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WEEKEND WRAP: Thriller at the Bridge, Real Madrid wobble and more!

Damien Kayat looks back at the weekend’s European football action which saw a thriller at Stamford Bridge Real Madrid beaten and more!
Chelsea
Image Copyright - Steve Haag Sports

Damien Kayat looks back at the weekend's European football action which saw a thriller at Stamford Bridge Real Madrid beaten and more!

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Title challenge over?

I think even the most diehard Chelsea and Liverpool fans will have to concede that the Premier League title race is probably over. The two played out a pulsating 2-2 draw that saw both teams surrender more ground to that robust Mancunian unit.

Salah scored yet another superb solo goal in a season punctuated by superb solo goals. There’s some conjecture as to whether Sadio Mane should have been red-carded for an apparent elbow early in the piece. I think that a bright yellow was the right option (didn’t seem like he had a sneaky glance prior to the incident).

Overall, I think Chelsea will feel quite disappointed with the dropped points. I know that sounds crazy considering they came back from two goals behind. But Kante and Kovacic really dominated the midfield area. Kovacic- outside of scoring an outrageous off-balance volley- was absolutely magnificent throughout the game.

Jorginho is going to have to wait for rotation in order to get back into this side. I’m just extremely glad that the entire bloated Lukaku affair never sucked the oxygen out of this match.

Liverpool gave one of their most disjointed performances in recent memory. Chelsea continually exploited their extremely high defensive line. Yet, the quality of Mane and Salah remained a persistent threat.

I think that Thiago’s absence has really disrupted Liverpool’s ability to retain possession. Huge credit has to go to 23-year-old Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher. He stepped into the considerable shoes of Allison and gave a strikingly assured performance in a match of huge significance.

But the real test for the Reds awaits, as they will need to survive without their primary goal threats due to the upcoming Afcon. They aren’t like Man City (who can pretty much play musical chairs with their attacking contingent).

Liverpool are a well-oiled machine that are dangerously reliant on the cutting edge that Salah and Mane provide.

Real Madrid Stutter

With 46 points from 20 matches, Real Madrid still sit atop the La Liga standings. But that 1-0 home defeat to Getafe really took the wind out of their sails. Lest we forget, that result ended an unbeaten run that had lasted 15 games in all competitions.

And the plucky Sevilla side will be just two points behind them if they win their games in hand. To be fair, nobody really believes that Sevilla are realistic title contenders. Karim Benzema had one of his worst performances in years, rocketing the ball over the crossbar on multiple occasions.

This was more reminiscent of the erratic striker from the Mourinho era. By contrast, bang out-of-form Atletico managed to break a string of four consecutive league losses with a routine 2-0 home win against Rayo Vallecano.

It may turn out to be a watershed result for a club that seemed to be teetering on the edge of parting ways with their iconic manager: Diego Simone. Oh, and Barcelona won. As if that’s still relevant at this point.

City make it eleven in a row… barely

It’s amazing to think that it was only a few weeks ago that we had ourselves a tasty three-horse title race. But reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City now have a seemingly impregnable lead.

That despite the fact that they were completely outplayed by a galvanized Arsenal unit. Referee Stuart Atwell didn’t endear himself to the Arsenal faithful with a few key 50/50 decisions swinging in City’s favour.

I really think it’s time that Guardiola reintegrated Kyle Walker into the first team squad. His pace would have proved tremendously useful in breaking down the swift counterattacks of Martinelli and co.

But you have to admire City’s resilience. Let’s be honest: City have been magnificent in many matches this season. They also possess the invaluable ability to win ugly. The side seems to have a keen understanding of the footballing ‘dark arts’.

They break up play when necessary and are canny in possession. I think that’s an especially crucial ingredient during this congested period of the footballing season. Arsenal’s agony was hugely exacerbated by Spurs’ last-gasp winner away to Watford. Will Arsenal and Man United’s inability to acquire Conte come back to bite them come season’s end?

Player of the Week- Mateo Kovacic

This was really the only option this week. It’s quite crazy when you consider all the Ballon d’or speculation swirling around Jorginho just a few months ago.

The Italian’s form has absolutely plummeted in recent weeks, with basic individual errors costing Chelsea several points. Kovacic reminded me of Steven Gerrard yesterday.

He was committed in defence and consistently looked to drive forward with the ball. And his goal was absolutely spectacular. I think that his driving presence has been hugely missed in Chelsea’s recent downturn in form.

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