02 Dec Soccer Insights – Dec Vol. 1
Another action-packed week brought with it plenty of goals, shocks and big stories, while the Liga MX and MLS playoffs are reaching their conclusion. Let’s take a look back at the past seven days.
Premier League
Results
Burnley 1-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 1-0 Stoke
Man United 3-0 Hull
QPR 3-2 Leicester
Southampton 0-3 Man City
Sunderland 0-0 Chelsea
Swansea 1-1 Crystal Palace
Tottenham 2-1 Everton
West Brom 0-1 Arsenal
West Ham 1-0 Newcastle
Table
1. Chelsea 33pts
2. Man City 27pts
3. Southampton 26pts
4. Man United 22pts
5. West Ham 21pts
Talking points
• Liverpool earned a first win in five league games thanks to a late header from right-back Glen Johnson.
• Three second half goals condemned Southampton to defeat against Man City, who leapfrog them into second place.
• Chelsea dropped points for just the third time this season as Sunderland fought for a well-deserved point.
La Liga
Results
Almeria 0-1 Rayo Vallecano
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Deportivo
Celta Vigo 0-1 Eibar
Cordoba 0-2 Villarreal
Espanyol 2-1 Levante
Getafe 1-2 Athletic Bilbao
Malaga 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad 3-0 Elche
Sevilla 5-1 Granada
Valencia 0-1 Barcelona
Table
1. Real Madrid 33pts
2. Barcelona 31pts
3. Atletico Madrid 29pts
4. Sevilla 26pts
5. Valencia 24pts
Talking points
• It was a rare event this weekend as both Barcelona and Real Madrid won, but neither Messi nor Ronaldo scored. Both have made the final three for the Ballon d’Or, along with Manuel Neuer.
• The game at Vicente Calderon was overshadowed by the death of a Deportivo fan, after rival supporters clashed before the game.
• David Moyes earned his first win as Real Sociedad manager, thanks to a hattrick from Carlos Vela.
Bundesliga
Results
Augsburg 3-1 Hamburg
Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Koln
Frankfurt 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
Freiburg 1-4 Stuttgart
Hertha Berlin 0-1 Bayern Munich
Hoffenheim 4-3 Hannover
Schalke 4-1 Mainz
Werder Bremen 4-0 Paderborn
Wolfsburg 1-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
Table
1. Bayern Munich 33pts
2. Wolfsburg 26pts
3. Leverkusen 23pts
4. Augsburg 21pts
5. M’gladbach 20pts
Talking points
• Dortmund are rock bottom of the table after losing for the eighth time in 13 league games. For the first time, fans are beginning to vent their anger during games.
• Another win for Bayern, and they have equalled the Bundesliga record of conceding only three goals in their first 13 games.
• A hattrick from Huntelaar gave Schalke the win, and the Dutchman now has 101 goals in 157 appearances for the club.
Serie A
Results
Cagliari 0-4 Fiorentina
Cesena 0-3 Genoa
Chievo 0-0 Lazio
Empoli 0-0 Atalanta
Juventus 2-1 Torino
Milan 2-0 Udinese
Palermo 2-1 Parma
Roma 4-2 Inter
Sampdoria 1-1 Napoli
Sassuolo 2-1 Verona
Table
1. Juventus 34pts
2. Roma 31pts
3. Napoil 23pts
4. Genoa 23pts
5. Sampdoria 22pts
Talking points
• Andrea Pirlo was the hero in the Turin derby with a 93rd minute long range strike. Torino have not beaten their city rivals since the 1994/95 season.
• Inter twice came from behind, but Roma won a thriller to keep up with Juve. The chase for the Scudetto is in danger of becoming a two-horse race.
• Milan are now just two points off a Champions League qualifying place thanks to a brace from Jeremy Menez against Udinese.
Ligue 1
Results
Bordeaux 1-0 Lille
Caen 1-1 Montpellier
Evian 2-0 Guingamp
Lens 2-0 Metz
Marseille 2-0 Nantes
PSG 1-0 Nice
Reims 2-1 Bastia
Rennes 2-0 Monaco
St Etienne 3-0 Lyon
Toulouse 2-3 Lorient
Table
1. Marseille 34pts
2. PSG 33pts
3. Lyon 27pts
4. Bordeaux 27pts
5. St Etienne 26pts
Talking points
• Zlatan is back! The big Swede scored the only goal from the spot to guide PSG to victory over Nice.
• Lyon suffered a first defeat in 10 league games as they lost ground on the top two.
Liga MX
Results
Chiapas 1-1 Toluca
Monterrey 0-1 Atlas
Pachuca 1-1 Tigres
Pumas 1-0 America
America 1-0 Pumas (America advance due to superior league position)
Atlas 0-2 Monterrey (Monterrey advance 2-1 agg)
Tigres 1-1 Pachuca (Tigres advance due to superior league position)
Toluca 1-1 Chiapas (Toluca advance due to superior league position)
Play-off standings, semi-finals
Monterrey v America
Toluca v Tigres
Talking points
• Three of the four ties finished level and with even on the away goals rule, meaning that the team who finished with the higher league position advanced.
MLS
Results
NE Revolution 2-2 NY Red Bulls (4-3 agg)
Seattle 2-1 LA Galaxy (2-2 agg, LA win on away goals)
Play-off standings, final
LA Galaxy v NE Revolution
Talking points
• NE twice came from behind to draw with NY and reach the MLS final. Thierry Henry has since left the club, and will decide on his future in the coming weeks.
• LA Galaxy scored a vital away goal to beat Seattle and Landon Donovan will play his final match for the MLS Cup.
What to look out for next week
• Premier League – midweek action sees Arsenal host Southampton and a London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham
• La Liga – it’s also derby day in Spain on Sunday when Barcelona host rivals Espanyol
• Bundesliga – first plays third on Saturday when Leverkusen travel to Bayern Munich
• Serie A – a rivalry defined by history as opposed to geographical location ensures an intense encounter between Fiorentina and Juventus on Friday
• Ligue 1 – PSG take their unbeaten record to Lille in a midweek fixture
• Lia MX – The semi-finals first legs are on Thursday, with the reverse fixtures on Sunday
• MLS – the MLS Cup final will be contested on Sunday evening
