Top Stories

European Rewind: Inter win derby, Gunners upset by Swansea and more

Milito reuters

Inter Milan are back.

The champions from 2006-2010 have stormed back into the title race after an atrocious start and started off 2012 with a bang with a 1-0 win over AC Milan. Diego Milito scored against the run of play nine minutes into the second half to wrap up the victory on a foggy day at the San Siro. The win, combined with Juventus' lackluster 1-1 draw with Cagliari, pulls Inter to within six points of the league leaders and extend their winning streak to six games.

Arsenal are headed in the opposite direction after falling 3-2 to Swansea. The Gunners are four points behind Chelsea for the final Champions League spot and have a massive clash with Manchester United on the horizon. Tottenham's title bid took a hit after a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

There were no real surprises in La Liga or Ligue 1 as Real Madrid and Paris St. Germain maintained their leads.

Here is a look back at all the results from around Europe.

ENGLAND

Manchester United are back to winning ways and are temporarily tied with Manchester City with a 3-0 win over Bolton. Paul Scholes is back on the scoresheet after coming out of retirement and Danny Welbeck and Michael Carrick contributed the other goals. Blackburn Rovers are somehow out of the bottom three with an impressive 3-1 win despite being down to 10 men. 

Aston Villa 1, Everton 1
Blackburn Rovers 3, Fulham 1
Chelsea 1, Sunderland 0
Liverpool 0, Stoke City 0
Manchester United 3, Bolton Wanderers 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
West Bromwich Albion 1, Norwich City 2
Newcastle United 1, Queens Park Rangers 0
Swansea City 3, Arsenal 2

ITALY

With AC Milan and Juventus dropping points, Udinese had a golden opportunity to make a push up the table but the Zebrette couldn't take advantage. Udinese fell 3-2 to Genoa and are three points behind top spot. Inter are also coming up behind and are only three points behind for a Champions League place.

Lazio 2, Atalanta 0
Cesena 3, Novara 1
Chievo Verona 1, Palermo 0
Fiorentina 0, Lecce 1
Genoa 3, Udinese 2
Juventus 1, Cagliari 1
Parma 3, Siena 1
AC Milan 0, Inter Milan 1 

SPAIN

It wasn't easy for the top two teams in Spain but they did enough to pick up all three points. Real Madrid had to come from behind but goals in the last 20 minutes from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Maria Callejon saved the leader's blushes. Barcelona also didn't have an easy time but late goals from Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi stopped Real Betis' comeback and secured a 4-2 win.

Valencia 0, Real Sociedad 1
Mallora 1, Real Madrid 2
Sevilla 0, Espanyol 0
Real Zaragoza 1, Getafe 1
Granada 1, Rayo Vallecano 2
Barcelona 4, Real Betis 2
Sporting Gijon 2, Malaga 1
Athletic Bilbao 3, Levante 0
Osasuna 0, Racing Santander 2
Athletico Madrid 3, Villareal 0 

FRANCE

Paris St-Germain took care of business with a 3-1 win over Toulouse in Carlo Ancelotti's league debut. Montpellier stayed hot on their heels with a 1-0 win over fourth-placed Lyon while Lille fell to Marseille and created even more of a gap between the top two and the rest of the field.

St. Etienne 1, Sochaux 0
Paris St.-Germain 3, Toulouse 1
Montpellier 1, Lyon 0
Dijon FCO 3, Evian Thonon Gaillard 1
Caen 0, Stade Rennes 2
Brest 1, Nice 0
Bordeaux 2, Valenciennes 1
AS Nancy Lorraine 2, Lorient 2
AC Ajaccio 2, AJ Auxerre 1
Marseille 2, Lille 0

—————-

What did you think of the weekend's results? Are Inter back in the title race? Is Arsenal in danger of missing out on the top four? 

Share your thoughts below

Comments

  1. Agree. The problems that Arsenal have had the last few years have been pretty obvious to most observers, yet it always taken Arsene so long to address them.

    I also love Swansea and Norwich. There is some good quality there. I think the league will be much stronger when the likes of Bolton and Wigan are sent packing at the end of the season.

    Reply
  2. Nice work Wenger.

    While there has been some impressive showings this season for Swansea, being outclassed by them as a club of Arsenal’s supposed stature shows just negatively this season will end up

    6th place finish? Lower, perhaps?

    Wenger should quit making excuses for everything under the sun, proclaiming there shouldn’t be a January transfer window for example, and instill some toughness in his squad.

    Tactically, I have a lot of respect for Wenger but in terms of being a leader? He’s quite poor and it’s not surprising to see his teams reflecting his personality….soft, excuse ridden and spineless.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Casual Observer Cancel reply