Another topsy-turvy weekend of football is in the books and some of Europe’s top clubs are beginning to look ominous.
Liverpool and Manchester City both eked out important, closely fought wins to steal a march on title-rivals Arsenal in the Premier League, while Real Madrid and Barcelona both ensured that they head into next week’s Clasico (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET; stream live on ESPN+) off the back of victories.
In Serie A, Antonio Conte’s Napoli beat Empoli 1-0 to stay two points clear of Inter Milan at the top of the league, while in Germany it’s Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig going stride-for-stride at the Bundesliga summit.
Yvan Neyou, Tim Kleindienst and John Stones all scored goal of the month contenders, but it was Harry Kane‘s hat trick in Bavaria that really stood out.
What else did you miss around Europe this weekend? ESPN’s Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden and Constantin Eckner recap all the action.
Top takeaway: Arsenal suffer nightmare weekend
There couldn’t have been a more nightmarish weekend possible for Arsenal. While title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool both won, at Wolverhampton Wanderers and against Chelsea, respectively, the Gunners lost their first game of the season in all competitions at Bournemouth.
William Saliba was sent off after just 30 minutes, the north Londoners’ third red card in eight league games this season, and he will miss Liverpool’s trip to the capital next weekend.
Without the injured Bukayo Saka, Mikel Arteta’s team never found their usual rhythm with the ball, while Bournemouth’s efficient press put the visitors under a lot of pressure. Despite conceding two goals after the break, Arsenal still had their chances to return to London with something to show for their efforts, Gabriel Martinelli letting slip a particularly enticing opportunity with the match still scoreless.
After that defeat, Arsenal are now three points behind City and four behind Liverpool. Absolutely everything went against the Gunners this weekend.
Best match: Southampton 2, Leicester 3
For a clash between two promoted sides, we got an absolute treat on Saturday. Between them, Southampton and Leicester City had only won once this season in 10 combined Premier League games, the Foxes getting the best of Bournemouth two weeks ago, so both teams knew how massive this encounter was. The Foxes were 2-0 down inside a half hour, they trailed by the same margin at the hour mark, and completed the 3-2 comeback win in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. It will undoubtedly be a turning point in their season.
Best goal: Stones vs. Wolves
It wasn’t the most beautiful of the weekend, but Stones’ winner for Manchester City at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday deserves our award for best goal because it sealed a massive victory. After being the hero who earned the champions a late point against Arsenal last month, Stones gave his team three more in the final minute at Molineux on Sunday, a result Pep Guardiola’s team needed to take advantage of the Gunners’ slip-up on Saturday and to keep pace with Liverpool.
JOHN STONES WINS IT IN THE FINAL SECONDS FOR MANCHESTER CITY. INCREDIBLE. pic.twitter.com/JsO025yDeF
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) October 20, 2024
MVP of the weekend: Mohamed Salah
The big game of the weekend between Liverpool and Chelsea didn’t disappoint on Sunday, despite a slow start, and there was room for only one hero: Salah. The Egypt international, whose form has been a bit inconsistent lately, scored and provided a wonderful assist for Curtis Jones in the Reds’ massive 2-1 win. The 32-year-old forward has now five goals and five assists in eight Premier League matches this season so far. — Julien Laurens
Top takeaway: Barça’s future shining brightly
Barcelona and Real Madrid both won ahead of the season’s first Clásico; but while Madrid made hard work of beating Celta Vigo — more on that in a moment — Barça recorded a confidence-boosting 5-1 win over Sevilla. There were two more goals for the league’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, making it 12 in 10 matches, and there were encouraging performances from this season’s star man Raphinha and midfielder Pedri.
The best news of the matchday was the return from injury of Gavi, 349 days since he last played for Barcelona. His emergence to warm up got the loudest cheer of the night at Montjuic, and he was handed the captain’s armband as he took to the field.
The overriding sensation, as Barça celebrated Pablo Torre‘s second goal in the 88th minute, was just how young this team are. Torre, Pedri, Gavi, Pau Cubarsí, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casadó and Fermín López are all in their early-20s. Lamine Yamal is just 17. Barcelona’s future is bright; but before getting too carried away, let’s see how they get on against Madrid next weekend.
Best match: Celta 1, Madrid 2
Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo had everything: a noisy atmosphere at a rain-soaked Balaidos, three outstanding goals from Mbappé, Williot Swedberg and Vinícius Júnior, an age-defying cameo from Luka Modric — who created the winning goal just three minutes after coming on as a substitute — and an agonising, added-time miss from Celta’s Anastasios Douvikas. Madrid won the game, but Celta showed their new team, full of homegrown talent, can compete with the best.
Best goal: Neyou vs. Atlético
Both Mbappé’s long-distance curler and Swedberg’s intricate team move for Celta — which came after four first-time touches — deserve a mention, but let’s go for Yvan Neyou‘s first LaLiga goal, which put Leganés 1-0 up at Atlético Madrid on Sunday. Atlético fought back to win 3-1, but that shouldn’t undo the joy of Neyou’s first-half rocket past Jan Oblak into the top corner.
MVP of the weekend: Iñaki Williams
Williams needed just two minutes, and four touches, to stake his claim for performance of the weekend in Spain. His first goal in Athletic Club‘s 4-1 victory over Espanyol at San Mamés was a masterclass in economy of movement, turning and finishing before the defence had time to react. Seconds later, he had another, thrashing the ball past goalkeeper Joan García from an angle. Younger brother Nico Willians gets all the headlines, but Iñaki has never looked better. — Alex Kirkland
Top takeaway: Title race is tight but Bayern are back
Bayern Munich were in a bit of a slump before the international break, going winless in their previous three games following an impressive start into the season, but any doubts were put to rest on Saturday thanks to a 4-0 win over VfB Stuttgart. The visitors, managed by former Bayern reserve team coach Sebastian Hoeness, wanted to make a statement at Allianz Arena, but instead Bayern steamrolled Stuttgart in the second half, with Kane scoring a hat trick.
Those who have accused Kane of failing to show up in big games may look at the opponent and see more evidence to support their theory, but Stuttgart were last season’s runners-up. Nevertheless, the England international may just be happy to have his name on the score sheet again having gone goalless in his three previous games.
Bayern are sitting at the top of the Bundesliga table, with RB Leipzig in second place. These two teams, and potentially defending champions Bayer Leverkusen, seem to have the overall quality to compete for the German championship this season. While the arrival of manager Vincent Kompany has been a breath of fresh air for Bayern, and the record champions have every chance of reclaiming their throne, they won’t escape from their rivals in the title race anytime soon.
Best match: Gladbach 3, Heidenheim 2
Borussia Monchengladbach continue to have a rollercoaster of a campaign, and their 3-2 win over Heidenheim on Saturday was the embodiment of that. The game at Borussia-Park turned into an exciting back-and-forth, with Gladbach emerging as the winners thanks to two goals by Tim Kleindienst in the second half. No matter the three goals or the three points, head coach Gerardo Seoane still hasn’t managed to create the necessary defensive stability to lead Gladbach in the upper third of the table.
Best goal: Kleindienst vs. Heidenheim
Kleindienst’s first goal in Gladbach’s narrow win over Heidenheim was one of the highlights of the matchday. The 29-year-old, who recently made his first appearance for Germany, converted a cross from Alassane Pléa with a beautiful and equally difficult back-heel strike, giving Gladbach the lead over his former team.
MVP of the weekend: Harry Kane
If you score three goals in the marquee game of the weekend, you have undoubtedly earned the MVP award. Kane is still an elite striker, even if he does not always have the anticipated presence in games. For years, Bayern relied on Lewandowski to sink defences, and now they’re counting on Kane to do the same on a constant basis. — Constantin Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
Resurgent Napoli lead Serie A under Conte
Napoli’s 1-0 win at Empoli means Antonio Conte’s team are still top of the Serie A table, with nearest rivals Inter Milan two points behind them thanks to their own tight, 1-0 victory over AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. In fact, there was no change at all in the upper echelons of the table, with all top-six teams recording victories, the most emphatic being Fiorentina‘s 6-0 thrashing of Lecce.
Napoli and Inter were both under pressure to deliver after Juventus, in third, had edged past Lazio a day earlier. A win for Napoli was by no means guaranteed, given that Juve and the Viola had both already dropped points at Empoli this season. Conte wasn’t happy with his team, calling them “spectators” in Sunday’s first half, but things improved after the break, when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia‘s penalty was decisive.
Napoli finished a huge 41 points behind champions Inter last season. Under Conte, they’re now resurgent league leaders. — Kirkland
Cologne staring down another year in second tier
Cologne hope to only stay for one year in the 2. Bundesliga, but just like Schalke and Hertha Berlin the year before, they must realise that going up against the steadily evolving competition in that league can pose a serious challenge for any big-name club. The three-time German champions, who have been significantly hurt by a transfer ban imposed by FIFA, which will end on Jan. 1, and are managed by former New York Red Bulls boss Gerhard Struber, lost 5-1 at Darmstadt on Friday.
Cologne are now 10th in the 18-team table. Given their defensive shortcomings, the decision makers in the Rhine metropolis may need to accept reality and either make a splash in the January transfer market or begin planning for at least another year in Germany’s second division, which has become the home of so many of football’s fallen giants. — Eckner