Has the Premier League title race taken an early twist?
The Premier League season is only three months old, but this weekend may have gone some way to shaping how it will look come May. Manchester City? They’re no longer top after getting beaten by AFC Bournemouth. Arsenal? Not even in the top four following their loss at Newcastle United.
That’s all put into perspective by events in Spain, where floods have left more than 200 people dead. Valencia‘s meeting with Real Madrid and Villarreal‘s encounter with Rayo Vallecano were postponed, but in the rest of LaLiga, the game went ahead.
In the Bundesliga, meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen just can’t shake the feeling that they’re not themselves. Last year’s shock title winners suffered a goalless draw against VfB Stuttgart and are now seven points off the top of the table.
What else happened around Europe this weekend? ESPN’s Weekend Review puts a bow on all the continental competition.
Top takeaway: Early twist in the title race?
It is obviously too early to talk about a defining moment in the season, but a lot happened this weekend when it comes to the top teams and the top of the table.
Manchester City were the leaders going into this Gameweek 10, the only team still unbeaten in the Premier League. Yet, a very timid performance for 80 minutes at Bournemouth, injuries (to John Stones, Rodri, Rúben Dias and Jack Grealish, while Savinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku were on the bench but not fully fit) and a lack of creativity for much of the game meant a deserved 2-1 defeat.
It also meant that Liverpool, with their hard-earned win against Brighton & Hove Albion, coming from a goal down to win 2-1 in the last 20 minutes, went top of the table, two points clear of City. The weekend was perfect for the Reds as they also saw Arsenal drop points.
The Gunners were not up for it at Newcastle and promptly fell 1-0, Declan Rice missing a massive chance to get a draw in the last minute of the game. It’s now three games without a win in the league for Mikel Arteta & Co., and they’re now fifth in the table behind Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Best match: Spurs 4, Villa 1
After zero shots on target in his past 300 minutes in all competitions, Dominic Solanke ended his goal drought with a brace for Tottenham Hotspur at home against an Aston Villa side who took the lead but wasted too many chances while Spurs were clinical in front of goal (as evidenced by their tally of four goals from 2.63 expected).
Best goal: Aina vs. West Ham
Ola Aina doesn’t score many goals as a right-back for Forest, let alone with his left foot. So the 28-year-old will remember the banger he netted against West Ham United on Saturday forever. They don’t get much sweeter than a 20-yard strike flying in near the top corner.
MVP of the weekend: Milos Kerkez
In nine Premier League games this season, Kerkez had not provided a single assist to a teammate. In 90 minutes against Man City, the best team in the league for the past four seasons, he set up both of Bournemouth’s goals and in doing so a historic win for a club who had never beaten City in their history. — Julien Laurens
Top takeaway: LaLiga goes on as floods devastate Spain
Football took a back seat in Spain this weekend after flooding in the east of the country left more than 200 people dead, with many more still missing. LaLiga responded by postponing Valencia and Villarreal’s home games against Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano, respectively, but the other eight top-flight games went ahead as usual. Many, though, felt all this weekend’s fixtures should have been called off.
Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone said it made “no sense” to play football given events in the Valencia province and beyond. Girona‘s Miguel Gutiérrez dedicated his goal to a friend whose mum is still missing. Osasuna coach Vicente Moreno oversaw his side’s 1-0 win against Real Valladolid on Saturday and then headed south to his hometown of Massanassa to help with the clean-up efforts in one of the worst-affected areas in the country. Injured Barcelona forward Ferran Torres, who is from Valencia, said he didn’t have the energy to go to the stadium to support his teammates against Espanyol on Sunday.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas insisted the show had to go on. “We believe that the best message is not to stop, except in the areas affected,” he posted on X. “The best message is to be on the front line, working, like everyone in every other sector, giving visibility [to the events], generating resources and explaining to the world that we must be all hands on deck to move forward.”
Best match: Girona 4, Leganés 3
Girona edged a seven-goal thriller at Montilivi against Leganés, overcoming the longest injury list in LaLiga to win 4-3. They led 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2 but were hanging on at the end of an encounter that saw both teams take off the handbrake. The standout performances came from the Girona full-backs, Gutiérrez and Arnau Martínez, who were both on the scoresheet.
Best goal: Kubo vs. Sevilla
Takefusa Kubo‘s brilliant individual effort paved the way for Real Sociedad‘s 2-0 win at Sevilla. The Japan international collected the ball on the right, drifted inside past two defenders and fired past Álvaro Fernández from 15 yards with his left foot. An honourable mention for Munir El Haddadi‘s long-range ripper for Leganés, which set up a frantic finale against Girona.
🇯🇵 TAKE KUBO 🇯🇵#LALIGAHighlights | #SevillaFCRealSociedad pic.twitter.com/MUrChKRmcm
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) November 3, 2024
MVP of the weekend: Dani Olmo
Olmo scored a brace on his first LaLiga start in more than a month as Barça beat Espanyol 3-1 in the Catalan derby to move nine points clear at the top of the table. Both goals were wonderfully taken — the first after a beautiful Lamine Yamal pass and the second from the edge of the box — and improved the Spain star’s incredible scoring record this season. In five LaLiga appearances, he has already netted five times and is averaging 1.67 goals per 90 minutes. — Sam Marsden
Top takeaway: Leverkusen don’t look themselves
Bayer Leverkusen’s title win last season made for a tremendous story and seemingly freshened up the Bundesliga, because Bayern Munich‘s iron grip on the Meisterschale was finally broken. However, as great as Leverkusen performed under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso during the 2023-24 season, the Werkself have looked much more vulnerable since the summer break.
With some key players lacking top form and clear defensive deficiencies hindering the team, Leverkusen look far from dominant. Their goalless draw with VfB Stuttgart on Friday was a disappointment, despite outshooting their guests 19 to 4, unable to convert any of their chances.
It needs to be kept in mind that Alonso’s side picked up a lot of last-minute wins in the previous 12 months. At some point though, a team reliant on such miraculous late goals will eventually see them dry up and begin dropping points.
After nine matchdays, Leverkusen are only fourth in the Bundesliga table. Meanwhile, Bayern have been able to extend their lead over the weekend thanks to a 3-0 win over Union Berlin, while RB Leipzig lost at Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Perhaps Leverkusen’s championship was just a one-off, but it is still too early to tell how the championship race may unfold.
Best match: Frankfurt 7, Bochum 2
Eintracht Frankfurt have finally caught fire under manager Dino Toppmöller. The former UEFA Europa League winners have only lost twice this season and are increasingly showing their attacking prowess. Frankfurt scored four goals within 21 minutes in the first half and killed almost any hope for VfL Bochum, who are last in the standings, to gather their second point of the season on Saturday. Bochum started a small comeback after the break by scoring two goals, but Frankfurt’s attack around striker Omar Marmoush was simply too strong.
0:26
Alexander Nübel makes a great save
Alexander Nübel makes a great save
Best goal: Amoura vs. Augsburg
VfL Wolfsburg were able to avoid a home loss against FC Augsburg thanks to a stellar goal in the final 10 minutes of the game. Joakim Maehle received a cross with his chest before laying the ball off to striker Mohamed Amoura, who used the outside of his boot to hit the upper right corner, leaving Augsburg goalkeeper Nediljko Labrovic no chance to deny Wolfsburg a point. It was a rare highlight moment in an otherwise-dull game.
MVP of the weekend: Alexander Blessin
St. Pauli‘s latest Bundesliga endeavor has not started as smoothly as hoped. The club from Hamburg had to replace manager Fabian Hürzeler, who decided to leave after he led the team to promotion and join Brighton. Blessin had achieved notoriety due to his managerial work for Belgium club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise last season and was subsequently hired by St. Pauli, but the new manager needed time to find the right balance between his trademark high-pressing football and a more cautious style akin to teams with a rather weak squad. While St. Pauli were a quite dominant side in the 2. Bundesliga, they have had to change their style to an extent in the Bundesliga. Thanks to an impressive 2-0 win at TSG Hoffenheim, St. Pauli have left the relegation zone for the time being. That win came on the heels of an encouraging performance at Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal, although the way Leipzig’s second-string attack were able to outplay St. Pauli’s defense underlined that Blessin needs to be creative to lead his team to wins. — Constantin Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
All eyes on Amorim’s Sporting
All eyes were on Rúben Amorim in Lisbon on Friday as he took charge of Sporting CP‘s game against Estrela Amadora after being appointed the new Manchester United coach, but the spotlight was once again stolen by Viktor Gyökeres. The Swedish striker struck four times in a 5-1 win, taking his tally for the campaign to 16 in 10 in the league as the Portuguese champions made it 10 successive wins to start the season.
It is that sort of form that led to United swooping for Amorim this week, although he will remain in charge of Sporting for two more games, starting with Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. That match will pit two of Europe’s top marksmen against each other in Gyökeres and Erling Haaland. If the former can deliver against City, United fans will have even more reasons to dream of Amorim bringing him to Old Trafford with him. — Marsden
What’s Lijnders’ future in Klopp’s Red Bull?
For years, RB Salzburg dominated the Austrian Bundesliga and made occasional splashes in European competition under the likes of Jesse Marsch and Marco Rose. However, after losing out on the Austrian championship to Sturm Graz last season, this year is shaping up to be another disappointment.
Now coached by former Jürgen Klopp assistant Pepijn Lijnders, the team has had a rough first few months, losing all three of their Champions League games without scoring a goal, and dropping points in the domestic league including a 5-0 defeat to leaders Sturm Graz.
On Saturday, Lijnders’ side found themselves essentially in a must-win situation, as they faced recently promoted Grazer AK. Salzburg were unable to score, settling for a draw with GAK, leaving the 17-time champions in third place and eight points behind Sturm Graz — although with two games in hand. Still, if Salzburg suffer another loss in the Champions League, as they play at Feyenoord on Wednesday, Lijnders’ future could be in doubt.
Given the fact that Klopp will soon start in his new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull, it will be interesting to see how, if at all, the former Liverpool boss handles the future of his former assistant. — Eckner
