Liverpool Soaring Higher
By Tanko Bauka
Liverpool FC showed character and composure as they left it late in their encounter with Brentford at the G-tech stadium to score two goals in succession to beat their host by two zero to open up six points with an outstanding match against Everton in hand as Arsenal title bid suffered a setback with Aston Villa comeback to level up and brought the match to two all draw at the Emirates stadium in London.
A result which will play a significant role in the Gunners’ quest to dislodge Liverpool at the top of the league table.
Brentford looked like they would hold Liverpool to a third draw as the match wore out but the introduction of Darwin Nunez changed everything as the Uruguayan scored a brace to swing the match in favour of Liverpool thereby breaking the heart of Brentford fans who deserve at least a point because they were able to withstand Liverpool torrid of attacks.
The result means a lot to Liverpool after playing two draws in their previous matches, while their close title-chasing rival Arsenal will bemoan their lack of cutting edge to kill off Aston Villa and put the match to a bed when opportunity upon opportunity came begging as well as some costly defensive mistakes which cost them the three points.
The Arteta boys, known for their inconsistency, once again disappointed on a day they needed composure in front of the goal, but the lack of a clinical striker robbed them.
Newcastle United failed to create history by winning ten straight matches in a row after winning nine matches at a stretch as they were beaten squarely by rampaging AFC Bournemouth 4-1 at Saint James’ Park stadium to halt their winning streak.
Leicester City were beaten 2-0 by Fulham at King’s Power Stadium to further compound the woes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy as he battles relegation with his boys.
Crystal Palace also picked up three points beating West Ham in the process while Manchester United suffered a 1-3 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford which further exposed the lack of confidence and the deep problems rooted in the once dreaded red devils, leaving the manager, Ruben Amorim with an uphill task in restoring the lost glory of Manchester United.
Manchester City undoubtedly continued their rebuilding process as they demolished Ipswich Town 6-0 to move into the fourth position; David Moyes Everton defeated inconsistent Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 to further climb up in the league table.
In the Spanish, LA Liga, FC Barcelona failed to take all three points against Getafe as they were held one all on a night the Catalan badly needed the three points to keep tap with arch-rival Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in first and second position.
Atletico Madrid also failed in their bid as they were beaten 1-0 by Laganes, while Real Madrid thumped Las Palmas 4-1 to return to the top of the LA Liga league table.
In Serie A, Napoli made their intention known as they sought to snatch the league from the 2023-2024 Champion Inter Milan as they defeated Ademola Lookman Atalanta 3-2 to continue sitting at the top of the league.
AC Milan failed 2-0 to the firepower of the Serie A draw specialist Juventus, while Inter Milan continued to build more momentum with a 3-1 win against Empoli.
In the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Lazio and Bayern Leverkusen all won their weekend Fixtures.
Results across Europe
English Barclays Premier League
Newcastle 1- Bournemouth 4
Brentford 0- Liverpool 2
Leicester 0- Fulham 2
West Ham 0- Crystal Palace 2
Arsenal 2- Aston Villa 2
Everton 3- Tottenham 2
Manchester United 1- Brighton 3
Nottingham 3- Southampton 2
Ipswich 0- Manchester City 6
Chelsea 3- Wolves 1
Spanish LA Liga
Espanyol 2- real Valladolid 1
Girona 2- Sevilla 2
Laganes 1- Atlectico Madrid 0
Real Betis 2- Deportivo Alaves 3
Gatafe 1- FC Barcelona 1
Celta Vigo 1- athletic Bilbao 2
Real Madrid 4- Las Palmas 1
Osasuna 2- Rayo Vallacano 1
Valencia 1- Real Sociedad 0
Italian Serie A
AS Roma 3- Genoa 1
Bologna 3- AC Monza 1
Juventus 2- AC Milan 0
Atalanta 2- Napoli 3
Fiorentina 1- Torino 1
Cagliari 4- Lacce 1
Parma 1- Venezia 1
Hellas Verona 0- Lazio 3
Inter Milan 3- Empoli 1
German Bundesliga
Eintrach Frankfurt 2- Dortmund 0
VFL Bochum 3- RB Leipzig 3
Holstein Kiel 1- Hoffenheim 3
Stuttgart 4- SC Freiburg 0
Bayern Munich 3- Wolfsburg 2
Heidenheim 0- FC St Pauli 2
Leverkusen 3- Monchenglabach 1
Union Berlin 2- Mainz 05 1
Werder Bremen 0- FC Augsburg 2
Meanwhile, actions will also resume in the UEFA Champions League this Tuesday and Wednesday with eyes catching encounters across Europe as Benfica will want to test their might against FC Barcelona, Monaco hosts Aston Villa German Champion Bayern Leverkusen make a tricky trip to Spain to take on Diego Simeone Atletico Madrid while will be at Anfield stadium to welcome Lille from France.
On Wednesday Feyenoord entertain Bayern Munich while Pep Guardiola and his boys will seek to make a categorical statement as they continue to rebuild with an encounter with Paris Saint Germain in the French capital.
So also with Real Madrid who need to be at their best and in the right frame of mind as they host Salzburg as nothing short of the three points at stake will spell disaster for the Carlos Ancelotti boys.
Arsenal welcome Dinamo Zagreb to the Emirates stadium in London while RB Leipzig ambush Sporting CP as Celtic slug it out with Young Boys.
Champions League fixtures
Tuesday
Atalanta vs Sturm Graz
Benfica vs FC Barcelona
Bologna vs Burussia Dortmund
Crvena Zvezda vs PSV
Liverpool vs Lille
Slovan Bratislava vs Stuttgart
Monaco vs Aston Villa
Atlectico Madrid vs Leverkusen
Wednesday
RB Leipzig vs Sporting CP
Shakhar Donetsk vs Stade Bretois
AC Milan vs Girona
Arsenal vs Dinamo Zagreb
Celtic vs Young Boys
Feyenoord vs Bayern Munich
PSG vs Manchester City
Real Madrid vs Salzburg
Sparta Praha vs Inter Milan
