Photo: Goal.com
German giants Bayern Munich continued their unrivalled run to the Bundesliga title as they thrashed Hamburg 8-0 at the Allianz Arena. Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze all scored twice while Franck Ribery and Robert Lewandowski added two goals of their own. This was Bavarians’ biggest win in 30 years, as they retained their 8-point lead at the top. And with 25 shots on goal, Bayern could’ve easily worsened the pain for Hamburg SV.
Photo: AP
Liverpool ended their winless streak at Selhurst Park since 1997 as they overcame Crystal Palace to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals. After last season’s debacle at Selhurst Park, when Liverpool blew a 3-goal lead to draw against a resilient Crystal Palace to squish their title hopes, they managed to come from a goal down to clinch a well-deserved victory. Earlier in November, Liverpool lost at Crystal Palace 3-1 affirming the claims that this was to be a torrid year at Anfield. The Reds looked in control throughout the match but the hosts grabbed a shock lead when Frazier Campbell pounced on some shady goalkeeping by Simon Mignolet. Another upset seemed to be in the offing and if it wasn’t for the heroics of the Belgian stalwart, it would’ve been 2-0. After halftime, Daniel Sturridge slotted one home through the legs of Julian Speroni after a beautiful pass by captain Jordan Henderson. From that moment on, Liverpool truly looked in control, as Adam Lallana sealed the victory, tapping in a rebound from Mario Balotelli’s sharp free-kick. With only Arsenal and Manchester United being notable rivals left in the competition, a dream send-off for Steven Gerrard may finally be in sight.
Photo: Reuters
In another FA Cup clash, West Ham were ripped to shreds at the Hawthorns, after a humiliating defeat 4-0 defeat against West Brom.
Real Madrid triumphed in a must-win game against Deportivo La Coruna, albeit unconvincingly, as they emerged 2-0 victors, courtesy goals by Isco and Karim Benzema. Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo’s birthday party after the 4-0 thrashing by city-rivals Atletico Madrid didn’t go too well with the Real Madrid loyalists, as they began to question his commitment to the club. Welsh winger Gareth Bale was once again the subject of boos and jeers as he put forward an anther unimpressive display at the Santiago Bernabeu. The game had a dull aura, especially in the second-half and with a tricky trip to Schalke in the Champions League coming up on Wednesday, the Los Blancos can’t suffer any setbacks now. Nacho Fernandez expressed his views after the game: “It has been a long week because of all the criticism we have had, but with the support of the fans, I think we can leave that behind us now. We heard more applause than whistles – and that’s the most important thing.”
Photo: Christophe Ena/AP
French champions PSG seemed to be on course for a routine victory at the Parc des Princes, after ‘Karate King’ Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Ezequiel Lavezzi made it 2-0 at half-time against Caen. But to general disbelief, PSG lost 5 players to injury, eventually finishing the match with 9 men, allowing Caen to score two late goals. “I’ve never known anything like it,” Ibrahimovic said. “We lost two points but we were really unlucky. After another rendezvous with bad-luck, PSG missed the chance to go top of Ligue 1.
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