Liverpool extended its lead to an almost insurmountable 16 points after beating Manchester United on Sunday.
Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham all dropped points Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City was held 2-2 by Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, further boosting Liverpool’s title hopes, after Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham drew 0-0 with Nigel Pearson’s Watford.
Arsenal’s underwhelming form under new manager Mikel Arteta continued in a 1-1 draw with Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United. Chelsea looked headed for a draw until Isaac Hayden headed in to give Newcastle a 1-0 win in stoppage time.
Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice to continue his sensational scoring run and help move Juventus four points clear at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 win over Parma.
Mario Balotelli was sent off just eight minutes after coming on in Brescia’s 2-2 draw with Cagliari.
Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-battling Lecce on Sunday as Antonio Conte’s side dropped points for the second weekend in a row.
Ante Rebic broke his Milan duck with two second-half goals, including a stoppage-time winner as they beat Udinese in a five-goal thriller.
Fiorentina moved above Napoli in Serie A and consigned coach Gennaro Gattuso to a fourth defeat in five games with a 2-0 victory at Stadio San Paolo. Goals from Federico Chiesa and substitute Dusan Vlahovic either side of half-time gave the visitors a third consecutive win in all competitions.
In La Liga, Valencia’s Champions League hopes were hit by a shock defeat at Real Mallorca, who boosted their survival bid with a 4-1 win. In La Liga Real Madrid’s win over Sevilla took them top of the league with a three-point lead over Barcelona, who face Granada at Camp Nou on Sunday evening. Fifth-placed Getafe beat Leganés 3-0 on Friday.
Atlético Madrid’s hopes of getting back into the Spanish title race faded even further with a 2-0 defeat away by struggling Eibar.
Defending Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich scored four times in 24 minutes in the second half to crush hosts Hertha Berlin 4-0 on Sunday and move into second place as the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break.
Via The Guardian / ABS SportÂ
