Another topsy-turvy weekend of European football is in the books, and there are talking points galore across the big leagues.
Atletico Madrid slumped to a shock defeat at Leganés and Barcelona could only manage a draw against Getafe. That left the door open Real Madrid and Los Blancos duly obliged; smashing four past Las Palmas and shifting into top spot in LaLiga in the process.
In England, Tottenham Hotspur‘s season went from bad to worse, shipping three goals against a previously toothless Everton, while Justin Kluivert inspired AFC Bournemouth to a surprise win at Newcastle United.
Elsewhere, there were stunning goals from Tim Kleindienst and Javier Puado, and Romelu Lukaku made sure that Napoli‘s Serie A title charge wasn’t derailed by the departure of “Kvaradona.”
Sam Tighe, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner take a look at what you might have missed this weekend.
Top takeaway: Brilliant Bournemouth stake Champions League claim
Toon fans have been on cloud nine lately — nine wins in a row, Alexander Isak scoring in eight straight games, a dominant midfield combination and clean sheets aplenty — but they were brought hurtling back to earth on Saturday as AFC Bournemouth dismantled Newcastle United 4-1 at St. James’ Park.
It was an astonishing performance from the Cherries, who remain in the thick of a chase for the UEFA Champions League places despite being racked by injuries. They have quite literally run out of right-backs, forcing a central midfielder to deputise there, and their bench consisted of six teenagers, a 20-year-old, a 21-year-old they recalled from loan last week, and a goalkeeper. For them to continue to play with such fluency, aggression and confidence was remarkable; that they overcame an opponent in such good form, at such an imposing stadium, almost defied belief.
Some conversation has since ensued over manager Andoni Iraola’s achievements and where that might lead him in the near future: A “big six” club? A top European club? He’ll rightly dismiss anything of the sort and focus on the here and now, of course, but it’s fair to say he (and his team) are starting to get some richly deserved recognition.
Best match: Everton 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
To put it bluntly, Everton’s attack this season has been downright anemic, so to watch them race into a three-goal lead by half-time against Spurs was quite the eyebrow raiser. Spurs battled back with a pair of goals in the final 15 minutes, forcing the Toffees to hold their nerve in order to see out a first win under new (old) boss David Moyes.
Best goal: Dejan Kulusevski vs. Everton
The scene that preceded Kulusevski’s strike against Everton was carnage: A mad scramble in the box, goalkeeper off his line and a defender on the line.
What do players usually do in that scenario when the ball lands at their feet? Smash it as hard as they can.
What did the Spurs winger do? Deftly guide the ball into the top corner with the utmost care, accuracy and precision. A beautifully calm moment of play from inside a maelstrom.
MVP of the weekend: Justin Kluivert
There were plenty of top performances across the league, but nothing beats a hat trick of goals from open play. We make the “open play” distinction because Justin Kluivert scored a hat trick in December consisting solely of penalties, causing some to dismiss it. However, there’s no dismissing this effort.
Three great goals (particularly the last one) provided the cutting edge that converted Bournemouth’s excellent performance into an excellent, comprehensive win. — Tighe
JUSTIN KLUIVERT COMPLETES HIS HAT TRICK WITH A BELTER. 💥🎩#NEWBOU pic.twitter.com/FdVrJ0MAne
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) January 18, 2025
Top takeaway: It’s advantage Real Madrid, again, in topsy-turvy title race
It’s hard to keep track of who’s in crisis in LaLiga this season.
Is it Real Madrid, after their 5-2 thrashing to Barcelona in the Supercopa final? No, there they are now, at the top of the table thanks to Sunday’s 4-1 win over Las Palmas.
Surely it isn’t Barça themselves, having just won that trophy so emphatically? Well, they’ve now dropped points in seven of their last eight league games, a historically bad run — the latest being Saturday’s disappointing 1-1 draw at Getafe.
As for Atletico Madrid, having just won a club-record 15 consecutive games, they were beaten 1-0 at Leganés, with star forward Antoine Griezmann missing a penalty as his side squandered their advantage at the top of the table.
The 2.Bundesliga promotion race in Germany is as close at it gets
Former greats are desperately trying to get back to the Bundesliga, while smaller clubs want to achieve the upset. That sums up the current state of affairs in the 2. Bundesliga, Germany’s second division.
The first matchday after a month-long break culminated in a clash between FC Cologne and Hamburg on Saturday evening. However, the supposed top-of-table game remained lackluster for the majority of the 90 minutes. Playing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at Volksparkstadion, Hamburg created more chances than the previous table leaders and eventually got the deciding goal thanks to Ransford Königsdörffer.
With that, Hamburg have taken the lead in Germany’s second division where an extremely close race for the promotion spots could unfold in the next few months. At the moment, 12 teams are within six points, with the first two being promoted directly to the Bundesliga and the third-placed team qualifying for the promotion playoffs, where they would face the 16th-ranked team from the Bundesliga. — Eckner
