Damien Kayat looks back at an action-packed weekend of European football which saw Man United end a six-year trophy drought, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid play to a 1-1 draw in the derby, Napoli comfortably overcome Empoli and more!
The Ten Hag Era is here!
Man United ended a six-year trophy drought with a workmanlike Carabao Cup final victory against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United. It was by no means the most fluid recent outing for Erik Ten Hag’s chargers.
They absorbed plenty of pressure, with Trippier marauding down that right flank seemingly at will. But United put their bodies on the line in the type of resilient defensive display that has come to define this new dawn.
The indefatigable Casemiro covered every blade of grass in a heroic box-to-box display. He opened United’s account with a towering header before the free-scoring Marcus Rashford doubled the lead. This has arguably been the greatest week in the awkward post-Fergie era.
It all started with a league win against Leicester that kept them within touching distance of an unlikely title surge. They then came back from behind to knock out La Liga-topping Barcelona in a rousing Europa League display.
But this trophy is tangible proof that this sleeping giant of European football has awoken from its slumber.
Erik ten Hag delivers Manchester United’s first trophy since 2017 🏆 pic.twitter.com/1sBE8o9Hbf
— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 26, 2023
Arsenal and City register wins
It is as you were in the Premier League title race (which is always good news for table-topping Arsenal). Mikel Arteta’s men built on their heroic comeback victory against Villa with an assured 1-0 win at Leicester.
It was far more comfortable than the 1-0 score would suggest. Leicester recorded the lowest ever Premier League XG since the metric came into being. The hipster tool can sometimes be slightly misleading. But in this case it was completely accurate.
Ramsdale could have stayed at home as Arsenal absolutely dominated possession. Martinelli scored a great goal in what was a slightly wasteful performance by the Gunners. Man City dispatched of Bournemouth in mercenary fashion, ultimately running out 4-1 victors.
Erling Haaland scored his 27th Premier League goals of the season (more gaols than Sergio Aguero scored in any individual campaign). Phil Foden was effervescent throughout and will no doubt be a crucial weapon in their run-in.
He has been oddly absent from Pep’s plans of late and he seems hungry to show the Spanish coach what he has been missing.
A new week and still looking good at the top of the table! 🔎🔍#Arsenal #AFC pic.twitter.com/7XiNBszTMm
— AFTV (@AFTVMedia) February 27, 2023
El Derbi Madrileno ends in stalemate
This turned out to be a hugely frustrating weekend of action for the giants of Spanish football. FC Barcelona still looked hung-over following their chastening Europa League exit at the hand of Manchester United.
They were absolutely abysmal at lowly Almeria, going down 1-0 and missing out on the chance of temporarily going 10 points clear of great rivals Real. But nothing clicked for Barca. Robert Lewandowski was a peripheral figure while Kessie had an absolute stinker.
They have now lost two consecutive matches having gone 18 matches undefeated leading into last week’s trip to Old Trafford. But Xavi’s blushes were somewhat saved by a stuttering performance by the champions. Los Blancos were held 1-1 by a typically dogged Atletico in a dour El Derbi Madrileno.
Simeone’s men just sat back in an airtight 5-3-2 formation, suffocating all the space that Vinicius Jr loves to exploit. They missed out on the opportunity to close the gap to five points. It was a pretty anticlimactic end to a week that saw them neuter Anfield’s mythical European aura.
1️⃣8️⃣-year-old Álvaro Rodríguez's first Real Madrid goal was an 85th-minute equalizer in the Madrid derby. It was only his second La Liga appearance 🌟 pic.twitter.com/0ynuDJW86M
— Four Football (@4brfofficial) February 25, 2023
Partenopei roll on
Napoli’s first Scudetto in over 30 years has become a procession, with the Partenopei opening up a virtually unassailable 18-point lead atop the Serie A standings.
They won 2-0 at Empoli, incredibly winning their 19th league match in their last twenty outings. The incomparable Victor Osimhen scored in his 8th consecutive Serie A match (a feat last managed by Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus in the 2019/2020 season).
It’s going to be interesting to see how they handle the inevitable barrage of suitors for the Nigerian striker. Napoli have earned a reputation for being arguably the most hardnosed negotiators in European football.
They aren’t going to give up one of the hottest properties in European football without extracting every last penny from the situation.
10-men Napoli pick up their eighth successive win in #SerieA 💪 pic.twitter.com/fRdT1JAkMR
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 25, 2023
Bayern tame title rivals
Die Roten bounced back from their insipid defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach with a commanding 3-0 victory against would-be title contenders Union Berlin.
The Bavarian giants blew the underdogs away with a first-half blitzkrieg that few could have contained. The rejuvenated Choupo-Moting gave the Bavarians the lead before Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala finished the job.
Thomas Muller made his 650th appearance in all competitions for the champions, playing an instrumental role in two of the goals. It was a statement victory that has essentially ruled Union Berlin out of title contention. That’s leaves us with Borussia Dortmund.
The Blacks and Yellows won their 9th consecutive game in all competitions this weekend, grinding out a 1-0 away victory at Hoffenheim. Edin Terzic’s men were far from their free-flowing best, struggling to find the necessary cohesion to implement their swashbuckling style.
But there is something to be said about this sort of plucky victory. This is quite simply a match where recent Dortmund teams would have faltered. Now they are only behind Bayern on goal difference, waiting to pounce on any potential slip-up.
Bayern convincingly win a Bundesliga top of the table clash 🥨✅ pic.twitter.com/jcQzRDUeG8
— 433 (@433) February 26, 2023
Player(s) of the week – Kylian Mbappe and Leo Messi
PSG withstood an exceptionally hostile Marseille crowd and sauntered to an imperious 3-0 away win. They didn’t miss the injured Neymar, with Messi and Mbappe delivering flawless performances in what could prove a defining victory in the Ligue A title race.
Mbappe scored a brace while Messi netted his 700th goal in top flight European football (becoming the 2nd man after CR7 to achieve this feat). They interlinked brilliantly in a portent of what Bayern must withstand in their upcoming Champions league tie.
Messi and mbappe this season in all comps
— TM (@TotalLeoMessi) February 26, 2023
Messi: ⚽️29 goals, 20 assist 🅰️
Mbappe: ⚽️38 goals, 8 assist 🅰️
Europes best duo 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/GAsejSiX4Y
