14 Apr Soccer Insights – April Vol. 1
Manchester United claim the derby day spoils, bankrupt Parma stun Juventus, and PSG retain their League Cup title. Let’s check in on Europe’s top leagues as they enter the final stretch!
Premier League
Results
Burnley 0-1 Arsenal
Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle
Manchester United 4-2 Manchester City
QPR 0-1 Chelsea
Southampton 2-0 Hull
Sunderland 1-4 Crystal Palace
Swansea 1-1 Everton
Tottenham 0-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 2-3 Leicester
West Ham 1-1 Stoke
Table
1. Chelsea 73pts
2. Arsenal 66pts
3. Man United 65pts
4. Man City 61pts
5. Liverpool 57pts
Talking points
• The red half of Manchester has the bragging rights after the derby between United and City, in which the four United goals were bookended by two from Sergio Aguero.
• Arsenal made it eight wins on the spin, their best form since the ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04, as they lead the chase of champions-elect Chelsea.
• Tim Sherwood enjoyed his return to White Hart Lane as a rejuvenated Christian Benteke grabbed the only goal of the game.
La Liga
Results
Almeria 3-0 Granada
Celta Vigo 6-1 Rayo Vallecano
Cordoba 0-2 Elche
Espanyol 1-0 Athletic Bilbao
Getafe 1-1 Villarreal
Malaga 2-2 Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid 3-0 Eibar
Real Sociedad 2-2 Deportivo
Sevilla 2-2 Barcelona
Valencia 3-0 Levante
Table
1. Barcelona 75pts
2. Real Madrid 73pts
3. Atletico Madrid 66pts
4. Valencia 65pts
5. Sevilla 62pts
Talking points
• Barcelona surrendered a two goal lead after Messi and Neymar had put them in control at Sevilla. Kevin Gameiro equalised late on to preserve the hosts’ unbeaten home record.
• Ronaldo and Chicharito were both on the scoresheet as Real Madrid closed the gap on Barca with a comfortable home win.
• Griezmann scored two more goals to continue his sensational first season with Atletico, but it was only good enough for a draw with Malaga.
Bundesliga
Results
Bayern Munich 3-0 Frankfurt
Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg 0-2 Wolfsburg
Hannover 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Koln 3-2 Hoffenheim
Mainz 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Paderborn 2-1 Augsburg
Schalke 0-0 Freiburg
Stuttgart 3-2 Werder Bremen
Table
1. B. Munich 70pts
2. Wolfsburg 60pts
3. B. M’gladbach 53pts
4. B. Leverkusen 51pts
5. Schalke 41pts
Talking points
• Dortmund conceded after just 28 seconds against Monchengladbach as they suffered a second straight defeat, which all but ends their hopes of playing Champions League football next season.
• An injury-ravaged Bayern Munich still had too much for Frankfurt, with Lewandowski helping himself to a brace.
• Leverkusen survived a late fight back from Mainz to collect all three points, as the top four cemented their positions ahead of the chasing pack.
Serie A
Results
Atalanta 2-1 Sassuolo
Cesena 0-1 Chievo
Genoa 2-0 Cagliari
Lazio 4-0 Empoli
Milan 1-1 Sampdoria
Napoli 3-0 Fiorentina
Parma 1-0 Juventus
Torino 1-1 Roma
Udinese 1-3 Palermo
Verona 0-3 Inter
Table
1. Juventus 70pts
2. Lazio 58pts
3. Roma 57pts
4. Napoli 50pts
5. Fiorentina 49pts
Talking points
• Bankrupt Parma pulled off one of the shocks of the season by handing Juventus only their second league defeat. Juve may have had one eye on their upcoming European tie with Monaco, and this defeat will not prevent them strolling to the Serie A title.
• Lazio moved above city rivals Roma by notching an eighth consecutive win, during which time they have only conceded two goals.
• Napoli had a goal wrongly not given after the ball had crossed the line, but it didn’t matter as they swept past Fiorentina. Goal line technology will be introduced to Serie A next season.
Ligue 1
Results
Bordeaux 1-0 Marseille
Caen 0-3 Monaco
Evian 0-1 Lille
Lens 0-0 Lorient
Reims 0-1 Nice
Rennes 1-0 Guingamp
St Etienne 1-0 Nantes
Toulouse 1-0 Montpellier
Table
1. PSG 62pts
2. Lyon 61pts
3. Monaco 58pts
4. Marseille 57pts
5. St Etienne 56pts
Talking points
• A drab weekend in France saw six games finish 1-0 and one goalless draw, with Monaco the only team to score more than one goal.
• Marseille lost to Bordeaux as the race for the third and final Champions League qualifying spot took another twist.
• PSG did not have a league game as they were busy defending their League Cup title with a win in the final against Bastia.
MLS
Results
Dallas 0-4 Colorado
DC United 2-2 NY Red Bulls
Houston 3-0 Montreal
Kansas City 0-0 Salt Lake
LA Galaxy 1-0 Seattle
New England 0-0 Columbus
Philadelphia 2-1 New York City
Portland 0-2 Orlando
San Jose 1-0 Vancouver
Tables
Eastern Conference
1. DC United 10pts
2. NY Red Bulls 8pts
3. Orlando 8pts
Western Conference
1. Vancouver 13pts
2. Dallas 10pts
3. San Jose 9pts
Talking points
• La Galaxy will hope to kick start their season after a win over Seattle in a repeat of last years’ final.
• Kaka scored a late penalty as Orlando picked up their second win of the season.
• David Villa scored for New York City, but a stoppage time goal means they have won just one of their first five games.
What to look out for next week
• International – the US and Mexico will renew their rivalry with a “friendly” on Wednesday
• Champions League – the quarter-finals begin later today with a mouth-watering clash between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid
• Europa League – Wolfsburg v Napoli is the pick of the quarter-final ties on Thursday
• Premier League – Man United travel in fine form to play table-toppers Chelsea on Saturday
• FA Cup – the semi-finals see Arsenal and Liverpool favourites to progress against Reading and Aston Villa respectively
• La Liga – Barcelona have a tough home tie against a Valencia team desperate for a top four finish
• Bundesliga – Dortmund will look to get back on track with a home game against Paderborn
• Serie A – they may both be having forgettable seasons, but that doesn’t make Sunday’s Milan derby any less important
• Ligue 1 – Lyon will attempt to keep up with PSG by winning a tricky home game with St Etienne
• MLS – New York City have home games on Friday and Monday against Philadelphia and Portland
