Real Madrid blanked Atletico Madrid in the El Derbi, Inter Milan climbed to the top of the Italian Serie A table with a thumping win, while the English Premier League top three grabbed crucial wins.
We recap results from the weekend’s action in major European football leagues.
English Premier League
Manchester City claimed a 1-0 win over 10-man Wolves courtesy of a Raheem Sterling penalty in the 66th minute. Referee Jon Moss adjudged Joao Moutinho to have blocked a Bernardo Silva cross with his arm. Though Wolves players claimed the ball hit the midfielder's armpit, the decision stood after a VAR review. The visitors saw Raul Jimenez, who was cautioned twice in quick succession, receive marching orders on the brink of half-time.
Mohamed Salah scored a second-half penalty as Liverpool beat Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa by a solitary goal at Anfield. The Reds, who were the dominant side throughout the match, were awarded a penalty when Tyrone Mings tripped Salah inside the box. The Egyptian sent a powerful shot past Villa custodian Emiliano Martinez. It took his tally to 14 goals in the league this season.
Jorginho and Antonio Rudiger combined to help Chelsea grab a thrilling win over Leeds United on Saturday. Marcelo Bielsa's men took the lead through Raphinha in the 28th minute. However, a Mason Mount left-footer and a Jorginho penalty put Chelsea 2-1 ahead. With seven minutes remaining on the clock, substitute Joe Gelhardt leveled the game for Leeds United. But there was a twist in the added time. Rudiger won a second penalty after Mateusz Klich fouled him inside the box. Jorginho converted the spot-kick, sparking wild celebrations from home fans.
A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty sealed three points for Manchester United against Norwich City. In the 73rd minute, the visitors won a penalty after Norwich defender Max Aarons made a clumsy challenge on Ronaldo. The 36-year-old made no mistake from 12 yards. Norwich did trouble the United backline on a couple of occasions. However, David De Gea was at his best yet again, denying Ozan Kabak twice in the second half.
Spanish La Liga
Karim Benzema was on the scoresheet, while Vinicius Jr made two assists in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over neighbors Atletico Madrid in the El Derbi. The Frenchman drew the first blood in the 16th minute, and Marco Asensio added the second in the early minutes of the second half. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made some fine saves to deny Joao Felix, Matheus Cunha, and Antoine Griezmann. The victory helped Carlo Ancelotti’s men establish a 13-point lead over Atletico, who remain fourth in the table.
FC Barcelona squandered their lead twice in the 2-2 draw against CA Osasuna. Nico Gonzalez put them ahead in the 12th minute. But Osasuna restored parity just two minutes later. Four minutes into the second half, Barcelona grabbed the lead again. Moroccan winger Abde Ezzalzouli fired home from a close range. Osasuna dashed the visitors' hopes of three points when Ezequiel Avila scored the equalizer in the 86th minute.
Italian Serie A
Inter Milan crushed Cagliari 4-0 and jumped to the top of the Italian Serie A table for the first time since September. Lautaro Martinez, who missed a penalty in the first half, netted a brace. In the second half, Alexis Sanchez and Hakan Calhanoglu added their names on the scoresheet. Italian international Nicolo Barella, too, was impressive in Inter's thumping win. The 24-year-old midfielder picked up two assists.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in the dying minutes to rescue a point for AC Milan against Udinese. The Italian giants trailed at half-time to a goal by Beto. As Udinese looked like ending their five-game winless run, the 40-year-old Swede produced a bicycle kick in the second minute of stoppage time.
Napoli slumped to a second straight defeat in Italian Serie A after Empoli FC stunned them at Stadio San Paolo. The home side couldn't breach the Empoli backline despite dictating possession and registering 30 shots on goal. Patrick Cutrone netted the all-important goal for Empoli in the 70th minute.
Juventus had to share points with newly-promoted Venezia FC. It was another frustrating evening for Juventus, who led at half-time courtesy of an Alvaro Morata goal. Venezia came out stronger in the second half and made it 1-1 before the hour mark. Juventus are sixth in the table, 12 points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
German Bundesliga
Bayern Munich came back from a goal down to beat FSV Mainz 2-1. Kingsley Coman and 18-year-old Jamal Musiala struck for the Bavarians. Mainz had capitalized on some slack defending and took the lead early in the first half. Bayern fought back in the second half to wrap up a third successive win in German Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund were left to rue missed chances after a 1-1 draw with VfL Bochum. The visiting Dortmund, who trailed by a goal at half-time, dominated the proceedings in the second half. However, Marius Wolf had a goal ruled out by VAR, while Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann made some terrific saves. Julian Brandt struck the equalizer for Dortmund, but it turned out to be a bit too late.
French Ligue 1
Kylian Mbappe inspired PSG to a 2-0 win over AS Monaco. Both the goals came in the first half itself. PSG went one goal up early when Mbappe slotted home a penalty awarded for a foul on Angel Di Maria. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi pounced on a loose pass and set up the Frenchman his second goal in the 45th minute. The brace helped Mbappe reach 100 goals in the PSG colors.
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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