Mateo Kovacic believes Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Leeds United on Saturday showed they "can fight for this badge".

The Blues ended a six-game losing streak with a victory over struggling Leeds at Stamford Bridge, easing the pressure on under-fire boss Graham Potter.

A difficult season for Chelsea, who have spent big in the transfer window but failed to deliver on the pitch, has led to increasingly frustration from expectant supporters.

But after Wesley Fofana's first Premier League goal consigned Leeds to defeat, Kovacic expressed his gratitude for the backing the players were given.

"I felt the crowd was behind us the whole game," the midfielder told Chelsea's official website. "[It] is not easy, because we are in a bad moment.

"Tenth place is not good for Chelsea. It was a great atmosphere, and we showed them that we can fight for this badge, and we gave them the three points."

Chelsea now turn their attention to a Champions League last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, when they will kick-off at Stamford Bridge trailing 1-0.

Kovacic hopes beating Leeds can fire them on in Europe, adding: "The win was much needed. The three points were important for us to lift the confidence.

"Unfortunately, the ball does not want to go in at the moment, but in the end, we scored. We're happy with the points. We need to continue now. This is a step forward."

Max Verstappen started the defence of his Formula One title with a comfortable victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

The two-time world champion was in front from the start and never truly came under threat, leading a Red Bull one-two ahead of Sergio Perez to secure his team's first opening-weekend victory since 2011.

With Charles Leclerc forced into a retirement due to an engine issue, Red Bull's closest challenger was Fernando Alonso, who worked his way through the field for a podium finish.

But a rejuvenated Aston Martin were no match for a dominant Verstappen and Red Bull in what proved to be a comfortable race for the defending champions.

Leclerc, who had a power unit change before the start, leapfrogged Perez to take second place at the start but could not stay ahead of the Mexican, who regained his grid position after the first round of pit stops on lap 26.

Mercedes' fight with Aston Martin was the battle to watch, Lewis Hamilton completing an undercut on Alonso before a stellar move on lap 38 saw the Spaniard move ahead again.

Engine problems for Leclerc led to his retirement three laps later, opening the door for Alonso to battle Carlos Sainz for a podium spot after the virtual safety car was deployed.

Alonso was able to catch his compatriot on lap 46 to clinch third spot in his first race for Aston Martin, though there was no challenge for Red Bull as they eased to only their second ever win in the first race of the year.

Ferrari frustration

Having had to retire from the lead twice in the 2022 season due to engine issues, Leclerc would have hoped those problems were a thing of the past heading into Ferrari's 2023 campaign.

Never appearing to have the pace to put the Red Bull duo under threat, calamity struck with another forced retirement in a nightmare start to the season.

Ocon's Alpine agony

Esteban Ocon's season did not get off to a good start, with the Frenchman given three time penalties over the course of the race.

An initial five-second penalty came for incorrect grid position, with a 10-second penalty following for failing to serve that correctly and another five-second penalty issued for speeding in the pit lane before the Alpine was eventually retired.

IN THE POINTS

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +11.987

3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +36.637

4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +48.052

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +50.977

6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +54.502

7. George Russell (Mercedes) +55.873

8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +1:12.647

9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1:13.753

10. Alexander Albon (Williams) +1:20.870

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 25

2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 18

3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 15

4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 12

5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 10

Constructors

1. Red Bull 43

2. Aston Martin 23

3. Mercedes 16

4. Ferrari 12

5. Alfa Romeo 4

Ten-man Barcelona battled to a nervy 1-0 win over strugglers Valencia at Camp Nou to move 10 points clear of Real Madrid at the top of LaLiga.

Barca suffered a shock loss to Almeria in their last league game, prior to beating Madrid in Thursday's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, and were made to work hard by Valencia.

Raphinha put the hosts ahead early on but Ronald Araujo's 59th-minute red card, shortly after Ferran Torres missed a penalty, set up a nervier-than-expected final half an hour.

Valencia had good chances either side of Araujo's dismissal, but they failed to test Marc-Andre ter Stegen and remain two points from safety in the relegation zone.

Barca head coach Xavi was in the stands for this contest due to a one-game suspension and he would have had a perfect view of Raphinha's impressive opener.

Sergio Busquets clipped the ball into the box and Raphinha timed his run to perfection to get in front of Giorgi Mamardashvili and glance the ball into an unguarded net.

Valencia should have been level before half-time, but Thierry Correia headed a big chance wide and Samuel Lino fired off target when Ter Stegen played the ball straight to his feet.

The visitors were given a let-off when Torres clipped the post from a penalty awarded for Hugo Guillamon's handball, while Ansu Fati hit the inside of the post just a minute later.

There was then a further twist as Araujo saw red having pulled down Hugo Duro to prevent the Valencia striker charging through on goal after Jules Kounde headed the ball into his path.

Valencia had a late penalty shout rejected for Franck Kessie's challenge on Fran Perez but ultimately failed to make their one player advantage count in the final 30 minutes.

Ricky Ponting believes David Warner missed the ideal chance to retire in style at the SCG after his double-century at the MCG in December.

Warner plundered his way to 200 from 255 deliveries in the Boxing Day Test, which was his 100th appearance for his country in the format, as Australia dismantled South Africa by an innings and 182 runs.

That knock came at the end of a difficult 2022 for the opening batter, who had scored only two half-centuries in his previous 19 innings.

The 36-year-old was included in Australia's squad for their tour of India, but managed just 26 runs in three visits to the crease before suffering concussion and subsequently withdrawing.

Former Australia captain Ponting thinks the perfect opportunity for Warner to bow out was at the end of the South Africa series, with his home ground in Sydney hosting the final match.

Ponting told the ICC Review podcast: "Look, I was on radio a couple of days ago, back here in Australia, and I thought the absolute best time for Davey to retire, if he was thinking about it at all, was after the Sydney Test match here in Australia.

"He'd just played his 100th Test in Melbourne, and obviously got 200 in the first innings down there. And to bow out in front of his home crowd is obviously the way that every player would like to finish their careers.

"Who knows now that opportunity might not come around again for Davey, you know. That's nearly another 12 months away."

Australia will feature in this year's ICC Test Championship final at The Oval, and Ponting thinks Warner will play in that match if he is fit.

Indeed, Ponting says it could well act as an audition for the Ashes, which start at Edgbaston on June 16.

"They're probably going to have similar things to think about when they get to the UK because David's record in the UK is not as strong as it is in some other places around the world," said Ponting.

"I think his career deserves to finish the way he wants it to.

"Sort of not to be dropped or tapped on the shoulder in the middle of an overseas tour and have his career end in that way. That's why I just hope he can find it within himself to score a lot of runs between now and next summer."

Erik ten Hag went with his Sunday best as Manchester United looked to earn a first Premier League win at Liverpool in over seven years.

Seven days on from winning the EFL Cup at Wembley, where the Red Devils beat Newcastle United, Ten Hag again put his trust in the players that delivered that trophy success.

That meant United named the XI that triumphed in the capital, with Ten Hag backing that line-up after shuffling his pack for the FA Cup win on Wednesday against West Ham.

Wout Weghorst led the attack, with 25-goal Marcus Rashford looking to add to his stunning tally. Rashford went into Sunday's game having hit 10 goals in his last 10 Premier League outings, scoring in his last five appearances.

Ten Hag's team were looking to end a six-game winless run in league games at Anfield, with their last victory at the home of their great rivals in the competition being a 1-0 win in January 2016.

Liverpool made three changes to the side that beat Wolves 2-0 on Wednesday, a result that continued a recent upturn in league results for Jurgen Klopp's team, giving them 10 points from the last four games.

Andy Robertson came in at left-back for Konstantinos Tsimikas, Spanish youngster Stefan Bajcetic was replaced by Jordan Henderson in midfield, and Cody Gakpo replaced Diogo Jota in attack, where he joined Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.

United's recent winless run at Anfield is their longest since a run of nine games between 1970 and 1979, but they headed into this encounter sitting 10 points above Liverpool.

Third-placed United were seeking a ninth Premier League double over Liverpool, having won 2-1 at Old Trafford in August, the result that kick-started Ten Hag's reign after a rocky start to the Dutchman's career in England.

United came into this game having scored just one goal in their last seven trips to face Liverpool in all competitions, failing to score in the last three.

However, they arrived for the game having lost just one of their last 11 in the league (W8 D2), with the exception in that run being a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal in January.

Will Jacks will miss the rest of England's white-ball tour of Bangladesh after he suffered a thigh injury during their second ODI victory on Friday.

The tourists wrapped up the series with a 132-run win on Friday ahead of a third and final 50-over game on Monday before three T20I matches.

But they will be without all-rounder Jacks, who is set to fly home in order to begin his rehabilitation after he suffered a thigh injury in Mirpur.

Jacks did the damage while fielding at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

"Will Jacks has been ruled out for the remainder of our tour of Bangladesh after suffering a left thigh injury," the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a brief statement on Sunday.

"Jacks will fly home in the next 48 hours to begin his recovery."

Jacks will be hoping to regain full fitness in time for Royal Challengers Bangalore's Indian Premier League opener against Mumbai Indians on April 2.

England have elected to not call up a replacement for Jacks for their remaining four games against the Tigers, leaving them with just a 13-man party for a T20I series that starts on Thursday.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane saluted Marcus Rashford for proving he has the character to be the team's main man, but Gary Neville now wants him to replicate his form season after season.

Rashford is enjoying a phenomenal campaign, with his 25 goals across all competitions prior to Sunday's trip to Liverpool already his best return for a single season.

There appeared to be doubts about Rashford's long-term future at United after a hugely underwhelming 2021-22 season, but he has had a new lease of life since Erik ten Hag's arrival.

He showed real promise before the World Cup, but it is since his return from Qatar that Rashford's form has reached new heights, scoring 10 goals in his previous 10 league games ahead of Sunday.

That haul includes a run of five successive goalscoring appearances, with the England international giving United a clinical touch in attack – his 25 goals have come from just 16.5 xG (expected goals).

Keane acknowledged he had reservations about Rashford in that regard, but the 25-year-old is emphatically proving him wrong.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Keane said: "He's in great form and what's been surprising in the last few months is, I wasn't sure if Marcus had that personality to want to be the main man, but he has, particularly with [Cristiano] Ronaldo leaving and [Anthony] Martial injured, he has definitely taken that responsibility.

"His goals, the type of goals he's getting: he's scored a couple of headers recently. I never knew he had that in his locker.

"We know obviously about his pace, his skill when beating people, but I think he's enjoying the responsibility. He's in the form of his life, he seems fit, he seems mentally clear, he's focusing more on his football now.

"There were question marks over the past few years about whether he was distracted, a lot of people hanging on to him. Now it looks like football is his priority and he's getting the rewards."

However, Neville – another former United captain – feels Rashford now has to ensure this season is not just a flash in the pan.

Twice before he has broken the 20-goal mark in a single season but been unable to maintain that level, whereas one of his opponents on Sunday – Liverpool's Salah – has done so in all six of his campaigns with the Reds.

Such ability has inspired Liverpool to success in the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and the Champions League.

"I think Marcus can look at Salah," Neville added. "What Marcus has done this season is fantastic, but Salah's been doing that for six or seven seasons, winning Premier League titles, Champions League trophies.

"He's reliable and consistent, and that's where Marcus now is building that sort of feeling and momentum in his game, but he's got to do it for the next three, four, five seasons and take Manchester United to those titles that Salah has at Liverpool."

Charles Leclerc has taken a new power unit component ahead of the Formula One season opener in Bahrain.

The Ferrari driver, who starts third on the grid behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, has a new energy store (ES) on his car.

No penalty will be issued for the Bahrain Grand Prix, though it leaves Ferrari in a challenging position for the remainder of the season as only two such changes are allowed over the course of the campaign.

The F1 season in 2023 will see a record-breaking 23 races on the calendar, Las Vegas having been added to the schedule.

Leclerc looked to be Verstappen's strongest rival last season, winning two of the opening three races, but reliability issues and strategy errors derailed his charge as he finished 146 points behind the Dutchman.

Changes were made at Ferrari ahead of the new season, Frederic Vasseur replacing Mattias Binotto as team principal.

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold could not bear to watch Manchester United lift the EFL Cup trophy last weekend as seeing them enjoy success "burns".

United won their first title in nearly six years a week ago, beating Newcastle United 2-0 at Wembley to cap Erik ten Hag's encouraging start to life at Old Trafford.

Their triumph officially ended Liverpool's reign in that competition. For United, it was another highlight in a largely positive season and came just three days after knocking Barcelona out of the Europa League.

Liverpool were watching themselves be deposed amid a challenging and turbulent campaign, and Alexander-Arnold had to look away when it came to United getting hands on the trophy.

"I watched the game, but as soon as they were getting ready for the trophy lift, I turned off," he told The Telegraph ahead of Sunday's Anfield clash with bitter rivals United.

"I thought, 'There is no way I am watching that'. Knowing they lifted that trophy, it burns. Oh yeah, it definitely burns."

But looking past his distaste for United, their triumph helped him realise there can be light at the end of the tunnel, with Alexander-Arnold convinced Liverpool's woes this season are only temporary.

"It shows you how football changes very quickly," he added.

"Look at Arsenal. At the end of last season everyone was talking about failure for not making the top four. All of a sudden, they are leading in the title race. In football terms, these changes really do happen overnight.

"It's the same with Manchester United when you look at the difference now to last year. Even the start of this season when they lost to Brentford. How many people were saying, 'Here we go again?'

"Now they're flying. It happens, that's why I'm not going to allow myself to get over consumed with what has happened to us right now because I know in a few months, or possibly even weeks, it will change. I am determined to keep level-headed and balanced about what has gone on."

Nevertheless, it does not change the reality of how disappointing Liverpool have been this term.

They are six points adrift of the top four, out of the FA Cup, and 5-2 down to Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 ahead of their second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Failing to finish in the top four is unthinkable for Alexander-Arnold, and he accepts only divine intervention will help them win a trophy before the end of the season.

"At the start of this season, if you had asked us what we expected in March, it would have been to be coming towards the climax of the title race," he continued.

"That's the best feeling in football, going into every game knowing you need to win and most likely watching Manchester City's games thinking if they lose or drop two points, we're going to pounce.

"Now it is going to be difficult to win a trophy this season. It looks impossible. We will need a miracle. So, there is a different type of motivation and it is difficult to adjust.

"We've drawn a line and know the top four is everything now. I can't imagine not being in the Champions League. That is what is motivating all of us.

"As a club, we need to be playing Champions League football. We have not made it easy for ourselves, but the level we are and the quality we have as players, means we expect it."

Kylian Mbappe reiterated his commitment to Paris Saint-Germain, though he is set on winning the Champions League.

Mbappe became PSG's record goalscorer as he sealed a 4-2 win over Nantes on Saturday.

The 24-year-old surpassed Edinson Cavani's tally of 200 for the club when he slammed home in stoppage time. Mbappe took just 247 matches to reach 201 goals – Cavani's 200 strikes came from 301 appearances.

Having won the 2018 World Cup with France and five Ligue 1 titles, the Champions League has evaded Mbappe, who has a runners-up medal from the 2020 final when PSG lost to Bayern Munich.

Bayern stand in the way of PSG's progress this season, with the Bundesliga giants holding a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie on Wednesday.

While Mbappe sees himself as an eventual Champions League winner, he refuted the suggestion Wednesday's result will have a direct impact on his PSG future.

"I don't think so," he said in a press conference.

"I think if I read my future it's [winning] the Champions League, and I'm not disrespecting the club. I will have gone very far. 

"I am here, I am very happy. I'm very happy here, and for the moment I'm not thinking about anything else but making Paris Saint-Germain happy."

Mbappe's sole focus is now on propelling PSG to a result in Munich. He returned from injury in the first leg and saw an equaliser disallowed for offside.

"It's a good moment for me [becoming PSG's all-time top scorer], but for the team, the good moment is the three consecutive victories after the defeat against Bayern and that's the most important thing," he added.

"Of course, I'm happy, it's important for the team. But the most important thing is that the team has got its head together and is ready for the challenge in Munich on Wednesday.

"[Can I score my] 204th, 205th? We don't know. Yes, as I said, the goal is clear, we want to go there to qualify. We have a lot of confidence, and humility too because we play a great team.

"But we are Paris Saint-Germain, and we always go to win matches and we will go to Munich to win, to qualify, to come back happy."

PSG coach Christophe Galtier, meanwhile, is honoured to be coaching Mbappe.

"It's already a privilege to experience this, live, in real-time. It's a privilege for a coach to have a player like Kylian, who in my eyes is the best striker in the world," Galtier told reporters.

"Our fans, but also people who love French football must appreciate the value of having such a player in our league.

"He is determined to break many records, to make sure that the team wins, and that the team goes as far as possible.

"It is a privilege for me to have witnessed this. It's a privilege for Paris Saint-Germain to have a striker like Kylian. You have to appreciate it for what it is."

Erik ten Hag did not lose sleep over his decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire to the bench for Manchester United's clash with Liverpool back in August.

After starting their Premier League campaign with successive defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford – the second of those losses a 4-0 reverse – United kick-started their season by beating Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford.

United have only got better since under Ten Hag, who claimed his first trophy as Red Devils boss last week when his side saw off Newcastle United 2-0 in the EFL Cup final.

They head into Sunday's meeting with Liverpool at Anfield in third place, 10 points ahead of their sixth-placed hosts.

Ten Hag made two big calls by leaving Ronaldo and club captain Maguire out of his side in the reverse fixture, but he has no regrets over that decision, and suggested that would be the case even if the result had been different.

"I have to see and to face the consequences of it. The impact from the decisions, not only on the short term but on the longer term, of course," he said in a press conference.

"I think you always have to think statistically and [consider] what is the consequence in the longer term. I am aware of it but that's my job and that's the responsibility I have to take.

"I had reasons, they were obvious. And I knew also the consequence and also when it was a negative outcome from that game, which always is possible in football.

"But I'm not worrying. I sleep well, also on those nights, and I have to take decisions in respect of the team and the club. That is my job and that is the responsibility I have to take and I have to stand for those decisions."

Ten Hag's decision paid off, though while Maguire – who turned 30 on Sunday – has remained at Old Trafford as a bit-part player, Ronaldo left the club in November after an inflammatory interview in which he criticised United's manager.

While Ronaldo has departed, his former Real Madrid club-mate Casemiro has been an emphatic success since his arrival.

"I had a player in Ajax who set such standards, but definitely Casemiro in this team, he is such a leader and he is so important for us," Ten Hag replied when asked if he had ever coached a player like Casemiro.

"Not only with his performances, skills, like scoring a goal, or his header, or like linking up or intercepting balls. Organisation, the mentality, the culture, and we are so happy that we signed him.

"I think when you go to recruitment, we were looking for players with character, with personality and it was not only about signing a player – there are a lot of players in the world that have great skills. We are looking for players who have character. Players who have personality, who have leadership, who take responsibility, who are resilient."

Indeed, there has been no surprise for Ten Hag when it comes to Casemiro's quality.

He said: "I knew what a magnificent player he was. Just look through his profile. You see all the cups he won and that's not [a] coincidence.

"You have players who win, and win always, and players who lose and always lose. Of course, you have to do your research and find that type who will win and who are cooperative in the dressing room to be humble but when they are on the pitch they take responsibility and you can sit on the bench and you are composed."

Toto Wolff conceded Mercedes must change their car design in order to return to the top of Formula One.

Mercedes endured a dismal 2022 season, with Lewis Hamilton suffering the first winless campaign of his F1 career.

Much of their struggles were put down to issues with the car, but Mercedes stuck with their unique "zero pod" design for the 2023 season, despite the success of Red Bull's "side pod" model.

Yet after a disappointing qualification session that saw George Russell place in sixth and Hamilton in seventh for Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Wolff confirmed changes will have to be made.

He said: "I don't think this package is going to be competitive, eventually.

"We gave it our best go also over the [off-season] and now we just need to all regroup, sit down with the engineers who are totally not dogmatic about anything and decide what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be competitive to win races.

"It's not only like last year that you're scoring podiums and eventually you get there.

"I'm sure we can win races this season but it's really the mid-and long-term that we need to look at which decisions you need to take."

Wolff believes Mercedes "gave it our best shot" but ultimately the team must accept their model has not worked.

"We hit our targets. That's why we gave it our best shot," he continued. "The moment comes and the stopwatch comes out and that showed us that it's simply not good enough.

"We haven't got enough downforce and we need to find solutions to fix that."

Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen claimed pole position in Saturday's qualification, with team-mate Sergio Perez completing a front-row lockout for Red Bull.

Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start in third and fourth respectively, while Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso occupies fifth on the grid ahead of Russell and Hamilton.