It wasn’t a great weekend for the leaders in Germany and Italy, while Manchester United’s extended their lead in England and FC Barcelona moved a step closer to the title in Spain.
English Premier League
| Pos | Team | Pts | Pl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 63 | 30 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 58 | 29 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 54 | 29 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 53 | 30 |
| 5 | Tottenham | 49 | 29 |
Dimitar Berbatov was the hero for Manchester United with his late goal clinching a 1-0 win over Bolton, after the Red Devils had been reduced to 10 men following Jonny Evans’ dismissal. Arsenal came from two goals down at West Bromwich but could only draw 2-2 to offer United a gap at the top.
Chelsea kept alive their slim title hopes with a 2-0 win over Manchester City with new hero David Luiz on the scoresheet for the Blues. Tottenham’s top four continue to fade after a 0-0 draw with West Ham made it three games without a win in the league.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | West Bromwich | 33 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 32 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton | 32 |
| 19 | Birmingham City | 31 |
| 20 | Wigan | 30 |
Maynor Figueroa struck late to give bottom-club Wigan a huge boost with a 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Birmingham City in a true relegation scrap. Wolverhampton also claimed a crucial three points, 1-0 at Aston Villa, who are far from safe.
Spanish La Liga
First-half goals from Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil clinched a 2-1 derby win for Real Madrid over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap on leaders FC Barcelona who won 2-1 over Getafe with Daniel Alves scoring a cracker for the opener.
In the race for third spot, Villarreal moved back up into pole position with a 1-0 win at sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao, while Valencia lost 1-0 at home to Sevilla. Espanyol lost their third game in four, opening up a sizeable gap for the top four who qualify for the Champions League.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Deportivo Coruna | 31 |
| 17 | Real Zaragoza | 30 |
| 18 | Malaga | 29 |
| 19 | Almeria | 26 |
| 20 | Hercules | 26 |
Manuel Pellegrini’s big-spending Malaga were the big movers this weekend after a 2-0 home win over Espanyol, thanks to Jose Salomon Rondon’s double moved them out of bottom spot. Gijon moved up to 15th after an important 1-0 win over Almeria.
The big worry is Hercules who lost their fourth consecutive match, 4-0 at home to Osasuna. Following the game, boss Esteban Vigo got the sack after losing nine of their past 11 league matches.
Italian Serie A
After being knocked out of the Champions League in midweek, AC Milan’s bad week got worse after slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Serse Cosmi’s Palermo. The loss allowed rivals Inter Milan to close the gap at the top to two points after a 1-0 victory over Lecce thanks to Giampaolo Pazzini’s strike.
Napoli kept up the pressure after Edinson Cavani’s double helped them beat Cagliari 2-1 in Sunday’s late kick-off. Udinese continue to lurk with intent after a 2-0 win over Catania, with Gokhan Inler scoring a superb long-range effort.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Sampdoria | 31 |
| 17 | Cesena | 29 |
| 18 | Lecce | 28 |
| 19 | Brescia | 26 |
| 20 | Bari | 17 |
There were defeats all round for Italy’s strugglers meaning Parma’s 1-0 victory over Sampdoria was a significant result. Sampdoria, who finished top four last term, are not doing much better under new boss Alberto Cavasin after their fourth consecutive defeat. Chievo’s 2-1 win over Bari should be enough for their safety.
German Bundesliga
Leaders Dortmund conceded in the 88th minute to draw 1-1 with FSV Mainz on Saturday. The result means BVB have claimed just one point in their past two matches and have opened the door for second-placed Leverkusen.
Leverkusen won 2-0 over Schalke 04 on Sunday, with the result meaning they’ve won five of their past six league matches and close to within seven points of the leaders. Franck Ribery scored late for Bayern to beat SC Freiburg 2-1 and stay in the race for the Champions League with Hannover 96 beating Hoffenheim 2-0.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 31 |
| 15 | VfB Stuttgart | 29 |
| 16 | St Pauli | 28 |
| 17 | VfL Wolfsburg | 27 |
| 18 | Moenchengladbach | 23 |
Kaiserslautern’s 1-0 win at Moenchengladbach was a significant result as the winners moved into 13th, while the losers remain rooted to the foot of the table. Eintracht Frankfurt also claimed an important three points after a 2-1 win over free-falling St Pauli, thanks to Theofanis Gekas’s double.
Random League: Portuguese Liga Sagres
FC Porto’s come-from-behind 3-1 win over Academica on Sunday has all but confirmed them as champions in Portugal. Dragoes have run away with the title this term, and with six games to play it’s hard to see them not winning the title.
Second-placed Benfica play fourth-placed Pacos Ferreira on Monday night but no matter what happens in that match, Porto will clinch the title with victory when the top two teams meet next weekend in Lisbon.