Arsenal and Chelsea fight out a draw; Barcelona and Real register crucial wins; Bayern Munich clinch the Bundesliga title; PFA Awards announced
Photo: Getty Images
Jose Mourinho ensured that his side was on track to the title with a gutsy performance against Arsenal. Barcelona and rivals Real Madrid triumphed in tricky encounters away from home to retain the gap at the top to 2 points. Bayern won their 3rd Bundesliga title in a row with a narrow win over Hertha Berlin.
Photo: Reuters
Chants of ‘Boring boring Chelsea’ rang throughout the Emirates Stadium but Mourinho won’t mind after the Londoners took the lead at the summit of the Barclays Premier League to 10 points, following the stalemate against Arsenal. Chelsea were controversially denied two penalties in the first-half and despite the fact that Arsenal looked a rejuvenated side after the interval, the Gunners had nothing to show for it as the scoreline remained 0-0. Oscar was knocked out by Ospina after the Brazilian chipped the ball over the ‘keeper but Michael Oliver didn’t point to the spot. Later, former Arsenal-captain, Cesc Fabregas was clearly tripped by Cazorla but the referee booked the Chelsea man for simulation. But Mourinho wasn’t too upset as his side requires only 6 points to win the title, while Wenger continued his dismal head-to-head record (13 winless games) against the Portuguese mastermind.
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Manchester United suffered a second consecutive loss after the Red Devils were thumped 3-0 at Goodison Park. United dominated possession but were guilty of over-committing players and were caught on the counter-attack by a determined Everton side. James McCarthy opened the scoring after a swift counter-attack and some scrappy Manchester United defending, as he somehow managed to squeeze past the defenders and scramble it past De Gea. In the 35th minute, Leighton Baines corner was met by John Stones to glance it into the top-left, to score his first goal for the Toffees. As the second-half began, Everton defended deep and Manchester United started putting in helpful crosses hoping someone will reduce the deficit. Substitute Kevin Mirallas killed the game off when he caught the United defence sleeping to make it 3-0. Barkley lobbed the ball over the visitors’ defence and although Lukaku was clearly offside, he let the ball run past him and Kevin Mirallas raced past Valencia to tuck the ball into the near-post.
Photo: Helios de la Rubia
The other half of Manchester was in good spirits as City survived a scare against Aston Villa to win 3-2 and go back to 2nd place in the standings. Liverpool were held 0-0 by West Brom as chances of Champions League qualification are growing slimmer for the Reds after dropping points yet again. The 6th and 7th place sides, Tottenham and Southampton played out a 2-2 draw, much to Liverpool’s relief.
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Neymar and Messi scored two scrumptious goals in the first-half in a Catalan derby against Espanyol to open up a 5-point gap at the top of the La Liga. Jordi Alba was sent-off under mysterious circumstances but Barcelona managed to hold on to run out 2-0 winners. Real Madrid scored 4 against Celta Vigo to ensure that Barcelona’s lead at the top was reduced once again to 2 points. Javier Hernandez scored twice in a 4-2 win but were handed a scare when Nolito opened the scoring for the hosts in the 9th minute.
Wolfsburg’s loss was Bayern’s gain as the second-placed side lost against Borussia Monchengladbach due to which Bayern took an unassailable lead at the Bundesliga top to win their 3rd straight title. Bayern will be on a high but Pep Guardiola knows quite well that the fans expect more than just the Bundesliga as the Bavarians have the domestic cup and Champions League, where they meet Barcelona, to contend for.
Paris Saint-Germain drubbed Lille 6-1 to draw level on points with Lyon at the top of Ligue 1, with one game in hand. Ezequiel Lavezzi scored a hat-trick and Cavani scored a delightful lob over the ‘keeper to improve the spirits in the French capital after they were knocked out of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, in England the PFA awards were announced and Eden Hazard took home the top award, winning the PFA Player of the Year while sensational striker Harry Kane won the PFA Young Player of the Year.
Photo: PA
Photo: PA
Photo: PA
Photo: PA
The Premier League PFA Team of the Year was a side consisting of 6 Chelsea players and one player each from Manchester United, Southampton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Ji SOo-yun of Chelsea won the PFA Women’s Player of the Year Award. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were also honored as the two English legends won the PFA Merit Award for their long-term service to the Premier League as the two leave for the MLS in the summer.
Tags: Arsenal Chelsea EPL news PFA PFA awards Premier League
