Saturday’s briefing: Wolves sink Villa and Man City handed Real Madrid draw

Premier League basement boys Wolves battled to a 2-0 win over top-four hopefuls Aston Villa.

The Champions League draw paired Arsenal with Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester City against Real Madrid.

Wolves sink woeful Villa

Wolves moved past Derby’s record-low Premier League points tally as they dealt a blow to Aston Villa’s top-four hopes with a 2-0 win at Molineux.

It had looked for much of the season that Wolves would struggle to match the meagre 11 points the Rams posted in the 2007/08 season.

But second-half goals from Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes gave them just a second win in 29 games, which takes them to 13 and beyond the possible notoriety of being the worst-ever Premier League team.

It was especially sweet that it was achieved against local rivals Aston Villa, who have a terrible recent record at Molineux.

And Unai Emery’s men put in a woeful display as their Champions League qualification hopes took another hit.

Wolves striker Adam Armstrong told Sky Sports: “Performances like that are why we play football.

We know where we are in the league but a game like that in a derby, it is massive.”

Gunners get Leverkusen

Top seeds Arsenal will play Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League round of 16 while Manchester City will take on record winners Real Madrid.

The draw, which took place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on Friday morning, saw Liverpool drawn against Galatasaray, with Chelsea to face holders Paris St Germain.

Tottenham will play Atletico Madrid and Newcastle have been drawn to play Barcelona as six Premier League clubs bid to reach the quarter-finals.

If Premier League leaders Arsenal beat Leverkusen, they will face the winners of the last-16 tie between Sporting and Bodo/Glimt.

Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said: “We are very excited to play the next round. We have earned the right to be in a strong position, what we’ve done in the group stage, and that’s it.

“And now we need to start to analyse them and find ways to be better than them, to try to go through the tie.”

No Pep talk for Arteta

Pep Guardiola has refused to discuss the pressure of the title race, insisting he was “not here to give advice” to rival manager Arteta.

Guardiola’s Manchester City trail Arteta’s Arsenal by five points at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.

The City boss is well-versed in the pressures of such situations, having led his side to six titles and triumphed in a further six league campaigns with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

By contrast Arteta is chasing his maiden league crown – a position his opposite number claims he has no memory of.

Asked if he could identify with the pressure Arteta was feeling, Guardiola said at a press conference: “I don’t remember. I’m not here to give advice to Mikel.”

City have hauled themselves back into contention in recent weeks after a frustrating spell earlier in the calendar year in which they won just one game in six.

It has raised the prospect of a tense duel in the run-in but Guardiola insists he has not considered that and is focused only on Saturday’s trip to Leeds.

He said: “When we were on this incredible run (competing against) Liverpool years ago, I didn’t know it then before it happened and I don’t know it now. It is Elland Road, and that is the only concern in my mind.”

United’s costly Amorim bill

Manchester United sacking Ruben Amorim could end up costing the club almost £16million.

Amorim’s 14-month reign came to an end on January 5 after his public attack on United’s hierarchy, with his five coaches also leaving Old Trafford.

A filing to the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday revealed the potential payments to Amorim and his staff, a day after the club confirmed they had made a profit of £32.6m in their second-quarter results to December 31, 2025.

What’s on today?

Manchester City could cut the gap to Arsenal to two points with a win at Leeds.

West Ham need three points to climb out of the relegation zone but they face a tough task against Liverpool at Anfield.

In Scotland, Hearts can go seven points clear at the top if they beat Aberdeen ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm derby.