Spanish La Liga
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 40 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 38 |
| 3 | Villarreal | 30 |
| 4 | Espanyol | 28 |
| 5 | Valencia | 25 |
Lionel Messi was at his brilliant best as Barcelona continued on their merry way with a comprehensive 5-0 rout of Real Sociedad on Sunday. Messi scored twice as Barca produced some dazzling football, while Cristiano Ronaldo netted a wonder free-kick in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win at Zaragoza which keeps up the pressure.
Third-placed Villarreal lost touch with the leaders after Juan Albin’s stunning stoppage-time goal saw nine-man Getafe win 1-0. Fourth-placed Espanyol also stumbled losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao while Valencia could only draw 3-3 with Osasuna on Monday.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Malaga | 13 |
| 19 | Sporting Gijon | 11 |
| 20 | Real Zaragoza | 9 |
New Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini was brought back to earth after his side suffered a 4-1 defeat from newly-promoted Hercules. To make matters worse, Almeria leapfrogged them after a shock 3-1 win at Sevilla, with Pablo Piatti grabbing a double. Sebastian Eguren scored late to rescue a 1-1 draw for Gijon against fellow battlers Levante.
English Premier League
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 34 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 32 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 32 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 31 |
| 5 | Tottenham | 27 |
Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Monday moved the undefeated Red Devils into top spot on the Premiership table. Park Ji-Sung scored the winner with a smart header, while United could afford to miss a second-half penalty from Wayne Rooney.
Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Tottenham hasn’t helped either sides chances, but for the Blues it’s now five matches without a win in the Premiership. Manchester City won 3-1 at West Ham, with Yaya Toure the inspiration, to move into contention.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Wigan | 16 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton | 15 |
| 20 | West Ham United | 12 |
Wolverhampton enhanced hopes of survival with a 1-0 victory over Birmingham City in the Midlands derby, while Wigan showed the resilience that’ll be needed to avoid the drop this term after a goalless draw at Everton. West Ham’s 3-1 home defeat to Man City only adds more pressure to boss Avram Grant.
German Bundesliga
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 43 |
| 2 | Bayer Leverkusen | 32 |
| 3 | Hannover 96 | 31 |
| 4 | FSV Mainz | 30 |
| 5 | SC Freiburg | 27 |
Leaders Dortmund continue to set the pace in Germany after recording their seventh straight victory with a 2-0 triumph over Werder Bremen. The result extended BVB’s lead to 11 points, with Mainz slipping from second place after a 1-0 loss to struggling Schalke 04.
Bayer Leverkusen are up to second place thanks to Renato Augusto’s second-half double in their 4-2 away win over Hamburg SV. Meanwhile, Hannover 96 moved into third after their third win a row, 2-1 over VfB Stuttgart with Didier Ya Konan scoring a brace.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | FC Koln | 15 |
| 17 | VfB Stuttgart | 12 |
| 18 | Moenchengladbach | 10 |
Teenager Christian Clemens gave FC Koln hope of escaping the drop zone with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt. Struggling Stuttgart have sacked Jens Keller after their loss at Hannover meant they’d collected one point in their past five Bundesliga matches. Schalke’s win over Mainz takes them to 10th.
Italian Serie A
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AC Milan | 36 |
| 2 | Juventus | 30 |
| 3 | Napoli | 30 |
| 4 | Lazio | 30 |
| 5 | Palermo | 26 |
Leaders AC Milan made it seven matches undefeated and moved six points clear after a resounding 3-0 victory at Bologna on Sunday. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic got the goals for the Rossoneri, while city-rivals Inter Milan weren’t in action due to the Club World Cup.
Lazio slipped down to fourth after a last-minute Milos Krasic goal gave Juventus a 2-1 win, as the Old Lady moved into second. Napoli are also in the mix after winning 1-0 at Genoa on Saturday thanks to Marek Hamsik’s first-half goal.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Lecce | 15 |
| 19 | Cesena | 12 |
| 20 | Bari | 10 |
Lecce claimed a much-needed three points (their first since October 24) with a 3-2 victory over Chievo Verona. Ignacio Piatti was the hero with a double for Lecce. Meanwhile, new Brescia boss Mario Beretta got a winning start with a 1-0 victory over Sampdoria, which puts them on 15 points in 17th.
Random League: Dutch Eredivisie
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSV Eindhoven | 38 |
| 2 | FC Twente | 37 |
| 3 | FC Groningen | 36 |
| 4 | Ajax Amsterdam | 35 |
| 5 | AZ Alkmaar | 32 |
It was a weekend of developments in the Netherlands as leaders PSV Eindhoven were held to a goalless draw at De Graafschap. Second-placed Twente couldn’t capitalise, though, conceding four second-half goals to lose 6-2 at Heerenveen.
Those results threw the title race wide open and FC Groningen’s 2-0 home win over fifth-placed AZ Alkmaar, thanks to two Tim Matavz’s goal, hints they could be dark horses. Ajax remain in the hunt and closed the gap, after a 1-0 win at Vitesse despite manager Martin Jol’s recent departure.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Excelsior | 15 |
| 17 | VVV Venlo | 10 |
| 18 | Willem II | 4 |
It’s looking quite gloomy for bottom-placed Willem II who lost 3-1 at NEC Nijmegen this weekend. VVV Venlo came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 at fellow strugglers Heracles while Feyenoord claimed a much-needed 1-0 win over Excelsior in the Rotterdam derby to move up to 13th.