Tuesday, 02 January 2024 12:17 GMT

This Week In Football: Atletico Humiliate Real, PSG Reclaim Top, Liverpool Stunned In Dramatic Weekend


(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

It was another action-packed weekend across Europe's top leagues, bringing shock results, injury concerns, derby drama, and records broken. From a bruising Madrid derby to Liverpool's first defeat, here's how the week unfolded.

La Liga: Atletico Stun Real in Derby Classic

The biggest story of the weekend came from Madrid, where Diego Simeone's Atletico thrashed Real Madrid 5-2 at the Metropolitano.

Real, unbeaten in La Liga under new coach Xabi Alonso, briefly led through Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler, but they were overrun by a relentless Atletico side. Robin Le Normand opened the scoring, Alexander Sorloth equalised on the stroke of halftime, and Julian Alvarez stole the show after the break with a penalty and a curling free-kick. Antoine Griezmann completed the rout in front of jubilant fans.

It was the first time since 1950 that Real conceded five goals to their city rivals. Alonso admitted,“There are no excuses, we're hurting. It's a deserved defeat.” For Atletico, the result reignited belief after an inconsistent start, pushing them up the table and handing Barcelona the chance to leapfrog Madrid into top spot.

Ligue 1: PSG Bounce Back Despite Injuries

In France, Paris Saint-Germain reclaimed first place in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 win over Auxerre, though the victory came at a cost. Goals from defenders Illia Zabarnyi and Lucas Beraldo steadying the ship after last week's loss to Marseille.

Luis Enrique fielded a patched-up side with Marquinhos, Ousmane Dembele, Joao Neves, and Fabian Ruiz unavailable, and further worries came as Vitinha and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were forced off. Teenagers Senny Mayulu and Ibrahim Mbaye started, while two more academy products were handed debuts off the bench.

With a Champions League trip to Barcelona looming, Enrique said he must“stay positive” despite the injuries:“Paris Saint-Germain are not the only team with problems in such an intense calendar.” Elsewhere, Monaco's defensive woes continued in a 3-1 defeat to Lorient, while Toulouse and Nantes drew 2-2.

Premier League: Palace End Liverpool's Streak, United Falter Again

Crystal Palace turned heads with a dramatic 2-1 win over Liverpool, ending the Reds' perfect start to the season. Ismaila Sarr gave Palace an early lead before Federico Chiesa thought he had saved Liverpool with a late equaliser. But Eddie Nketiah struck deep into stoppage time, sealing Palace's 18th game unbeaten in all competitions.“The fans will have a great Saturday evening now,” said Palace boss Oliver Glasner with a smile.

For Manchester United, the misery goes on. Ruben Amorim's side crashed 3-1 at Brentford, exposing defensive lapses and wasted chances. Igor Thiago capitalised twice on early errors, Benjamin Sesko scored his first goal for United, but Bruno Fernandes' missed penalty proved costly. In stoppage time, Mathias Jensen added Brentford's third.“We played Brentford's game,” admitted Amorim.“We need to do better.”

Elsewhere, Manchester City blew past Burnley 5-1, aided by two own goals and another spectacular brace from Erling Haaland, while Chelsea's frustrations mounted with a 3-1 defeat to Brighton after Trevoh Chalobah's red card. Tottenham rescued a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves, while Sunderland's rise continued with victory at Nottingham Forest.

Bundesliga: Dortmund Stay Close to Bayern, Frankfurt in Goal-Fest

Germany provided goals in abundance. Borussia Dortmund kept pace with league leaders Bayern Munich after a 2-0 win at Mainz. Karim Adeyemi scored for the second game in a row while Daniel Svensson hit the opener, with Mainz reduced to 10 men after goalkeeper Robin Zentner saw red.

The weekend's wildest contest came in Mönchengladbach, where Eintracht Frankfurt led 6-0 before barely clinging on to a 6-4 win. Robin Koch scored twice, alongside Ansgar Knauff, Jonathan Burkardt, Fares Chaibi, and Can Uzun, but a flurry of late Gladbach goals nearly embarrassed Frankfurt.

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen beat St. Pauli 2-1 but suffered fresh injury blows, Leipzig edged Wolfsburg 1-0, and Heidenheim beat Augsburg 2-1, piling pressure on visiting coach Sandro Wagner.

Serie A: Juventus Frustrated, Inter Keep Pace

In Italy, Juventus passed up the opportunity to go top of Serie A after a 1-1 home draw with Atalanta. Juve looked set for defeat until Juan Cabal snatched a late leveller, but Weston McKennie then wasted a last-minute chance to seal the win. Napoli, unbeaten with a perfect record, remain league leaders.

Inter Milan meanwhile recorded a hard-fought 2-0 win over Cagliari thanks to Lautaro Martinez and youngster Pio Esposito, whose first senior goal capped the points. Promoted Cremonese also stayed unbeaten after drawing 1-1 with Como.

A Massive Week Ahead

With Champions League fixtures looming, Europe's giants now switch focus. PSG visit Barcelona amid injury concerns, Real Madrid must respond after derby humiliation, and Frankfurt carry their attacking momentum to Atletico Madrid. Monaco brace themselves for Manchester City, while Inter, Juve, and Napoli face critical European nights of their own.

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