A few surprising results headlined action around Europe over the weekend. Some giants fell to weaker opposition while others dominated in typical fashion.
In England, the most intriguing match of the week ended in disappointing fashion as Leicester City and Arsenal couldn’t manage to score in a 0-0 draw. Meanwhile Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea all secured victories in typical fashion over their outmatched opponents.
The Spanish Premiera Division kicked their season off in predictable fashion. While Barcelona dominated, 6-2, and Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory, Atletico Madrid must be disappointed to be chasing both so early after only managing a 1-1 draw against Alaves.
Serie A also kicked off in Italy this weekend. Roma and Juventus secured relatively easy victories over Udinese and Fiorentina respectively, but AC Milan struggled against Torino and needed a late penalty save to secure all three points.
The French Ligue 1 continued action with Lyon securing a 2-0 draw behind an Alexandre Lacazette brace. He now sits at five goals through two matches. Paris Saint Germain also dominated in typical fashion, winning an easy 3-0 victory over Metz.
Here’s a closer look at each league’s results:
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Though Leicester City and Arsenal didn’t deliver the match many hoped for, the action around the rest of the Premier League was very enticing.
Manchester United looked brilliant in a 2-0 beating of Southampton, headlined by another goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Their cross-town rivals, Manchester City, made dominating Stoke City look easy with a flashy 4-1 victory in Pep Guardiola’s second match in charge.
But the headline of the weekend was once again Liverpool’s, though in a negative light. After last weekend’s stunning 4-3 victory over Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp’s side were humbled by a 2-0 defeat to lowly Burnley this weekend.
FRIDAY
- Manchester United 2-0 Southampton
SATURDAY
- Stoke City 1-4 Manchester City
- Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace
- Watford 1-2 Chelsea
- West Brom 1-2 Everton
- Swansea City 0-2 Hull City
- Burnley 2-0 Liverpool
- Leicester City 0-0 Arsenal
SUNDAY
- Sunderland 1-2 Middlesbrough
- West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth
SPANISH PRIMERA DIVISION
It was business as usual for the two giants of Spanish football to kick off the season.
Barcelona led off with a 6-2 thrashing of Real Betis that showed off just how ready to defend their crown Luis Suarez and Leo Messi are. Real Madrid answered in kind with a 3-0 victory over Real Sociedad.
Atletico Madrid will be disappointed with a 1-1 draw against Alaves, but there remains plenty of time to bounce back. Sevilla headlined the match of the weekend by defeating Espanyol in a 6-4 goal-fest.
FRIDAY
- Malaga 1-1 Osasuna
- Deportivo 2-1 Eibar
SATURDAY
- Barcelona 6-2 Real Betis
- Granada 1-1 Villarreal
- Sevilla 6-4 Espanyol
SUNDAY
- Sporting 2-1 Athletic Bilbao
- Real Sociedad 0-3 Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid 1-1 Alaves
MONDAY
- Celta Vigo vs. Leganes
- Valencia vs. Las Palmas
ITALIAN SERIE A
Two exciting matches headlined kickoff Saturday for Serie A.
Roma fans will be pleased with their side’s debut performance in a 4-0 victory over Udinese. Juventus fans can also be content with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina to start their title defense.
AC Milan and Torino provided a contentious match that saw a stoppage-time penalty saved to preserve a 3-2 Milan victory. Meanwhile last season’s contenders Napoli started slow in a 2-2 draw vs. Pescara.
The upset of the weekend came from Chievo Verona who showed up Inter Milan in a 2-0 surprise victory.
SATURDAY
- Roma 4-0 Udinese
- Juventus 2-1 Fiorentina
SUNDAY
- AC Milan 3-2 Torino
- Chievo Verona 2-0 Inter Milan
- Pescara 2-2 Napoli
- Genoa 3-1 Cagliari
- Atalanta 3-4 Lazio
- Bologna 1-0 Crotone
- Palermo 0-1 Sassuolo
- Empoli 0-1 Sampdoria
FRENCH LIGUE 1
Upsets were few and far between as the French Ligue 1 continued into its second week of action.
Contenders Lyon rode an Alexandre Lacazette brace to a 2-0 victory over Caen to open the weekend. The much sought after striker now has five goals through only two matches.
Monaco secured a 1-0 victory over Nantes while Paris Saint Germain dominated in typical fashion during a 3-0 victory over Metz.
A surprising result came from Marseille, who couldn’t handle Guingamp en route to a 2-1 defeat.
FRIDAY
- Lyon 2-0 Caen
SATURDAY
- Nantes 0-1 Monaco
- Toulouse 4-1 Bordeaux
- Angers 0-1 OGC Nice
- Rennes 2-0 Nancy
- Lorient 0-3 Bastia
- Lille 1-0 Dijon FCO
SUNDAY
- Guingamp 2-1 Marseille
- ASSE 3-1 Montpellier
- Paris Saint Germain 3-0 Metz