Weekend review: Arsenal celebrate St. Totteringham's Day, Seville derby gets tense
It’s another weekend of exciting action across Europe and here we are again to bring you a review of everything you missed.
In the Premier League, Arsenal are back on top, and even sweeter, they got there by beating their North London rivals in Tottenham. Meanwhile, another lukewarm result from Manchester United has manager Erik ten Hag pleading for patience.
In Spain, we saw Real Madrid get closer to the LaLiga title following a 1-0 win against Real Sociedad and the Seville derby ended being an even split. Meanwhile, in Serie A a slew of top Americans faced off in a lackluster 0-0 draw between Juventus and AC Milan. Bayer Leverkusen remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga after a dramatic 2-2 draw with VfB Stuttgart, but the real spectacle was in Leipzig where Marco Rose’s side hit four past Borussia Dortmund.
In the WSL, Crystal Palace earned promotion to the top-division league while a Brighton–Arsenal draw offered more positives for the Seagulls than for Spurs.
Let’s take a look back at what happened all across the continent this weekend.
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SUNDAY REVIEW
The lead: Arsenal celebrate “St. Totteringham’s Day” in style
The celebration they call “St. Totteringham’s Day” is here again. Arsenal fans revel in the moment they mathematically finish above Tottenham in any Premier League season so much that they created a name for it, and so sealing that status with a win at Spurs on Sunday surely feels particularly sweet.
The Gunners earned a 3-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday after surviving a late comeback from the hosts. Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min struck after a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own goal and Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz gave Arsenal a 3-0 half-time lead.
But more than the local bragging rights, Arsenal demonstrated why they are competing at a higher level than their north London rivals, a point that was not lost on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou afterwards.
“It’s about now over the course of time getting from where we are to where we want to get to,” Postecoglou said. “To do that we’re still not absolutely laser focused on the details, the small things that get you from where we are to become a team that contends. Credit to Arsenal, they’re there now. They’re a team that does deal with the details well and we don’t.”
Arsenal wilted in last season’s run-in but the character they showed at Tottenham suggested they are a stronger proposition this time around, even if Manchester City‘s win at Nottingham Forest later in the day means Pep Guardiola’s side remain in the driver’s seat.
Spurs have enjoyed a promising first season under Postecoglou but this was a painful reminder of the distance they have to travel in matching their London rivals before trying to scale the summit of the Premier League as a whole. — James Olley
Sunday talking points around the leagues
Brighton’s draw at Spurs in WSL a sign of continued growth
Brighton’s improvements in the Women’s Super League under manager Mikey Harris have been subtle since the academy boss was given the interim nod at the start of the calendar year — but bit by bit, the young manager has helped make sense of the mishmash of players he has. Things, for the Seagulls, have been simplified as Harris has trialled different players and combinations en route to picking up eight points in their last nine league outings.
Against Spurs on Sunday at Brisbane Road, that subtle progress was again on show as Brighton fought to a valuable 1-1 draw. Tottenham weathered a few early chances before slicing forward to claim the lead through Elisabeth Terland, who notched her 13th goal of the season, mopping up after Becky Spencer had repelled her initial effort. As manager Robert Vilahamn shuffled and rotated his Spurs team, Brighton were again put under the cosh and finally gave up a goal through Bethany England‘s deflected strike.
Second-best in all the usual metrics, there is something to be said for Brighton’s resilience throughout. On her debut for the Seagulls, Melina Loeck stood out between the posts and typified the gritty nature the visitors battled in Leyton.
For Spurs, who came out of the game unable to better their position of sixth, there has been a little more pace lost on those above them. There is the argument that Spurs could and should have done more with what they had, and their inconsistencies this season have been a muted problem — but in their first season under Vilahamn, the tone is very much of trusting the process. — Sophie Lawson
Seville derby in LaLiga ends with a tense-but-fair 1-1 draw
A second-half header from Sevilla defender Kike Salas cancelled out Isco‘s penalty for Real Betis, earning Sevilla a point in the Seville derby on Sunday. With that, Sevilla extended their unbeaten streak against Real Betis to six games in all competitions.
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Real Betis vs. Sevilla – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from Real Betis vs. Sevilla, 04/28/2024
Betis are the No. 1 team in the city this season and Isco, who endured a difficult six months at Sevilla last season before joining their rivals, set them on track to three points with a first half penalty. Sevilla had been the better team until that point, though, and Quique Sanchez Flores’ team continued to press after the break. Salas, just moments after coming on, headed them level in the 56th minute.
Both teams had chances to win it and tempers flared in stoppage time, with Betis’ Johnny Cardoso and Sevilla’s Erik Lamela squaring up, but the spoils were shared in the end.
It represents a useful point for both teams in reality. Betis remain in the hunt for European football next season, while Sevilla are now effectively safe from relegation.
However, the cliched bragging rights remain on the red and white side of Seville. Betis have not won any of the last six derbies in all competitions and have not won any of the last 11 in LaLiga — a streak dating back to a 1-0 win in 2018. — Sam Marsden
Americans Abroad: Aaronson nabs brace; Horan into Champions League final
The most high-profile action for fans of the U.S. men’s national team happened on Saturday in Italy, but Sunday had some notable flourishes of good news elsewhere in Europe.
Paxten Aaronson scored twice in Vitesse‘s 3-2 win over Fortuna Sittard on Sunday. With that, he now has four goals in 11 league appearances in the Eredivisie since joining the club in February on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The bad news is that Vitesse still sit last on the Eredivisie table after a whopping 18-point deduction due to repeatedly failing to meet licensing requirements. Vitesse will be relegated no matter what now.
Meanwhile, Folarin Balogun started for AS Monaco against Lyon on Sunday and earned an assist on the opening goal of the match, scored in the first minute by Wissam Ben Yedder. Monaco ultimately lost 3-2.
On the women’s side, Lindsey Horan and Lyon are back in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final after beating PSG on a 5-3 aggregate on Sunday. With that, U.S. women’s national team newcomers Eva Gaetino and Korbin Albert have been eliminated from the Champions League.
Horan and Lyon take on Barcelona in the UWCL final on May 25. — Caitlin Murray
News of the day
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Manchester United can’t finish in the Premier League’s top four, but manager Erik ten Hag urged patience on Sunday, citing the club’s young players, like Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. “Those players have to adjust and that takes time — I am very impatient but we need patience,” he said.
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PSG have secured an all-important contract extension with… Warren Zaïre-Emery. While this may not be the PSG renewal Les Parisiens want most — Kylian Mbappe is still set for Real Madrid, as sources have told ESPN previously — Zaïre-Emery is only 18 years old and has made 39 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring three goals and registering seven assists.
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Speaking of PSG, the Parisian club clinched the Ligue 1 title after AS Monaco’s away loss to Lyon on Sunday, putting them on 12 league wins in the club’s history.
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Bristol City have been relegated from the Women’s Super League after suffering a 4-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace were promoted from the second-division Women’s Championship and will join the WSL next season.
And finally, on Sunday…
Pep Guardiola coached his 300th Premier League game as head coach for Manchester City (a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest). That sounds like a lot of games, and it is: he’s the 19th manager to reach that milestone in the Premier League, but only the fifth to do it for a single club.
Can you guess the other four? We’ll wait — rack your brain for a minute.
Ready for the list?
…You forgot about Moyes, didn’t you? It’s alright, we almost did too. — Murray
SATURDAY REVIEW
The lead: Güler scores as Madrid grow their lead at the top
“Arda Güler will get the minutes he wants” was what Carlo Ancelotti said this week. On Friday, the Real Madrid coach was true to his word. The 19-year-old Güler got his first league start away at Real Sociedad and was rewarded with the goal that gave Madrid a 1-0 win to increase their lead at the top of the LaLiga table.
Güler has had to be patient this season. A pre-season meniscus injury disrupted his start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, followed by two muscular problems which kept him out until January. Since then, more patience has been required, with Ancelotti reluctant to throw the raw teenager into a team looking to win LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League.
The playmaker scored his first Madrid goal off the bench against Celta Vigo on March 10, and almost got the goal of the season at Osasuna a week later, hitting the bar from the halfway line. ESPN has reported that some at Madrid feel Ancelotti should have given the teenager more opportunities to prove himself.
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Arda Guler’s first-half goal the difference in Real Madrid win
Real Madrid sit multiple starters and go to Real Sociedad and pick up a 1-0 win.
Those voices will have been happy with Güler’s contribution in San Sebastian. His 29th-minute goal was a cool finish, slotting Dani Carvajal‘s cross first time through the legs of keeper Álex Remiro. Before that, Güler had been booked for arguing with the referee; later, he showed deceptive strength going shoulder-to-shoulder with defender Robin Le Normand. There were two second-half shots from distance before he was substituted in the 68th minute.
Güler’s 2023-24 record now reads six LaLiga appearances — one start here, after five as a sub — and two goals, an impressive return given such limited minutes. His development might be best served on loan next season, playing every week, but Ancelotti won’t hear it. “Arda will be a very important player for us in the future,” the coach said post-match. “There’s no doubt he stays with us next year.” — Alex Kirkland
Saturday talking points around the leagues
Dortmund collapse against Leipzig days before Champions League clash with PSG
In a battle for fourth place in the Bundesliga standings on Saturday afternoon, RB Leipzig comfortably eased past Borussia Dortmund to extend the gap between the two teams to five points with three games remaining.
Four days before their Champions League semifinal first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund lacked the luxury of resting key players. However, both Emre Can and Ian Maatsen missed the game in eastern Germany through suspension.
Before Saturday’s game, RB Leipzig had prevailed in four of their five previous meetings with Dortmund, with Leipzig’s intense pressing style often neutralizing BVB’s efforts in possession. During the opening quarter, the dynamic between the two teams looked quite familiar. Dortmund were indebted to their two center-backs, Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck, for surviving the game’s early stages without conceding.
Once Jadon Sancho scored the go-ahead goal for the visitors, all hell broke loose at both ends of the pitch. But Leipzig converted their chances for a 2-1 lead at halftime. Moments after the break, Dortmund were caught off guard again, as Leipzig advanced down the field at a rapid pace to set up a Mohamed Simakan goal. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for BVB, Hummels had to be taken off with what appeared to be a muscle injury, putting his availability for Wednesday’s game against Paris in jeopardy.
A lackluster Dortmund failed to mount a second-half comeback. Leipzig remained more dangerous offensively and added a fourth goal in the 80th minute. While Dortmund have normally played better in Champions League games this season, this performance in a crucial league game does not bode well for their chances against a Kylian Mbappé-inspired PSG side.
Dortmund’s chances of finishing fourth in the Bundesliga are now incredibly slim with Leipzig five points ahead. However, the Bundesliga will likely be granted a fifth spot for next year’s Champions League, thanks largely to strong results by Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Dortmund in European competition this campaign. — Constantin Eckner
Juve and Milan serve up forgettable draw
Once again, Serie A has been great this season. Inter Milan are superb champions, Bologna and manager Thiago Motta have been a beautiful revelation, Atalanta a breath of fresh air, Fiorentina a joy to watch, and Daniele De Rossi a pleasant surprise for Roma. We have had some great games, amazing derbies and late drama. And then we had Juventus against Milan on Saturday. The most disappointing 0-0 draw of the season. 90 minutes of not much between a Turin side that has been average all season (to be kind) and a Milan team who had not won any of their last four matches and suffered a historic defeat in the Derby della Madonnina on Monday to crown their arch-rivals and neighbouring champions.
Christian Pulisic and his teammates are second in the table and for them, the only objective in this game was simply not to lose. They played for a 0-0 draw and they got it. They didn’t create anything, had zero shots on target and mere expected goals of 0.31.
Juventus tried a bit more at least. They had two big chances saved by Marco Sportiello, in front of Danilo with a great acrobatic move and on a Arkadiusz Milik header. The Bianconeri were poor in the first half but had to push a bit more after the break because their third place is not guaranteed at all considering their current form: only two wins in their last nine games. They are only three points clear of Bologna in fourth and seven on Roma in fifth who both have a game in hand while Atalanta are 11 points behind in sixth but with two games in hand. This could be a very tense end of the season for them with four matches to go! And Saturday’s game didn’t do much good for head coach Max Allegri’s future at the club. This team and this club are going nowhere with him at the helm.
For Milan, it is all about seeing out the season now after a disappointing last few weeks, losing to Roma in the Europa League quarterfinals and handing the title to Inter. Manager Stefano Pioli is also under pressure regarding his future at the club and today’s performance would not have really helped him either. — Julien Laurens
Americans Abroad: Sargent scores; Americans in Italy disappoint
The huge highlight coming from the USMNT players abroad on Saturday came in England where Josh Sargent scored in Norwich City‘s 2-2 draw against Swansea City as the striker now has 16 goals to his name in the EFL Championship.
With that goal, he becomes the leading top American goalscorer in England’s second division, surpassing Coventry City’s Haji Wright by one goal. The Canaries are still pushing to get promoted to the Premier League as they currently sit in fifth place in the league table, in a qualification spot for the play-offs as they look to join Leicester City and another side to England’s first division next season.
Sara 🔗 Sarge pic.twitter.com/ZcUQwut9Cy
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) April 27, 2024
Meanwhile, in Italy, we saw an all-American affair as Juventus of Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie took on AC Milan of Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah in a heavyweight clash between two historical giants in Serie A.
However, it was a mere dull encounter as both teams played to a scoreless draw, meaning that Milan continue in second below the newly crowned champions and neighbors, Inter but above Juve by five points as both teams look to qualify for next season’s Champions League. — Roberto Rojas
News of the day
And finally, on Saturday …
Bayer Leverkusen are now riding a stunning streak of 46 matches unbeaten in all competitions, a number they kept alive by snatching another late comeback to draw 2-2 at home to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday.
It appeared for much of the match that Stuttgart would be the ones to finally take down Leverkusen with goals from Chris Führich and Deniz Undav in a span of 10 minutes. However, this is Bayer Leverkusen we’re talking about — they don’t seem to know when they are beaten, as they’ve shown in both the Bundesliga and Europa League this season.
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Leverkusen equalizes in final seconds to keep unbeaten Bundesliga season alive
Robert Andrich scores in the final seconds of added time to equalize for Bayer Leverkusen, keeping their unbeaten Bundesliga season alive.
A second-half goal from Amine Adli kept up hopes for Leverkusen, but it wasn’t until the final ball came in the 96th minute, when Robert Andrich scored off a free kick to keep Leverkusen’s unbeaten run alive heading into the Europa League semifinal against Roma.
Bayer Leverkusen have now scored an equalizer or game winner in stoppage time on 10 different occasions this season, and they are enjoying a historic campaign where they can finish with as many as three trophies.
