Two certain champions were forced to wait another week after both suffered shock losses, while the top four races in Spain, Germany, Italy and England all continue to amaze.
La Liga
Sevilla have recorded a crucial win against cross-town rivals Real Betis in a high-scoring thriller. Five cracking goals from both sides made the affair one of the best of the season, but it was Joaquin Caparrós’ men who emerged victorious. The win has put Sevilla in fourth spot and has revived their hopes for Champions League football.
Valencia have made the top four race all the more exciting with a 3-1 win against Levante. The win has put Los Ches in sixth spot, just three points off Sevilla. It’s an incredible achievement considering the club’s poor start to the season where they won just once in their first 11 games.
Barcelona had a minor hiccup against bottom-placed Huesca, drawing 0-0 at El Alcoraz. With La Liga all but wrapped up, Barća fielded a different-look side that did not feature Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez or Gerard Pique. Their attention now turns to their Champions League tie against Manchester United.
Other results:
Espanyol 2-1 Alavés
Atlético Madrid 2-0 Celta Vigo
Real Valladolid 2-2 Getafe
Athletic Bilbao 3-2 Rayo Vallecano
Real Sociedad 1-1 Eibar
Girona 0-1 Villarreal
Leganés 1-1 Real Madrid
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich ensured they remained top of the Bundesliga with a comprehensive 4-1 win away to Fortuna Düsseldorf. A Kingsley Coman brace was added with goals from Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka to round out the win for the Bavarians.
Borussia Dortmund survived a late scare from Mainz to hold on for a 2-1 victory. English young-gun Jadon Sancho scored twice to give Dortmund a two-goal buffer, however Mainz were able to find a way through in the 83rd minute to send nerves around Westfalenstadion. Dortmund held on to remain in the title race.
RB Leipzig’s style of flying under the radar has continued with a comfortable 2-0 win against Wolfsburg. The points were essentially wrapped up within 28 minutes when Timo Werner added to Kevin Kampl’s opener. The Red Bull club have won five of their past six matches to see themselves six points clear in third.
Other results:
Nürnberg 1-1 Schalke
Stuttgart 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Werder Bremen 2-1 Freiburg
Hannover 0-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Hoffenheim 2-0 Hertha
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-3 Augsburg
Premier League
Liverpool have shown once more that they’re not giving up on this title race with a 2-0 win over top four hopefuls Chelsea. Both goals came within a matter of minutes, as Sadio Mane headed home from close range before an absolute rocket from Mo Salah sent Anfield into raptures. The Reds remain on top of the table with one more game played.
Manchester City did what they needed to do with a 3-1 win on the road to Crystal Palace. Pep Guardiola’s men were clinical, scoring three superb goals to give Palace little chance of causing an upset. A Gabriel Jesus strike complimented a wonderful brace from Raheem Sterling to keep City in the box seat for the Premier League title.
Manchester United kept their grasp on the top four with a nervy home win over West Ham. Two Paul Pogba penalties either side of Felipe Anderson’s equaliser was enough to seal all three points at the Theatre of Dreams. United sit in fifth spot with one game in hand over fourth-placed Chelsea.
Other results:
Leicester 0-1 Newcastle
Tottenham 4-0 Huddersfield
Burnley 2-0 Cardiff
Fulham 2-0 Everton
Southampton 3-1 Wolves
Watford 0-1 Arsenal
Serie A
Juventus will have to wait another week to clinch their eighth consecutive Serie A title after going down 2-1 to SPAL. Juve’s teenage sensation Moise Kean opened the scoring with an instinctive finish, but two second-half goals from Kevin Bonifazi and Sergio Floccari ensured a remarkable comeback to give SPAL their first win over the Old Lady in 62 years. Juventus face Fiorentina next week where they will likely clinch the Scudetto in front of their home fans.
Milan have taken an enormous step towards Champions League football with a narrow win over rivals Lazio. Pressure was on the Rossoneri who had only collected one point in their last four games, however Gennaro Gattuso’s men rose to the occasion. A Franck Kessie penalty in the 79th minute was the difference, sending Milan back into fourth.
Sampdoria have claimed bragging rights in the Derby della Lanterna with a 2-0 win over rivals Genoa. Gregoire Defrel tapped home from close range to give his side the lead, before a Fabio Quagliarella spot-kick sealed the points for Sampdoria. It was Quagliarella’s 22nd goal of the season, taking him outright top of the Capocannoniere standings.
Other results:
Roma 1-0 Udinese
Torino 1-1 Cagliari
Fiorentina 0-0 Bologna
Sassuolo 0-0 Parma
Chievo 1-3 Napoli
Frosinone 1-3 Inter
Atalanta 0-0 Empoli
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain have had their party spoilt for the second week straight, this time at the hands of Lille. The match started with a bang as both teams struck inside the first 11 minutes, before PSG’s goal scorer Juan Bernat was sent off just prior to half-time for a foul on the last-man. The second-half was all Lille as they went on a four-goal blitz to hand PSG just their second loss of the season.
Lyon have suffered yet another disappointing loss, going down 2-1 to Nantes. Martin Terrier’s clever finish wasn’t enough as two fantastic strikes from Kalifa Coulibaly and Anthony Limbombe handed Nantes their ninth win of the season – a massive step towards Ligue 1 survival.
St Etienne had a routine 3-0 win against Bordeaux, closing the gap on Lyon to just three points in the process. A double from Mathieu Debuchy added to Wahbi Khazri’s opener to reignite St Etienne’s quest for Champions League football next season.
Other results:
Dijon 0-0 Amiens
Marseille 2-1 Nîmes
Caen 0-1 Angers
Monaco 0-0 Reims
Strasbourg 3-3 Guingamp
Montpellier 2-1 Toulouse
Rennes 0-0 Nice
