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Sunday European Rewind: Man United lifts EFL Cup; Barcelona, Real Madrid win late; and more

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Manchester United hoisted the English League Cup for the fifth time in their history on Sunday after defeating Southampton, 3-2, at Wembley Stadium.

Jose Mourinho’s side got an 87th minute winning goal from striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic which slammed the door on a possible extra-time period. The Swede headed home Ander Herrera’s cross which won Mourinho his first silverware since taking over at Manchester United. The free transfer from PSG now has 25 goals in all competitions this season.

Two goals from Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini brought the Saints level at 2-2, after the Italian netted in the 45th and 48th minute. United had a two-goal lead after Ibrahimovic’s 30-yard free-kick opened the scoring after 19 minutes, and Jesse Lingard slotted home in the 38th minute. United keeper David de Gea made three saves, while Fraser Forster also made three for the Saints.

Elsewhere in Europe, Tottenham blanked Stoke City in the only English Premier League match of the day. Barcelona fought back to defeat Atletico Madrid in La Liga, while Lyon cruised in a thumping of Metz in France. In Germany, Borussia Monchengladbach picked up the only win of the day.

Here is a rundown of Sunday’s action in Europe:

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE 

In the only top-flight match of the day, Tottenham Hotspur cruised to a 4-0 thrashing of Stoke City at White Hart Lane.

Dele Alli’s left-footed tap in gave Spurs a 4-0 lead right before halftime, while striker Harry Kane led the way with a hat-trick. The 23-year-old rifled home from outside the box in the 37th minute to cap the hat-trick, after scoring in the 14th and 32nd minutes as well. Kane added an assist on Alli’s goal, while midfielder Christian Eriksen also chipped in with two assists. Hugo Lloris made three saves for Tottenham in-goal, while Lee Grant made five in the defeat.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side leapfrog Manchester City into second-place, after the Citizens had their game postponed. Stoke drop to 10th after losing their third consecutive league match to Tottenham by a 4-0 score-line.

Tottenham Hotspur 4 – Stoke City 0

Leicester City host Liverpool on Monday afternoon in round’s finale.

SPANISH LA LIGA 

League-leaders Real Madrid came from 2-0 down to defeat hosts Villarreal, 3-2, at El Madrigal in Sunday’s late match.

Alvaro Morata’s 83rd minute winner capped a brilliant comeback by the visitors after Gareth Bale started the turnaround in the 64th minute. Manu Trigueros’s strike after 50 minutes saw Villarreal up 1-0 before Cedric Bakambu’s second league goal had the hosts up 2-0 before the hour mark. Bale’s header from close range cut the lead to 2-1, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s 74th minute penalty drew Los Blancos level. Morata, who came on as a 77th minute sub, headed home Marcelo’s cross to keep Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table. Villarreal remain in sixth, six points off from a Champions League spot.

Barcelona earned a huge 2-1 road win against Atletico Madrid on Sunday thanks to an 86th minute winner off the foot of Leo Messi. The Argentine rifled home a left footed effort to the bottom left corner which stamped the three points for Luis Enrique’s men. It was Messi’s 34th goal in all competitions this season. Atletico defender Diego Godin leveled it for the hosts in the 70th minute after Rafinha struck home Barca’ opener six minutes prior. Barcelona stay in second place after Real Madrid’s late win at Villarreal, while Atletico remain in fourth.

Elsewhere, Athletic Bilbao earned their second league win out of their last three after defeating visitors Granada 3-1 at San Memes. Inigo Lekue’s 33rd minute winner had the hosts up, 2-1, while defender Mikel San Jose added a 69th minute insurance goal to cap the score at 3-1. Granada had leveled it at 1-1 after Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez struck home three minutes after the hosts went up on Markel Susaeta’s opener. Athletic Bilbao remain in eighth, while Granada remain in 19th after losing two of their last three.

Here are all of Sunday’s La Liga results:

Espanyol 3 – Osasuna 0

Atletico Madrid 1 – Barcelona 2

Athletic Bilbao 3 – Granada 1

Sporting Gijon 1 – Celta Vigo 1

Villarreal 2 – Real Madrid 3

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA 

Borussia Monchengladbach made in consecutive wins in all competitions after defeating Ingolstadt, 2-0, at Audi Sportpark. Lars Stindl’s 60th minute winner had the visitors up 1-0 after finishing from close range. It was the striker’s seventh league goal of the season, and his fourth goal in the last three days in all competitions. Andre Hahn capped the victory in second-half stoppage-time finishing off a Gladbach’ fast break inside the box. Ingolstadt had 52% possession, but only had three efforts on-goal. The hosts remain in 17th, while the visitors jump to 10th.

At the VELTINS-Arena, Hoffenheim claimed a come-from-behind point in a 1-1 draw with Schalke. Sebastian Rudy’s 79th minute header earned the visitors a needed point after being down for most of the match. Alessandro Schopf’s fifth-minute strike had the hosts ahead, despite being out-performed the remainder of the match. Schalke’s Ralf Fahrmann made three saves, while Schalke only had two efforts on-goal offensively. Hoffenheim remain in fourth, while Schalke drop to 12th.

Here are all of Sunday’s Bundesliga results:

Ingolstadt 0 – Borussia Monchengladbach 2

Schalke 1 – Hoffenheim 1

ITALIAN SERIE A

In Sunday’s mouth-watering fixture, Roma defeated Inter Milan, 3-1, at the Giuseppe Meazza thanks to a brace from midfielder Radja Nainggolan. The Belgian had Roma in front after 12 minutes, before doubling his side’s lead in the 56th minute from a long-range strike. Mauro Icardi pulled Inter to within one in the 81st minute, finishing Ivan Perisic’s assist before Diego Perotti converted an 85th minute penalty to cap the score at 3-1. The win is Roma’s fourth consecutive league victory, move them to seven points behind leaders Juventus. Inter drop to sixth after seeing their two-match winning streak snapped.

AC Milan made it back-to-back league victories with a 1-0 road win at Sassuolo. Carlos Bacca’s 22nd minute penalty-kick goal was all the visitors needed to earn an important three points on the road. Sassuolo missed a golden opportunity to go ahead after 12 minutes, but forward Domenico Berardi saw his penalty go wide-right. Sassuolo keeper Andrea Consigli made five saves to keep the hosts in the match, while 18-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma made four saves for Milan. Milan remain in seventh place, while Sassuolo drop to 13th.

Lazio made it five matches unbeaten in all competitions after a 1-0 home win vs. Udinese. A 72nd minute penalty-kick goal from Ciro Immobile was all the hosts needed for the three points. It was the striker’s 14th league goal of the season. Udinese had three efforts on-goal, but failed to get past Lazio keeper Thomas Strakosha. Lazio jumped to fifth place with the win, while Udinese fell to 14th after suffering their third consecutive defeat.

Here are all of Sunday’s Serie A results:

Palermo 1 – Sampdoria 1

Chievo 2 – Pescara 0

Crotone 1 – Cagliari 2

Genoa 1 – Bologna 1

Lazio 1 – Udinese 0

Sassuolo 0 – A.C. Milan 1

Inter Milan 1 – A.S. Roma 3

Fiorentina host Torino on Monday afternoon in the round’s finale.

FRENCH LIGUE 1

In France’s top showdown of the weekend, Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 5-1 road win at Marseille. The visitors had a 2-0 lead at halftime thanks to goals from Marquinhos and Edinson Cavani. Lucas Moura added to the PSG lead in the 50th minute, slotting home from inside the box. Julian Draxler netted his second league goal in the 61st minute, before Marseille netted a consolation strike off the right foot of Rod Fanni. Blaise Matuidi rifled home a long-range effort two minutes later to make it 5-1 to the reigning Ligue 1 champs. Marseille only had one shot on goal, while PSG had 12 in total. Unai Emery’s side trail leaders Monaco by three points, while Marseille drop to seventh.

Elsewhere, Lyon made it four consecutive wins in all competitions after a 5-0 thumping of Metz at the Parc OL. Memphis Depay’s 43rd minute winner had the hosts up 1-0 at the halftime break. The winger made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute with a right-footed effort giving him three goals since joining from Manchester United. An own-goal off of Metz’s Ivan Balliu in the 74th made it 3-0, before Alexandre Lacazette rifled home Depay’s assist four minutes later. Mathieu Valbuena fired a 92nd minute insurance strike off the bench, capped the score at 5-0. Metz only mustered two shots-on-goal, while falling for the second time in their last three fixtures. Lyon remain in fourth place, sitting 13 points behind Nice for third.

Here are all of Sunday’s Ligue 1 results:

Saint-Etienne 0 – Caen 1

Lyon 5 – Metz 0

Marseille 1 – Paris Saint-Germain 5

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