Lead:
Liverpool reached the League Cup quarter-final after defeating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, while Manchester City qualified by beating Brighton 4-3 on penalties in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.
Top Stories:
Liverpool — Advanced to the League Cup quarter-final after Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead in the 40th minute and Cody Gakpo equalized for Liverpool in the 44th. Liverpool won the penalty shootout 6-5.Manchester City — Qualified for the League Cup quarter-final in a goalless draw against Brighton, winning the subsequent penalty shootout 4-3.Inter Milan — Regained top spot in Serie A after defeating Venezia 2-0 on Wednesday. Matias Moreno and Reduan Hilal scored own goals in the 80th and 82nd minutes respectively, lifting Inter to 25 points ahead of Lazio.AC Milan — Suffered its first defeat of the Italian season, losing 4-2 away to Bologna in Serie A's ninth round on Wednesday.Al-Ittihad — Faced confusion over a postponement in Gulf Club Champions League Round Two against Arbil. Bahraini referee Ahmed Khalil ended the match due to Al-Ittihad's failure to arrive at Franco Hariri Stadium, though the Gulf Football Union's official website indicated postponement.Zamalek — Won 2-1 against Al-Mokawloon al-Arab on Wednesday at Cairo International Stadium in Egyptian Premier League Round Eight, moving up from second place as Mohamed Hamdi and Chikko Banza scored.What to Watch:
Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia hosts Brazil in WBC super middleweight championship; Saul "Canelo" Alvarez faces Cristian Mbili on Saturday in Riyadh as part of "Mexico vs. The World" boxing event with nine bouts.Al-Nasr plays Al-Khaleej and Al-Qadisiyah faces Al-Riyadh on Thursday in Saudi Pro League Round 12, with Al-Nasr seeking to reach top spot.