1x2 Free Betting Tips !

The ex-QPR and Leeds boss was the frontrunner for the vacancy after Billy Davies was sacked yesterday in the wake of the 5-0 defeat against Derby at the weekend.

However, Warnock had second thoughts about the position and talks broke down with the club's owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi.

And the 65-year-old believes he turned down the position because he wouldn't have been able to manage the club in the way he would have liked.

"The talks started well but, in my eyes, it deteriorated," Warnock told . "In the end, I didn't think I was the right one.

Quite simply, it didn't. Chelsea ruined his 1000th match - running riot at Stamford Bridge - while Manchester City and Liverpool also racked up cricket scores, meaning a few heavyweights are in our Team of the Week. 

We start, however, at Crystal Palace. Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni (3.5) produced a number of stunning saves against Newcastle United at St James' Park to keep his side in the game, before having his heart broken by Papiss Cisse right at the death. He can take great encouragement, though, from his performance, as the scoreline would have been far uglier without him. 

STAR MAN: LUIS SUAREZ

RATING VS CARDIFF

His usual brilliant and tenacious self. Another hat trick and another match ball.

FROM OUR LIVE! COMMENTARY

GOAL! Skrtel launches a ball down field, Suarez is still hungry to get his hat trick, he knocks Cala off the ball far too easily and is left one on one with Marshall. He waits a little before smashing it into the net for his 28th goal of the season.

Pablo Zabaleta (4) had less to do, and spent the majority of Manchester City's 5-0 win over Fulham in the Cottagers' half. Attacking-wise, he tormented the strugglers' defence throughout and delivered a number of pin-point crosses from the right flank. 

And to Hull. In a vital clash with West Bromwich Albion, Curtis Davies (3.5) maintained his composure throughout and made a number of key tackles as his side won 2-0 at the KC Stadium. 

Our three-man defence is rounded off by the rejuvenated Martin Demichelis (4). Often maligned for his clumsiness and inability to defend properly, the Manchester City defender hit back at his critics during the 5-0 win over Fulham, as he remained solid throughout and rounded off the thrashing with a late tap-in. 

Continuing the City flavour, James Milner (4.5) performed brilliantly in the Etihad thumping. A constant attacking outlet, the Englishman played a key role in all of the goals, performed his defensive duties vigilantly and could have scored a brace himself. 

One who did hit the back of the net during the match was Yaya Toure (4.5). Three times. And that earns him a spot in our midfield. The giant Ivorian calmly converted two penalties against Fulham, before curling an absolute beauty into the top corner from way outside the box. A powerhouse presence, he was simply unplayable on Saturday. 

And to Chelsea. They thumped Arsenal 6-0 and Oscar (4) was at the centre of the destruction, as he bagged two goals and provided a number of key passes. The Gunners couldn't deal with him, and he took full advantage of the space he was afforded at Stamford Bridge. 

Another diminutive midfielder, Christian Eriksen (4), also makes the side, as he inspired a stunning Tottenham comeback on Sunday. The Dane scored a brilliant brace to claw Spurs back from 2-0 down to 2-2 - with Gylfi Sigurdsson finally rounding off the comeback in injury time. Despite many critics decrying the club's lavish summer spending spree, Eriksen has proved he is worth his weight in gold to the north Londoners. 

Speaking of justifying a price-tag, Andre Schurrle (4) did just that against Arsenal on Saturday. The Chelsea winger - signed from Bayer Leverkusen - delivered an electric display in the win, as he created Samuel Eto'o's opener before scoring one himself. 

Despite there being 11 players in this team, one will grab the headlines; Wayne Rooney (4). The Manchester United striker bagged a brace in the 2-0 win over West Ham, but it's his first that will live long in the memory. 

As he shrugged off the challenge of James Tomkins on the halfway line he would have been forgiven for controlling the ball and looking for a pass. Instead he shot, having seen Adrian off his line. The ball looped over the Spaniard and nestled in the back of the net as David Beckham watched on. Just sublime.

And rounding off our team is Liverpool's Luis Suarez (4). In a topsy-turvy clash with Cardiff, the Uruguayan scored a sublime hat-trick to guide his side to a 6-3 win. Their title challenge is very much alive and, if they lift the trophy in May, they will be very much indebted to the forward.

Red Bull Salzburg take the slight upper hand into their Europa League last-16 second-leg clash at home with Basel.

The Austrian outfit settled for a 0-0 stalemate in their away leg in Switzerland and hold a perfect record at home in the Europa League this season.

The draw at Basel halted Salzburg's 16-match winning streak in all competitions, although Roger Schmidt's men bounced back with a 5-0 win over Wolfsberger AC in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Similarly, Basel enjoyed a 5-0 league win over Aarau to find their feet after the home stalemate.

Salzburg's form at home extends beyond their five wins in the tournament this season, as they have been beaten just once at their Red Bull Arena fortress since August 2012.

They have won 14 in succession at home, including European wins over Zalgiris (5-0), Elfsborg (4-0), Standard Liege (2-1), Esbjerg (3-0) and Ajax (3-1).

Conversely, Basel have not won an away fixture in the Europa League in their past 10 outings in the second-tier continental competition, but they travel to Austria in the knowledge a score draw would see them progress to the quarter-finals.

Murat Yakin's Basel have had success away from home in the Champions League, chalking up wins at Ludogorets and Chelsea earlier this season, before they bowed out in the group stage to join the Europa League knockout rounds.

They began their journey in the last-32, dispatching of Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 on aggregate, as they look to at least emulate their semi-final appearance from the previous campaign.

It will be a tough task against home-town favourites Salzburg, though, who have been the highest scoring side in the competition this term with 21 goals.

Firing in a third of those has been tournament top-scorer Jonatan Soriano, who has recently had to refute suggestions he was Salzburg's equivalent of Lionel Messi.

Salzburg's Kevin Kampl and Alan are tied for the most assists, with four apiece.

AZ Alkmaar suffered their heaviest European defeat at the hands of FC Anji Makhachkala last season, but with Dick Advocaat now at the tiller – and the Russian side much changed – AZ are hoping to make amends.

"We are delighted we are through to the round of 16 and I hope we will still be in contention in the next round too," said Anji defender Rasim Tagirbekov. "AZ Alkmaar will be a big game, a tough game. We played against them in the Europa League a year ago and we won 5-0 in the Netherlands, but then we had a team full of stars. I hope we can win this time as well."

AZ have not undergone so dramatic a transformation as their opponents, but they have lost the likes of Jozy Altidore, Maarten Martens and Adam Maher, and now have Advocaat in charge. The Dutchman will look to provide the inside track on Anji, having previously had spells with the Russia national team and FC Zenit, where he won the UEFA Cup in 2008.

"The coach is hugely important for us," AZ forward Aron Jóhannsson, who has scored 16 league goals this season, told UEFA.com. "With his experience, we can go a long way. He has won this trophy before so his advice at this stage of a competition is priceless."

Defender Nick Viergever, who was involved in last season's play-off tie, was also keen to flag up Advocaat's influence. "He's such a nice guy with a wealth of experience," he said. "He has achieved so much in his career, from being Russia coach to winning lots of domestic trophies. He transmits that experience to our young group of players. He is still very motivated and eager to do well."

Anji are bottom of the Russian Premier League with just one win all season, but the sage Advocaat is not expecting a walkover. "They are not the same team as they were under Guus," acknowledged the 66-year-old. "Anji have changed a lot. How good they are is hard to say, but when you win 2-0 in Genk [as Anji did in the round of 32], then you prove you are still capable of doing something."