The weekend saw the major teams secure victories, although there were a few unexpected results across Europe’s Top 5 Leagues. Manchester City bounced back with a convincing 4-0 win over Newcastle, while Liverpool and Arsenal narrowly emerged victorious, maintaining the status quo in the title race. Nottingham Forest and Chelsea suffered defeats, while Tottenham overcame Manchester United, adding to Ruben Amorim’s woes.
Premier League Highlights
In the Premier League, Mohamed Salah continues to impress, tying Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane’s best-ever seasons with 37 goal contributions. The Egyptian is just five away from his personal best (2017-18) and ten away from the all-time Premier League record of 47 goal contributions, although those came in 42-game seasons. Salah is also closing in on the record for most penalty kick goals in a single Premier League season, currently held by Andrew Johnson with 11.
Luis Díaz has found his scoring touch, netting his ninth Premier League goal this season, a career-high. The Colombian has now scored 25 Premier League goals, joining a select group of Colombian-born players to reach that milestone.
Manchester United’s struggles continue, as they have been held scoreless 10 times this season, tied for second-most in the league. Their 26 losses since the start of the 2023-24 season are the fourth-worst record in that span.
Across Europe
In Spain, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid both dropped points in contentious games, allowing Barcelona to close the gap at the top. Serie A saw leaders Napoli and fellow challengers Atalanta drop points, but Inter Milan failed to capitalize after losing to Juventus.
In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen’s bid to reduce the gap to Bayern Munich was thwarted, as the two teams played out a goalless draw, leaving Bayern with an 8-point lead with 12 games remaining.
Over in France, it was business as usual, with PSG maintaining their 10-point lead over Marseille at the top of the table.
Some other notable performances and statistics from the weekend:
– Jude Bellingham became the first Real Madrid player to receive a red card in the first half of a La Liga game since 2013.
– Atlético Madrid’s Pablo Barrios received the earliest red card within the first 10 minutes of a La Liga match this season.
– Antony’s scoring streak with Real Betis is longer than any of his former Manchester United teammates this season.
– Juventus ended a 5-game winless streak against Inter Milan, their longest in the rivalry since 2003-05.
– Bayern Munich failed to register a single shot on target in a Bundesliga match for the first time since 2008.
– Bayer Leverkusen are on a 17-game unbeaten run at home, the longest in the Top 5 European leagues this season.
– Mason Greenwood has scored a career-high 15 goals for Marseille across all competitions.
In conclusion, the weekend’s action showcased the dominance of the big clubs, with a few unexpected results adding to the excitement. As the season progresses, the race for titles and European spots is sure to intensify, providing fans with even more thrilling football moments.
