Liverpool keeps on keeping on while PSG and Juventus suffer double disasters to blow title-clinching chances. Here are the weekend winners and losers…
WINNERS
Liverpool
A Mohamed Salah wonder-strike and another goal by Sadio Mane to get rid of Chelsea and overtake Manchester City yet again. The Citizens have a game in hand still, but Liverpool haven’t been dropping any further points, being as solid as ever and still having immense quality going forward.
Chelsea could have been a bad omen and one of the toughest remaining fixtures, but the Blues were blown away fairly simply, as Liverpool continue to dream of a first Premier League title win.
SPAL
Obviously, beating a Juventus side full of youngsters and fringe players makes it a bit easier, but it is still a victory over Juventus, and a massive three points. SPAL fought until the very end and thanks to a Sergio Floccari winner managed to find a huge boost in the fight to avoid relegation from Serie A, beating the Bianconeri 2-1.
Jadon Sancho
The youngest to ever reach double digits in the Bundesliga, making it 11 goals for his campaign so far, to give Borussia Dortmund three crucial points to remain right behind Bayern. In the aftermath of the defeat to the Bavarians, an immediate reaction was needed, and Sancho made everything easier for the Black and Yellow, showcasing all his talent.
Sevilla
Winning the city derby is always special, doing so when other teams drop points is even better. Sevilla beat Betis 3-2, whilst Getafe got just one point at Valladolid, meaning the Seville side are currently fourth in the table, overtaking Getafe. The ideal weekend.
LOSERS
Paris Saint-Germain
From the chance to celebrate winning the title to the harshest defeat since Qatar Sports Investment took over in 2011. Believe it or not, Paris Saint-Germain conceded five goals in a single game in Ligue 1, an unreal result against second-placed Lille, meaning they’ll have to wait yet again to lift the trophy.
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri claimed it doesn’t matter if the Bianconeri win the Serie A title by a huge point margin. So, despite just needing a point against SPAL to seal the Scudetto, having lost the game isn’t a disaster. He is probably right, but Juve lost for only the second time this season, and have a huge Champions League tie on Tuesday night – they’ll hope this defeat won’t have repercussions.
Maurizio Sarri
Every time it’s looking like Maurizio Sarri could be finding his feet, a step back is made. Of course, getting a result at Anfield was always going to be very difficult, but the manner in which Liverpool got rid of the Blues showed all the differences between the two sides at the moment. Chelsea never looked like they could get a point, and Sarri’s style and man management was once again harshly criticised.
Tiemoue Bakayoko and Franck Kessie
AC Milan registered a massive victory in the race for a top four finish in Serie A, thanks to a last gasp penalty scored by Kessie to hand them a 1-0 win over Lazio. But what happened straight after is what was talked about, as Bakayoko and Kessie paraded with Francesco Acerbi’s shirt being exposed as a war trophy. Not exactly an act of class. Avoidable, to say the least.
