Arsenal fans are beginning to dream. Sunday’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers took the Emirates Stadium outfit to 37 points from 14 matches, ensuring their best ever start to a Premier League campaign. Mikel Arteta’s upwardly mobile young high achievers go into the World Cup break five points clear of defending champions Manchester City who failed to get out of second gear in falling 1-2 to Brentford 24 hours earlier.
Newcastle United retained third place by outgunning Chelsea 1-0, with Graham Potter’s Londoners falling to eighth after suffering a third successive Premier League defeat. Tottenham Hotspur are fourth courtesy of a last gasp 4-3 victory over an ebullient Leeds United. Alejandro Garnacho became the first Manchester United teenager to score a stoppage time winner since Federico Macheda in the Red Devils’ 2-1 victory over Fulham thereby lifting Eric Ten Haag’s side to fifth place.
Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga’s winter champions for the eleventh consecutive season. The Rekordmeister dismissed basement club Schalke 2-0 via goals from Serge Gnarby and Eric Maxim Choupo Moting to maintain a four point advantage over Freiburg, 4-1 winners over longtime leaders Union Berlin thanks to a Vincenzo Grifo hat trick. RB Leipzig moved up to third after subduing Werder Bremen 2-1.
Paris Saint Germain obliterated Auxerre 5-0 to remain five points clear of the chasing pack that is led by Racing Lens, who beat Clermont 2-1 to ensure their best ever start to a Ligue One campaign. Rennes extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions by taming hard battling Toulouse 2-1 to stay third. Olympique Marseille grabbed a 98th minute winner to outlast Monaco 3-2 and move into fourth place.
Napoli registered their twelfth successive Serie A victory by edging Udinese 3-2 to take an eight point cushion into the World Cup break. AC Milan stayed second by fighting off a barrage of Fiorentina attacks to win 2-1 at San Siro. Record champions Juventus moved into third by dismissing Lazio 3-0 courtesy of a brace from Moise Kean. Inter Milan’s 3-2 victory over Atalanta in Bergamo lifted the 19-time champions into fifth.
