Man City Wins Manchester Derby, Barcelona and Inter Milan Score Big as Europe’s Top Leagues Deliver Drama
Europe’s top five football leagues delivered another dramatic weekend of action, headlined by Manchester City’s derby win over Manchester United, big away wins for Barcelona and Inter Milan, and a nervy late victory for Paris Saint-Germain in France.
Premier League
Manchester City edged Manchester United 1-0 in the Manchester derby on Sunday, with Erling Haaland breaking the deadlock at the back post following a VAR review for offside. Elsewhere in Matchweek 4, Arsenal kept their perfect start to the season intact with a 2-0 win over Sunderland, while Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Fulham at Anfield. Chelsea were frustrated as well, drawing 2-2 with newly promoted Hull City, and Tottenham Hotspur played out a second successive goalless draw, this time against Everton. Nottingham Forest secured a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, leaving Unai Emery’s side still searching for their first league victory of the campaign, while Ipswich Town edged Crystal Palace 3-2 in a five-goal thriller and Bournemouth shared the points with Brentford in a 2-2 draw. Leeds United thrashed Newcastle United 4-1 at Elland Road, with Noah Okafor among the scorers before Bazoumana Toure’s late consolation for the Magpies.
La Liga
In Spain, Barcelona underlined their title credentials with a 4-2 away win at Levante, while Real Madrid eased to a 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu. Atletico Madrid impressed with a comfortable 3-0 win at Real Sociedad, and Real Betis edged Villarreal 2-1. Espanyol claimed an impressive 2-0 away win at Osasuna, while Sevilla started the round with a narrow 1-0 win over Valencia. Elsewhere, Racing Santander beat Deportivo Alaves 2-1, Athletic Bilbao and Elche shared a 1-1 draw, and both Celta Vigo against Malaga and Getafe against Deportivo La Coruna ended level at 1-1.
Serie A
Italy’s Serie A produced plenty of goals across the round. Inter Milan were the standout performers, hammering Udinese 5-3 in a nine-goal thriller, while AS Roma cruised to a 2-0 away win at Torino. Fiorentina put four past Venezia in a 4-2 win, and Sassuolo edged out Juventus 3-2 in a five-goal encounter. Napoli made it back-to-back clean sheets with a narrow 1-0 win over Bologna, while Lazio and AC Milan shared the points in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Lecce beat Monza 3-2, Como saw off Parma 2-1, and Atalanta needed a fightback to edge Cagliari 1-2 in Cagliari’s favour, with Genoa and Frosinone playing out a 1-1 draw.
Bundesliga
Germany’s Bundesliga also served up drama, with RB Leipzig delivering the weekend’s biggest statement in a 5-0 demolition of Hamburger SV. Bayern Munich made hard work of their trip to newly promoted SV Elversberg but came away with a 2-1 win, while Borussia Dortmund cruised past Paderborn 3-0. SC Freiburg thrashed Borussia Monchengladbach 5-0, and Eintracht Frankfurt won 3-1 away at Mainz. Elsewhere, Schalke beat Union Berlin 3-1, Hoffenheim edged Stuttgart 2-1, Augsburg and Bayer Leverkusen shared a 2-2 draw, and Cologne drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen.
Ligue 1
In France, Paris Saint-Germain survived a scare to beat Stade Brest 1-0 away, keeping their title defence on track without hitting top gear. Olympique Marseille suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat away at Stade Rennais, while Lille eased to a 2-0 win over Troyes. Racing Club de Lens and Le Mans shared a thrilling 2-2 draw, and Strasbourg and Monaco played out a 1-1 stalemate. Auxerre edged Nice 1-0, while Le Havre against Angers, Lorient against Toulouse, and Paris FC against Lyon all finished as draws, the latter two goalless and 2-2 respectively.
With another full round of midweek and weekend fixtures already on the horizon across all five leagues, attention now turns to how the early-season form guides will hold up as the title races across Europe continue to take shape.
About the Author
