Fabio Capello reckons Manchester City are “the best team in the world” as Pep Guardiola’s side prepare for their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

The tie is a rematch of last year’s last-four clash, where City were knocked out in dramatic circumstances at the Bernabeu as Real mounted a stunning comeback to win after extra time.

A Champions League trophy is the one piece of silverware that has so far evaded Guardiola during his nearly seven years with City.

Speaking at the Laureus Awards on Monday, former England boss Capello highlighted the difference prolific striker Erling Haaland has made to City and his belief they are now the finest team on the planet.

He said: “I think City is the best team in the world. This year makes the difference.

“Last year, (they) missed the forward and this year you have a really important forward. Not only this – you have 24 players.

“When you make the substitution, always a fantastic player is entering. Real Madrid, I think (have) 14, 15 players.

“They probably will be a little bit tired (after winning the Copa del Rey on Saturday evening), but they have the best coach in the world, Carlo Ancelotti.”

Two-time former Real Madrid boss Capello added: “Carlo knows everything about the openings, and we prepare the games really, really well. I hope, Carlo, we will win.”

Ex-Inter Milan and Real Madrid winger Luis Figo echoed Capello’s sentiments about City’s improvement, but warned that they had their work cut out against the 14-time European Cup winners.

“I think (Manchester City) are one of the best teams in the world now,” the former Portugal star said.

“They are playing very good football, and in the last years, they are always in the competition, they have the experience already, they know already what to do so they don’t lose like last year.

“But they play against the best club in the history of the Champions League.

“Sometimes I think the history of the competition, that helps you in different kinds of moments and important moments in this competition, and everyone, I think they think that Manchester City is now a favourite for the games against Real Madrid.

“But you have to count the history and count that Real Madrid is always alive until the last second of the game.

“It will be nice to see, but I think for sure they are more than ready to win this beautiful competition.”

Figo is hoping another of his former clubs, Inter Milan, can get the better of rivals AC Milan in the other semi-final.

He said: “I expect that Inter can win, and probably that will happen, I hope!

“I think Italy have to be proud this year that they have two teams in the semi-final. Fantastic performance in the Champions League.

“You know anything can happen, but it’s beautiful in the same time that you have the chance to see two big games of the best club competition in the world in the same city.”

:: Fabio Capello and Luis Figo were speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards. Find out more at www.laureus.com

Sampdoria have been relegated from Serie A for the first time in over a decade following a 2-0 defeat at Udinese.

First-half goals from Roberto Pereyra and Adam Masina proved enough to confirm the visitors’ fate with four games of the season still to go.

Relegation may prove to be the least of their worries as the club continues to battle a financial crisis which has led to fears of bankruptcy.

Sampdoria won the Scudetto in 1991 and reached the European Cup final at Wembley the following year, when a team featuring the likes of Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli lost 1-0 to Barcelona.

They have been uninterrupted members of the Italian top-flight since the 2012-13 season, but have increasingly struggled in recent years amid financial concerns.

Meanwhile, Empoli effectively guaranteed their survival as goals from Nicolo Cambiagni and Francesco Caputo secured a 2-1 win over Salernitana, for whom Krzysztof Piatek replied late on.

Dwight McNeil scored a second-half brace as Everton climbed into 16th and two points clear of the Premier League relegation zone to dampen Brighton’s European dreams with a thumping 5-1 victory at the Amex.

It was a shocking first half for the seventh-placed hosts, who fell behind after just 33 seconds through Abdoulaye Doucoure, who later bagged a first-half brace.

Albion’s woes were exacerbated when goalkeeper Jason Steele turned the ball into his own net and McNeil added another for Everton in the second half.

Alexis Mac Allister was able to claw one back for the home side, but the rout was firmly recorded when McNeil scored his second late in stoppage time.

Like their Merseyside rivals on Saturday, the away end largely spurned the call to commemorate the King’s coronation with the singing of the national anthem and attempted to drown it out with a rendition of Spirit of the Blues.

Those chants quickly turned to elated cheers when Dominic Calvert-Lewin collected the ball with his back to Brighton’s goal and – with a neat pivot – crossed to Doucoure at the far post, who obligingly tapped home.

Brighton worked a free-kick to Facundo Buonanotte on the right, but Jordan Pickford was alert to his nodded effort from a tight angle, picking it out of the air with little need for effort.

It was the visitors piling on the pressure at the 25-minute mark thanks to some fine work from Alex Iwobi, who collected the ball inside his own half and cooly controlled it in the final third, where Albion were eventually able to shut down the initial wave of attack.

Kaoru Mitoma tried to set up Danny Welbeck who could not make contact as he slid toward the Everton goal, while control once again began to feel like an elusive pursuit for the hosts, who found themselves at the mercy of Doucoure.

This time he latched onto McNeil’s cross from the left before volleying the ball past Steele to double Everton’s advantage on 29 minutes.

Brighton hoped that would be the end to their disastrous first half but McNeil had other ideas as he sent in a cross which Steele stooped forward to save, but instead further buried his side when the ball deflected in off the back of his leg.

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi made four changes to start the second half including the introduction of Evan Ferguson, who was available for the first time after missing four matches with an ankle injury.

It was fellow substitute Solly March who first tested Pickford and lent the Seagulls a spark they had been sorely missing, getting stuck in and winning a corner.

Ferguson came close on the subsequent set-piece as he forced a good save from the Toffees shot-stopper with a nodded effort at the far post.

Albion finally started to resemble a superior-looking side and remained camped in Everton’s half as Ferguson came inches away from pulling one back with a left-footed effort tipped away by Pickford before Mac Allister hit the crossbar.

It was the visitors, however, who extended their advantage against the run of play after Iwobi broke down the left and flicked the ball to McNeil, who evaded Lewis Dunk’s late sliding challenge and patiently tucked in the Toffees’ fourth.

Three minutes later, Mitoma’s rebound took a fortunate bounce off Mac Allister and in, but McNeil was not done for the night as he netted Everton’s fifth in added time.

Shaun Maloney was pleased with the way his Wigan players dealt with another “hard…difficult” week by ending their Sky Bet Championship campaign with a 0-0 draw against Rotherham.

With the Millers already safe, there was always going to be an end-of-season feel to this dead rubber.

Even more so considering the Wigan players had not been paid on time for a fifth time this season, and half of their regular line-up were not named in the squad.

Young Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle was the star man on his league debut, but neither side looked capable of troubling the scorers on a miserable afternoon at the DW.

“I actually really liked the second half,” said Maloney. “We had to change things slightly at half-time, and I really liked the mentality we had.

“The first half was a little bit tentative. In fairness, some of the players hadn’t played for a while – or at least alongside each other for a while.

“I just told them I needed a bit more aggression and belief in that second half, at the end of what has been a very, very difficult few days.

“And there were a number of positives to come out of it, especially the performance of a number of young players.”

When asked about the off-field situation, Maloney added: “It’s been hard, very hard.

“I think we all expected and hoped that these kinds of days were behind us. But, yes, it was very difficult again for everyone to deal with.

“There’s just been a lack of clarity, which makes it difficult for me to manage the team and manage the players individually.

“And I have to say a massive thanks again to the squad, five of whom played despite not having been paid.

“That’s not to discount any of the other players who did exactly the same earlier this season when this happened before.

“It’s just a really special group really, given what they’ve been through.

“They’ve gone above and beyond this year for the club, and people shouldn’t forget that.”

For Rotherham boss Matt Taylor, it was a case of enjoying the day with the job for the season having already been done.

“It was their moment, this, and for the players,” he said. “It was a reward and recognition for what they’ve done over the previous 45 games.

“We did what we set out to do, and we achieved that last Monday. This was a celebration of that.

“In the first half, I quite liked us as a team, and we created enough openings to probably go ahead in the game.

“In the second half, we became a little bit disjointed, along with the game.

“But I don’t want to read too much into that, because we’d already done our work for the season. And it was a great moment at the end for the players, to be able to celebrate with the fans.

“I’ve just been told that’s been our best away following for nine years, and I think that shows the connection between the fans and this group of players – and it’s all about trust.

“I came in a couple of months into the season, and I’ve started to build that trust with them, as they have with me.

“The fans are the same, and they’ll only do that if we achieve our goals – and this year, that was staying in the league.”

Pep Guardiola insisted revenge was not his motivation as he prepares Manchester City for their Champions League semi-final rematch with Real Madrid.

City were beaten in heartbreaking fashion by the Spanish giants in the last four a year ago and have a chance to make amends this term.

The first leg of their latest encounter takes place at the Bernabeu on Tuesday and Guardiola is focusing on the game in hand rather than looking back 12 months.

The City manager said: “It was tough but we made an exceptional first game in Manchester and played a really good game here.

“In general it was a good performance but it was not enough. You congratulate them and accept it and now one year later we are here.

“We are not here for revenge. It is another opportunity. One day we will get it. We will get to the final and win it.

“It didn’t happen last season as we played Real Madrid and in this competition they know exactly what they have to do.”

Guardiola admitted, however, last season’s loss was hard to stomach at the time.

City controlled the tie in the second leg and looked on course for the final, leading 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate heading into injury time.

Yet they dramatically capitulated, conceding twice in quick succession and going on to lose in extra time.

It added to the catalogue of near misses experienced by the club since Guardiola took charge in 2016, which includes defeat in the 2021 final.

Guardiola said: “Seven years ago we wanted to win the Champions League. Last season it was (like) the end of the world but here we are again.

“Being stable is the most important thing. The important thing is we are trying to get better every year.

“We were prepared last year too. We are the same manager, mainly the same players but completely different games.

“The difference is the second leg is at home and everything will be decided in Manchester.”

Unlike Guardiola, midfielder Rodri admitted revenge was on his mind.

The Spain midfielder said: “Football gives you the option to have revenge.

“We have the philosophy you can always learn from past experiences. We did a great two games but football is like this and we didn’t go through.

“We will fight again. We will try to learn from what we did bad in that moment.”

City are without defender Nathan Ake after the Netherlands international suffered a calf injury in Saturday’s Premier League victory over Leeds.

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom said “he couldn’t be any prouder” of his players after they secured their 28th win of the season by beating Birmingham 2-1.

Oli McBurnie fired the Premier League-bound Blades ahead in the 53rd minute when he headed home his 13th goal of the season before James McAtee tapped the ball into an empty net a few minutes later to double the lead.

Dion Sanderson pulled one back for Blues late on but in the end it was a deserved victory for Heckingbottom’s men who will follow champions Burnley back up to the big time.

Heckingbottom said: “I’m delighted the game was good and I’m pleased we won. It’s important to talk about how well everyone’s done all season, 28 wins, 91 points.

“I spoke to them (the players) before the game and usually we’ll talk about the opposition, but I just wanted to thank them for this season, thank them for the last 18 months.

“For the majority of us our journey started last November, and it’s taken us this long to achieve what we wanted.

“There’s been some moments from a footballing point of view when I’m on the sidelines I couldn’t be prouder, they’ll know what I mean. We’ve played well but also with a presence that has sacred teams to death and that’s been really pleasing.”

Blues boss John Eustace said: “I think it’s been an excellent season. It’s been very good. We were made favourites for relegation at the start of the season so to get 53 points, the highest number of points in six years, is good.

“There’s lots to build on of course there is but there’s been some fantastic memories throughout the season.

“I also said throughout the season there were going to be some really difficult moments which there were, but the way we stuck together and got through it was exceptional.

“To get the most minutes for Under-18 players in Europe is an exceptional achievement in the toughest league in Europe.

“To get the most minutes for Under-20s in the Championship is an exceptional achievement. To do that and stay in the league and be competitive in every game we play, I think we’ve done well.”

Before the game, Birmingham released a statement confirming details of a takeover which will see Tom Wagner’s group assume ownership.

The statement read: “After the transfer of shares Shelby Companies Limited will own 45.64% of Birmingham City PLC and all of the St. Andrews Stadium.

“Shelby Companies Limited is a subsidiary of Knighthead Annuity & Life Assurance Company, and managed by American financier, Tom Wagner. Both SPA’s are subject to approval from both the English Football League (EFL) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

“Birmingham City will remain under the control of the current Board until the relevant Owners and Directors Tests (OADT) have been approved by the EFL and after the completion of the contracts.”

Vincent Kompany ended Burnley’s title-winning season with a 3-0 home victory over Cardiff and revealed why he chose to sign a new five-year contract at the Premier League-bound club.

The former Manchester City captain led the post-match celebrations and Championship trophy presentation having steered his club back to the top flight – where he intends to have “a bit of fun”.

It marked a remarkable first season in English management for the Belgian who was appointed following the Clarets’ relegation 12 months ago.

The final-day win came 24 hours after the highly-rated 37-year-old signed a new five-year contract that could keep him in charge at Turf Moor until 2028.

Kompany’s efforts have attracted the interest of potential suitors, with Chelsea the latest to be linked with interest in him.

“I still had three or four years left and it’s not something I went chasing but there is a pragmatic reason for signing the new deal,” said Kompany.

“For my pathway, this is the right decision, but it helps when we try and recruit players.

“When I’m trying to convince a player to come here it’s easier just after I have signed a new deal.

“We have had a massive advantage planning for next season, because we have known about promotion of a long time.

“But we were going to lose that if people were waiting for me to come out with a statement.”

On a day of rain-soaked celebrations at Turf Moor, former NFL legend JJ Watt, who this week became a minority owner in the club, carried the Championship trophy onto the field for its presentation to Kompany and his players.

The win saw Burnley hit the century mark in points, their 101 the highest recorded by any team in the division since Leicester won the league with one more, in 2014.

And it summed up a dominant campaign for a Burnley team who lost just one of their final 26 games and were beaten only three times over the entire league campaign, winning promotion with seven games to spare.

“We faced doubt at the beginning of this season and it will be the same next season,” said Kompany.

“It’s for us to use that to rally around. It starts now. The goal for me next year is to make our fans proud and have a bit of fun in the Premier League.”

The final-day win was also a fitting send-off for veteran striker Ashley Barnes, after nearly a decade at Turf Moor.

He struck after 31 minutes when Josh Brownhill’s cross was met by Cardiff defender Mahlon Romeo who simply chested the ball into the path of Barnes to bury an excellent first-time finish.

The visitors, who ended the season five points above the relegation zone, also contributed to Burnley’s opening goal, four minutes earlier.

Defender Andy Rinomhota kept the ball in play, as he tried to dispossess Anass Zaroury, by pushing it into his area with his hands.

That enabled Zaroury to cross the ball for Brownhill to score from close range, despite Cardiff protests.

Scott Twine wrapped up the scoring on 58 minutes when he lodged a superbly-hit right-foot free-kick from the edge of the box into the Cardiff net.

Cardiff manager Sabri Lamouchi is set to meet club owner Vincent Tan to thrash out his and the club’s future direction.

“We saw the big gap between them and us,” he said. “It’s about small details; experience, quality. Everything is on the table and we just need to know what the club and the owner want to do.”

Gary Rowett rued Millwall’s inability to cope with the pressure of their play-off pursuit after they surrendered a two-goal lead and their top-six spot in a 4-3 Sky Bet Championship defeat against Blackburn.

The Lions went into the final-day showdown at The Den knowing a win would keep their dream to reach the Premier League alive and raced into a 3-1 half-time lead courtesy of Duncan Watmore’s brace and an addition from Oliver Burke.

But Joe Rankin-Costello’s close-range finish saw the momentum shift Blackburn’s way and Ben Brereton Diaz’s double completed a remarkable turnaround, with Sunderland claiming the final play-off berth at the expense of both sides courtesy of a 3-0 win at Preston.

“As soon as their (Blackburn’s) second went in, you could see the nerves appear in the team and space began to open up everywhere,” Rowett said.

“We got ourselves into a brilliant position but you have to handle these big moments, you have to do the right things and show control and calmness. That was something we needed to do better.

“Sometimes games throw different challenges and you either deal with them or you don’t – we didn’t and we have to work out the reasons why.

“We had to be resilient. We haven’t conceded four in a game all season before now, which shows what pressure does.

“Their fourth goal was immaterial, it was the third one which hurt us. We knew the other results, so we knew we needed a winner.

“In some ways, I’d have taken losing 1-0 more easily than losing 4-3 from 3-1 up as it feels like we’ve let it slip through our fingers.

“The season as a whole has been strong, one of progress, but at this moment in time it feels like an excuse to use that.”

Blackburn leapfrogged Millwall into seventh as a result of their victory but manager Jon Dahl Tomasson could not hide his disappointment after missing out on the play-offs on goal difference.

Rovers spent much of the season in the top six but a winless eight-match run going into this clash ultimately proved costly.

Blackburn scored the fewest goals of any side in the top 10 and their Danish boss said: “It is extremely disappointing to miss out on goal difference but we all know why we are not in the play-offs.

“We have been lacking goals – to score four today is part of life.

“We were a bit nervous at the beginning but after Adam (Wharton) equalised, we were in control before giving two stupid goals away.

“The second half was exceptional. I told the boys in that dressing room at half-time that if we got one back, we could win the game and we did it.

“This is not an easy place to come to, so to be 3-1 behind and turn it around like we did was excellent.”

Tomasson went on to confirm Rovers’ match-winner Brereton Diaz had played his last game for the club but praised the Chile international – who is out of contract this summer and has been linked with a move to Villarreal – for going out on a high.

“Ben has done really well for the club and I’m really happy for him to end with goals and play like that,” he added. “He’s a brilliant lad.”

Carlos Corberan expressed his pride at turning around West Brom’s season despite a 3-2 final-day loss at Swansea as they fell short of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.

West Brom had started the final day of the regular season as play-off outsiders, needing to beat Swansea and hope for favourable results elsewhere.

The Baggies ultimately finished ninth, as Sunderland and Coventry claimed the final two play-off places, after Corberan took over in October with the club second bottom of the Championship.

“The target we had was difficult, to change the momentum of the season,” said Corberan, whose side won only three of their final 10 games.

“It was very uncomfortable. We moved fast, we focused on the possibilities and I feel very proud.

“It’s a pity we didn’t achieve the play-off positions, but the team has put in a lot of effort.

“We arrived to the last moment of the competition and the players did not stop to believe, to try and make their best.”

On summer squad strengthening, Corberan added: “I do not know the limitations or the situation (of the club), but from tomorrow I will guarantee to work as in football there is no time to waste.

“As fast as we know our possibilities and resources the better for us to play the team that West Bromwich needs to have.”

Corberan was unhappy with Swansea’s stoppage-time winner, Joel Piroe curling home a free-kick for his 20th goal of the season.

He said: “I am very disappointed that we didn’t get something from the game, at least a point.

“I don’t think we deserved a defeat with all the things we have done well, especially in the second half.

“We should avoid a foul where we concede the free-kick but there was a foul on (Jayson) Molumby. That increases the frustration.”

Swansea, for whom Luke Cundle and Olivier Ntcham cancelled out goals from Okay Yokuslu and Semi Ajayi, finished below West Brom on goal difference in 10th.

Fresh investment is arriving at the Welsh club this summer and new chairman Andy Coleman’s in-tray will include tying manager Russell Martin down to a new contract.

Martin, appointed Swansea manager in August 2021, has one year left on his current deal and has been linked with a potential summer vacancy at Leicester.

“He (Coleman) said he likes what we’re doing,” said Martin. “There’s maybe other priorities at the moment but we’ll see.

“He’s said the ownership group have expressed an interest in trying to extend the contract.

“We’ve got guys out of contract, so that’s got to be a real priority.

“Whatever comes first, I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Dean Smith admitted he did not see Leicester’s poor first-half performance coming as they were beaten 5-3 by Fulham at Craven Cottage to plunge them deeper into relegation trouble.

The visitors were overrun before the break by Marco Silva’s side, with Leicester – porous and disorganised in defence – allowing Fulham to rip into them and build a three-goal lead by half-time.

Willian and Tom Cairney both hit braces either side of the interval whilst Carlos Vinicius also netted to affirm the home side’s dominance, with two second-half goals from Harvey Barnes and a James Maddison penalty lending a respectability to the score that did not reflect Leicester’s frailties.

It leaves Smith’s side in serious danger of being relegated from the Premier League with three games remaining, and he said: “The game was lost in the first half.

“The performance in the first half was nowhere near what it has been and what the players can produce.

“I’m disappointed because I didn’t see that coming. We’d had a good week in training, good attitude, good application, good quality.

“I expected a far better performance and a better start to the game than we got. At this level, if you give the kind of goals away that we gave away it’s going to be an uphill battle.

“I don’t like basketball games, I don’t think it suits us given the fact we haven’t kept a clean sheet for so long.

“The first goal was really disappointing, a soft free-kick and it goes straight in. From there you could see the buoyancy in their players.

“It was far too easy to get into our penalty box and create chances. We were quite happy to get in at half time to try and stem the flow.

“I wasn’t happy (at half-time), the players weren’t happy with their performance as well. We started the second half better, had a chance early on then got done on the counter-attack ourselves.”

It ended a three-game unbeaten run for Leicester which had seen them rise to 16th, but with only a point separating four threatened sides at the start of play the Foxes could ill afford to make the kind of start the travelling fans witnessed.

Their woeful first half means no amount of effort after the break was likely to rescue the game, though the team did at least make a fight of the final 10 minutes with two late goals.

By then they already trailed 5-1, and now face an uphill struggle in their final three games against Liverpool, Newcastle and West Ham if they are to avoid dropping into the Sky Bet Championship for the first time since 2014.

“We had a reaction (in the second half), said Smith. “We got some chances, had two penalties, we’ve scored three goals. I think we’ve had more shots than Fulham today, but the first half is what’s killed the game.

“I was certainly very worried in the first half today. It got better in the second half. That’s the first time I’ve seen (a lack of fight) with these players. I hope I don’t see that again and I’m sure I won’t.

“I can’t talk for the players but what I saw on the training ground this week, I thought we would be ready for this game. But the game was never going to be a given, any game in the Premier League is tough.

“I believe there is (enough quality to survive). There are signs I had seen prior to the first half today that they’re good enough. The first half certainly was a step backwards, the second half was a step forwards again. We have to make sure we put in a 90-minute performance next week.”

Fulham boss Silva felt the two-goal margin of victory for his side did not represent the gulf in class between the teams.

“We were the best team on the pitch, no doubt about it,” he said. “We should have won this game much more comfortably. Great moments of football, great goals. From the first minute we were the team that started to command.

“We started really intensely with desire, the will and quality to play. The dynamic we played in the first half and beginning of the second, I was really pleased to see it, the way the players expressed themselves on the pitch.”

Neil Warnock hailed Huddersfield’s “unbelievable” final points tally of 53 after overseeing a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship win over relegated Reading in his last match before returning to retirement.

The Terriers’ great escape from the drop was confirmed courtesy of last week’s victory over Sheffield United, with Monday’s triumph – the seventh under Warnock’s temporary charge – the cherry on the top for the 74-year-old.

Prospective American owner Kevin M Nagle was in attendance at the John Smith’s Stadium for the match, with the points secured by stunning second-half goals from Josh Koroma and substitute Joseph Hungbo.

Koroma broke the deadlock after 49 minutes before Watford loanee Hungbo came off the bench to seal matters six minutes from time.

“I was pleased I could leave him (Nagle) a Championship club,” said Warnock, whose side ended the campaign in 18th spot, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

“I wanted to finish on a win and to get 53 points is unbelievable.

“These times you have to treasure. I told the players that because they don’t come along very often.

“You would have thought we had got promotion to the Premier League, with the crowd. You can’t tell me it would have been any more vociferous.

“But the fans know what a job it has been to turn it round. To see everyone stay behind at the end, I can’t put it into words.”

Asked what he might be doing when the Championship kicks off again next season, the south-west-based veteran suggested he might be watching League One champions Plymouth.

“It is great because me and my daughter go to all the home matches,” he said. “If Plymouth play Huddersfield first match, I might be watching Huddersfield again.

“I can sit down, have a nice meal, a nice glass of wine, no pressure, no worry about substitutions, get driven home… it’s perfect… until February.”

Huddersfield fans pleaded for one more year from Warnock, but he said: “You can’t do this for 10 months.

“I hate the motorways, I hate the hotels, I don’t need that at my age. But I don’t mind for 10-12 weeks!”

Noel Hunt, who could not mastermind a win during his tenure as interim Reading boss, admitted his own future remains unsure but reckons the future is bright for the Royals despite relegation.

“I have not even thought about it,” the Irishman responded when asked if he would like the role permanently.

“As far as I was told, this was until the end of the season and then who knows?

“I was pretty sure I was probably going back to the under-23s. But I have not had that conversation. So your guess is as good as mine.”

On Reading’s fall into the game’s third tier, Hunt said: “I have seen teams go down to League One and two years later be in the Premier League. Norwich and Southampton did it.

“Maybe a reset is going to be good and what the club needs. But we have a lot of good players signed here and a lot of good young boys coming through.

“So the future is bright, no matter what.”

Tony Mowbray praised his Sunderland side’s second-half display after they dramatically sealed a play-off place with a 3-0 win over Preston.

After a rocky opening 45 minutes, second-half goals from Amad Diallo, Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke at Deepdale meant the Black Cats had done all they could in their quest to try and sneak into the play-off places.

That victory proved enough to finish in sixth and claim the final play-off spot after Millwall spectacularly blew a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Blackburn at The Den.

Blackburn finished just behind Sunderland in the table, also on 69 points but with an inferior goal difference, while Millwall fell down to eighth after having had matters in their own hands before kick-off.

Sunderland will now face Luton over two legs for a place in the final at Wembley, and Mowbray was pleased that his side were able to take charge after a frantic first half.

He said: “I felt as though we could come here and control the game.

“I knew we could win at Preston, we’ve won away at West Brom and Norwich – we’ve been good away from home.

“We started sloppy, but then grew into the game. We were naive and let them have too many chances. It was like a basketball game in the first half.

“We didn’t have harsh words at half-time, but we discussed that we needed to control the game better. We became more confident and, off the back of the first goal, we controlled things. It was a solid performance.

“I always believe we’ve got attacking players at the top of the pitch who are really talented and, if we can get the ball to them around the edge of the box, then we can score.”

Travelling Black Cats fans brought incredible energy to Deepdale, but Mowbray admitted there were some injury concerns ahead of their semi-final.

“It’s an incredible scenario to see the people of Sunderland enjoying their football so much,” he added. “It’s going to be awesome being in the semi-finals, we’ve got to be ready for Luton.

“As I sit here now, the conundrum in front of us is really difficult because we’ve got injuries to central defenders, but we have to find another performance.”

Preston finished the season in 12th but only six points behind Sunderland and Blackburn, and boss Ryan Lowe admitted key moments across the season as a whole had cost them.

Lowe commented: “We’ve given it a good go but it’s not been today or Sheffield United that’s cost us the play-offs, it’s from games earlier on in the season.

“I said about mentality, I don’t mean they’re not giving everything, I mean being savvy and taking the opportunities. We went out all guns blazing and we wanted to have a right good go.

“We fell short by six points but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not bad. For us and clubs like us, we need to keep building and I think we’re going in the right direction, we just need that little bit extra.

“We’re pleased with what we’ve tried to do and where we are. The effort of the players and the staff, they’ve been excellent.

“I want to bring the good times back to this club. We are slowly but surely trying to get there, but our aim is to do what Sunderland have done today and get into those play-offs.”

Rob Edwards was happy to extend Luton’s unbeaten run to 14 games after a much-changed side were held to a goalless Sky Bet Championship draw by Hull.

The Hatters boss swapped eight of his players with an eye on Saturday’s play-off semi-final first-leg clash against Sunderland, but those selected kept a 20th clean sheet of the season.

Edwards said: “Today was about resting key players, let’s be honest.

“It was about making sure we didn’t risk anyone unnecessarily and it was about giving some players some game time as over the next couple of games, if they’re needed, we want people up to speed, so I think it was twofold and overall it was a successful day.

“I want to say well done to (Hull manager) Liam Rosenior and what they’ve done this season as well because he’s building a good style there and they’re difficult to go and press at times.

“For some of the lads who haven’t played that much, to do a lot of double runs and a lot of pressing was good and also when we had the ball, especially in the first half, we showed some good control, and were brave with it.

“We did create one or two decent chances and moments but the game fizzled out a little bit towards the end.”

A quiet first half saw Allahyar Sayyadmanesh’s shot deflect onto the post for Hull, before Joe Taylor’s header drew a great save from visiting keeper Matt Ingram.

Adama Traore was denied by Luton stopper James Shea and Hatters substitute Luke Berry saw his chip from just inside the visitors’ half drop narrowly over the bar.

Tigers boss Rosenior said: “The final game sums up where we are.

“We played some breathtaking football at times, I was pleased with the first two-thirds of our game in terms of our build-up, we caused problems, they had to change everything, which is what teams are having to do against us.

“But when we got into the final third into some unbelievable positions, it just fizzled out, and that’s no disrespect to our players, I’ve got no strikers.

“In those critical moments against very good teams you need that cutting edge and that’s something I’m going to work really, really hard in the summer to address.

“They had one chance where Matty’s made a really good save from the header from a cross, I can’t remember another real threatening moment in the game for us.

“There’s a lot of positives to build on, anyone who understands the game can see I’ve got a group of players who completely understand the way we want to play.

“We’re building, so there’s a lot to be excited about.”

Real Madrid’s Luka Modric has been passed fit to face Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday.

The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has been sidelined with an unspecified knock in recent weeks which initial reports suggested could rule him out for the rest of the season.

However, the Croatia midfielder has recovered sooner than expected and appeared as a late substitute in the European champions’ Copa del Rey final victory over Osasuna on Saturday.

“He can play without problem,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti at his pre-match press conference in the Spanish capital. “He is going to play.”

Modric’s return for the clash at the Bernabeu is a further boost to the holders’ confidence on the back of their weekend triumph.

Real had lost two of their previous three games in LaLiga but, with the domestic title seemingly destined for Barcelona, it seems Ancelotti has been prioritising the knockout competitions.

The Italian said: “We want to play a complete game, to give the best we have. The decisive leg will be over there. We want to go with an advantage.

“We want to play well. It is not only about the result, but how we play and if we avoid problems. It will be very demanding.”

The tie is a rematch of last year’s semi-final when Real prevailed in dramatic circumstances in the second leg at the Bernabeu.

City had been leading 1-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate when they capitulated in added time and conceded twice before losing in extra time.

Since then the treble-chasing Premier League leaders have regrouped and, in new signing Erling Haaland, boast one of the most feared strikers in the game.

Haaland has scored a remarkable 51 goals this term and Ancelotti recognises the Norwegian has made an already formidable side even stronger.

Ancelotti said: “The team is more complete than last year.

“Gabriel Jesus was very dangerous but different to Haaland. The style is the same but they can now take advantage more of long balls and second options.

“Haaland is very dangerous. We have to watch him, and it is not just him. They play very good football and we have to work to stop a team that seems unstoppable.

“But we have options. We arrive here well, at the same level as last season. What matters is our motivation and winning the cup was a bonus.”

Leicester slipped further into relegation trouble as they endured a woeful 5-3 defeat away to Fulham to end their three-game unbeaten run and inflict damage on their survival hopes.

Starting the game outside of the bottom three on goal difference, Dean Smith’s side were ripped apart in the first half at Craven Cottage as Willian, Carlos Vinicius and Tom Cairney all took advantage of shambolic defending to bury Leicester before the break.

Cairney got his second and his team’s fourth early in the second half before Willian completed a brace of his own, rifling in a fine solo effort.

Harvey Barnes scored two and James Maddison tapped in a penalty to give visiting supporters momentary cheer, but the result was never in doubt. The prospects of their team remaining a Premier League club look slim on the evidence of a defensive display every bit as bad as the scoreline suggested.

Fulham scored with their first chance of the game, though it was more by luck than design. Dennis Praet fouled Antonee Robinson out near the left touchline, and from the resulting free-kick Willian’s cross evaded everybody inside the box before bouncing up into the top corner past Daniel Iversen.

Leicester, sensing the severity of their predicament, rallied. Maddison crossed low for Barnes arriving inside the box but he failed to make sufficient contact to turn it home under pressure. At the other end, Cairney released Harrison Reed who went toe-to-toe with Caglar Soyuncu before the Leicester defender deflected his effort narrowly wide.

Fulham’s second arrived before the 20-minute mark and started with a Leicester mistake. Boubakary Soumare lost his footing and gave away possession in his own half, allowing Harry Wilson to race away upfield. From his pass nobody in blue went with Vinicius, who had the simple task of striding into the box and rolling it low past the exposed goalkeeper.

Bernd Leno saved well from Jamie Vardy as Leicester threatened immediately to half the arrears, but it was Fulham who were well in control, going close to a third after half an hour when Reed fired straight at Iversen from Willian’s cut-back.

Leicester were hanging on and Fulham came again when Robinson fizzed a cross straight across goal that failed to find a touch, before Vinicius headed inches wide as the ball came back in.

It was a momentary reprieve and by half-time Fulham had three and Leicester looked buried. Reed showed good footwork to control the ball and feed Vinicius, who turned well and found Cairney. The Fulham captain took a touch to come inside Soyuncu before bending his shot smoothly into the bottom corner.

Leicester came out for the second half with some attacking urgency, going close when Barnes struck low towards Leno’s bottom corner which drew a fine fingertip save from the Fulham goalkeeper.

Defensively, they remained as disorganised as before the break. Cairney scored his second and Fulham’s fourth after a powerful run by Kenny Tete down the right. It was a cool finish from a deft first touch after he had been picked out by the full-back.

Barnes thumped in a consolation off the underside of the crossbar just before the hour, and the visitors were offered further encouragement when Leno brought down Vardy inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty. The Leicester striker took the kick himself but the goalkeeper redeemed himself with a two-handed save low to his left.

It extinguished whatever faint hope might briefly had been rekindled for the visitors, and minutes later their woeful defensive organisation was exposed yet again. Willian was barely challenged as he picked up the ball, drifted inside a blasted in Fulham’s fifth.

There was time still for Maddison to succeed where Vardy had failed, knocking his penalty past Leno but drawing barely a cheer from the visiting fans. The same was true when Barnes tapped home from Patson Daka’s pass.

It was a brave stab at recovery but Leicester had lacked courage when it mattered. A two-goal margin did not reflect the extent of Fulham’s dominance.