European Football Weekend Round-Up: Key Matches and Results

The last games of club football before the international break took place over the weekend. Liverpool kicked off the Premier League with a 1-0 victory on their visit to Crystal Palace, while Arsenal battled Southampton to secure a 3-1 win. Manchester City survived a scare from Fulham, managing a 3-2 victory at the Etihad. After a feisty Champions League week, Manchester United drew 0-0 with Aston Villa in a crucial game for manager Erik Ten Hag’s job, securing just 8 points in the first 7 league games — their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign. Chelsea drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest, while Spurs squandered a 2-0 halftime lead to lose 3-2 against Brighton.

In La Liga, Real Madrid returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Villarreal. Lewandowski’s first-half hat trick secured a 3-0 victory for FC Barcelona against Deportivo Alavés to keep them as league leaders, while Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 against Real Sociedad. Last season’s surprise team, Girona, continued their strong form with a 2-1 win against Athletic Bilbao.

In the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen let a two-goal lead slip, drawing 2-2 with newly promoted Holstein Kiel, while Dortmund lost yet again, this time with a disappointing 2-1 performance against Union Berlin. Bayern Munich were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Frankfurt.

Over in Serie A, Inter Milan survived a heated encounter against Torino to win 3-2, while Atalanta thumped Genoa 5-1. Juventus drew 1-1 with Cagliari, as did Roma with Monza. David De Gea was the hero for Fiorentina, saving two penalties as they defeated AC Milan 2-1.