European Football Weekend Review 3rd December 2024
Premier League - Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City
Liverpool extended their lead over City to 11 points at the top of the table, and extended Pep Guardiola’s side's winless run to 7 in all competitions.
Despite the scoreline being close, the encounter was anything but as Liverpool dominated from the first whistle with goals from Cody Gakpo, and a Mohamed Salah penalty the least the Merseyside’s deserved.
Liverpool probably still expected a tougher test despite City’s poor form, though not much of a challenge was forthcoming; City registered their first shot only after 39 minutes.
It’s hard to see who can stop Arne Slot from claiming a Premier League title in his maiden season at Anfield; with 9 points separating them from their nearest challengers Arsenal, supporters are already thinking ahead to May.
Looking so disjointed and certain players showing their fallibility, City’s season is unraveling fast and is in danger of hitting new lows with each passing week and their manager is showing the strain.
Liverpool travel to Newcastle midweek aiming to maintain their current trajectory and cement their hold on top spot.
City face Nottingham Forest at home on Wednesday, hoping to end their shocking run of form.
Other Results
Brighton 1-1 Southampton
Brentford 4-1 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-1 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Ipswich
Wolves 2-4 Bournemouth
West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa
Manchester United 4-0 Everton
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Fulham
Player Of The Weekend - Kevin Schade
It was to be a brilliant weekend for the forward, as he became only the 4th German to score a hattrick in the Premier League. Without a goal since April, Schade made up for lost time in Brentford’s 4-1 win over Leicester; he also provided an assist for Yoane Wissa.
League Table
La Liga - Barcelona 1-2 Las Palmas
The difference a month can make, at the end of October Barcelona had built a solid lead over rivals Real Madrid with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu. Since then Hansi Flick’s side have taken just 4 points from a possible 12 in La Liga.
Las Palmas were the latest to profit from the malaise engulfing Barcelona to record a first away victory against the Catalans since 1971. Former player Sandro put Los Amarillos into a 49th minute lead, finishing off a neat counter attacking move with an ice cold finish.
Raphinha equalised 12 minutes later from outside the area to beat another former Barca player Jasper Cillessen in goal, but even that failed to inspire an upsurge in their performance.
On-loan Wolves forward Fabio Silva struck the winner, arrowing his shot across Inaki Pena, leaving the Spaniard with no chance to record his 5th goal since joining in the summer. Barcelona huffed and puffed after, desperately searching for an equaliser that failed to materialised.
A trip to Mallorca on Tuesday night awaits Flick and co, hoping to get back to winning ways anf arrest their slide.
Las Palmas move out of the relegation places with the win, they face CE Europa away midweek in the Copa Del Rey.
Other Results
Real Mallorca 2-1 Valencia
Alaves 1-1 Leganes
Espanyol 3-1 Celta Vigo
Real Valladolid 0-5 Atlético Madrid
Villarreal 2-2 Girona
Real Madrid 2-0 Getafe
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad 2-0 Real Betis
Sevilla 1-1 Osasuna
Player Of The Weekend - Oihan Sancet
Not for the first time this season, Sancet was the match winner for Athletic Bilbao, scoring a brace in his sides come from behind win in Madrid. With 7 goals so far this season, he is easily the Basque team's top scorer, guiding them into fourth spot.
League Table
Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich
Bayern faced their toughest contest so far in the Bundesliga this season away at Dortmund, happy to take a point in Der Klassiker, and maintain their unbeaten league record.
Dortmund were brave in their approach, taking the game to Bayern, and were rewarded on 27 minutes when the inform Jamie Gittens scored a sublime solo goal. The Englishman ran the length of the Bayern half, followed with a powerful effort beyond Manuel Neuer.
Harry Kane went off injured just after the half hour, and it appeared to leave Bayern impotent in attack. The introduction of Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise brought more dynamism to the Bavarian attack and helped Vincent Kompany’s side place Dortmund under immense pressure as the clock ticked away.
Jamal Musiala stepped up to the mark once again, scoring in his 6th consecutive Bundesliga match, placing his header expertly past Gregory Kobel to ensure Bayern took a point away from Signal Iduna Park.
Bayern maintain their grip on top spot in the league, they host Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night in their highly anticipated round of 16 DFB Pokal clash.
Dortmund, on a mini good run of 3 games without defeat in all competitions, have Borussia Monchengladbach come to town, with just 3 points separating them from the top 3.
Other Results
St.Pauli 3-1 Holstein Kiel
Augsburg 1-0 Bochum
RB Leipzig 1-5 Wolfsburg
Freiburg 3-1 Borussia Monchengladbach
Union Berlin 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Werder Bremen 2-2 VFB Stuttgart
Mainz 2-0 Hoffenheim
FC Heidenheim 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt
Player Of The Weekend - Lucas Holer
With 2 goals and an assist in Freiburg’s 3-1 home win over Borussia Monchengladbach, Holer had a very productive afternoon. With no goals in his previous 10 Bundesliga Games this season, the midfielder will have been pleased to have finally gotten off the mark this season.
League Table
Serie A - Fiorentina v Inter
I had been due to discuss the outcome of this important match at the top of Serie A, only for the awful scenes in Florence where Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove collapsed on the field of play on 17 mins on Sunday.
Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bove collapsed during the match against Inter, prompting players to form a shield around him as he received treatment on the pitch before being taken to the hospital. The game was suspended and later abandoned.
Fiorentina confirmed that Bove is under sedation in intensive care, with initial tests ruling out acute damage to his central nervous and cardio-respiratory systems. Club president Rocco Commisso, in contact from the U.S., shared his support, saying, “Forza Edoardo, we’re with you.”
Messages of encouragement also poured in from Inter, Roma, and the Serie A community. Bove, on loan at Fiorentina from Roma.
Other Results
Como 1-1 Monza
Milan 3-0 Empoli
Bologna 3-0 Venezia
Udinese 0-2 Genoa
Parma 3-1 Lazio
Torino 0-1 Napoli
Fiorentina ab Inter Milan
Lecce 1-1 Juventus
Roma 0-2 Atalanta
Player Of The Weekend - Dan Ndoye
Ndoye was a menace in Bologna’s win over Venezia, hitting the net twice. The Swiss attacker converted from the spot after drawing the foul, followed by a strike from inside the box to help his side bounce back from their defeats to Lazio and Lille in the Champions League.
League Table
Ligue 1 - Marseille 2-1 Monaco
Marseille fought back to claim a crucial 2-1 win over Monaco at the Vélodrome, lifting them to second in Ligue 1 on goal difference. After a lackluster first half, Aleksandr Golovin punished a Valentin Rongier mistake to put Monaco ahead.
OM responded strongly after the break, equalizing through Luis Henrique after Mohammed Salisu’s misjudged header set up Neal Maupay to assist. Despite Monaco’s Denis Zakaria missing a great chance and Takumi Minamino hitting the side netting, Marseille pushed on.
A late penalty, converted by Mason Greenwood after a Christian Mawissa handball, sealed just their second home win of the season and a dramatic turnaround.
Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi admitted his players faced a “mental block” at the Vélodrome, hindering their home form. He highlighted anxiety and fear of mistakes but expressed hope the win could mark a turning point for the team.
Marseille travel to St.Etienne on Sunday evening hoping to narrow the gap further to PSG at the top of the table if the Parisians drop any further points.
Monaco host Toulouse on Saturday afternoon, hoping to bounce back from successive defeats in the Champions League and in Ligue 1.
Other Results
Reims 0-2 Lens
Rennes 5-0 St.Etienne
Brest 3-1 Strasbourg
PSG 1-1 Nantes
Montpellier 2-2 Lille
Le Havre 0-1 Angers
Lyon 4-1 Nice
Toulouse 2-0 Auxerre
Player Of The Weekend - Arnaud Kalimuendo
The striker has not had the best of seasons, only scoring 3 goals in 12 Ligue 1 games. In need of a confidence boost, Kalimuendo was grateful for the poor defending on show from St.Etienne to score a treble in Rennes 5-0 win.
League Table
