Winners
Mohamed Toure
Amid the chaos and scrutiny the game has faced in Australia, it was refreshing to see a 15-year-old make his second appearance – let alone become the youngest player in the league’s history to score.
It took the young forward less than ten minutes to make an impact, immediately thrusting himself into the action by helping set up George Blackwood’s opener in the 82nd minute before finishing Riley McGree’s piece of individual brilliance two minutes later.
Toure’s goal dominated headlines on social media as Australian football united in support of the young history-maker, whose coach was quick to remind him post-match to remain grounded after so much hype.
While Mohamed – and older brother Al-Hassan – still have a long road ahead of them, they are both showing positive signs in the early stages of their careers.
Lazio
The Roman giants took yet another major step towards winning their first Scudetto since the turn of the millennium – defeating Inter 2-1 on Monday morning.
Despite falling behind on the cusp of half-time, Lazio fought back through their big guns as Ciro Immoble and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic popped up at just the right moments to score and move Lazio up to second – one point behind Juventus.
As for Inter their reign on top Serie A barely lasted a week as the Nerazzurri slip to third after the loss – three points off the pace.
Melbourne City
Melbourne City edges closer to its second W-League premiership after thumping Melbourne Victory in Sunday’s derby at Lakeside Stadium.
Despite several of their players having just returned from international duty, the side looked far from fazed as they never looked back after opening the scoring inside the first ten minutes.
Goals from Matildas Emily Van Egmond, Kyah Simon and Scottish international Claire Emsile capped off yet another dominant performance from City, who can clinch the premiership with a win over the Western Sydney Wanderers next week.
Losers
Melbourne Victory
The Victory would have considered themselves a chance heading into Sunday’s derby – especially with several of City’s players returning from Matildas duty.
Brisbane’s loss to Perth meant a Victory win would have all but secured their place inside the top four, but instead became City’s latest victim as they suffered their worst ever derby defeat – failing to land a punch at this near-invincible outfit.
VAR
As has been the case this season, the VAR has had plenty to answer for in the Premier League.
It did the rounds once again as Wolverhampton had a goal controversially disallowed – which would have seen them record an important win against Leicester – while Southampton were left scratching their heads when Jack Stephens was not awarded a penalty when his cross struck the wayward arm of Burnley’s Ben Mee.
Manchester City
Manchester City’s European ban more-or-less broke the internet on Friday night when UEFA handed its ban down to the Premier League champions for breaching its financial fair play rules.
As things stand, City will be allowed to compete in this season’s Champions League but have been banned from competing in European competitions for two seasons – putting the club in a difficult position.
The club will appeal the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport – meaning this one is not over by any means.
Featured Image: AAP
