This past weekend produced some surprising results as a few of the traditional superpowers fell to the swords of their lesser privileged opponents. In La Liga, the world watched as Football Club Barcelona were downed by newly promoted Alavés. Alavés!
Even the MSN could not save themselves when they were put on with the score at 1-1. Needless to say, mighty Alavés scored the winner with the three majestic South-Americans on the field.
The Blonde brothers? (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
I can only imagine how Real Madrid fans felt as they watched their hero Cristiano Ronaldo return to the fold and score in a triumphant 5-2 victory over Osasuna. Coupled with the aforementioned disaster suffered by Barcelona, and Atleti’s relatively slow start to the season so far, it’s dreamland for the Los Blancos supporters.
In Ligue 1, PSG once again struggled to make an impression in a 1-1 draw with Saint Etienne. The French champions’ disappointing form started when they lost to Monaco last weekend by a soul-crushing 3-1 scoreline. It seems Arsenal may have just drawn Unai Emery’s men at the perfect time, as both clubs face each other tomorrow in the Champions League group stages (1:45 CST on FS2).
And now, on to the Premier League, where history was made once again (as I’m sure most fans will testify happens every weekend) in the Manchester derby, as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City prevailed by 2-1 over Mourinho’s Manchester United in a heavily intriguing affair at Old Trafford. Man City were hailed as favorites by many before the game, but the majority inclined towards a United victory soon after it was reported that star-man Sergio Agüero would miss the contest due to a 3-game suspension.
Kevin De Bruyne was in stellar form in a dominant first half for City, scoring one and assisting the other for Agüero’s understudy for the day, Kelechi Iheanacho. In the last game on Saturday, Liverpool played Leicester in what was set to be the first game at the newly expanded Anfield. Everyone expected a wild and exhilarating game of football, and nobody was left disappointed.
De Bruyne gives Man City the lead. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)
Leicester were very poor on the day, and the Reds took full advantage using the pace that they have in the attacking areas to the full extent. Daniel Sturridge returned to his role as a centre-forward after much huff-and-puff, and was impressive on the day, assisting once and playing a key part in two others. The final score was a bit kind to the Foxes’ abnormally quiet afternoon, as Liverpool could easily have doubled the scoreline had they finished all their chances with more precision.
On Sunday, the storylines were captured by Chelsea‘s draw at Swansea, and one man, really, in particular.
Diego Costa.
The striker was brilliant for the Blues, but was shown a yellow card unfairly while he was more often the victim of several rash challenges. Conte’s team conceded to two goals that came from defensive mistakes. While Courtois’ challenge on Sigurdsson has stood up to its calling, Fer’s clear foul before a nick on Cahill was not to be seen by the referee, even though it could be seen from the moon. Regardless, the Blues dropped a crucial two points in a game which they were expected to win. Conte will hope this does not come to haunt them later on in the season.
