Manchester City took another step to a potential Premier League title, but what went on across the other top leagues in Europe?
Girona caused a major upset in Spain as they beat Real Madrid 2-1, condemning the visitors to their first La Liga defeat in their last 59 games against newly promoted sides, dating back to a loss against Almeria in February 2008. The shock defeat means they now sit eight points off Barcelona in top, who beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 thanks to goals from Messi and Paulinho. Valencia sit second thanks to a 2-1 win at Alaves, while Atletico Madrid maintain fourth spot despite a 1-1 draw at home to Villarreal. Malaga finally moved off the bottom of the table as they picked up their first win of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.
Napoli remain top of Serie A as they beat Sassuolo 3-1, with Juventus in second thanks to Higuain’s double in a 2-0 victory over AC Milan. Lazio sit third after they beat Benevento 5-1, where Immobile bagged a goal and a hat-trick of assists, while former Manchester United man Nani also found the net and provided an assist for his on-loan club. 21-year-old Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira perhaps bagged the goal of the season in his side’s 4-1 win over ChievoVerona, thumping in a long-range free kick past the helpless Sorrentino in goal for the away side.
Bayern Munich have completed a remarkable turnaround and now find themselves top of the Bundesliga thanks to a 2-0 victory at home to ten-man RB Leipzig, replacing Borussia Dortmund who slipped to second after losing 4-2 at Hannover. Former Premier League names Bentaleb and Origi both found the net in a 1-1 draw between Schalke and Wolfsburg, while Cologne remain rock bottom without a league win to their name after their latest 2-1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.
In France, a Cavani brace helped PSG to a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Nice, while Monaco remain hot on their heels in second as they picked up all three points in a 2-0 victory at Bordeaux. Fekir’s early brace guided Lyon to a 2-0 win over Metz as they climbed to third in the table, one point ahead of Marseille in fourth who picked up a 1-0 victory at Lille. Finally, Claudio Ranieri’s high-flying Nantes fell to fifth as they picked up a disappointing 1-0 loss at 14th place Dijon.