Battle For Champions League Placements Intensifies
By Tanko Bauka
As the battle for a Champion League place next football season intensifies, Everton has thrown itself into the fray with a deserved and comfortable 1-0 painful defeat inflicted on Nottingham Forest, whose third position in the league is now under threat.
With Everton’s victory, the battle for the most glamorous football competition, the UEFA Champions League place is between Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Aston Villa.
For the league title, Liverpool FC are just 6 points away from being crowned the Champion of the English Barclays Premier League after extending their lead in the league table to 13 points following a 2-1 win against West Ham while Arsenal’s lack of attacking power was further exposed as they were held to a one-all draw by Brentford at the Emirate stadium a result which pushes Liverpool FC close to winning the league.
Manchester City dug deep in the second half to beat Crystal Palace 5-2 in their encounter after going down 2-0 in the first half, while Aston Villa beat already relegated Southampton with a comfortable 3-0 hammering even after missing two penalty kicks at Saint Mary’s Park Stadium.
The weekend is one that Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United boys will want to forget in a hurry as the mediocre that has become the trademark of the Red Devils was again brought into the fore as Newcastle United took full advantage by dispatching Manchester United 4-1 to leapfrog Manchester City into the top four position as Leicester City grab a valuable one point after a two all draw against Brighton and Hove Albion as they continue to battle relegation.
Wolves boosted their chances of survival as they are 6 points off relegation as they compound the woes of Ange Postecoglou Tottenham Hotspur demolishing the North London boys 4-2.
Chelsea failed to boast their credentials as they again faltered against Ipswich Town as they struggled to play out a two-all draw at the Stamford Bridge stadium in London.
In the Spanish, LA Liga, FC Barcelona laboured to a 1-0 own-goal win against Laganes to further extend their lead in the league table, while Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe saw a red card in Madrid’s 1-0 win against Deportivo Alaves.
Real Betis suffered a 2-1 loss to the yellow submarine, Villarreal, while Mallorca beat Real Sociedad 2-0, and Athletic Bilbao won 3-0 against Rayo Vallacano to boast their Champion League place.
In the Italian Serie A, Inter Milan got closer to the league title as they hammered Cagliari 3-1, while Juventus climbed into the top four with a 2-1 win against Lacce as Ademola Lookman Atalanta boosted their chances of finishing third with 2-0 win against Bologna.
Cesc Fabregas Como defeated Torino 1-0 as Lazio failed to take home advantage against AS Roma as both teams played out a one-all draw.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich failed to capitalize after Bayern Leverkusen played out a drab goalless draw against Union Berlin as they were held to a two-all draw by Borussia Dortmund.
Results across Europe
English Barclay Premier League
Manchester City 5- Crystal Palace 2
Brighton Albion 2- Leicester 2
Nothingham Forest 0- Everton 1
Southampton 0- Aston Villa 3
Arsenal 1- Brentford 1
Chelsea 2- Ipswich Town 2
Liverpool FC 2- West Ham 1
Wolves 4- Tottenham Hotspur 2
Newcastle 4- Manchester United 1
Spanish LA Liga
Real Sociedad 0- Mallorca 2
Gatafe 1- Las Palmas 3
Celta Vigo 0- Espanyol
Laganes 0- Barcelona 1
Osasuna 2- Girona 1
Deportivo 0- Real Madrid 1
Real Betis 1- Villarreal 2
Athletic Bilbao 3- Rayo Vallacano 1
Italian Serie A
Venezia 1- AC Monza 0
Inter Milan 3- Cagliari 1
Juventus 2- Lacce 1
Atalanta 2- Bologna 0
Fiorentina 0- Parma 0
Hellas Verona 0- Genoa 0
Como 1- Torino 0
Lazio 1- AS Roma 1
German Bundesliga
Monchenglabach 1- SC Freiburg 2
VFL Bochum 1- FC Augsburg 2
Hoffenheim 2- Mainz 05 0
Leverkusen 0- Union Berlin 0
Holstein Kiel 1- FC St Pauli 2
Bayern Munich 2- Dortmund 2
Stuttgart 1- Werder Bremen 2
Frankfurt 3- Heidenheim 0
