Mo Salah remains the sensation of the season while a sloppy slip-up against SPAL sees Juventus opening up the Serie A title race
Winners
Mohamed Salah
Four goals all in one game for a man who will be worth at least five times more than what Liverpool paid for him in the summer. If the Reds progress in the Champions League, this is almost a Ballon d’Or worthy season, as he’s already become the best Liverpool striker in his debut season. Unreal stuff from the Egyptian, incredible quality all round, great finishing and cracking numbers in terms of goals and assists. Now it’s just a matter of lifting some silverware between now and June.
"I scored four goals in a game as well." ?
Klopp was happy to laud Salah's virtuoso display against @WatfordFC – after he'd playfully pointed out that he too has scored four times in a game: https://t.co/Oww6nobZ3N pic.twitter.com/ukdY67jFrR
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 19, 2018
Lyon
It had to be a victory, and a victory it was in one of the toughest and nerviest games of the season against Olympique Marseille. Memphis Depay got the last gasp winning goal, to bring Lyon just two points behind Marseille. The fight between the players at full time – something we would never want to see on a football pitch – shows just how important this clash was for those involved. The battle for a top-three finish in France is on fire.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1fsPIlW92E[/fve]
Antonio Conte
All sorts of reports have been filtering through about the supposed clash between Antonio Conte and Chelsea and between the Italian manager and his players. Surely this season is not going as well as the glorious first one, but even someone like Alvaro Morata spoke out to defend his coach, and did so on the pitch as well, helping Chelsea to the FA Cup semi-finals with the victory over Leicester City. If Conte can end this season with a trophy, it will be the best sign-off possible for him to leave the Blues.
Losers
Juventus
Nobody expected the Bianconeri to end this season without dropping any more points in Serie A, but to do so at SPAL was unexpected to say the least. Juve, moreover, did not deserve anything more than the 0-0 draw at any point, with the attack being sterile and the midfield lacking creativity. Much more is needed if Juve are to hold on to the top of the table and grab their seventh consecutive title, as well as challenge Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYvIgqO-jKk[/fve]
Bayern Munich
It won’t change a thing in terms of silverware, as Bayern will most definitely win the Bundesliga, but the first defeat in four months puts them inevitably amongst the losers of the weekend. Naby Keita and Timo Werner grabbed the winning goals for Leipzig, as Bayern lost their first game in 14 league matches, albeit maintaining a 17-point advantage over Schalke. They are not celebrating the title just yet, and showed some vulnerability.
Lazio
At this point of the season, playing at home to a mid-table Serie A side is, on paper, one of the easiest tasks for anyone who has more motivation than them. Lazio did not just have more motivation than Bologna, but also have a much better lineup. Yet they failed to win the game, and the 1-1 draw, paired with Inter’s win at Sampdoria, saw Simone Inzaghi’s men drop out of the top four, with the Nerazzurri replacing them in fourth spot. AC Milan and Inter can keep on dreaming of a Champions League finish if Lazio continue to drop points to these kind of teams.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnKcIq8PsOs[/fve]
