EUROPEAN WRAP: Gunners blow title-race open with inspired victory over Reds

Gunners blow title race open with inspired victory over Reds

Talk about a statement win. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal- cast aside as chokers a mere fortnight ago- opened up a kaleidoscope of possibilities with an emphatic 3-1 victory against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

Sure, Liverpool were without key first-team players in Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai. But I don’t even think the great Egyptian would have been able to steer the Reds away from defeat in this match. Arsenal thoroughly outclassed Liverpool, with Jorginho and Rice anchoring an imperious midfield performance.

Truth be told, the Gunners really should have put the game away in the first half. Their failure to add to Saka’s scrappy opener looked set to cost them dear, with Gabriel turning the ball into his own net on the stroke of half-time.

But Klopp couldn’t galvanize his side at the break and his substitutions had literally zero impact on the flow of the match (a rarity, I know). Darwin Nunez’s mystical blend of brilliance and ineptitude must be so frustrating for hardcore Liverpool fans.

I was truly amazed at Liverpool’s lack of fluidity. Is this a momentary blip or could this be a sign of future fallibility? The result means that Man City have the chance to usurp Liverpool atop the table if they win their two games in hand (albeit they do have to travel to fortress Anfield in the future).

Leverkusen and Bayern exchange blows before crunch encounter

Next week’s titanic tussle between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich could very well turn out to be a title decider. Leverkusen faced a potentially tricky away encounter at table-propping Darmstadt this week.

It’s easy to lose focus when you play against relegation fodder and a minor drop-off in intensity won’t suffice with Bayern waiting in the wings. But Xabi Alonso’s side were all business, suffocating Darmstadt with their possession-based game in a comfy 2-0 win.

It was a win that really showed off how crucial those wing-backs are in their system Nathan Tella came in as a surprise replacement for right wing-back Frimpong.

And he ended up scoring both goals (with left wing-back Grimaldo assisting the first). Grimaldo has undoubtedly been the best left-back in European football this season and It will be fascinating to see which clubs come in for him in the off-season.

Bayern suffered an early scare in their home encounter with Borussia Monchengladbach, going down 1-0 at the Allianz Arena to a 35th-minute Elvedi strike.

But Petkovic levelled matters before the break and it was Harry Kane who stroked Die Roten into the lead. De Ligt put matters beyond doubt with a late strike, as Bayern eventually ran out 3-1 winners. Leverkusen has a slender 2-point lead to hold onto going into next week’s match (things could not be more intricately poised than this).

Inter open up four-point lead in Serie A

Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan could very well be the best team operating in European football at this present moment.

Sure, City are back to full strength and could very well reach last season’s dizzying heights again. But Inter has a brilliant blend of defensive rigidity and attacking mobility.

They already won the Italian Super Cup and they are still very much in the Champions League conversation. And their hard-fought 1-0 victory over title rivals Juventus extended their lead atop Serie A to four points.

It was a performance that really demonstrated the gritty aspect of their dual persona. They outplayed Juventus in the first stanza, going in 1-0 up at the break courtesy of a fortuitous Gatti own-goal.

But Juventus came out revitalized in the second half, taking the game to Inter in what became a quite thrilling end-to-end wrestling match. But Inter absorbed the pressure majestically and managed to hold on for a very Italian 1-0 win. It is hard to see how Allegri’s ultra-pragmatic side can bridge the gap to Inzaghi’s dynamic, multi-faceted Inter.

Real frustrated in Madrid derby while Barcelona canter

This was setting up to be a perfect weekend for Real. Girona played out a frustrating goalless draw with Sociedad yesterday, meaning that a Real victory would take the Catalan giants four points clear atop the La Liga standings.

What’s more, they had the chance to get some revenge over city rivals Atletico for their recent Coppa del Rel defeat. And everything started swimmingly for Real, with the much-maligned Brahim Diaz scoring the opener in arguably his liveliest outing in a Real jersey. And Real largely dominated the game from that moment forward. But they lacked a little bit of cutting edge in the final 3rd (which obviously wasn’t helped by Vini Jr pulling up injured in the warm-up).

It opened the door for late drama, as Marcos Llorente scored a 93rd-minute header to share the spoils. Real hold a slim two-point lead in the standings and knows they are one reckless gameday away from surrendering the lead.

Barcelona moved to within eight points of Real courtesy of a solid 3-1 win at Alaves. Ilkay Gundogan has been Barca’s best player in recent weeks and he was mesmerizing at Alaves, scoring a goal and creating another in a vintage display of midfield mastery from the unassuming German.

Player of the Week- Jorginho

I am avoiding the obvious picks this week (such as Cunha’s hat-trick at Chelsea). Instead, I’m going down the tactical route this week, opting for a much-derided player who gave his side the edge this week: Jorginho.

Plenty of Arsenal fans rushed to judgment on Jorginho, seeing him as yet another stocking filler hastily purchased from Chelsea (Wilian, Wiliam Gallas, Petr Cech). But Jorginho and Rice just dovetail perfectly as a double-pivot in these massive games. Rice is allowed to do all the nasty box-to-box stuff while Jorginho just knits everything together with fluid, high-IQ passing.

I really think that the continued absence of Partey has allowed Arsenal to stumble upon the ideal big-game partnership.