Liverpool took advantage of uncharacteristic slip-ups by Arsenal and Manchester City to reclaim the Premier League lead, while Barcelona extended their LaLiga advantage.
Liverpool regain Premier League ascendancy
Arne Slot’s Reds showed plenty of gumption this weekend, coming from behind to beat Brighton for the second time this week, rising to the top of the Premier League standings after Arsenal and City faltered. Brighton went into halftime at Anfield with a well-deserved lead through Ferdi Kadioglu’s precise far-post strike.
The Reds came out in determined fashion in the 2nd, levelling matters after a Cody Gakpo cross avoided everyone and snuck its way into the far corner. And they never took long to take the lead, with Mo Salah curling in a sensational long-range strike to complete the Liverpool comeback.
It is almost comical how clutch Salah has become in this Liverpool side. Darwin Nunez was a consistent thorn in the Brighton side, almost scoring a wonder goal after an impudent turn on the halfway line. The only potential source of concern for Liverpool came in the form of Ibrahim Konate.
The French bulldozer has probably been the best defender in the league this season and he was forced off the pitch at the halftime break. Early reports indicate that it isn’t too serious (though he may not be available for the midweek visit of Leverkusen).
Arsenal and City hand Liverpool initiative
Arsenal have now dropped eight points out of their last nine, slumping to a dispiriting 1-0 defeat at Newcastle. I have said it for weeks now: something is seriously wrong with Mikel Arteta’s would-be title challengers.
The extended absence of Martin Odegaard has exposed a glaring lack of creativity from the side- top to bottom. Leandro Trossard just doesn’t work as a 90-minute player. His passing was awful in that makeshift No.10 role and Kai Havertz was effectively frozen out of the game. William Saliban- returning to action from his suspensionn- struggled to deal with the threat of Isak.
It almost feels as if Saliba’s head has been cluttered by all that Real Madrid chatter. Arteta will take some consolation from the fact that Pep Guardiola’s men stumbled at Bournemouth. City are in the midst of a mini-injury crisis and it showed at the Vitality. They need either Savio or Doku to start in the games against the so-called ‘lesser’ sides.
Doku only came on in the 85th minute and couldn’t really affect the result. I think that teams are comfortable setting up in a low block against the more technically efficient City players. The likes of Foden and Bernardo play plenty of neat football but lack the penetrative pace of Doku or the injured Savio.
Still, City tends to come right in the latter portions of the season, and I don’t think that Guardiola will be under nearly the same amount of scrutiny as former acolyte Arteta.
Bayern create some wiggle room after Leipzig stumble
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich sauntered to a 3-0 home win against Union Berlin, creating a three-point Bundesliga lead after RB Leipzig went down 2-1 at Dortmund.
Bayern dominated possession and created much of the running at home to Union Berlin, with England captain Harry Kane continuing his devastating scoring form with another brace. Die Roten came under fire for their tactics in the immediate aftermath of that 4-1 defeat to Barcelona.
But they have responded in emphatic style, winning three consecutive matches without conceding a goal. That newfound defensive rigidity could prove key if they wish to compete for top European honours. Nuri Sahin may have saved this job this weekend, as a beleaguered, injury-ravaged Dortmund somehow managed to end RB Leipzig’s unbeaten start to the campaign.
Die Schwarzgelben reverted to a flat 4-1-4-1 formation, with Felix Nmecha absolutely bossing proceedings in the 6. Marco Rose will feel frustrated that his free-flowing Leipzig side weren’t able to consistently break down what was a makeshift back four (Emre Can was playing in the heart of defence for Dortmund).
Barca lead by nine as Real match postponed
Real Madrid’s trip to Valencia was postponed this weekend, with fatal flooding engulfing the broader Valencian region. This tragic turn of events did give Barca the opportunity to extend their La Liga lead and they duly obliged, seeing off Espanyol 3-1 in a comfortable win at the Nou Camp.
They suffocated Espanyol with the same psychotic high line that frustrated Real in last week’s El Clasico. Their young virtuosos were at it again, with Lamin Yamal and Marc Casado providing amazing deliveries for Dani Olmo and Raphinha.
Barca are turning into a behemoth under Hansi Flick, winning their last six games in all comps (scoring 24 goals in the process). Atletico Madrid- who have gone about their business in very under-the-radar fashion this season, picked up a workmanlike 2-0 victory over Las Palmas, pulling themselves within a point of bitter city rivals Real.
Atalanta stun Napoli while Inter edge closer to top of the table
I don’t think that anyone saw that coming. Atalanta threw a huge spanner into the Serie A title race, silencing an expectant Diego Armando Maradona Stadium with a 3-0 win at league leaders Napoli. Conte’s side just couldn’t get out of first gear against Gasperini’s high-octane Atalanta side.
Ademola Lookman scored a brace while in-form striker Mateo Retegui netted his 11th goal of the season. Atalanta now sit just three points off Napoli in what is turning out to be a fascinating Italian title race. The major beneficiaries of Napoli’s slip-up must be Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan.
Inter managed to pull within a point of the Partenopei after a testy 1-0 win over Venezia. Inter were not at their fluid best, pulling ahead in the 65th-minute courtesy of captain fantastic Lautaro Martinez. Venezia thought they had grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser, but Sverko’s goal was ruled out by VAR due to a foul by the Croatian defender.
In other news, Thiago Motta’s Juventus got back to winning ways after a thoroughly professional 2-0 victory at Udinese.
The Player of the Week – Dani Olmo
The La Masia graduate has proven to be an inspirational addition to this Barcelona side, providing a sense of calm to that midfield area. And he was exceptional against Espanyol, scoring a brilliant brace to underline his importance to the club.
He opened the scoring with an incisive run and finish from a Lamine Yamal assist. He completed his brace with a stunning strike from outside the box, showcasing that he isn’t just a finesse merchant.
Yamal 🤝 Olmo pic.twitter.com/IGjrnOTjeX
— Dani Olmo Out Of Context (@OlmoOoc) November 4, 2024
