League Action from the Weekend

This past weekend had some scintillating matches where the games brought some great entertainment but also what things could go by the end of the season. Here's the weekend rewind of football action.

United outclassed by City


Manchester City hosted their city rivals Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday and to say it was a mismatch will be an understatement. City stumped their authority from the get-go and we're rewarded with David Silva opening the scoring. Sergio Agüero doubled City's lead before Anthony Martial got one back from the penalty spot. The third goal by City was a that of fluidity and patience as City made 44 passes before Ilkay Gündogan slotted it home. City's dominance continues, top in the Premier League with 32 points while United are eighth with only 20 points.

Liverpool win, Chelsea drop points


For the chasing pack, Liverpool managed to get back to winning ways beating Fulham 2-0 at Anfield. The away side caused problems for the Reds with a goal from Aleksander Mitrović ruled offside but 14 seconds later, Mohamed Salah got Liverpool in front. Xherdan Shaqiri got Liverpool's second leaving Fulham with their ninth defeat of the season. Chelsea, on the other hand, dropped points against Everton at Stamford Bridge in a goalless draw. It was a frustrating night for the Blues as they couldn't find a way to break the Toffees with only 4 of their 15 going on target. This puts Chelsea third in the Premier League table. Two points behind Liverpool and four behind Manchester City.

Betis shock Barcelona in Messi's return


Real Betis stunned Barcelona at the Nou Camp ending their 42 game unbeaten run at home which stretches back to 2016 with Betis winning 4-3. It was a poor defensive display from the Blaugrana as they couldn't handle Betis on the counter plus an error by Marc-Andre ter Stegen leading to one of Betis' goals. Lionel Messi made his return from injury with a brace but it wasn't enough as Betis have finally won a game at the Nou Camp in more than two decades plus this is the first time since 2003 that Barcelona have conceded four goals at home reducing their gap in the La Liga table to only a point with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid hot on their tail.

Atleti win from behind


Diego Godin got a rare goal for himself as Atletico Madrid came from behind to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2. Bilbao will feel hard-done given how clinical they were with the few chances which they put to good use as Iñaki Williams got a brace. Thomas Partey got one back before Rodrigo equalized, however, Diego Godin got the winner in added time to give Atletico three important points to move one point behind Barça and will need to be at the top of their game to challenge Barcelona for the La Liga title especially with goals as they've scored just 16 goals from their 12 games.

Dortmund win Der Klassiker in style


The game of the weekend with an end-to-end edge was Der Klassiker with Borussia Dortmund beating their rivals Bayern Munich 3-2 at the Westfalenstadion. It was a game of both games more particularly for Dortmund as they couldn't get a grip in the game during the first half in terms of possession with Bayern going in front from Robert Lewandowski. The second half was better for the Black and Yellow with Marco Reus going things back level twice before Paco Alcácer got the winner in the 73rd giving Dortmund their first Bundesliga win against Bayern since 2016 and go seven points clear of their rivals. Genuine title contenders.

Juve put two past Milan


Goals from Mario Mandužic and Cristiano Ronaldo gave Juventus a 2-0 win against AC Milan in the San Siro on Sunday. This continues Juve's unbeaten start to Serie A and are still six points clear off second placed Napoli. The highlight of the game was that of Gonzalo Higuaín. It was a frustrating night against the Argentine, who is on loan from Juventus, making just 31 touches on the ball, missing a penalty before getting sent off. This defeat drops Milan down to fifth in Serie A, one point behind Lazio for those Champions League spots.

Player of the weekend - Marco Reus


No one has doubted Reus' ability but his injury record in recent years have put in obscurity but now he's been rejuvenated under Lucien Favre and he's leading by example. Making 53 touches, six shots (four on target), 3 dribbles, 72% pass accuracy against Bayern on Saturday, he led the line well against Bayern displaying how good he really is.

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