Villarreal on Saturday that kept them a point clear of Barca at the top of the Spanish championship.

“I am prepared, we are all ready for when we have to play. Any opportunity in this team is important and you have to be ready to take it,” Adrian told reporters.

“It has been a great season so far and we are all pleased. We have done very well but we need to keep going game by game. Now we are up against Barcelona in the Champions League and we will play it as though it were a final.

“The first leg was a good result but the tie is very open still. We know what Barcelona are capable of doing and we will have to have a great performance if we are going to qualify for the semifinals. We will have to fight from start to finish.”

Pique out 

Barcelona were also below their best but beat Real Betis 3-1 at the weekend with two more goals from Lionel Messi and remain on Atletico’s shoulders with the two sides also still to meet at the Camp Nou in La Liga.

Their main injury concerns are at the back where Gerard Pique is missing with a hip injury so Marc Bartra could again deputise with Carles Puyol out long term.

Barca also have to finish the season with veteran goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto after Victor Valdes was ruled out with a knee ligament injury.

“It was a tough game [at the Calderon] where we put in a great effort and now for the return leg we will be in perfect condition,” Pinto told Barca TV.

“It is likely to be a tight game, the same as the first, and small details will make the difference. We hope that these small details will go for us.”