African stars Sadio Mane, Thomas Partey, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, Inaki Williams and Ademola Lookman all scored to give title impetus to their clubs in leagues across Europe. Cameroonian Anguissa grabbed a brace in Napoli’s 3-1 victory over Torino to help Partenopei cement top spot in Serie A, only for Nigerian Lookman to net the winner in Atalanta’s 1-0 triumph over Fiorentina. Napoli are level with Atalanta on 20 points, three more than Lazio and AC Milan.
Maurizio Sarri’s Rome based giants routed Spezia 4-0 on the back of two goals from Sergei Milinkovic Savic while Stefano Pioli’s Milan topped Empoli 3-1 courtesy of goals from Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. The match-day’s biggest winners were AS Roma, who overcame the touchline absence of suspended boss Jose Mourinho to upstage Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro.
In England, Ghana’s Partey opened the scoring in Arsenal’s 3-1 triumph over North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to help Mikel Arteta’s Gunners maintain a slender one point advantage over champions Manchester City. Erling Braut Haaland and Phil Foden helped each other to hat-tricks as Pep Guardiola’s trailblazers obliterated Manchester United 6-3 at Etihad Stadium.
New Chelsea boss Graham Potter registered his first Premier League victory after Conor Gallagher plundered a late winner at Crystal Palace but the weekend’s most dramatic contest took place at Anfield where Brighton’s Leandro Trossard became the first visiting player to net a hat trick in over a decade in his side’s pulsating 3-3 draw with Liverpool. Andrei Arshavin had done so for Arsenal in 2009.
Senegal’s Mane ended a mini goal drought in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 evisceration of Bayer Leverkusen as the Bavarian giants rediscovered their winning ways following a four-match barren spell. Julian Nagelsmann’s record champions moved within two points of leaders Union Berlin after Urs Fischer’s capital based team fell 0-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt. Christian Streich’s Freiburg are joint top along with Union Berlin thanks to a 2-1 triumph over Mainz.
Karim Benzema missed a late penalty in Real Madrid’s one-all home draw with Osasuna to hand the title initiative to Barcelona who subdued spirited Real Mallorca 1-0 courtesy of a Robert Lewandowski strike. Xavi Hernandez’s Catalan giants sit atop Liga Santander standings due to their superior goal difference. Athletic Bilbao are third after goals from the Williams brothers, Nico and Inaki, powered the Basque club to a 4-0 whitewash of Almeria.
Atletico Madrid moved up to fifth following a gutsy 2-0 victory over Julen Lopetegui’s toothless Sevilla.
