City-Arsenal rivalry delivers; Barcelona continues stellar start in La Liga

While Erling Haaland scoring his 100th goal for Manchester City, AC Milan shocked city rival Inter in the Milan derby.

All of Arsenal’s hard work would have paid off if not for Manchester City’s dogged attitude of fighting until the last second. | Photo Credit: AFP

Such has been the rivalry between Manchester City and Arsenal in the past two years, that the clash between the two was already billed as a potential title decider this early in the Premier League season. And it didn’t disappoint, at least from a neutral perspective.

After losing to City in the title race for the past two seasons, Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta said his team had been preparing for this match against Pep Guardiola’s men since pre-season. All the hard work would have paid off if not for City’s dogged attitude of fighting until the last second.

Erling Haaland (left) scored his 100th goal for City, giving his team an early 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. Guardiola’s team enjoyed the early momentum, but that was squashed by a 20-yard screamer from Arsenal’s latest acquisition, Riccardo Calafiori, to equalise for the Gunners. Playing fearlessly in front of a hostile Etihad crowd, Arsenal took the lead in the dying minutes of the first half as Gabriel Magalhaes headed in a corner delivered by Bukayo Saka.

However, the half ended on a frustrating note for the Gunners when Leandro Trossard was sent off in the eighth minute of added time. Already on a yellow card for his challenge on Savinho in the 34th minute, the Belgian charged through the back of Bernardo Silva and showed clear dissent, kicking the ball away after disagreeing with referee Michael Oliver’s decision. This prompted Oliver to show a second yellow card, leading to protests from the Arsenal players.

Nicolas Jackson (right) scored a brace for Chelsea, while usual suspect Cole Palmer added the third. | Photo Credit: AFP

Playing the entire second half with 10 men at the Etihad is a laborious prospect for any team. Arteta’s men nearly held on, but they faltered at the very end when John Stones tucked in the equaliser in the eighth minute of stoppage time to secure a precious point for City.

Meanwhile, Manchester United continued to be the epitome of inconsistency under Erik Ten Hag after a frustrating goalless draw in an away match against Crystal Palace. Following a 3-0 win against Southampton in its last Premier League match and a 7-0 win against Barnsley midweek in the League Cup, United looked to be gathering momentum this season, only to drop points at Selhurst Park

After a shocking 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool bounced back in style, cruising to a 3-0 win against Bournemouth, with Luis Diaz scoring a quick brace and Darwin Nunez adding a strike.

Enzo Maresca’s impressive start as Chelsea manager continued, as the Blues won 3-0 in what was expected to be a challenging fixture against West Ham United at the London Stadium. Nicolas Jackson scored a brace, while usual suspect Cole Palmer added the third.

Tottenham Hotspur brushed off the disappointment of its North London derby against Arsenal, winning 3-1 against Brentford.

Rush of youth: Barcelona has been stellar in La Liga, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal (left) being the focal point of its success. | Photo Credit: AP

Dominic Solanke scored his first goal for the club after his summer move, with Brennan Johnson and James Maddison scoring the other two.

Aston Villa continued to shine under Unai Emery. After a 3-2 win against Everton, the Clarets followed it up with a 3-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After matchday five, defending champion City tops the table with 13 points, followed by Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal. Chelsea is fifth, while Manchester United languishes in 11th.

La Liga

Barcelona and new manager Hansi Flick might have faced ridicule after its loss against Monaco in its Champions League 2024-25 opener. However, the Blaugranas have been stellar in La Liga, with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal being the focal point of its success. After scoring a brace in Barcelona’s 4-1 win against Girona, Yamal bagged an assist in its 5-1 thumping of Villarreal, where Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha each grabbed a brace, and Pablo Torres also found the net.

READ | Real Madrid returns to scene of last defeat for Atletico derby clash

Defending champion Real Madrid made easy work of newly promoted Espanyol, thumping it 4-1. Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Junior scored the first three goals for Los Blancos from open play. Kylian Mbappe added the last from the penalty spot, as the Frenchman continues to settle into life at the Santiago Bernabeu. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois would have bagged a clean sheet if not for an error that saw the Belgian concede an own goal in the 54th minute.

Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring their third goal with Kylian Mbappe. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

After a brilliant win against RB Leipzig in its Champions League opener, the mood was positive in the Atletico Madrid camp heading into the next La Liga gameweek. However, it was a frustrating day at the office for Diego Simeone’s men, as it was held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano. After matchday six, Barcelona tops the table with 18 points, maintaining a perfect record. Real Madrid follows with 14 points, while Athletic Bilbao is third with 13 and Atletico fourth with 12.

Ligue 1

Defending champion PSG, which started its Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win against Girona, had a disappointing gameweek in the league after it was held 1-1 by Reims.

Marseille continued its excellent form in the new season with a 3-2 win against Lyon, despite being down to 10 men from the fifth minute.

Monaco cruised to a 3-1 win against Le Havre, while Nice fans celebrated an 8-0 thrashing of St. Etienne.

After matchday five, Marseille, Monaco, and PSG occupy the top three spots, each with 13 points.

Serie A

AC Milan’s Matteo Gabbia (46) scores his side’s second goal against Inter Milan. | Photo Credit: AP

The Milan derby was the biggest talking point in Italian football ahead of the last matchday. Defending champion Inter was the heavy favourite, especially given AC Milan’s poor start to the season. However, in a surprising turn of events, Paulo Fonseca’s Milan beat Simone Inzaghi’s Inter 2-1. Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for Milan in the 10th minute, but Federico Dimarco equalised for Inter in the 27th. With the match heading towards a draw, Matteo Gabbia scored the winner for Milan in the 89th minute, as Fonseca praised his players for their courageous performance in the derby.

Juventus vs Napoli was another highly anticipated fixture, but it turned out to be a dull affair, finishing goalless. The 0-0 draw against Napoli marked Juventus’ fifth instance of recording three consecutive goalless draws, with the last such streak occurring in May 1992.

AS Roma sacked Daniele De Rossi after a winless start, failing to win in its first four league games. New coach Ivan Juric stopped the rut by leading the side to its first league win, beating Udinese 3-0.

Meanwhile, Torino’s positive run continued, beating Hellas Verona 3-2 in its last outing.

After matchday five, Torino surprisingly tops the table with 11 points, remaining unbeaten. Napoli and Udinese are second and third, both with 10 points, while Juventus sits fourth with nine. Inter and AC Milan are sixth and seventh, separated only by goal difference.

Bundesliga

New Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has enjoyed a perfect start to the Bundesliga 2024-25 campaign. In its latest outing, Bayern dominated Werder Bremen with a 5-0 victory. Michael Olise scored a brace, and Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane, and Serge Gnabry added to the tally.

Goals galore: Bayern Munich dominated Werder Bremen with a 5-0 victory, with Michael Olise (right) scoring a brace, and Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane (left), and Serge Gnabry added to the tally. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Defending champion Bayer Leverkusen continued its tryst with late winners, with Victor Boniface scoring in the third minute of second-half stoppage time to beat 10-man Wolfsburg 4-3. Florian Wirtz, Jonathan Tah, and Piero Hincapie also scored as Leverkusen looks to mount a successful title defence.

Borussia Dortmund had a week to forget, suffering a humiliating 5-1 defeat against VfB Stuttgart. Deniz Undav scored a brace, with Ermedin Demirovic, Enzo Millot, and El Bilal Toure adding a goal each. Serhou Guirassy scored the lone goal for Dortmund.

After matchday four, Bayern tops the table with 12 points, followed by Leverkusen, SC Freiburg, and Eintracht Frankfurt, all with nine points. Dortmund is eighth with seven points.

Around the world

MLS: Lionel Messi returned from injury in style, scoring a brace in Inter Miami’s 3-1 win against Philadelphia. Miami then drew 2-2 with Atlanta United and 1-1 with New York City. It currently tops the Eastern Conference with 30 points.

Saudi Pro League: Al Nassr had a shaky start to the season but beat Al Ettifaq 3-0 in its last match, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 902nd career goal for club and country.