20 Jan Soccer Insights – Jan Vol. 3
Arsenal spring a surprise, Messi and Ronaldo score five goals between them, the fall of Milan continues and Lyon set the pace in Ligue 1. It was another weekend with plenty of talking points from the top leagues in Europe.
Premier League
Results
Aston Villa 0-2 Liverpool
Burnley 2-3 Crystal Palace
Everton 0-0 West Brom
Leicester 0-1 Stoke
Manchester City 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Southampton
QPR 0-2 Manchester United
Swansea 0-5 Chelsea
Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland
West Ham 3-0 Hull
Table
1. Chelsea 52pts
2. Man City 47pts
3. Southampton 42pts
4. Man United 40pts
5. Arsenal 39pts
Talking points
• Arsenal put in a master class of an away performance to end their recent dismal record of no wins in 16 games against City, United and Chelsea. The Gunners had just 35% possession, the lowest since Opta stats began in 2003, but thoroughly deserved the win inspired by Santi Cazorla.
• Chelsea obliterated Swansea, racing into a four goal lead after just 36 mins. Diego Costa scored twice and is the league top scorer with 17 goals.
• Alan Pardew is enjoying a dream start at Palace, with two wins out of two. The Eagles were 2-0 down at Burnley, before staging a superb comeback to take the win.
La Liga
Results
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Granada
Cordoba 1-1 Eibar
Deportivo 0-4 Barcelona
Elche 1-0 Levante
Espanyol 1-0 Celta Vigo
Getafe 0-3 Real Madrid
Real Sociedad 0-1 Rayo Vallecano
Sevilla 2-0 Malaga
Valencia 3-2 Almeria
Villarreal 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
Table
1. Real Madrid 45pts
2. Barcelona 44pts
3. Atletico Madrid 41pts
4. Sevilla 39pts
5. Valencia 38pts
Talking points
• Messi scored his 30th hattrick for Barca in all competitions as they swept aside Deportivo.
• Ronaldo had to settle for just a brace as Real Madrid recorded a comfortable win against city rivals Getafe.
• David Moyes suffered his first home defeat since taking over at Real Sociedad in a narrow loss to Vallecano.
Serie A
Results
Cesena 2-3 Torino
Chievo 1-2 Fiorentina
Empoli 0-0 Inter
Genoa 3-3 Sassuolo
Juventus 4-0 Verona
Lazio 0-1 Napoli
Milan 0-1 Atalanta
Palermo 1-1 Roma
Parma 0-2 Sampdoria
Udinese 2-2 Cagliari
Table
1. Juventus 46pts
2. Roma 41pts
3. Napoli 33pts
4. Sampdoria 33pts
5. Lazio 31pts
Talking points
• Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal of the game as Napoli secured a big win away to Lazio in the race for the Champions League.
• The fall of Milan continued as AC and Inter both dropped points against lowly opposition. They currently sit in 8th and 9th in the table.
• Juventus strolled to victory against Verona, with Carlos Tevez scoring twice, as well as a goal for the much sough-after Paul Pogba.
Ligue 1
Results
Bordeaux 1-2 Nice
Caen 4-1 Reims
Lens 0-2 Lyon
Lorient 1-0 Lille
Marseille 2-1 Guingamp
Metz 2-3 Montpellier
Monaco 1-0 Nantes
PSG 4-2 Evian
Rennes 0-0 St Etienne
Toulouse 1-1 Bastia
Table
1. Lyon 45pts
2. Marseille 44pts
3. PSG 41pts
4. St Etienne 40pts
5. Monaco 36pts
Talking points
• PSG made hard work of Evian, needing late goals from Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani to secure the three points.
• Lyon continue to set the pace, with Alexandre Lacazette scoring his 20th league goal of the season in their win at Lens.
• Monaco are quietly moving up the table, with a 5th win in their last six games taking them into the top five.
What to look out for next week
• FA Cup – Manchester United travel to the lowest ranked team left in the competition, Cambridge United, on Friday.
• La Liga – Valencia and Sevilla meet in a contest that could have a huge impact on who gets the final Champions League qualifying spot.
• Serie A – Roma’s title credentials will be put to the test with a tough game at Fiorentina.
• Ligue 1 – PSG will have to be on top form to get a result away to St Etienne, who are unbeaten in their last 12 league games.
