The three Premier League title rivals won on penalties on Saturday 11 December. The next day, Inter and Real Madrid took the lead in their league. The Serbian Dusan Vlahovic (Fiorentina), new darling of the Italian championship, offered himself a new double. Back on the events that should not be missed this weekend.
History of penalties in England
Status quo across the Channel: Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all won on Saturday. With a common denominator: each of the victories was snatched away thanks to a penalty. City waited for the hour of play to get out against Wolverhampton (1-0), by Raheem Sterling author of his hundredth goal in the Premier League. The Skyblues remain in the lead, one point ahead of Liverpool.
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For his comeback at Anfield, on the bench of Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard believed he was playing a bad trick on the Reds. But the amazing Mohamed Salah delivered his own with his 14th goal of the season (1-0). It was – even – more difficult for Chelsea against Leeds. Led in the first period, Thomas Tuchel’s players used two penalties from Jorginho, including one at the end of added time, to stay in contact (3-2).
These victories, certainly not the best of the season, confirm a trend: the title will be played, unless there is a big surprise, between these three. West Ham, fourth and held in check at Burnley (0-0), points to eight points, just ahead of Manchester United, short winner of Norwich (0-1). A victory obtained from the penalty spot, of course.
Dortmund have not digested the Klassiker, Bayern flies away
Is the suspense already over in Germany? With six points ahead of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern has widened a significant gap in the title race. Victorious over his rival last week (2-3), the Bavarian club confirmed against Mainz on Saturday (2-1). Led at the break, Julian Nagelsmann’s players came out thanks, in particular, to a goal from Kingsley Coman.
# FCBM05 #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/cdBaxEjR6e
– FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) December 11, 2021
At the same time, Dortmund could not do better than a draw on the lawn of Bochum (1-1). And again, the BVB limited the damage by equalizing by Julian Brandt in the last minutes … Too irregular, Dortmund accuses the blow. Only positive point of this weekend, Leverkusen, third, was dried in Frankfurt (5-2) and is now four units behind.
Dusan Vlahovic, the phenomenon that enchants Italy
But where will Dusan Vlahovic stop? The 21-year-old Serbian striker offered himself a new double this weekend, against Salernitana (4-0). Scorer for the fifth game in a row, he now has a total of fifteen goals in seventeen Serie A matches. Vlahovic, scorer of 32 goals in calendar year 2021, asserts himself as one of the best promises of his generation. He wears a euphoric Viola and fifth in the championship after several difficult seasons.
– ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina) December 11, 2021
Very courted last summer, the Serbian international (7 goals in 14 caps) is announced on the shelves of big teams this winter, starting with Inter. The Nerazzurri, precisely, did the right thing by taking the lead in Serie A thanks to their victory against Cagliari (4-0). They took advantage of the missteps of AC Milan (2nd and held in check 1-1 in Udine) and Napoli (4th and beaten 0-1 by the promoted Empoli). Victorious over Hellas Verona (1-2), Atalanta, 3rd three points behind Inter, is more than ever in the race for the Scudetto.
In Spain, Real Madrid pursue their rider alone
As the weeks go by, Real Madrid assert themselves as the main contenders for the La Liga title. The only ? It is undoubtedly too early to say it, but the Madrilenians have a thick cushion in advance on their pursuers after their victory (2-0) in the derby against Atlético. Seville, runner-up with eight points behind, keeps pace without really competing.
The performance of the weekend is to the credit of Real Betis. Nabil Fékir’s teammates, still a scorer on Sunday, outclassed Real Sociedad (4-0). Third with four points ahead of their rivals of the day, the Andalusians are placed as outsiders in the race for the Champions League.
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This fight for places of honor, Barcelona is watching from a long way. The Catalans, now 8th, were hooked by Osasuna (2-2). Sign of a very limited workforce, the young Abdessamad Ezzalzouli, 19 and training right winger, played … left piston. His goal was not enough. “It bodes well for the future of the club, but it says a lot about the current situation”, analyzed coach Xavi at the end of the match.