The big teams across the top European Leagues were at their dominant best on Saturday clinching maximum points on a day Borussia Dortmund’s recent slump saw them lose away at Hannover 96.
ENGLAND
Anthony Martial netted the winning goal for Manchester United at home to Tottenham Hotspur in a narrow 1-0 win. The exciting French forward who has had to alternate between a bench role and spot in the first team with Marcus Rashford was introduced in place of the latter and made his impact felt 11 minutes afterwards scoring in the 81st minute to ensure second-place Manchester United are three points clear of third-place Tottenham Hotspur while they trail leaders Manchester City by five points.
Manchester City edged a five-goal thriller 3-2 away at the Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion to extend their strong start to the season. Goals from Leroy Sane, Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling cancelled out Jay Rodriguez’s first-half leveller, though; Matt Phillips ensured a nervy finish when he pulled a goal back on the dot of regulation time.
Crystal Palace showed grit and determination to crawl back from a two-goal deficit at half-time, eventually forcing a 2-2 draw at home to West Ham United in an action packed London derby. Wilfred Zaha completed the comeback for the Eagles with just a minute left to play in added time, a result and outcome which leaves manager Slaven Bilic for the umpteenth time having to offer an explanation to his employers on how they failed to wrap up the game.
Eden Hazard scored the lone goal which earned champions Chelsea a 1-0 away win at Bournemouth in Saturday’s last Premier League game. The mercurial Belgian playmaker profited from Alvaro Morata’s assist to ensure the Blues are on a five game winning streak on the road this season.
GERMANY
Borussia Dortmund were overthrown at the top of the Bundesliga standings no thanks to a 4-2 away loss at Hannover 96 on Saturday afternoon. Peter Bosz must have been frustrated with his team who are now second on the log, as they finished the game with 10-men following a red card issued to Dan-Axel Zagadou for a professional foul.
Bayern Munich assumed their rightful place at the top of the league table thanks to a 2-0 home win against 10-man RB Leipzig. The away team endured the worst possible start following the 13th minute sending off of Will Orban. James Rodriguez made the numerical advantage count six minutes later, handing the home team the lead. Robert Lewandowski doubled the score to ensure a comfortable score line for the Bavarian giants.
ITALY
Juventus were 2-0 winners thanks to Gonzalo Higuain’s brace away to AC Milan in the Italian Serie A big game of the day. The Argentine striker who in the past had been accused of failing to score in big matches, netted in either half to send Juventus to the top of the summit, temporarily pending the conclusion of Sunday’s matches, while AC Milan are in eight-place.
FRANCE
Monaco remains hot on the heels of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain. The champion secured a 2-0 away win at Bordeaux in the absence of prolific captain and top goal scorer Radamel Falcao. Second half strikes from the duo of Balde Keita and Thomas Lemar settled the tie in favour of Coach Leonardo Jardim’s team.
