El Clasico’s, derbies, top of the table clashes. The biggest weekend of European football did not disappoint.
La Liga
The second El Clasico in the space of a few days saw Barcelona get the better of their rivals Real Madrid once again. A lovely chip from Ivan Rakitic split the two sides, making it four wins in a row for Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu, and 13 wins in their last 23 games at the venue.
Atlético Madrid went five points clear in second with an important 2-0 win away to Real Sociedad. Atléti’s away form this season has been questionable, however an Alvaro Morata brace showed the difference in quality between the two sides. They’re still in the title race, but only just.
Bottom placed Huesca recorded a stunning win over a Sevilla outfit who appear to be cooked. One draw and four losses in their past five games has put the pressure on manager Pablo Machin. Meanwhile, Huesca have incredibly given themselves a chance at survival. Three wins in their past five games has them just three points from safety, after many thought they were gone.
Other results:
Rayo Vallecano 0-2 Girona
Espanyol 3-1 Real Valladolid
Villarreal 1-2 Alavés
Eibar 1-0 Celta Vigo
Real Betis 1-2 Getafe
Valencia 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
Leganés 1-0 Levante
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund have lost again. The yellow and black have gone down 2-1 to 15th placed Augsburg, losing their lead atop the table in the process. Paco Alcacer’s late goal wasn’t enough as Dong Won Ji’s brace got the home side over the line. It is turning into a horror 2019 for BVB.
Bayern Munich have taken full advantage of their rival’s slip up, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-1 on the road. Robert Lewandowski’s brace sees him equal the all-time record for most Bundesliga goals by a foreigner. Bayern now trail Dortmund on goal-difference, however are in the box seat to make it seven straight titles.
RB Leipzig have climbed to third on the Bundesliga table with a 1-0 win over Nürnburg. Fullback Lukas Klostermann scored the only goal of the game to jump Mönchengladbach in the standings. The club look set for a return to the Champions League.
Other results:
Schalke 0-4 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Freiburg
Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 Hoffenheim
Hertha 2-1 Mainz 05
VfB Stuttgart 5-1 Hannover
Wolfsburg 1-1 Werder Bremen
Premier League
The North London derby threw up all sorts of drama, as Arsenal and Tottenham played out a 1-1 draw at Wembley. Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring, before Harry Kane levelled things from the spot, despite several Spurs players being offside in the build-up. Pierre-Emrick Aubameyang had the chance to win it late but failed to convert his spot kick.
Liverpool and Everton did battle at Goodison Park in the Merseyside derby. Despite numerous chances, Liverpool failed to put the ball past Jordan Pickford – Mo Salah going agonisingly close. Everton held on for a draw, meaning Liverpool slip to second on the table.
Manchester City made sure of their opportunity to go top of the league by defeating Bournemouth 1-0. A Riyad Mahrez strike was the difference between the two sides, making it the second consecutive win of that scoreline for Pep Guardiola’s side. City now sit first on the Premier League table, leading Liverpool by one point.
Other results:
Brighton 1-0 Huddersfield
Burnley 1-3 Crystal Palacce
Manchester United 3-2 Southampton
Wolves 2-0 Cardiff
West Ham 2-0 Newcastle
Watford 2-1 Leicester
Fulham 1-2 Chelsea
Serie A
Juventus faced Napoli in a top of the table clash at the San Paulo. Alex Meret was sent off after 25 minutes for the home side and Miralem Pjanic scored from the subsequent freekick. Juve doubled their lead through Emre Can, before Pjanic was sent off, allowing Napoli back into the game. After Jose Callejon pulled one back, Lorenzo Insigne had the chance to snatch a point from the spot, however failed to convert. The result sees Juventus’ lead atop the table extend to 16 points.
Lazio and Roma clashed in the Derby della Capitale at the Stadio Olimpico. Lazio were determined as ever to avenge their 3-1 loss in the reverse fixture and came out with a bang. Felipe Caicedo opened the scoring, before late goals by Ciro Immobile and Danilo Cataldi sealed the points for the Biancocelesti, putting them just three points behind their rivals with a game in hand.
After what has been a shaky 2019 for Inter, things were about to get a whole lot worse. The Nerazzurri travelled to face Cagliari in a match that if they failed to win, their position in third would be under threat. And that they did. Cagliari inflicted the greatest of pains on Inter, winning 2-1 thanks to an Ivan Perisic own goal and a fantastic Leonardo Pavoletti strike. Inter’s demise saw them fall down the Serie A table.
Other results:
Empoli 3-3 Parma
Milan 1-0 Sassuolo
Torino 3-0 Chievo
Udinese 2-1 Bologna
Genoa 0-0 Frosinone
SPAL 1-2 Sampdoria
Atalanta 3-1 Fiorentina
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain survived a scare against arguably the worst side in Ligue 1 currently, Caen. Casimir Ninga put Caen ahead on 56 minutes, only for Kylian Mbappe to equalise minutes later. Mbappe added a second just minutes from time to snatch a late win for PSG and take his season tally to 24.
Marseille’s resurgence has continued as they defeated St Etienne 2-0. Mario Balotelli scored a wonderful scissor kick, making it four goals in five games for the Italian. His celebration is what made headlines though, as he filmed himself celebrating with his teammates before uploading it to Instagram. Florian Thauvin added a second to secure the points for Marseille and leapfrog St Etienne into fourth.
Monaco recorded an important point on the road, after being 2-0 down against Angers. Trailing by two at the break, Radamel Falcao scored a brace to level the scores on 80 minutes. Remarkably, the principality club are six points above the relegation zone and appear safe – for now.
Other results:
Reims 2-2 Amiens
Guingamp 0-0 Nantes
Lille 1-0 Dijon
Nice 1-0 Strasbourg
Lyon 5-1 Toulouse
