European Football Wrap: Manchester is Blue, Raya heroics inspire the Gunners

To be fair, Man United started the game comfortably and appeared to be in the ascendancy.  That was until Phil Foden stupidly kicked out at an admittedly nuisance-worthy Bruno Fernandes, resigning City to ten men for the better part of 70 minutes. United were forced to take the initiative when you could tell they were far more comfortable playing on the counter.  Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson worked like titans in the midfield, making up for Foden’s absence with near-psychotic aptitude.  United were struggling to break City down and an ominous feeling started to filter through Old Trafford.  A sense of doom, if you will. 

And the moment of reckoning came, as Erling Haaland brushed City into the lead despite appearing to be miles offside.  Closer inspection showed that Dorgu had played Haaland offside (an error of parallax made it feel like Haaland was significantly further ahead of the Dane).  But did Enzo- who was in an offside position- affect Martinez with his attempted flying header?  Regardless of that, Utd simply didn’t do enough with the possession they had.  Sure, Mainoo and Rashford both hit the post with speculative long-range efforts while Mbeumo forced Donnarumma into some last-gasp heroics.  But there was no real sense of sustained dominance.  City were far too comfortable considering they were down to ten men at Old Trafford.  The controversy of the goal shouldn’t distract from how poor United were in that 2^nd half.  This is going to be a tough one for Carrick to stomach. 

Raya heroics inspire the Gunners

Arsenal are the footballing equivalent of Rafael Nadal.  They are gritty and not necessarily easy on the eye; yet they somehow manage to get the job done.  Arsenal made it six wins out of six in all competitions with a pugnacious 2-0 win at Sunderland.  The Black Cats looked intent on spoiling, upping the aggression to go into the break at 0-0.  But the match turned completely on its head as it neared the hour mark, as Stuart Atwell awarded Sunderland a penalty after adjudging Ezri Konsa to have manhandled Ballard in the box.  But three-time Golden Glove winner David Raya earned his keep, pulling off a fantastic fingertip save to deny Enzo Le Fee.  The visitors poured salt into the wound just two minutes later, as Bruno Guimares wrapped in a worldie to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.  Sunderland spurred a few more glorious opportunities before Arsenal sucker-punched them in stoppage-time, as Mandaya received his marching orders for fouling Saka in the box.  The English winger stepped up and slotted home the resultant penalty, completely putting the game to bed.  Honestly, I think Arsenal find a way to win that game even if Raya doesn’t save the penalty.  It feels as if they intentionally put themselves in precarious positions just to see if they can get themselves out of them (adversity farming for the vibes). 

Real Madrid bounce back

The scrutiny at Real Madrid is perhaps the worst at any club in world football.  There are probably only four games in the La Liga season that you are allowed to lose (home and away to Atleti and home and away to Barca).  There is absolutely no wiggle room with any of the smaller clubs (especially with Barcelona looking so dominant).  So, Mourinho was probably already feeling a little heat after their insipid 1-0 defeat to Betis.  But it didn’t take long for Los Blancos to return to winning ways, following up their 2-1 win against Inter Milan with a stress-free 4-1 win against Rayo Vallecano.  Real opened the scoring within 15 mins, with Carreras earning a penalty that was converted by Mbappe.  Carreras got on the scoresheet himself just a few minutes later, seizing the moment after getting a rare starting berth ahead of Cucurella.  Bellingham wrapped up the game on the 35^th minute mark, cooly slotting the ball home after some mesmerizing work by Vini Jr.  The 2^nd half felt like a training exercise, with Camello pulling one back in the 51^st minute before Mbappe completed his brace in stoppage time. 

Barca maintain unblemished record

It’s never a dull moment when Barcelona are in town.  Hansi Flick’s free-scoring champions were once again in swashbuckling mode, scoring four at Levante to solidify their status atop the La Liga standings.  But it wasn’t without some drama.  Barcelona produced a typically ruthless first half showing, with Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal giving the Blaugrana a 2-0 halftime lead.  Yamal doubled his tally shortly after the break, winning and then converting his own penalty.  Game over, right.  Wrong.  Levante- who have been a bit of a bogey team for Barca in recent seasons- pressed on like their lives depended on it, taking advantage of some uncharacteristically calamitous Barca defending to pull one, then two goals back.  Barca fortunately have an abundance of riches at their disposal, as substitute Karim Adeyemi scored a Messi-esque solo goal to make it 4-2 in added time.  Barca do make for ruddy good telly, that’s for sure. 

Bayern have no time for sentiment with victory at SV Elversberg

Bayern Munich ended SV Elversberg’s fairytale start to life in the Bundesliga, withstanding some obstinate resistance to triumph 2-1.  Wunderkind Lennart Karl gave Bayern the lead after latching onto a sensational Salibari delivery.  Elversberg showed commendable spirit in front of their adoring home fans and were rewarded with a 2^nd half lifeline, as in-form former Bayern player Maurice Krattenmacher fired home an excellent equalizer.  Kompany then made a quadruple substitution that changed the entire texture of the match.  Kane would once again be Bayern’s life-insurance policy, firing home the decisive strike in the 72^nd minute.  Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund have impressed since that DFB-Pokal defeat to Bayern Munich, winning five out of five matches in all competitions.  Niko Kovac’s men were professionalism personified at home to Paderborn, easing their way to a 3-0 win to keep the heat on perennial heavyweights Bayern Munich.  Kovac’s decision to play Fabio Silva alongside Guirassy looks like a bit of a masterstroke, as the two cleverly linked up to set up Silva’s opener.  Substitute Nmecha put the result beyond doubt with his 2^nd half cameo, calmly slotting home in the 80^th minute before netting a spectacular overhead kick in the 89^th.  Kovac’s militant insistence on improving fitness levels has turned this Dortmund team into a much more compact, resilient outfit.  Expect plenty of late goals from the Blacks and Yellows this season. 

AC Milan fight back to earn draw at Lazio

Ruben Amorim had substitute Diego Moreira to thank for keeping his AC Milan side within touching distance of the Serie A leaders, as the Belgian scored a fantastic 2^nd half brace to earn a hard-earned point at Lazio.  Gennaro Gattuso has given Lazio real impetus since taking charge in the off-season, promoting a high-octane, high-pressing style right out of the Gasperini playbook.  Matteo Cancellieri gave the Biancocelesti the ideal start, tapping in at the far-post to make it 1-0.  Tijjani Noslin doubled the home side’s lead in the 39^th minute, nudging the ball home after a frantic goalmouth scramble.  Substitute Diego Moreira gave the Rossoneri a much-needed jolt of energy down that left-hand side.  He brought Milan back into the game in some style, volleying home from an angle to make it 1-1 in the 65^th minute.  He wasn’t content with that one moment, firing home a scorching equalizer just minutes later.  It was a vital strike that preserved Mian’s unbeaten start to the season. 

Player of the Week- Enzo Fernandez

Argentinian firebrand Enzo Fernandez is not everybody’s cup of tea.  Red carded in the World Cup final; the Argentine midfielder tends to generate bad publicity.  His mega-money move to Man City raised a few eyebrows (my own included).  But one thing’s for sure, Fernandez is a great guy to have if your backs against the wall.  Enzo played like a man possessed yesterday, chasing down every lost cause and drawing precious fouls in a textbook example of how to navigate being down to ten men.  When was the last time that City had a player with his combative streak?  Fernandinho?