LiveScore Daily: Today's football news in bite-sized chunks

LiveScore Daily is here to deliver all the big talking points from the world of football throughout the day. Keep refreshing this page for the latest stories in bite-sized chunks.

Never in doubt

Raheem Sterling claims Chelsea never doubted they would progress to the Champions League quarter-finals.

After losing the first leg of their last-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund 1-0, the Blues had it all to do at Stamford Bridge last night. 

But Sterling, 28, levelled matters by thumping home two minutes before the break and Kai Havertz sealed a memorable victory with a twice-taken second-half penalty. 

Reflecting on the the 2-1 aggregate success, the England ace said: "It was a massive performance. We had to dig deep and we took our chances.  

"We felt it as a team, we knew we could do it. Kai did it for us in the end.

"I have seen Kai shoot penalties all the time in training and I was so confident in him. He knew exactly what he was doing and I knew he would put it in the back of the net." 

Looking back at his goal, Sterling added: "I miskicked and didn't have a great first touch, but it landed perfectly for me and that set us on our way to build on the performance."

Whacked and sacked

Scott Parker has been sacked by Club Brugge after the Belgian side crashed out of the Champions League last night. 

Parker's men were hammered 5-1 at Porto as they went down 7-1 on aggregate in the last 16. 

The former Fulham and Bournemouth boss admitted after the game that he faced an uncertain future — and he has now been relieved of his duties. 

Asked whether he would still be in charge for Sunday's league clash with Standard Liege, Parker, 42 said: "I am not sure. I am not in control of that.

"I understand why you are asking me that question and it has probably been aimed at me for some weeks now. 

"I can't really control that. I am not in that position to understand it and you are asking probably the wrong person. 

"What I am is fully committed in trying to turn this around and that is what I will try to do."

On the up

Manchester United star Rachel Williams is loving the upward trajectory of women's football. 

Looking back at her career so far, the 35-year-old striker said: "When I was coming through, I never thought it could be as good as it is now. 

"There were only a few girls around where I grew up that played football. 

"Young girls now can have a career in this sport. But you've got to have the love of football because it is hard work. 

"You have to have that passion and drive to stick at it. If you do, the world is your oyster now with women's football. 

"You can go and play wherever you want — I love watching it grow each year."

Drogba calls for action

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba wants better medical checks to protect footballers in his native Ivory Coast after the death of a player during a top-flight game. 

Racing Club d'Abidjan defender Moustapha Sylla, 21, collapsed during a match against SOL FC on Sunday and was pronounced dead en route to hospital. 

Video of the incident shows Sylla stumbling before losing his balance and falling to the ground, prompting opposition players to call for medical assistance. 

Drobga, 44, said: "Where are the compulsory medical visits for each professional player? The blood tests, the ECGs, the stress tests?

"When will sports medicine arrive?"

RCA president Logossina Cisse described Sylla as a "rising star that left too soon" while the Ivorian Football Federation led tributes on social media.

Time to bounce back

Niamh Charles is confident Chelsea will bounce back from their Continental Cup final disappointment when they face Brighton tonight. 

After taking an early lead through Sam Kerr, the Blues slipped to a 3-1 defeat to London rivals at Selhurst Park last Sunday. 

Right-back Charles is not expecting an easy outing for the Women's Super League champions at Kingsmeadow, despite the managerless Seagulls sitting second bottom having picked up just eight points in 11 games. 

But she is upbeat about Chelsea's chances of closing the gap on leaders Manchester United to just one point witha victory. 

The 23-year-old ace said: "We've always, always had tough tests against Brighton. We'll be expecting another.

"Obviously their manager has just gone so it's a bit of an unknown. There's that element to contend with as well.

"They're not going to change too much in a short amount of time but we will prepare for everything and we can adapt in the game as well. We need to be ready to be flexible and sort it out as a team.

"They're fighting to stay in the league and no game is an easy game. That's a credit to the league but we will be expecting another tough test."