Wenger admitted he stepped aside to unite a fanbase fed up with years of mediocre results having been spoiled by success and silky football in the first decade of the Frenchman’s reign.

Fourteen years on from Arsenal’s last Premier League title, for so long Wenger could defend his record by consistent qualification for the Champions League.

However, a 19-year run in Europe’s premier club competition came to an end this season and Arsenal’s only chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is by winning the Europa League.

To do so, though, Wenger will need to achieve something that he couldn’t even manage in his peak years in charge — win a European trophy.

His two final losses in the 2000 UEFA Cup to Galatasaray and against Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League, allied to a Cup Winners’ Cup final defeat by Werder Bremen when manager of Monaco in 1992, handed him the ignominy of being the only manager ever to reach the finals of all three European club competitions and lose every one.

Winning three FA Cups in the last four years did little to appease Arsenal fans’ demand for change.

However, Wenger’s legacy will be looked on far more kindly if be could bow out in his homeland next month in Lyon by guaranteeing Champions League football for his successor.

“I’m happy now we can all talk about his legacy and let’s not forget that we still have to win the Europa League,” said Arsenal’s all-time top goalscorer Thierry Henry on the day Wenger announced his departure.

“Let’s not get lost in celebrating the end of his era. The team has to win the Europa League. It would be an amazing achievement and Arsene never won in Europe before so it would be a great way to give him a good exit.”

Hopes that Wenger’s announcement would galvanise the support for the final few weeks of his reign were confounded by a subdued atmosphere for Sunday’s 4-1 win over West Ham at the Emirates.

But Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis insisted there will be “an electric atmosphere” on Thursday night with far more at stake for the club.

The hosts are likely to need to feed off some positive energy from the stands to build a lead to take to Madrid in a week’s time against European specialists Atletico.

Since Diego Simeone took charge seven years ago, Atletico have reached five European semi-finals, and have only been eliminated by bitter rivals Real Madrid for the past four seasons in the Champions League.

With Atletico sitting comfortably in second in La Liga and already assured of Champions League football next season, Simeone was able to ease the physical toil on a small squad by resting a number of key players for Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Real Betis.

That was Atletico’s 11th straight clean sheet at the Wanda Metropolitano to emphasise Arsenal’s need to take a first-leg lead to Spain.

However, the Gunners’ chances were not aided by the inclusion of an old foe in Diego Costa in the Atletico squad as he looks set to shrug off a hamstring injury.

Costa scored four goals in six previous appearances against Arsenal in three years at Chelsea.

The 15-year-old prodigy, who made history as the youngest Ladies European Tour winner in Chon Buri last year, will represent Thailand alongside Tundara Piddon 17, and Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, 15, in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team competition.

“It’s an honour to be given another chance to represent Thailand in this tournament. I finished third in the individual event and fourth in the team last year,” said Atthaya, who further enhanced her standing by winning the Amateur Asia Pacific Championship in Singapore in February.

Atthaya will be making her third appearance in tournament where she missed the cut in her first attempt in 2016. She hoped it would be “Third time lucky.”

“I hope to win this year because it is taking place on home soil. We have Tundara, who has a good short game, while Natthakritta is a big hitter, which makes us a strong team,” the teenager added.

A total of 14 nations: Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Thailand will take part in the event.

This will be the fifth time that Thailand has hosted the event after 1975, 1988, 1996, and 2005.

The Kingdom never won the team title and Suppamas Sangchan was the only individual

City became just the latest victims of a famous European night at Anfield on the pitch three weeks ago as Liverpool raced into a 3-0 first leg lead that laid the foundations for their 5-1 aggregate victory over the English champions in the quarter-finals.

However, Klopp wants to retain the passion inside the stadium without the ugly scenes outside, which are the subject of a UEFA investigation.

“In the stadium do it again and better. Outside the stadium, please show the respect we have to show,” said Klopp on Monday.

“This is such an outstanding football club, an outstanding football family, known for fantastic atmospheres all over the world, so we don’t need to throw whatever at the bus of the opposing team.”

The Italians will be greeted by at least one familiar face in Mohamed Salah, but it is the Egyptian who poses the biggest threat to their dream of returning to the final for the first time since they lost to Liverpool on home soil in 1984.

Salah made the move from the Italian capital to Anfield just 10 months ago, and has surpassed all expectations since with an incredible 41 goals in 46 Liverpool appearances to already net more times than he did in two years for Roma.

The 25-year-old was rewarded for his brilliant campaign by winning the Premier League’s Players’ Player of the Year award on Sunday evening, beating off stiff competition from Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to the prize.

“I’m really happy for him, really proud of that, it is a fantastic achievement. I think if all the other players vote for you it means most to all players,” added Klopp.

“In a season like this, when Kevin De Bruyne played a season like he did, it made it even more special.”

– Start of something special-

Despite their rich heritage in the competition as five-time winners, Liverpool haven’t been in the last four of the Champions League for a decade.

And captain Jordan Henderson believes this season’s run to the semis can be the start of something special under Klopp.

“Hopefully this is the start of something special with this squad,” said the England international.

“The manager has been brilliant since he has come to the club. We’ve improved every season and done brilliant this season to get this stage.”

However, even Klopp’s men’s 5-1 thrashing of Premier League champions City over two legs in the last eight was upstaged by Roma coming from 4-1 down in the first leg of their quarter-final with Barcelona to progress on away goals thanks to a famous 3-0 second-leg win.

Klopp admitted he thought it was a joke when he was first informed of Roma’s result against Barca, but insists both sides should believe they can be European champions despite the presence of powerhouses Bayern Munich and 12-time winners Real Madrid in the other semi-final.

“If anyone thinks we two are the underdogs, who cares? We are in the semi-final and can go to the final.”

However, Roma coach Eusebio di Francesco warned that the pace of Liverpool’s prolific front three of Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino — who have combined for 83 goals this season — offers a very different threat to Barca’s Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

“We are facing a different rival from Barcelona and we need to be ready for that different challenge,” said Di Francesco.

“We have to play our football, impose our style and make the most of Liverpool’s weaknesses.

“We showed in the last league game we have progressed in our mentality and we need to show that again.”

The 23-year-old from Bangkok triumphed in one of the biggest events on the women’s tour, the Los Angeles Open, fully six years after turning professional and five years after being named 2013 Rookie of the Year.

In doing so Moriya and her younger Ariya have joined Annika Sorenstam, the former world No 1, and Charlotta as the only sisters to have ever won on the LPGA, the toughest tour in women’s golf. Her victory sparked an outpouring of emotion and jubilation.

Ariya herself had also been competing in Los Angeles and rushed to embrace her sister by the side of the 18th green. Thailand’s top male golfer, world No 31 Kiradech Aphibarnran, who has been home for an extended Songkran holiday and watched a live broadcast of Moriya’s final round, immediately took to social media to offer his wholehearted congratulations.

“Congrats to my lovely sister @mo_moriya – she has finally won on the LPGA tour. Well done, great work, [I’m] very happy for you and your whole family,” he enthused. Moriya has not only had to bide her time in the face of the doubters, she has had to watch her younger sister lap up all the praise and headlines. When Ariya played her first LPGA event at home as a qualifier aged 11 in 2007 Moriya, 13 months her elder, dutifully acted as caddie for her younger sister, who even then seemed destined to hog the limelight. Sure enough, by the end of 2017 she had already bagged seven LPGA victories, while Moriya had only two runners-up finishes to her name.

Moriya Jutanugarn of Thailand is presented the winner’s check by, President and CEO JTBC Plus, Seon Gwan Hong.

Two years ago Ariya also became the first Thai player of either gender to win a major tournament – the British Open – and last year rose to world No 1. She is now world No 6, 11 places higher than Moriya.

Described by her father Somboon as the more prudent and pensive of the two, Moriya should have gained recognition earlier, but too much thinking slowed her down – until yesterday. There was no trace of any mental lapse in the final round in LA where she remained calm throughout the 18 holes despite being chased by the two South Korean stars, Inbee Park, the former world No 1, and Ko Jin-young. She eventually saw them off by two strokes.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time,” said Moriya. “I surely wouldn’t have been able to do it without my sister and my mother Narumon Tiwattanasuk,” she posted on her Facebook. A tearful Ariya said she was thankful to have been there for her sister and thus returned the favour to Moriya, who watched her win seven times before her own breakthrough.

“I think my mother and sister were more excited and cried more than I did,” Moriya added. “I knew my time would come. I just had to be patient and keep on working hard. It all worked out pretty good this week,” added Moriya. Although it took her so much longer to win, Moriya was never bothered by her slower path to success or by the fact that people tried to compare her with Ariya.

“People are different. Some people take longer [to achieve things]. I have my own way of doing things and she has hers,” added Moriya, who is US$225,000 richer for her success.

Ariya said she was so proud to see her sister’s hard work finally pay off. “It’s been the goal of the family to see us win on the LPGA. I’ve learned a lot from her. But the most important thing is we never compare each other. We just keep working hard and let the results speak for themselves,” she said.

Ariya Jutanugarn when she won her first title in 2016

Moriya moves to her career highest at No 11 in the world this week following the victory. She and Ariya are now in San Francisco for another LPGA tournament.

According to reports on Monday, shareholders will discuss extending the delay for repayment of part of a 50 million-euro ($63 million) loan by a few months.

The deadline could be pushed back until June 2019 for the repayment of 10 million euros while the remainder of a 303 million-euro bridge loan provided by the US fund must be repaid by October this year.

The change in the terms would give Milan greater financial acceptability to meet UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

Representatives of the Italian club met for the third time with UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body at European football’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday.

Milan CEO Marco Fassone has said that despite reassuring UEFA on their financial situation they expected sanctions for violating FFP rules.

UEFA have voiced concerns over the financial stability of the club, which was purchased by a Chinese-led consortium from Silvio Berlusconi for 740 million euros ($918m) last April, spending more than 200 million euros on new players in the summer.

The seven-time European champions have a massive loan for repayment and are working to refinance more than 300 million euros in high-interest loans from US hedge fund Elliott Management.

Meanwhile, on the pitch the club is struggling, falling to seventh and outside the berths for money-spinning European football next season, after a shock 1-0 defeat at San Siro to bottom club Benevento at the weekend.

They have just four matches to try and rekindle their Europa League hopes with Sampdoria and Fiorentina just three points behind them.

Milan will also play Juventus in the Italian Cup final on May 9, when a win would earn them a place in the Europa League.

The 2013 Rookie of the Year carded a final round 68 for a total 12 under-par-272 to win the par 71 US$1.5 million tournament.

In the past, Moriya came close to winning several times but would come short on the final day. However, the elder Jutanugarn , who finished second at the LPGA Thailand in Pattaya in February, did not show any signs of nerves on Sunday as she appeared in solid concentration despite having late bogey on the 16^th.

Ariya, left, hugs her sister Moriya Jutanugarn after she saves a par putt for her first LPGA title.

The 23-year-old from Bangkok became the second Thai to win an LPGA title after her sister and former world No 1 Ariya Jutanuagrn won the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in Alabama in May 2016.

Moriya and Ariya now join Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam as the only sisters to have won on the LPGA.

Pogba, who has even been linked with a summer move away from Old Trafford, said that he always accepts Mourinho’s decisions and that the best response he can make to being snubbed is to improve on the pitch.

“I have no problem with Mourinho,” Pogba told Canal+ on Sunday.

“I also believe that he has no problem with me. He is the coach, he makes the decisions. Me, I am a player, I accept it and I have to respond on the pitch, that’s all.”

Midfield star Pogba revealed that Mourinho never explains why he is getting dropped or substituted in a match.

“No, it all depends on the coach. There are some who like to talk to the players. Mourinho, when he makes a choice, you have to accept it.”

Pogba has been in and out of the United team as Mourinho sought to chase down rivals Manchester City, who ran away with the Premier League title.

Eyebrows were raised when he started both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie against Sevilla on the bench, and could not prevent United from being eliminated when he did come on.

He was then widely criticised for a lacklustre display in a 1-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion which handed the title to City — the latest in a long line of disappointing efforts from the former Juventus star since his move to United two years ago.

There was even talk that Mourinho has told United to put Pogba up for sale, just days after City manager Pep Guardiola said he had been offered the chance to sign the midfielder by his agent in January.

But Pogba said he understood Mourinho’s decision to tinker with his line-up.

“There is a system. Sometimes, if you have to defend, you must defend. Mourinho has made me captain, he gave me the keys, the responsibilities at a great club like Manchester United,” added Pogba.

“For the time being, I am at Manchester United and I am only thinking about the present. We are in the FA Cup final, I have a World Cup to come.

“Transfers, all that sort of thing, are not on my mind.”

Second-placed United trail City by 16 points with four games of the league season to go after Guardiola’s men kept up their chase of a series of Premier League records by thrashing Swansea 5-0 on Sunday.

Mourinho believes United let crucial points slip away in defeats to West Brom, Huddersfield and Newcastle.

However, the Portuguese coach reckons even if those errors are eradicated next season, it will be difficult to challenge for the title if free-spending City bolster their squad once more over the summer.

“I think we should have eight, nine or 10 points more than we had,” said Mourinho after reaching the FA Cup final by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Saturday.

“It was not acceptable the last defeat (to West Brom), not acceptable the performance at Huddersfield, not acceptable the performance at Newcastle, so we lost a few matches where we should do better.

“Can we improve next season? Let’s try. Can Manchester City keep this level or improve this level? Only they can say.

“If they have the team they have, and they are going to invest on the top of the team they have, of course it’s going to be difficult.”

United have spent hundreds of millions themselves since Mourinho took charge just under two years ago, splashing a then world record £89 million fee for Paul Pogba in 2016 and beating City to the signature of Alexis Sanchez in January by reportedly making the Chilean the highest paid player in Premier League history.

However, Mourinho hinted at only minor alterations to his squad this summer to replace the retiring Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini, whose contract expires in June.

“We are going to improve the basics to improve our squad. We need to find a replacement for Michal Carrick, if Felliani leaves, we need to find a replacement for Felliani,” added Mourinho.

“We believe that more than spend, spend, spend (it) is more (about) the evolution of our players.

“We have some young players who need to get with both hands opportunities for their evolution.”

The world number one showed no signs of rustiness in Monaco as he raced through his first ATP tournament since January without coming close to dropping a set.

The 31-year-old will now turn his attention to upcoming bids for 11th titles in Barcelona and at the French Open.

“It’s important for my confidence. It’s true that the longest match here was one hour 30 (minutes). That’s great news,” said Nadal.

“Today is a day to enjoy this because winning a tournament like this one doesn’t happen every day.

“But tomorrow I need to start being focused on the next week. It’s not the moment to stop and disconnect your mind.

“It’s the moment to stay focused and to keep holding that good momentum after winning seven matches in a row on clay now this year.”

Nadal only returned from a hip injury in Spain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany earlier this month, where he won both of his singles matches in straight sets.

The Spaniard had retired from his Australian Open last-eight clash with Marin Cilic in January, but showed no signs of fitness problems in Monte Carlo.

“There remains a lot of the clay-court season, hopefully, hopefully, a lot of matches,” he said.

“I hope to have the chance to be healthy for the whole clay-court season. That’s it, yeah, it’s an important beginning.

“My goal is always the same thing — to be healthy, because if I am not healthy, I cannot have any goals.”

Kei Nishikori 

– ‘Time to say goodbye is closer’ –

The victory kept Nadal ahead of Roger Federer at the top of the world rankings and was also an outright record 31st Masters title, pulling him out of a tie with Novak Djokovic.

Twenty-four of those successes have come on clay, on which Nadal has now won 36 consecutive sets.

The 16-time Grand Slam champion said that he’s just trying to enjoy every moment of the latter part of his career.

“My true feeling is that these kind of things are not going to happen forever, so I just try to enjoy and to play with full passion and with full energy and concentration, full love for the sport for as long as I can,” he added.

“I know the day to say goodbye is closer than 10 years ago.

“It’s something that I am not worried about, but it’s a real thing. So I’m just enjoying every day and trying to play with the best attitude possible, to keep being happy playing tennis.”

Nadal extended his Open-era record as the man to have won the most titles at the same event, having first won in Monaco as an 18-year-old in 2005, and he knows it will be a hard mark for future players to beat.

“Eleven titles here, it’s unbelievable, so… It’s something difficult to imagine,” he said.

“I always say the same: If I did (it), somebody else can do it. But it’s very difficult.

“I really don’t know how these things can happen because it’s a lot of years without making mistakes and without being unlucky on this week (in Monte Carlo). I have been unlucky other weeks, but not this week.”

No player managed to take more than five games off Nadal in his five matches this week, and he will head into the rest of the clay-court season justifiably as the man to beat, arguably for the 14th year in a row.

The final whistle saw hundreds of supporters storm onto the pitch, despite the best efforts of club security and appeals over the loudspeakers at the Etihad Stadium.

There was also at least one flare let off among the fans as security moved hurriedly to ensure players could leave the field safely, with City captain Vincent Kompany and French international Benjamin Mendy the last players to leave for the safety of the dressing rooms.

There was no threat involved in the celebrations and Mendy — who had made his first appearance for seven months as a substitute — could even be seen jumping up and down and joining in with the boisterous City fans.

The FA’s strict guidelines, however, will see them investigate the scenes and there are recent precedents for action, with third-tier Wigan having recently been charged for allowing their supporters to “encroach” on the pitch following their famous win over Guardiola’s side in the FA Cup in February.

Guardiola, however, was relaxed about the prospect.

“No problem,” he said. “Football is an emotional game. I understand you have to be careful, but when they feel they want to share that they are happy, it is better they stay where they should stay, but I’m not going to tell them don’t do that.

“If they are happy I like to be close with the team. They show how happy they are and that is the most beautiful thing. The fans here were so happy.”

The City manager did joke that he would like to see his supporters “save the grass” with his side having two more home games, and two on the road, before they complete a record-breaking campaign.

The marks for most wins, most goals, most points, best goal difference and the biggest winning points margin at the top of the table are all well within his team’s reach after this five-goal demolition of Swansea.

– De Bruyne rocket –

After the pre-match festivities and a guard of honour from the visiting players, City took just 11 minutes to open the scoring as David Silva juggled a Raheem Sterling pass and volleyed home.

Sterling himself swept home from an even better move five minutes later before Kevin De Bruyne claimed the goal of the game with a 25-yard strike on 53 minutes.

De Bruyne is expected to just be pipped to the award for Players’ Player of the Year by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who has scored a record-equalling 31 Premier League goals for a single season, but Guardiola hailed the Belgian as the best player in the league in his opinion.

“From my point of view when you are analysing 10 months, there is no player better than him,” said Guardiola.

“Maybe there are numbers better but for me he was the best. But it is my opinion, the opinions of the players could be different. But in the end, in summer time he will be at home being champion.”

Bernardo Silva reacted quickly to net after Gabriel Jesus’s 63rd-minute penalty was saved by Lukasz Fabianski and Jesus completed the rout, heading in Yaya Toure’s late chip.

The rout means that six City players have now scored double figures for the season, with David Silva the latest to join that club.

“That is the reason why when one team just depends on one or two players to score goals you cannot achieve what we achieve,” added Guardiola.

“It is important, to get these numbers you have to be in a good state in all departments. We are the first team in scoring goals, we concede the least, chances we create we are the first, (fewest) chances we concede we are the first.

“The stats are good and that is why we won the league five games before the end.”