Honestly, I thought that the Premier League was a foregone conclusion after last week’s results, where Arsenal extended their lead to seven points despite drawing at Forest.
Premier League title race back on after Red Devils stun the Emirates
Honestly, I thought that the Premier League was a foregone conclusion after last week’s results, where Arsenal extended their lead to seven points despite drawing at Forest. Carrick managed to get that new manager bounce at home to a vulnerable City side. But they surely couldn’t repeat the trick at table-topping Arsenal, could they? This is why we love sports. Man United showed that their win over City was no fluke with a composed, hard-fought win against a clearly anxious Arsenal side (you could feel the massive weight of expectation at the Emirates). Arsenal took the lead somewhat fortuitously, with Lisandro Martinez diverting the ball into his own net. But United dominated the tempo of the match from that point on, winning the vast majority of 50/50 challenges.
Bryan Mbeumo equalized just eight minutes after Martinez’s OG, pouncing on a moment of madness from Zubimendi to pull United level. The Red Devils took a well-deserved lead in the 50th minute through reborn Swiss winger Patrick Dorgu, who thrashed the ball home after some mesmerizing interplay with Bruno. To his credit, Arteta did look to be proactive, making four substitutions in the 58th minute (I’m not sure if I have ever seen that before). It was one of those subs who would draw the Gunners level in the 84th minute, as Mikel Merino pounced after yet more set-piece chaos (if Arteta doesn’t get the job done this year, they could always hire Tony Pulis). But United would not be denied, with one of their own replacements- Matheus Cunha- netting a long-range beauty that was fit to win any game. That was the first time this season where Arsenal looked genuinely terrified. And now is not the time for squeamishness (especially with City and Villa winning this weekend).
Tit for tat in enthralling La Liga race
Real Madrid continued their impressive form under Arbreloa with a comfortable 2-0 win at Villarreal (it’s the first time that Los Blancos have won back-to-back games at the Estadio de la Ceramica since 2011). The first half was a bit of a snoozefest, with neither side able to fashion meaningful opportunities. Real came out reenergized after the break, with Kylian Mbappe pouncing on a loose ball to give Real the lead in the 47th minute. Real controlled possession but would made sure of the points in stoppage time, as Mbappe won and scored a penalty to secure the victory. Mbappe converted his spot-kick in typically dashing style, throwing in a sneaky Panenka to show solidarity with teammate Brahim Diaz following his AFCON nightmare. The result temporarily allowed Real to leapfrog mortal enemies Barcelona.
Barcelona overcome sluggish start to reclaim La Liga lead
At halftime, Hansi Flick must have feared the worst against basement-dwelling Real Oviedo. Barca were anemic in that first stanza and there was very little to separate them from the league’s worst club. But much like Real, Barca were able to stamp their authority just after the break. Real Oviedo were the architects of their own downfall in the 51st minute, losing possession after overplaying in their own box. Dani Olmo showed his incredible poacher’s instincts, popping up to rifle Barca ahead. Real Oviedo hit the self-destruct button once again in the 57th minute, with Raphinha pouncing on a powderpuff backpass before exquisitely dinking the Oviedo keeper (Messi, eat your heart out). Lamine Yamal would end the rout in acrobatic style, employing a spectacular half bicycle kick to thrash home a ball aimed slightly behind him. Flick will be pleased with how comfortable they made that last half and an hour look.
Bayern rocked at home to relegation-threatened Augsburg
I guess Xabi Alonso won some sort of moral victory this weekend (for what that’s worth). Vincent Kompany’s side were brought back down to earth this weekend, as relegation candidates Augsburg ended their invincible dream with a nuggety 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena. Alonso’s 2023/2024 Leverkusen side will remain the only invincible club in Bundesliga history. Die Rekordmeister dominated the first half, going ahead through Ito in the 23rd minute (after yet another tantalizing delivery from Olise). But the rabidly in-form attacking unit just couldn’t capitalize on their dominance, with wunderkind Lennart Karl proving particularly wasteful in possession. Augsburg took full advantage of Bayern’s wastefulness, equalizing in the 75th minute after Urbig was caught in no-man’s land on a corner kick. They got their well-deserved winner soon after that, with Massengo producing a characteristic lung-busting run to finish off a slick Augsburg move. Bayern’s smorgasbord of defensive absentees were too much for their tired squad to overcome.
Dream weekend for Serie A leaders Inter
Inter kicked off this weekend’s Serie A action in exhilarating style, coming back from 2-0 down to annihilate relegation-fodder Pisa 6-2. The denizens of the San Siro had every right to be feeling a little moody at the half-hour mark. Fresh off a chastening home defeat to Arsenal, Inter found themselves 2-0 down after a Stefano Moreo brace (which included one absolute howler from Yann Sommer). Chivu then produced a managerial masterstroke, bringing on Federico Dimarco for Luis Henrique (he moved Augusto to the right). Dimarco brought immediate clarity to that left-hand side and Inter would dominate the remainder of the game, with DiMarco scoring once and assisting another in a resounding 6-2 win. City neighbours AC Milan failed to respond in kind, dropping two points at Roma to trail their table-topping rivals by five points.
Spalletti’s Juventus end Napoli’s title defence
Luciano Spalletti picked up the biggest result of his Juve career thus far, easily seeing off Napoli 3-0 to essentially end the Partenopei’s title defence. Napoli looked jaded and clearly had one eye on their do-or-die Champions League tie with Chelsea. Juve pressed the initiative from the beginning, with Yildiz and Conceicao getting significant joy in wide areas. Juve eventually took the lead in the 22nd minute, as Jonathan David cushioned the ball with his chest and calmly slotted home (the Canadian appears to be finally warming to life in Turin). Juve controlled the tempo of the match but would only get breathing space in the 75th minute, as constant menace Yildiz prodded home following a poor Juan Jesus pass. Substitute FilipKotic would complete the scoring with a rasping drive in the 36th minute. This looks like it’s going to be another case of 2nd season syndrome for Conte (not counting his days as Juve manager).
Player of the Week- Endrick
I know I don’t tend to cover Ligue 1 too religiously (despite it being the home of the reigning European champs). But this week, I had to signal out the excellence of Brazilian teenager Endrick. The exciting prospect showed real maturity in the recent window, joining Lyon on loan in his quest to secure more playing time. And he shone in Lyon’s 5-2 win at Metz, scoring his first Ligue I hat-trick to help solidify Lyon’s top-four status.
