EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 11/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Bournemouth comeback sets Blades on course for Europe. The rise and rise of Carlo’s Blues. Amex relegation clash ends a point apiece. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS
Real and Barca both came from behind for wins to salve the wounds inflicted by their midweek Copa del Rey exits; their Basque conquerors met at Anoeta with Sociedad edging out Bilbao 2-1. Getafe consolidated their hold on third with an impressive 3-0 win over Valencia, while Atletico slipped back into the top four with a win against Granada, taking full advantage of Celta’s victory over Sevilla. The Celestes move out of the relegation zone with the bottom three locked together on 18 points each after Espanyol’s crucial win over Mallorca and Leganes’ defeat to Levante. Elsewhere, Alaves took the other Basque derby and the battle of the ten letter teams beginning with V finished level. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS
Hellas Verona had an incredible few days, first holding Lazio at the Olimpico before going on to defeat Juve at home. This made it a fantastic week for Antonio Conte, who saw his Inter come back from two behind to take the Derby della Madonnina 4-2 and go top. It was a good week for Atalanta, too, as they staged a comeback at the Artemio Franchi that capitalised on a shock home defeat for the Giallorossi against Bologna. Napoli were also stunned at home by a Lapadula inspired Lecce, while there was no new manager bump for Il Toro as they slumped to a Sampdoria defeat. At the bottom, Genoa got a win that keeps them just about in touch with 17th, but a solitary point for Brescia and none at all for SPAL leaves them both in deep deep trouble. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS (TO COME)
The goal machines both fell silent in the much anticipated top of the table clash between Bayern and Leipzig, as did Dortmund’s Haland for the first time since his move. His teammates did, however, manage to knock in three, but Bayer scored four to move up to fifth. Not to be outdone, Frankfurt’s five unanswered goals continued their excellent post holiday form and secured a return to the top half. Mainz moved clear of the bottom three with a win in Berlin thanks to a Robin Quaison hat-trick, while Freiburg edged a mid-table clash with Hoffenheim that arrests their recent stuttering form. Fortuna and Paderborn picked up respectable points at Wolfsburg and Schalke, but Werder lost to Union, upping the pressure on boss Florian Kohfeldt. The Foals and Billy Goats had their match cancelled due to an approaching storm. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 23 HIGHLIGHTS WEEK 24 HIGHLIGHTS
Six sides managed to take six points from six this week. PSG and OM were two of them, as they consolidated their probable finishing positions of first and second. Lille also won both to move within one point of a Rennes side running out of steam in third, while Strasbourg and Monaco’s wins put them back in the running for Europe. Perhaps the most crucial double, however, was that of Nimes, as the Crocodiles snapped back into form and out of the automatic relegation spots. That leaves Amiens marooned in 19th and Toulouse all but sunk 11 points from the potential safety of the relegation play-off. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 4/2/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Lethal Liverpool move 22 (twenty-two) clear. Steven and Son make City pay for Zinchenko’s sins. Rudiger rescues a point at Leicester. Blades looking good for a European spot. Watford’s relegation worries return. West Ham worries deepen too. Breathing space for Bournemouth. European yawn. Mid-table yawn. Relegation yawn. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
Benzema brushed Atletico aside in the Madrid derby, but Real’s lead remains a mere three points thanks to an Ansu Fati double for Barca. An impressive win at San Mames put Getafe in the dreamland of third spot level on points with Sevilla, who were held at the Sanchez Pijuan. Fifth-placed Valencia left it late to claim all three points against Celta, who remain deep in relegation trouble alongside Espanyol and Mallorca (who lost) and Leganes (who picked up a crucial three points thanks to a 94th minute strike against Sociedad). Elsewhere, Villarreal won comfortably at La Ceramica and Eibar drew at home with Betis. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
A pair of highly suspect spot kicks made it 9 scoring games in a row for Ronaldo and left Fiorentina fuming. Inter and Lazio kept pace with Juve as a Lukaku brace gave the Nerazzurri 3 points at Udinese, while the Biancoceleste ran riot at home to SPAL. Roma fell to a shock defeat to the Neroverdi allowing La Dea to slip into fourth, despite their failure to defeat Genoa. The Europa League battle remains as tight as ever with the teams from sixth to ninth all drawing with each other. Napoli and Bologna took advantage to catch up with wins over Samp and Brescia respectively. In the remaining fixture, Torino shipped another four unanswered goals against Lecce leaving Mazzarri nowhere to go but out. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Dortmund are the new Leipzig, bashing in another five this week, but Haland had to settle for just the two in his first start. Bayern won at Mainz to move top, taking advantage of RB’s comeback draw after the Foals were reduced to ten men. Paderborn also lost a man, but battled gamely against the Wolves before going down 4-2. They returned to the bottom after Fortuna managed a draw with Eintracht. Werder remain deep in trouble after a loss in Augsburg, but Koln have now moved well clear of the drop, showing off their newfound confidence with a dismantling of Freiburg. Elsewhere, Hoffenheim defeated Bayer and Hertha Schalke ended goalless.(TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 22 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG whipped Montpellier to increase their lead to 12 points at the top as Marseille failed to end their incredible 42 year hoodoo at Girondins. The Breton derby was taken in dramatic fashion by third-placed Rennes, who trailed Nantes as late as five minutes into injury time. Lille moved into fourth with a win in Strasbourg, while OL slipped to a Dolberg double defeat in Nice. The champagne was on ice for Reims, too, as they ran out 4-1 winners at Angers. At the other end, wins for Dijon and Metz have left the bottom three marooned. The Crocodiles did manage to pick up three points at least as Monaco’s miserable season took another turn for the worse. Amiens and Toulouse, their basement buddies, played out a goalless draw at the Stade de la Licorne. (TABLE)

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL ROUNDUP 28/1/2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Firmino fires in late to make it 22 from 23. Sergio sneaks one in in Sheffield. Hammers sinking fast. Lamps laments Gunners let-off. New nadir for United. Lo Celso looking the business. Saints’ ascent continues. Moise keener under Carlo. Crucial win brightens Bournemouth’s evening. Mings takes sting out of Hornets. (TABLE)

LA LIGA WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
It may be a case of better the devil you know for Barca as new boss Setien slipped to a Maxi Gomez inflicted defeat at the Mestalla. Real took full advantage by sneaking past Valladolid to move clear at the top. Sevilla closed the gap to the Blaugrana with a comfortable win over Granada, but their city rivals fell to a contentious penalty loss at Getafe; the Azulones move into fourth past Atletico, who were held by basement dwellers Leganes. Celta and Espanyol, their companions at the bottom, both drew, but the fixture in Catalonia was mired by racist abuse directed at Inaki Williams. Both teams move closer to Mallorca in 17th, who were well beaten at the Anoeta. Elsewhere, there was a home win for Osasuna and an away one for Villarreal. (TABLE)

SERIE A WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
The mighty were humbled this week as Lazio’s winning run finally came to an end in a Rome derby draw, Inter failed to defeat Cagliari at home (losing Lautaro to a red card for petulance in the process), and Sarri was defeated by his old side at the San Paolo. The ultimate humiliation was reserved for Il Toro, however, as they were put to the slaughter 7-0 at home by an Atalanta side furiously bouncing back from a loss to SPAL. Donnarumma heroics and another Rebic strike from the bench kept the Rossoneri’s revival going in Brescia, whilst Parma and Hellas solidified their top ten positions with comfortable home wins. Bologna moved well clear of the drop zone with a win at SPAL, and the other games finished goalless. (TABLE)

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
We’ll begin with Borussia again, as Haland made it 5 goals in 57 minutes for Dortmund in a 5-1 thumping of the Billy Goats. Bayern were in similarly intimidating form as they swept aside Schalke 5-0. Perhaps the most surprising result, however, was a Leipzig shutout from a reenergised Frankfurt, with the league leaders going down 2-0. The other early pacesetters, Monchengladbach, returned to winning ways with victory over Mainz, Hertha and Union moved further clear of danger with wins over Wolfsburg and Augsburg, while Paderborn made it off the bottom with a shock victory in Freiburg. There was little cause for celebration for Werder and Dusseldorf, however, who both lost 3-0 and are staring relegation full in the face. (TABLE)

LIGUE 1 WEEK 21 HIGHLIGHTS
It was a week for reflection this week in Ligue 1, as Nantes and Bordeaux (0-1) paid tribute to Emiliano Sala a year after his passing. Neymar paid his own tribute to Kobe Bryant after netting his second at Lille in a 2-0 victory. Marseille and Rennes were both limited to a point, allowing Montpellier and OL to close the gap by two points on the Champions League places. At the other end, the bottom four all lost, as Metz moved closer to safety with a victory in champagne country. Elsewhere, Wahbi Khazri scored a brace as he continues to rediscover his form for St Etienne, but Monaco’s fell off a cliff with a dreadful home defeat to Strasbourg. (TABLE)

TUE 21ST JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE

Reds close in on Number 19 as chasm in class widens. Sergio’s scoring fails to clip Eagles’ wings. Flustered Foxes fall again to Dyche’s delight. Magpies master the art of smash and grab. Imagine how high up the table Wolves would be if they stopped conceding the first goal every time. Fleck fires Blades to a point. Tedious, toothless Tottenham halt Hornets’ flight. Honours even a fair result at the London Stadium. At the AMEX too. Howe long will the league’s longest serving manager hold on?

LA LIGA

WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
A soft red opened the door to Messi and three points for Barca against Granada as Casemiro channelled Sergio Ramos for Real to keep pace with a victory over Sevilla. Their closest contenders, Atletico, fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat in Eibar, while the other capital derby saw Getafe multiply Leganes’ woes with a 3-0 win at the Butarque. There was better news for other clubs at the bottom, however, as Mallorca stunned Valencia 4-1, and Espanyol took all three points from the Ceramica. Celta could have done the same in Bilbao, but dropped two points late on as per. Elsewhere, Betis remain comfortably ensconced in mid-table after seeing off Sociedad, Alaves picked up a handy away victory at Levante and the scorers remained untroubled at El Sadar.

SERIE A

WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Mancosu made it an unhappy homecoming for Conte in Lecce as Inter dropped another 2 points, allowing a CR7 fuelled Old Lady to open up the biggest gap of the season so far at the top. Lazio have a game in hand on both and ran riot against Samp with Immobile bagging a hat-trick. Roma claimed fourth spot with a win at newly bottom Genoa, who were overtaken by SPAL after their shock comeback victory in Bergamo. Cagliari arrested their alarming slide with a point at Brescia, who lost Balotelli to a red card just seven minutes after coming on. The Rossoneri were instantly rewarded for finally letting Ante Rebic off the bench as he netted a brace in a 3-2 thriller against Udinese, but Gattuso’s Napoli’s misery continued with a 2-0 home defeat to Fiorentina, who seem to have turned a corner themselves. Elsewhere, Berardi fired the Neroverdi to a win over Il Toro while Bologna and Verona shared the spoils.

BUNDESLIGA

WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
The Bundesliga exploded back into action with players refreshed and raring to go; none more so than Erling Braut Haland, who took just 23 minutes to score a hat-trick on his BVB debut in a 5-3 victory in Augsburg. The champions were also firing from the off as they ran in four second half goals in Berlin to move up to second. They remain 4 points behind Leipzig, however, as Timo Werner rattled in another brace with speculation mounting on a move to the Premier League. Schalke remain in the equation after a convincing win over early pacesetters Borussia MG sealed by a debut strike from Michael Gregoritsch. Nils Petersen has been at Freiburg a bit longer and decided he no longer wanted to share his record goal-scorer title with Jogi Low as they won in Mainz. The Billy Goats and Jhon (not a typo) Cordoba’s excellent pre-Christmas form continued in a 3-1 win against the Wolves, while Peter Bosz celebrated a new contract with a 4-1 win at the Benteler. Finally, a new year has brought new hope to both Werder and Eintracht, who picked up long overdue victories after dreadful runs of form.

LIGUE 1

Rennes and PSG both picked up three points from their games in hand midweek, whilst the Unicorns battled to a much-needed point against Reims. The weekend’s action was the Coupe de France last 32, with the only shock coming in Bordeaux’s loss at Pau. Elsewhere, Lyon nearly squandered a three goal advantage in a 4-3 win at the Beaujoire, whilst PSG left it late to scrape a 1-0 win at Lorient. Reunion side JS St Pierroise fell to defeat after journeying across Africa for their tie.

TUE 14TH JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Spurs miss two late sitters as the Reds’ run rolls on. Sergio smashes records in Villa romp. Saints’ divine run of form continues. Four defeats on the bounce have Clarets looking over their shoulder. Red Devils torment crocked Canaries. Fabianski’s injury leads to yet another goalkeeping calamity inflicted defeat. Almiron scores his best so far to secure point for Magpies at Molineux. Aubameyang anguish spells trouble for Arteta. Toffees moving clear of danger Carlo’s way. Two sides on very different trajectories as Pearson leaves Bournemouth wandering Howe they can turn things around.

LA LIGA
The aristocrats were busy chasing petrodollars in the desert whilst the plebs scrapped for crumbs back home in an early Copa Del Rey round bereft of interest or surprise thanks to a seeding system that stacks everything in favour of the wealthy. A reflection of the world today…and Valverde’s been given the old heave-ho after two awful seasons of winning the league.

SERIE A WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
After the antipasti of last week, the main dishes were served up. Inter held on for a point against a dominant Atalanta at the San Siro, but relinquished top spot as Juve won at the Olimpico against Roma. It is no longer a two-horse race at the top, though, as a run of ten straight wins for Lazio has put them very much in the title picture. With no European distractions from here on in, could this be their year? Cagliari’s fourth straight defeat, sealed by Zlatan’s first goal on his return to Serie A, has Parma and Torino snapping at their heels for the final European spot after they both secured home wins. The bottom four all lost again this week and have now been cut four points adrift, with the worst defeat seeing Brescia destroyed 5-1 by Samp, who have reached safer waters with Ranieri at the helm. Udinese’s three game winning streak has propelled them to mid-table mediocrity, a 3-0 home win against Sassuolo securing the points this time out.

BUNDESLIGA
Still on their hols. Bis bald!

LIGUE 1 WEEK 20 HIGHLIGHTS
Robert Moreno’s tenure at AS began positively as Monaco’s return to health was confirmed by a 3-3 draw in the capital. In Brittany, a late Kevin Strootman strike at 3rd place Rennes put Marseille within five of the leaders and well clear of the chasing pack. There were signs of recovery for OL as well, who dominated in a victory in Bordeaux. Their main rivals Saint-Etienne, meanwhile, lost at home to the Canaries in a match played behind closed doors due to the unscheduled fireworks display that took place last time out at the Geoffroy Guichard. At the bottom, the Crocodiles picked up a key win over Reims to close the gap on the Unicorns, who are in dire need of some magic. Elsewhere, the Derby de l’Est was taken by Metz, record goal-scorer Julio Tavares eased Dijon past Lille, Angers drew with Nice, and Brest smashed Toulouse 5-2, scoring four goals in the last 20 minutes as the bottom side continue their somewhat inevitable progress towards Ligue 2.

TUE 7TH JAN 2020

PREMIER LEAGUE HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
LIVERPOOL – Was it ever going to be anything other than = 9pts
SOUTHAMPTON – Fine capital dining for Hasenhuttl = 7pts
WATFORD – 3rd manager lucky? Resurgent under Pearson = 7pts
MAN CITY – Bye bye title challenge = 6pts
LEICESTER – Bounced straight back after defeats to big two = 6pts
EVERTON – Toffees back on track after Carlo coup = 6pts
MAN U – Ole Ole Ole Ole (except for the Arsenal game) = 6pts
VILLA – 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, especially in a relegation fight = 6pts
PALACE – Roy’s Eagles continue their serene glide = 5pts
ARSENAL – Arteta’s Arsenal a harder nut to crack = 4pts
CHELSEA – Consistently inconsistent = 4pts
SPURS – Team and manager both breaking down = 4pts
BRIGHTON – A respectable return = 4pts
WOLVES – A win over City, but Reds a bridge too far = 3pts
WEST HAM – Moyes and Fabianski steady the ship = 3pts
NORWICH – Points thrown away late on to Spurs and Palace = 2pts
BOURNEMOUTH – Eddie’s biggest crisis thus far? = 1pt
SHEFFIELD UNITED – Tough fixtures. They’ll be back = 1pt
BURNLEY – Back in trouble? 3 games, just 1 goal = 0pts
NEWCASTLE – Solid season, terrible Christmas = 0pts

LA LIGA WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
A Varane double saw Real claw back the two points they’d let slip just before the winter break away to Getafe, as a Frenkie de Jong red card paved the way for a late Wu Lei equaliser in the Catalan derby. City rivals Atletico followed suit as they caught up with Sevilla in third, who were unable to see off Athletic at the Sanchez Pijuan. A few points further back, Valencia caught up with 5th placed Sociedad, who lost late on Villarreal. At the other end, Mallorca slipped into the relegation zone after defeat in Granada, but will be thankful that both Leganes and Celta (for the umpteenth time) conceded late goals to limit the damage. In the remaining match, a Joaquin penalty miss meant Betis had to settle for a solitary point in Alaves.

SERIE A WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
Mario Balotelli scored the first Serie A goal of the 2020s, as he had done in the 2010s, and it was very much a case of different year, same story in Italy. Same racism issues, same late Lazio fightback (nine wins in a row), same scoring machines on fire (Immobile, Lautaro and Lukaku, the entire Atalanta lineup), same expected victories for the title contenders, same struggles for Milan (despite Zlatan’s return), Napoli and Fiorentina, same steadfast Hellas defence. The main change to the script this week was a win for Il Toro at Roma, although the goals came from the predictable source of Belotti, and Genoa bouncing off the bottom with a win that sends toothless SPAL bottom.

BUNDESLIGA
Frohes Neues Jahr! With their lengthy winter holiday, four fewer league games and a solitary straight knockout cup competition, I can see why the likes of Lewandowski are happy to stay here. I can’t help but feel the Germans are getting it all right with their scheduling.

LIGUE 1
No league action this weekend, but the players were not on holiday. The early stages of the Coupe de France got underway with Cavani and co running riot against lesser opposition. No massive shocks.

TUE 24TH DEC 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
City still a class above Leicester. Jose outwitted by another of his juniors. Another great road trip for the Blades. Wolves bite back at Carrow Road. Pearson’s Hornets buzzing again. Almiron finally breaks his duck. Jay’s jump nicks all three points. Ancelotti and Arteta have massive jobs on their hands. Saint Ings shows little mercy to edgy Villa.

LA LIGA WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
Barcelona will begin 2020 on top of the pile after a 4-1 stroll at the Nou Camp. Real were shut out by Athletic at the Bernabeu and slip two points behind, while Sevilla returned to winning ways on the island of Mallorca. Atletico kept pace by beating Betis, as did Sociedad, who edged a seven goal thriller at El Sadar. Leganes won the battle of the bottom two to to edge closer to 18th placed Celta, who threw away a one goal lead in a defeat to Levante. Elsewhere, Valencia picked up a point on their travels at the Jose Zorrilla, Villarreal got two more with a win at the Ceramica, and Eibar cruised past Granada 3-0.

SERIE A WEEK 17 HIGHLIGHTS
The top two both faced Genoa based opponents and both picked up 3 points, although leaders Inter had a considerably easier time with Genoa than the Old Lady did with Samp. Lazio had a week off as they defeated Juve, who didn’t, in the Saudi Arabian Supercoppa. Roma cut the gap to the Eagles and ruined Montella’s Christmas, sacked following La Viola’s crushing 4-1 loss. Atalanta underlined just how far off the pace the Rossoneri are handing out a 5-0 drubbing in Bergamo with Ilicic in full flow. In Fruili, Cagliari slipped up against Udinese, whilst Parma rescued a late point against Brescia, who had led through Balotelli. Elsewhere, Napoli finally got a win at Sassuolo, Lecce ran out of time to complete an improbable comeback as they went down 3-2 to Bologna, and SPAL moved off the bottom with a win in Turin secured by Andrea Petagna.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 17 HIGHLIGHTS
A busy week brought the first half of the season to an end with RB Leipzig on top setting a Bundesliga record of eight matches in a row scoring three goals or more. Dortmund managed to take a point off them but it would have been all three if they hadn’t been so busy handing out gifts to Timo Werner. The Foals picked up four of a possible six to remain second, but Bayern look to be gathering a head of steam with victories over Wolfsburg and Freiburg that move them up to an ominous third. The Gisdol magic is working at Koln, who have escaped the bottom three with three wins on the spin, but The same cannot be said for Frankfurt, whose domestic form has fallen off a cliff since they thrashed Bayern at the start of November, or Bremen, who have now lost four on the trot including a 5-0 defeat at home to Mainz. Florian Kohfeldt will be looking over his shoulder at Paderborn, whose win at the weekend moves them within two points. Finally, German boss Joachim Low has now become joint all-time top scorer for Freiburg alongside Nils Petersen on 83 goals.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 19 HIGHLIGHTS
The front three were all on target again as PSG brushed aside the Unicorns to move into the Christmas break seven points clear with a game in hand over Marseille, who at least did their bit by seeing off the Crocodiles at home. Rennes made it five wins on the bounce with Niang on target against Bordeaux. They replace Lille in third, who were surprise victims of a 5-1 hiding in the Principality. Nantes fell at home to local rivals Angers, and Reims secured a comeback draw against OL, whose miserable season continues. Nice consigned a lifeless Toulouse to their ninth straight defeat in all competitions, while Metz and Dijon kept their heads just above water with a 2-2 draw. Elsewhere, Brest were thumped 4-0 in Montpellier, and Strasbourg defeated St Etienne 2-1.

TUE 17TH DEC 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Reds reach 49 ahead of Qatar fixture crush. Pukki puts an end to Jamie and the Foxes’ run. De Bruyne batters gutless Gunners as Arteta weighs up bench switch. Chelsea’s league blues continue. Spurs within three of top four after Traore yellow card bonanza. Ferguson not Kean on his young Italian striker. Fleck fires United seventh. Wilf wallops wonderstrike for Palace point. Bruce bettered at Burnley. Manuel remains as Southampton stumble.

LA LIGA WEEK 17 HIGHLIGHTS
With El Clasico looming on Thursday, both Barca and Real dropped points at the Anoeta and Mestalla. Madrid looked to be leaving Valencia with nothing before a stoppage time equaliser from Benzema salvaged a point. Sevilla failed to take advantage and fell further behind after a home loss to Villarreal. The same could not be said for Getafe and Atletico, who claimed home wins over Valladolid and Osasuna, with Getafe now occupying the final Champions League berth. At the bottom, Espanyol and Leganes both garnered a point, as did Celta and Mallorca, who shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw at Balaidos. Elsewhere, Levante snatched all three points at the death at Los Carmenes, while Athletic and Eibar’s Basque derby finished goalless.
  
SERIE A WEEK 16 HIGHLIGHTS
This week it was the league with its foot in its mouth, displaying a breathtaking lack of judgement by issuing tone-deaf “anti-racist” monkey posters. On the pitch, Inter slipped up at the Artemio Franchi as Vlahovic fired in a last-gasp equaliser for struggling Fiorentina. This allowed Juve to move level on points after a routine win over their fellow Bianconeri. It was Cagliari and not their opponents who were on the receiving end of late goals as Lazio won in Sardinia, despite being behind three minutes into injury time. This allowed their city rivals into the top four as Roma saw off bottom side SPAL. Atalanta’s indifferent form continued in a defeat in Bologna, while a change of boss did nothing for Napoli as Gattuso got off to a losing start at home to Parma, who move ahead of them in the table. Samp moved out of the bottom three thanks to victory in the Derby della Laterna that puts Genoa down to 19th. Brescia moved above them with a comfortable win over Lecce. Elsewhere, Hellas staged a remarkable three-goal comeback against Il Toro, while Milan vs Sassuolo ended in a bore draw.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 15 HIGHLIGHTS
The Red Bulls’ charge continued with another three goals at Fortuna that take them top of the standings. At this stage, they’re beginning to look likely champions. The Foals slipped to second after a sweet volley from Maximilian Arnold secured three points for the Wolves. Dortmund are back at the races with Sancho and Reus on fire again, both netting in a 4-0 romp in Mainz. The Royal Blues were able to keep pace in fourth as yet another Benito Raman effort downed the Eagles. Bayern took out the frustration of two consecutive league defeats with Werder the hapless victims of a Coutinho triple. Klinsmann got his first win at Hertha over visiting Freiburg, while their city rivals Union picked up a point at Paderborn in the battle of the promoted sides. Koln moved off the bottom as Bayer capitulated in the Rhine Derby, shipping two goals and collecting two red cards in the last half hour. Elsewhere, the Augsburg revival remained on course at Hoffenheim with a 4-2 away win.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 18 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG’s front three showed once again that they are far too large fish for the Ligue 1 pond, as St-Etienne were ruthlessly flicked aside at the Geoffroy-Guichard. Marseille’s improbable/impossible chase was checked at Metz, but behind them Lille have put together a run of four straight wins, this week secured thanks to a ludicrous penalty call against Montpellier. Rennes won again at the Groupama to make it four from four themselves. Nantes and Reims won at bottom two Nimes and Toulouse, with the president of les Violets offering season ticket refunds for the second half of the season to fans due to their woeful form. Dark clouds continue to gather at Bordeaux as well, with Strasbourg running out 1-0 winners amid fan protests against the owners. Elsewhere, the Unicorns finally picked up a point in a 1-1 draw against Dijon with the remaining fixtures finishing goalless.

TUE 10TH DEC 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Divock double sends Silva packing. Seven straight for flying Foxes. Clarets suffer City backlash. Chelsea arrest mini-slide at the Bridge. Solskjaer summarily sweeps aside predecessor. Gunners meltdown continues, but Seagulls on the up. Hammers back down to earth at Molineux. Magpies hand home defeat to Blades. Ten men Palace crush Cherries. Ryan helps Ralph to three points in basement battle.

Liverpool lead grows as Guardiola gives up on title. Jamie scoring jamboree rolls on as dogged Foxes stay in the hunt. Derby delight for Ole as he takes an improbable six from six. Big Dunc delivers on debut. 2-2 a Propper result despite Diogo double. Supersonic Spurs’ find a new gear. Wingbacks galvanized by half-time hairdryer. Nine minute burst lifts lethargy for Ljungberg. No victor in Vicarage Road stalemate. Newcastle comfortably nested in mid-table.

LA LIGA WEEK 16 HIGHLIGHTS
Yet another Messi hat-trick and an exquisite backheel from Luis Suarez saw Barcelona to a comfortable win over Mallorca, but Real remain level on points thanks to a French double that continued Espanyol’s desperate run of form. Sevilla slipped up at El Sadar as Osasuna began reconstructing their fortress. Valencia won their second city derby in a week against Levante, while Villarreal recovered from that loss to hold draw kings Atletico to a goalless stalemate. Sociedad achieved the same result in Valladolid. The other three Basque teams all lost, however, as Granada rediscovered their form against Alaves, Getafe won at Eibar and Athletic fell at the Villamarin. At the bottom, Leganes picked up a key win over Celta, who couldn’t quite recover a three-goal deficit.

SERIE A WEEK 15 HIGHLIGHTS
Racism reared its ugly head again, this time in the printed press, as Smalling and Lukaku’s reunion ended goalless. This extended Inter’s lead at the top, as Lazio made it seven straight wins with victory over the defending champions after Cuadrado’s pivotal red card. Cagliari fought back again to snatch a last-minute equaliser at Sassuolo to stay fourth, while Atalanta came from behind twice against Hellas to win and close the gap. Napoli continue to sleepwalk through the season dropping points in Udinese. Il Diavolo lie just a point behind them now after a win over Bologna in the Mihajlovic derby. Torino and Parma are sandwiched between the two sleeping giants after wins over Fiorentina and Samp. At the bottom, Brescia leapfrogged SPAL as Balotelli bagged their winner. Genoa remain alongside them in the bottom three after throwing away a two-goal advantage and picking up two reds at Lecce.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 14 HIGHLIGHTS
The Foals weathered a first-half Bavarian storm to eventually claim a last gasp victory that keeps them top and drops Bayern to a lowly seventh. Leipzig stayed right behind them, though, as Werner and Sabitzer were on target once again against Nagelmann’s former side. Reus and Sancho were much too hot for Fortuna to handle at Signal Iduna Park with Dortmund running out 5-0 winners. Freiburg and Leverkusen climbed up the table with narrow home victories over Wolfsburg and Schalke, while Union’s impressive home form clinched another three points at Koln’s expense, who now sit bottom. Klinsmann got his first point since returning at Frankfurt, despite letting a two-goal lead slide, Augsburg put an end to Beierlorzer’s impressive start at Mainz, and a last-minute winner helped Paderborn win in Bremen and move off the bottom.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 16 HIGHLIGHTS WEEK 17 HIGHLIGHTS
PSG picked up a couple of comfortable wins with the new trio of Mbappe, Neymar and Icardi beginning to hit their stride as a unit. OM are doing an admirable job of staying as close as possible after seeing off both Angers and Bordeaux. Lille move up to third thanks to 1-0 wins over OL and Brest, with fourth-placed Rennes also winning both their matches this week. At the other end, the bottom four were as bad as the top four were good with Toulouse, Metz, Nimes and Amiens all failing to register a single point. Of these, the Crocodiles had the most distressing week scoring none, conceding ten and receiving two red cards.

TUE 3RD DEC 2019

PREMIER LEAGUE (HIGHLIGHTS IN THE HEADLINES)
Virgil’s forehead makes it forty from fourteen for Liverpool. Rodgers’ men show resolve in comeback win. Sloppy City out of Toon as Magpies snatch a late draw. Cresswell leaves Frank crestfallen in first Chelsea mini-slump of his tenure. Alli looking the real Dele again as Sissoko finally finds the net. Wolves and Blades both looking sharp. Ljungberg fails to breathe new life into Gunners at Carrow Road. Grealish relishes Old Trafford stage as Solskjaer squanders another 2 points. Eagles claw back three points after five nasty fixtures. Southampton kick Quique back out of management with Watford way off the pace.

LA LIGA WEEK 15 HIGHLIGHTS
It’s very much as you were in La Liga. The top three all picked up their third win on the bounce as the Campeonato seems to be turning into a three-horse race. Barca’s victory was the pick of the bunch as they triumphed at the Wanda Metropolitano amid a chorus of boos for the returning Antoine Griezmann. Atletico’s dropped points meant the big boys from the Basque country moved into fourth and fifth thanks to wins over Eibar and Granada. Valencia sneaked a derby win over the Yellow Submarine at the Mestalla, but their other local rivals Levante were handed a 4-0 thrashing by Getafe. Elsewhere, Osasuna put the disappointment of last week quickly behind them to win at El Prat, Betis got a handy 3 points in Mallorca and Celta Valladolid ended goalless.

SERIE A WEEK 14 HIGHLIGHTS
Lautaro lifted Inter to the top of the table as the Old Lady slipped up at home to Sassuolo. Third-place Lazio lie in wait for the champions next weekend with the irrepressible Immobile on the scoresheet yet again in their home win against Udinese. The red and yellow half of the capital were also celebrating three points as they broke down Hellas’s miserly defence in Verona. An incredible Cagliari comeback from 3-1 to 4-3 against Samp, however, keeps the Sardinians above them in the final Champions League berth. Atalanta look to have put a torrid November behind them as they followed up their midweek Champions League victory with a derby win over Brescia, but Napoli’s nightmare continued as Bologna took all 3 points at the San Paolo. Elsewhere, the faltering Milan and Turin based sides both picked up important 1-0 away wins as they try to resurrect their seasons, and Lecce consigned Fiorentina to another defeat by the same scoreline.

BUNDESLIGA WEEK 13 HIGHLIGHTS
The Foals’ had enough horsepower to see off Freiburg and keep MG top, but the red-hot Roten Bullen are right on their heels. Leipzig were, however, nearly pegged back by a plucky Paderborn outfit who couldn’t quite do to RB what Dortmund had done to them the previous week. Union fell at the Veltins-Arena to a Schalke side who now sit third after a Bailey brace helped Bayer beat Bayern. Klinsmann’s comeback was not enough for Hertha to register a point as a more settled Sancho led BVB to three crucial away points that take some of the pressure off Lucien Favre. A late Rouwen Hennings effort denied Hoffenheim an immediate return to winning ways after their humiliation last time out. The Wolves were also stopped in their tracks as a Rashica double rocked the Volkswagen Arena and saw Werder win 3-2. Koln and Augsburg both picked up a red card and a goal apiece in their basement battle, but the Eagles’ red led to a defeat to Mainz that continues their domestic nosedive.

LIGUE 1 WEEK 15 HIGHLIGHTS
The big game in the principality was postponed due to torrential rain, which allowed OM the chance to begin the Olympian task of catching up with PSG. Villas Boas’ men were up to the challenge beating Brest 2-1 and could briefly move to within two of the leaders if they win their midweek fixture. Patrick Vieira has been linked to the vacant managerial position at the Emirates, but remains focused on his current job with Nice, who saw off third place Angers 3-1. Montpellier and Nantes closed to within a point of them with victories, as did Bordeaux, who picked up a point in champagne country. Lyon and Lille are both getting their seasons back on track after wins against Strasbourg and Dijon, but St Etienne stumbled to a defeat at Rennes. Nimes and Metz drew their bottom of the table clash leaving Toulouse last.