European Football Round-up: City, Bayern register big wins

It was a goal-fest at the Etihad Stadium, Allianz Arena, and San Siro. Meanwhile, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona claimed narrow wins. We recap results from the weekend’s action in major European football leagues.

English Premier League

Chelsea held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in an eventful encounter at Anfield. The Blues took the lead through Kai Havertz in the 22nd minute. But they conceded a penalty, and Reece James received a red card for a handball on the line. Mohamed Salah converted the spot-kick to level the game at half-time. With a man advantage, Liverpool dominated possession. However, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy stood tall and denied a winner for the home side.

Manchester City piled misery on Arsenal after thrashing the London outfit by five goals on Saturday. The English Premier League champions led 3-0 at half-time courtesy of goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Ferran Torres, and Gabriel Jesus. Rodri and Torres were on target in the second half as Manchester City completed a rout. Arsenal fell to the bottom of the points table with a third successive defeat.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men climbed to the top of the table after a 1-0 win over Watford at home. Son Heung-min scored directly from a free-kick in the 42nd minute to pick up all three points. Tottenham Hotspur is the only side to keep a clean sheet in all three matches. Harry Kane returned to the playing eleven for the first time in the league this season.

A solitary goal win over Wolves helped Manchester United create a new English Premier League record. The Red Devils became the first side in English football to go unbeaten in 28 away games in the league. Mason Greenwood’s 80th-minute strike made the difference at Molineux Stadium. However, David De Gea was the savior for Manchester United as he made a stunning double save off Romain Saiss in the second half.

Spanish La Liga

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona registered wins in the third gameweek of the Spanish La Liga. Dani Carvajal scored the lone goal in Real Madrid’s 0-1 win over Real Betis. At Camp Nou, FC Barcelona pipped Getafe CF 2-1, and all three goals came in the first half. Sergi Roberto drew the first blood as early as in the second minute, while Sandro Ramirez made it 1-1 for the visitors. At the half-hour mark, Frenkie de Jong set up the winner for Memphis Depay.

Aissa Mandi's stoppage-time own goal rescued a point for Atletico Madrid against Villarreal. Manu Trigueros put the visitors ahead in the 52nd minute. But Luis Suarez leveled the game immediately. With 16 minutes left on the clock, Arnaut Danjuma grabbed the lead again for Villarreal. However, miscommunication from Mandi and the goalkeeper saw the Europa League champions gifting Diego Simeone’s men the equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time.

Italian Serie A

Leonardo Mancuso’s first-half strike inflicted Juventus their first defeat in the new Italian Serie A season. The Old Lady, who sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, struggled to find an equalizer in the second half. Juventus are placed 12th in the standings with just one point from two matches.

A late brace from Joaquin Correa helped Inter Milan sink Hellas Verona. The defending Italian Serie A winners trailed 1-0 at half-time. Lautaro Martinez found the leveler two minutes after the restart. With the match seemed to head towards a draw, Correa converted Matteo Darmian’s cross into a goal. The Argentine added another in the dying minutes to wrap up three points for his side. 

Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham were on target as AC Milan and AS Roma claimed comfortable wins in their respective Italian Serie A fixtures. Two goals from Giroud helped Milan ease past Cagliari 4-1. AS Roma blanked US Salernitana by four goals. Lorenzo Pellegrini struck a brace, while Jordan Veretout and Abraham scored a goal each.

German Bundesliga

Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 5-0 thrashing of Hertha Berlin at Allianz Arena. The Bundesliga giants took the lead in the sixth minute through Thomas Muller. Lewandowski scored his first goal before the break. Teenager Jamal Musiala made it 3-0 four minutes into the second half. The Polish striker found the net twice in the space of 14 minutes to complete his hat-trick.

An injury-time goal from Erling Haaland helped Borussia Dortmund pip TSG Hoffenheim 3-2. In a thrilling contest, Borussia Dortmund led 2-1 in the 69th minute through goals from Giovanni Reyna and 18-year-old Jude Bellingham. In the 90th minute, Mu’nas Dabbur silenced the home crowd after he squared the game for Hoffenheim. But, in the added time, Haaland poked home the all-important goal from a close range.

French Ligue 1

Lionel Messi made his first appearance in French Ligue 1, but Kylian Mbappe grabbed the spotlight in the two-goal win over Reims. The France forward, likely to join Real Madrid before the end of the transfer window, netted twice to give Paris Saint-Germain their fourth successive win in the league. Meanwhile, Messi made his debut after replacing Neymar in the 66th minute.