ONLY ONE team in Europe’s “big five” leagues has yet to win a game this season – Wolverhampton Wanderers. The last Italian club to get off the mark, Fiorentina, won at long last, beating Udinese 5-1 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Former Juve forward Moise Kean scored twice for the Viola. Juventus continued to put pressure on the top four in Serie A with a 2-1 win against Roma. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, the Supercoppa Italiana was taking place with Napoli beating AC Milan 2-0 and Bologna winning the other semi-final on penalties against Inter. The two winners play in the final on December 22.
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Premier League: Arsenal win, but City are closing in
ARSENAL pulled off a 1-0 win at Everton thanks to a 27th minute penalty from Viktor Gyökeres. The victory took the Gunners back above Manchester City, who had temporarily hit top spot after beating hapless West Ham 3-0 at the Etihad. Erling Haaland scored two more goals to take his total to 19. City’s resurgence in recent weeks is starting to make Arsenal a little nervous, one suspects – in the past three years, Mikel Arteta’s side have been runners-up and gained a reputation for losing their nerve, but there is a growing feeling that this time it is different. However, it is becoming clear that Arsenal will have to work for a title win, especially if 2025-26 proves to be Pep Guardiola’s last season with City. Arsenal’s neighbours, Tottenham, continue to struggle at home and pressure is building on manager Thomas Frank. Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool who have moved into the top five. Alexander Isak, who scored Liverpool’s opener, sustained a nasty lower leg injury in what is becoming a poor campaign for their big-money signing. Spurs had two men sent off and left the field to the jeers of their fans. Aston Villa beat Manchester United 2-1 with Morgan Rogers scoring twice. Chelsea came back from two-down to earn a 2-2 draw at Newcastle, while Leeds United beat Crystal Palace 4-1 with Dominic Calvert-Lewin netting two goals.
Bundesliga: Bayern end the year in style
HARRY Kane created a new record in Bayern Munich’s 4-0 win at Heidenheim, his 100th goal involvement in 78 games. The England captain has 81 goals and 19 assists to his name and he joyfully sent Bayern into the winter break with a goal in added time. Kane believes he is in the form of his life, not bad for a 32-year-old. Bayern are nine points clear of Borussia Dortmund and are unbeaten in 15 Bundesliga games. BVB won 2-0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach with goals from Julian Brandt and Max Beier. RB Leipzig lost for the second successive game, 3-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen after taking the lead through Xaver Schlager. Despite scoring a hat-trick, Wolfsburg’s Dženan Pejčinović could not stop his side from losing 4-3 at home to Freiburg.
La Liga: Barca dampen Villareal hopes
VILLAREAL were supposed to host Barcelona in Miami, but after being beaten by La Liga leaders Barcelona at their Ceramic stadium, they are probably glad they didn’t sell their soul. Barca won 2-0 with goals from Raphinha (an early penalty) and Lamine Yamal. Villareal had to play over half the match with 10 men after Renato Veiga was sent off. Real Madrid are four points behind Barca after their 2-0 win against Sevilla. Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé (penalty) were on the scoresheet for Real. Like Villareal, Sevilla had a man red-carded. Atlético Madrid won 3-0 at Girona with goals from Koke, Antoine Griezmann and Conor Gallagher. There is talk that Griezmann will be on his way out of Madrid in the January transfer window. Real Betis were 4-0 winners against Getafe with Aitor Ruibal scoring twice.
Coupe de France: Paris derby in round of 32
PARIS Saint-Germain will play host to neighbours Paris FC in the last 32 of the Coupe de France. The two Ligue 1 clubs are among 15 still in the competition, along with eight Ligue 2 clubs. Three Ligue 1 teams were knocked out in the round of 64: Auxerre were beaten by fellow top flight club Monaco, Brest went out on penalties to Avranches of National 2 and Le Havre lost to Ligue 2 Amiens. Avranches are now at home to Strasbourg.
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Scotland: Hearts too strong for Rangers
GOALS from Stuart Findlay and Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts a 2-1 win against Rangers at Tynecastle to underscore their title bid for 2025-26. Rangers had not lost away all year. Rangers pulled a goal back in added time, but it was not enough for Danny Rohl’s side. Celtic closed the gap at the top to six points with a 3-1 win against Aberdeen, the first victory for new manager Wilfried Nancy. Hearts manager Derek McInnes believes his team can get even better but most pundits now believe they are already genuine title contenders.
Attendances
1: Borussia Dortmund v Mönchengladbach – 81,365
2: Real Madrid v Sevilla – 72,062
3: Tottenham v Liverpool – 61,138
4: Stuttgart v Hoffenheim – 59,000
Top Scorers in Europe
19: Erling Haaland (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
18: Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Ayna Ueda (Feyenoord)
16: Franculino Djú (Midtjylland)
15: Aleksander Katai (Red Star Belgrade)
13: Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica), Tomáš Bobček (Lechia Gdansk).
And elsewhere…
Union Saint-Gilloise, the Belgian champions, are three points ahead at the top of the table with Club Brugge in hot pursuit
PSV Eindhoven are 11 points clear in the Eredivisie after their 2-1 win at Utrecht
Thun lead the Swiss Super League with a three-point margin over St. Gallen.