Barcelona defender Eric Abidal underwent his scheduled liver transplant on Tuesday, as more than 70,000 Camp Nou fans paid tribute to the France defender during a 4-0 win over Getafe in the Spanish league.

Sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta told Canal Plus TV that Abidal was in hospital, undergoing surgery during the game.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli will not face further punishment following his wild tackle on Arsenal midfielder Alex Song last weekend, the Football Association confirmed on Tuesday.

Balotelli, who was given a three-match ban following his sending off for a lunge on Bacary Sagna later in the same game, had faced the prospect of additional punishment for a dangerous, studs-up, shin-high challenge on Song.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Kevin Garnett added 24 as the Boston Celtics beat LeBron James and the Miami Heat 115-107, their second victory over the Heat in less than a fortnight.

Garnett added nine rebounds and Rajon Rondo scored 18 points with 15 assists -- his 18th straight game with double-digit assists -- as the Celtics backed up their 91-72 victory over the Heat on April 1.

Defending champions Barcelona upped the pressure on leaders Real Madrid on Tuesday as they moved to within a point of their bitter rivals after a 4-0 thumping of Getafe.

Two goals from Alexis Sanchez, one from Pedro Rodriguez and Lionel Messi's 39th in the league this season gave Barca a 10th consecutive league victory after another near perfect performance by the Catalans.

Brad Jones dedicated Liverpool's 3-2 win at Blackburn to his son Luca, who died of leukemia five months ago, after the Australian keeper endured a bitter-sweet Premier League debut for Kenny Dalglish's side on Tuesday.

Jones, third in the pecking order of keepers at Anfield, had only made two senior cup appearances for the club before he was unexpectedly called into action in Liverpool's last game before Saturday's FA Cup semifinal with Everton at Wembley.

AC Milan went back to the top of Serie A, for 24 hours at least, with a hard fought 1-0 victory at Chievo in rainy Verona on Tuesday.

Milan bounced straight back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Fiorentina despite being ravaged by injury and suspensions -- they had 14 players missing.

Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli issued a public apology Monday for his latest act of indiscipline and made an appeal to stay in Italy's national team for the European Championship.

He picked up his fourth red card in two seasons with City in the 1-0 loss at Arsenal on Sunday, prompting questions about whether Balotelli has again broken the new code of ethics installed by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli.

Tottenham's bid to qualify for the Champions League suffered another setback as Norwich clinched a shock 2-1 win at White Hart Lane on Monday.

Harry Redknapp's side were well below their best as Norwich took an early lead through Anthony Pilkington and, although Jermain Defoe equalized before the break, it was the Canaries who deservedly took the points thanks to Elliott Bennett's second half winner.

Kobe Bryant missed his second straight game, but the Los Angeles Lakers shrugged off the absence of their superstar to edge New Orleans 93-91 on Monday in a National Basketball Association contest.

Spain's Pau Gasol scored 25 points with nine rebounds for the Lakers. Ramon Sessions, acquired in a mid-season trade last month, added 17 points for Los Angeles, including a three-pointer that put the Lakers up 92-86 with 26 seconds to play.

Clint Dempsey's late equalizer saw Chelsea lose ground in the race for a Champions League spot after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham in the west London derby at Craven Cottage on Monday.

Frank Lampard's penalty -- his 150th goal in the Premier League -- had Chelsea in control, but United States international Dempsey headed home his 16th goal of the season eight minutes from time.