Marcos Alonso's late header helped Chelsea to a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Slavia Prague in their Europa League quarterfinal first leg on Thursday.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri fielded a strong XI in Prague, including an in-form Eden Hazard, who was outstanding in a two-goal outing on Monday as the Blues beat West Ham to move into third place in the Premier League.

However, the visitors found chances hard to come by over the course of the first 45 minutes as the league leaders in the Czech top flight dug in with a raucous home crowd urging them on in a scoreless first half.

Despite a lack of goals, the second half provided some entertaining end-to-end football, with Slavia Prague's Ibrahima Traore stinging Kepa Arrizabalaga's palms from distance on 70 minutes and Chelsea seeing a goal ruled out for offside shortly after.

Alonso's header from an inswinging Willian cross as full-time approached wound up being the difference for Chelsea, who return home for the second leg on April 18 with an important away goal giving them the upper leg for passage to the semifinals.

Tottenham Hotspur's England striker Harry Kane suffered serious ankle ligament damage in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

Kane rolled his left ankle in the second half of the quarterfinal first leg after a hefty tackle on City defender Fabian Delph and left the field immediately.

Spurs gave no timeframe for when Kane might be fit again.

"Following assessment over the past two days, we can confirm that Harry Kane has sustained a significant lateral ligament injury to his left ankle following a challenge in our Champions League quarterfinal, first leg win against Manchester City," Spurs said on their website.

"Investigations are ongoing and he will continue to be assessed by our medical staff over the coming week."

Kane tweeted on Wednesday that he was "gutted to go off injured but every setback is a chance to come back stronger than ever."

Following Tuesday's win, Spurs boss Maurio Pochettino said: "It's very, very sad. It's going to be tough and we're going to miss him -- maybe for the rest of the season."

The England captain, who has scored 24 goals in all competitions this season, left the club's new stadium on crutches with a protective boot on his foot. Kane had previously missed six weeks of action after injuring the same ankle during a Jan. 15 Premier League match against Manchester United.

The club also confirmed that Dele Alli fractured his left hand during Tuesday's fixture.

The England midfielder will be assessed to determine his availability for this weekend's match against Huddersfield Town.

Information from Reuters was used in this report.

Ander Herrera is set to join Paris Saint-Germain this summer despite a last-minute attempt from Manchester United to keep the midfielder at Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN FC.

The Spaniard is on the verge of signing a three-year £180k-a-week deal to join the French champions when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Herrera's preference was to extend his stay at United but, after growing frustrated at a lack of communication from the club, is ready to commit his future to the Ligue 1 side. The move is set to be announced at the end of the season.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Herrera was left in the dark for three months at the start of the year and that it was only after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was confirmed as permanent manager that United made an improved offer to the 29-year-old -- bettering the terms on the table from PSG -- but by then it was too late.

Herrera, who missed the Champions League defeat to Barcelona with a muscle injury, is set to leave on a free transfer after five seasons following his £29 million move from Athletic Bilbao in 2014.

He has won the League Cup, FA Cup and Europa League and was named player of the year in 2017.

United could also lose Juan Mata for free in the summer. Sources have told ESPN FC that the Spaniard has been offered a one-year extension but with other Champions League clubs interested, the 30-year-old's future is still up in the air.

Captain Antonio Valencia is also set to leave on a free transfer after the club decided against triggering a one-year extension in the defender's contract.

Liverpool are in advanced talks with Nike over a new long-term kit deal which is expected to exceed the value of Manchester United's £750 million agreement with Adidas and become the biggest ever struck by a Premier League club, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told ESPN FC.

The Anfield club's deal with suppliers New Balance -- worth £45m a year -- is due to expire at the end of the 2019-20 season and the American sportswear company, sources said, have a "matching clause" within their contract which enables them to retain and extend their deal by equalling any rival offer.

But have told ESPN FC that Nike are leading the battle to secure the Liverpool contract due to their readiness to put the club in the same earnings league as United.

Liverpool have also held discussions with Adidas and Puma in an effort to secure the highest possible figure for their new kit deal, but the club are deep into negotiations with Nike as they attempt to reach an agreement before the New Balance contract enters its final year.

Barcelona's £100m-a-year, 10-year deal with Nike, which began in 2018, is the biggest in football, eclipsing the £98m-a-year, 10-year deal struck between Real Madrid and Adidas in 2015.

And while Liverpool are unlikely to clinch a package of the same magnitude as Barca or Madrid, market research commissioned by the club's managing director, Billy Hogan, has shown that the five-time European champions can command a deal at the same level, or even higher, than United.

There were initial concerns at Anfield that Nike's deals with Barca, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham and Chelsea, and Adidas' big-money partnerships with Real, United and Bayern Munich, had saturated the market to the extent that Liverpool would not be able to command a United-style figure.

But the club has been told that the rarity value of their kit deal becoming available, combined with the prominence of the Liverpool brand, driven by manager Jurgen Klopp and star players Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino, has strengthened their ability to secure a deal that would put them in the same bracket as football's global elite.

Liverpool, who are in contention win the Premier League and Champions League this season, announced record-breaking financial figures in February by posting a pre-tax profit of £125m for the year ending May 2018.

And the American-owned outfit are determined to maintain their financial strength by securing a kit deal which they believe reflects the club's global fanbase.

Arsenal beat Napoli 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal tie on Thursday.

Aaron Ramsey's early strike and a Kalidou Koulibaly own goal in the 25th minute gave the hosts a straightforward win heading into next Thursday's second leg in Naples.

And it was the departing Welshman who opened the scoring on 14 minutes after a free-flowing attacking move by the Gunners -- the future Juventus midfielder nonchalantly passing into Alex Meret's net after an alert layoff by Ainsley Maitland-Niles inside the penalty area.

The goal marked Ramsey's third in eight appearances for the club since signing for the Serie A giants.

Unai Emery's squad went two goals up nearly 10 minutes later when Lucas Torreira's scuffed left-footed shot from the top of the box took a wicked deflection off Koulibaly before looping past Meret.

Galle 337 for 7 (Thirimanne 115, Hasaranga 87) vs Colombo (match abandoned due to rain)

Rain washed out the entire second innings of the final of Sri Lanka's Super Four Provincial Limited-Over tournament, but not before Lahiru Thirimanne threw his hat in the ring for a World Cup berth, hitting 115 off 128 balls.

Thanks in part to the platform that Thirimanne had set, the Galle team's lower middle order amassed some quick runs towards the close of the innings, to propel the team to an imposing 337 for 7. The most notable among the middle-order contributions was that of Wanindu Hasaranga, who struck 13 fours and a six in a 53-ball innings that yielded 87. Milinda Siriwardana, Minod Bhanuka and Lahiru Madushanka also produced quick runs through the final overs.

There were no standout performers from among Colombo's bowlers, with five players taking no more than one wicket apiece. Significantly, however, Akila Dananjaya - who had taken a five-wicket haul in his previous game - went wicketless in the final, conceding 63 from his nine overs.

Thirimanne's hundred means he ends the tournament as its second-highest run-scorer, with 213 at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 81.92. Only Angelo Mathews, who made 227 runs at an average of 56.75, fared better. With the team's regular openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella having fared poorly throught the Super Four tournament, Thirimanne perhaps has an outside shot of making the World Cup squad. Dimuth Karunaratne - a potential captain - produced the second-highest run tally from among the opening candidates, hitting 165 at an average of 55.

The rain meant the selectors could not have a proper look at fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera. With Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana virtually certain to feature in the World Cup squad, the selectors are understood to be mulling over several of their other fast-bowling options. Chameera took four wickets at an average of 23.00 in the three previous games.

With the Super Four tournament now concluded - Galle and Colombo shared the trophy - the selectors will finalise their World Cup squad over the next few days.

Chennai Super Kings 155 for 6 (Dhoni 58, Rayudu 57, Stokes 2-39) beat Rajasthan Royals 151 for 7 (Stokes 28, Buttler 23, Jadeja 2-20) by four wickets

Mitchell Santner's dramatic last-ball six capped Chennai Super Kings' fourth successful chase of the season, and sixth win overall, as the visitors recovered from a massive hole at 24 for 4 in the Powerplay to pull off a chaotic four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.

Ben Stokes was tasked with 18 to defend off the final over but just as he had famously fallen short against Carlos Brathwaite in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, he was outdone again by a combination of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni and Santner. Jadeja slapped an off-balance six off the first ball of the over before Stokes overstepped on the next ball to create a free hit for Dhoni.

Stokes bounced back with a slower ball for two before bowling Dhoni with a yorker on the third legal ball of the over. Santner's final-ball heroics wound up erasing a minor controversy that had started brewing on the fourth ball of the over. Standing umpire Ulhas Gandhe clearly signaled with his arm for a no-ball after Stokes delivered a full toss well over waist height but then rescinded his call, prompting Dhoni to charge onto the pitch to remonstrate with both Gandhe and leg umpire Bruce Oxenford but to no avail.

With four to get off the final ball, Stokes bowled one well outside off stump for a wide to give Santner a second crack with two to tie and three to win. On the redo, Stokes missed his length going for a yorker and Santner responded by heaving a full delivery over the bowler's head to end the match and strengthen Super Kings' position at the top of the table, now four points clear of a trio tied for second.

Royally mediocre

The home side scraped their way to 151 for 7 through a series of starts that were never converted. Eight of the nine batsmen who came to the crease reached double-digits, but none made more than the 28 from Stokes at No. 6 after they were sent in at the toss.

Royals had decent momentum at the start of their innings having reached 31 for 0 in the third over before Deepak Chahar convinced Dhoni to review a not out decision on field with Ajinkya Rahane on 14. The ball appeared to be angling down leg but Dhoni finally signaled to go for the review on the brink of the 15-second cutoff.

It proved to be a key moment as the replay showed the ball striking leg stump flush for the crucial third red to overturn the decision. It wound up ending the largest partnership of the innings. Only a late burst from Shreyas Gopal and 18 runs in the final over took Royals to a competitive total past 150.

Yellow caution

Contrary to the hot start from the Royals, Super Kings got off to a miserable early reply. Shane Watson was bowled four balls into the chase with a beautiful delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni that held its line. Suresh Raina then committed a juvenile error loafing a single to fine leg as he watched Jofra Archer field, not expecting a throw to be sent to the non-striker's end where Archer connected with Raina a foot short to make it 5 for 2 in the second.

Faf du Plessis picked out one of the two boundary riders in the Powerplay at deep midwicket to gift Jaydev Unadkat a wicket in the fourth. Stokes looked like he was making a bid for Man of the Match when he pulled off an early contender for catch of the tournament at backward point, flying to his left to knife Kedar Jadhav's attempted cut off Archer to make it 24 for 4 with one ball to go in the Powerplay.

Dhon't count MS out

But the Super Kings captain flipped the script by combining with Ambati Rayudu for a 95-run stand. Momentum truly started to shift in the 10th over when Dhoni charged Gopal to loft him over long-on for six. He slog swept debutant Riyan Parag in the following over to continue the counterattack before a third six off Gopal in the 13th.

Until that point, Rayudu had been milking singles and twos but gained confidence from Dhoni's aggression and soon uncorked a sweetly driven six off Stokes in the 14th. Rayudu brought up a 41-ball half-century before he fell in the 18th, brilliantly caught by Gopal at deep midwicket off a Stokes slower ball.

Dhoni fought off getting hit in the helmet by Archer in the 17th to eventually bring up his 50 off 39 balls with a two behind point off Archer in the 19th over, after which he started sucking wind heavily. Another two required an extended break with the physio coming on field while Dhoni caught his breath. A four flicked off his pads to end the 19th brought the equation down to 18 off the final frame to set up the thrilling finish.

This is the summer that the ECB hopes will help "inspire a generation" of cricket fans, with England jostling to the front of the pack as favourites for a home World Cup. However, it could also be a last hurrah for one-day cricket in the UK, with the domestic 50-over cup set to become a "development competition" from 2020 onwards.

Gordon Hollins, the new managing director of county cricket, conceded that downgrading the 50-over tournament was "a price that has to be paid" in order to make room for The Hundred. Both competitions are set to run side by side, with the best England-qualified players involved in the new format, but Hollins said it was essential that the ECB came up with something to "make cricket cooler to more people".

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has previously claimed that The Hundred will not impact on the success of England's ODI team, and while Hollins suggested that 50-over batting skills could be honed in the shorter formats, he confirmed that the domestic cup would become a breeding ground for younger players.

The domestic List A competition is also likely to see the involvement in some form of the "national counties" - as the minor counties have been rebranded - in an attempt to further aid the spread of the game.

"I don't buy that [county cricket] is being devalued," Hollins said. "It might be different. Clearly the 50-over competition will become under this model a development competition. Nobody is going to deny that. But that's a price that has to be paid to fit the different formats in. There's a plus, too, in that you get the next round of players coming through.

"What we're also doing in that competition is going back to having warm-up matches against some of the national counties. A lot of the feedback I've heard over the last couple of years is, it was great when we had the NatWest Trophy/Gillette Cup, where you had Devon hosting Yorkshire in the first round and so on. We're introducing that in the County Partnership Agreement, where a first-class county will go to a national county. And I think that connects the first-class game with a broader audience, too."

Hollins said that while traditional county supporters were part of what he termed "the core" - devoted followers of the game - the goal of The Hundred was to further increase the base from which counties, and England, can recruit in the future.

"What I hear most often is there are not enough: people in club cricket saying, where's our next groundsman coming from, where's our next scorer coming from, there's not enough volunteers. Therefore, for me, what The Hundred is designed to do is to generate and inspire more people to engage in our game than ever before," Hollins said.

"I genuinely believe that The Hundred plays a really important role in achieving that because if it can generate 'water-cooler moments', where people say cricket is sexy and it's engaging and inspiring more people from different audiences, then more of that comes back into the system.

"Cricket is still cool to us, and the core. But it needs to be cool to more people. What makes that challenging and really important to address is that young people now have more distractions than we did. We used to have cricket, rugby, football … That's not the case anymore. In the last round of Sport England funding, I think it was 64 sports that got funding. So by definition, there's a lot more competition for kids' time and attention and passion. That's before you start talking about these devices [mobile phones].

"There's so many distractions now, that we need to make cricket cooler to more people. And by doing that, I think everyone wins. It might not be the same as it's always been, but the world's not the same as it's always been."

Concerns have been expressed about the impact of The Hundred, with PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell warning it could threaten the viability of some of the smaller clubs. However, Hollins said that there were no plans to reduce the number of first-class counties.

He did acknowledge, though, that coming up with something entirely new had been central in securing a return for cricket on free-to-air television when the rights were negotiated in 2017 - despite the ECB denying that 100-ball cricket, which is designed to be completed in two-and-a-half hours, was a made-for-TV product.

Asked whether the BBC would have signed up to broadcasting a county T20 competition, Hollins replied: "No. You'd need to ask them [why]. But their agenda, you can see what they're doing with sport generally, around women's football, their support of the FA Cup. You can see the sort of narrative they produce."