Within the Premier League, Liverpool prolonged their lead on the prime of the desk, whereas Arsenal and West Ham United performed out a goal-fest, Cole Palmer struck once more for Chelsea, and Manchester United made simple work of Everton underneath new supervisor Ruben Amorim.
In LaLiga, Barcelona slipped up in opposition to Las Palmas to make the title race a bit extra attention-grabbing, with Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid proper behind the Catalans. Kylian Mbappé additionally notched a much-needed objective in Madrid’s win over Getafe.
Within the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich sit 4 factors forward on the prime of the desk after a draw in opposition to Borussia Dortmund. In the meantime, RB Leipzig are ringing the alarm bells after dropping 5-1 to Wolfsburg extends a worrying run of type.
What else did you miss round Europe this weekend? ESPN’s Julien Laurens, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner recap all of the motion on this version of ESPN’s Weekend Overview.
Prime takeaway: Amorim’s United optimistic begin continues
Ruben Amorim and his new-look Manchester United crew can have a lot more durable exams forward, beginning with a visit to Arsenal on Wednesday, however on Sunday they did what they needed to do by beating Everton at Previous Trafford for the brand new supervisor’s Premier League residence debut.
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You possibly can solely beat what’s in entrance of you (and who’s in entrance of you). and Everton aren’t a superb crew. Nonetheless, his was an honest efficiency with 4 objectives scored, none conceded and a robust really feel of management (555 profitable passes with 90% passing accuracy and 60% possession).
Like in opposition to Bodo/Glimt final Thursday within the Europa League (3-2 win), Sunday’s show was not excellent both and the effectivity (the 4 objectives got here from an xG of 0.73) confirmed a scarcity of creativity. However that may come later. For now, profitable and for the gamers to know the supervisor’s construction and the 3-4-2-1 formation are the priorities.
Greatest match: West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
Seven objectives within the first 45 minutes, a formidable Arsenal attacking show, an exquisite Emerson direct free kick, Bukayo Saka man of the match with a prime efficiency and an terrible West Ham all made for a wild afternoon on the London Stadium. It might need been an unforgettable one for the Gunners, however not for the Hammers.
Greatest objective: Cole Palmer vs. Aston Villa
Cole Palmer is so good that even when he isn’t having an excellent recreation, like on Sunday in opposition to Aston Villa, he’s nonetheless decisive for Chelsea. His objective, a surprise strike within the prime nook, was sensible and got here after his help for Enzo Fernández. Chilly.
MVP of the weekend: Kevin Schade
Undecided if the German ahead will ever be our weekend MVP once more, however he deserves it this week for his fantastic efficiency (three objectives and one help) in Brentford’s 4-1 win in opposition to Leicester. — Laurens
Prime takeaway: Barça’s stoop blows title race extensive open
Barcelona celebrated their a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary on Friday, however — because the newspaper Diario AS put it — “Las Palmas ate their birthday cake” a day later. Barça’s 2-1 defeat at Montjuic was their third league recreation in a row with no win, after a loss to Actual Sociedad and drawing with Celta Vigo.
It is a run of type that has allowed each Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid again into the title race, squandering Barça’s early-season benefit. Sure, Barça had some legitimate excuses for one more unhealthy day. Lamine Yamal solely bought off the bench within the second half, Dani Olmo wasn’t match sufficient to contribute in any respect, Marc Casadó was suspended, and Alejandro Balde was pressured off by damage. There’s additionally the suspicion that opponents have began to determine goal their excessive defensive position.
Coach Hansi Flick spoke a couple of “disconnect” within the crew post-match, suggesting the crew is much less compact, and fewer dedicated. However credit score too to Las Palmas, whose transformation underneath Diego Martinez has been radical. When he took cost in October, they have been winless in 9 league video games, the worst crew in LaLiga. Since then, they’ve gained 4 out of six.
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Moreno: Barcelona have given Actual Madrid life in LaLiga title race
Alejandro Moreno reacts to Barcelona’s 2-1 loss to Las Palmas in LaLiga.
Greatest match: Villarreal 2-2 Girona
Any match that included a 97th-minute equalizer could be a contender for recreation of the weekend, however this wasn’t simply any equalizer. Ladislav Krejcí’s first-time, dipping volley from distance earned Girona a 2-2 draw at La Ceramica, a consequence which regarded extremely unlikely when Villarreal had taken an early 2-0 lead. It is a setback for top-four contenders Villarreal, and a reminder that there is life in final season’s shock contenders Girona but.
Greatest objective: Antoine Griezmann vs. Actual Valladolid
Atletico Madrid have been having fun with themselves currently — this 5-0 win at Valladolid made it 11 objectives scored in simply 4 days — and Griezmann’s second-half strike at Valladolid was a real goal-of-the-season contender. Griezmann collected Julián Álvarez’s move on the flip, flicking the ball by his personal legs, earlier than making use of the end. It was so good, even the Valladolid followers ended up applauding.
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Antoine Griezmann slots within the objective for Atletico Madrid
Antoine Griezmann slots within the objective for Atletico Madrid
MVP of the weekend: Jude Bellingham, Actual Madrid
Bellingham wanted simply 45 minutes to be decisive in a 2-0 win over Getafe that put Madrid a degree behind leaders Barça, with a recreation in hand. First, the England midfielder transformed a penalty to offer Madrid the lead — stuttering his run, and ready for goalkeeper David Soria to maneuver earlier than slotting the ball the opposite method — after which, eight minutes later, he offered the help for Kylian Mbappé to attain a much-needed second, giving the ahead a well timed confidence enhance. Bellingham was substituted feeling dizzy at halftime, however he’d already carried out sufficient to ensure the three factors. — Kirkland
Prime takeaway: Leipzig are in a free fall
On the weekend when many soccer followers throughout the globe adopted the Klassiker in Dortmund, as the 2 German giants clashed, some 210 miles east of the Sign Iduna Park, issues grew to become grim for RB Leipzig. The vitality drink-fueled crew collapsed 5-1 to Wolfsburg at residence which marked the tip of a disastrous month of November throughout which Leipzig weren’t in a position to safe a single win. In reality, they solely drew as soon as and misplaced 5 video games.
Solely just lately, media reviews steered that Leipzig’s higher-ups have been contemplating the upcoming video games an acid check for supervisor Marco Rose, with the expectation being that the costly crew would bounce again within the UEFA Champions League and likewise stay on Bayern Munich’s tail within the Bundesliga. Neither occurred. Leipzig’s season is at the moment falling aside.
Going into November, Leipzig have been nonetheless on par by way of factors with Bayern however have since dropped to fourth place within the Bundesliga standings. Given how formidable Leipzig are, regardless of repeatedly star gamers throughout summer time switch home windows, they count on to do significantly better than that. Regardless of the loss to Wolfsburg, sporting director Marcel Schäfer nonetheless backed Rose, saying, “He has a few years of expertise, he nonetheless has the hearth. I imagine we are going to discover solutions collectively to get out of this example.”
Greatest match: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich
For all of the doubters who thought the German Klassiker had misplaced its luster, as soon as the sport bought occurring Saturday night it carried a particular magnitude which you do not usually see in soccer. Dortmund performed an incredible first half, reinforcing as soon as once more how sturdy Nuri Şahin’s crew may be at residence the place that they had gained all their video games this season earlier than Saturday. Nonetheless, Bayern suffocated the house crew through the second half, scoring a late equalizer in barely controversial vogue.
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Ought to Bayern Munich have stopped play within the lead as much as Musiala’s objective?
The ESPN FC crew discusses whether or not it was unsportsmanlike from Bayern Munich to not cease play within the lead as much as their objective vs. Borussia Dortmund.
Greatest objective: Jamie Gittens vs. Bayern
The Klassiker was predictably a recreation of inches, as amplified by Dortmund’s go-ahead objective within the twenty seventh minute. The 20-year-old English winger fooled Konrad Laimer and didn’t lose any velocity whereas working down on the left touchline at 21.4 mph, per Bundesliga.com. As soon as Gittens entered Bayern’s penalty space, nonetheless just a few yards forward of Laimer, he slammed the ball excessive previous Manuel Neuer’s head.
MVP of the weekend: Mohamed Amoura
At the moment on mortgage from Union Saint-Gilloise, the expertise manufacturing facility in Brussels, Amoura has been one of many predominant components for Wolfsburg’s sudden rise in latest weeks. He may not be essentially the most prolific scorer, though he discovered the again of the web twice in opposition to Leipzig, however the small-sized striker is ideal for Wolfsburg’s floor recreation, as hardly any center-back can include the Algerian for the whole lot of a recreation. Leipzig’s protection led by Willi Orbán discovered it the onerous method. — Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
Klopp can have his palms full at Purple Bull
Leipzig aren’t the one Purple Bull-funded membership at the moment in a stoop. Solely 4 days after struggling an embarrassing 5-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen within the UEFA Champions League, Purple Bull Salzburg needed to digest one other setback, because the draw with Hartberg within the Austrian Bundesliga. This implies Salzburg have solely picked up two factors of their previous 4 league video games, and that is the 17-time champion we’re speaking about, with 14 of those 17 championships gained because the Purple Bull takeover in 2005.
Whereas final 12 months’s razor-thin loss to Sturm Graz within the championship race may have been thought of a slip, this 12 months’s performances increase questions on Purple Bull’s strategic choices in latest instances — one thing Jürgen Klopp could must assess as soon as he assumes his function as Head of World Soccer in January. For years, Salzburg have been extra involved about their outings on the European stage somewhat than at residence as a result of they have been dominating the Austrian Bundesliga.
Salzburg’s supervisor is none aside from Pepijn Lijnders, who served as Klopp’s assistant for nearly the whole lot of the German’s tenure in Liverpool. Whether or not Lijnders remains to be in cost when his former boss takes over has turn into considerably uncertain, as an increasing number of persons are questioning the Dutchman’s qualification to be a head coach somewhat than an assistant. — Eckner
