As far as clutch players are concerned, none is more lethal than man of the moment Patrick Schick. Bayer Leverkusen’s Czechia striker pulled the rabbit out of the hat for the third time inside a fortnight when he grabbed the winner in Die Schwarzroten’s 2-1 injury time win over Hoffenheim. Schick had performed similar heroics in the Bay Arena outfit’s 3-2 comeback win over Qarabag in the Europa League and 2-2 draw with the same side in Azerbaijan.
Victory sent Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten Bundesliga leaders thirteen points clear of Bayern Munich who were ambushed 2-0 by Borussia Dortmund in front of their own fans thanks to goals from Karim Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson. Third placed Stuttgart missed the chance to pile the pressure on the Bavarian giants when they were held to a 3-3 draw by newcomers Heidenheim in a breathless, end to end encounter.
In England, Liverpool seized control of their title destiny by fighting back from a goal down to subdue hard battling Brighton 2-1 at Anfield. The Kop’s victory allied with Manchester City’s goalless draw at home to Arsenal gave them a two point cushion over the Gunners while Pep Guardiola’s defending champions are now three points off title pace.
Record Premier League winners Manchester United’s bid to qualify for the Champions League took a hit when they conceded a 95th minute goal to draw 1-1 at Brentford on Saturday. Hour earlier, Son Heung Min had netted the winning goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 victory over Luton Town while third placed Aston Villa saw off Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 with minimum fuss.
Real Madrid inched closer to recapturing the Liga Santander crown from Barcelona when they dismissed Athletic Bilbao 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu courtesy of a brace from Rodrygo Goes. Blaugrana stayed second, eight points off title pace by subduing stubborn Las Palmas 1-0 via a Raphinha strike while Girona held onto third place by overcoming Real Betis 3-2 thanks to a brace from Artem Dovbyk and a Cristhian Stuani injury time winner.
Serie A action resumes tonight with five matches on menu. Leaders Inter Milan can extend their advantage atop the standings to a staggering 17 points if they overcome lowly Empoli in the late night game. Thiago Motta’s impressive Bologna are hoping to enhance their Champions League qualification credentials when they host basement club Salernitana.
TODAY
Bologna v Salernitana,
Cagliari v Hellas Verona,
Sassuolo v Udinese,
Lecce v AS Roma,
Inter Milan v Empoli