London, Rome, and Madrid were split right down the middle this weekend, as fierce rivals stood across the pitch like a soccer version of “West Side Story.” The red teams in England and Italy now rule their towns, while Madrid ended up belonging to nobody.
This weekend’s Intra-city rivalries and much more come your way in this weekend’s edition of 90 Minutes’ Top Five.
1. Gunners blazing
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Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, and big-money transfer Alexandre Lacazette all started together for only the third time all season in Sunday’s North London derby against the red-hot Tottenham Hotspurs, and the result showed. Sanchez scored the second goal, and both Ozil and Lacazette notched assists as Arsene Wenger’s side proved surprisinlgy superior to an unrecognizable Spurs team that underwhelmed after being the talk of Europe before the international break. Mauricio Pochettino continues to struggle in matches against the “big six,” having only won just once on the road in such games.
This Spurs team always seems to come out flat, sometimes even overwhelmed by the moment, something that Arsenal demonstrated plenty of Saturday at the Emirates.
2. Everything but Wanda-ful
The much-anticipated first Madrid derby at the new Wanda Metropolitano left both teams and its fans a lot to be desired, and big winner who didn’t even play the match.
Both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid enter Saturday’s clash needing points to keep up on the table, goals to jump-start their struggling attacks. Neither team got what they wanted in a mostly-dull 0-0 draw that only exacerbated the problems plaguing the capital’s teams. Real Madrid’s defensive woes almost cost them a goal withing the first three minutes, but Angel Correa incredibly kicked the wide as he faced Kiko Casilla one-on-one. After that, chances came few and far in between, with both teams’ defenses prevailing despite the talent featured on both sides offensively.
Oh, and the big winner? Barcelona, because they got another three points at Leganes, and after the 0-0 Madrid derby, now have a comfortable ten-point lead atop La Liga.
3. La capitale is yellow and red
If the Madrid derby underwhelmed, Serie A’s Derby della Capitale delivered an entertaining matchup worthy of the occasion.
The south end of the Stadio Olimpico featured a banner that red “L’Urbe Siamo Noi” -”We are the city”-, and indeed the city was theirs. The south end belongs to Roma fans, whose team came away victorious in a very tense yet entertaining Rome derby, 2-1. In a game in which emotion and heart was in full display, it was Radja Nainggolan, the always emotional and intense of Roma’s players, made the difference by whipping out a laser shot to make it 2-0, only four minutes after Diego Perotti’s penalty kick conversion. The derby win solidifies Eusebio Di Francesco and his team’s ascending curve in year one of Roma’s new project. With a game still in hand, the Giallorossi could climb up to second place, two points behind Napoli.
The match didn’t just help Roma, but all of Italian football after one of the most difficult weeks of its history.
4. Pog-back with a statement
Jose Mourinho may have found the answer to many -if not all- of his team’s ailments.
After a two-month injury absence, Paul Pogba made his return to the Manchester United squad, and what a return it was. Pogba started, assisted, and scored a goal in the Red Devils’ 4-1 come-from-behind win against Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle at Old Trafford. One the problems plaguing United in the latest rough spell (four points out the last 12 in Premier League play) was a glaring lack of creativity and breakthrough play from the midfield. Pogba came right back into the starting lineup -alongside Nemanja Matic- and provided a much-needed spark with his pace and his passing.
Injuries themselves were another of United’s problems as of late, and the squad didn’t just get a boost in Pogba’s return, but also regained some depth by getting Marcos Rojo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic back from serious knee injuries.
5. Goal of the weekend
What else is there to say about Manchester City? How else can one argue that Kevin De Bruyne is the best player in the Premier League? Well, this weekend’s Top Five Goal of the Weekend in City’s win at Leicester may be just another piece of mesmerizing evidence in favor of the Belgian playmaker.