Slip-ups and giant strides

Slip-ups and giant strides
(FIFA.com) Monday 23 February 2009
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The weekend brought a mixed bag of results for the leaders around Europe's biggest leagues. Inter Milan, Lyon and Manchester United all maintained or extended their advantage at the top, but Spanish front-runners Barcelona and Bundesliga leaders Hertha Berlin both fell to defeats. In the case of the men from the German capital, the result cost them their lofty perch after just a week at the top. FIFA.com reviews the weekend action in Europe’s biggest leagues.

Premier League: United stride clear
Guus Hiddink's first match in charge at Chelsea ended with the hoped-for return to winning ways, as Nicolas Anelka's 15th goal of the season proved enough to see off high-flying Aston Villa. Manchester United completed an ultimately routine victory over 18th-placed Blackburn, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo hitting the target in a 3-1 success. Roque Santa Cruz scored for Rovers on the half-hour, bringing an end to the Red Devils' run of 1,334 league minutes without conceding a goal.

There were setbacks in the title race for Liverpool and Arsenal who both dropped points at home. The Reds were held 1-1 by Manchester City, while the Gunners and Sunderland played out a scoreless draw.

Top three: Manchester United (62), Liverpool (55), Chelsea (52)
Bottom three: Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough (both 23), West Bromwich Albion (22)
Leading scorers: Nicolas Anelka (15 goals), Cristiano Ronaldo (12), Robinho (11)
Weekend stat: 14 – the goal conceded by Manchester United against Blackburn was their first in 14 matches

La Liga: Real make inroads
Rarely have the odds before the derby between Barcelona and Espanyol been so heavily stacked in one team's favour. The leaders went into the match undefeated in 22 games, whereas bottom club Espanyol were on a miserable 14-game winless streak. Incredibly, both runs came to an end in a shock 2-1 victory for Espanyol. Former Barca playmaker Ivan de la Pena struck a brace shortly after the restart to seal the points. Yaya Toure pulled one back for the leaders, who were reduced to ten men on 38 minutes after Seydou Keita's dismissal.

Real Madrid gleefully seized the opportunity to claw back lost ground, thrashing Betis 6-1 at the Bernabeu. All the goals came before half-time: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Raul netted two apiece, with Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos rounding off the half-dozen. Ricardo Oliveira struck a consolation for Betis as Real powered to a ninth win in a row. It was a good day for the pursuing pack too, as Sevilla beat Atletico 1-0, Villarreal defeated Gijon 2-1, and promoted Malaga notched up a 3-1 success in Valladolid.

Top three: Barcelona (60 points), Real Madrid (53), Sevilla (44)
Bottom three: Mallorca (24), Espanyol (21), Numancia (20)
Leading scorers: Samuel Eto'o (23 goals), David Villa (18), Lionel Messi (16)
Weekend stat: 9 – Espanyol's victory at the Camp Nou was only their ninth at the 75th time of asking