Europe’s top five football leagues delivered another decisive weekend, with the familiar giants tightening their grip at the summit as domestic title races moved deeper into the season.
Arsenal stayed top of the Premier League after a comfortable 3-0 home win over Sunderland, powered by goals from Martin Zubimendi and a Viktor Gyökeres brace.
The Gunners reached 56 points after 25 matches, keeping a steady cushion at the top.
Manchester City provided the weekend’s biggest statement.
Pep Guardiola’s side claimed a crucial 2-1 victory at Liverpool, with Bernardo Silva leveling late before Erling Haaland converted a stoppage-time penalty.
Dominik Szoboszlai scored for Liverpool but was sent off in added time as tensions flared. City climbed to 50 points, staying firmly in the title hunt.
Manchester United also impressed, beating Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford through Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes.
United made it four straight league wins, while Spurs’ winless run stretched to seven matches.
Elsewhere, Chelsea beat bottom club Wolverhampton 3-1, Nottingham Forest fell 3-1 away to Leeds, and Brighton lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace despite Ferdi Kadıoğlu playing the full match.
Aston Villa sit third on 47 points.
Barcelona maintained first place in Spain with a routine 3-0 win over Mallorca. Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal were on target as Barça reached 58 points after 23 matches.
Real Madrid stayed close behind with a 2-0 away win at Valencia, thanks to second-half goals from Alvaro Fernandez and Kylian Mbappe.
Arda Güler played 82 minutes. Atletico Madrid stumbled again, losing 1-0 at home to Real Betis, leaving them 13 points off the pace.
Inter continued to look every bit the Scudetto favorites.
Simone Inzaghi’s side dismantled Sassuolo 5-0 away, with goals from Yann Bisseck, Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez, Manuel Akanji and Luis Henrique. The win extended Inter’s streak to five straight league victories.
Milan kept pressure on with a 3-0 win at Bologna, while Napoli edged Genoa 3-2 despite playing with 10 men, sealing the result through a stoppage-time goal from Rasmus Hojlund.
Juventus rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Lazio, with Kenan Yıldız involved, and Torino drew 2-2 with Fiorentina as Emirhan İlkhan played 59 minutes.
Inter lead the table on 58 points, ahead of Milan, Napoli and Juventus.
Bayern Munich responded after two winless matches with a ruthless 5-1 home victory over Hoffenheim.
Luis Diaz stole the show with a hat trick, while Harry Kane added to the rout. Ozan Kabak played the full 90 minutes for Hoffenheim.
Borussia Dortmund won 2-1 at Wolfsburg through Julian Brandt and Serhou Guirassy, while Leipzig edged Cologne 2-1 away in a match that saw Cenk Özkacar complete the full game. Bayern lead on 54 points, six clear of Dortmund.
Paris Saint-Germain delivered a statement performance in France’s biggest rivalry, crushing Marseille 5-0 at the Parc des Princes.
Ousmane Dembele scored twice, with further goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Kang In Lee and an own goal by Facundo Medina. PSG extended their winning streak to seven matches.
Lens beat Rennes 3-1 to stay in touch, Lyon defeated Nantes 1-0 despite finishing with nine men, and Lille were held to a scoreless draw at Metz with Berke Özer in goal.
PSG lead Ligue 1 with 51 points, followed closely by Lens.
